THE STORY OF A DROP OF BRANDY
James Hakobyan
Lragir.am
10 Aug 06
The Russian regional department of control over consumption informed
August 9 about suspending the license of Pernod Ricard Russe for
wholesale trade. The reason is the poor sanitary conditions. Pernod
Ricard Russe is the daughter company of Yerevan Brandy Factory,
the owner of Yerevan Brandy Factory. Pernod Ricard’s daughter is the
exclusive distributor of the production of Yerevan Brandy Factory in
Russia. Hence, the sale of the brandy of YBF is currently prohibited
in Russia.
In other words, the production of Yerevan Brandy Factory has the
same fate as the Georgian and Moldavian wines. But if in the case of
Georgia and Moldova the sale of the entire production was prohibited,
in the case of the Armenian brandy the sale of the production of one
particular factory is concerned. It is possible, however, that Russia
simply began with the production of YBF; in other words, Russia spares
its strategic partner and prohibits the import of the Armenian brandy
to Russia gradually. After Verin Lars, one may expect “an electric
chair” from the Kremlin, and we must be grateful that it increases the
voltage gradually, although it is much worse, for thereby they execute
slowly. In other words, Russia treats its strategic brother worse
than Georgia and Moldova, of course, if it has made such a decision.
Another variant is possible as well, and in this case we deal with
the continuation or repetition of the story. The point is that after
the privatization of Yerevan Brandy Factory, when it was bought by
the French, the factory began having problems with the sale of brandy
in Russia. Namely, the Moscow-based factories owned by high-ranking
Armenian public officials hampered the sale of the production of YBF,
which operated when YBF was not privatized yet, and produced brandy
with the trademark of YBF. They produced Armenian brandy with the
trademark of YBF and sold it on the Russian market in more favorable
conditions, which hindered the sales of YBF. After a lasting debate
with the government, the owner of YBF succeeded in having these
factories closed down. However, problems with the Russian market did
not end because they started to produce Armenian brandy in Russia
illegally. Besides, the company Great Ararat was opened in Armenia.
YBF began struggle against this company because it used the trademark
Ararat, which had become the property of YBF after the privatization
of the company. Again after lasting struggle Great Ararat became
Great Valley whose owner Member of Parliament Tigran Arzakantsyan was
recently involved in a scandalous incident in Moscow. The incident
was not related to the market of brandy but it is not known what it
is related to because there were only rumors, which did not become
real facts, for the member of parliament has not given any comments
and avoids returning home.
Later many other companies producing brandy appeared, and their owners,
formally or informally, are also high-ranking Armenian officials. And
the main market of the Armenian brandy is Russia. And it is not
accidental that the Armenian companies fight against one another rather
than with other actors on the Russian market. It also stems from the
quality of production of the Armenian brandy. Since the production
is low quality, it is natural that struggle against the other actors
on the Russian market becomes pointless, therefore it is necessary to
improve the quality of production, which requires additional expenses.
Whereas it is becoming rather difficult to make these expenses because
there are clear-cut quotas on business in Armenia.
Consequently, the companies are not interested in making additional
expenses. In this situation, it is more expedient to struggle
against one another for the Russian market, for it is useless to make
additional expenses. The struggle for the Russian market is from the
sphere of arrangements, and the one who arranges more and on time,
makes the most profit.

NSU TO ROUND UP POLITICAL PARTIES WITH IDEOLOGY
Lragir.am
10 Aug 06
Paruir Hairikyan, the leader of the National Self-Determination Union,
invited news reporters on August 10, the day when an agreement was
signed in Sevres in 1920, to announce that the international document
signed by 14 states “is a powerful document that the genocide was
perpetrated, and has a great role in eliminating the consequences of
the genocide.” The people who lost the possibilities provided by the
agreement of Sevres as a result of the loss of statehood should have
pursued it, believes the leader of the NSU, but since “we have not
had governments attached to the national roots” so far, we do not
have Armenia with an area of 184 thousand square km, washed by the
Black Sea.
And in order to fulfill the Armenian dream, the NSU is going to hold a
round-table meeting and invite all the political parties of Armenia,
which bear an ideology. There is a preliminary arrangement with the
Democratic Party of Armenia, the National Unity, Orinats Yerkir Party,
the Heritage Party. The NSU and the others will discuss the greatest
danger for the political life in Armenia, namely the political
sphere in Armenia is dominated by non-political and anti-political
forces. The topic of the round-table meeting will be “The role of
political parties bearing an ideology in the parliamentary election
2007”. The NSU did not invite ideology-free political parties and
political parties which profane the ideology but in order not to
assume the role of a judge Paruir Hairikyan declined to enumerate
parties which do not have an ideology. However, he added, “Tigran
Karapetyan does not bear an ideology. He is implementing a business
project. There is a political party which profanes an ideology,
profanes the memory of Njdeh by repeating the name of Njdeh.” And
everyone knows who gives the name of Hjdeh most often.
So far, two parliament forces have invited the NSU to enter an alliance
in 2007. Again Paruir Hairikyan declined to give names, but this time
to prevent encroachments against these political parties, “We do not
want to turn their civil courage into an opportunity for manipulations
by their opponents.” According to the leader of the NSU, one of the
political parties made this proposal considering their ideological
similarities, the other took into account the contribution of the NSU,
“failing to find another force whose words and actions coincide,
which will make a contribution to the life of our nation.”

KASPRZYK AND THE AZERBAIJANI PROPAGANDA
Lragir.am
10 Aug 06
Andrzej Kasprzyk, the special representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, refuted several directions of the Azerbaijani
propaganda machine in an interview with the news agency Trend. In
particular, he mentioned that in the beginning of this year the
situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani front line was tense, while in
May it became quiet. According to Kasprzyk, as a result of skirmishes
there were about 20 casualties from both parties.
If we compare this number with the figures the Azerbaijani
propaganda offers, we may suppose that Baku pursues certain aims
in presenting a higher number. Most probably, it wants to prove the
international community that Armenia is more aggressive than “defeated
Azerbaijanis”. It is possible that on a convenient opportunity all
these facts will be used to station international forces in the region.
