Azeri Officer Given Life Sentence For Brutal Killing Of Armenian

AFP, Associated Press
April 13, 2006

An Azerbaijani military officer who hacked to death an Armenian lieutenant
while attending a NATO-sponsored training course in Budapest was convicted
of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday.

Judge Andras Vaskuti of the Budapest district court ruled that Ramil
Safarov, now 29 and an Azerbaijani army lieutenant, killed Armenian
Lieutenant Gurgen Markarian, 26, in “premeditated, malicious and an
unusually cruel” way by nearly decapitating him with axe in February 2004
while the victim slept in a dormitory used by participants in a NATO
Partnership for Peace English language course.

Safarov was also found guilty of planning the murder of another Armenian,
which he did not carry out. He will be eligible for parole in 30 years,
according to the ruling.

“Compassion and remorse were completely missing from (Safarov’s) testimony,”
Judge Vaskuti said upon announcing the verdict. “During the whole case we
waited for him to be at least a bit sorry for the Armenian soldier he killed
brutally and for (Markarian’s) family.”

Safarov’s lawyer, Gyorgy Magyar, said they would immediately appeal the
verdict, adding that it was yet unclear whether his client would serve his
sentence in Hungary or be extradited to Azerbaijan.

A lawyer representing Markarian’s family said she was satisfied with the
court’s decision. “We’re happy that the court honestly evaluated all the
materials of this case and the brutal intentions … of the murderer,” said
Nazeli Vartanian. “This is a good decision for the Hungarian court and for
(Armenian) society.”

Making his final statement to the court earlier Thursday, Safarov said the
conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia was at the root of his act, and that
the Armenian officer had repeatedly provoked and ridiculed him. He said he
was unable to suppress his feelings and his wartime memories due to
Markarian’s behavior.

“My conscience was clouded as a result of the insults and humiliating and
provoking behavior, and I lost all control,” Safarov told the court. “It
would not be correct to consider it as merely a premeditated act caused by
the awakening of revenge and hate upon seeing the Armenians.” Safarov denied
trying to kill a second Armenian officer.

Armenian-backed forces drove Azerbaijan’s army out of the ethnic Armenian
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s. A 1994 cease-fire ended the
six-year war that killed 30,000 people and left about 1 million homeless and
the enclave is now under the control of ethnic Armenians.

(AP-Photolur photo: Safarov Making his final statement to the court.)

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee
of Illinois
1701 North Greenwood Road
Glenview, IL 60026
Contact: Greg Bedian
Tel: 917 428 1918
Fax: 718 651 3637
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Community Groups Urge WTTW to Drop Program Featuring Genocide Deniers

Chicago, IL – A group of organizations involved in raising genocide
awareness have joined together to urge Chicago PBS affiliate WTTW Channel 11
to drop a program featuring two renowned genocide deniers scheduled to be
broadcast on Monday, April 17 at 11:00 pm.

The program, entitled `Armenian Genocide: Exploring the Issues,’ is intended
as a follow-on program to a documentary film directed by Andrew Goldberg
entitled `The Armenian Genocide,’ which will be broadcast at 10:00 pm the
same evening. Hosted and moderated by Scott Simon, `Armenian Genocide:
Exploring the Issues’ is in the form of a panel discussion where noted
Turkish historian Taner Akcam and award-winning author Peter Balakian engage
in a debate with genocide deniers Justin McCarthy and Omer Turan.

In a letter addressed to WTTW’s Director of Broadcasting Dan Soles, the
groups stated, `By airing the panel discussion, WTTW would do a great
disservice to its viewers by providing genocide deniers with a platform to
promote their views, allowing them to engage in the final stage of genocide,
or what Elie Wiesel has called `double killing,’ the murder of the memory of
the crime.’

The groups also objected to the program’s debate format because it affords
the same scholarly authority to genocide deniers as it does to legitimate
historians. `No matter how strong the rebuttal, in the absence of
appropriate context viewers who are unfamiliar with this period of history
may be inclined to wrongly believe that the Armenian genocide is the subject
of serious and genuine historical debate, casting doubt as to whether 1.5
million Armenians were really murdered,’ the letter stated.

