Author: Andres-Papazian

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Tel: (818) 500-1918

PRESS RELEASE
May 26, 2010
Contact: Tamar Baboujian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
E-Mail: [email protected]

ANCA-WR TO HOST TELEVISED TOWNHALL WITH MIKE GATTO, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR
THE 43RD ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

HOLLYWOOD, CA—Mike Gatto, candidate for the California 43rd Assembly
District runoff Special Election on June 8th, will participate in a
televised Town Hall, to be aired on Sunday May 30th at 7:00pm, hosted by the
Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region (ANCA-WR).

The Town Hall is an opportunity for the democratic candidate to discuss
issues important to the 43rd Assembly District, the State of California, and
the Armenian American Community. Topics of discussion will include the
California budget, education and safety net programs, California’s economy,
climate, immigration and other issues relating to the Armenian American
community within the district.

Community members will be present within the audience and ask questions
pertaining to these topics, and the candidate will then have an opportunity
to share his views on the issues. The ANCA-WR urges the community at large
to tune in Sunday May 30th at 7:00pm in order to better familiarize
themselves with the candidate.

The televised Town Hall will air on Horizon TV, Charter Digital Channel 285
in Glendale, Burbank and La Crescenta. It will also stream online on the
ANCA website – and on the Horizon Armenian Television website –

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the
Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated
organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

####

From: A. Papazian

OMBUDSMAN SEES CONTINUED RESTRICTION OF FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY IN ARMENIA

Asbarez
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-Armenia’s human rights defender has criticized the
authorities for failing to show full commitment to the principles
of freedom of assembly. In an ad hoc report unveiled in Yerevan
on Tuesday, Ombudsman Armen Harutiunian also blamed certain vague
provisions in the current legislation for the situation.

The report reviews the situation with the freedom of assembly in
Armenia since the 2008 presidential election till today. It concludes
that the principles of “state obligation to protect peaceful rallies,
exclusion of discrimination and other principles” have been violated.

“The conduct of public authorities in many cases gives reasons to
assume that they fail to fully appreciate the importance of freedom
of assembly,” Harutiunian said during the presentation of the report.

According to the data published in the report, the Yerevan authorities
rejected more than 80 requests for holding public rallies in the city
in 2008.

“There were not that many requests for public rallies in 2009 and
particularly so far this year and the number of rejections isn’t that
large correspondingly, because it is not a pre-election period now.

The same problems, however, may recur during pre-election periods,
as the legislation remains the same,” he said.

The Armenian parliament introduced drastic changes in the freedom
of assembly legislation shortly after nonstop rallies staged by the
opposition after the disputed 2008 presidential election led to the
country’s worst political crisis. The changes severely restricted the
rights to hold rallies and demonstrations and gave local authorities
sweeping powers to reject requests for holding protest events based on
vague conclusions of law-enforcement agencies. The Armenian lawmakers
later removed some of the restrictions under pressure from the Council
of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, but did not fully revert to the
version of the law that existed before March 2008.

The ombudsman’s latest report does not refer to cases of violence,
police detentions and criminal prosecution applied against
oppositionists participating in marches of protest in 2009. It
only says that citizens’ right to hold marches appeared to be ‘less
protected’ than the right to stage rallies.

Harutiunian said he planned to come up with a new draft law to try
to fill in the gaps in the existing legislation.

The ombudsman acknowledged the existence of violations in the practice
of applying laws, but would not be drawn into a discussion of the
‘democratic credentials’ of the current government.

“An ombudsman is not a politician and this is not a political report,”
Harutiunian underscored.

From: A. Papazian

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER CLAIMS COVER-UP IN POLICE CUSTODY DEATH PROBE
Ruzanna Stepanian

25.05.2010

Armenia — Vahan Khalafian, a 24-year-old man who died in police
custody on 13 April 2010, undated.

A prominent human rights campaigner looking into the recent suspicious
death of a young man in police custody has accused investigators of
attempting a cover-up by supporting the suicide theory advanced by
the police.

Head of the Special Investigative Service (SIS) Andranik Mirzoyan told
RFE/RL on Monday that the completing investigation into the death of
Vahan Khalafian, a 24-year-old resident of Armenia’s central town
of Charentsavan, was likely to endorse the police claim that the
suspect had committed suicide. The official said the investigation
based on the findings of forensic experts was likely to conclude
that Khalafian stabbed himself to death at one point while being
interrogated at the police station.

Meanwhile, Khalafian’s family and a considerable number of human
rights activists in Armenia insist on the deadly torture version.

