Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown MA 02472
617-926-1918
ancem@hotmail.com

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
June 16, 2006

FUNDRAISER HELD FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE PETER KOUTOUJIAN
Over 100 activists attend to support local leader

BELMONT, Mass. – The home of Dr. and Mrs. Mher and Elo Artinian was the venue
on Friday, June 9, for a fundraiser for State Representative Peter
Koutoujian who is running for re-election to the Massachusetts state
legislature, reported the Armenian National Committee of Eastern
Massachusetts (ANCEM).

"We are glad to have Peter in our home," said Dr. Artinian as he welcomed
Koutoujian, his wife Elizabeth Cerda Koutoujian, and the over 100 activists
who came to support Peter’s candidacy. "He is not a stranger among us-not
only has he been influential in the Armenian-American community, he’s an
influential force in the Massachusetts legislature on Beacon Hill."

Sharistan Ardhaldjian, chairperson of the ANCEM, thanked the Artinian family
for hosting the fundraiser, and commended the event organizing
committee-Linda Ostayan, Bella Khachatourian, Arev Dervartanian, Rita
Bejakian, Roset Atinizian, and Elo Artinian.

"We need to support Peter, because he is a remarkable leader," said
Ardhaldjian, noting that when House Speaker George Keverian retired,
Koutoujian and fellow Representative Rachel Kaprielian took the reins to
spearhead Armenian-American issues in the State Legislature. "He has been
instrumental in supporting so many of the organizations and institutions in
which we all belong and so many of the issues important to us as residents
of Massachusetts."

Koutoujian, 44, has spent nine years as a state legislator, and has emerged
as one of Beacon Hill’s most influential and well-respected lawmakers. He
presently serves as House Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health, and
remains a tireless advocate for the constituents of the 10th Middlesex
District, which encompasses portions of Waltham, Newton and Watertown.

A lawyer by trade, Koutoujian served as prosecutor for Middlesex County
before being elected to the Legislature in 1996. He has focused his efforts
as a lawmaker on creating laws that better protect communities from sex
offenders. Much of his effort has a lawmaker remains focused on public
safety issues. He is working to create laws that better protect our
communities from sex offenders, advocate for victim rights, and even
prohibit convicted felons from profiting off their notoriety. He has worked
as an adjunct professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Legal
Ethics at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, and a Professor of
American Government at Bentley College in Waltham. This year was appointed
as an assistant adjunct professor at Boston University School of Public
Health.

"I’m proud and honored that you have all come to support my candidacy," said
Koutoujian, as he thanked the organizing committee for their efforts. "The
Armenian National Committee is a great organization. Without the ANCA,
Armenian-Americans would not be anywhere today. The organization is what our
people stand for: grassroots-the towns and villages that work together to
strengthen our community." Koutoujian particularly noted the recent ANCA
Telethon, which raised more than $3 million for the organization’s Endowment
Fund, and lobbying efforts in the United States.

Koutoujian outlined some of the recent efforts that he has been working on,
including the lawsuit that was filed by the Assembly of Turkish American
Associations and several other plaintiffs against the Massachusetts Board of
Education in an attempt to compel the state to include materials in the
curriculum that deny the Armenian genocide. He also spoke about the firing
of the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, for his honest discussion of
the Armenian genocide. "It was a terrible day when Ambassador Evans was
recalled. For a diplomat to be fired is a great disservice. He spoke out
from his heart and was fired. But, we will have acknowledgement of the
Armenian genocide. I know it will occur."

He also spoke about the Armenian Heritage Park scheduled to be built on the
Greenway, commending James Kalustian, Barbara Tellalian, Don Tellalian and
Rachel Kaprielian for their "masterful" leadership in cementing the plans to
construct the memorial.

Koutoujian closed his remarks by thanking the community. "Without your
support, I can’t drive issues of importance to us, so I thank you. We have a
symbiotic relationship-you support me, and I push issues that are of
importance to the Armenian-American community."

Guests enjoyed the remainder of the evening discussing various issues of
concern with Koutoujian.

####

Captions for attached pictures

Caption 1
Peter Koutoujian with the host committee, Bella Khachatourian, Sharistan
Ardhaldjian, Rita Bejakian, Elo Artinian, Roset Atinizian, Linda Ostayan,
and Arev Dervartanian

Caption 2
Peter and Elizabeth Koutoujian with Dr. and Mrs. Mher Artinian and their
children Areen, Harout, and Aleek