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FORMER SOVIET COUNTRIES LAGGING BEHIND IN DEMOCRACY
New Freedom House Study Reveals Growing Democracy Gap in Europe
Russia Displays Further Setbacks
NEW YORK, May 24, 2004 – Europe is facing a widening and worrisome democracy
gap, according to a major new report released by Freedom House today.
The study, Nations in Transit 2004, shows that the enlargement of the
European Union on May 1 formalized a new divide between the stable,
democratic nations of Central Europe and the Baltics and the weaker
post-Communist states that continue to lag behind in key areas of democratic
development.
The study is available online at:
Country-by-country summaries are available at:
ummary2004.pdf
“The findings of this year’s Nations in Transit study make clear that much
remains to be done to extend the benefits of liberal democracy and free
markets to the majority of post-Communist countries in Europe and Eurasia,”
said Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor
“Western leaders must renew efforts to support political and economic reform
in the post-Communist countries. At the same time, they must press
slow-to-reform governments harder for tangible improvements in securing
basic rights, promoting free and independent media, supporting the rule of
law, and introducing effective and transparent governance,” she said.
The study also showed worrisome setbacks in Russia, which continues to
backslide in key areas of democratic practice. According to Nations in
Transit 2004, President Putin’s policies “have sought to centralize power,
leaving little room for a vibrant civil society, independent media, or
political opposition… While Russia has emphasized the importance it places
on maintaining strong ties to the West, it is headed in an increasingly
authoritarian direction.”
In Nations in Transit 2004, the eight new EU members from Central and
Eastern Europe held their position as the highest ranking countries in the
study, showing the strongest overall performance in the six key areas of
democratization tracked: electoral process; civil society; independent
media; governance; corruption; and constitutional, legislative, and judicial
framework.
Freedom House found that the non-Baltic post-Soviet states have regressed
over the life of the study. Russia has registered the most significant
decline in scores since last year, with Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Ukraine
also showing significant downturns. Continued poor performance was
documented throughout the Central Asian countries, which include some key
U.S. allies. “While there were some bright spots in the past year-especially
in Georgia-the longer-term outlook for democracy in the non-Baltic former
Soviet states remains bleak,” said Nations in Transit editor Amanda
Schnetzer.
Nations in Transit covers two countries, Armenia and Georgia, that have been
selected for enhanced U.S. foreign assistance as part of the Millennium
Challenge Account (MCA), for which over $1 billion in foreign aid funding
under the program has been allocated. Their selection was based on a number
of criteria set out by the Bush Administration, including commitments by
those nations’ governments to “ruling justly.” Nations in Transit 2004
suggests some cause for concern regarding Armenia’s democratic trajectory,
particularly in the areas of free and fair elections, independent media, and
human rights. Georgia’s performance since the “Rose revolution” of last
November suggests more promise in this regard.
NATIONS IN TRANSIT 2004: THE RATINGS
The Nations in Transit survey, produced annually, provides comprehensive
analysis of transitions in 27 post-Communist countries (plus Kosovo) by
tracking progress and setbacks in electoral processes; civil society;
independent media; governance; corruption; and constitutional, legislative
and judicial frameworks. It also provides a unique set of comparative
ratings based on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 representing the highest level of
democratic development, and 7 the lowest. The 2004 study covers the period
January 1 through December 31, 2003
The eight countries joining the European Union on May 1 remained the
highest-ranking countries in the study. The majority of ratings improvements
documented in Nations in Transit 2004 were confined to countries in the
Balkans. (Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo were rated separately this year for
the first time and are not included in the ratings summaries. However,
historical ratings for Yugoslavia are included in the appendix). The
majority of setbacks in ratings were experienced in the non-Baltic countries
of the former Soviet Union.
Largest Declines in Russia
Russia experienced ratings declines in the greatest number of categories (5
out of 6), followed by Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Ukraine (4 out of 6 each).
The overall backward movement exhibited among the non-Baltic former Soviet
states in key areas of democratic reform suggests a growing resistance or
unwillingness of government leaders to push forward with positive changes.
Russia, in particular, has failed to lead by example in the region, where
its influence remains pervasive.
Electoral process.
(+) Three countries experienced ratings improvements for electoral process:
Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Estonia.
(-) Six countries experienced declines in electoral process: Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine.
Civil society.
(+) Seven countries showed gains for civil society: Albania, Bosnia,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Macedonia, Romania, and Slovakia.
(-) Five countries experienced setbacks for civil society: Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine.
Independent media.
(+) Three countries experienced improvements for independent media: Albania,
Estonia, and Latvia.
(-) Seven countries showed declines in independent media: Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, and Slovakia.
Governance.
(+) Four countries showed progress in their ratings for governance: Bosnia,
Macedonia, Slovenia, and Tajikistan.
(-) Five countries showed regression in their ratings for governance:
Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkmenistan.
Constitutional, legislative, and judicial framework.
(+) Four countries had ratings improvements in this category: Bosnia,
Bulgaria, Latvia, and Macedonia.
(-) Four countries experienced setbacks in their ratings for this category:
Azerbaijan, Croatia, Russia, and Ukraine.
Corruption.
(+) Only two countries showed improvements in their ratings for corruption:
Bosnia and Macedonia.
(-) Five countries showed regression in their ratings for corruption:
Albania, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.
