1 - Trump Could be the First US President
To Be Impeached Twice
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- After Trilateral Meeting, Pashinyan says leaders failed to
resolve issue of POWs
3- Armenia continues to fight COVID-19 pandemic
4- Enes Kanter, Henrikh Mkhitaryan Exchange Messages of Solidarity
5- COMMENTARY: Censorship and Corruption
at American University of Armenia
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1 - Trump Could be the First US President
To Be Impeached Twice
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
When planning to write this column, there were two key points I wanted
to highlight. The first was that Trump had a couple of weeks left in
his presidency which millions of people were anxiously looking forward
to. My second point was that Trump was proven to be the biggest liar
in history. Little did I know that events in Washington would take a
disastrous turn that would shake the United States and the world.
During the last four years of his presidency, Trump has made hundreds
of irrational statements and decisions rarely based on facts or
reason. This ignorant man arrogantly claimed that he knew more than
the generals about war, more than the doctors about coronavirus, more
than the financial experts about the economy, etc. He became the
laughing stock of people around the world.
What is amazing to me is that 74 million Americans blindly followed
Trump and voted for him on November 3, 2020. If it weren’t for the
other 81 million Americans who voted for Joe Biden, Trump may have
remained in office another four years, further destabilizing the
United States. I blame Trump’s blind supporters more than Trump
himself, because without them Trump would not have been elected four
years ago and would not have caused such damage.
Trump was clever enough to sow the seeds of doubt long ago about the
outcome of the presidential elections. According to the Washington
Post, Trump made bogus election claims 1,795 times from January to
November 2020, thus preparing the ground for refusing to accept the
results of the election. During one of his campaign rallies Trump said
that if he loses the election, he will leave the country, which is the
best thing he has said, but like all his other statements this too was
a lie.
To make matters much worse, Trump called on his loyal and blind
followers to gather in Washington on January 6, 2020 and prevent
Congress from certifying the votes of the Electoral College,
confirming that Biden had won the election. Trump even told his
followers that he will personally join them in the street and march
with them. Fortunately, this too was a lie. He stayed in the White
House and let his followers do his dirty bidding.
Thousands of mindless Trumpsters descended on Washington, DC from all
over the country, most of them not wearing a mask. Some came armed
with guns and Molotov cocktails. They fought with the police and
pushed their way in the halls of Congress, the cradle of American
democracy. They killed a policeman guarding the Capitol, one protester
was shot and killed and three others died of health-related problems.
They disrupted the joint session of Congress, threatened the Speaker
of the House of Representatives and the Vice President of the United
States who were immediately whisked away fearing for their lives. The
mob smashed the doors, windows, furniture and paintings, and stole the
property that belonged to the Congress. Not since the British Army
attacked the Capitol building in 1814, such a despicable invasion of
the seat of power in Washington, D.C., has occurred.
It is surprising that the Capitol police, having prior notice of the
impending attack, failed to take special measures to defend the
building and members of Congress. The chief of the Capitol police has
since resigned. Calls for the National Guard went unheeded and were
obstructed by the White House until later that evening, after the
damage was done.
The hoodlums or Trump’s terrorists will not be able to get away with
their crimes. Dozens have been already arrested and many more are
expected to be captured in the next few days. Trump, the chief
instigator of these crimes, however, remains at large. He is the one
that incited the mob to commit this violence. The day after the mayhem
in Washington, in a video speech, Trump proudly told the attackers “We
love you.” Facebook, Twitter and Instagram immediately blocked his
messages so he does not instigate any more violence. His followers
have wrongly called these measures censorship. Trump has been
repeatedly warned for years that he is violating the terms of service
of the social media. He arrogantly persisted. The social media
companies have the right to block him. They should have done so long
ago. Furthermore, instigation of violence and insurrection are crimes.
The perpetrator, in this case Trump, who is the leader of the rioters,
must be held legally responsible for his crimes in a court of law.