Although the Goldberg documentary is being broadcast nationwide, PBS
affiliates in nearly every major market, including New York, Los Angeles,
Boston, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Miami, San Francisco, Detroit and St.
Louis, have chosen not to broadcast the `Armenian Genocide: Exploring the
Issues’ program.

The organizations which authored the letter reflect of broad spectrum of
Chicago’s ethnic communities which have been affected by genocide in the
past as well as groups engaged in trying to end the current genocide in
Darfur. They include the Armenian National Committee of Illinois, the
Assyrian Community of Illinois, the Cambodian Association of Illinois, the
Chicago Alliance to End Genocide, the Genocide Education Network of
Illinois, the Greek Pontians of Chicago- Xeniteas, the Hamazkayin
Educational and Cultural Association, the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of
Illinois, and the Ukrainian Genocide Famine Foundation – USA.

`The Armenian American community is profoundly grateful for the outpouring
of support it has received to help prevent the propagation of genocide
denial,’ stated Greg Bedian, chairperson of the Armenian National Committee.
`WTTW Chicago needs to understand it is not in the public interest to
provide genocide deniers like Justin McCarthy or Arthur Butz with an
opportunity to broadcast their distorted and hateful message,’ he concluded.
In addition to the letter sent by the organizations, WTTW has also received
numerous phone calls, letters and emails from individuals and groups urging
the station to rethink its decision to broadcast the panel discussion
program. A recent meeting of WTTW’s Community Advisory Board also decided
to urge the station not to air the program.
The text of the letter is attached.

April 11, 2006

Mr. Dan Soles
Director of Broadcasting
WTTW Channel 11
5400 N St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60625-4698

Dear Mr. Soles,

It has come to our attention that WTTW is planning to air two programs
regarding the Armenian genocide in the month of April, the month in which
Armenians and others worldwide mark the anniversary of the extermination of
1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1923. As organizations who are actively
involved in raising awareness about genocide, we laud the station’s decision
to air `The Armenian Genocide,’ a thoroughly-researched and well-prepared
documentary by Andrew Goldberg. However, we must also express our serious
concerns regarding WTTW’s intent to follow the documentary with a panel
discussion featuring outspoken genocide deniers.

In his documentary, Mr. Goldberg took pains to include those who engage in
Turkey’s campaign of denying the Armenian genocide, but placed them in a
proper context so viewers will see them as deniers. Mr. Goldberg’s decision
to present these views provides an important perspective and contributes to
the overall objectivity of this documentary, making it an excellent example
of the high quality of programming we expect from WTTW.

On the other hand, the panel discussion employs the format of a debate,
granting genocide deniers Justin McCarthy and Omer Turan the same scholarly
authority on the subject as afforded to noted author Peter Balakian and
Turkish historian Taner Akcam. During the discussion, Mr. McCarthy
characterizes the genocide as a myth and implies that Mr. Goldberg’s work is
wholly fictitious. No matter how strong the rebuttal, in the absence of
appropriate context viewers who are unfamiliar with this period of history
may be inclined to wrongly believe that the Armenian genocide is the subject
of serious and genuine historical debate, casting doubt as to whether 1.5
million Armenians were really murdered. By airing the panel discussion,
WTTW would do a great disservice to its viewers by providing genocide
deniers with a platform to promote their views, allowing them to engage in
the final stage of genocide, or what Elie Wiesel has called `double
killing,’ the murder of the memory of the crime.

We therefore strongly urge you to join the PBS affiliates in Boston,
Providence, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Miami and
elsewhere who will be broadcasting Mr. Goldberg’s documentary without this
panel discussion. We look forward to your favorable reply on this matter.

Regards,

Armenian National Committee of Illinois
Assyrian Community of Illinois
Cambodian Association of Illinois
Chicago Alliance to End Genocide
Genocide Education Network of Illinois
Greek Pontians of Chicago- Xeniteas
Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Association
Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois
Ukrainian Genocide Famine Foundation – USA

PRESS RELEASE
New Art Center
580 Eighth Avenue
New York, Ny 10018
t: 212.354.2999
e: [email protected]

THE GENOCIDE SERIES BY BARBARA YETERIAN

New Art Center is delighted to announce an exhibition of new paintings
by Barbara Yeterian from her `Genocide Series.’ The exhibition will
run
from April 4 through May 27, 2006.