The full Nations in Transit report is available online at:

ASBAREZ ONLINE
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05/26/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Armenia, US Sign Agreement on Protection of Cultural Heritage 2) ANCA Capitol Hill Lobby Days Highlight Variety of Issues 3) Amnesty Slams 'Bankrupt' Vision of US in Damning Human Rights Report 4) Education Conference Targets Changing Armenian-American Identity 5) Community Congratulates Prelate Mardirossian's Reelection 1) Armenia, US Sign Agreement on Protection of Cultural Heritage WASHINGTON, DC--An important cultural agreement was signed on Tuesday between the United States and Armenia. The agreement provides that the cultural heritage of all national, religious, or ethnic groups residing and having resided in both countries will be safeguarded. Armenia's Ambassador to the US Dr. Arman Kirakossian, and Chairman of US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad Warren L. Miller, signed the Agreement on Protection and Preservation of Certain Cultural Properties. The signing ceremony took place at the State Department, in the presence of Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman, as well as officials from State Department and Embassy of Armenia. The Agreement commits both parties to protecting and preserving the cultural heritage of any ethnic group residing on their territory, or against the nationals of the other Party in its laws concerning the protection and preservation of their cultural heritage; the right to contribute to the protection and preservation of their cultural heritage; and public access to such heritage, including places of worship, sites of historical significance, monuments, cemeteries and memorials to the dead, as well as archival materials. The Agreement also stipulates that "each Party shall take special steps to ensure such protection and preservation of cultural heritage within its territory and shall invite the cooperation of the other Party and its nationals where assistance is required for this purpose." Speaking at the ceremony, Undersecretary Grossman and Chairman Miller hailed the agreement as another bridge linking the peoples of the United States and Armenia. In his remarks during the ceremony, Ambassador Kirakossian said the agreement is the first such treaty regulating cultural affairs between the two countries, augmenting already strong cooperation on economic, political, and security areas. Ambassador Kirakossian summed up the significance of the agreement for Armenia saying, "we understand the value of cultural heritage and the importance of its protection and preservation." 2) ANCA Capitol Hill Lobby Days Highlight Variety of Issues ARMENIAN AMERICANS PARTICIPATE IN ALMOST 100 MEETINGS AND VISITS TO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES WASHINGTON, DC--A record number of activists from across the US traveled to Washington, DC this April for a series of advocacy meetings on Capitol Hill, coinciding with the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) 10th annual Armenian Genocide Observance. Over 90 meetings were held with Members of Congress from California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia. "We were gratified by the growing number of participants who traveled to Washington, DC for this year's Capitol Hill Observance," explained ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Each year, we have seen increased enthusiasm, sophistication, and confidence among our activists in their advocacy for the Armenian Cause." Among the numerous issues discussed with Representatives, Senators, and their staff were the Congressional Genocide Resolutions (H.Res.193 and S.Res.164), US assistance to Armenia and Karabagh, US-Armenia economic relations--namely the Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) legislation currently pending in the US Senate, maintaining equal levels of military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Armenia's cooperation in the war on terrorism. They presented to members of Congress folders that had detailed information on the issues being discussed. This year, joining the ANC activists in the Congressional meetings were Colgate University Professor Peter Balakian and the Honorable Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, lead sponsor of the recently adopted Armenian Genocide motion in the Canadian House of Commons. During several meetings, Dalphond-Guiral took the time to brief Congressional Members on the passage of the Canadian resolution and encouraged them to take similar steps to reaffirm the United States record on the Armenian Genocide. Professor Balakian--author of the New York Times best seller "The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response"--detailed to Members the exhaustive record of the US reaction to the Armenian Genocide and pointed out the tremendous amount of US archives available on the Armenian Genocide. Both Balakian and Dalphond-Guiral were honored by the ANCA during the Capitol Hill Observance of the Armenian Genocide. Activists met with and visited the following Senate offices: Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bob Graham (D-FL), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Rick Santorum (R-PA), Arlen Specter (R-PA), John Sununu (R-RI), and Jim Talent (R-MO). ANC representatives also met with the following House offices: Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Representatives Joe Baca (D-CA), Charles Bass (R-NH), Bob Beauprez (R-CO), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Howard Berman (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Jeb Bradley (R-NH), Robert Brady (D-PA), Eric Cantor (R-VA), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), Michael Castle (D-DE), Philip Crane (R-IL), John Culberson (R-TX), Susan Davis (D-CA), John Doolittle (R-CA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Philip English (R-PA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Sam Farr (D-CA), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Michael Ferguson (R-NJ), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Bob Filner (D-CA), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Sam Graves (R-MO), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Jim Greenwood (R-PA), Melissa Hart (R-PA), Wally Herger (R-CA), Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA), Tim Holden (D-PA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Michael Honda (D-CA), Paul Kanjorski (D-PA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Patrick Kennedy (D-NH), James Langevin (D-RI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), William Lipinski (D-IL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Edward Markey (D-MA), Robert Matsui (D-CA), Scott McInnis (R-CO), Howard McKeon (R-CA), Marty Meehan (D-MA), Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), George Miller (D-CA), Timothy Murphy (R-PA), John Murtha (D-PA), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Doug Ose (R-CA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), John Peterson (R-PA), Joseph Pitts (R-PA), Todd Platts (R-PA), Richard Pombo (R-CA), Jon Porter (R-NV), Ed Royce (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (R-FL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Don Sherwood (R-PA), Bill Shuster (R-PA), Hilda Solis (D-CA), Fortney Pete Stark (D-CA), Thomas Tancredo (R-CO), Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), John Tierney (D-MA), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Diane Watson (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Curt Weldon (R-PA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). 3) Amnesty Slams 'Bankrupt' Vision of US in Damning Human Rights Report LONDON (AFP)--The United States has proved "bankrupt of vision and bereft of principle" in its fight against terrorism and invasion of Iraq Amnesty International charges in its 2004 report on the state of human rights around the globe. Though the London-based group's report cites grave violations in dozens of other nations, it specifically targets the "war on terror" initiated by US President George W. Bush in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001, for sanctioning human rights abuses in the name of freedom. The unilateral nature of the conflict to unseat Saddam Hussein in Iraq additionally "virtually paralyzed" the United Nations' role in guaranteeing human rights on a global level, said the Amnesty report which was released on Wednesday. The 339-page document, detailing the human rights situation in 157 nations and territories, reserved the most column inches for the United States, with almost as many critical words to Russia and China. Other perennial violators are also highlighted such as North Korea, Cuba, and the central Asian state of Turkmenistan where Amnesty summarized the situation simply as "appalling." "The global security agenda promulgated by the US administration is bankrupt of vision and bereft of principle," wrote Amnesty's secretary general Irene Khan in the report's introduction. "Sacrificing human rights in the name of security at home, turning a blind eye to abuses abroad and using preemptive military force where and when it chooses have neither increased security nor ensured liberty." The notion of fighting a campaign against terrorism so as to support human rights, while simultaneously trampling on them to achieve this, is no more than "double speak," she said. "The United States has lost its moral high ground and its ability to lead on peace and human rights elsewhere," Khan added at a press conference in London to launch the annual report. The report also states that events in 2003 "dealt a mortal blow" to the UN's