Several members of Trump’s Cabinet have since resigned to disassociate
themselves from the violence in Congress. A dozen other high-ranking
Trump officials have also resigned.
The House of Representatives is now considering a new impeachment
trial for Pres. Trump and forward the decision to the U.S. Senate. In
recent days, several Republican Members of Congress have called on
Pres. Trump to resign or face impeachment. This is the first time in
U.S. history that a President will be impeached twice. To make sure
that the Republican majority in the Senate does not block Trump’s
conviction like they did last year, the Senate will consider his
impeachment after January 20, 2021 when the new Senate takes over with
a Democratic majority. Even though Trump will no longer be President
by then, his successful impeachment will prevent him from holding
federal office ever again, including running for President! Trump’s
departure will be a stain on his presidential legacy, in addition to
all his other indiscretions during the past four years.
Such a vicious attack is something that usually happens in third world
countries and the U.S. government traditionally condemns the violence.
No one expected that such an undemocratic act would take place in the
heart of Washington which made the United States the laughing stock of
the world. Several world leaders, including those of Iraq and Iran,
lectured the United States about democracy. Even Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of the vilest dictators in the world, who
has repeatedly violated the most basic rights of his people, mocked
the United States by daring to give Americans a lesson in democracy.
Returning to Trump’s record of lies, the Washington Post has
documented that Pres. Trump, as of Nov. 5, 2020, has made 29,508 false
or misleading claims in almost four years. By the time he leaves
office, the number of his lies will reach or exceed 30,000 — probably
the most lies told by anyone in the world. Unfortunately, millions of
Trump’s followers blindly swallowed these lies.
Regrettably, Trump’s supporters are now calling for a “million MAGA
[Make America Great Again] march,” in Washington on January 20, 2020
to disrupt Pres. Biden’s inauguration. I hope this time the police and
the National Guard will be better prepared to keep the protesters
under control and immediately arrest those who behave violently.
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2- After Trilateral Meeting, Pashinyan says leaders failed to
resolve issue of POWs
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said following a trilateral
meeting in Moscow on Monday, January 11 with the President Vladimir
Putin of Russia, and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan that the
sides were unable to resolve the issue of prisoners of war.
“Today we failed to resolve the issue of prisoners of war, this is the
most sensitive issue. We agreed that we will continue [talks] in this
direction,” he said. “I hope we will be able to come to a concrete
solution as soon as possible.”
“And of course we are ready to work constructively in this direction.
But as I said, unfortunately, it is impossible to resolve all issues
in one meeting.”
“Of course, we managed to ensure the overall ceasefire regime, but
there are still many issues that must be resolved.”
The governments of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan will set up a
dedicated task force headed by their deputy prime ministers for
dealing with the opening of the presently-closed borders in the region
and the unblocking of economic, commercial and transport
communications— one of the terms of the November 9, 2020 trilateral
agreement signed by the three countries.
They will be working on a quick schedule: the working group will meet
by January 30 and within a month after that the expert groups will
come up with a list of projects.
By March 1, they will present the projects to the three countries’
leaderships for approval.
“The unblocking of economic, trade and transport communications and
opening of borders deserves special attention,” Russian President
Vladimir Putin said in his opening remarks at trilateral talks with
the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Moscow. “It is planned that
these issues will be dealt by a trilateral working group chaired by
the Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani deputy prime ministers.”
The new projects could dramatically reshape the region, as Armenia’s
borders with both Azerbaijan and Turkey have been entirely closed
since the first war between the two sides in the 1990s. That has meant
that Armenia has open borders only to its north, Georgia, and south,
Iran. Azerbaijan’s isolation has not been as extreme but it faces
inconveniences in connecting Nakhchivan with the rest of the country.
Aliyev hailed the importance of reopening transport links, saying it
will help bolster regional stability.
“It opens completely new perspectives that we couldn’t even imagine in
the past,” he said, adding that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has
become history.