The `Genocide Series’ by Barbara Yeterian refers to the first
genocide
of the 20th century – the extermination of the Armenian people in
Ottoman Turkey. The exhibition coincides with the commemoration of this
tragedy on April 24th. The artist’s paintings, however, are about
more
general aspects of the human condition, such as fear and despair,
persecution and captivity, pain and torture. In each of her paintings,
Yeterian shows herself to be deeply socially engaged as a gifted artist
who transforms her material in order to create a private yet universal
language that can touch everyone.

The artist’s close study of the gestural dynamism of deKooning, the
symbolist astringency of Edvard Munch and the painterly dis-integration
of Francis Bacon’s painted bodies is evident in her work. In this
regard, Yeterian’s work is undeniably and powerfully expressionistic.
While depicting the dark side of humanity, Yeterian, as Kathe Kollwitz,
has the capacity to depict images of great nobility and warmth. These
images counteract Nietzsche’s assertion ‘death and the stillness of
death are the only things certain and common to all.’ They also
suggest
that the rage at the corruption of power is not the only possible
answer to the horrors of displacements and genocides.

The artist has tread a delicate path between visually eliciting the
emotional weight of trials and tribulations of the people without
resorting directly to anecdotal details. What is most evident in
Yeterian’s multilayered large-scale work, with its dense painterly
structure, is the passionate intensity of the brushstroke and the
resourceful use of almost iconized figures she uses as stand-ins for
the collective fate of the people. History for this artist, is a
palpable memory that overtakes us in the most familiar surroundings and
haunts us in our dreams.

Paintings from the `Genocide Series’ are included in the ongoing
`Legacy Project’ sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation
().

New Art Center is open to public Tuesday through Saturday, 12 – 6 pm,
and by appointment. For more information or visuals please contact the
New Art Center

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
04/13/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM

1) Call to Action by ARF Eastern Region
2) Azeri Officer Sentenced to Life in Prison for Brutal Killing of Armenian
3) Aliyev Denies Azerbaijan’s Destruction of Armenian Cemetery in Nakhichevan
4) HRW’s Turkey Representative to Be Deported
5) Primate Hovnan Derderian’s Easter Message

1) Call to Action

A group calling itself “Young Turks” is organizing an anti-Armenian
demonstration April 22 on Times Square in New York under the slogan “Halt
Armenian Lies.” This demonstration is one more channel through which the
anti-Armenian policies of Turkish authorities are being expressed.
In their quest for European Union membership, Turkish authorities are
softening their positions and are allowing conferences in Turkey to discuss
the
history of Armenians, are stopping legal proceedings against Turkish
intellectuals who acknowledge the Armenian genocide, and are expressing
willingness to start bilateral talks. On the other hand, however, under the
leadership of extremist organizations, the Turkish diaspora is embarking on an
anti-Armenian crusade. The work of the Grey Wolves extremist organization is
apparent in the anti-Armenian rally in Lyon, followed by the gathering in
Berlin and now the demonstration in New York.
This Turkish initiative is a new challenge facing the Armenian nation. The
Turkish authorities are embarking on this effort in order to influence public
opinion and political authorities of various countries by using extremist
elements of the Turkish communities living in these countries.
This Turkish initiative cannot be allowed to continue and to grow. It is
imperative that we act against it. You are all invited to a demonstration on
April 22 to protest Turkish denial in all its forms, and to protest against
local authorities which officially permit public expression of such denial.
Let us all stand together, confront, and put an end to any and all
anti-Armenian and denialist Turkish policies.