vision of universal human rights, with the global body "virtually paralyzed in its efforts to hold states to account" over the issue. "Not since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 has there been such a sustained attack on [its] values and principles," Khan told the press conference. While the report only briefly deals with damning allegations that US and British troops tortured Iraqi prisoners--these first came to light just last month--it has harsh words about the overall record of the two nations in Iraq. "Coalition forces failed to live up fully to their responsibilities as occupying powers, including their duty to restore and maintain public order and safety, and to provide food, medical care and relief assistance," it states. Elsewhere, Amnesty details a long list of abuses in Russia, where security forces "continue to enjoy almost total impunity for serious violations of human rights and international law" in the breakaway republic of Chechnya. China, despite a new Communist government under President Hu Jintao, made "no significant attempt" to end the use of torture and other abuses, which "remained widespread," states the report. In the Middle East, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority were taken to task, with Amnesty saying that some actions by the Israeli army, such as the destruction of property, "constituted war crimes." One of the most damning assessments is handed to Cuba, which saw a "severe deterioration in the human rights situation" during 2003, most notably through the jailing of dozens of dissidents after "hasty and unfair" trials. 4) Education Conference Targets Changing Armenian-American Identity GLENDALE--Armenian Schools of North America have a history dating back more than forty years. With the challenges of the 21st century, however, it has become imperative to reassess the mission of Armenian education along with the Armenian-American cultural identity in Armenian schools. Thus, in order to re-examine the mission of Armenian education in North America in the context of the changing "Armenian-American Identity," the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools will hold a two-day conference June 4-5 at Woodbury University in Burbank. The Board's goal in initiating the conference is to spark valuable dialogue among community educators and experts, and to insure that the education offered correspond to current expectations and imperatives. All Armenian daily schools and their leaders are invited to participate and offer their expertise. Well-known professionals and experts on "Armenian-American Cultural Identity" issues will either present lectures or participate as panelists. Sessions of the conference are open to the public, and the Board believes that those involved in the field of education can bring their valuable contribution as well as benefit by participating. For further information, contact the Board of Regents office 818-500-0822, fax 818-500-0622, or email [email protected]. 5) Community Congratulates Prelate Mardirossian's Reelection Members and the leadership of the Los Angeles Armenian community congratulated Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian's unanimous reelection to the position of Prelate by the 32nd Representative Assembly of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America. During a series of receptions held on May 21, 23, and 24, spiritual leaders and representatives of area parishes, as well as representatives of the ARS, ARF, Homenetmen, Mashdots College, compatriotic unions, and other organizations offered heartfelt congratulations to Prelate Mardirossian. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

Russia, Iran set collision course
By Sergei Blagov
Asia Times Online, Hong Kong
May 26 2004
MOSCOW – Despite differences between Russia and the United States over
Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Moscow is still moving toward forging a
“partnership” with Iran, which has been labeled by US President George
W Bush as part of an “axis of evil”.
This month Russian President Vladimir Putin met with visiting Iranian
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi in Moscow and accepted an invitation
to visit Tehran this year. Putin assured the Iranian chief diplomat
that Iran remained Russia’s “old and stable partner”.
When US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton traveled
to Moscow shortly afterward, he urged Russia not to supply nuclear
fuel to Iran’s Bushehr reactor until Tehran addressed international
concerns that Iran might develop a nuclear-weapons program. Bolton
told journalists in Moscow that “tactical” differences between the
US and Russia remained over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
In response, after a meeting with Bolton, the head of Russia’s Nuclear
Power Agency, Alexander Rumyantsev, reiterated that Russia abided
by international agreements banning the proliferation of nuclear
technology.
Russia has long been under fire for its help in building the Bushehr
nuclear plant on Iran’s Persian Gulf coast. The US has insisted that
the Russian technology could be used to develop nuclear weapons,
but Moscow and Tehran argue that the plant will only be used for
civilian purposes. Moscow has brushed off repeated US demands that
it cancel Bushehr’s 1,000-megawatt light-water nuclear-reactor project.
Russia has said it would freeze construction on the US$1 billion
Bushehr plant and would not begin delivering fuel for the reactor
until Iran signed an agreement that would oblige it to return all of
the spent fuel to Russia for reprocessing and storage. This agreement
was reported as close to being signed last September, but so far an
agreement has failed to materialize fully.
This month Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced in Moscow
that the issue of the return of the spent fuel to Russia had been
solved. However, he conceded that “commercial” differences with Iran
over the issue remained.
Last October, Russia announced a delay for the launch of the Bushehr
nuclear reactor until 2005 and urged Tehran to improve disclosure of
its nuclear plans. However, there has been no talk in Moscow about
dropping the Bushehr project. Last week, Russia’s Nuclear Power
Agency reportedly indicated it would finish a nuclear reactor in
Iran regardless.
For years, the Kremlin has resisted US pressure and declined to limit
ties with Iran. In March 2001, Putin and Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami signed a cooperation treaty. Subsequently, in October of
that year, Moscow and Tehran signed framework agreements for $300
million to $400 million a year of Russian military supplies to Iran,
including spare parts for Russian-made weapons, new fighter jets and
possibly air-defense, ground-to-ground and anti-ship systems.
Apart from attempts to discourage Russia from fueling Iran’s nuclear
ambitions, the US has pursued its efforts to persuade Russia to
join the US-backed non-proliferation initiative. The hawkish Bolton
regularly visits Russia for non-proliferation talks. However, last
week Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak announced after
a meeting with Bolton that no agreement had been reached on Russia
joining the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).
Moscow has so far refrained from a clear commitment to join the PSI.
Russia is the only Group of Eight member that is yet to join the PSI,
which was announced by Bush last May.
Apart from the Bushehr project, Russia has other interests in
Iran. Last Thursday, top railway executives of Russia, Iran and
Azerbaijan met in Moscow and agreed to build a Kazvin-Resht-Astara
rail link connecting the three nations. Gennady Fadeyev, head of the
state-run Russian Railways Co (RZD), pledged to build a $100 million,
340-kilometer link connecting Russia to the Persian Gulf via Azerbaijan
and Iran. Fadeyev claimed that the link could funnel up to 20 million
tons of freight to India and Pakistan.
Russia and Iran have long discussed the restoration of a rail link
between the two countries as a viable alternative to Red Sea routes.
This alternative transport link from Asia to Europe – from Mumbai to
the Caspian port of Olya in the Astrakhan region via Bandar Abbas in
Iran – is expected to bring Russia billions of dollars in revenues.
Russia, India and Iran signed an agreement on the development of this
so-called North-South Corridor in September 2000. Russia estimates that
the link could become a rival of the Suez Canal. Russia estimates that
annual trade turnover through the corridor could reach $10 billion
per year, with Russia and Iran becoming the main beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, Moscow’s “partnership” with Tehran could prove double-edged,
notably after Iran clinched a controversial gas deal with Russia’s sole
ally in the volatile Trans-Caucasus region, Armenia. In mid-May, Iran’s
minister of oil, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, traveled to Armenia and signed
an agreement on the construction of a 114km Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
that would cost $120 million. Iran reportedly agreed to supply 1.27
trillion cubic feet (36 billion cubic meters) to Armenia from 2007-27.
The Iran-Armenia pipeline could also be extended through
Georgia to Ukraine and on to the European Union. The
Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Ukraine-Europe gas pipeline, with a 550km
underwater section from the Georgian port of Supsa to the Crimean
town of Feodosia, has been estimated to cost $5 billion. The planned
gas supply would amount to 2.12 trillion cubic feet (60 billion cubic
meters) per annum, including 353 billion cubic feet (10 billion cubic
meters) for Ukraine.