Pashinyan contested that claim, arguing that the status of
Nagorno-Karabakh is yet to be determined, but he also hailed the plans
to restore transit routes.
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3 - Armenia continues to fight COVID-19 pandemic
The Armenian government has commissioned 600,000 doses of coronavirus
vaccines from World Health Organization-backed COVAX; medical and
social workers, seniors and people suffering from chronic diseases
will be the first to get vaccine shots free of charge, and according
to Gayane Sahakian, the deputy director of the National Center for
Disease Control and Prevention,
The first vaccine which COVAX will make available to the participating
countries is the one produced by AstraZeneca, which will deliver it to
COVAX in February or March.
They will be enough to vaccinate 300,000 people. According to the
Ministry of Health, there were 9,484 active coronavirus cases in
Armenia as of January 11. Armenia has recorded 162,288 coronavirus
cases and 2,931 deaths; 149,873 have recovered.
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4- Enes Kanter, Henrikh Mkhitaryan Exchange Messages of Solidarity
By Jenny Yettem
LOS ANGELES— On December 29, The California Courier learned that
Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter had posted in his Instagram
Stories a heartfelt message of solidarity to AS Roma attacking
midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan after one of Kanter’s previous Stories
had been misinterpreted as an anti-Armenian hand gesture used by the
Turkish neo-fascist group The Grey Wolves.
On December 30, Mkhitaryan responded to Kanter in his Instagram
Stories: “Thank you dear @eneskanter11, I do really appreciate your
message of solidarity to the Armenians. I welcome your determination
for justice and peace. I also believe that we—athletes—have the power
to bring change with our voice. I wish you a Happy New Year and much
success in the coming season with your club! Hope to be able to attend
an NBA game of yours one day. Take care. Micki.”
On December 25, Kanter (pictured, left) had posted an Instagram Story
of himself in the Trail Blazers’ locker room pantomiming the infamous
Grey Wolves gesture (index finger and little finger pointing up; the
ring finger, middle finger and thumb forward making the face of a
wolf), with a caption, “Yes dzez bolorin sirum em,” in Armenian. Many
were taken aback by Kanter’s post, including Henrik Sardarbegian of
Glendale, Calif.
Sardarbegian, an attorney who plays basketball for the Homenetmen
Glendale Ararat Chapter contacted Sacramento Kings assistant coach Rex
Kalamian who vouched for Kanter. “I have known Enes for a number of
years. I coached him in Oklahoma City and we have had any
conversations over the years based on politics and history. We
communicated yesterday by text and he assured me that the his hand
gesture had nothing to do with politics or Armenia. I believe him 100%
and know positively that Enes supports peace not hate,” said Kalamian
in a message to Sardarbegian. Kalamian coached Kanter when both were
part of the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise.
Kanter is a political activist, and ardent critic of Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“I have a prominent platform and I want to use it to promote respect
for human rights, democracy, and personal freedom,” Kanter wrote in
the Boston Globe on Oct. 10, 2019. “For me, this is bigger than
basketball. Being a champion of tens of thousands of voiceless people
back in my home country carries a risk that includes death threats and
arrest warrants.”
In January 2019, Erdogan had requested a “Red Notice” arrest warrant
for Enes Kanter after he called Erdogan, the “Hitler of our century.”
Erdogan labeled Kanter “a terrorist.”
Kanter has said he believes the Turkish government has targeted his
father in the past because of the player’s critical stance against the
country’s government. In 2017, Kanter’s Turkish passport was canceled
and he was held at a Romanian airport upon landing in Bucharest.
In 2016, Kanter spoke out against Erdogan after a bombing in Ankara,
Turkey’s capital city. Kanter, who has received death threats,
supports Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Turkish cleric who has been
exiled from Turkey and is a bitter rival of Erdogan’s. The Turkish
government has accused Gulen of masterminding a failed military coup
in 2016. Gulen has denied the allegation.