Khalafian and several other young men were detained by the Charentsavan
police on April 13 on suspicion of stealing 1.5 million drams ($3,900)
worth of goods from a local entrepreneur. He was found dead later that
day. The Armenian police claimed that Khalafian was not ill-treated
during the interrogation and committed suicide.

However, initially the SIS called this version of events into question
by arresting two police officers on charges of abusing their powers
and driving the suspect to commit suicide. Based on the findings of
forensic experts, however, the SIS later appeared to be giving more
weight to the police version.

Armenia — Head of the Helsinki Civil Assembly Vanadzor office Artur
Sakunts at a press conference, Yerevan, 06May2010Artur Sakunts, head of
the Vanadzor-based regional branch of the Armenian Helsinki Citizens’
Assembly, told RFE/RL on Tuesday that the SIS has not yet provided
answers to a number of important questions that could shed light on
the circumstances of Khalafian’s death to show that he was killed.

The human rights campaigner, in particular, called it suspicious that
no traces of knife stabbings had been found on the suspect’s clothes,
which, he said, showed that Khalafian was naked at the moment of death.

“First there is the question of two stabbings. There is no answer as
to which stabbing was first and which was second. No answer is given
to the question as to how a person could stab himself twice after
he had been subjected to torture of that sort. Another question that
hasn’t been answered yet is from where the knife had appeared or who
had given it to Vahan Khalafian to kill himself,” said Sakunts.

According to Sakunts, the role of the second interrogator who was
present in the room, as testified by Khalafian’s brother, is also
unclear.

“In short, the experts ought to have answered the following question
– what impact could the traces of violence on Vahan Khalafian’s body
could have on his actions?… Whether a person in that condition was
capable of making any movement. These are questions that give us more
grounds to suspect murder,” said Sakunts.

The human rights campaigner also said that the desire of the SIS to
complete the investigation quickly also speaks for its attempt to
cover up the case. “It is unheard-of in the practice of Armenia that
such crimes be revealed in such a short period of time,” Sakunts said.

Armenia’s Ombudsman also challenges the official version that Khalafian
committed suicide after being tortured.

Armenia — Human rights ombudsman Armen Harutiunian.

“I don’t think this version is probable. This has already become
a pattern – to go to a police station and commit suicide there,”
Armen Harutiunian said in an RFE/RL interview on Tuesday.

The state human rights defender promised to give a more detailed
assessment of the case after the end of the investigation.

The SIS head told RFE/RL the investigation was nearing completion and
the case was likely to be submitted to court already at the beginning
of next month.

From: A. Papazian

WHAT’S “NAIRIT”‘S SECRET?

05:05 pm | May 25, 2010 | Social

Employee of “Nairit Factory” CJSC, scientific worker Ishkhan
Aghajanyan was recently called to the factory and informed that he was
fired. General Director of “Nairit” Vahan Melkonyan has unilaterally
dissolved his contract.

“I have been working at “Nairit” for 7 years. I have built laboratories
and have always tried to be of help to “Nairit”,” the already former
employee of “Nairit” told “A1+”.

Vahan Melkonyan mentioned the following in the decree on removing
Ishkhan Aghajanyan from office: “Guided by Point 7, Part 1, Article
113 of the RA Labor Code, the contract is liquidated in the case of
the lack of confidence.”

Ishkhan Aghajanyan lost confidence on April 22 for printing an article
about “Nairit” factory in “168 Hours” newspaper.

“Since “Nairit” has many debts, is in a miserable condition and is
constantly wasting time, I decided to make something up to solve
its problem with lacethynol. “Nairit” produces rubber and during
production, it gets 10% lacethynol from the main product. There
are enormous amounts of accumulations. At the moment, “Nairit”
has accumulated 10 tons of lacethynol and there is no more room
for storage. The material burns and explosive. In a word, it is
very dangerous to get rid of it,” said the scientific worker as he
presented the article.

He had suggested that “Nairit” administration free itself from
lacethynol while it was not doing anything. “I have tried to inform
the administration about the existing issues and my proposals for
solutions. I haven’t revealed any secret by writing the article. There
are no secrets at “Nairit” at all. “Nairit” is not a military factory.

The atmosphere is such that the factory needs thinkers and scientific
workers. “Nairit” only needs performers today. Employees are not
able to talk to each other about “Nairit”. The secret of “Nairit”
is that professionalism is at a very low level and there is injustice.”

The scientific worker is certain that the last accident that took
place at “Nairit” last year was due to indifference and clumsiness.

Ishkhan Aghajanyan is planning to restore his violated rights through
legal proceedings.

