2021 – Page 373 – Armenian Directory & News

Armenia marks anniversary of Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

October 2, 2021October 2, 2021 Emil Lazarian

Sept 27 2021

27 September 2021

ByAni Avetisyan

Nikol Pashinyan at Yereblur military cemetery. Photo via Armtimes.

Podcasts on domestic violence and violence against women in Armenia

October 2, 2021March 12, 2026 Kalantarian Kevo

Council of Europe

Sept 27 2021

YEREVAN 24/09/21

Armenian experts Lusine Sargyan and Gohar Hakobyan address these and many other questions related to violence against women in Armenia, its manifestations, its direct link to gender inequalities and the available legal support and social services. They also discuss international instruments on the topic, such as the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (known as the Istanbul Convention) and state polices.

The podcasts reached about 65,000 engagements on social media and other digital platforms, such as sound-cloud and anchor.

You can learn more by hearing the podcasts in Armenian:

Domestic violence in Armenia: its manifestations

Gender inequality and gender-based violence

The podcasts are part of activities to increase awareness of the public on domestic violence and violence against women, its consequences, prevention and support mechanisms in Armenia. They were produced in the framework of the project “The Path towards Armenia’s Ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence”.

Recognizing the Armenian Genocide is the first step to stop the cycle of war

October 2, 2021October 2, 2021 Ani Tigranian

Sept 27 2021

In memory of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, a CSUN student shares her family’s story to highlight the effects of intergenerational trauma caused by the Armenian Genocide.

Ofelya’s great grandmother Hayastan (left of first row) and great grandfather Vagharshak (right of first row), along with her grandfather Albert (boy in the back row holding the dog).

Jane Partizpanyan, Contributor
September 27, 2021

Many Armenians believed the recent war to be a continuation of the Armenian Genocide, as thousands of indeginous Armenians were marched out of their homeland by Turkish-backed Azerbaijani forces.

In order to understand the current climate in the region, one must understand its past.

As an Armenian immigrant from the village of Gyumri, Hunanyan knows firsthand the effects of intergenerational trauma and the importance of worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide, in which her family experienced deep tragedy and loss.

“The story I’m going to tell is from my dad’s side, it’s his grandma’s story. During the genocide she was a 17 or 18-year-old girl. My great-grandmother’s name was Hayastan. This was in 1918 when the genocide was still happening,” Hunanyan said.

Hayastan was confronted by a group of Turkish men, who forced her and other women to remove their clothing and dance. Around 40 women were killed. Some were kidnapped and others, in a fit of desperation, killed themselves hoping to escape imminent death and torture.

Hayastan was one of the women who was taken. While women around her were being killed and raped, she remained unharmed. When the head Pasha, a high-ranking Ottoman government official, saw her, he broke down in tears.

“When he saw my great-grandmother, he said, ‘I’m not going to hurt you because you look like my sister.’ He started crying and that’s how my great grandmother survived. He told a Turkish soldier to take her and cross the border to Armenia,” Hunanyan said.

Hayastan was terrified to share her story with her husband, fearing that he would reject her. She reunited with her uncle for a few days until she worked up the courage to see her husband, who accepted her story and embraced her with open arms. Sadly, Hayastan’s father was killed by Turkish soldiers.

“Every year during the anniversary of the genocide, my family always gets together and shares their stories with each other of how their relatives survived the genocide,” Hunanyan said. “Every year when I was in Armenia, we would go to the Armenian Genocide memorial statue with flowers. It’s important for us to respect the lives lost and to remember them.”

The genocide has left a massive void in Hunanyan’s family. She has family members scattered all over the world whom she has never met and likely never will. Her family has forever been torn apart.

“For sure I can say that complete healing can not happen. [My grandparents] still have not fully recovered from everything that happened to their parents. Even all of the Armenians today in the diaspora, they are not healed. They left their homes and became immigrants in foreign countries and saw different lives. Armenian families are not completely together,” Hunanyan said.

For Hunanyan, speaking of her family’s survival, and remembering others in her country who lost their lives, means that their memory won’t ever be forgotten. Recognizing the generational impact of the genocide is something she hopes everyone can realize.

“My grandfather and his children were affected psychologically and financially by the genocide. They lived in fear after the genocide and they had to work really hard to be able to live a good life,” she said.

President Joe Biden’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2021 took Armenians one step forward to justice, as real change stems from acknowledging the past. But there is still much work to be done. Armenians hope that one day Turkey will recognize the role their ancestors played during the Armenian Genocide.