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5- COMMENTARY: Censorship and Corruption
at American University of Armenia
By A Member of AUA Faculty
[Ed. Note: The name of the author has been withheld at his/her
request. Contrary to the editorial policy of The California Courier
not to publish any opinion article anonymously, we have made an
exception in this case to protect the writer from any personal harm.]
On December 16, 2020, forty-five American University of Armenia
lecturers and staff members issued the following statement demanding
Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation. The statement reads as follows:
“In light of the post-war crisis in the Republic of Armenia related to
political, economic, social, and military affairs, and based on the
government’s failure in its duty to guarantee the security of the
Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh: to protect the
country’s sovereignty, national security and inviolability of national
borders; to honor the heroes of war and properly exchange the
prisoners of war, as well as to repatriate the remains of the deceased
soldiers in a timely manner; to provide necessary assistance to the
families of most affected communities; we, the undersigned faculty and
staff members of the American University of Armenia (AUA), join the
public demand for the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan and his government. (Disclaimer: AUA is a non-partisan
educational institution. The views herein are those of individual
signatories and do not reflect those of all AUA faculty and personnel,
or the institution.)"
The signatories were: Aida Avanessian; Anna Avetisyan; Adelaida
Baghdasaryan; Arshak Balayan; Gayane Barseghyan; David Davidian; Vache
Gabrielyan; Rubina Gasparyan; Margarit Gevorgyan; Lilit Ghazaryan;
Arpi Grigoryan; Aram Hajian; Louisa Harutyunyan; Mariam Harutyunyan;
Ani Hovhannisyan; Garabet Kazanjian; Varak Ketsemanian; Mariam
Khachatryan; Suren Khachatryan; Artur Lalayan; Suren Manukyan; Lilit
Martirosyan; Nshan Matevosyan; Sharistan Melkonian; Vahagn Mikaelian;
Lilit Minasyan; Nelli Minasyan; Vahe Movsisyan; Hovhannes Nikoghosyan;
Vahe Odabashian; Victor Ohanyan; Armine Petrosyan; Lusine Poghosyan;
David Kocharov; Ruben Safrastyan; Siranush Sahakyan; Thomas Samuelian;
Karen Sarkavagyan; Lusine Shahmuradyan; Albert Stepanyan; Zareh
Tjeknavorian; Vahram Ter-Matevosyan; Armine Vahanyan; Tatev Zargaryan;
Sargis Zeytunyan.
A disturbing incident has taken place at AUA against the backdrop of a
calamitous time in our nation’s history. Even AUA is not exempt from
the Pashinyan propaganda machine. Recently, under the disingenuous
title “Diversity of Opinion”, the AUA President and Interim Provost
launched an attack on freedom of speech. In an unprecedented warning
to the entire faculty, staff and student body, the AUA administration
warned everyone against expressing any opinion that anyone at the
university might disagree with on the fake grounds that it may reflect
poorly on their colleagues or the university’s reputation. Failure to
do so could lead to reprimand or termination of employment: in other
words, either self-censor or risk your job.
In a disciplinary action against AUA faculty for their criticism of
the government, the AUA Administration cited pressure from staunch
Pashinyan supporters inside and outside the university who launched an
organized attack on the University threatening to cut off donations on
which the university depends. AUA, once thought to be an exemplary
institution, has caved to political blackmail and shown that no
institution is immune from corruption in the Pashinyan era. Using its
hallmark “iron-fist in a velvet glove” tactics, the Pashinyan team
will stop at nothing to hang on to power.
This circular and related actions against faculty and staff, including
threats of termination for criticism of the government, compromises
the integrity of the institution and protection of freedom of speech
at AUA. They have zero tolerance for serious criticism that they
cannot dismiss with their broad brush smear tactics. Nothing is out of
bounds, nothing is sacred, not church, not universities, not diasporan
institutions, not professors who have no political ambitions and
simply call things as they see them in the interests of truth and the
public welfare.