From: A. Papazian

EU LEADER CALLS FOR KARABAKH MEMBERSHIP IN EUROPE

Asbarez
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

YEREVAN (Combined Source)–“The European Union should offer associate
membership to Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan,” said the
former Speaker of Slovakia’s parliament at a press conference Tuesday
after serving as an election observer in Sunday’s parliamentary vote
in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

In highlighting the importance of resolving the Karabakh conflict
to all of Europe, the former speaker, Frantisek Miklosko, said a
model resembling the confederation with the Netherlands, Belgium,
Luxemburg–known as the Benelux model–could be applied to the region,
once the countries accept European integration.

As a result of such a model, he said, the EU would promote the rapid
development of the three countries and will prepare them as future
candidates for EU membership.

“The future of all of Europe is being discussed in Nagorno-Karabakh
today. I can compare Europe with a huge strong chain, though, the
chain can be stronger if all its links are equally strong and there
is no weak link,” MikloÅ¡ko said, adding that the Karabakh conflict
resolution is closely being watch by all of Europe.

Ruling out war as a solution, Miklosko emphasized the need for
Azerbaijan to comprehend the urgency of the matter.

Milosko noted the positive efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, adding,
however, that “it has reached a deadlock now because it defends the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan on one hand and the right to
self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh on the other
hand.”

In discussing the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic elections, Milosko
expressed surprise at European structures for not recognizing the
elections.

“What does Europe accept if not democracy?” he said.

“The elections in Nagorno Karabakh were held in a free, democratic
and exceptionally calm atmosphere, and fully corresponded to all EU
standards,” Milosko told the press conference.

From: A. Papazian

VIZA JOINS ANCA, AYF, AND CYPRUS ACTION NETWORK TO EDUCATE AND ACTIVATE YOUTH THROUGH MUSIC

Asbarez
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

NEW YORK – On May 21st and 22nd the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) Eastern Region, Armenian Youth Federation, and Cyprus
Action Network teamed up with the music rock band “VIZA” to educate
and activate concert-goers about current efforts to end U.S.

complicity in Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide and end Turkey’s
illegal occupation of Cyprus. The organizations joined VIZA at concerts
in New York City and Philadelphia, and had an opportunity to reach
out and mobilize a primarily young crowd.

“Art and music have a history of being at the forefront of social
change,” said K’noup, lead singer of VIZA. “We’re always looking
forward to working with organizations that are making positive social
change. The groups joining us on our East Coast tour work on issues
that the band members hold a deep connection to – with myself being
Greek and five of them Armenian.”

The ANCA Eastern Region gathered signatures around the Armenian
Genocide Resolution in the Senate. “By reaching out to people outside
of our standard methods we continue to see that Armenian Genocide
recognition is something that all Americans care about – it is not
just an Armenian issue as some claim.” said Garo Manjikian, Eastern
Region Director of the ANCA. “The signatures we gathered will be sent
to Senators who have not yet cosponsored the Senate Armenian Genocide
Resolution.” The list includes Pennsylvania Senators Arlen Spector and
Robert Casey Jr. and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Spearheaded
by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and John Ensign (R-NV), S.Res.316
currently has 17 cosponsors.

“It was a rewarding experience to join the ANCA table at the VIZA
concert, not only to enjoy the unique musical experience of this Greek
and Armenian band and meet the many Greek and Armenian VIZA fans,
but also to support the cause – recognition of the Armenian Genocide
and the issue of Turkey’s impunity and continued aggression to its
neighbors,” said Nikoloas Taneris, Founder of Cyprus Action Network
of America (CANA).

CANA gathered petition signatures calling for the arrest of Turkish
settler Kenan Akin, who is wanted by the Cypriot police and has an
Interpol warrant for his arrest. Akin murdered young Greek-Cypriot
demonstrator Solomos Solomou who was attempting to take down the
Turkish flag from a flagpole during a peaceful anti-occupation
demonstration. “The effort to bring him to justice is especially
symbolic of what our people are going through. Akin has been an
official political ‘candidate’ as recently as last year in the illegal
Turkish-military-occupation regime that is recognized only by Turkey.

Not only has he escaped justice, he has publicly gloated over the
killing in recent interviews.”

Long time activist and former Executive Director of Armenian National
Committee of America, Western Region, Andrew Kzirian plays the
oud (traditional Armenian instrument) for VIZA. Kzirian has been
instrumental in bringing activism into the band’s mission. “I feel
that music and artistic expression is a fresh and appealing medium
for educating our youth, some of whom will inevitably serve as our
leaders of tomorrow,” said Kzirian. “It is an effective supplement
to more conventional approaches to societal change and a valuable
way to educate the audience about what is going on the world.”

