THE HEARING OF THE CASE AGAINST “ARMENTEL” WAS POSTPONED
A1+
[08:33 pm] 17 April, 2006
After a pause of about two and a half months the Court of the First
Instance of Arabkir and Qanaqer-Zeytun communities resumed the hearing
of the sue of Sirush Haroutyunyan against “ArmenTel”. The hearing
lasted 20 minutes.
Let us remind you that “ArmenTel” was accused of making mechanical
telephones calls to different countries during internet connection
because of which the subscriber had to pay 260 AMD per minute instead
of one. According to the latest data there are over 900 victims,
and the financial loss is about 600 thousand USD.
The reason for interruption of the hearing was that the court needed
additional information in order to carry out independent expertise
for the questions of the victim and of “ArmenTel”.The expertise will
be carried out by the Committee regulating public relations, and the
Ministry of Transportation and Communication will participate in the
process with an invitation.

“ZHARANGUTYUN” WORKING IN HOME CONDITIONS
Panorama.am
15:32 17/04/06
“Everything is the same, nothing has changed, and we haven’t
yet received a respond from the Prime Minister,” president of
“Zharangutyun” (Heritage) party Raffi Hovhanisyan informed Panorama.am.
To remind, the party had been expelled from their central office in
Theatre of Comedy after H. Paronyan.
“We are working in home conditions and we are ready to struggle for
our rights with the immense love towards out fatherland,” president of
“Zharangutyun” added.

THE STATE OF OUR HISTORICAL – CULTURAL MONUMENTS IN NEIGHBOR COUNTRIES
Panorama.am
13:03 17/04/06
Tomorrow ARF “Nikol Aghbalyan” youth union is going to organize
an exhibition in the central building of Yerevan State University
dedicated to Armenian historical-cultural monuments which are situated
on the territories of neighbor countries at present. To note, the
exhibition is going to last for 3 days.
As the authors of the initiative mention: “Today it is rather important
to concentrated the attention of whole humanity on the importance of
protection and evaluation of cultural values as well as to support the
work of handing in our material cultural values to the world heritage.”
To note, the activity, in fact, has a continuous character. An
analogical exhibition was organized last year which met with the mass
recognition. The organizers mentioned that the past and present states
of cultural monuments in Azerbaijan, Nakhijevan, Georgia and Western
Armenia as well as the monuments in iran are to be presented at the
exhibition.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR ON TWO-DAY VISIT TO SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHK
Panorama.am
12:49 17/04/06
On April 15 RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Georgia
Hrach Silvanyan and the leader of Armenian Apostolic Church’s Georgian
diocese Patriarch Vazgen Mirzakhanyan have begun their two-day visit
to Samtskhe-Javakhk.
As “A-Info” informs from Akhalkalak the first meeting of the Ambassador
and His Holiness was held in Akhalkalak where first an Easter mess
was served in St. Grigor the Illuminator church after which the
latter met with the representatives of Armenian public organization
in Akhalkalak. During the meeting the Ambassador mentioned that the
visit has a cognitive character.
The Armenian Ambassador also had a meeting with Akhalstkha mayor
Tamaz Petriashvili. During the second half of the day the delegation,
arrived from Tbilisi, left for Ninotsminda and Akhalkalak where
analogical meetings had been scheduled.

ASSEMBLY POSITION ON GENOCIDE DENIAL CASE REINFORCED BY SIXTH CIRCUIT COURT RULING
ArmrRadio.am
18.04.2006 11:53
A recent US Sixth Circuit Court decision virtually echoed the language
used by the Armenian Assembly in its amicus curiae (“friend of the
court”) brief in the Massachusetts Genocide Denial Case, when it
ruled that a state, has in effect, broad discretion in determining
the appropriate framework on policy issues of public interest.
Ruling that the state of Tennessee can put on its license plates any
message it chooses, the Court said that the tags are “government
speech” and “not a public forum,” and that nothing in the First
Amendment prohibits it.
It went on to say: “Although this exercise of government one-sidedness
with respect to a very contentious political issue may be ill-advised,
we are unable to conclude that the Tennessee statute contravenes the
First Amendment,” Judge John M. Rogers said in his ruling.
To remind, last month, the Assembly filed an amicus brief in response
to a lawsuit brought by the Assembly of Turkish American Associations
(ATAA) and others who are attempting to rewrite history with respect
to the Armenian Genocide. The brief states in part: “There is no
First Amendment basis for objecting to the government’s choice in a
curricular guide simply because it expresses a viewpoint with which
the plaintiffs disagree. Indeed, the fundamental flaw in plaintiffs
suit, and the reason why it must be dismissed, is that the Curricular
Guide is government speech and there is no First Amendment basis for
objecting when the government chooses to speak.”

