The California
Courier Online, June 29, 2023
1- Russian-Israeli
Blogger’s Bold Efforts
To Support Armenia and
Artsakh
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Though Coup
is Over, Putin’s Hand Weakened, Armenia Could be at Risk
3- After 38
Years in Education, GUSD Superintendent Vivian Ekchian to Retire
4- Violence
erupts again outside Glendale
school board meeting
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1- Russian-Israeli
Blogger’s Bold Efforts
To Support Armenia and
Artsakh
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
I just read a very important article in the Armenian
Mirror-Spectator in which Aram Arkun interviewed Russian-Israeli blogger
Aleksander Lapshin who is currently on a tour of Canada
and the United States.
He already met with Armenians in Toronto, Canada, on June 3, and New York City on June 11. He also met with
the Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect
Journalists to brief them about the dire situation in Artsakh.
Lapshin was born in Russia
and moved to Israel
when he was 13. His wife is from Moldova
and moved to Israel
14 years ago. However, she is still waiting for approval to become a citizen of
Israel
since 2017.
During his many visits to Armenia, he travelled three times
to Artsakh from 2011 to 2016. Azerbaijan’s
government issued a warrant for his arrest and asked Belarus
to send him to Baku for “illegally crossing Azerbaijan’s border” from Armenia. Belarus extradited him to Azerbaijan in 2017 where “he was sentenced to
three years in prison, but was given a pardon in September and flown to Israel after
what he describes as an attempt by four masked men in prison on his life. The
Azerbaijani government, however, claimed that he had tried to commit suicide,”
Arkun reported.
Lapshin said that Israel’s
Security Agency repeatedly urged him to stop supporting Armenia because “Azerbaijan is our ally.” He was
also advised to withdraw his complaints against Azerbaijan from the European Court
of Human Rights and United Nations. Lapshin replied: “No, no way. I will go to
the end and I will win.”
On May 21, 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in
Lapshin’s favor in his lawsuit against Azerbaijan for attempted murder,
torture and illegal imprisonment. However, Azerbaijan has refused to pay him
the compensation of 30,000 euros. “Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights
Committee adopted a resolution on July 19, 2022 condemning the Belarusian
authorities for illegally arresting Lapshin and extraditing him to Azerbaijan,”
The Mirror wrote.
Lapshin told the Mirror that because of his criticisms, he
cannot visit Russia and the
former Soviet countries, ‘except Armenia,’
but added, “I just said except Armenia,
but who knows? Armenia
is under huge Russian influence.”
“Lapshin continues to pursue his own case against Azerbaijan’s violations of human rights but is
committed also to helping Armenia.
He understood, he said, that ‘it would be better for me, my family and for our
safety, to just leave it aside and continue our old life.’ However, he
continued, ‘I just cannot abandon what I do in favor of Armenia and Artsakh because I have many friends
in Armenia.
Some of them were killed during the second Karabakh war. I actually love this
country, so I feel in Armenia
like my second home,’” Arkun reported. “Lapshin added, ‘Look, six million Jews
were killed during the Holocaust. A lot of Armenians actually supported Jews
and saved their lives. So, I feel the same.’”
Lapshin told the Mirror: “‘Of course I do not receive any support
from the government of Armenia.’
Furthermore, the fact that Armenia,
facing an existential threat, is trying to sign a peace agreement with both Azerbaijan and Turkey, seems to create complicated
motivations. ‘Even some of the politicians in Armenia tried to convince me to
leave it aside, for some political reasons. What I do against Azerbaijan,
somehow, in some ways, is against the national interests of the current
Armenian government…So I feel a bit alone in this fighting, but this time,
fortunately, I have a lot of friends, both Armenian friends, and American and
European friends, who actually support me.’”
“While in Armenia, Lapshin met several former prisoners of
war who had been raped in [the Baku] jail and tried to convince them to go with
him to the US and Europe to testify about this, but, Lapshin said, they felt
uncomfortable about talking about such experiences openly due to Armenian
social norms or culture,” Arkun reported. The former Armenian prisoners of war
told Lapshin: “there were strict warnings from Armenian intelligence services
for them not to communicate with journalists or human rights activists. One can
speculate that if true, this is due to the precarious current situation of Armenia, which is doing anything in its power to
avoid a new war of aggression by Azerbaijan.”
Lapshin told the Mirror that members of the U.S. Jewish community do not support his human
rights activities for Armenia.
They told him: “Why do you need to deal with Azerbaijan,
because Azerbaijan is
actually the ally of Israel.
Okay, you had a bad experience with Azerbaijan, but still, you have to
think globally. This is realpolitik. What you do against Azerbaijan is against the national interest of Israel.”
Lapshin regretted that the American “Armenian community is
so divided and weak.” “There is mistrust of the Armenian government and each
other, he said, and this situation made him feel emotionally depressed,” Arkun
reported.