Public support for Armenian Genocide Recognition continues to grow
through all parts of the country. Just recently the Armenian National
Committee of Georgia, led by the Agasarkisian family, passed two
Armenian Genocide Resolutions in the state legislature. Last week
the Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts announced that the
local coalition of anti-genocide activists surpassed their goal of
10,000 signatures on their online petition at change.org.

Picture – Garo Manjikian, ANCA Eastern Region Director and Nikoloas
Taneris, founder of CANA at VIZA concert in Knitting Factory, New York

From: A. Papazian

BAD FOREIGN POLICY PAVED WAY FOR DANGEROUS EUROPEAN REPORT ON KARABAKH

Asbarez
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

YEREVAN-The recent adoption by the European Parliament of a report
urging the return of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azeri rule could have been
prevented, the head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Supreme
Council in Armenia said on Tuesday.

Armen Rustamian criticized Armenia’s authorities for failing to
prevent the appointment of the resolution’s author, Romanian Member of
European Parliament Yevgeny Kirilov, to the post of EP Rapporteur to
the South Caucasus. He explained that it was the incongruous foreign
policy agenda of the Armenian government that leaves openings for
individuals like Kirilov to endanger the Karabakh peace process.

The report, titled “Report on the Need for an EU Strategy for the
South Caucasus,” urges the immediate withdrawal from the liberated
territories surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a move analysts
say will impede efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group and does not fall
within the purview of the European Parliament.

“I was aware of the report’s text and addressed a letter to the
chairman of the socialists’ group in the European Parliament,”
Rustamian said in a joint press conference with Parliament Vice-Speaker
Samvel Nikoyan. “We were able to remove some of the negative provisions
from the document, but the report still contains paragraphs that
distort the reality of the Karabakh conflict.”

Rustamian stressed that had the Armenian authorities clearly
articulated and comprehensively presented the matter of occupied
Armenian territories-Shahumian and Getashen-others would not have
the ability to derail the process in Azerbaijan’s advantage. He said
Armenia should immediately send a delegation to the EP to present
Yerevan’s official position on the report.

Nikoyan, for his part, said Armenia needs “to do its utmost” to
prevent discussion of the Karabakh conflict outside the format of
the Minsk Group, which has been exclusively mediating for a Karabakh
settlement since a ceasefire agreement in 1994 brought an end to
the fighting. “Representatives of these structures are basically
unaware of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, while Azerbaijan can play
on heartstrings of such audiences,” he stressed.

From: A. Papazian

PRO-REGIME PARTIES LEAD VOTE IN REBEL KARABAKH

Agence France Presse
May 24, 2010 Monday 2:00 PM GMT

Two parties close to the separatist leadership of Nagorny Karabakh,
a rebel region of Azerbaijan, have come out ahead in parliamentary
elections, according to preliminary results on Monday.

Azerbaijan denounced the election in the rebel region, which has been
controlled by ethnic Armenians since it broke free of Baku’s control
after a fierce war in the early 1990s that killed 30,000 people.

Armenia and Azerbaijan remain officially at war over Karabakh, and
the dispute is a major source of tension in the South Caucasus region
wedged between Iran, Russia and Turkey.

No country — not even Armenia — officially recognises Karabakh as
an independent state.

All of the parties that took part in Sunday’s election oppose
reunification with Azerbaijan.

“With more than half the ballots counted, Prime Minister Ara
Harutiunian’s Free Fatherland party was winning with 46.4 percent and
the Democratic Party of Artsakh with 28.6 percent,” Mikael Hajian,
a spokesman for Karabakh’s central elections commission, told AFP.

Two other parties running for the 33 seats in the region’s tiny
legislature, Dashnaktsutyun and the Communists, got 20.2 and 4.8
percent, respectively. The parties need to clear a 6 percent threshold
to enter parliament.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian said in a statement that
the vote was further proof of Karabakh’s “determination to live in
freedom and independence”.

Azerbaijan, which has vowed to return Karabakh under its control,
called the elections illegitimate and pointed out that ethnic Azeris
forced to flee the region had not participated in the vote.

“The elections cannot be considered legitimate until an agreement on
Karabakh’s status is reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan and…

until Karabakh’s Azeri community is given the possibility of
participating in the vote,” Ali Gasanov, a senior official in the
Azerbaijani presidency, told journalists.

More than one million people on both sides were forced to flee their
homes as a result of the Karabakh conflict, which ended with a truce
in 1994 though tensions remain and fatal shootings along the ceasefire
line are common.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said last week that the
European Union did not recognise the election in Karabakh and called
for a negotiated end to the long-running conflict.

From: A. Papazian

NEW HIV/AIDS DATA HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY SCIENTISTS AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA, COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

AIDS Weekly
May 24, 2010

New research, ‘A randomized controlled trial of an HIV prevention
intervention for street-based female sex workers in Yerevan, Armenia:
preliminary evidence of efficacy,’ is the subject of a report.

According to a study from Yerevan, Armenia, “This study evaluated
the efficacy of an HIV intervention among female sex workers (FSWs)
randomized to an intervention or wait-list control. FSWs (N=120)
completed baseline, 3-and 6-month assessments.”

“A health educator implemented 2-hour intervention emphasized
gender-empowerment, self-efficacy to persuade clients to use condoms,
condom application skills, and eroticizing safer sex. Over the 6-month
follow-up, FSWs in the intervention reported more consistent condom use
with clients (p=.004) and were more likely to apply condoms on clients
(p=.0001). Intervention effects were observed for other psychosocial
mediators of safer sex,” wrote K. Markosyan and colleagues, American
University of Armenia, College of Health Sciences (see also HIV/AIDS).

The researchers concluded: “Brief, gender and culturally congruent
interventions can enhance HIV-preventive behaviors among FSWs.”

Markosyan and colleagues published the results of their research in
Aids and Behavior (A randomized controlled trial of an HIV prevention
intervention for street-based female sex workers in Yerevan, Armenia:
preliminary evidence of efficacy. Aids and Behavior, 2010;14(3):530-7).

For additional information, contact K. Markosyan, American University
of Armenia, College of Health Sciences, Yerevan, Armenia.

The publisher of the journal Aids and Behavior can be contacted at:
Springer, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA.

From: A. Papazian

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION For Justice & Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :Eafjd [1]

FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN MADRID ABOUT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Madrid, May 24th, 2010: In collaboration with Spanish Armenian
associations, the European Armenian Federation for Justice and
Democracy organized on May 21st an International Conference on the
Armenian Genocide, titled `European Union, Recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and International Law’ in the Faculty of History
and Geography in Madrid. The Conference was organized in support of
joint efforts made by the Spanish democrats and the Armenian
Community, for the recognition by the Spanish Parliament of the
Genocide.
The speakers of the conference were: Luis Enrique Otero Carvajal,
Dean of the Faculty of History of the Complutense University in
Madrid; Mr Juan Merelo Barbera y Gabriel, lawyer at the Bar of
Barcelona and at the International Court of Justice; Professor Alfred
de Zayas, professor of International Law at the Geneva School of
Diplomacy, and former secretary of the UN Human Rights Committee; the
writer Gonzalo Hernandez Guarch, author of several books on oppressed
peoples, including `Armenian Will’ published in 2007; Juan Jose
San Martin, activist for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in
the Basque and Catalan Parliaments; and Hilda Tchoboian, President of
the European Armenian Federation.
Gayane Asilbekyan introduced the speakers on behalf of the Spanish
Armenian associations. The conference emphasized the need for the
international community to deliver justice to the Armenians. The
Professor-Dean Luis Enrique Otero Carvajal, while placing the Genocide
in its historical context, stressed that the Armenian people have the
right to recognition and reparations. Professor Alfred de Zayas
covered the legal case why the Armenian Genocide is not defined only
by the 1948 Convention but also by the fact that it was described as
Crime Against Humanity as of May 1915 by the Joint Declaration of
France, England and Russia. He characterised reparation as the lifting
of the durable consequences of the Genocide through acts, such as the
restoration of the Armenian cultural and spiritual heritage currently
subjected to destruction within the Armenian territories remaining in
Turkey.
The writer Gonzalo Hernandez Guarch focused on `the Cause of the
genocide, a fair cause’, thus explaining the reasons for his
interest in the Armenian people. Mr Juan Merelo Barbera y Gabriel
developed the reasons that justify the need to name the historical
facts by the appropriate legal terms, insisting in fact on the
importance of the `Genocide’ term. The audience was informed about
the hidden dynamics behind the recognition by the Basque and Catalan
Parliaments with the testimony of Juan Jose San Martin. Lastly, Hilda
Tchoboian presented the evolution, since the 1987 recognition, of the
position of the European Union on the Genocide, in its foreign
relations, in particular in the context of Turkish integration.
`This undertaking was a very important first step to give a report
on the forces in support of recognition’ declared Hilda Tchoboian,
the Chairperson of the European Armenian Federation. `With our
future actions, we will set up concrete means to reinforce the
potential that exists in Spain’ she indicated.
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From: A. Papazian