In fact, Kasprzyk refuted and added that the OSCE monitoring of the
front line helps to sustain the cease-fire. He also touched upon
the problem of fires and mentioned that the fires were not unusual,
they simply occurred too often. Kasprzyk said the Azerbaijani party
presented a good package of documents for this year. He mentioned
that the fires did not damage the settlements except Aghdam, where
the fire went farther than the border.
As for cooperation in this sphere, he did not receive any proposals
from the parties, Kasprzyk said. Maybe because it is a vacation time.

WILL ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AND DEFENSE MINISTER PLAY A “ROYAL GAMBIT”?
ArmRadio.am
10.08.2006 15:57
“During its last congress the Republican Party of Armenia gained
absolute control over in the country,” the leader of the Marxist Party
of Armenia David Hakopyan said at a news conference on August 9. “For
the second time since 1998 the military and punitive machines have
got into the hands of one party, who also controls the parliament
and the government,” says Hakopyan.
Hakopyan says that the RPA congress paved the way for “a parliamentary
coup.”
It was “Bonapartism, Juntism, Blacism” and “political adventurism.”
Hakopyan is sure that next spring Serzh Sargsyan will start an active
political campaign, a kind of “royal gambit.” “If Republicans fail
to do that, they will only lose as this will be the best time for
such a step. It would be political idiotism on their part to try to
do that after the parliamentary elections,” says Hakopyan.
“The RPA should follow the example of the Bolsheviks. They must not
miss their chance: Serzh Sargsyan must become Armenian President
by January 2007 -or never,” says Hakopyan. Under such a scenario,
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan should resign no later than
October-November 2006.
“After the failure of the Karabakh peace talks, Armenia needs,
at least, one year of respite on the diplomatic arena as by that
time George Bush will resign and new president Hillary Clinton will
drastically change the US policy.”
“To get this respite, we need a royal gambit and, realizing this,
Kocharyan should resign before the end of his term,” says Hakopyan.
He says that his party will run in the parliamentary elections on
its own ” with no cooperation with any other political forces.”
The parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for 2007, the
presidential election for 2008.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ISRAEL TELLS SOUTH BEIRUT RESIDENTS TO GET OUT
AFX Europe (Focus)
Aug 10, 2006
BEIRUT (AFX) – Israeli forces hit the heart of the Lebanese capital
for the first time in three weeks on Thursday and dropped warning
leaflets that sent thousands of residents of southern suburbs fleeing
their homes.
Hundreds of families were leaving the southern suburbs, some in cars
and others ferried away on state-owned buses from the Shiyah district
to the Armenian quarter of Burj Hammud, north of the capital.
Loudspeakers urged panicked Shiyah residents without access to private
transport to gather at a square nearby to board the buses.
Israeli air strikes on Monday killed 32 civilians in Shiyah.
On Thursday, Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets on south Beirut telling
residents still living in three districts to get out, according to
a copy seen by AFP.
“To residents of Hay El-Sollum, Burj El-Barajneh and Shiyah, for your
own safety, you must immediately evacuate these areas, and evacuate
all areas from which Hezbollah elements perform terrorist acts,”
the tract read.
The southern suburbs are a Hezbollah stronghold which has been
devastated by bombing raids since e start of the Israeli offensive
a month ago, and thousands of residents have already fled for safer
havens.
However Hay El-Sollum had been relatively spared by the bombardments
while the district of Shiyah was considered a place of refuge until
it was hit by the Israeli air strikes on Monday.
The strike on the heart of the Lebanese capital on Thursday hit a
state radio relay antenna on an old lighthouse, triggering panic in
a densely-packed residential area.
The tip of the disused lighthouse, in an open field in the Koreitem
neighbourhood of central Beirut, was damaged by the Israeli gunboat
fire, according to Lebanese army troops based in the area.
A security official told AFP that the lighthouse included a relay
for the Radio Liban state station. He said another relay station in
the northern coastal village of Amshit was also hit by Israeli fire.
Fuad Hamdan, the director of Radio Liban, told AFP that the relay at
the lighthouse had been disused for over 30 years, while the one in
Amshit was out of use since a similar Israeli strike on July 15.
Two people were slightly wounded in Koreitem, rescue workers said.
The explosions triggered panic among residents of the capital’s upscale
neighborhood where windows of several cars, houses and apartments
were shattered, an AFP correspondent on the scene said.
Army troops cordoned off the area.
The old lighthouse is located in a heavily-guarded neighbourhood
housing the Saudi embassy compound, the Lebanese American University,
a French school and the residence of the family of slain former prime
minister Rafiq Hariri.
It was the first time that central Beirut has been hit in three weeks
during Israel’s massive military offensive on Lebanon, launched after
the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah captured two Israeli
soldiers on July 12.

CIS SECURITY MEETING IN KYRGYZSTAN DISCUSSES CLOSER COOPERATION
Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty
10 Aug 06
Bishkek, 10 August: The drawing up of a package of documents on the
improvement of the legal basis for military and economic cooperation
within the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] have been
included on the agenda of a meeting of the interstate military and
economic cooperation commission of the CSTO member states. The meeting
was opened in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, today.
An Interfax correspondent reports that the heads of the national
bodies of the interstate military and economic cooperation commission,
as well as representatives of the military departments in Russia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Tajikistan are participating in
the meeting. A delegation from Uzbekistan is also attending.
[Passage omitted: Kyrgyz Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism
Medetbek Kerimkulov stressed that military and technical integration
of the states should be discussed at the meeting; the meting will
discuss the setting up of a working group and election of the chairman
of the commission]

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
August 10, 2006
LEBANON IN CRISIS
The situation in Lebanon is deteriorating rather than improving. Last
week Archbishop Oshagan issued an appeal to the Armenian American community.
His Eminence said:
“As you well know, for the past three weeks, the people in Lebanon are
living under the direst circumstances due to the attack of the Israel Armed
Forces. As a result, over 500 people have died and 1,800 have been wounded,
mostly innocent children and the elderly. Nearly one million people have
been displaced.
“Although the Armenian community is not under direct attack,
nevertheless, the community is suffering tremendously. Thousands of refugees
have found shelter in various Armenian schools and center. We appeal to all
Armenians to reach out and help the needy in Lebanon by making a generous
donation to the Armenian Prelacy, which, in turn, will be distributed
through the Catholicosate of Cilicia.
“Thank you and God bless you.”
Donations can be sent to the Prelacy at 138 E. 39th Street, New York, NY
10016. Checks should be payable to “Armenian Prelacy.” Please indicate
“Lebanon Aid Fund” in the memo area.
CATHOLICOS ARAM I CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE
Last week His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia,
issued a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire. His Holiness
condemned Israel’s military assault into Lebanon and stated: “This war must
stop. It must stop immediately and without any condition. Innocent people
are being killed, families are being destroyed; Lebanon is on the brink of
collapse and people are still dealing with diplomacy. One cannot remain
indifferent before human slaughter. Life is sacred. It is a gift of God. We
must protect human life by all means. The UN and the powers of this world
must act on this firm basis. This is the realistic way of dealing
responsibly with this complex and critical situation. First, protection of
life and, only then, creation of proper conditions for diplomacy and for the
settlement of the conflict. Therefore, I join my voice to that of the
spiritual leaders, both Moslem and Christian, of Lebanon, to appeal to the
international community for an immediate cease-fire.”
In an interview this week His Holiness criticized any short-sighted
policy towards the Middle East and reiterated his belief that religion could
and should help establish a permanent and comprehensive peace in the region.
He said: “If we read the signs of the time, we see that the conflicts in the
different parts of the Middle East are deeply rooted in religious, ethnic
and ideological perceptions and convictions. Religions must speak out
together and act firmly. The three monotheistic religions, namely Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, can and should play a major role by stopping
violence in all its forms and expressions, promoting mutual understanding
and mutual trust among peoples and communities, working for peace with
justice for all, and challenging and leading communities and peoples of the
region toward reconciliation, through mutual forgiveness and acceptance.”
PRELATE AND VICAR VISIT LEBANESE MISSION IN NEW YORK
This morning, Thursday, August 10, Archbishop Oshagan, Prelate, and
Bishop Anoushavan, Vicar General, joined by representatives of the ARF and
ARS, paid a visit to the Lebanese Mission in New York City, where they met
with H. E. Tariq Mitri and H.E. N. Mahmoud, Lebanon’s ambassador to Mexico,
and expressed their support and solidarity with Lebanon in calling for an
immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of occupying forces. They also discussed
ways and means of transporting humanitarian aid, including medical supplies,
to Lebanon immediately.
PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO FRANKLIN, MASSACHUSETTS
This weekend Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Camp Haiastan in
Franklin, Massachusetts, where he will join parishioners of Sts. Vartanantz
Church (Providence) and preside over the Blessing of the Grapes ceremony.
ARAM I RECEIVES ST. JOHN UNIVERSITY’S PAX CHRISTI AWARD
St. John’s University of Minnesota is awarding the 2006 Pax Christi
Award to His Holiness, Aram I. The announcement was made recently by the
president of the University, Dr. Dietrich Reinhart. The award-the highest
award conferred by the University-will be presented on December 6 at a
special event honoring His Holiness at St. John’s University.
In his letter, President Reinhart praised the ministry of the Catholicos
and stated: “Particularly notable is your support for Ecumenical and
inter-religious relations, dialogue and cooperation. Through your prolific
writings, public lectures and interventions, and your leadership in the
World Council of Churches, you have played a significant role in promoting
common values, mutual understanding, and peaceful co-existence among people
of faith throughout the world.”
St. John’s is the site of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, which
is undertaking the digitization of manuscripts, books, and art throughout
the world. It is the home of the world’s largest collection of manuscript
images and of The Saint John’s Bible, a handwritten, illuminated Bible in
modern English. The manuscript collection of the Cilician Catholicate was
recently digitized and preserved. The Library currently houses the largest
collection of Eastern Christian manuscripts in the world, more than the
British Museum and the Vatican Library combined.
VICAR WILL TRAVEL TO ARMENIA ON SUNDAY
Bishop Anoushavan, Vicar, will travel to Armenia this Sunday evening,
August 13, where he will direct the summer program of religious studies for
the children sponsored through the Prelacy’s Orphans Program, at the summer
camp in Vanadzor in northern Armenia. Bishop Anoushavan will return to New
York on August 31.
Prior to his departure, the Vicar will officiate at the Divine Liturgy
this Sunday, August 13, at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, NY.
YANNI IN CONCERT
George Maksian, who keeps us informed of all things Armenian in the
entertainment world, recommends everyone to watch the Yanni Concert
currently being shown on various PBS stations. In New York the program will
be shown on Channel 21 (the Long Island PBS station) tonight at 9:30 pm.
George informs us that the entire show is great and the last half features
an Armenian violinist.
George has also been raving profusely about the young Armenian
violinist, Sergey Khachatryan, who made his New York debut at Avery Fisher
Hall in the Mostly Mozart Festival last weekend. The glowing review in the
usually reserved New York Times described the 21-year old “tousle-haired
newcomer” as being “dazzling” and “bewitching.” According to the Times, “The
audience responded with a tumultuous ovation.”
WHEN BAD THINGS AREN’T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN
Another one of our faithful readers, Rev. Fr. Vartan Kassabian, called
our attention to an article in a recent issue of Orthodoxy Today, entitled
“When Bad Things Aren’t Supposed to Happen,” by John Kapsalis. If you would
like to read the article click here
FEAST OF ASSUMPTION AND BLESSING OF GRAPES
This Sunday, August 13, the Armenian Church commemorates the Feast of
the Assumption (Verapokhoomn) of the Holy Mother of God and the Blessing of
the Grapes.
According to tradition, Mary, mother of Christ, died and was buried by
the apostles. The apostle Bartholomew, who was not present at her funeral,
wished to visit the grave, but when the gravestone was lifted they were
surprised to find that the body had disappeared. It was believed that Christ
had come and taken His mother to the Heavenly Kingdom. Based on this event,
the Church Fathers established the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, which is one of the five tabernacle feast days in the Armenian
Church. It is celebrated on the Sunday closest to August 15. Traditionally
it includes a week of fasting prior to the date and a memorial day the
following day (Monday).
Because Bartholomew was very fond of the Holy Mother, the Apostle John
gave him an image of her (which she had given to John). Bartholomew took
this image with him to Armenia to Darbnats Kar in the province of Antsevatsi
(Western Armenia) where a convent for nuns, Hagyatz Vank (Monastery for the
Spirits) was built and where the icon was kept. Most images of Bartholomew
show him holding this icon.