“If someone wants to invite me for meetings with human
rights activists or politicians even on the state level I will be more than
happy [to oblige],” Lapshin told Arkun. After Toronto
and New York, he is going to Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Dallas, Miami, and probably
Chicago, as well as Vancouver, Canada.
Later this year, he plans to visit Armenia again. However, he added,
due to the unstable political situation, “I can never know if I am going to be
allowed to enter Armenia.”
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2- Though Coup is Over, Putin’s
Hand Weakened, Armenia Could be at Risk
(Combined Sources)—With a so-called 24-hour coup by Russia’s
mercenary boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ending in an anticlimactic pullback, Russian
President Vladimir Putin was able to avoid a dramatic and bloody standoff with
his one-time ally.
Tensions came to a head several weeks ago when the Defense
Ministry announced that all private military companies, including Wagner, would
have to sign contracts. Putin endorsed the move but Prigozhin refused to sign —
only to then lead his fighters on the ill-fated revolt last Friday.
Prigozhin called off his uprising en route to Moscow following talks
with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, saying he wanted to avoid
bloodshed.
Nonetheless, the fact that the outspoken Prigozhin could
even mount an armed mutiny with his private military company, the Wagner Group,
with little resistance and an apparently muted response is widely seen as a
deep political blow for Putin and his regime.
“Prigozhin’s armed rebellion indicates a political crisis
within Russia and shatters
the myth of Russia’s
invincibility and overwhelming power,” Hanna Liubakova, a nonresident fellow
with the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and a journalist and researcher from Belarus, said
on Sunday, June 25.
Prigozhin and his mercenary forces on Saturday, June 24
seized one of the Russian military’s key bases in the south of the country, and
the city of Rostov-on-Don, before proceeding
north to Moscow.
However, the rebellion was dramatically called off before the rebels reached
the capital city.
On Saturday, June 24, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a
telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pashinyan
emphasized that although the events unfolding in Russia
were Russia’s
internal affairs, he sought information about the situation established in the
friendly country.
The President of the Russian Federation informed the
Prime Minister about the latest developments. The developments in Russia could have serious repercussions on Armenia and
Artsakh. It could lead to the withdrawal of the Russian Peacekeepers from
Artsakh, leaving Armenians there vulnerable to Azeri attacks. Any Russian
withdrawal from the region, including Armenia,
could threaten Armenia’s
protection from attacks by Azerbaijan
and Turkey.
Also on June 24, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had
a telephone conversation with Putin during which Erdogan “expressed full
support for the steps taken by the Russian leadership.”
“All those who consciously took the path of treason,
blackmail and prepared an armed rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment.
All those guilty of attempted riots will suffer the inevitable punishment, they
will answer before the law and the people,” said the Russian President.
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3- After 38 Years in Education,
GUSD Superintendent Vivian Ekchian to Retire
GLENDALE—At
the close of the Glendale Unified School District (GUSD) Board of Education
meeting on Tuesday, June 20, Dr. Vivian Ekchian announced she will be retiring
from her role as superintendent of GUSD, effective June 30, bringing to a close
her 38-year career in public education.
Ekchian’s career
began in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)—the second-largest school
district in the nation serving nearly 600,000 pre-K to adult student
learners—and spanned the full range of classroom to leadership roles from
instructional aide to teacher. Ekchian has a doctoral degree in educational
leadership from the University of Southern California; a master’s degree in
educational administration from the University of California, Los Angeles; and
a bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from California State University
Northridge.
Ekchian was Deputy Superintendent of LAUSD before starting
her tenure in 2019 at GUSD, where she became the first female and first
Armenian-American Superintendent for the district—the third-largest in Los Angeles County, serving 26,000 students in
grades K-12.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the students,
families, and employees of Glendale
Unified School
District for the past four years. Together, we
successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, improved health and wellness for
students and employees, and expanded dynamic learning opportunities for every
child,” said Ekchian. “I know that our Board of Education, school and district
leadership, educators, and staff will continue the transformative work being
done throughout the district and maintain a steadfast focus on preparing all
students for success in college, career, and life.”
In 2022, Ekchian was named Los Angeles County Superintendent
of the year.
“Dr. Ekchian will be greatly missed in Glendale Unified. Her
focus on equity and student success has significantly impacted how we meet
student needs. She has served as a powerful role model for our students and
adults alike. On behalf of the board, we wish her the best in retirement and
look forward to her continued presence in the community,” said Board of
Education President Nayiri Nahabedian.
The members of the GUSD Board— Jennifer Freemon, Shant
Sahakian, Ingrid Gunnell, and Kathleen Cross—each thanked and commended Ekchian
for her service.
Dr. Darneika Watson, Chief Human Resources and Operations
Officer, will serve as Interim Superintendent as the Board of Education
determines next steps.
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4- Violence
erupts again outside Glendale
school board meeting
By Jenny Yettem
GLENDALE—Over 500 protesters
and activists rallied once again for the Glendale Unified
School District’s final
meeting of the current school year on Tuesday, June 20.
