Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
 
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2005
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]

ARMENIAN CAUCUS CO-CHAIRS BACK PUBLIC REMARKS AFFIRMING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Joint Letter to Secretary Rice Stresses Importance of U.S. Recognition

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly praised Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues Co-Chairs Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone,
Jr. (D-NJ) today for expressing to Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice their support of recent affirmations of the Armenian Genocide
by leading U.S. officials.

In a joint letter sent to Secretary Rice on Friday, the Co-Chairs
declared their support for remarks made by U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans who publicly stated, “The Armenian Genocide was the first
genocide of the twentieth century.” Evans repeatedly and properly
characterized this crime against humanity during meetings with Armenian
communities across the country late last month.

The Co-Chairs also noted former Ambassador to Armenia Harry Gilmore’s
comments to the media that the crimes against the Armenians do indeed
constitute genocide. The former diplomat told Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty on March 7 that the United Nations Genocide Convention,
which was adopted after World War II, “sets up a standard and that
the massacres and deportations of the Ottoman Armenians meet that
standard fully.”

Knollenberg and Pallone explain in their letter that both Evans’
and Gilmore’s comments are in keeping with the past statements of
Presidents Ronald Reagan in 1981 and George Bush, who in 2001 employed
the textbook definition of the Genocide in his April 24 remarks to
the Armenian-American community.

Additionally, the Co-Chairs reason that the U.S. National Archives
contain thousands of pages documenting the crimes and that over 120
renowned Genocide and Holocaust scholars have proclaimed the Armenian
Genocide as an “incontestable historical fact.”

Furthermore, the letter also references the findings of a key legal
study backed by the State Department. That study, by the International
Center for Transitional Justice, concluded that: “The Events, viewed
collectively, can thus be said to include all of the elements of the
crime of genocide as defined in the Convention, and legal scholars as
well as historians, politicians, journalists and other people would
be justified in continuing to so describe them.”

In other news, Knollenberg and Pallone are asking their colleagues
to sign on to a letter urging President Bush to honor the United
States’ historic leadership in defending human rights and to properly
characterize the Armenian Genocide as such in his remembrance statement
next month.

Over 80 Members of Congress have signed on to this letter, however,
many more signatures are needed in order to make an impact.
For information on how you can help reaffirm the U.S. record on the
Armenian Genocide, log on to the Assembly Web site at
or send an email to the Assembly’s grassroots branch ARAMAC at
[email protected].

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

###
NR#2005-032

Editor’s Note: Attached is the full text of the Congressmen’s letter
to Secretary of State Rice.

March 18, 2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State Department of State
2201 C Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20520-0001

Dear Madame Secretary:

As the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,
we are writing to express our support for the recent remarks made by
United States Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, when he invoked the
Armenian Genocide.

Following the letter and spirit of America’s statesmen and scholars
before him, Ambassador Evans repeatedly and properly characterized the
attempted annihilation of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during
WWI as Genocide. Speaking at the University of California, Berkeley,
and other venues in the United States last February, he said: “The
Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century.”

The Ambassador’s comments are in keeping with past statements by
American public officials. Proclaiming on the Days of Remembrance of
Victims of the Holocaust on April 22, 1981 President Ronald Reagan
noted that “Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the
genocide of the Cambodians which followed it – and like too many
other such persecutions of too many other peoples – the lessons of
the Holocaust must never be forgotten.”

In his first annual message to the Armenian-American community on April
24, 2001, President George W. Bush used the textbook definition of
Genocide, “Today marks the commemoration of one of the great tragedies
of history: the forced exile and annihilation of approximately 1.5
million Armenians in the closing years of the Ottoman Empire.”

Evans was recently followed by Harry Gilmore, the first American
Ambassador to Armenia, who said in an interview with Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) that “from my thorough study of the
events of that period I am persuaded that they do indeed constitute
genocide.” Gilmore argued that the United Nations Genocide convention,
which was adopted following World War II, “sets up a standard and
the massacres and deportations of the Ottoman Armenians meet that
standard fully.” Gilmore added that when the author of the Genocide
convention Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide, “the Armenian
events were one of the two archetypes he used in his work.”

The U.S. National Archives contain thousands of pages documenting
the Genocide. As this crime against humanity was being committed,
the United States helped launch an unprecedented diplomatic, political
and humanitarian campaign to end the carnage and protect the survivors.
Evans’s remarks build on this definitive and comprehensive historical
record towards an inevitable, full and irrevocable U.S. reaffirmation
of the Armenian Genocide.

This characterization also corresponds with the signed statement in
2000 by one hundred and twenty-six Genocide and Holocaust scholars
affirming that the World War I Armenian Genocide is an incontestable
historical fact and accordingly urge the governments of Western
democracies to likewise recognize it as such. The petitioners, among
whom is Nobel Laureate for Peace Elie Wiesel, also asked the Western
Democracies to urge the Government and Parliament of Turkey to finally
come to terms with a dark chapter of Ottoman-Turkish history and to
recognize the Armenian Genocide. These scholars asserted that facing
history squarely would provide an invaluable impetus to the process
of Turkish democratization.

In a February 3, 2003 legal study backed by the State Department,
the International Center for Transitional Democracy (ICTJ) concluded
after reviewing available evidence on the massacres and deportations
of Armenians that these “events… include all of the elements of the
crime of genocide as defined in the Convention, and legal scholars as
well as historians, politicians, journalists and other people would
be justified in continuing to so describe them.”

Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an
unbiased study by historians of claims that millions of Armenians were
victims of genocide under Ottoman rule during World War I. Given the
objective findings of the ICTJ report, this official proposal seeks to
avoid any contemporaneous affirmation of the facts on this subject,
and continues Turkey’s current policy of denial. In order to become
the plural, democratic and European Union-integrated state it aspires
to be, Turkey must make peace with its past. American clarity will
further this goal.

We look forward to the President’s April 24th commemorative statement
and, as always, stand ready to work with you on this and the many
other matters of importance to our nation.

Sincerely,

Joseph Knollenberg
Frank Pallone, Jr. Member of Congress
Member of Congress

####

–Boundary_(ID_qAPWBPCzDUeTm6yZXEuXKw)–

ARMENIAN PERFORMANCE AT HOLLYWOOD GALLERY THEATRE

Azg/arm
22 March 05

Nor Or weekly informed about “Women Can Be Different” play by Shuoshan
Partizpanian. The play deals with the changes that take place within
the soul of an Armenian woman. The director chose 4 types of women
that express their viewpoints on family, marriage, love, loyalty,
womenâ~@~Ys rights and their activities. Certainly, these issues are
developing within the framework of the relations with men. The play
depicted a new character of a woman shaped by the American lifestyle,
who hasnâ~@~Yt given up her traditional features fully. The main
character of the play is a divorce lawyer that has to deal with many
problems of the women.

