DES JEUNES PROVENCAUX A LA DECOUVERTE DES MEMOIRES JUIVE ET ARMENIENNE
Agence France Presse
7 juin 2006 mercredi 4:12 PM GMT
Trente-six elèves de la region marseillaise vont participer fin juin
a un voyage pedagogique pour decouvrir des lieux de memoire juifs
et armeniens, a l’initative conjointe des deux communautes, a-t-on
appris mercredi auprès du Conseil representatif des institutions
juives de France (Crif).
Les elèves, accompagnes de six enseignants ainsi que de responsables du
Crif et du CCAF (Comite de coordination des organisations armeniennes
de France), viendront d’ecoles et collèges laïques, juifs et armeniens
de la region marseillaise, selon Marc Knobel, chercheur au Crif.
Il s’agit du collège Anatole France de Marseille, du collège des
Gorguettes a Cassis, de l’ecole juive Yavne de Marseille, du lycee
professionnel de l’ORT a Marseille et du centre d’enseignement
armenien Hamaskaïne a Marseille. Le voyage, soutenu par la region
Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, est organise avec l’accord de l’inspecteur
d’academie, a precise M. Knobel.
Les jeunes partiront de Marseille le mercredi 28 juin pour se rendre
a Valence, au Centre du patrimoine armenien, puis a Lyon pour se
recueillir devant le memorial du genocide armenien et visiter le
Centre d’histoire de la resistance et de la deportation.
Ils iront ensuite a Besancon d’où ils partiront le jeudi visiter le
camp du Struthof (Bas-Rhin) en compagnie d’anciens deportes.
L’objectif est d’amener les elèves a s’interroger sur le crime contre
l’humanite et sur deux genocides qui ont marque l’histoire du XXe
siècle, celui subi par les Armeniens en 1915 et la Shoah où six
millions de juifs ont peri durant la deuxième guerre mondiale.
Fin mai, la discussion d’une proposition de loi socialiste, visant a
faire de la negation du genocide armenien un delit punissable d’un an
d’emprisonnement et de 45.000 euros d’amende, avait ete interrompue
avant d’etre votee.
–Boundary_(ID_pRRyY1I+RwCCAjI0+lMzkg)–

TURKISH JOURNALISTS FACE ONGOING CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS
CPJ Press Freedom Online, NY
Committee to Protect Journalists
June 7 2006
New York, June 7, 2006- The Committee to Protect Journalists is
concerned by the ongoing criminal prosecution of journalists in
Turkey. Three journalists are before the courts in Istanbul this week
for their work.
Perihan Magden, a columnist for the weekly magazine Yeni Aktuel,
went on trial today charged with discouraging Turks from performing
military service by defending conscientious objectors.
In a December article, Magden took up the case of Mehmet Tarhan, who
received a record four-year sentence in military jail for refusing
to wear his military uniform, The Associated Press reported. Magden
called for the establishment of civilian service as an alternative
to military conscription. She faces up to three years in jail if
convicted under article 318 of the Turkish penal code. Magden’s trial
was adjourned until July 27.
The trial of journalist Murat Belge of the daily Radikal resumes
tomorrow. He is charged with attempting to influence the outcome of
judicial proceedings through his writing. He wrote an article last
year challenging the decision of an Istanbul administrative court to
ban an academic conference on the mass killing of Armenians under the
Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917. The Armenian massacre is still taboo
in Turkey. If convicted, Belge faces up to four and a half years in
prison under article 288 of the Turkish penal code. Charges against
four other journalists prosecuted along with Belge for writing about
the conference ban were dropped in April.
Another journalist for Radikal, Ismail Saymaz, will also appear in
criminal court tomorrow on charges under article 288, which stem
from an article alleging the torture of children by authorities,
according to the Turkish press freedom organization Bia.
“The existence of repressive laws in Turkey gives an opening to the
enemies of press freedom. We urge Turkish prosecutors to withdraw the
charges against these journalists, and refrain from filing future
charges,” CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. “We call on the
Turkish government to continue to work for the repeal of laws that
restrict work of the press.”
Bia says that since the new Turkish penal code went into effect on
June 1, 2005, 17 journalists who discussed human rights cases, the
Armenian conference ban case, and torture cases, have been charged
with attempting to influence court decisions under Article 288.
7june06na.html