Russia has been wary that the extended pipeline could be used to funnel
Iranian gas to European markets. It could also allow Turkmenistan to
circumvent Russia’s gas-pipeline network. However, Armenia is yet to
make a decision on the extended pipeline.
Armenia is traditionally Russia’s closest partner in the Caucasus.
Sandwiched among hostile Azerbaijan and Turkey and volatile Georgia,
Armenia has little option but to remain a supporter of Russia’s
geopolitical moves in the Caucasus. However, some divergent interests
have emerged recently, notably Armenia’s aspirations to limit its
dependence on Russian energy supplies by building a gas pipeline from
Iran to Europe. Therefore, Russia’s “partnership” with Iran could
have its limits after all, and not because of the United States.

Tjeknavorian Music Festival to Commence in June
Mehr News Agency, Iran
May 26 2004
TEHRAN May 26 (MNA) — Leading Iranian-Armenian conductor Loris
Tjeknavorian will headline a music festival in June at Vahdat Hall.
The music festival beginning on June 12, and running until June 30,
will be conducted by Tjeknavorian accompanied by the Tehran Rudaki
Orchestra.
Several pieces by prominent world musicians as well as pieces written
by Tjeknavorian including ‘Khosrow and Shirin’, and ‘Leili and Majnun’
will be performed during the program.
Musical pieces by Iranian musicians Shahin Farhat, Hossein Dehlavi,
Heshmat Sanjari, Arsalan Kamkar and Mavi Sakarian are also to be
featured during the festival.

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice and Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B – 1000 BRUXELLES
Tel./Fax : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27
E-mail : [email protected]
Web :
The European Armenian Federation Provides you with the English translation
of Pr. Dabag article in Frankfurter Rundschau (23rd May 2004). The original
version follows.
Pr. Dabag is the director of the Institute for Diaspora and Genocide Studies
at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany.
————————-
THE LAST VICTIM OF AN ACT OF GENOCIDE IS THE TRUTH
A clear statement regarding the fate of the Armenians in Turkey would bring
Germany to face its own history
By Mihran Dabag
On the 24th April the Armenians remember the genocide that was committed in
the Ottoman Empire under the government of the “Young Turks” in 1915/1916
and which marked the end of the life of the Armenians in their historical
native home.
This mass murder signified a new type of political violence: the
state-organised extermination of a whole section of the population defined
as an internal enemy. The Young Turkish politics of violence were part of
the radical reorganization of the Ottoman multi-racial state into a
homogenous Turkish nation-state. Central to this national “awakening” was
the declaration of a strong Turkish identity founded on ancestry and culture
and its realisation within a newly defined territorial area, which reached
from Thracia as far as Central Asia – and, in the centre of which, the
settlement areas of the Armenians lay.
When, on the 24th April 1915, Armenian public figures were arrested and
murdered in Istanbul, the deportations from Anatolia, which were explained
as resettlement measures necessary to the war, had already begun. Village by
village families were set in motion on foot.
Turkish strategy of denial
The remembrance day of the 24th April is even today overshadowed by the
question of acknowledgement of the crime. For Turkey consistently pursues a
strategy of denial: through a complex system of negations, in which the
recollection of the genocide can even be made a punishable offence, a
Turkish society emerged whose conception of history is shaped by models of
Turkish “Opftertum” [denoting injury, victimhood and sacrifice ] and Turkish
honesty, a society in which the denial of the one-time Armenian present is
driven forward by political and scientific elites.
However, the persistently taught counter-history not only enables the
silence regarding the memory of the genocide to be passed down to subsequent
generations, it also renders any often necessary dialogue impossible: How
can a “rapprochement” between victims and culprits take place without an
acceptance of the remembrance of the victims? When the culprit cannot even
been named as such? But the concealment also fosters an easing of political
conscience on an international level.
In contrast to the French National Assembly or the Swiss National Council
among others, the German Bundestag has so far refused to contribute to
freeing the memory of this genocide from its framework of denial and
justification with the help of a symbolic act or a solemn declaration. This
refusal is justified with the comment that it is not the task of parliament
to sanction an interpretation of history. But is the concern here really
with an interpretation? Is the issue not with the position that Germany
takes regarding a crime with which it is undoubtedly strongly intertwined?
Germany’s stance in the First World War is characterised above all by two
perspectives. “We should alleviate but not prevent” (Ambassador Hans Frhr.
von Wangenheim) was one line, along with: “It is an impossible state of
affairs to be allied with the Turks and to stand up for the Armenians. Any
consideration shown, Christian, sentimental and political, should be
eclipsed by a hard but clear necessity for war” (General Hans von Seeckt).
Bernhard Schlink, philosopher of law and constitutional lawyer in North
Rhine-Westphalia has recently explained from a philosophy of law perspective
that anyone who finds himself in community of solidarity with the culprits
and maintains this even after the event is also embroiled in blame. As an
ally of Turkey during the First World War, Germany – to put it cautiously –
tolerated the extermination of the Armenians. The question that Germany must
ask itself today is whether it also wants to tolerate the denial of this
crime by successive societies.
Perhaps the Bundestag should use the forthcoming 90th anniversary of the
24th April in 2005 as an opportunity to break the continuation of tolerance.
A statement from Germany in particular could mean a considerable impetus for
Turkey to self-critically reflect upon its historically false depiction. Not
least it could open up an opportunity for the Turkish people living in
Germany which has been denied them by the official conception of history: to
took critically at their own models of history and identity.
But above all it would be a sign that the consensus reached after the
Holocaust that even the denial of genocide should be condemned was not the
result of a political calculation:
In his speech this year on the remembrance day for the victims of National
Socialism, Wolfgang Thierse pointed out that “the horror about the Holocaust
has brought the Europeans back together” and the political future of Europe
depends upon achieving an understanding of the “European Union as a peace
programme and a community of values”. The project of a “European identity”,
based on a shared memory of war and genocide, is also frequently found in
political frameworks.
German introspection
How can such a declaration of mutuality be viewed if it allows the
singularity and truth of the memory of the victims to be negated? If it
allows the acknowledgement of the genocide of the Armenians to be
self-assuredly evaluated in terms of not “destabilising” Turkey, as
“far-sighted politics” should be favoured over “decisions about the
interpretation of history” regarding the “genocide-type crime” (Gernot
Erler, Deputy Chairman of the SPD faction in the Bundestag)? A clear
position regarding the genocide of the Armenians requires no diplomatic
weighing up of interests – it would examine the position of Germany with
regard to its own history.
