Category: News

Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist from Azerbaijan, has been chosen to receive the 2016 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, according to .

An independent international jury of media professionals recommended Ms Ismayilova in recognition of her outstanding contribution to press freedom in difficult circumstances.

“Khadija Ismayilova highly deserves the Prize and I am happy to see that her courage and professionalism are recognized,” said Ljiljana Zurovac, President of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2016 Jury.

Ms Ismayilova, a freelance journalist and contributor to the Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe, was detained in December 2014, and, in September 2015, was sentenced to seven and a half years’ imprisonment on charges relating to abuse of power and tax evasion.

The Prize will be awarded during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, hosted by Finland this year.

Created by UNESCO’s Executive Board in 1997, the annual UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and, or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, and especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.

The $25,000 Prize is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Espectador, in Bogotá, on 17 December 1986. It is funded by the Cano Foundation (Colombia) and the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (Finland).

Following the debate in the European Parliament, two members of Parliament (MEPs) from two different political groups – Salvatore Pogliese and Remo Sernagiotto – that could not participate in Tuesday’s debate on Nagorno-Karabakh, have tabled a written question to Federica Mogherini, EU High-Representative/Vice-President.

In the document, they underline that the Azerbaijani attacks “are accompanied by gross violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, particularly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977, and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child.” They especially deplore civilian victims of the conflict, saying that “Civilian infrastructures and civilian population have been the main targets of the Azerbaijani offensive. In particular, among the first victims was a 12-year-old boy. In addition, cases of mutilation, execution and torture of civilians have been registered and documented.”

They conclude by asking Ms Mogherini if she is going “to propose sanctions to be taken against Azerbaijan, given the breaches of the above-mentioned international law and the very basis of the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement”. Lastly, they ask for EU’s support to “the OSCE Minsk Group proposal on the creation of a cease-fire violations monitoring mechanism, to avoid continuous breaches of this only self-regulated truce in Europe.”

European Friends of Armenia () welcomes this initiative. “Written questions are an important tool of oversight, including also EU’s foreign policy” comments EuFoA Director, Mr Eduardo Lorenzo Ochoa. “More than 6 questions have been tabled on the different hostilities that Nagorno-Karabakh has suffered in the last 12 months, which shows the deep concern of the House on this matter”.

According to the European Parliament’s rules of procedure, written questions must be answered within 6 weeks of their submission.

MEP Pogliese is member of the EPP group, the largest group in the European Parliament. MEP Sernagiotto is member of the ECR group, the third biggest group in the Parliament.

About 300 people demonstrated in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Wednesday April 13 to protest the aggression initiated by Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno Karabakh, reports.

“This happened days ago in Buenos Aires and Cordoba, in Argentina. It will replicate in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and has happened in all other major capitals of the world,” said Federico Waneskahian member of Armenian National Committee of Uruguay, to EFE agency.

“This will keep happening if measures are not taken to punish and define clearly who is the aggressor in this case and condemn the aggression of Azerbaijan,” he added.

The demonstration was attended by Tourism Minister Liliam Kechichian, Senator Ruben Martinez Huelmo, Deputy Daniel Radio and former Vice Chancellor Belela Herrera.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay issued a statement days ago in which they expressed a “serious concern” over the matter and urged the parties to “respect the cease-fire and end hostilities.”

On Sunday, April 24, 2016 from 2-4 pm, thousands of devoted Armenian-Americans and their friends and supporters will gather in Times Square to commemorate the first genocide of the 20th Century, The Armenian Genocide (Medz Yeghern). In recognition of Genocide Awareness Month (April), Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) will also be commemorated, as well as other genocides that have occurred since then.

The theme of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration is “Truth, Recognition, and Justice.”  This historic event will pay tribute to the 1.5 million Armenians who were annihilated by the Young Turk Government of the Ottoman Empire and to the millions of victims of subsequent genocides worldwide. Speakers will include civic, religious, humanitarian, educational, cultural leaders, and performing artists. This event is free and open to the public. Attorney R. Armen McOmber will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Dennis R. Papazian, PhD, past National Grand Commander of Knights of Vartan and Founding Director of the Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn affirms the Armenian Genocide. “These killings, which were labeled “crimes against humanity and civilization” at the time, exactly fit the definition of the word genocide, which was coined by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-Jewish lawyer in 1943,” explains Papazian. “It is only proper to bring the terminology up to date and apply the international laws for genocide to the Armenian case.”

Papazian headed the Armenian Assembly of America in 1975, when a non-binding resolution recognizing the mass killings of Armenians as genocide, passed through Congress.  On April 22, 1981, then-President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation #4838 that summoned Americans to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps. The proclamation stated, “Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the Cambodians which followed it—and like too many other persecutions of too many other peoples—the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.”

Papazian further observes that President Barack Obama used the Armenian phrase “Medz Yeghern” (“Great Crime”) in his annual April 24 proclamation issued on Armenian Remembrance Day, words which the Armenians use as the equivalent of their genocide. “But the U.S. position is kept slightly ambiguous since our country fears alienating Turkey, an important and unpredictable country in the Middle East,” he adds.

“In the long run,” stresses Papazian, “it is Turkish recognition of the Armenian Genocide which is crucial, since Turkey is the responsible successive government of the Ottoman Empire. In recent years there have been some positive developments among progressives. Examples of progressives are Turkish intellectuals, including the grandson of one of the chief perpetrators; so it is within the realm of possibility that Turkey itself will recognize the Armenian Genocide and make some sort of restitution,” he concludes.

The 101^st Commemoration is organized by the Mid-Atlantic chapters of the Knights & Daughters  of Vartan (), an international Armenian fraternal organization headquartered in the United States, and co-sponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union (), the Armenian Assembly of America (),  the Armenian National Committee of America (),  the Armenian Council of America, and the Armenian Democratic League (Ramgavar Party).

Participating organizations include the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, Prelacy of the Armenian Church of America, Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Catholic Eparchy for U.S. and Canada, the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA), the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF-YOARF), several Armenian youth organizations and university and college Armenian clubs.

Serviceman of the NKR Defense Army Hamlet Hajoyan, bon in 1970, was fatally wounded as a result of shooting from the Azerbaijani side in the northeastern (Talish) direction of the line of contact, NKR Defense Ministry reports.

Investigation into the details of the incident is under way.

The NKR Defense Army shares the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses its support to Hamlet Hajoyan’s family and friends.

On 14 April NKR President Bako Sahakyan was present at the Republican Divine Liturgy served by Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I at Shushi’s Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Chairman of the NKR National Assembly Ashot Ghoulyan, Prime Minister Arayik Haroutyunyan, other high-ranked official, representatives from Armenia and Diaspora were present at the event.

Turkey rejects a European Parliament progress report released on Thursday, Ankara’s European Union Affairs Minister said, citing a reference in the report to the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

“Unfortunately this year… the same reference takes place in the European Parliament’s Turkey report. These expressions, despite all our efforts and our warnings, could not be dropped,” Volkan Bozkir told reporters at a news conference in Austria, when asked about the report’s reference to genocide.

“That’s why we will consider this report as null and void and our permanent representative will send it back to the European Parliament.”

The Armenian community in Jerusalem today protested Israel’s sale of weapons to Azerbaijan, which are being used against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh region,  reports. 

Nasser Atta, a producer for ABC News in the Middle East, tweeted some photos and videos from the demonstration, which occurred in front of the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.  

of protest Israeli supply of weapons to in front of the Israeli forgien ministry

— Nasser Atta (@nasseratta5)

“Israel supports Azerbaijan’s state terror,” read one sign being held aloft by a protester. 

There was a separate protest by Armenian residents of Israel last week at Jerusalem’s Monument of the Armenian Genocide.

 continues its annual Armenian Genocide commemoration campaign in various Massachusetts cities during the month of April with digital billboards dedicated to the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The first billboard “double-themed” went up in Foxboro on April 2 near Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots.  The first screen is a group Photo of Armenian orphans who survived the genocide.  Its bright yellow text says: “1.5 million victims. 150,000 Orphans.”  The letter O was replaced by a bouquet of yellow roses.  The follow-on screen says: “In Remembrance of the Victims of All Genocides, 101st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.” The floral background with forget-me-not flowers represents the demanding eyes of the victims screaming for recognition and justice.

“On April 24, 2015 at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide memorial in Yerevan, I participated in the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.  I witnessed Armenian children presenting a yellow rose to each of the many foreign leaders and dignitaries, including French President Francois Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the presidents of Serbia and Cyprus.  Together they placed their roses into the main Centennial wreath.

It would have been wonderful to see the U.S. president himself in attendance, placing a rose in memory of the 1.5 million Armenian Christian victims of 1915 to 1923.  Unfortunately, President Obama has yet to make good on his widely-publicized 2008 campaign promise to formally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide,”  said Daniel Varoujan Hejinian, president and founder of Peace of Art, Inc.

Since 1996 Hejinian has been sponsoring the Armenian Genocide Awareness billboards campaign, and this project was taken over in 2003 by Peace of Art.  While in the past the constant message was “Recognize the Armenian Genocide,” this year the message is of remembrance.  The Centennial memorial wreath and its central floral bouquet, constructed rose by rose by world leaders, served as our visual inspiration.

“Despite the bitter rain, cold, and body-piercing wind in Yerevan on April 24, the children of the free and independent Armenia stood as honor guards, paying the world’s respects to the memory of the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide.  Images of the youngest victims of that genocide resurfaced before my eyes; thousands of defenseless and frightened beings, screaming FORGET ME NOT…” said Hejinian.

In 2015, Peace of Art, Inc. launched its Centennial genocide awareness billboard campaign, “100 Billboards for 100 Years of Genocide,” in the U.S. and Canada to commemorate not only the victims of the Armenian Genocide but also the victims of all genocides.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will visit Beijing April 15-16.

In China Minister Nalbandian will have meetings with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Rashid Alimov.

Within the framework of the visit Edward Nalbandian will sign a memorandum under which Armenia will be granted a dialogue partner status at SCO.