Although the recognition by the United States set an important example for other countries to follow, Armenians will never get real justice until their perpetrators choose to make peace with them. The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war is proof that history will repeat itself if change is not made.

“Hopefully one day [Turkey] will recognize the Armenian Genocide,” Hunanyan said. “For me that will mean that there is still justice in this world. That the guilty will be punished and that one day we will be able to see our old land. I feel like our generation will live to see that day.”

Palestinians challenge Armenian Patriarchate over Jerusalem land lease

October 2, 2021March 12, 2026 Torgomian Varazdat

Sept 27 2021

The Armenian Patriarch’s decision to lease property to an American real estate developer has led to a crisis in Palestinian-Armenian ties in Jerusalem

Nourhan Manougian (R), the Armenian patriarch of Jerusalem, makes his way to the Church of the Nativity during the Epiphany celebrations, Bethlehem, West Bank, Jan. 18, 2020. – Musa al-Shaer/AFP via Getty Images

Daoud Kuttab

@daoudkuttab

September 27, 2021

Aside from the Orthodox, the Armenians are the oldest Christian community in Palestine. The nearly 1,000 Armenians live in the Armenian Quarter, which is located next to the Jewish Quarter, in the Old City of Jerusalem, where housing, school and other basic institutions are provided for the local community. The current religious leader of the Armenians and his real estate director are now embroiled in a row with the Palestinian leadership for leasing hitherto unused sensitive land next to the Jewish Quarter initially to the Israeli municipality for a parking lot.

The 10-year lease that required the Israelis to spend $2 million to clear rubble in order to prepare the parking lot is now said to have become a 99-year lease to Jewish Austrian businessman Danny Rubenstein, to convert it into a luxurious hotel that the patriarchate has admitted to and said it “will bring in a stream of hundreds of thousands of dollars that will provide financial stability for the cash-strapped church.”

Palestinian officials who contacted the patriarchate twice, to no avail, have now appealed to Armenia. On Sept. 22, a letter was sent by Ramzi Khoury, head of the Palestinian Higher Presidential Committee for Churches Affairs in Palestine, to Catholics of All Armenians Patriarch Karekin II calling land transactions in the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem a violation of international law, since the area inside the Old City is an “integral part of the Palestinian occupied territories” governed by relevant international resolutions.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry has also been “urged to intervene,” according to a statement by the Higher Presidential Committee.

On Sept. 23, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting and urged Armenia to intervene to “protect the properties of the Armenian Church in the Old City and to stop any action that can affect its legal and historic status,” according to a statement by the official Petra news agency.

Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop Sevan Gharibian and head of the real estate department Rev. Baret Yeretsian replied to the accusations and attacks by insisting that what was done would have a long-term benefit for the church.

A Sept. 22 statement issued by the chair of the Armenian Patriarchate Synod admitted that the church had indeed ratified an agreement for the long-term lease of the land plot known commonly as Cow’s Garden, stressing that this lease provides “a steady income of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to support the Armenian patriarchate.”

The statement signed by Father Samuel Aghazian admitted that a “luxurious hotel structure” would be built based on a long-term lease “without imposing any risk to the full and exclusive ownership of this land.”

It notes that “the title of the property will be finally registered with the Land Registry (Taboo) in the name of the patriarchate.”

The church also criticized the Islamic Waqf stating, “The development and construction of the property will establish and reinforce possession of the property and protect it against repeated attempts of trespassing by individuals and Waqf, as well as against potential expropriation and confiscation by [Israeli] municipal or government authorities that typically apply to vacant properties.”

Waqf officials in Jerusalem and Amman refused to comment on the accusation and preferred to deal quietly with the Armenian Church leadership.

Sources in Jerusalem who have asked not to be identified told Al-Monitor that Armenians in Palestine are unhappy with this case, with many refusing to go along with the patriarch. More significantly, it appears that the St. James Synod, which is the highest religious body in the church, has not met in three years and has not approved all these deals. This means that in fact the Synod is most likely opposed to these land deals that will cause unnecessary and long-term friction with the Palestinians and will side with Israel in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute over the occupied Old City of Jerusalem.

Israeli relations with the Armenians have fluctuated over the years. The Israelis have tried to propose affinity with the Armenians because the two communities combine religion with nationalism. On the other hand, Armenians have accused Israel of supplying weapons to Azerbaijan, which may have tilted the latest war over Nagorno-Karabakh in favor of the largely Muslim former Soviet country.