—————————
Original version
DAS LETZTE OPFER EINES GENOZIDS IST DIE WAHRHEIT
Mit einer eindeutige Stellungnahme zum Schicksal der Armenier in der Türkei
würde sich Deutschland seiner eigenen Geschichte stellen
Von Mihran Dabag
Am 24. April gedenken die Armenier des Völkermords, der unter der Regierung
der “Jungtürken” in den Jahren 1915/16 im Osmanischen Reich begangen wurde
und dem Leben der Armenier in ihrer historischen Heimat ein Ende setzte.
Mit diesem Massenmord wurde ein neuer Typus politischer Gewalt manifest: die
staatlich organisierte Vernichtung einer ganzen, als innerer Feind
definierten Bevölkerungsgruppe. Die jungtürkische Gewaltpolitik war Teil der
radikalen Umgestaltung des osmanischen Vielvölkerstaats zu einem homogenen
türkischen Nationalstaat. Im Mittelpunkt dieses nationalen “Erwachens” stand
die Deklaration einer starken, auf Abstammung und Kultur gründenden
türkischen Identität und deren
Verwirklichung innerhalb eines neu definierten territorialen Raums, der von
Thrakien bis nach Zentralasien reichte – und in dessen Zentrum die
Siedlungsgebiete der Armenier lagen.
Als am 24. April 1915 armenische Persönlichkeiten des öffentlichen Lebens in
Istanbul verhaftet und ermordet wurden, hatten die als kriegsnotwendige
Umsiedlungsmaßnahmen erklärten Deportationen aus Anatolien bereits begonnen.
Ortschaft für Ortschaft wurden die Familien zu Fuß in Bewegung gesetzt.
Die Deportationszüge beschrieb Franz Werfel in seinem Roman Die vierzig Tage
des Musa Dagh als “wandernde Lager”. Denn die Deportation selbst war Methode
der Vernichtung: Ca. 1,5 Millionen Armenier, mit ihnen die aramäischen
Christen, wurden von der Gendarmerie, von Sondereinheiten und unter
Beteiligung kurdischer und türkischer Zivilisten ermordet.
Türkische Strategie der Leugnung
Der Gedenktag des 24. April wird bis heute von der Frage nach der
Anerkennung des Verbrechens überschattet. Denn konsequent verfolgt die
Türkei eine Strategie der Leugnung: Durch ein komplexes System der
Negationen, in dem das Erinnern an den Genozid sogar unter Strafe gestellt
werden kann, entstand eine türkische Gesellschaft, deren Geschichtsbild von
Mustern türkischen Opfertums und türkischer Aufrichtigkeit geprägt ist, eine
Gesellschaft, in der die Leugnung der einstmaligen armenischen Gegenwart von
politischen und wissenschaftlichen Eliten fortgeschrieben wird.
Die beharrlich gelehrte Gegengeschichte überantwortet jedoch nicht nur die
Erinnerung an den Genozid dem Schweigen der jeweils nächsten Generation, sie
macht auch den oftmals geforderten Dialog unmöglich: Wie kann eine
“Annäherung” zwischen Opfern und Tätern stattfinden, ohne eine Akzeptanz der
Erinnerung der Opfer? Ohne den Täter als Täter zunächst benennen zu können?
Doch fördert das Verschweigen auch international eine Beruhigung des
politischen Gewissens.
Im Gegensatz unter anderem zur Französischen Nationalversammlung oder dem
Schweizerischen Nationalrat hat sich der Deutsche Bundestag bisher
verweigert, durch einen symbolischen Akt, mit einer feierlichen Erklärung
dazu beizutragen, die Erinnerung an diesen Völkermord aus dem Rahmen von
Leugnung und Rechtfertigung zu lösen. Begründet wird diese Verweigerung mit
dem Hinweis, dass es nicht die Aufgabe des Parlaments sei, eine
Interpretation von Geschichte zu sanktionieren. Doch geht es hier
tatsächlich um eine Interpretation? Geht es nicht auch darum, wie
Deutschland sich zu einem Verbrechen stellt, mit dem es zweifellos eng
verwoben ist?
Die Haltung Deutschlands im Ersten Weltkrieg war vor allem von zwei
Perspektiven bestimmt. “Wir sollen lindern, aber nicht verhindern”
(Botschafter Hans Frhr. von Wangenheim), so die eine Linie, und: “Es ist ein
unmöglicher Zustand, mit den Türken verbündet zu sein und für die Armenier
einzutreten. Jede Rücksicht, christliche, sentimentale und politische,
gegenüber einer harten, aber klaren Kriegsnotwendigkeit verschwinden”
(General Hans von Seeckt).
Bernhard Schlink, Rechtsphilosoph und Verfassungsrichter in NRW, hat
kürzlich aus rechtshistorischer Perspektive dargelegt, dass auch der sich in
Schuld verstrickt, der sich zu den Tätern in einer Solidargemeinschaft
befinde und diese auch nach der Tat aufrechterhalte. Als Bündnispartner der
Türkei während des Ersten Weltkriegs hat Deutschland die Vernichtung der
Armenier – vorsichtig formuliert – geduldet. Heute muss die Bundesrepublik
sich fragen lassen, ob sie auch die Leugnung dieses Verbrechens durch die
Nachfolgegesellschaft der Täter dulden will.
Vielleicht sollte der Bundestag den im Jahr 2005 anstehenden 90. Jahrestag
des 24. April zum Anlass nehmen, mit dieser Kontinuierung der Duldung zu
brechen. Eine Erklärung gerade aus Deutschland könnte einen wesentlichen
Anstoß für die Türkei bedeuten, ihre historisch falsche Darstellung
selbstkritisch zu reflektieren. Nicht zuletzt könnte den in der
Bundesrepublik lebenden Türken eine Möglichkeit eröffnet werden, die ihnen
durch das offizielle Geschichtsbild verweigert wird: sich eigenen
Geschichts- und Identitätsmustern kritisch zu stellen.
Doch vor allem würde ein Zeichen dafür gesetzt, dass der nach dem Holocaust
gefundene Konsens, auch die Leugnung von Völkermord zu verurteilen, nicht
das Ergebnis politischen Kalküls war: In seiner Rede zum diesjährigen
Gedenktag für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus hat Wolfgang Thierse darauf
hingewiesen, dass “das Entsetzen über den Holocaust die Europäer wieder
zusammengeführt habe” und die Zukunft Europas davon abhänge, die
“Europäische Union als Friedenswerk und Wertegemeinschaft” zu begreifen.
Auch das Projekt einer “europäischen Identität”, gegründet auf einer
gemeinsamen Erinnerung an Kriege und Genozid, findet sich häufig in
aktuellen politischen Entwürfen.