The meeting came just two weeks after the June 6 session
where the board adopted a resolution to mark June as Pride Month—where
demonstrations in the parking lot and street turned violent and three arrests
were made.
There were no LGBTQ+IA issues on the June 20 agenda, but
GUSD and the Glendale Police Department were nonetheless prepared for the
situation as posts on social media suggested more protests could materialize.
GUSD Parent Voices had issued a call to its supporters to attend the meeting.
GALAS Armenian LGBTQ+ Association had issued a statement that it would not participate
in the meeting due to safety concerns.
By 10 a.m., barricades were set up in front of the building
and access inside was limited to parents with administrative appointments. By 2
p.m., the lobby was closed and district officials were on hand to distribute
numbered tickets and comment cards to people in line waiting to participate in
the meeting.
By 3 p.m., police officers in riot gear arrived on scene.
Some approached people in line asking them to place their umbrellas and chairs
in their vehicles, while others set up wooden striped barriers and rolls of
fluorescent crowd-control wire in the center of the parking lot. Other officers
stood guard in the lobby of the building to maintain order as district
officials escorted individuals from outside into the meeting to address the
board.
Protesters opposed to teaching children about sexual
identities in school—including a large number of Armenian Americans—held signs
that said, “Leave our kids alone” and “Parents want education not
indoctrination” and continued chanting slogans during the start of the meeting
that was also being simulcast outside.
Before the meeting, a man who wanted to be identified as Art
told The Courier that parents who are against the LGBTQ+IA curriculum should
have the right to opt out and that as parents, they have the right to know what
their children are exposed to at school. “They’re erasing family, and family
values,” said Art.
Inside the meeting, President Nayiri Nahabedian started off
the meeting by welcoming those in the audience, calling out attempts to spread
disinformation, and by encouraging efforts to foster dialogue.
“Angry rhetoric has been ratcheted up and some things have
been said and done that are simply not OK and they really must stop. Accusatory
language, personal attacks, mining people’s social media to publicize deeply
personal situations, vandalizing cars, racial and ethnic slurs, homophobic,
transphobic slurs and intentional misrepresentation of what’s happening in our
schools. These things will create long lasting divisions in our Glendale community that
may never be repaired. Deep divisions that we should wonder how to come back
from,” said Nahabedian. She said that the school board has “met with dozens of
parents,” and that “this constructive engagement will have to continue.”
“Your students’ experience is at the heart of it. There are
vague ideas of what’s happening. We encourage dialogue so we can address
concerns that come up and have workable solutions,” she said before commencing
with public comment.
Similar to what transpired inside the June 6 meeting, some
speakers railed against school board members and equated inclusion of LGBTQ+IA
teaching materials to pedophilia; others thanked the board for its support of
LGBTQ+IA students. For just under two hours, more than 55 people spoke during
the meeting’s public comment portion on the issue of the LGBTQ+IA curriculum.
Glendale School Board candidate Jordan Henry hurled insults
at the GUSD board for attending the Glendale Pride Picnic on Saturday, June 17 along
with other city and state officials. Henry called GUSD board member Ingrid
Gunnell “a radical Marxist” and said the board was trying to “poach emotionally
unstable children in school.”
Glendale’s
Poet Laureate Raffi Joe Wartanian delivered an incisive poem, titled “Love is a
Jewel” in which he reminded that “power is love and love is a jewel inside of
us all.”
Alan Dish, who said he is a GUSD alumnus, said he has been
receiving threatening messages from Jordan Henry. “This is somebody who wants
public authority, who is willing to use threats to stifle my speech. We should
all be concerned when someone resorts to threats. How would he talk to a child?
This guy is not your leader,” said Dish.
“It remains very important for loving parents and advocates
to keep showing up to speak on the issue of empowerment and inclusion in our
GUSD schools and schools nationwide. Inclusive education directly teaches our
children to stand up for themselves and each other. For those who feel too
scared to be here, we will continue to show up GUSD to thank you for being on
the right side of history on this issue,” said Chantal Cousineau.
Around 7:15 p.m., just before the board went into closed
session, police immediately intervened when a physical confrontation took place
among dozens of the protesters in the parking lot of a church near the GUSD
office. A man ended up on the ground, covering his head with his hands as other
men kicked him. Police made one arrest outside the meeting, but did not
immediately say whether it was related to the confrontation. Inside the
building, employees and members of the media were taken to upstairs offices
while police cleared the chambers and lobby. [Ed: When as a journalist I
approached to speak with members of the anti-GUSD protest, I was the target of
verbal aggression and hostility by a number of people including Tony Moon—a
confirmed participant in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.]
The meeting resumed at 9:15 p.m., to discuss and vote on a
number of agenda items before adjourning into a second closed session.
At 11:15 p.m., the meeting resumed with the final item on
the agenda: the announcement of Superintendent Vivian Ekchian’s retirement.
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