–ARF Central Committee Eastern Region USA

2) Azeri Officer Sentenced to Life in Prison for Brutal Killing of Armenian

BUDAPEST (AFP)–An Azeri military officer who hacked to death an Armenian
lieutenant while attending a NATO-sponsored training course in Budapest was
convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday.
Judge Andras Vaskuti of the Budapest district court ruled that Ramil Safarov,
now 29 and an Azeri army lieutenant, killed Armenian Lieutenant Gurgen
Markarian, 26, in a “premeditated, malicious, and an unusually cruel” way by
nearly decapitating him with ax in February 2004 while the victim slept in a
dormitory used by participants in a NATO Partnership for Peace English
language
course.
Safarov was also found guilty of planning the murder of another Armenian,
which he did not carry out. He will be eligible for parole in 30 years,
according to the ruling.
“Compassion and remorse were completely missing from (Safarov’s) testimony,”
Judge Vaskuti said upon announcing the verdict. “During the whole case we
waited for him to be at least a bit sorry for the Armenian soldier he killed
brutally and for (Markarian’s) family.”
Safarov’s lawyer, Gyorgy Magyar, said they would immediately appeal the
verdict, adding that it was yet unclear whether his client would serve his
sentence in Hungary or be extradited to Azerbaijan.
A lawyer representing Markarian’s family said she was satisfied with the
court’s decision. “We’re happy that the court honestly evaluated all the
materials of this case and the brutal intentions… of the murderer,” said
Nazeli Vartanian. “This is a good decision for the Hungarian court and for
(Armenian) society.”
Making his final statement to the court earlier Thursday, Safarov said the
conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia was at the root of his act, and that
the Armenian officer had repeatedly provoked and ridiculed him. He said he was
unable to suppress his feelings and his wartime memories due to Markarian’s
behavior.
“My conscience was clouded as a result of the insults and humiliating and
provoking behavior, and I lost all control,” Safarov told the court. “It would
not be correct to consider it as merely a premeditated act caused by the
awakening of revenge and hate upon seeing the Armenians.” Safarov denied
trying
to kill a second Armenian officer.

3) Aliyev Denies Azerbaijan’s Destruction of Armenian Cemetery in Nakhichevan

BAKU (Armenpress)–Azeri President Ilham Aliyev denied accusations connected
with the destruction of the Armenian cemetery in Old Julfa, Nakhichevan. The
cemetery, which included cross stones from as far back as the 7th century, was
completely destroyed by Azeri Armed Forces in late 2005.
“It is an absolute lie, libel, instigation. All the historic monuments in
Azerbaijan are protected by the state,” Associated Press cited Ilham Aliyev as
saying.
For his part the Azeri president accused the Armenian side of destroying
mosques and Muslim cemeteries in Karabagh.

4) HRW’s Turkey Representative to Be Deported

ANKARA (Zaman)–Jonathan Sugden, Turkey’s representative for the Human Rights
Watch (HRW) organization, was apprehended by the Karliova Gendarmerie in the
eastern Turkish region of Bingol while conducting observations and research.
The Human Rights Joint Platform informed the press that Sugden has been
traveling to Turkey for 20 years on his tourist visa because of his monitoring
responsibilities, and asked for his release.
Sugden lived in the country, and follows the agenda closely as he is
fluent in
Turkish. He arrived in Karliova to monitor and report the Turkish gendarmeries
and local forces combat of terrorist activities in Bingol, Diyarbakir, and
Tunceli.
Sugden was sent to the Bingol Police Office and awaited deportation after the
Turkish Interior Ministry was informed about the case.
HRW’s Europe and Central Asia director Holly Cartner said, “The desire to
cover up human rights abuses is evidently still very strong, despite recent
moves towards more accountability in Turkey’s bid for membership in the
European Union.”

5) Primate Hovnan Derderian’s Easter Message

“Christ is Risen from the Dead”
“He is not Here, But is Risen!” (Luke 24:4)
“And you are the Witnesses of these Things” (Luke 24:48)