The statement included the following disclaimer: “Notice: AUA is a
non-partisan educational institution. The views herein are those of
individual signatories and do not necessarily reflect those of all AUA
faculty and personnel, or the institution.” It is worth pointing out
that a similar letter was circulated 2.5 years ago, without such a
disclaimer, in support of Pashinyan and signed by several members of
the faculty and staff. There was no such reprisal.
What ensued can only be described as Orwellian.
First, some faculty were surprised that their colleagues dared
exercise their freedom of speech. That should raise eyebrows at a
place like AUA where until now freedom of speech has been not just
respected but a core value. Many of those leading the charge were
self-described “liberals and supporters of civic society.” However, it
soon became clear that what was unleashed against those who dared to
speak their mind was a coordinated attack by the new leadership of
AUA.
The wife of the provost deliberately caused chaos, embracing her task
and abusing her role in the Faculty Senate of the university through a
series of insults, character assassination, false accusations, and
slander targeting the 45 signatories of the letter as well as to those
who dared to defend the signatories’ freedom of speech. Throughout
this rude and sometimes crude exchange, which was conducted in front
of the nearly two dozen Faculty Senate members, the Director of
Communications and the President of the University said nothing,
silently allowing the abuse of their colleagues.
Neither an internal nor an external message was given by the
university administration reminding everyone that these people had
simply exercised their freedom of speech as individuals, hadn’t spoken
in the name of the university, and that no policies were violated.
Instead, the administration took sides with the repressors of freedom
of speech. By their own admission, they felt pressure from outside the
university, compromising the integrity of the university and
independence of thought and _expression_.
Even AUA is not immune from corruption.
Moreover, no one from the university leadership reprimanded the
inciters of slanderous and threatening invective in attempts at
censoring peoples’ right to express themselves. How convenient that
the wife of the provost was hired as a package-deal so that the
Provost would join AUA at the time as Dean of the College of
Humanities and Social Sciences. He was subsequently and hastily
installed as interim Provost despite having been at AUA less than 6
months as Dean even though many people have been turned away from
faculty positions in the past on the basis of the AUA anti-nepotism
policy, just because a relative worked in a different department at
AUA. Apparently, there is an unwritten double standard. Such
corruption is permissible if one is a “foreign employee,” and
selective application of rules of ethics on the basis of nationality
discrimination is also acceptable at AUA.
If this much was bizarre, troubling, and incredible, but could
possibly be dismissed due to incompetence and/or corruption, what
transpired was unprecedented. We are now witness to a brazen
deliberate, premeditated, and ongoing attempt to destroy one of the
preeminent Diasporan institutions of Armenia.
Faculty who dared to sign the statement—again, as individuals and not
in their capacity as AUA employees—were summoned to the President’s
office one by one with the intent to humiliate, suppress free speech,
or goad them into reaction or resignation. The nefarious hijacking of
a Diasporan institution of higher learning by the current president
and provost (and their taskmasters within and outside the university)
cannot be swept under the rug. While one of the victims preferred to
not come forward given Orwellian conditions in which he/she is trying
to work, I as an advocate of human rights cannot stay
silent. Armenia shouldn’t be transformed into a thugocracy, and no one
should justify censorship and threats to employees of an institution
such as AUA despite their conviction (or their orders from their
masters) that Pashinyan should be untouchable like Kim Jong-un.
I fear for my job. I fear for my boss’s job. S/he is a program chair
and in charge of hiring adjuncts like me. The university’s mission
includes that AUA is a “center of diversity.” Evidently under orders
from those hijacking AUA, an opinion critical of the Government is not
only unwelcome but will get you fired. Next may be disallowing the
Armenian Genocide commemoration on April 24, a march that the
university has made every year since its founding 30 years ago.
Such is the atmosphere of fear of retaliation by the administration
and colleagues, that not a single colleague has risked speaking out to
affirm the universally accepted, uncontroversial norm of any healthy
scholarly community: “while I disagree with the opinion made, I
respect the right of my colleague to have an opinion different from
mine.”
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