The play was staged by Nazareth Kjurtoghlian. The company consists of
amateur actors Nazareth Kjurtoghlian, Haroutyun Saghrian, Meliqset
Kjurtoghlian, Becky Chinpashian, Lena Melkonian, Vickie Ohanian,
Perch Pultukian, Elizabeth Hzor and Gevorg Gazanchian.

The comedy is written and performed in Western Armenian.

–Boundary_(ID_8OLKz3mVQGdelq6IDzX4Eg)–

ARMENIAN DIOCESE IN GEORGIA URGES TO STOP BARBARISM

Azg/arm
22 March 05

The conflict surrounding the Armenian Church Norashen is gaining
new momentum and the frontiers of trust, it seems, are being left
far behind. After the attention it attracted in relation to the “fake
tombstones with Georgian inscriptions”, which are still not taken away
from the churchâ~@~Ys yard, Georgian Church officials convincingly
assured the Armenian Diocese that the Georgian Patriarchate had best
intentions for a positive resolve of the Norashen question and that
the actions of Father Tariel were very much his own.

However, just a few days later, Father Abgar, Deputy Head of the
Armenian Diocese in Georgia, witnessed the undertaking of new works
by the Georgian clergy and handymen in front of the Armenian Church
Norashen (digging of holes, planting of trees etc.). Despite the
earlier agreement, the appropriation efforts aimed at the Armenian
Church of Norashen continue secretly, probably with the intention to
put the Armenian Diocese in front of a fait accompli. The Georgian
priest Tariel (the same who had destroyed famous frescoes from the
Hovnatanyan school and Armenian khatshkars) stated: “The land is ours,
hence the church is ours and we do what we want and what I have been
told. Leave us in peace, you are getting on our nervesâ~@¦”

Against the backdrop of the Norashen problem, the Armenian Diocese
in Georgian is worried about a growing anti-Armenism in Georgia
(where according to official figures from 1989 about 500.000
Armenians live), which finds expresses in the form of anti-Armenian
propaganda in Georgian mass-media, such as in the Georgian Times
of 24.02.2005: “Armenians do anything to undercut the formation of
Georgia as a stateâ~@¦ and this is why it is necessary to create
a one-nation-state”, “if the Armenians had the material means,
they would destroy our language”, “I donâ~@~Yt remember one single
time, when Armenians did something good for Georgia”, “a Georgianised
Armenian can never become a Georgian, he will always strive to power.
The clearest example for this is the Georgian President himself”. The
Diocese is furthermore worried about the continuous acts of vandalism
that Armenian cemeteries are subjected to in Georgia. The century old
cemetery of Vera, in Tbilisi, has been almost completely destroyed in
the past 17 years. The graves of well known politicians, generals,
professors and poets, who were not just Armenians but who played an
important role in historical Georgia are being annihilated. And the
latest horrendous news, reaching the Press Office, are from Dusheti
(a provincial town in Georgia), where yet another Armenian cemetery
has become the victim of acts of vandalism.

The Armenian Diocese in Georgia requests that acts of vandalism
and offence to the dead be put an end to. It asks not to impede the
fruitful dialogue between the Georgian Patriarchate and the Armenian
Catholicosate, which is undercut by the unqualified actions of Father
Tariel, resulting in a negative impact on the century old, brotherly
relationship between the two churches. The Diocese hopes to attract
the attention of the international community to this situation.

Armenian Diocese in Georgia

–Boundary_(ID_ZOr3m2Xj67V5UXnBlLIiIA)–

California Courier Online, March 24, 2005

1 – Commentary
Pastor Shocks Turkish TV Viewers
By Bold Remarks On Genocide

By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
2 – A Critical Evaluation of Book by TARC Mediator
3 – Dr. George Kooshian Appointed
Visiting Movel Professor at UCLA
4 – UAF Shipped $24 Million
Of Aid to Armenia in 2004
5 – Alumnus Charlie Keyan Donates
$150,000 For Scholarships at CSUF
6 – George Deukmejian Endorses Sen.
Poochigian for Attorney General
7 – Pepperdine ALSA
To Honor Karabian
At March 30 Reception
8 – Activist Hrand Simonian Receives
‘Gontag’ From Catholicos Aram
*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary

Pastor Shocks Turkish TV Viewers
By Bold Remarks On Genocide

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Even though the Turks are supposed to be on their best behavior in order to
convince the Europeans that they are civilized enough to join the European
Union, they are still extremely intolerant of anyone who dares to bring up
the taboo subject of the Armenian Genocide.
Last month, when Orhan Pamuk, an internationally-known Turkish novelist,
boldly told a foreign reporter that one million Armenians were killed
around 1915, just about all Turkish commentators, historians
(government-paid propagandists) and politicians severely condemned the
writer for making such a statement. A radical Turkish group even called for
the murder of this “traitor.” Furthermore, a Turkish publisher is being
prosecuted by the government for releasing the Turkish translation of an
English language book that urges the acknowledgment of the Armenian
Genocide. Around six months ago, in the midst of trying to qualify for the
start of membership talks to join the EU, the Turkish Parliament adopted a
new law that makes it a crime for anyone to acknowledge the Armenian
Genocide. If this is how the Turkish government is acting, while trying to
impress the Europeans, imagine what it would do if its actions were not
under scrutiny!
Given all the controversy this issue has generated within Turkey, the
Turkish “Flash TV” decided to air earlier this month a five-hour live talk
show on the Armenian Genocide. The host of the program requested that the
Armenian Patriarchate send a representative to take part in this show.
However, the Patriarchate refused to participate by saying that it did not
have an expert on the subject to be discussed. The host then invited Rev.
Krikor Aghabaloghlu, the outspoken and courageous pastor of a local
Armenian evangelical church, to present “the Armenian point of view.” Rev.
Aghabaloghlu is a well-known activist who has already been jailed once for
challenging the confiscation of his church’s property by the Turkish
government.
While there have been many talk shows on the Armenian issue, no one has
ever dared to go on Turkish TV and repeatedly assert in a bold and brazen
manner, as Rev. Aghabaloghlu did, that there is no doubt a genocide was
committed against the Armenians. Both Hulki Jevizoglu, the host of the
show, and his main guest, historian Mehmet Saray were dumb-founded and
tongue-tied by the Armenian clergyman’s unexpectedly outspoken remarks. In
a very calm and congenial manner, and with always a smile on his face,
Pastor Aghabaloghlu said on national Turkish TV that all Turks in Anatolia
know the truth about the Armenian Genocide. He said that no one dared to
talk about this subject and that anyone who had the courage to speak about
it, is called a traitor, condemned by the media, taken to court, and sent
to jail.
Despite all attempts to shut him up during the show, Rev. Aghabaloghlu kept
on insisting that as a clergyman he has the obligation to tell the truth.
When asked to back up his comments, he said that he knew the facts
first-hand from the experiences of his own family. Besides, he added, there
is plenty of evidence for the Genocide in thousands of books and that
everyone knew that the Armenians in Anatolia were the victims of Genocide.
Otherwise, he said, what did happen to the Armenians inhabiting that
region?
Did they evaporate? Did they decide to migrate en masse? Are there any
Armenians left in Anatolia?
Making the Turks even angrier, Rev. Aghabaloghlu said that since Armenians
are mistreated in Turkey today, one can only imagine how much worse their
treatment must have been back then under the Ottoman Empire?
Mehmet Saray, the Turkish historian, was so enraged by the Armenian
clergyman’s assertions that he kept asking the host of the show, “where did
you find this man?” Saray said he would have refused to appear on the show
if he had known that he would take part in such a “low quality” discussion
and that his years of research and his books on this issue would be
ignored.
When a viewer from Erzeroum called to say that mass graves of Turks were
recently uncovered, Rev. Aghabaloghlu immediately retorted: “How do you
know that these bones did not belong to Armenians?”
This astounding conversation, broadcast live to millions of Turkish
viewers, went on until the wee hours of the morning.
Rev. Aghabaloghlu is the courageous shepherd not only of his own flock, but
that of all Armenians in Turkey who dare not to speak out fearing for their
lives! The good pastor risked his life by making such bold remarks on a
taboo subject in Turkey. European Union officials should warn the Turkish
government that Turkey’s EU membership prospects would be seriously
jeopardized should anything happen to this brave Armenian servant of God
who, as he says, has an obligation to tell the truth!

**************************************************************************
2 – Review
A Critical Evaluation of Book by TARC Mediator
Unsilencing the Past: Track Two Diplomacy and Turkish-Armenian
Reconciliation, by David L. Phillips (Preface by Elie Wiesel), Berghahn
Books, New York/Oxford (2005)
By Charles Garo Ashjian, J.D., Ph.D
Newark, New Jersey
This is a book about third party mediation (i.e. Track Two Diplomacy) in a
world filled with “intractable conflicts that confound traditional
diplomacy.” Whereas, according to Phillips, the U.S. State Department
“inculcates a risk-adverse culture that discourages initiative and stifles
creativity;”(page135). Informal third party mediation or Track Two
Diplomacy embodies a flexibility which compensates for such inherent
constraints on government officials. Thereby, private citizens may succeed
or make inroads where officials seem only like to fail. This book depicts
the author’s own experiences as chair and facilitator of the
Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC) which was the fulcrum for
the Track Two Program on Turkey and the Caucasus. The Commission was
quietly financed by the State Department and initiated during the Clinton
Administration and formally established in 2001, and, at least, tacitly
approved by the governments of Armenia and Turkey. Presumably based on the
author’s experiences, the book concludes with the offering of practical
principles which may be of utility to those involved in such future
endeavors.
However, even though the author attempts to depict important
accomplishments as the direct result of the efforts of TARC, there is no
actual resolution of the conflicts and issues which, nevertheless, still
exist between the governments and peoples of Turkey and Armenia. Actually,
the Track Two activity merely aggravated and compounded the situation.
Contrary to the insinuations of success by the author, the overall activity
of TARC was a failure. The book unwittingly or transparently corroborates
and underlines this failure. For instance, in the Preface, Eli Wiesel asks
the question: “Has it been fruitful?” Wiesel refrains from giving an
answer. The author, Phillips, nearly gives an answer when, summarizing and
referring to the concluding activity of TARC, he states: “Track Two rarely
results in a breakthrough.” The Bush administration never reacted with
anything but a courteous nod toward this activity.
The major obstacle to rapprochement or reconciliation between the
governments and people of Turkey and Armenia is the matter of the Armenian
Genocide. The TARC addressed this matter by seeking and obtaining a legal
opinion, purportedly objective and unbiased, which was entitled, “A Legal
Analysis on the Applicability of the United Nations Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to Events Which Occurred
During the Early Twentieth Century” (i.e. the Armenian Genocide). They did
so by referring the request to the International Center for Transitional
Justice (ICTJ). The ICTJ is a reputable and expert organization founded by
and presided over by Alex Boraine.
Its purpose is to “advise emerging democracies on addressing legacies of
human rights abuse.” The ICTJ, in turn, merely and only facilitated the
request of TARC by referring it to an independent third-party for a legal
analysis or opinion. In actuality, and since then, the ICTJ has distanced
itself from the ensuing analysis by a “legal analyst” who remains
unidentified, according to my knowledge, and said analyst has also been
referred to as “the group” to be contacted through Phillips at the Council
on Foreign Relations. (Note: The brief legal analysis is not even printed
in the book.)
It is repeatedly false for Phillips to indicate (e.g. pp. 154-116) that the
resultant “opinion” or “analysis” is authored by the ICTJ. Why does
Phillips persistently do so throughout the book while also providing the
contradictory text of the letter, dated 9/16/02, to him from Boraine? The
letter states: “ICTJ has agreed to facilitate the provision of a legal
analysis. The analysis will be performed entirely independently of the
ICTJ. The analysis will not be conducted by any ICTJ staff member; nor will
the ICTJ be involved in any way in seeking to influence the conclusions
reached by the analysis. Our role is merely that of helping to identify an
appropriate expert to undertake the analysis requested by Tarc.” (page 110)
Why is the resultant opinion or analysis so onerous? Firstly, it falsely
states that the term “genocide,” though applicable to the “Events” (i.e.
the Armenian Genocide), is merely a “terminological” one with “no legal
applicability” whatsoever; secondly, the opinion or analysis, in
contradiction of overwhelming prevalent evidence and scholarship,
challenges the historical truth and verity of the Armenian Genocide as
merely a yet unresolved historical issue; thirdly, it treats the Genocide
as a local or limited regional event and minor in both its character and
magnitude; and fourthly, it disputes the direct involvement and culpability
of the governmental leadership and officialdom of the time. This is
historical reductionism and revisionism. This is genocide denial.
The actual purpose of this so-called analysis was to break the truth and
throw a distorted fragment of it to each side. Armenians were supposed to
become grateful before they were being given permission or sanction by
TARC, even though strictly qualified, to apply the term “genocide” to their
past plight. Armenians do not need permission from anyone. But perhaps some
of this is not entirely correct as Phillips, the chairman of TARC, in
reference to Turkish Armenian relations, states: “I was not concerned with
the response of Armenians.”
Phillips was not concerned about the Armenian response to the harmful
misdeeds of TARC since the key Armenian member of TARC had privately
offered him assurances of support from the unidentified and most prominent
or powerful members of the Armenian community (see page. 57). The Armenian
community was supposed to line up in lockstep behind TARC. It did not
happen. It never will happen. (Lest there be any mistake as to identity of
this key Armenian member of TARC, it is Van Z. Krikorian, a New York
attorney.)
In turn, the Turkish side was supposed to become elated because if the term
“genocide” does not have any legal applicability, then the Genocide
Convention may not be used by Armenians to claim territory or financial
reparations. Actually, even if the Genocide Convention did not exist, there
remains an abundance of legal ground upon which Armenians may still pursue
such claims if they so choose. However, I do not believe this legal course
is presently the prevailing disposition of the worldwide Armenian community
or the government of Armenia. The entirely of this matter is otherwise
amenable to solution.
Phillips describes Krikorian as a “champion of the Armenian people.” With
this kind of champion, who needs an enemy? This member of TARC chose to
propound and argue that the ICTJ analysis “should give both sides
something.” (see page 109). Accordingly, both Phillips and this member
openly advocated that the analysis achieve a “balanced outcome.” These
words had different meanings for each of the parties. One leading Turkish
member of TARC, vocally fearful of the truth, was guaranteed such a
“balanced outcome” by Phillips (See page 111). This analysis was wrongly
guided by standards more appropriately applicable to a fair and
conscientious business transaction. The goal should not have been to assure
a “win-win” situation. This is the source of the rot. The improper goal of
TARC, which suerely was communicated to the “legal analyst” for direction,
was to gild and memorialize lies and provide plausible and comforting
arguments for both sides, however false, for respective public consumption
in the guise of seeking and establishing reconciliation. The outcome of the
“legal analysis” with its false historical and legal conclusions was
designed and rigged beforehand. The members of TARC should not, as they do,
rationalize that truth was not their proper or paramount concern. The proof
is the stench coming from all of the lies. Everyone can smell it.
What TARC and its anonymous “legal analyst” merely accomplished, because of
the multitude of ulterior and ill-concealed personal and political motives,
was to unduly disappoint and discourage and aggravate each side. The book
by Phillips, though otherwise intended, actually provides a case study in
what should not be done during Track Two Diplomacy.
Phillips should have heeded his own admonition: “Track Two will flounder if
its integrity is compromised by either participants or the organizer.” (see
page 144). Actually, it will eventually drown. The whole truth of any
genocide should actively be sought and maintained. The people who do
otherwise should be exposed and rebuked. Any attempt to establish
reconciliation or rapprochement upon a duplicitous base of distortion and
falsity is outrageous and intolerable.
Ultimately, this is the most important lesson to be derived from the book.
The book itself should have been titled “Distorting the Past.”
I hope the book is read widely with due credit.
Editor’s Note: The author is a practicing attorney in New Jersey.
***************************************************************************
3 – Dr. George Kooshian Appointed
Visiting Movel Professor at UCLA
UCLA -Dr. George B. Kooshian, Jr. has been appointed as Visiting Movel
Professor at UCLA for the Spring Quarter. A specialist on Armenian
immigration, Dr. Kooshian will teach a course on the history of the
Armenian community in California from its earliest settlers to the present.
Professor Richard Hovannisian, AEF Chair in Modern Armenian History at
UCLA, stated: “The Armenian community of California has a rich and colorful
history, which unfortunately remains virtually unknown to great waves of
recent Armenian immigrants. The course Dr. Kooshian has been invited to
teach will certainly help to fill this void.”
Kooshian was born and reared in Pasadena, attended local public schools and
Pasadena City College. He graduated from Seattle Pacific College with a
degree in Latin. After two years in the Army, he entered graduate school at
UCLA and received an M.A. in Linguistics and a Certificate in the teaching
of English as a Second Language. Dr. Kooshian then entered the Armenian
History program and studied under Professor Hovannisian.
He was granted a Ph.D. in 2002. His interest in the American-Armenian
community of his birth led him to write his dissertation on “The Armenian
Immigrant Community of California, 1880–1935.” This work was based
primarily on original accounts in California Armenian-language newspapers
and other sources.
For many years Dr. Kooshian has taught English as a Second Language,
American History and
Government, Citizenship, and other subjects to adults in the Los Angeles
Unified School District.
He has also taught at the University of La Verne and the American Armenian
International College,and has served as a teaching assistant at UCLA. He
recently delivered papers on the history of the Armenian immigrant
community of Pasadena in New York and San Francisco and is currently
preparing the stirring autobiography of his father for publication. Dr.
Kooshian is a member of the Society for Armenian Studies, the Middle East
Studies Association, and the National Education Association.
He has been active as a volunteer in the Pasadena Unified School District
and in the Armenian Church, where he has served as a teacher, clerk, and
lector.
In announcing the appointment, Dr. Hovannisian stated: “I am deeply
gratified to Nora and the late Bob Movel for establishing the Movel Fund
at UCLA to support the Armenian Studies program through fellowships
andpost-doctoral lectureships. The Fund allows us to bring innovative
courses and special events to campus and to assist promising graduate
students.”
Dr. Kooshian has placed information about the course on the Internet at
<;, together with the course
syllabus and many readings available for download, including the complete
**************************************************************************
4 – UAF Shipped $24 Million
Of Aid to Armenia in 2004
Glendale, CA -During 2004, the United Armenian Fund contributed over $24
million of humanitarian assistance, consisting primarily of medicines and
medical supplies, according to the latest audit
of its financial statements.
The UAF spent less than 1% of its total revenues on administrative
expenses, allocating the remaining 99% to assisting the people of Armenia
and Karabagh, according to the audit.
During its 15 years of operations, the UAF delivered to Armenia a grand
total of $400 million worth of relief supplies on board 132 airlifts and
1163 sea containers.
The U.A.F. is the collective effort of the Armenian Assembly of America,
the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Armenian Missionary Association
of America, the Armenian Relief Society, the Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America, the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, and
the Lincy Foundation.
For more information, contact the U.A.F. office at 1101 North Pacific
Avenue, Suite 301, Glendale, CA 91202 or call (818) 241- 8900.
**************************************************************************
5 – Alumnus Charlie Keyan Donates
$150,000 For Scholarships at CSUF
FRESNO – A former Fresno State football team athletic manager has donated
$150,000 to California State University, Fresno.
Fresno State alumnus and retired businessman and farmer Charlie Keyan of
Indio, Calif., has established two endowed scholarships, one in the
Armenian Studies Program for $100,000 to establish the Charlie Keyan
Endowed Scholarship in Armenian Studies. Income from the endowment will be
used to provide scholarships for students at Fresno State who enroll in
Armenian Studies courses, with preference for freshmen.
At the same time, Keyan established a second endowed scholarship of $50,000
in the Athletic Department of Fresno State. The income from this endowment
will be used for scholarships to student-athletes in the Fresno State
football program.
Keyan’s goal for most of his adult life has been to help young people who
need help to go to college and to complete their education. He had been
assisted when he was in college, and now he wants to help others stay in
college.
Keyan chose to give to Fresno State and in particular to the Armenian
Studies Program, because he had heard from former classmates and friends
how well the Armenian Studies Program has been doing under the leadership
of Armenian Studies Program director Dr. Dickran Kouymjian and Barlow Der
Mugrdechian. A conversation with old acquaintances and former classmates
Berge Bulbulian and Aram Garabedian led to the generous endowment. Keyan
plans to add more to the existing scholarships and establish a separate
endowment to benefit students studying agriculture at Fresno State.
Keyan was born in Fresno to Ohan and Jouhar Keyahian. Ohan Keyahian was a
native of Karachor (Kharpert) and Jouhar Keyahian was from Hussenig.
The future donor graduated from Malaga Grammar School, Fowler High School,
and began attending Fresno State in 1944, graduating with a major in
history and physical education in 1948. He enjoyed his years at Fresno
State, fondly remembering how he enjoyed the social life. Fresno State in
1944 had a student population of less than 1,000 students. It was a small
school where everyone knew each other and Keyan made lots of friends.
After graduation, he went into the liquor business with his brother-in-law
in Los Angeles. Keyan also learned the building trade and he began
purchasing property in the San Fernando Valley, building duplexes and
triplexes, and later built and managed a 50-unit and a 75-unit apartment
complex. He moved to the Coachella Valley, and bought some 140 acres of
land. He grew grapes on 75 of those acres, shipping and selling his own
produce in his own facilities. The vineyard became quite successful.
Later, Keyan began investing in the stock market where he was also very
successful. He retired in 1988.
He has traveled extensively, visiting every continent.
Perhaps his most memorable journey was taken in 1995 when he visited
historic Armenia. There were 10 people in the group, with each person
having the opportunity to visit the village or city where their families
had once lived. The group traveled more than 2,000 miles in 2 weeks,
visiting Aintab, Istanbul, and saw much of historic Armenia. In particular
the historic ruins of Ani were a memorable stop.
Keyan’s family includes two sisters, Rose Kasimian (also his former
business partner) and Agnes Margosian of Dinuba, a long-time elementary
school teacher who recently retired.
**************************************************************************
6 – George Deukmejian Endorses Sen.
Poochigian for Attorney General
LOS ANGELES – In a letter to California voters, former Governor George
Deukmejian has officially endorsed Sen. Chuck Poochigian in his bid to be
California’s next Attorney General.
“Chuck Poochigian, one of the most decent men I know, is extraordinarily
well qualified to become California’s next Attorney General,” said
Deukmejian, who served as California’s Attorney General from 1979-1983.
“His list of legislative accomplishments in the area of crime prevention is
long,” Deukmejian said. “Chuck successfully passed laws to increase
protections for victims of crime, to increase DNA training which will lead
to the prosecution of more crimes, and to increase law enforcement in the
rural communities of the state.”
Deukmejian also commended Poochigian’s ability to work with the majority
party.
“Chuck Poochigian is so respected by all members of the California
Legislature that he is able to introduce strong legislation across a broad
range of issues and work it all the way into law,” Deukmejian said.
“As Governor and Attorney General, George Deukmejian made public safety his
number one priority,” Poochigian said. “Over the years, his passion for
protecting the safety of California’s citizens, his commitment to public
service, his intelligence and his integrity have taught me a great deal
about leadership. I am honored to have his endorsement.”
Poochigian is serving in his second term in the State Senate. He previously
served four years in the State Assembly. Poochigian worked for both
Deukmejian and former Gov. Pete Wilson, serving as Wilson’s Appointments
Secretary. For more information on Poochigian and his record, visit

***************************************************************************
7 – Pepperdine ALSA
To Honor Karabian
At March 30 Reception
LOS ANGELES – The Pepperdine Armenian Law Students Association will host
its First Annual Alumni Reception on March 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the
Jonathan Club in Downtown Los Angeles and will honor former California
State Assemblyman and Majority Leader Walter Karabian.
The honor is being rendered in recognition of Karabian’s professional
accomplishments, his contribution to the Armenian American legal community
as a whole, and his ongoing support of the Armenian students at Pepperdine
University School of Law.
The reception will be attended by Pepperdine F
aculty and Alumni, including Law School Dean Kenneth Starr, Dean Emeritus
Ronald F. Phillips, and Associate Dean Richard L. Cupp, Jr.
Founded in 2000, the Pepperdine ALSA currently consists of approximately 20
students, and boasts over 80 alumni.
For more information about the March 30 event or ALSA, contact the
Pepperdine ALSA at [email protected].
**************************************************************************
8 – Activist Hrand Simonian Receives
‘Gontag’ From Catholicos Aram I
LOS ANGELES – Hrand Simonian, of Hollywood, Calif., a columnist and
community leader, has received an encyclical from Catholicos Aram I, of
Antelias, for Simonian’s life-long dedication to Armenian community life,
culture, religion and education for over 60 years.
The Gontag was presented by Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian at a
special ceremony at the newly built church in Tujunga. Simonian recently
donated an 18th Century hand written Holy manuscript written in Zeitoun,
to the Catholicossate of Cilicia. The manuscript had been appraised at
over $100,000.00 in value.
“I felt the proper place for the manuscript was with the religious library
of the Catholicos in Cilicia, where the present and future Armenian
communities could read and enjoy it,” said Simonian.
The honoree will celebrate his 80th birthday this year. Hrand and wife
Manoushak have been married for 55 years, and are the proud parents of
three sons. Raffi and Armen are both pharmacists living in San Diego.
Both have been recognized as “Pharmacists of the Year” in California.
Vicken is an attorney and Judge Pro Tem, and former Chairman of the Board
of the Armenian Bar Association.
Hrand Simonian was born in Aleppo, Syria, and immigrated to the United
States in 1952. He was a successful businessman prior to retiring in 1974
to pursue his interest in journalism. He was the founding editor of Nor
Gyank weekly newspaper, and has a weekly column in the US-based Armenian
Life weekly newspaper, where he comments on issues of interest to the
Armenian community.
**************************************************************************
**************************************************************************
The California Courier On-Line is a service provided by the California
Courier. Subscriptions or changes of address should not be transmitted
through this service. Information in that regard should be telephoned
to (818) 409-0949; faxed to: (818) 409-9207, or e-mailed to:
[email protected]. Letters to the editor concerning issues
addressed in the Courier may be e-mailed, provided it is signed by
the author. Phone and/or E-mail address is also required to verify
authorship.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Three Armenians arrested on suspicion of arms trafficking to US

Agence France Presse
March 21 2005

Published: 3/21/2005
AFP

YEREVAN – Three Armenian nationals suspected of being involved with a
criminal ring trafficking assault weapons to the United States were
arrested in Armenia, the deputy head of Armenia’s national security
agency, Grach Arutunian, said Monday.

On March 15 the United States announced that it was prosecuting 18
people suspected of attempting to bring illegal assault weapons from
eastern Europe across US borders.

Among them is 26-year-old Armenian Artur Solomonian, who has been
sought by Armenian police for desertion since 2002.

According to Arutunian, the three recently arrested suspects were
“in permanent contact with Solomonian, and on his orders took pictures
of weapons in an Armenian military detachment.”

US FBI agent Bryan Paarmann is taking part in the recently opened
Armenian investigation.

So far there are no missing weapons from the photographed detachment.

Armenian church protests to Georgia at vandalism of graves

Regnum, Moscow
20 Mar 05

The Armenian Eparchy in Georgia has protested at the sudden appearance
of Georgian gravestones in an Armenian churchyard in Tbilisi and the
vandalism of Armenian gravestones in the same church, the Russian
Regnum news agency reports. The Eparchy is also concerned at what it
describes as “anti-Armenian propaganda” in the Georgian media and
calls for the desecration of Armenian monuments to be stopped. The
following is the text of report by Russian news agency Regnum headlined
“Anti-Armenian moods in Georgia: the Armenian Eparchy urges the acts of
vandalism to be stopped”. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:

Vandalism in Armenian churchyard

As the Regnum news agency reported earlier, quoting the Armenian
Eparchy in Tbilisi, the 17-year conflict connected with one of
Tbilisi’s Armenian churches – Norashen – has entered a new phase. A
few months ago gravestones with Georgian inscriptions suddenly appeared
in the graveyard of this church. The stones were found strewn about in
the churchyard and wrapped in iron wire. These stones were then neatly
arranged next to the walls of the church. At the same time, Armenian
tombstones situated on the other side of the church had been subjected
to acts of vandalism and the Armenian inscriptions had been defaced.

Regnum was told yesterday at the Eparchy that after the hullabaloo
caused by the appearance of the “false gravestones with Georgian
inscriptions”, which are still lying in the Armenian Norashen church,
the Georgian supreme ecclesiastical leadership gave a convincing
assurance that the patriarchy is determined to solve the Norashen
issue in a positive manner. However, the source reports, several
days have passed since these promises and the celibate priest Abgar,
the deputy head of the Armenian Eparchy in Georgia, has witnessed
the work which is being carried out by Georgian priests and workers
in front of the Norashen church (pits have been dug, trees planted,
and so on). “Despite the agreement the appropriation of the Armenian
Norashen church is continuing surreptitiously in order to present
everyone with a fait accompli. The Georgian priest [Father] Tariel
(the same one who destroyed the well-known frescos of Hovnatatyan
and the khachkars [cross stones]) said: “The land is ours, the church
is ours and we do what we like and what we are instructed to do and
generally you lag behind us, we are fed up with you .”

Armenian church protests

The Armenian Eparchy in Georgia, against the background of the
events around the Norashen church, expresses extreme concern at the
“growing anti-Armenian attitudes in Georgia (where, according to the
population census of 2002, the number of Armenians was 5.6 per cent of
the population), which is expressed by the anti-Armenian propaganda
in the Georgian media”. The source presents as an example articles
in the Georgian Times newspaper of 24 February 2005, which reports:
“The Armenians are doing everything to see that Georgia does not
exist as a state”, “If the Armenians had the material funds they
would take away our language”, “I cannot remember an occasion when
an Armenian did anything of benefit to Georgia”, “A Georgianized
Armenian will not become a Georgian, he strives for power – a clear
example of this is the incumbent Georgian president”. The report of
the Armenian Georgian eparchy goes on to say that in the past 17 years
the ancient Armenian Very cemetery has been completely destroyed. “The
graves of well-known politicians, generals, scientists and poets who,
being Armenians, played a big role for Georgia, are being destroyed,”
the Eparchy points out. The Armenian Eparchy in Georgia calls for
these acts of vandalism to be stopped, to prevent the desecration of
the deceased and not to obstruct the fruitful dialogue between the
Georgian patriarchy and the Armenian Catholic Church.

Some information about the Armenian Eparchy in Georgia: The Norashen
church is located in Tbilisi, on Leselidze Street. On the left
hand side is the Greek church which has now been transformed into
a Georgian church; to the right is the Georgian Sioni church; a
few metres further down are the synagogue and the mosque. For many
centuries various confessions have existed together side by side
in peace and friendship. The Norashen church was founded in 1467
by Sadat. In 1650 Khoja Nazar rebuilt the almost completely ruined
church, whose cupola had been built by the master craftsman Petros.
With time, in 1989, a little before the restoration of Georgia’s
state independence, under the influence of the ultra-nationalistically
minded [former Georgian President Zviad] Gamsakhurdia, the Georgians
intensified and expanded their activity in relation to the church with
the aim of turning it into a Georgian Orthodox Church. These actions
achieved their culmination in 1994 when local Armenians started to
grow concerned when they found out that all significant books had
been confiscated from the archives.

Events showed that Norashen is awaiting its fate, similar to the fate
of the other Armenian church Karmir Avetaryan, which once was the
highest (40 metres) Armenian church in Tbilisi and destroyed in 1989.
On 25 January 1995, the Armenians living near the Norashen church
noticed that some “restoration” work had been carried out inside the
church. On 8 February, wall inscriptions by Petros telling of the
reconstruction of the cupola in 1650 were destroyed. Other Armenian
inscriptions, two khachkars and two magnificent 19th century frescos,
created by representatives of the Hovnatanyan school, were also
damaged and destroyed. A few days after these acts of vandalism, a
group of Armenians carrying a photograph were not allowed into the
church; instead they were associated with fascist-minded Georgians
and the Georgian clergy. On 15 February the church was sanctified as
the Georgian Orthodox Church. A month later, Archbishops Garegin and
Grigor arrived in Tbilisi and met with the Georgian Patriarch Ilia
II, after which it was decided to suspend any actions until better
days. The church was closed.

Ethnic Armenians in southern Georgia plan new rally

Imedi TV, Tbilisi
20 Mar 05

A large rally is being planned on 31 March in Georgia’s Akhalkalaki
District, which is populated almost exclusively by ethnic Armenians,
in protest at the government’s perceived failure to tackle the
district’s economic and social problems. It will be the second rally
in Akhalkalaki in as many weeks. The first one, staged on 20 March and
attended by thousands of people, was against plans to close the Russian
military base in the area. Both rallies have been organized by the
newly founded One Javakhk movement. Unlike some other local parties,
One Javakhk is not demanding autonomous status for Akhalkalaki. It
does, however, want the Armenian language to be used more widely and
Armenian history to be taught in local schools. The following is an
excerpt from a report by Imedi TV on 20 March; subheadings inserted
editorially:

Opposition to Russian base closure

[Presenter] Last week was marked by two very different events
concerning the Russian bases in Georgia. While protesters in Batumi
were over-enthusiastic in pressing their demands for the closure of the
12th military base, several thousand ethnic Armenians in Akhalkalaki
demonstrated in support of the 62nd military base.

It is worth mentioning that the rally, organized by the newly founded
One Javakhk organization, was mainly dominated by social, rather than
political, demands. However, the main demand is still the preservation
of the Russian military base.

At a time when none of the social or economic projects planned for
Javakheti has yet been implemented and the region is effectively cut
off from the rest of Georgia, it is hardly surprising that the majority
of the population sees the Russian base as the main guarantor of its
economic and political security.

One Javakhk has issued a 10-point ultimatum, dubbed the Akhalkalaki
declaration, which expires at the end of this month. Another rally is
planned in the centre of Akhalkalaki on 31 March. One Javakhk says
that this rally will take place if the Georgian government is not
seen to be heeding the demands of the people. [Passage omitted]

[Correspondent] Last week a large rally was staged in Akhalkalaki’s
main square in support of the continuing presence of the 62nd
Russian base.

[Artur Pogosyan, captioned as One Javakhk activist, addressing the
rally in Russian] This is an appeal to the president, government and
parliament of the republic of Georgia and to the president, government
and State Duma of the Russian Federation. We, One Javakhk, on behalf
of the population of Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda districts, ask you,
for the sake of maintaining stability and guaranteeing security
in our Javakheti region, to allow Russian military base No 62 to
remain at its permanent location in the town of Akhalkalaki in the
republic of Georgia. [Applause] We are not satisfied that once the
62nd Russian base has been removed, the government of our country,
the republic of Georgia, will be able to guarantee the security of its
citizens in Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda districts and maintain absolute
stability in our region. We appeal to the Russian Federation president,
parliament chairman and government chairman, who are familiar with our
region’s history at the beginning of the 20th century [reference to the
mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman empire] not to abandon our
people, who were, are and will remain your staunch allies. [Applause]

[Passage omitted]

Armenian language and history

[Correspondent] Participants in the rally, which was observed by the
head of the Akhalkalaki District administration through his office
windows, made several other political demands. The most important
one concerned the holding of direct local government elections. There
was a lot of support for calls for the teaching of Armenian history
and for the status of the Armenian language to be elevated to that
of state language.

[Pogosyan, addressing the rally in Russian] Ninety-five per cent of
the population of Javakheti are ethnic Armenians. Therefore, in line
with international law, they have a right to be taught at secondary
schools the history of the Armenian people on a par with the history
of the Georgian people. [Applause] Since many people in this region
do not speak or write in Georgian, it is very important that their
right to use the Armenian and Russian languages to deal with and
obtain information from the authorities should be protected and
reinforced. There is demand for Georgian laws to be made available
in the Russian language.

[Passage omitted]

Newly founded party behind demonstrations

[Correspondent] The rally in Akhalkalaki was also interesting because
it was not organized by political groups familiar to the Georgian
public, such as Virk or Old Javakhk, which up until now have been
demanding autonomous status for Javakheti. The main players in the
newly founded One Javakhk organization are completely unknown young
people. They have already been dubbed Javakheti’s Kmara [student
movement that spearheaded the 2003 revolt again former Georgian
President Shevardnadze].

Their underground [as heard] base is this building in Javakhishvili
Street where they have been active since 2000 under the name of the
(Jemi) cultural and sporting society. Without state assistance, they
managed to set up a multi-discipline sports centre, which is now used
by up to 2,000 children.

The leader of Akhalkalaki’s Kmara is Vahagn Chakhanyan, a former
arm-wrestler who does not like to speak in Russian.

[Chakhanyan, captioned as one of the leaders of One Javakhk,
interviewed in Russian] We do not know Russian. Why speak Russian
when we have our own Armenian language? [Interview continues in
Armenian, with Georgian translation superimposed] The Armenians of
Georgia have always lived and worked for the benefit of Georgia.
Armenians took part in the building of Tbilisi, Akhaltsikhe and
Akhalkalaki. We want to do the same. However, we need more attention,
more local self-government and more rights. Social conditions should
change Roads should be repaired. First, jobs should be created, and
only then can=. discussions start about the base. We want a special
commission dealing with= these issues to be set up under the prime
minister, and we want to get invo= lved in it. [Passage omitted]

List of economic and social demands

[Correspondent] Residents of Akhalkalaki are ready to soften their
political= demands if the district’s social problems are tackled
quickly. There are fi= ve such problems:

They want passports to be issued in Akhalkalaki. So far residents
of Akhalka= laki have had to travel to Akhaltsikhe to get their
Georgian passports.

Customs clearance for imports from Armenia should take place locally.
At pre= sent, the procedure involves a trip to the village of
Chitakhevi in Borjomi=20= District.

Land tax should be paid in Akhalkalaki. Akhalkalaki residents currently
have= to travel to Akhaltsikhe to pay it.

Major repairs should be made to the road between Akhalkalaki and
Ninotsminda= . A long-term contract should be signed with Armenia
on electricity supply.

[Passage omitted]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Georgia frees Russian peacekeepers

Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
21 Mar 05

Four Russian military personnel arrested today by the Georgian
rapid-reaction battalion in the village of Ganmukhuri have been handed
over to the head of the 304th observation post in the [Georgian-Abkhaz]
conflict zone.

The peacekeepers sent four armoured vehicles and 30 servicemen
to Ganmukhuri to collect the arrested men, who included an ethnic
Armenian, Kabardian and Russian. The fourth man had no identity papers.

According to Georgian law-enforcement officials, the Russian personnel
were drunk at the time of their arrest.

AZERI-ARMENIAN WAR TO BREAK OUT ANY INSTANT, WARNS AZERI PRESIDENT

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 21 2005

BAKU, March 21 (RIA Novosti’s Gherai Dadashev) – An Azeri-Armenian
war may start any day, President Ilkham Aliev of Azerbaijan said
to newsmen.

“A war can break off any instant as there is no peace agreement
between us. There is only a ceasefire, and ceasefire is a very ticklish
matter. There are violations of the arrangement. They run counter to
our interests, as you all know-the achievements we have made do not
force us to break the ceasefire.”

As President Aliev emphasized, Azerbaijan is anxious to see the
Azeri-Armenian issue and the Karabakh conflict peacefully settled.
“We want a peaceful way out of the conflict under the impact of the
world public, and with the Armenian top to take a correct stance on
the issue. If it does not, things will certainly change. We shall
talk on the matter later on.”

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief

=================================================

Monday 21 March 2005
ARMENIA: NEW WAVE OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESS SENTENCES

Five young Jehovah’s Witnesses are known to have been imprisoned for
refusing military service so far in March, the largest number in a single
month since last October and in continuing defiance of Armenia’s
commitment to the Council of Europe to end imprisonment of conscientious
objectors. One, Arman Agazaryan, a 28-year-old dentist, is the only
breadwinner in his extended family of six, his lawyer Rustam Khachatryan
told Forum 18 News Service. Khachatryan also complains of the treatment of
Jehovah’s Witnesses who have opted for the alternative military service,
saying they remain under military control, have to serve far longer than
those in the army and are banned from joining their fellow Jehovah’s
Witnesses for worship. There is no civilian alternative service.

ARMENIA: NEW WAVE OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESS SENTENCES

By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service

In the biggest wave of sentences of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armenia since
last October, at least five young men have been handed prison terms of up
to two years since the beginning of March, Forum 18 News Service has
learnt. All five refused to serve in the army or do the alternative
military service, which they argue is not the genuine civilian alternative
which Armenia is committed to provide. Among them is a 28-year-old dentist
from the capital Yerevan, Arman Agazaryan, who was called up in the wake
of a defence ministry order last November that doctors who had previously
been exempted from serving in the army after studying medicine at the
academy can now be drafted up to the age of 35. “He was deliberately
targeted for conscription and sentenced because he is a Jehovah’s
Witness,” his lawyer Rustam Khachatryan told Forum 18 from Yerevan on
18 March. “No other dentists have been taken.”

After Agazaryan refused to be drafted into the army on grounds of
religious conscience, he was arrested on 23 December 2004 and was tried in
Yerevan in mid-March, receiving a prison sentence of one and a half years.
“Agazaryan supported his wife, his seven-year old son, his parents
and his wife’s mother on his income,” Khachatryan told Forum 18.
“Now they have lost their only breadwinner to prison.” He is
being held in Nubarashen prison, where most other Jehovah’s Witness
prisoners are incarcerated.

Like all but one of the current prisoners, Agazaryan was sentenced under
Article 327 part I of the criminal code, which reads: “Evading a
recurring call to emergency military service, or educational or military
training, without a legal basis for being relieved of this service, shall
incur a fine in the amount of 300 to 500 minimum [monthly] wages or arrest
for up to two months or imprisonment for up to two years.”

Sergei Hovhanissyan was sentenced to one and a half years in prison in
early March and is now held at Nubarashen. Gevork Manukyan was sentenced
to two years’ imprisonment on 16 March and is now in Nubarashen. Arsen
Gasparyan was sentenced in the town of Vedi in Ararat region to one and a
half years in prison on 17 March. He too is imprisoned at Nubarashen. Also
sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in March was Ashot Torgomyan.

Armenia last year introduced the alternative military service of three and
a half years’ duration (compared to two years’ military service) under
defence ministry control, which became available from 1 July. The
government insisted that this met its commitment made to the Council of
Europe when it joined to introduce a civilian service of non-punitive
length by January 2004. Its refusal to meet its obligations to provide a
non-punitive civilian service have repeatedly been condemned by officials
of the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe and human rights groups (see F18News 19 October 2004
).

Some Jehovah’s Witnesses have been prepared to do the alternative service,
believing that although it was not ideal the actual work handed to those
doing it was non-military and therefore did not violate their pacifist
beliefs. However, Khachatryan insists that all but one of the 18 Jehovah’s
Witnesses who opted for this alternative service are
“discontented”. “They remain under military control –
which means it is not civilian service, the term of three and a half years
is not in line with European norms and while serving all but one of them
have been banned from attending Jehovah’s Witness meetings,” he told
Forum 18. “It’s worse than the army.”

He said that as lawyer to four of the young men carrying out their
alternative service at a mental hospital in Yerevan, he had gone to see
the hospital head, Karapetyan, and the chief doctor Aleksanyan. “They
told me categorically the four were doing military service under the
control of the defence ministry,” Khachatryan told Forum 18. “Dr
Aleksanyan told me they wouldn’t be allowing the men to have a quiet
life.”

Khachatryan complained that the four were allowed no contact with their
fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses, and were banned from preaching their faith or
meeting for worship. Nor are they granted any holiday.

Although the four are not being given military training, they must wear
special dark blue alternative service uniforms. “By law they
shouldn’t be looking after the mentally ill at all, as special training
for this should be given,” he added. “They’ve been given no
training.”

Meanwhile, two Jehovah’s Witnesses – Hovhannes and Arsen (last names
unknown) were beaten on the street by the deputy police chief of the
southern town of Megri, Khachatryan also told Forum 18. While the two were
talking on the street, a car pulled up and out got the deputy police chief
and two other men, who beat the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They then left.
Shortly afterwards, police officers returned and took the pair to the
police station, where they were held for an hour and again beaten before
being freed.

Khachatryan said the two were lodging complaints to the minister of the
interior and the prosecutor’s office.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses – who claim that up to 15,000 people attend
their meetings in Armenia – have faced widespread official and
popular opposition to their activity over the past decade. Last October,
after a nine-year battle, the group finally managed to get state
registration (see F18News 12 October 2004
).

A printer-friendly map of Armenia is available at
las/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=armeni
(END )

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855

You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to
F18News

Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at

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