The good news of the Miraculous Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ once again reaches us all as a beacon of light, as a call to the entire
world towards faith and a new spiritual life; “And you are the witnesses of
these things.” Truly the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ not only
reawakens
within our spirituality the consciousness to relive the mystery of the Divine
Resurrection, but even more so, to become the witnesses of the life of Christ
and especially His Resurrection. The Resurrection of Christ is the ultimate
reality that adorns our human spirit, because as Paul the Apostle says, “If
Christ has not risen, your faith is futile” (I Corinthians 15:15).
“He is not here, but is risen!” (Luke 24:4)
“And you are the witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48).
For the Armenian Christian, the Feast of the Resurrection is the feast of a
“greater life.” Through our sacred religious rites the fundamental truth that
the Resurrection of Christ is the new dawn of our spiritual life is further
rooted within us, since “through his Resurrection he transcended sin, and all
that having to do with this death.” Thus, the Feast of the Resurrection of
Christ becomes true on the day, when not only our creed is re-rooted, but
above
all when we become the witnesses of His Resurrection. This is precisely where
emphasis is placed upon the church. The church, as the congregation of the
Believers of Christ, as part of its presence and identity, has an
obligation to
speak of and peach the Resurrection of Christ; to unceasingly deliver the
message of Christ’s gospels, and to make certain that the life of the
Christian
individual and the community is a testimony of the Resurrection of Christ. We
will become the witnesses of Christ’s Resurrection only when we partake in his
sacrifices. In other words, when we know how to fill our lives with sacrifice,
turning our path of life towards Christ.
The miraculous Resurrection of Christ is the feast of the renewed church. The
Resurrection of Christ is the dawn of a new life within every Christian. We
are
the ones who will construct the new church, with our own hands, so that we may
give the testimony of Christ’s Resurrection. Our individual life has the
thirst
for renewal, as is our communal life within the church, our life of service,
both national and to the church. But, above all, our lives within the family,
to raise our children entrusted to us by God, is nothing but the example of
the
life of Christ.
The miraculous Resurrection of Christ conveys to all of us the message to
transfigure our spiritual lives through the strength of prayer and to embark
upon the God-pleasing mission to cultivate our spirit. The God-pleasing
mission
to cultivate our spirit begins in our individual life followed by a unity of
the faithful through love. The more the individual is strengthened in his life
by prayer, the more passionately he testifies about the Resurrection of
Christ.
The more the Christian community loves, the more that community becomes not
only a strong testimony of the Resurrection of Christ, but above all a strong
presence for all those who have strayed from the path of light and suffer in
darkness. Our salvation and strength is in our spiritual life. The church is
obliged to constantly renew herself, thus becoming a presence that maintains
pace with contemporary times. It is our message that the children of the
church
remain firm in their Christian faith because our nation has been reborn in
that
faith by turning Christianity into the splendor of her spirit. For that same
faith our nation has accepted the greatest divine gift, the Armenian alphabet,
and through it has eternalized the Holy Bible with Armenian words. The
children
of our church, with this communion, have continued to live their God-given
lives.
We have reached the point in history when even greater challenges have risen
before us and now we have the obligation to overcome. We will continue to
uphold, even at the cost of our lives, the legacy of our forefathers, who have
been sanctified through their martyrdom. The legacy of our Christian faith and
doctrine, the Motherland and Holy Etchmiadzin, our language, our national
heritage, culture, history, and most importantly our right for the recognition
of the Genocide. The Armenian Church will be demolished when we are not
able to
pass these messages on to our youth.
The Christian faith cannot be anchored on the testimony of the
Resurrection of
Christ if it is not rooted in our Motherland, Holy Etchmiadzin, as well as the
sacred Armenian legacies, culture and history. These facets present themselves
as a cornerstone of the Christian faith. In other words, they are God-given
graces which strengthen our faith. They are graces in the sense of challenges,
as to what extent we are able to live our Christian faith through our actions
in order that we may become partakers in the crucifixion of Christ and to gain
the right to testify about the Resurrection of Christ. The mystery of the
Resurrection of Christ truly becomes a testimony when the Resurrection of
Christ is expressed through our lives.
Dear faithful, live the Feast of the Resurrection because its mystery is the
mystery of the true life. This leads us to live life striving for perfection,
as Christ himself says, “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” The
Feast of Resurrection is a day of pilgrimage. It is the doorway to eternal
life. It is the feast of our renewed life. It is the breath of peace and the
spring which plant harmonious brotherhood among nations. It is the Feast of
Holy Etchmiadzin and, finally, the day of the victory of the Christian faith.
“Christ is risen from the dead.”
“He is not here, but is risen!” (Luke 24:4)
“And you are the witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:48)

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate
Easter 2006

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From: “Federatie Arm. Org. Nederland” <[email protected]>
Subject: Armenian Genocide Commemoration in The Netherlands

Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)
24 April Committee
for the recognition and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide of 1915
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague – The Netherlands
Contact: M. Hakhverdian
Tel: +31-704490209
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

Commemoration of the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915
organised by the 24 April Committee of the Federation of Armenian
Organisations of The Netherlands (FAON).