As for Sheik Jarrah and Silwan, the most recent land conflict in the occupied city of Jerusalem reflects a growing effort by Israel to make the holy city more Jewish, while Palestinians in Jerusalem, largely isolated and politically orphaned, are trying to clutch onto international law to preserve the city and to ensure it can one day become part of an independent Palestinian state.

‘Piece for Peace’: Artwork honors the fallen in war between Armenia and Azerbaijan

October 2, 2021March 12, 2026 Arsine Chaltikian

Fox 11 Los Angeles

Sept 27 2021

By Araksya Karapetyan

Sept. 27th marks one year when the war began between Armenia and Azerbaijan. For 44 days that followed, thousands lost their lives, schools, medical facilities, cultural sites were destroyed, up to 100,000 people were displaced— and to this day over 200 Armenian POWs have not been released.

LOS ANGELES – Sept. 27 marks one year since the war began between Armenia and Azerbaijan. For 44 days that followed, thousands lost their lives, schools, medical facilities, cultural sites were destroyed, up to 100,000 people were displaced— and to this day over 200 Armenian POWs have not been released.

Through it all, the local community here in Los Angeles united in an incredible way— people mobilized quickly to raise funds and bring awareness.

Matt Donnan has been creating art with aluminum cans for years.

“I’ve always been fixated on how they managed to keep the label on there; the colors are so beautiful to me. You know it has always been my hope that the aluminum work could see could serve a greater good,” said Donnan.

His latest piece is of an Armenian soldier named Albert Hovhannisyan, and this has become something bigger than anything Donnan could have ever imagined.

Albert Hovhannisyan was a junior sergeant in the Armenian Army. This photo of him on the frontlines quickly became an iconic image. Hundreds of media outlets around the world used this very image while covering the 2020 Artsakh War. Sadly, not long after this picture was taken, he was killed. He was 19.

“When I posted that Albert had passed away, Matt contacted me and he wanted to provide his support for the cause and made a donation from himself and his family. So when I went over again to receive the donation, we were in his garage where he does most of his work and he offered to build a piece,” said Andranik Taranyan.

Taranyan and Donnan have been friends for years and when the war started on Sept. 27, 2020, Taranyan became heavily involved in fundraising efforts. He was busy raising awareness, posting stories and updates about what was going on, while Donna followed along.

“It became evident to me that the world was willing to turn a blind eye. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that,” said Donnan.

“This 19-year-old kid dressed in military garb, on the frontlines, putting his life on the line…. and it just seemed like we connected with that emotion right away and that’s what we wanted— I wanted to bring it to life. For me really at the time, what kind of sparked my imagination was that we can use the art to bring awareness to what was going on,” said Taranyan.

“Nobody was paying attention, nobody was watching. My motto is if nobody’s listening I’m going to talk louder,” Donnan added.

Togetther, they created an enormous piece, measuring 10 feet by 8 feet, using roughly 11,000 perfectly cut one-inch squares of 47 varieties of aluminum cans to bring Albert’s image to life.

This project “Piece for Peace” truly became a community effort. Donnan said seeing the community come together to bring their vision to life is something he will never forget.

“It’s like building an enormous puzzle and that day that we held the event, 60 people came together to build the puzzle,” Donnan explained.

“We probably spent over one thousand man-hours to finish the piece, we started mid-October and finished by mid-December right before the holidays,” said Taranyan.

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“The portrait of Albert is a reminder to everyone of what happened in 2020; it is a reminder and a tribute to all the young lives. I feel hopeful, hopeful that the community can continue to come together,” said Taranyan.

Recently, the public had an opportunity to see this piece during the local screenings of the documentary “45 Days: The Fight for a Nation.” They’re still searching for a permanent location to display the artwork— somewhere where the general public can have access to it.

RELATED: ’45 Days: A Fight For A Nation’ documents what happened between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Artsakh

A candlelight vigil is planned Monday night to commemorate the 2020 Artsakh War, at 8 p.m. on North Artsakh Avenue in Glendale.

https://www.foxla.com/news/piece-for-peace-artwork-honors-the-fallen-in-war-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan

Artsakh pauses for a moment of silence

October 2, 2021March 12, 2026 Karagyozian Lena

Public Radio of Armenia

Sept 27 2021

September 27, 2021, 18:45

Less than a minute

At 11am today a moment of silence was observed across the Republic of Artsakh.

Everyone in educational establishments, workplaces, streets was standing still for a moment in remembrance of those killed in the 2020 Artsakh War.

The Artsakh Public TV presents separate episodes without interpretation.

Watch the video at

Open-air photo exhibition in Brussels to raise awareness about the brutal war against Armenians of Artsakh

October 2, 2021March 12, 2026 Garnik Tadevosian

Public Radio of Armenia

Sept 27 2021

September 27, 2021, 17:07

Less than a minute

AGBU Europe has partnered with local authorities in Brussels and with the Armenian community of Belgium on a campaign to raise awareness among the population of Brussels about the brutal war that struck the Armenian population of Artsakh last fall.

From September 27 to November 10, 2021 an open-air photo exhibition will be in display in the Flagey area, depicting the impact of the Artsakh war through the lens of photojournalists Roberto Travan from Italy and Olivier Papegnies from Belgium.

A live performance event will also take place on Friday October 1 at 18:00.

Armenians in Paris rally in front of Azerbaijani Embassy, demand immediate release of POWs and civilians

October 2, 2021March 12, 2026 Nahapetian Zhanna

Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 27 2021

September 27, 2021, 17:59

Several hundred Armenians and ethnic French people demonstrated in front of the Azerbaijani embassy in Paris on Sunday, September 26, at the appeal of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF), supported by various French organizations, Jean Eckian informs from Paris.

They demanded the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war detained by Azerbaijan since November 9, 2020, in violation of Article 8 of the statement on ceasefire and the Geneva Convention, stipulating that the abducting country must refrain from subjecting prisoners of war to “violence, physical abuse, reprisals, intimidation or discrimination.” The demonstrators also demanded recognition of the Republic of Artsakh.

Patrick Karam, vice-president of the Ile de France regional council, regretted the silence of the international community. He said, “As long as there are Armenians on earth, there will always be an Armenia!”

The highlight of the meeting was the presence of the former mayor of the city of Van, Veysel Keser, who had been removed from his post by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Keser confirmed that Turkey sent jihadists to Azerbaijan, and that a month before the outbreak of the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression, Turkey had sent a lot of weapons and drones to Azerbaijan. He called for the Armenian hostages to be released and he paid tribute to the victims of the genocide and the victims of the aggression from Azerbaijan.

CCAF co-chair Mourad Papazian declared: “Armenia and Artsakh need us against the forces of pan-Turkism.” He added that after being received at the Elysée Palace, with Ara Toranian, by French President Emmanuel Macron, on November 12, 2020, Macron conceded: “We were cowards.”

PACE calls on Azerbaijani authorities to release all Armenian captives

October 2, 2021March 12, 2026 Boris Nahapetian

Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 27 2021

September 27, 2021, 21:55

4 minutes read

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted today a resolution on “Humanitarian consequences of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” member of Armenia’s delegation to PACE Ruben Rubinyan informs.

“Contrary to Azerbaijan’s recent attempts to remove the name Nagorno-Karabakh from international documents (the President of Azerbaijan made such a call from the UN rostrum two days ago), the Armenian delegation managed to change the title of the resolution, the text of the resolution, to include the phrase “Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” which is very important,” Rubinyan said.

In the resolution the Assembly recalls that both Armenia and Azerbaijan committed themselves, upon their accession to the Council of Europe in January 2001, to use only peaceful means for settling the conflict. Therefore, the 6-week war in 2020 constitutes a breach of these commitment.

The Assembly notes that under Article 8 of the Trilateral statement “An exchange of prisoners of war … is to be carried out” and that both countries claim to have complied with this. The Assembly however notes the concerns of the European Court of Human Rights, communicated to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 16 March 2021, in relation to 188 Armenians allegedly captured by Azerbaijan (some of whom have since been returned to Armenia). In this connection the Assembly:

notes that under the Geneva Convention (III) Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War and Geneva Convention (IV) Relative to the Protection of Civilian persons in time of War, both Azerbaijan and Armenia have binding obligations to repatriate prisoners of war and release civilian persons without delay after the secession of active hostilities;
considers that the clear intention of Article 8 of the Trilateral statement was the exchange of all detained persons, without distinction as to the status assigned by one or other of the parties;
is deeply concerned about the fate of around 30 Armenians, allegedly seen, filmed or photographed in captivity, with no indication as to their current whereabouts. The Assembly is alarmed at allegations that these persons have been subjected to enforced disappearances and possibly killed;
calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to expedite their investigations on this matter and provide relevant information to the European Court of Human Rights and to Armenia;
welcomes the recent release of 15 Armenians on 12 June 2021 and a further release of 15 persons on 3 July 2021, bringing the total of repatriated to above 100;
remains concerned about the detention conditions of 45 Armenians captured after the Trilateral statement, who are still in captivity, most of whom have undergone or are undergoing speedy criminal trials, which raise fair trial issues under the European Convention on Human Rights;
calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to release all remaining captives and return them to Armenia without further delay;
encourages the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) to carry out an ad hoc visit, notwithstanding that the ICRC has regular access.

The Assembly is concerned about the many allegations of crimes, war crimes and other wrongful acts levelled against both Armenia and Azerbaijan during the 6-week war. It notes the individual cases and inter-state cases brought before the European Court of Human Rights, including by Armenia against Azerbaijan on 18 October 2020 and against Turkey on 9 May 2021, and by Azerbaijan against Armenia on 26 October 2020.

Among allegations made by both sides, backed up by reputable international NGOs and a wealth of information available from different sources, there is worrying evidence of the use by Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s assistance, of Syrian
mercenaries, and the use by Armenia of Armenians from different countries as foreign fighters.

In the light of the highly disconcerting information above, the Assembly calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully
investigate the allegations and bring to justice anyone, including at command level, found to be responsible for
crimes, war crimes or other wrongful acts. Both countries should co-operate fully with the European Court of Human
Rights on the complaints lodged against them, and Turkey is invited to do the same. Unless there is accountability
and some form of truth and reconciliation, these allegations will poison relations between the two countries for generations, and the consequences of the conflict will linger.

The Assembly encourages the international community to continue to support Armenia and Azerbaijan and move
towards a more mid and long-term strategy to include not just recovery but also peace building and confidence-building measures.

The Assembly is greatly concerned by the increase in incidents at various points of the border since May 2021.There have been deaths and injuries and Armenian soldiers have been taken captive. The Assembly therefore calls on both sides to:

de-escalate and keep to the positions agreed by the parties under the Trilateral statement;
negotiate on a process of delimitation and demarcation of the border and examine the possibility of creating a demilitarised zone with the presence of a peacekeeping or military monitoring force.

The Assembly also notes that the long running conflict has had a catastrophic impact on the cultural heritage and property of the region.

It condemns the destruction over the last 30 years of Armenian cultural heritage in Azerbaijan for which Azerbaijan is responsible, notably in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and condemns the damage deliberately caused to cultural heritage during the 6-week war, and what appears to be the deliberate shelling of the St. Holy Saviour; Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, as well as the destruction or damage of other churches and cemeteries during and after the conflict.

It remains concerned, in the light of past destruction, about the future of the many Armenian churches, monasteries,
including the monastery in Khutavank/Dadivank, crossstones and other forms of cultural heritage which have returned under Azerbaijan control.

The Assembly expresses concern about a developing narrative in Azerbaijan promoting a “Caucasian Albanian” heritage to replace what is seen as an “Armenian” cultural heritage.

It recommends that Armenia and Azerbaijan allow UNESCO unlimited access to all cultural heritage sites in both countries to assess the damage and assess the steps necessary to safeguard what remains and invites UNESCO to look into the developing narrative promoting a “Caucasian Albanian” heritage, to ensure it is not manipulated by either side.

Requiem mass, minute’s silence in memory of Artsakh war victims

October 2, 2021March 12, 2026 Garo Vardanian

Panorama, Armenia

Sept 27 2021

SOCIETY 10:31 27/09/2021 NKR

A minute’s silence will be observed in Armenia and on Monday, September 27, at 11am, to pay tribute to the victims of the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan against the Artsakh Republic last year.

Prior to that, a requiem mass is set to be held at Armenian churches for the repose of the souls of the war martyrs.

A minute’s silence will also be observed in Artsakh at 11:30am. All churches of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church will offer a requiem mass for the fallen heroes at 10:30am.

In the early morning of 27 September 2020, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale offensive along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line. The war lasted 44 days, ending on November 10 with a statement on Artsakh’s capitulation. The Armenian side has thousands of casualties, hundreds of prisoners of war and missing persons.