ANOTHER SENATOR ARRESTED FOR TAKING BRIBES
Russia Blog
June 7 2006
Photo: Chahmahchyan getting ready for a well-deserved “vacation”
This week the parliament of Kalmyk region was asked to fire their
federal Senator Levon Chahmahchyan, so that the FSB could press charges
when he is no longer immune from prosecution. Among other crimes,
the Senator was caught carrying $300,000 cash out of the offices of
the local company “Transaero”, for whom he had been doing favors. The
hundred dollar bills were marked this time, and his suitcase was full
of them, stacked neatly just like in a Hollywood movie.
Senator Chahmahchyan is of Armenian origin. The Armenian mafia has
always been very powerful in Russia. Many Armenians are dominant
players in the construction business which is booming in major Russian
cities. Several Armenians are close business partners with Moscow Mayor
Luzhkov’s wife, who along with her husband has become a billionaire
during his term in office.
Chahmahchyan’s son in law is a senior official at the Russian Ministry
of Finance. When he was first caught, Chahmahchya joked that this
was just a political game between him and “Transaero” executives,
but later in the day his son in law was arrested as well.
The Senator had just been elected the day before as the new president
of the Russian Armenian Association.
The Governor of Kalmykia, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, doesn’t want to get
involved in the criminal case. Ilyumzhinov “doesn’t feel sorry for
the Senator who got caught and thinks that the Federal Assembly knows
what it’s doing.” Governor Ilyumzhinov is quite a character himself;
he is a very stylish billionaire, who has ruled the state of Kalmykia
for a decade without worrying about the Russian Constitution, which
imposes term limits. The Governor fancies $5,000 neck ties, $20,000
suits, riding white horses, and playing chess – everyone in Kalmykia
is required to play chess.
Elsewhere in Russia, corruption is causing unrest in the city of
Perm. Yesterday the citizens rushed into the City Council building
with the mayor inside. These angry citizens are trying to cancel
construction in their state park, which started few days ago. The state
park near the city is the only public space where Perm citizens can
enjoy the outdoors and fresh air; however, the park was leased by the
city to a construction company which is fencing off a major part of
it for building multi-million dollar homes. The homebuilders’ clients
include the local judge, mayor, chief of police, general prosecutor,
the Orthodox priest and other respectable mafia leaders in the region.
Local conservationists tried to block development by filing a lawsuit,
however the future home-owner/judge decided that there was nothing
wrong with fencing off this piece of public property and building
on it. This has been done many times before in many other Russian
regions. Russia Blog wishes the best of luck to the citizens of Perm
and feels sorry for them.
n_keeps_on_rolling_on.html

RECURRENT ECHELON WITH RUSSIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO HEAD FOR ARMENIA TOMORROW
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 16:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Thursday an autocade of 20 units of
wheeled equipment will leave Akhalkalaki (Georgia) to Gyumri
(Armenia). Besides, 40 units of wheeled equipment will be sent to
Gyumri in a railway echelon from Batumi, informed deputy commander of
the Russian troops in the Transcaucasus, Colonel Kuparadze, reported
Russian Peacekeeper online edition.

IRANIAN TV REPRESENTED KARABAKH AS INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC. BAKU DISCONTENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 17:07 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Baku expressed discontent over the fact that the
State Iranian Television presented Nagorno Karabakh as an independent
republic on the news. As head of the press office of the Congress of
Azerbaijanis of the World Ali Nicat stated, in a report covering the
Bucharest talks of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents Iran TV 1
journalist said, “The Independent Nagorno Karabakh Republic proclaimed
its independence 15 years ago. Now Azerbaijan raises territorial claims
to the republic.” “We perceive it as a threat to Azerbaijan from the
direction of Iran, since Southern Azerbaijan has an information outlet
into the world via the Azerbaijani republic only. With such threats
Iran wishes to force Azerbaijan to close this outlet,” he said,
reported Day.az.