Commemoration on 23 April 2006 in Amsterdam

Date: Sunday 23 April 2006
Time: 2 pm
Place: Hofkerk ()
Linnaeushof 94 – 1098 KT Amsterdam
Programme: Khachatour Avetisian¹s Armenian Oratorium performed by the
Dutch choir Sophie’s Voice, other artistic performances
and speeches by, among others, Dutch Senator and former
burgomaster (mayor) of Amsterdam Ed van Thijn,
the winner of education prize 2005 of Centre for
Holocaust and Genocide Studies Dirk Roodzant and on
behalf of Armenian Students¹ Association Gladzor
Lilit Arakelian
Admission: Free

Commemoration on 24 April 2006 in Assen

Date: Monday 24 April 2006
Time: 2 pm
Place: Cemetery “De Boskamp” in Assen ( )
Boskamp 5 – Assen
Programme: Laying of wreaths at the Armenian monument,
Commemorative Ceremony

Recommending Committee:
Prof B. Bichakjian – Professor of French language and Culture, University of
Nijmegen
Drs. H. van Bommel – Dutch MP
Prof. Dr. W. J. van der Dussen – Professor of Cultural History and
Philosophy at Open University Netherlands
L. C. van Dijke – Public affairs VolkerWessels; ex-MP
Mrs. Drs. K.G. Ferrier – Dutch MP
Freek de Jonge – Dutch Comedian
Seth Gaaikema – Dutch Comedian
Mrs. Drs. F. Karimi – Dutch MP
Dr. Th. M. van Lint – Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian Studies,
University of Oxford
Mr. A. Rouvoet – Dutch MP
Drs. Paul Scheffer – Particular Professor of metropolitan problems,
University of Amsterdam, publicist
Mr. C. van der Staaij – Dutch MP
Drs. E. van Thijn – Dutch senator, former Mayor of Amsterdam
Prof. J. Weitenberg – Professor of Armenology, University of Leiden.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

13.04.2006
Zaman
Ankara
conomy&alt=&hn=31998

Nuclear Plant to be Built in Northern Turkey

Turkey’s Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) President Oktay Cakiroglu announced
that they offered eight possible locations to build the country’s first
nuclear plant and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sinop is
`the one.’

The Agency technically studied details countrywide on where to construct the
plant, said Cakiroglu in his speech at the parliamentary commission. Eight
locations were chosen through 43 criteria, such as sea water temperature,
climate, wind and general weather.

Sinop was the final conclusion, Cakiroglu reported; a technology center will
also be established in this city.

The lake region near the Sariyer Dam in the Turkish city of Eskisehir was
also attractive; however, it was not preferred because of the transportation
problem of eight or nine reactors. Having been sent to the Turkish Atomic
Energy Agency and Lands Registry, the official report announced where to
construct the nuclear facility in Sinop.

The report dated 15 March 2006 obtained by Zaman demanded the sheet maps of
some lands in the village of Abali in Sinop. The Abali village stands in
Inceburun, the northernmost point of Turkey. The Sinop Province made prior
efforts for recreation and tourism in the area with a lighthouse.

Beverly Hills Film Festival Awards Golden Palm to “Assyriska”

Indiewire.com
April 12, 2006

The sixth annual Beverly Hills International Film Festival awarded its
Golden Palm Award to “Assyriska: A National Team Without a Nation” by
Nuri Kino and Erik Sandberg over the weekend. The award was voted on by
BHFF’s jury and festival attendees. The third episode in a five-part
documentary chronicles an Assyrian soccer team from a small Swedish town
as it achieves international stardom while also pushing Swedish and
Turkish governments to recognize the “forgotten” Assyrian genocide of
WWI. Best foreign film went to “Verso La Luna Con Fellini” (Towards the
Moon with Fellini), directed by Eugenio Cappuccio. The comical
documentary features the late Italian director Federico Fellini shooting
his last film, “La Voce della Luna.” Harold Cronk took the prize for
best director for his work in “War Prayer,” an atmospheric short film
inspired by a Mark Twain story. For more information and a full list of
prize winners, visit BHFF’s website.
[Brian Brooks]

PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN RECEIVES MOROCCAN AMBASSADOR

Armenpress
Apr 13 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS: Morocco’s new ambassador to Armenia,
Abdeljalil Sobrii (he is seated in Kiev, Ukraine) handed today his
credentials to president Kocharian. Kocharian was quoted by his press
office as saying that he hopes that during the ambassador’s tenure
Armenian-Moroccan relations would mark progress.