Selbstprüfung Deutschlands
Was ist von der Erklärung einer solchen Gemeinsamkeit zu halten, wenn sie es
ermöglicht, die Singularität und Wahrheit der Erinnerung der Opfer zu
verneinen? Wenn sie es ermöglicht, mit Selbstsicherheit die Anerkennung des
Genozids an den Armeniern angesichts der Überlegung zu gewichten, die Türkei
nicht zu “destabilisieren”, da eine “weitsichtige Politik” den
“Geschichtsinterpretationsbeschlüssen” über das “völkermordartige
Verbrechen” vorzuziehen sei (Gernot Erler, Stellv. Vorsitzender der
SPD-Bundestagsfraktion)? Die eindeutige Stellungnahme zum Genozid an den
Armeniern fordert keine diplomatischen Abwägungen von Interessen – sie prüft
die Stellung Deutschlands zu seiner eigenen Geschichte.

PRESS OFFICE
ARMENIAN CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA WESTERN DIOCESE
3325 North Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504
Tel: (818) 558-7474
Fax: (818) 558-6333
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
COMMUNIQUE
PRIMATE ATTENDS INSTALLATION OF
GREG KRIKORIAN AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE
GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD
On May 25, 2004, His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of
the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, attended
the installation ceremony of Mr. Greg Krikorian as the first Armenian
President of the Glendale Unified School District Board. The ceremony
took place at the Glendale Unified School District Headquarters
in Glendale.
During the ceremony His Eminence congratulated Mr. Krikorian on
his new assignments and commended him for his role in bringing
about awareness for Armenian issues. Recently, the Glendale Unified
School District Board acknowledged January 6th as the Epiphany. The
Primate said, “It is certainly an immense joy to witness a son of
the Armenian Apostolic Church and the nation to be elevated to such
a prestigious and responsible position. Therefore we extend our most
sincere appreciation and best wishes to our newly elected president
of the Glendale Unified School District Board. May the good Lord lead
your steps toward the well being of the students.”
DIVAN OF THE DIOCESE
May 25, 2004
Burbank, California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
May 20, 2004
____________________
A DEDICATED BENEFACTOR WITH A TRUE ARMENIAN HEART:
JACK TOROSIAN SUPPORTS ARMENIA THROUGH FAR
For more than 30 years, Jack Torosian, a retired post office clerk, has
been sending books in English and Armenian to the National Library of
Armenia and the National Medical Library, both in Yerevan, the capital.
First he boxed his personal collection of books, including texts on
literature, arts, music, history, and the sciences, and then began
soliciting his friends to donate their books to Armenia as well. He has
been selective in the choice of books to send, wanting only the best
resources for the Motherland.
When he decided to work with an organization to make a greater
difference in Armenia, the New Yorker born in Smyrna researched
nonprofits with qualities he valued, such as fiscal responsibility and a
long-term commitment to Armenia’s development. Ultimately, he decided
to work with the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), whose successful track
record is backed by a wide range of programs.
In the last five years, Mr. Torosian entrusted FAR to handle his
numerous book shipments. Pleased with the results, he became a
significant donor to the organization, supporting a variety of projects,
notably benefiting children and encouraging education. When he voiced a
desire to travel to Armenia last year, FAR organized for Mr. Torosian to
join a group, the Friends of Ounjian School, on their October 2003 trip.
It would be Mr. Torosian’s first trip to Armenia since the 1960s.
The Friends of Ounjian School are a group of New Yorkers committed to
the perpetuation of the Ounjian School, a school that was entirely
reconstructed by Dr. John Ounjian of Forest Hills, NY in memory of his
parents, Armenak and Yeghisapet Ounjian, through FAR. Seeing Dr.
Ounjian’s impact in the lives of more than 800 residents of Gyumri, a
city in the earthquake zone, and witnessing various FAR programs
throughout Armenia, Mr. Torosian deepened his personal tie with the
Homeland through FAR.
Upon his return to New York, Mr. Torosian made a large contribution to
the Ounjian School in support of Dr. Ounjian’s work. Impressed with
FAR’s commitment to advance groundbreaking scholarship in Armenia, he
delivered another substantial gift for the Armenian National Science and
Education Fund (ANSEF). Mr. Torosian has donated more than $100,000 in
the past several years to programs helping the Armenian people through
FAR.
Mr. Torosian has been an active participant in the New York Armenian
community for more than 50 years. He continues to be a fixture at all
events to render his support in a meaningful way. “In my years of
association with Mr. Torosian, I have been impressed by his profound
commitment to learning in general and Armenia’s development. He is a
role model benefactor, who is so generous in supporting good causes in
Armenia. He is also the repository of the history of the New York
Armenian community of the 20th century,” said Simon Y. Balian, FAR
Executive Director.
FAR is a nonprofit organization headquartered in New York, with offices
in Yerevan, Gyumri and Stepanakert. Since 1989, FAR has implemented
various relief, development, social, educational, and cultural projects
valued at more than $200 million. It remains the preeminent relief and
development organization operating in Armenia.
For more information or to send donations, please contact the Fund for
Armenian Relief at 630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone
(212) 889-5150, fax (212) 889-4849;
— 5/20/04
E-mail photo available upon request.
PHOTO CAPTION 1: Jack Torosian is a dedicated supporter of education
and development programs helping the Armenian people through the Fund
for Armenian Relief.
PHOTO CAPTION 2: New York’s Jack Torosian, pictured here at a
restaurant by Lake Sevan, revived his personal connection with Armenia
on an October 2003 trip organized by the Fund for Armenian Relief with
the Friends of Ounjian School. Sitting, from right to left: Jack
Torosian, Seta and Arman Izmirliyan. Standing, from right to left,
Negdar and Hratch Arukian, Sona Tomoyan.
# # #
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Albert Minasyan
By Neil Harvey, Video producer in Nagorno Karabakh
BBC News, UK
May 26 2004
I flew from London to Yerevan in Armenia, where I continued by car
for eight hours to Stepanakert in Azerbaijan. This is the main town
in Nagorno Karabakh.
A militarised zone exists around Stepanakert. No civilians are allowed
to enter, but I eventually received official accreditation.
The government provided me with a character for my film:
Nineteen-year-old Albert Minasyan.
Albert was a fairly typical, cooperative and bright young soldier.
After his obligatory two-year stint in the army, he wants to continue
studying economics.
The ethnic Armenians have been pushing the Azeris out of the region
from the mountainous regions to the plains.
The Armenians are fighting for international recognition of an
independent Nagorno Karabakh and the conflict currently amounts to
an unstable ceasefire.
Routine
The day of 22 March was another all-too-familiar day of trench warfare.
I heard gun shots throughout the day, but there was no sense of
immediate danger
A small platoon of troops – about 16 men – patrolled the front line
in shifts.
They stayed in a bunker about 500m from the front line and took up
different positions during two-hour stints.
After their shift, they left the bunker or trench and went back to
camp, where they rested for a while and then continued to train.
The Karabakhis claim they do not attack, only defend themselves from
the Azerbaijaini militia.
There were snipers lurking near the front line and I heard gun shots
throughout the day, but there was no sense of immediate danger.
Read more about Neil Harvey’s journey One Day of War will be broadcast
in the UK on Thursday, 27 May, 2004 at 2100 BST on BBC Two.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Despite Obstacles, Cal State Northridge Students Realize Dreams, Graduate
AScribe
May 26 2004
NORTHRIDGE, Calif., May 26 (AScribe Newswire) — As more than
8,600 Cal State Northridge students walk across the stage next month
to receive their diplomas, university officials will recognize more
than academic achievement. They will also honor the tenacity and
dedication of people determined not to let anything — from war to
cancer — stop them from achieving their goals.
“Getting a university education is not easy, even in the best
of circumstances,” said CSUN President Jolene Koester. “Many of our
students are the first in their families to go to college. Some have
juggled two jobs and a full course load. Others have dealt with
family obligations — often as single parents — cultural barriers or
physical challenges such as battling cancer. Some of our students
have had to interrupt their studies to serve their country.”
“But regardless of what has happened, these students have been
determined to complete their education. They are truly what Cal State
Northridge is all about — providing an opportunity for individuals,
even under the most adverse circumstances, to achieve their dreams.
We are proud to celebrate all they’ve accomplished.”
Here is a short list of some of these extraordinary graduates:
— Jasmine Altounian, M.A., Mathematics Education
As immigrants, Armenian refugees, Altounian’s parents were
stunned when a social worker showed up one day at their home in
London to tell them that their seven-year-old daughter was supposed
to be in school.
“All I remember is crying and wanting my mother,” said
Altounian, now 41 and living in Sunland. “I did not speak a word of
English and I had never even heard the language. I was
unceremoniously dumped in the back of the class and left to cope. I
think I wet myself from fright and everyone laughed at me. I was
immediately ostracized. School was a very cruel place.”
Altounian said she realized that the only way to get out of
such a miserable place was to do her best and get ahead. She studied
every chance she got and graduated from high school at age 12. When
her parents moved to Southern California in 1983, she immediately
enrolled at Cal State Northridge, and made the university a second
home.
Altounian has earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and
psychology as well as a master’s in experimental psychology, a
teaching credential in biological sciences and a supplemental
credential in mathematics from Northridge.
Two years ago, Altounian, a teacher at Garvey Intermediate
School in Rosemead, decided to get her master’s in mathematics
education. About that same time, doctors discovered she had breast
cancer. Despite having to lose a semester at CSUN because of
chemotherapy, Altounian kept teaching.
“I had my good days and my bad days, but the kids in my
classes kept me going. When I lost my hair, they brought me hats and
scarves, and would visit me when I was in the hospital. If I felt
down, they’d bring me up,” she said. Altounian’s cancer has
metastasized. A year ago, her doctor’s gave her six months to live.
They now say she’s got two years.
Altounian thinks they are wrong. She’s making plans for
getting a doctorate and is fighting a decision by a new principal at
her school to dock her pay, retroactively, for missing after-school
meetings because she had to get to class at CSUN. Regardless, she
plans to keep teaching.
— Calvin Barnes, B.A., Sociology
While most of his classmates at Cal State Northridge spent
last summer at school or work, Barnes, 34, of West Hills, was in
Kuwait. As a member of the U.S. Naval Reserves, he was working as a
mechanic on field service trucks headed into battle in Iraq.
Despite the pressures of war all around him, Barnes wanted to
be sure that he kept his mind sharp. He read books, many sent by CSUN
professors. And when he got a chance, Barnes used his time on a
computer, provided for soldiers to keep in touch with loved ones
while away from home, to register for classes.
“I was already missing the spring semester and I wanted to
make sure that I was registered for the fall semester,” he said.
Barnes said he treasures his education. He admitted he was not
a good student while growing up in Miami, Fla. He had a severe
stutter then, and did not find school easy. When he graduated from
high school, he immediately joined the Marines. He served with the
Marines for six years and was part of Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Barnes moved to Southern California in 1996, got a job with
Sports Chalet in loss prevention, joined the naval reserves, and
enrolled in classes at Pierce College. While taking a general
sociology class at Pierce, Barnes said a light went off in his head.
“I just found the subject so interesting I knew it’s what I
wanted to do,” he said.
Barnes transferred to CSUN in spring 2002. He was supposed to
graduate last spring, but his time in the Persian Gulf postponed his
commencement date.
“I really missed CSUN while I was over there, and I was
determined not to miss any more classes,” he said. “I got back from
the Gulf on Aug. 25 and went right back to school on Sept. 6. A lot
of people told me to take some time off because I had just gone
through this traumatic experience. But I couldn’t do that. At first
it was hard, but I adjusted and it was worth it.”
Barnes is considering a career in law enforcement, but is also
thinking about getting a master’s degree and teaching.
— Joe Cedillo, B.A., English
After a 10-hour operation, Cedillo, 30, of Santa Clarita,
recalls lying in a hospital bed last fall thinking, “I am just trying
to get a degree.”
Getting a college education has not been easy for Cedillo.
One year after obtaining associate of arts degrees in history
and botany from the College of the Canyons, Cedillo enrolled at CSUN
in 1995. But he soon lost interest in his studies and was placed on
academic probation for two semesters. Ultimately, he was academically
disqualified in 1998.
Cedillo re-enroll at CSUN in 1999 as an English major. “I had
always wanted to be a writer,” Cedillo said, “but I never tried it.”
Over the next couple of years he developed a passion for
theater. He performed in and produced several university productions.
But last fall, Cedillo’s health began to deteriorate; he was
coughing up blood and was misdiagnosed with walking pneumonia. During
a performance, he lost the ability to speak.
As his health continued to decline, Cedillo’s body started
shutting down. “I was literally in the phases of dying,” he said.
He was eventually diagnosed with testicular cancer, which can
be fatal.
Cedillo underwent surgery and chemotherapy from November 2003
to April 2004. He lost 50 pounds and had to relearn how to walk. He
still cannot run. He takes blood thinners and undergoes regular
testing.
“I am living on borrowed time,” he said.
As Cedillo recuperated, he wrote “Three Bulls,” based on his
experiences, which will be performed in June at Tia Chucha’s Cafe
Cultural in Sylmar.
Depending on his health, Cedillo would like to get a master’s
in English at CSUN.
“If I want stuff to happen, I have to do it now. I don’t know
if I have another five years,” he said. “If you’re not busy you’re
dead.”
— Carolyn Copps, M.S., School Counseling
Born with a hearing disability, Copps was mislabeled as
learning disabled while going to school in Stevens Point, Wis. The
diagnosis confounded her parents, who kept insisting that their
little girl was bright.
“My dad told me several times that they had tested me as a
little girl and that I had a high I.Q. But at school, I was
constantly struggling and often answered the wrong questions,” she
said. “It was very hard.”
Things turned around when her parents divorced and she moved
with her mother to Tucson, Ariz., just before her 14th birthday. The
teachers and the school counselors there understood her problem and
helped her to catch up. She had entered high school reading at a
fourth-grade level, and by the time she graduated she was reading at
a college level. She was even encouraged to try out for drama so she
could learn to express herself better and be more assertive.
Copps graduated from the University of Arizona with a
bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2002. She said she chose to get
her master’s at Northridge because of the university’s reputation for
serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
The past two years have not been easy. She’s been going to
school full time while working three jobs — counselor at Granada
Hills High and CHIME Charter Elementary schools and tutor for a deaf
student — and battling several illnesses that often sent her to the
emergency room.
“I missed a lot of days of school, but I knew I could make it
up and I didn’t want to give up,” she said. Copps hopes to get a job
as a school counselor.
— Bettymae McKenney, B.A., Religious Studies
It takes a certain toughness of mind for a student of any age
to earn a university degree, but Bettymae McKenney’s 82 years are
testament to a special kind of determination. “You have to be
committed to do this,” said McKenney.
“Some mornings it was hard to get up and keep going,” said the
Van Nuys resident. “Your eyes, your whole body gets tired.”
But McKenney has never been one to back down from a challenge.
She dropped out of college in 1960 to take a secretarial position in
Edwards Air Force Base’s space program. There, she dealt with
sensitive correspondence between rocket scientist Werner Von Braun
and her bosses.
After her retirement, she took her son’s advice to go back to
school. As Valley College’s oldest graduate in 2001, McKenney earned
her liberal studies degree and a congratulatory letter from U.S.
Senator Barbara Boxer.
Student life at Cal State Northridge was challenging but
rewarding. “All the teachers were very polite to me, and respected
me. When I asked, ‘Am I really supposed to be here?’ they said
‘Absolutely.'”
McKenney’s memory, she said, was “not what it was when I had
to memorize everything working on the moon project at Edwards.” Her
heavy CSUN class and study schedule required every ounce of her
concentration, she added. “I worked myself around the clock doing
theses.”
But for McKenney, it was worth it. “The learning process
itself is what I love most,” she said.
— Doris Rosales, B.A., Chicano Studies
Rosales, 33, of San Fernando, died unexpectedly last month of
an erupted ulcer. Rosales is remembered by her family and friends as
a single mother determined to make a difference in the lives of women
in circumstances similar to her own.
Rosales, who was raised by a single mother, worked full-time
as a social worker with victims of domestic violence and part-time at
a YMCA shelter. She also volunteered at Casa Esparzena, where she
helped troubled teen-aged girls get back on track.
“She would do anything to make the kids laugh,” said Norma
Martinez, Rosales’ sister. “She would dress up like a clown if it
would help them have a better life.”
Despite financial hardship, balancing two jobs and
volunteering, Rosales attended Cal State Northridge full time to set
an example and to provide a better life for her 8-year-old son
Emmanuel.
“She had it hard,” said Celina Sanchez, Rosales’ friend and
co-worker, “but she managed to go to school, rain or shine. It was a
matter of getting her education.”
Rosales’ wanted to open a shelter for victims of domestic
violence.
“For my sister to almost make it to graduation is a great
achievement,” Martinez said.
— Cindy Trigg, B.A., Liberal Studies
Trigg, 48, of Simi Valley, credits her success to her
grandmother and other relatives who raised her. Her stepmother was
abusive and her own mother’s substance abuse led to large absences
from Trigg’s life.
“As a child I would daydream about being an adult and making a
difference in people’s lives,” she said.
After a failed marriage, Trigg, then a single mother of three,
had to work three jobs at times to support her children and to pay
for their education.
“I wanted the best for them,” Trigg said. “I wouldn’t let my
kids end up in the street.”
One of those jobs was at Cal State Northridge, where she has
worked for 29 years, the past 13 years she has worked in the
Department of Marketing as an administrative support coordinator.
Trigg initially enrolled as a student at CSUN in 1993 to set
an example for her children. Her 19-year-old daughter is now a
freshman at CSUN while her two older sons are in the military.
After more than 11 years of steadily attending school
part-time while working full time, Trigg will be graduating magna cum
laude. She hopes to teach third and fourth grade at a private school.
“I wasn’t going to let the people who hurt me ruin my life,”
she said. “I ultimately won.”
CONTACT: Carmen Ramos Chandler, CSUN Public Relations,
818-677-2130, [email protected]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WEC 10 Pictures
by Greg Savage ([email protected])
Sherdog.com
May 26 2004
In front of a standing room only crowd, estimated to be nearly 5,000
strong, WEC 10 delivered an action-packed card with 12 fights including
two world title matches. Headlining the show at The Palace Casino
in Lemoore, California were two UFC veterans, Shonie Carter and Karo
Parysian, battling it our for Carter’s WEC welterweight title. Gilbert
Melendez and Olaf Alfonso took to the cage looking to claim the vacant
WEC lightweight strap as well. All in all it was another exciting
night of MMA action, something we all have come to expect from the WEC.
Karo Parisyan vs. Shonie Carter
Karo Parysian ate a left hand from Shonie Carter early in the first
round that looked to have stunned the young Armenian grappler. Little
did those in attendance know that would be the last effective offensive
output from the crafty Carter. Parysian dominated from start to finish
as he threw Carter around the cage at will and once it hit the mat
he continued his submission assault on Mr. International.
At one point Parysian threw Carter to the mat immediately landing
with a kimura. Carter hoped over, escaping the shoulder lock only to
find himself in an armbar. As he attempted to pull his arm out he
suddenly found himself in a triangle choke. That’s right folks, it
was a judo throw-kimura-armbar-triangle combo. Shonie should change
his name to Houdini after that performance, not too many fighters
would have survived that submission barrage.
After three rounds, Karo Parysian reasserted himself as a top
welterweight with a quality win over a quality opponent winning the
WEC welterweight title en route.