“REVIVAL OF OUR SOUL” BOOK ASCRIBED TO ZORY BALAYAN DOESN’T EXIST
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:01 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During recent two years Azeri websites often
mention of a book titled “Revival of Our Soul” and ascribed to
Armenian writer Zory Balayan. The book “is related to the events in
Khojalu.” PanARMENIAN.Net publishes the letter written by Zory Balayan,
who is presently aboard of Cilicia vessel.
“Friends and unknown people call me and ask whether I have written
a book titled “Revival of Our Soul” published by Vanadzor publishing
house. The fact is that some two years long dirty information is spread
via Internet. Quotations from a book allegedly written by me appear
in the network. I do not want to come down to the level of those who
do not realize that such insinuations first of all discredit their
own nation.
I urge all those who should carry out investigations in case of
violation of human rights or show the readers the above-mentioned
book. If such exists that’s another matter.
I am absolutely sure that human rights notion is not an empty sound
but the reality that must be protected.”

ARMENIA DEVELOPS RELATIONS WITH BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ June 7 newly appointed Ambassador of Bosnia and
Herzegovina to Armenia Enver Halilovich (residence in Moscow) handed
the copies of his credentials to Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian. The Armenian FM remarked that the relations between the two
states are at their initial stage and formation of a legal field is
very important in this view. The parties also stressed the necessity
of bilateral cooperation within various international organizations,
reported the RA MFA press office.

PACE RAPPORTEUR EXPOSES GLOBAL ‘SPIDER’S WEB’ OF CIA SECRET JAILS
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:14 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur
Dick Marty today revealed what he called a global “spider’s web”
of CIA detentions and transfers and listed seven Council of Europe
member states who could be held responsible, in varying degrees, for
violations of the rights of named individuals by colluding in these
operations. In a 67-page explanatory memorandum to his report, made
public in Paris today at a meeting of the Assembly’s Legal Affairs
Committee, he said there were corroborated facts strengthening the
presumption that landing points in Romania and Poland were detainee
drop-off points near to secret detention centers.
“Even if proof, in the classical meaning of the term, is not as yet
available, a number of coherent and converging elements indicate that
such secret detention centers did indeed exist in Europe.” These
elements warranted further investigation, he said. “It is now
clear… that authorities in several European countries actively
participated with the CIA in these unlawful activities. Other countries
ignored them knowingly, or did not want to know,” he said.
Mr Marty said he used evidence from national and international air
traffic control authorities, as well as sources inside intelligence
services, including in the United States, to compile a detailed
picture of a global system of secret detentions and unlawful
transfers – including new analysis revealing what he called “rendition
circuits”. He listed seven Council of Europe member states who could
be held responsible, in varying degrees, which are not always settled
definitively, for violations of the rights of specific individuals:
Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Kingdom, Italy, “the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Germany and Turkey. Several
more colluded, actively or passively, in the detention or transfer
of unknown persons, he said, reported the PACE Communication Unit.

BEELINE CLAIMS FOR ARMENTEL STOCKS
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:45 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of VympelCom press office Yulia Ostroukhova
confirmed that Beeline cellular operator has filed an application
for purchasing 90% of ArmenTel stocks. “All the details are kept
in secret by mutual agreement of the sides. Additional information
will be furnished after summing up the outcomes of the tender,”
Ms. Ostroukhova said, reported Mediamax. AFX Europe agency reported
that OTE Greek company, the owner of 90% of the stocks, has received
8 applications in all.
Besides Beeline, Russian cellular operators MTS and Rostelekom have
announced of their intention to purchase ArmenTel’s stocks.

AZERBAIJAN ASSUMES BSEC PA PRESIDENCY FOR NEXT 6 MONTHS
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan has assumed the presidency in the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly for the next 6
months. Milli Mejlis speaker Oktay Asadov will become the next chairman
of the BSEC PA. The decision was taken at the 27th plenary session of
the General Assembly of the BSEC PA in Yerevan by rotation principle.
Parliamentary delegations from all the BSEC PA member states – Albania,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldavia, Romania,
Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey and Ukraine are taking part in
the session. Representatives of Egyptian National Assembly, French
parliament, the German Bundestag, Israeli Knesset, National Council of
Slovakia and Belarusian National Assembly have the status of observer.
Secretary General of the BSECO International Secretariat Leonidas
Chrisanthopoulos, representatives of the International Center of
Black Sea Studies, the European Parliament and PACE also take part
in the session.