The ambassador said his government was interested in expanding ties
with the South Caucasian countries in view of the region’s big
potential. The sides commended traditionally close Armenian-Arab
relations and said they were ready to take concrete steps to further
them. For this purpose they said the sides should first of all develop
a legal framework that would enable them to start economic, political
and other ties.

AZERI LEADER DISMISSES ARMENIAN GRAVESTONE REPORTS AS “ABSOLUTE LIE”

ANS TV, Baku
13 Apr 06

[Presenter] Azerbaijan is capable of defending its national interests
and liberating its territory. This is our sovereign right. If the peace
talks yield no results, we shall resort to other means, President Ilham
Aliyev has said in Saki. ANS TV’s Saki bureau special correspondent
Xatira Akparova has the details.

[Correspondent] Today the president attended the opening of
a park-museum named after Heydar Aliyev. After the ceremony the
president made a speech.

[Passage omitted: correspondent quotes Aliyev as commenting on claims
of destruction of Armenian monuments in Naxcivan]

[President Ilham Aliyev, captioned] As you know some circles in
Armenia, the Armenian lobby, and some hypocritical politicians who
are under their thumb, have recently alleged that Armenian tomb stones
in Naxcivan are being destroyed.

This is an absolute lie, slanderous information, a fairytale. All
historic monuments are being preserved in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is
noted for its tolerance. Representatives of all ethnic groups and
religions live here as one family. Yesterday I visited the Georgian
church in Qax.

[Correspondent] The president noted that the main aim of his
visits is to check whether his instructions regarding the economic
development of the regions are being implemented by the local executive
authorities. In his speech, the president also noted that a thermal
power plant with a capacity of 87 MWh, which is under construction,
will be commissioned in Saki. It will provide Saki and the region
with electricity.

[Passage omitted: sightseeing in Saki, the visit continues].

ARMENIA HAS SERIOUS PROSPECTS TO BECOME A DESERT

A1+
[01:31 pm] 13 April, 2006

According to the global meteorological station forecasts the global
temperature will increase by 1.7 (minimum) and 5 – 8 (maximum)
degrees. According to our meteorologists the temperature will increase
by 1.7 degree C in Armenia.

The “Armenian State Hydro-Meteorological Service” foresees that this
global warming will result in certain environmental changes. Mainly
the cases of freezing will double, the rains will decrease by 10%,
and the aridity will become a frequent phenomenon.

“There is already a trend of aridity increase in Armenia. The
observations held by the year 2002 testify to this,” says the
Vice-Director of the “Armenian State Hydro-Meteorological Service”
Hamlet Melkonyan. But he adds that the further observations were
stopped as there were not financial means.

The temperature increase will have its side effects on Lake Sevan. It
will lose 140 million liters drinking water in case the water level
increases by 1 degree.

We shall also have a loss of river waters by 15%.

Thus, Armenia will encounter the problem of water lack. The survey
made by the year 2004 revealed that the temperature increase also
accelerated the process of making the country wilderness.

The forecast of the world experts shows that the global warming will
have a larger scale than the climate changes of the last 10 000
years. Today many documents have been signed in order to decrease
the index of the threat. The Kioto treaty was made in 1997 by which
the developed countries are to curtail the waste of 6 main greenhouse
exhaust gases by 5%. By the way, the USA has the top scores with the
quantity of waste, and then come China, Russia and other developed
countries.

“The level of exhaust waste in Armenia is rather low in comparison
with other countries; it hasn’t even reached the 1990 year level. The
greenhouse gases are directly proportional to the economic prosper;
we don’t have a developed economy,” claims Hamlet Melkonyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress