Category: News

 

 

 

Armenia and Russia continue discussing legal solutions to ensure the execution of Valery Permyakov’s sentence in Russia, Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Justice Vigen Kocharyan has said.

Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who was sentenced to life for murdering a family of seven in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri, will serve the sentence in Russia, RIA Novosti reported today.

“In a situation, where there are two verdicts by the Armenian and Russian courts, we’re holding discussions with the Russian side to find necessary legal solutions to ensure the execution of Permyakov’s sentence,” Vigen Kocharyan said.

Yervand Varosyan, the lawyer who represents the legal successors of the Avetisyan family, says the news should come as no surprise. He reminded that Permyakov had been under Russian jurisdiction from the day of his detention, as he was detained by Russian law-enforcers.

The legal successors are preparing to file an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights connected with Russia’s responsibility, the lawyer said.

Valery Permyakov from Russia’s military base was sentenced to life for killing a family of 7 in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri.

The family, including a six-month-old baby, was killed as a result of an armed assault on January 12, 2015.

Permyakov was arrested and later charged with the murder of two or more persons under the Armenian Criminal Code.

On August 12, Permyakov was found guilty of desertion, theft of weapons and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The murder case was singled out for considering it in a separate procedure and passed to the Armenian authorities.

On October 13, Permyakov was found sane. According to experts, he was not in the heat of passion while committing the crime. He also could recognize the consequences of his actions.

On October 16, Permyakov was additionally charged with armed assault, home-invasion robbery and attempted border crossing.

Artsvik, Armenia’s representative at Eurovision Song Contest 2017, had her second rehearsal on Eurovision stage in Kyiv.

She will perform her song ‘Fly With Me’ in the first Semi-Final on Tuesday, 9th of May.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received Bulgarian Ambassador to Armenia Maria Pavlova Tzotzorkova-Kaymaktchieva.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Armenia is interested in the furtherance of bilateral relations. Highlighting the development of economic cooperation and business ties, Karen Karapetyan stressed the need for reinvigorating the activities of the Armenian-Bulgarian Intergovernmental Commission.

Noting that Bulgarian investors may consider Armenia as an appropriate platform for entering the Eurasian and Iranian markets, the Premier said that the Bulgarian capital has the opportunity to engage in the free economic zone of Meghri. Karen Karapetyan went on to note that he could see good prospects of cooperation in the transport sector in terms of implementing multimodal transportations via the Black Sea-Persian Gulf transport corridor. The Prime Minister conveyed his greetings and congratulations to newly elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov.

Maria Pavlova Tzotzorkova-Kaymaktchieva said Bulgaria keen to strengthen relations with Armenia, noting that they could be bolstered by centuries of bilateral ties. Stressing the importance of developing economic cooperation, she considered it necessary to boost trade turnover mediating business forums, promoting new business ties and implementing investment programs. The Ambassador added that Bulgaria is ready to share its experience in different fields, including public administration and the agrarian reform.

The interlocutors concurred in that cultural and educational cooperation might serve as a milestone on the way to strengthening contacts between the two peoples by means of cultural and educational exchange programs.

Russian soldier sentenced to life for murdering a family in Gyumri, Armenia, will serve his term in Russia, RIA Novosti reports, quoting a representative of the North Caucasus Regional Military Court.

Valery Permyakov was sentenced to life for killing a family of 7 in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri.

The family, including a six-month-old baby, was killed as a result of an armed assault on January 12, 2015.

Permyakov was arrested and later charged with the murder of two or more persons under the Armenian Criminal Code.

On August 12, Permyakov was found guilty of desertion, theft of weapons and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The murder case was singled out for considering it in a separate procedure and passed to the Armenian authorities.

On October 13, Permyakov was found sane. According to experts, he was not in the heat of passion while committing the crime. He also could recognize the consequences of his actions.

On October 16, Permyakov was additionally charged with armed assault, home-invasion robbery and attempted border crossing.

The family of a prominent Armenian folk singer who died following routine gallbladder surgery accused her surgeon of missing obvious signs of infection after the operation in a medical malpractice trial currently underway in California state court,  reports.

An attorney for Flora Martirosian’s adult children accused Dr. Mardiros Mihranian of failing to prescribe adequate antibiotics and discharging their mother from Glendale Memorial Hospital despite her running a fever after surgery. During her opening statement on April 28, Amanda McClintock of Girardi & Keese LLP told jurors that these errors resulted in Martirosian’s unnecessary death.

“If the defendants had been practicing according to the standard of care, they would have kept Mrs. Martirosian in the hospital,” she said.

Martirosian was a well-known folk musician in Armenia who later developed a loyal following in the United States, going on to perform with headliners like Stevie Wonder. She underwent emergency gallbladder surgery in 2012 and died days later of sepsis at the age of 55.

McClintock told jurors that infection is one of the most common complications from this type of surgery, and that Dr. Mihranian should have determined the cause of the fever Martirosian presented the morning she was discharged. She said infection should have been even more of a concern due to Martirosian’s weight and the presence of a lap band in her abdomen, two factors that make infection even more of a risk.

When Martirosian returned to Glendale in respiratory distress after being discharged, Bradford said she was treated by a team of doctors that didn’t include Mihranian, and that everyone agrees the original surgery was done correctly.

The trial before Judge Brian Currey is still underway and expected to continue through at least May 9.

Asbarez –  The “Friends of Maria Jacobsen” committee has organized a special memorial service in commemoration of the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The ceremony will be held at the courtyard of the Bethania Lutheran Church (where Maria Jacobsen’s bust stands), 603 Atterdag Rd., Solvang, California on May 14, following the church worship service at 11 a.m.

Armenian community representatives will lay a wreath in honor and memory of 1.5 million Armenian martyrs as well as Danish humanitarian/missionary Maria Jacobsen (1882-1960) whose entire life was dedicated to serving orphaned Armenian children both in the Ottoman Empire and in Lebanon and was a key witness of the Armenian Genocide. “We are honoring Maria Jacobsen’s memory on Mother’s Day”, said Dr. Garbis Der-Yeghiayan, chairman of the Committee, “she is known as the beloved ‘Mama” by her grateful former orphan children.”

On October 23, 2016, Jacobsen’s bust was unveiled in the courtyard of the Bethania Luthern Church in the presence of hundreds of her admirers, including her former orphans.

The Committee will make an important announcement at the conclusion of the memorial ceremony: Student Essay Contest in Honor and Memory of Maria Jacobsen. The theme of the essay contest is: In the more than 100 years that have passed since the first Genocide of the 20th century – the Armenian Genocide of bigotry, prejudice, intolerance, persecution, deportations, and heinous plans to annihilate a nation – what you believe your generation can do to make NEVER AGAIN a reality? The essay contest is open to all students attending Armenian, public or private high schools in Southern California and all high school students living in Solvang, California.

At a historic reception set at UCLA, Creative Armenia was officially launched with a mandate to discover talent and empower stories of impact in the digital age. The event was co-hosted by Teri Schwartz, Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and Dr. Eric Esrailian, producer of The Promise, who is also a founding member of Creative Armenia’s advisory board.

Grammy Award winning musician and activist Serj Tankian and social impact filmmaker Carla Garapedian introduced the organization’s first initiative – a $5,000 from the Oscar-winning director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda and The Promise). Filmmakers everywhere were invited to take part in Creative Challenge 001: Art of Impact with a submission of a short film, no more than 60 seconds, that takes on a human rights issue important to them.

“For me film is the greatest medium to confront catastrophe and expose the conscience,” Terry George says in the video. “The medium itself is the struggle of light against shadow.”

Launched in partnership with the The Promise, the Gulbenkian Foundation, a major anonymous benefactor, and a global network of supporters, Creative Armenia reflects the Armenian community’s increasing interest in the realm of human rights and entertainment. The Promise, which in recent weeks catapulted the saga of the Armenian Genocide onto the big screen, has been accompanied by a storm of human rights activity off screen – including the establishment at UCLA of a 20 million-dollar Promise Institute for Human Rights. All proceeds of the film will be going to charitable causes. 

“To have something like this come out of a dark chapter of our history, moving toward the light, is extraordinary,” said Esrailian. “And it is heart-warming to see it all coming together at UCLA.” 

Dean Schwartz added: “We look forward to the exciting work that Creative Armenia will be doing, as it plays a leading role at the cross-section of human rights, entertainment, and creative technologies.” 

“We are at the beginning of a new cultural coalition,” said Garin Hovannisian, founder of Creative Armenia. “And we are proud to be building together this dynamic new cultural infrastructure.”

Creative Armenia is a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles and Yerevan, Armenia. Its online platform is the hub of its programming, with its signature creative challenges, fellowships, video productions, and a digital magazine.

On May 4, 2017, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, in the direction of the Askeran region, south-east of Akna.

From the positions of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Mihail Olaru (Moldova) and Personal Assistant to the CiO Personal Representative Simon Tiller (Great Britain).

From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, his Field Assistant Ghenadie Petrica (Moldova), and staff member of his Office Martin Schuster (Germany).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered.

From the Artsakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the Republic of Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) and Special Representative on the South Caucasus Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria) expressed regret about today’s announcement that it has not been possible to reach agreement to extend the mandate of the OSCE’s Office in Yerevan. The Office is expected to close in the coming months.

“I regret the fact that despite lengthy and extensive efforts, the Permanent Council has been unable to reach consensus on the continuation of the OSCE Office in Yerevan’s important work,” President Muttonen said. “The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has repeatedly called for OSCE field operations to be given robust mandates and all the resources they need to allow them to perform their vital tasks, and yet, regrettably, another field operation is being closed.”

Vigenin noted how important the Office in Yerevan’s work is for Armenia and the OSCE, and stressed that the OSCE PA will remain actively engaged in the region.

“Following the closure of OSCE field operations in Georgia and Azerbaijan in past years, the Office in Yerevan has both a symbolic and practical importance that should not be overlooked. Personally, I have benefited from the Office’s expertise when carrying out diplomatic visits, and hope that the interim period before the final closure of the mission can be used to find a compromise solution so that the country can continue benefiting from its support,” Vigenin said.

In its Baku Declaration of 2014 the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly called for the OSCE to “adopt full, effective, and long-term mandates for OSCE field operations,” reiterating similar previous appeals.

The Armenian Government will allocate funds from its reserve funds to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the purpose of providing humanitarian aid to Syrian citizens affected by crisis.

The government approved the decision at a sitting today.

The sum will be transferred to the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund for purchasing the necessary goods.

Armenia to Syria earlier this year.