PROFANATION OF ARMENIAN MEMORIAL OF LYON
ArmrRadio.am
18.04.2006 11:37
Monday April 17, 2006, seven days before the commemorations of the
Genocide of 1915, the steles of the Armenian Memorial set up in the
town of Lyon (France), which must be inaugurated by President Jacques
Chirac, were profaned with inscriptions of insults and negationnists:
“There never was genocide of the Armenians”.
This act of vandalism followed upon the consecutive racist drifts
with the ultra nationalist Turkish demonstration of 18 March.

US MEDIATOR TO VISIT ARMENIA ON 20 APRIL
ArmrRadio.am
18.04.2006 12:30
April 20 US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Steven Mann will arrive
in Yerevan, MEDIAMAX Agency was told at US Embassy in Armenia.
The French mediator Bernard Fassier told last week in Yerevan that
his American colleague is planning to visit Armenia and Azerbaijan
before the joint meeting of the Co-Chairs scheduled early May.
To remind, in March Steven Mann was accompanying US Assistant Secretary
of State Daniel Fried during the latter’s visits to Baku and Yerevan.
March 16 Daniel Fried said in Yerevan that the negotiations on
settlement of the Karabakh conflict have not entered a deadlock. Steven
Mann noted that the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are
“interested in progress” and “the US is ready to assist them in all
possible ways.”
Late March – early April Steven Mann met Armenian and Azeri Defense
Ministers in Washington.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNANCE TO TURN MORE TRANSPARENT
ArmrRadio.am
18.04.2006 13:05
Permanent Coordinator of the UN Armenia Office, UNDP Resident
Representative to Armenia Consuelo Vidal and representative of
the Social Investments Fund of Armenia Ashot Kirakisyan signed a
memorandum today.
The parties expressed readiness to cooperate in the framework of the
” Performance Budgeting on the Level of Communities” program.
Having as target the improvement of socio-economic conditions –
infrastructures and services – in urban communities, the parties
agreed to cooperate in accomplishment of basic investment suggestions
in marzes and cities.
The major aim of the program is to promote further decentralization
in the country and to strengthen the Local Self-Governments.

ARMENIAN MEMORIAL VANDALIZED IN FRANCE AHEAD OF GENOCIDE ANNIVERSARY
AP Worldstream
Apr 18, 2006
A memorial in southeast France honoring those killed in what Armenians
call a genocide by Ottoman Turks was vandalized just a week before
it was to be unveiled, Armenian organizations said.
The memorial in Lyon was scrawled with graffiti reading, “There was no
genocide,” according to the Committee for the Defense of the Armenian
Cause, and the Council of Armenian Organizations in France.
The groups expressed indignation at the incident, which occurred
Monday, and demanded tight security for the unveiling of the monument
April 24 and for other commemorations that day around France.
April 24 is when Armenian communities around the world mark the
killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. Turks
claim the number of deaths is inflated and say the victims were killed
in civil unrest.

AZERI POLICE FOIL DEMO PROTESTING AT HUNGARIAN VERDICT
Turan news agency
17 Apr 06
Baku, 17 April: A group of young people today attempted to stage an
unauthorized demonstration in support of [Azerbaijani army officer]
Ramil Safarov convicted in Hungary [of killing an Armenian officer].
Police foiled the attempt.
Several hundred students attempted to march along Huseyn Cavid Avenue
towards the Martyrs’ Avenue. However, numerous police officers stopped
the protesters and dispersed them. The students made several attempts
to break through police lines, which led to clashes with the police.
The bitterest clashes took place near Space TV company. Several
protesters sustained serious injuries.
Traffic on Huseyn Cavid Avenue was suspended because of the clashes
which caused traffic jams. Police detained about 20 protesters.
On 13 April, a Hungarian court sentenced Azerbaijani officer Ramil
Safarov to life in prison for killing an Armenian officer on 19
February 2004.