The concept of the Virgin Mary’s Assumption is an ancient one as seen in
sacred prose and poetry dedicated to the Holy Mother. However, it did not
become a basic doctrine of the church until the ninth century and it was in
the twelfth century that the feast was called “The Assumption.”
After the Divine Liturgy, the Blessing of Grapes takes place. There is
no relationship between the Feast of the Virgin Mary and the Blessing of
Grapes. Similar to other feast days, it coincides with a pagan era
festivity, which the Church Fathers incorporated into the church calendar.
The hymn Park Sourp Khatcheet is sung, Biblical passages are recited,
followed by a prayer composed by Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali specifically
for this occasion. After the prayer, the grapes are blessed three times with
Orhnestsee Bahbanestsee and then the blessed grapes are distributed to the
Faithful. Many devout people refrain from eating grapes until this blessing
takes place.
Certainly the Blessing of the Grapes ceremony is a celebration of the
fruitfulness of the earth. Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants in
the world, and according to biblical history, Noah planted a vineyard
immediately after disembarking from the Ark. (Geneses, Chapter 9). And, of
course, the wine of the Divine Liturgy comes from grapes.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO HELP LEBANON
Talking about the Blessing of the Grapes brings back memories of our
visit to Lebanon many years ago during this season where in the Chapel
(dedicated to Mary) in Bikfaya, Lebanon, site of the summer residence of the
Catholicos, and also now the site of the Seminary, we witnessed the weekend
festivities associated with this feast. The memory of the beautiful services
in the mountain hills, the celestial hymns echoing in the surrounding
vineyards and orchards, and witnessing the hundreds, if not thousands, of
pilgrims attending is upper most in our mind at this time when Lebanon is
once again embroiled in area disputes that are not specifically Lebanese but
are manifested in Lebanon, most probably because of the freedom accorded
there. Please remember to make your donation to help the people of Lebanon.
You may send your donation to the Prelacy, as mentioned in the first item in
this week’s Crossroads. Other churches and organizations are collecting as
well. Our message to you is to give to the church or organization of your
choosing. The important thing is to give, and to give generously.
“Bless, O Lord, the grape plants and vineyards from which these grapes are
taken and presented to the holy church, and make them bountiful and
fruitful; let them be like good and fertile land, protect the vineyards from
all kinds of misfortunes and destruction which come from above because of
our sins, from hail, from cold, from hot winds, and from destructive
insects, so that we may enjoy that which You have created in this world for
our enjoyment and for Your glory, and grant that we may be worthy to eat and
drink with You from the bounty of Your most fruitful vine at the table of
Your Father’s Kingdom, according to the just promise which You made, to the
honor and glory of Your coexisting Trinity, the Father, the Son and the most
Holy Spirit to whom is due glory, power and honor, now and forever. Amen.”
>From prayer for the Blessing of the Grapes, written by Catholicos Nerses
Shnorhali
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
August 13-Annual Blessing of the Grapes picnic, sponsored by Sts. Vartanantz
Church at Dunkerhook Park (Pavilion D), Paramus, New Jersey, 1 to 5 pm. For
information, 201-943-2950.
August 13-Annual picnic, Holy Cross Church, Troy, New York.
August 13-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, annual picnic at Camp
Haiastan, Franklin, Massachusetts.
August 13-Annual picnic of Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church,
Worcester, Massachusetts, on the church grounds.
August 20-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church of Whitinsville,
Massachusetts, Annual Church Picnic, 12 noon on the church grounds. For
details: 508-234-3677.
September 10-Annual picnic of St. Stephen Church, New Britain, Connecticut.
September 10-Annual picnic of St. Gregory Armenian Church of Merrimack
Valley, at the American Legion grounds in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
September 15-Family Night at St. Gregory Armenian Church of Merrimack
Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts, 6 pm at Jaffarian Hall.
September 18-11th Annual ACEC/School golf outing at Stow Acres Country Club,
Stow, Massachusetts. For information, 781-326-5764.
September 24-36th Anniversary Luncheon and program, St. Gregory Armenian
Church of Merrimack Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts.
September 25-Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Worcester,
Massachusetts, 3rd Annual Golf Outing and Award Dinner at Raceway Golf
Course, Thompson, Connecticut. Registration 7:30 a.m. For information
508-872-9629 or church office 508-852-2414.
September 28-4th Annual Golf Outing hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Ridgefield, New Jersey. Bergen Hills Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey.
For reservations and/or information: 201-943-2950.
October 1-Banquet honoring Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian on the occasion of
his recent elevation, at Terrace in the Park, Flushing, New York, 3 pm.
Details will follow.
October 8-81st anniversary celebration of St. Stephen Church, New Britain,
Connecticut.
October 22-Holy Cross Church, Troy, NY, anniversary celebration.
November 5-Annual bazaar, St. Stephen Church, New Britain, Connecticut.
November 11-12-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, annual “Armenian Fest” at
Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Cranston, Rhode Island.
Visit our website at

RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 29, 10 August 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL’s Newsline Team
******************************************** ****************
HEADLINES:
* PREPARING FOR A DEFINING ELECTION
* POLITICIAN SAYS FORMER PRESIDENT CAN NO LONGER WIN VOTES
* REFORMERS DISTRUST PROPOSED ELECTION OVERHAUL
* FORMER STUDENT PROTESTER DIES IN PRISON
* ANOTHER STUDENT SENT BACK TO JAIL
* TRADE CHAMBER OFFICIAL SKEPTICAL ON PRIVATIZATION
* IRAN DISMISSES UN SANCTIONS THREAT
* VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT SIGNS SEVERAL AGREEMENTS IN IRAN
********************************************* ***************
PREPARING FOR A DEFINING ELECTION. Buoyed by success in municipal,
legislative, and presidential elections in recent years,
fundamentalists associated with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad have now
set their sights on the Assembly of Experts, the popularly elected
body of 86 clerics that supervises and selects Iran’s supreme
leader.
The fundamentalists want Ahmadinejad’s spiritual guide,
Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, to head the assembly. Their
support has put him in competition with Ayatollah Ali-Akbar
Hashemi-Rafsanjani, the assembly’s deputy speaker, who lost the
presidency to Ahmadinejad in a runoff vote in 2005.
Mesbah-Yazdi’s supporters shouted down Hashemi-Rafsanjani when he
tried to give a speech in Qom on June 4.
A commentary in a conservative weekly connected to
Mesbah-Yazdi, “Parto-i Sokhan” on May 10, also took shots at
Hashemi-Rafsanjani when it interpreted regulations on eligibility for
the Assembly of Experts. The weekly said that critics of Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini’s stance on the 1979-81 hostage crisis or on
the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War are ineligible. So, too, it said, are those
who caused delays in the acquisition of peaceful nuclear technology
or who advocated backing down in the diplomatic process.
Mesbah-Yazdi’s opponents have retaliated. They have
criticized the president’s spiritual guide for his lack of
activism against the monarchy before Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
They have also hinted that he is a member of a banned
religio-political organization called the Hojjatieh Society.
Mesbah-Yazdi has denied Hojjatieh membership. A prominent
intellectual and scholar of Islam, Abdolkarim Soroush, backed that
denial in a January 30 interview published on roozonline.com,
asserting that Mesbah-Yazdi is a follower of Iranian philosopher
Ahmad Fardid, who espoused fascistic ideas and derided the value of
individual voting.
Success in the assembly has more than a symbolic value. The
assembly plays the key role in selecting the supreme leader. But the
expectation that the incoming assembly will choose the next supreme
leader seems far-fetched. Ayatollah Khamenei is just 66 years old,
and Shi’ite clerics can achieve impressive longevity.
There was a rapid turnover in leading Shi’ite clerics in
the early 1990s, but when Grand Ayatollah Abolqasem Khoi died in
1992, he was 97 years old; Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Golpayegani died
in 1993 at the age of 96, and Grand Ayatollah Ali Araki died in 1994
at more than 100 years old. Predictions of Khamenei’s passing
seem premature, therefore, as he would only be 75 by the time the
incoming assembly’s term of office ends.
Forming Factions
The rivalry between Mesbah-Yazdi and Hashemi-Rafsanjani for
leadership of the Assembly of Experts reflects the divisions and
rivalries among factions that have appeared in the last two years. In
the last few months, there has been talk among the reformists of
creating alliances ahead of the assembly balloting in an effort to
head off the fundamentalist juggernaut. The former speaker of
parliament and current head of the National Trust Party, Hojatoleslam
Mehdi Karrubi, — was quoted in the June 20 “Kargozaran” daily as
saying he is “looking for a coalition more than anyone.” But he added
that he believes in “a coalition of the efficient, strong, and active
forces of the true reformists — not with opportunists.”
To this end, there have been meetings of pro-reform political
parties (specifically, the Mujahedin of the Islamic Revolution
Organization, the National Trust Party) with pro-reform clerical
ones.
This latter group includes the Militant Clerics Association
(Majma-yi Ruhaniyun-i Mobarez), the Qom Theological Seminaries
(Hozeh-yi Elmieh-yi Qom), the Society of Teachers and Reformers of
the Qom Islamic Theological Center (Majma-yi Mudarissin va Moshaei-i
Hozeh-yi Elmieh-yi Qom), and the Society of the Islamic Students
Following the Line of the Imam (Majma-yi Talab-i Khat-i Imam).
There also has been talk of shared lists of candidates the
parties might back. There could even be a joint list backed by
Hashemi-Rafsanjani, Karrubi, former President Hojatoleslam Mohammad
Khatami, and Ayatollah Seyyed Hussein Musavi-Tabrizi of the Qom
seminaries, “Aftab-i Yazd” reported on July 23.
Setting A Date
The legislature on July 26 approved the general outlines of a
bill that would permit holding elections for the Assembly of Experts
and municipal councils concurrently this year, Fars News Agency
reported. Some 149 out of 219 legislators reportedly backed the bill.
The elections are scheduled for November 17.
But a government spokesman, Gholam-Hussein Elham, said
recently that Ahmadinejad’s administration opposes holding
concurrent elections, Mehr News Agency reported on July 19. The
spokesman argued that campaigning for the entities differs, and that
holding the elections simultaneously requires additional planning and
preparation.
There are other potential logistical difficulties. A bill
that would increase the voting age only for municipal elections was
recently approved by the parliamentary National Security and Foreign
Policy Committee, according to a Mehr News Agency report quoting
legislator Kazem Jalali on July 12. The current voting age is 15, and
the bill in question would raise the minimum to 18.
The Guardians Council, which supervises Assembly of Experts
elections and vets candidates, has announced that it approves
concurrent elections.
The Interior Ministry, which runs elections, has already
prepared its timetable, culminating in voting on November 17, “Mardom
Salari” reported on July 20.
Under the Interior Ministry’s scenario, election
executive boards will be set up (September 2-6), candidates
registered (September 7-13), and paperwork forwarded to the proper
authorities by mid-September (September 14-16 from local governorates
to the Interior Ministry, and from there to the Guardians Council).
The Guardians Council will then have until October 16 to
assess the candidates’ qualifications, and two additional days to
inform disqualified candidates.
Appeals can be filed from October 19-21, and the Guardians
Council’s clerical members will review the appeals from October
22-31 and advise the Interior Ministry accordingly. The names of
eligible candidates will be announced on November 1, campaigning will
take place from November 2-15, and the election will be on November
17.
The Guardians Council’s work will continue until late
December, as it investigates possible complaints about conduct of the
elections and campaigning, “Etemad-i Melli” reported on June 7.
Controversial Vetting Process
Guardians Council Secretary Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati warned in
a late-July interview that the law determines the vetting of
candidates for the Assembly of Experts, and that this could upset
people who have individual preferences, “Farhang-i Ashti” reported on
July 24. The Guardians Council’s vetting of candidates has always
been controversial. Disqualifications of parliamentary hopefuls —
particularly incumbents — met with protests in 2004. It took the
supreme leader’s intervention to get disqualified cabinet members
reinstated in the 2005 presidential election.
Balloting for the Assembly of Experts takes place every eight
years. In the past, potential candidates had to demonstrate
“ijtihad,” the highest form of Islamic learning, which enables
Koranic interpretation. They also had to have clean political and
legal records, and believe in the Islamic republic’s system. In
the run-up to the October 1998 Assembly of Experts election, an
announcement emerged that all potential candidates must demonstrate
the proper political inclination, as well.
In the last Assembly of Experts election in 1998, the
Guardians Council accepted fewer than half of the 396 applicants. It
rejected eight of the nine women who applied, and the ninth
subsequently withdrew her candidacy. The council allowed a number of
incumbents to run again despite their having failed the “ijtihad”
examination — arguing that they could run because Ayatollah Khomeini
had approved their credentials for previous elections.
New Questions
It is therefore unsurprising that questions over the vetting
process have preceded the upcoming Assembly of Experts election. At
the assembly’s September meeting, some members reportedly
submitted a motion requiring more stringent academic qualifications
— advocating “absolute ijtihad” rather than simply “relative
ijtihad.” The daily noted that the former qualification permits one
to interpret Islamic law, while the latter qualifies one to issue
religious decrees (fatwa). Sponsors of that motion reportedly also
wanted the job of vetting candidates withdrawn from the Guardians
Council and given to seminarians. They argued that because some
council members also compete for the assembly, the normal vetting
procedure represents a conflict of interest.
In mid-June, the Interior Ministry declared in a communique
that individuals whose “ijtihad” abilities were endorsed by Ayatollah
Khomeini need not be vetted by the Guardians Council, “Aftab-i Yazd”
reported on June 15. A member of the Assembly of Experts,
Hojatoleslam Majid Ansari, added that there are other people whose
“ijtihad” skills have already been tested and proven — including
noted seminarians and appointees of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, like the head of the Judiciary and clerics on the Guardians
Council.
There also have been suggestions that prospective
candidates’ religious skills should be examined by the
seminaries, rather than the Guardians Council. This is of particular
concern in instances when members of the council are candidates
themselves.
All this factional jockeying and rivalry could be countered
by the actions of the 12-man Guardians Council, which arguably
counters any democratic credentials of Iranian elections. This
unelected body is the ultimate arbiter in the voting: It has
overturned results in the past. All the more notable, then, that its
six clerical members are appointed by the supreme leader and the six
lawyer members are selected by the Judiciary chief and approved by
the parliament. The council has a tendency to reject the candidacies
of individuals it fears might aggressively oppose the status quo. Its
paring down of available candidates could also have an adverse impact
on voter participation. (Bill Samii)
POLITICIAN SAYS FORMER PRESIDENT CAN NO LONGER WIN VOTES. A
politician associated with former President and Expediency Council
Chairman Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani believes Rafsanjani is no
longer a popular option at elections, but that his pragmatic ideas
are widely accepted among politicians, Fars news agency reported on
August 3. Mohammad Atrianfar, a member of the Executives of
Construction, a centrist party considered close to Rafsanjani, said
he believes “the [Rafsanjani] period in the executive sphere has come
to an end, but his ideas are brilliant.” He said that — as shown in
the 2005 presidential elections — Rafsanjani “personally lacks the
capacity to win the people’s votes, but people continue to
support his ideas.” Atrianfar said reformers have moved toward these
ideas — considered moderately conservative and pragmatic — and
“even Mr. [President] Ahmadinejad resorts to this thinking…when he
wishes to win people’s votes.” He said Ahmadinejad, who competed
for the presidency against Rafsanjani in 2005, is legally president,
but “not in terms of…votes.” Who, he asked, paid for a nationwide
publicity campaign that allowed posters of Ahmadinejad, then
Tehran’s mayor, to appear in far-off villages in Iran? “There is
still a great question mark over [the polls] and great doubts on its
outcome, but everyone is keeping quiet to maintain national
cohesion,” Fars quoted him as saying. (Vahid Sepehri)
REFORMERS DISTRUST PROPOSED ELECTION OVERHAUL. The Iranian Interior
Ministry is proposing changes to election rules, and reformers are
concerned the proposals would further restrict the range of aspirants
allowed to run for public office, local media reports from July 28
and 31 and August 1 suggest.
On July 28, the head of the ministry’s electoral affairs
department, Ali Asghar Karandish, said a comprehensive
electoral-system bill would, among other conditions, require
presidential hopefuls to obtain the written support of 50 legislators
from 20 provinces and 20 members of the Assembly for Experts in order
to become candidates. The bill also tasks the paramilitary Basij
militia with reviewing informal reports by members of the public
concerning would-be candidates’ private lives or reputations.
Jurist Bahman Keshavarz said on July 31 that the bill could
pave the way for intrusive inquiries into would-be candidates’
private lives, which he said is illegal, “Aftab-i Yazd” reported the
next day.
Mohammad Salamati of the reformist Mujahedin of the Islamic
Revolution Organization said such “proposals will…add to the
atmosphere of concern,” the same daily reported on August 1.
Former legislator Yadollah Islami said such bills ensure “the
gap between the people and state will never be filled,” “Aftab-i
Yazd” reported.
But Interior Minister Mustafa Pur-Mohammadi predicted on
August 1 that the bill will “open” the environment for voters and
candidates, and urged specialists and politicians to study it before
reacting, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. (Vahid
Sepehri)
FORMER STUDENT PROTESTER DIES IN PRISON. Akbar Mohammadi, a student
jailed for his involvement in 1999 Tehran demonstrations, died in
Tehran’s Evin prison on July 30 after what was described by
authorities as a nine-day hunger strike, Radio Farda reported on July
31, citing the Tehran provincial prisons chief Akbar Suleimani and
the Student Committee of Human Rights Reporters.
The Student Committee of Human Rights Reporters stated that
other prisoners saw marks on Mohammadi’s body suggesting that he
had been beaten, Radio Farda reported. “This regime brings
Palestinian children to be treated in Tehran hospitals, and gives
them money and homes, but is destroying our children under torture,”
Mohammadi’s father told Radio Farda on July 31. Mohammadi had
been sentenced to death but his sentence was commuted to 15 years in
prison, according to Radio Farda.
One of his lawyers, Khalil Bahramian, said Mohammadi had been
on indefinite leave in the past year but “recently he was rearrested
by agents without any warning and transferred to prison.”
Another lawyer, Nemat Ahmadi, said prison doctors confirmed
Mohammadi was ill and should receive treatment outside prison but
Mohammadi told him by phone that prison authorities were depriving
him of necessary medicines, including for asthma, Radio Farda
reported.
Mohammadi was swiftly buried near the town of Amol in
northern Iran despite a request by his parents for an autopsy, Radio
Farda reported on August 1. Radio Farda reported that Mohammadi’s
parents flew to Tehran from Turkey late on July 31 to see his body
but were detained by security forces at Tehran airport, then taken at
about 4 a.m. with their son’s body toward Amol for a burial. Some
5,000 security agents were in the vicinity for this process, Radio
Farda quoted Reza Mohammadi, Mohammadi’s brother, as saying.
Agents also prevented some 700-800 well-wishers and relatives who had
come to the airport to see the parents from entering the airport
building on July 31.
Another brother, Manuchehr Mohammadi, is also in prison for
political activism, and the parents asked that he be allowed to see
his brother’s body, although it was not clear whether he did,
Radio Farda reported.
In Tehran on August 1, a spokesman for the state
coroner’s office said Mohammadi’s body had been delivered to
his family after an autopsy, presumably by a prison doctor, the
Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported. “The results of the tests
and cause of death will be announced in one month,” the spokesman
said.
Amnesty International said on August 1 that Mohammadi’s
death “casts a pall” on Iran’s judicial system, adding that
“thorough reform of the criminal justice system is urgently needed”
to prevent “more deaths in Iranian custody,” Radio Farda reported.
Amnesty International urged Iranian authorities to end torture,
provide fair and open trials for dissidents, and end the practice of
“delaying or denying medical care.” Mohammadi was denied some of his
own medicines, according to a lawyer quoted by Radio Farda, but
Amnesty cited reports that he might have been administered another
drug that could have contributed to his death. His detention, since
1999, was reportedly characterized by routine torture, including
beatings by Intelligence Ministry operatives as he hung upside down,
Amnesty reported, attributing the accusation to “information
available.”
The U.S. State Department condemned the “severe repression”
of dissidents in Iran and said Mohammadi’s death in prison in
late July was “not an isolated case” but symptomatic of Iran’s
repressive treatment of dissidents, AFP reported on August 2, quoting
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. McCormack said Iranian
government measures against opponents are part of a “deliberate
campaign” to “silence the student movement, in particular, and civil
society more broadly.” McCormack expressed concern over the fate of
two other prominent detainees — former legislator Ali-Akbar
Musavi-Khoeni and trade unionist Mansur Osanlu. (Vahid Sepehri)
ANOTHER STUDENT SENT BACK TO JAIL. A student sentenced to prison for
involvement in the 1999 riots, Ahmad Batebi, was arrested at his home
on July 29, apparently while on prison leave, the Iranian Students
News Agency (ISNA) and the “Aftab-i Yazd” daily reported on July 30
and 31, citing lawyer Khalil Bahramian and Batebi’s father. The
latter told ISNA on July 30 that family members “have no news of
Batebi for now.” Tehran deputy prosecutor Mahmud Salarkia said Batebi
was arrested for failing to return to prison six months after his
prison leave had ended, “Aftab-i Yazd” reported.
Separately, a group of legislators visited Evin prison on
July 30 to inspect prisoners’ conditions but were not allowed
into Section 209, where political or security-related prisoners are
kept, ILNA reported on July 30, quoting legislator Akbar Alami. Alami
said the visitors previously coordinated their visit with officials,
including a deputy intelligence minister, but “most regrettably” the
wing was closed, and this, he said, has “contributed to doubts” about
what goes on there. Alami said that if the “law is respected” in this
as in other wings, “there was no reason not to let [legislators]
visit” it, ILNA reported.
Batebi’s wife, Somayeh Binat, told Radio Farda on August
2 that “my opinion is they are trying to physically eliminate Ahmad
and other political prisoners.” She added, “They are effectively,
through torture, implementing the execution sentence they had
initially given Ahmad.” (Vahid Sepehri)
TRADE CHAMBER OFFICIAL SKEPTICAL ON PRIVATIZATION. Alinaqi Khamushi,
the head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Mines, said
in Tehran on August 2 that there is a “startling difference” between
state officials’ verbal commitment to privatization and their
actions, ILNA reported. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
recently instructed the government to implement parts of Article 44
of the constitution, which is expected to initiate a large-scale
privatization drive. But business circles remain skeptical of the
government’s willingness to withdraw from vast sectors of the
economy. Khamushi asked at a meeting why “the government should sign
11 agreements with Venezuela without anyone from the private sector
being present.” Particularly, he said, when Khamenei’s written
instructions on Article 44 urge the government not to involve itself
in “operational” areas, presumably specific business projects, ILNA
reported (see “RFE/RL Newsline,” July 31, 2006). “Iran’s economy
has turned a page and, after 80 years, the overall policies in
Article 44 were announced,” and this requires “a strong private
sector that can gain the capacity to engage in large investments,”
Khamushi said. He complained that the industries minister in late
July prevented a scheduled meeting between visiting Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez and trade-chamber representatives. (Vahid
Sepehri)
IRAN DISMISSES UN SANCTIONS THREAT. Rejecting a July 31 Security
Council resolution (1696) ordering Iran to suspend nuclear enrichment
activities, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said in Bojnurd in
northeastern Iran on August 1 that Iran is peaceful and law-abiding
but has a right to obtain “peaceful nuclear technology” and will not
allow itself to be addressed in a threatening manner, IRNA and
Reuters reported. “Iran’s enemies should know that the Iranian
people consider the use of nuclear science a right, and will not
forego this right,” IRNA quoted him as saying. Western powers are
concerned that Iran’s nuclear know-how could help it make bombs.
On August 1, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza
Assefi said the resolution has no “legal facet or basis,” IRNA
reported. Assefi said the resolution serves the purposes “of certain
states” and seeks to “swiftly close the road to negotiations.” It
will have “no constructive results,” he said, and “can only worsen
the situation.”
A member of the parliamentary National Security and Foreign
Policy Committee, Kazem Jalali, said the same day that the “Americans
seem to be trying their best” to move the dossier from “the path of
dialogue” toward “creating some kind of crisis,” ISNA reported.
Assefi said on July 30 that Tehran will reject a package of
international incentives designed to curb Iran’s nuclear program
if the UN Security Council approves a draft resolution obliging Iran
to stop uranium enrichment by August 31 or face possible sanctions,
agencies reported. “If a resolution is issued” against Iran, Western
proposals “will no longer be relevant,” ISNA quoted Assefi as saying.
He said the package of incentives is part of a negotiating process,
but that EU states have “changed their method” and are moving away
from talks by turning to the Security Council. He said Iran thinks
“those who wish to issue a resolution” targeting Tehran are trying
“to make the region’s conditions” more critical, adding that this
“is very clear, and needs no explanation.” He did not specify what
Iran would do in response to a resolution, but “my message to Western
parties is very clear,” ISNA reported. (Vahid Sepehri)
VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT SIGNS SEVERAL AGREEMENTS IN IRAN. Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez arrived in Iran on July 29 for a visit that
included meetings with President Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The leaders used their meetings to affirm
mutual support and to denounce Israel. They also signed several
agreements.
On July 29, Khamenei told Chavez that the Americans are using
Israel to wage a war intended to create an “American Middle East,”
but “they had overlooked the Lebanese people in their calculations,”
ISNA reported the same day. He said Hizballah resistance has
obstructed plans to “create a Middle East made of puppet regimes,
with [Israel] as the main axis.”
On July 30, Ahmadinejad presented Chavez with a medal for his
“outstanding efforts against imperialism” at a ceremony in Tehran
University, the setting for more condemnations of Israel, ISNA and
Fars News Agency reported the same day. Ahmadinejad said Israel was
created “as a permanent aggression and threat” to regional states and
a means to “loot” their wealth through fear, leading to arms
purchases from Western firms. Chavez denounced Israel’s “fascist
actions” in Lebanon and Gaza. The United States, Chavez said, is
stuck in a “quagmire” in Iraq, Palestine, and Afghanistan, and “we
can together defeat America’s imperialism and save the world.
America is defeated,” ISNA reported.
Iran and Venezuela signed 11 agreements at the end of
President Chavez’s visit to Tehran in sectors that include oil,
petrochemicals, and housing, IRNA reported on July 30. The two states
agreed to form a joint housing-construction firm, cooperate to
provide petrochemicals and oil-related training and education, and
launch joint ventures to make bicycles and pharmaceuticals.
The directors of state-affiliated Petropars and Petroleos de
Venezuela (PDVSA) signed a memorandum of understanding on oil
exploration and extraction, while Petroleum Ministers Kazem
Vaziri-Hamaneh and Rafael Ramirez Carreno signed an agreement on
cooperation between their ministries. Other documents signed were in
aviation, the environment, and manufacturing, IRNA reported. The
presidents and oil ministers of Iran and Venezuela, and Iran’s
health and industry ministers were among senior officials attending
the ceremony. Chavez left Tehran for Hanoi late on July 30, IRNA
reported. (Vahid Sepehri)
**************************************** *****************
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
The “RFE/RL Iran Report” is a weekly prepared by A. William Samii on
the basis of materials from RFE/RL broadcast services, RFE/RL
Newsline, and other news services. It is distributed every Monday.
Direct comments to A. William Samii at [email protected].
For information on reprints, see:
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FREEDOM HOUSE IS RIGID WITH ARMENIA
Lragir.am
9 Aug 06
All the elections held in independent Armenia were marred by cases of
ballot stuffing and electoral fraud. Radio Liberty informed that this
is mentioned in the report of Freedom House on democratization in 30
countries going through transition, which was published on August 3.
It is stated in the report of Freedom House that the OSCE and CoE
observers reported serious violations during the recent presidential
and parliamentary elections. They reported that the elections did not
comply with international standards, and their report supports the
statements of the opposition about electoral fraud, runs the report.
The experts of Freedom House state that Robert Kocharyan twice won
elections with serious electoral fraud.
The international community assessed the efforts of the president
administration in the sphere of human rights as very poor. The
situation became worse in 2004 when the opposition underwent
unprecedented pressure, including arrests and even violence, runs
the report of Freedom House. The authors of the report of Freedom
House also mention the constitutional referendum on November 25,
2005 which upheld the culture of electoral fraud in the country. The
experts of Freedom House remind that the CoE observers highly doubted
the official results of the referendum.
At the same time, Freedom House mentions that democratization in
Armenia is hindered by the system of government which grants vast
powers to the president. It is emphasized in the report that despite
the changes to the constitution the president of Armenia remains the
most powerful government official. The authors of the report also dwell
on the freedom of speech, mentioning that the media in Armenia work
in an unfavorable environment. The authors of the report of Freedom
House say the government keeps the public and private TV channels,
which belong to businessmen who are loyal to the government, under
rigid control.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN COURTS DO NOT PASS VERDICTS OF NO GUILTY
Lragir.am
9 Aug 06
According to the justice of the Appeals Court of Armenia Hovanes
Manukyan, in the first half of 2006 1879 people were convicted,
including 80 teenagers, four people were acquitted. In the same
period of the previous year 1946 people were convicted, 88 teenagers,
6 persons were acquitted. The rate of verdicts of no guilty is 0.04
percent, “which cannot be considered as positive”.
According to Hovanes Manukyan, in European countries, such as Belgium,
verdicts of no guilty totaled 4.94 percent. In the CIS the situation
is better than in Armenia: 0.1 percent in Kazakhstan, 3 percent in
Russia, including 18 percent of verdicts passed by the jury.
“The low rate has both objective and subjective reasons. The quality
of investigation also has its role and effect. The weak tactics of
attorneys also has its role, as well as I would like to emphasize
the sufficient quality of the judges,” says Hovanes Manukyan. These
are the subjective reasons. And an objective cause of the absence of
verdicts of no guilty is the imperfection of the legislation. “For
instance, the institution of additional investigation, which is an
atavism of the Soviet criminal law.”
In this context, Hovanes Manukyan emphasizes the importance of the
prevention of the possibility of an additional investigation through
judicial reforms and establishment of the judicial school.
In the meantime, our justice is rather rigid. In the first half of
2006, 2184 cases were tried, in 2025 cases the indicted were sentenced
to an arrest, the sentence was prolonged in 361 cases and only in 14
the indicted were freed on bail.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress