Antranik Varosian – Page 50 – Armenian Directory & News

ECHR judgment: Azerbaijan authorities responsible for torture, death of Armenian captive in 2010

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020 Antranik Varosian

15:20,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has found in the Saribekyan and Balyan v. Azerbaijan case that the Azerbaijani authorities had been responsible for the torture and death of Manvel Saribekyan, an Armenian national who had been detained in a military police cell in Baku.

The ECHR recognized that Saribekyan’s right to life has been violated, and that Azerbaijan violated the Article 3 (prohibition of torture and ill-treatment).

The Court held by six votes to one that Azerbaijan was to pay the applicants (Saribekyan’s next-of-kin) 60,000 euros (EUR) jointly in respect of non-pecuniary damage and EUR 2,200 in respect of costs and expenses.

Manvel Saribekyan, a resident of the Ttujur village of Gegharkunik province (Armenia), was taken captive by Azerbaijani authorities in 2010 September.

“The Court thus found that Mr Saribekyan had been subjected to ill-treatment in the form of severe physical violence during the final days of his life while being detained in the Military Police Department in Baku. The Court found that the suffering he had endured had amounted to torture and that he had suffered a violation of his rights under Article 3”, ECHR said in the judgment.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Commentary: A journey along Armenian Street in Singapore

January 27, 2020January 27, 2020 Antranik Varosian

Los Angeles Times

Jan 23 2020

People gather during a rally in Singapore in June 2013. “An in-depth look at Singapore’s history … reveals a history of civic and commercial involvement by Armenian merchants who helped to develop this Asian hub in earlier times,” writes Gus Gomez, who recently visited the island city-state in Southeast Asia.

(Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images)

By Gus Gomez

Jan. 23, 2020

Singapore visitors are impressed by the marvelous architecture of the Raffles Hotel in this island nation located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.

An in-depth look at Singapore’s history also reveals a history of civic and commercial involvement by Armenian merchants who helped to develop this Asian hub in earlier times. This history is memorialized in part by the existence of Armenian Street in Singapore.

Some, guided by a spirit of travel and adventure, have come upon this jewel of knowledge entirely by chance, while others search for a better understanding of history.

The Republic of Singapore is a nation founded in the 1960s. It is, in fact, one large island in addition to several dozen smaller islets. Today, it is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Asia, with a population just over 5 million.

In modern times, Singapore served as a trading post with the arrival of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in the early 1800s. Singapore gained independence from Great Britain in 1963 along with Malaysia and became a sovereign nation in 1965.

Armenian Street in Singapore opened as Armenian Church Street sometime after the construction of the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. The street is tucked between Coleman Street and Stamford Road.

Today, the street features galleries, restaurants and other attractions adjacent to the Singapore Art Museum just east of the Singapore River and Fort Canning, famous for Raffles House and Fort Canning lighthouse.

The Armenian population in Singapore is described as a small community numbering about 100 individuals at their peak in the 1920s. They were among the earliest merchants to arrive when Singapore was established as a trading post by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.

The first Armenian settlers in Singapore were descendants of Armenian people who migrated from Persia. In the early 1800s, Armenian trading firms like Sarkies and Moses became more prominent in Singapore’s economy.

One merchant, Catchick Moses, co-founded the Straits Times. The newspaper went on to become the most prominent English language newspaper in Singapore.

Later, Agnes Joaquim cultivated a hybrid orchid flower which eventually became the national flower of Singapore. Her younger brother became a respected lawyer and served as president of Singapore’s town council.

In the 1880s, the Sarkies brothers founded the Raffles Hotel, now one of the most famous hotels in the world. Over the years, the grandest balls and banquets were hosted at Raffles, according to Australian author and historian Nadia H. Wright, who is of Armenian descent.

In total, about 830 Armenians lived in Singapore between 1820 and 2000, as noted in Wright’s book, “Respected Citizens: The History of Armenians in Singapore and Malaysia.” The Armenian community virtually disappeared by the 1970s. But the small Armenian diaspora’s contribution to business and cultural endeavors was significant.

As author Nadia H. Wright points out, every municipality has street names peculiar or unique to its history and culture. In Singapore, Armenian Street brings this point home, even as the city has transformed into a vibrant financial center in Asia.

Gus Gomez is a former mayor and councilman in Glendale and is now a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. He recently visited Singapore and came upon Armenian Street while exploring the city.

Lawyer: Investigators ‘found nothing’ during search of Hrayr Tovmasyan’s home

January 25, 2020January 25, 2020 Antranik Varosian

Panorama, Armenia

Jan 24 2020

Investigators have found nothing while searching the apartment of Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan, his lawyer Amram Makinyan told reporters on Friday.

“They were looking for documents that could not factually exist in Mr. Tovmasyan's apartment,” he said.

“Nothing has been found and confiscated. The investigators have left [the apartment],” the lawyer added.

Makinyan stated so far neither Hrayr Tovmasyan nor his defense team has got familiarised with the search warrant issued by the court, adding they are only aware that judge Artush Gabrielyan has ordered the search at the Constitutional Court chairman’s home.

The search comes nearly one month after the Special Investigative Service charged Hrayr Tovmasyan with two counts of abuse of power.

Tovmasyan denies any wrongdoing, adding the charges are part of a “political process” aimed at forcing him to step down.

Diocese of Baltic States of the Armenian Apostolic Church established

January 25, 2020January 25, 2020 Antranik Varosian

Panorama, Armenia

Jan 24 2020

Society 20:04 24/01/2020 Armenia

On January 24, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians issued a Kontag on establishing Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Baltic states through separating the Armenian Church communities in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania from the diocese of Russia and Nor Nakhijevan.

As the information department at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin reports, Bishop Vardan Navasardyan has been appointed as the new Head of the Diocese.

Armenian FM says Karabakh’s participation in talks is important

January 22, 2020January 22, 2020 Antranik Varosian

News.am, Armenia

Jan 22 2020

22:05, 22.01.2020

YEREVAN. – Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said he is ready to meet his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in the near future.

When asked about the meeting by MP Arman Abovyan, Mnatsakanyan said they have certain arrangements.

“We are trying to outline with the co-chairs the ways we will work this year … We have an agreement that we can meet in the near future. We expressed our position that we are ready for negotiations at any time,” he emphasized.

The Minister also noted that he attaches great importance to the participation of Karabakh in negotiations.

“The issue of Karabakh’s participation in the peaceful settlement of the conflict remains on the agenda, and we have repeatedly explained the reasons. It is very important to have direct participation of an entity that has elected authorities, a political entity,” he added.

Ex-Baku refugee: Azerbaijanis were congratulating us during 1988 earthquake in Armenia

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020 Antranik Varosian

News.am, Armenia

Jan 17 2020

18:01, 17.01.2020

During the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, the Azerbaijanis were congratulating us on the deaths of Armenians. This is what Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, a refugee from Baku, told reporters today.

According to her, this goes to show that there had been not only physical, but also psychological pressure exerted on the Armenians for many years. “It came to a point where, in 1989, my neighbor attacked me, and we moved to the United States. Our neighbors stayed in Baku and were killed during the pogroms. Overall, we had felt a change of attitude towards the Armenians in 1988, and my entire life has been linked to memories of those horrible events,” the eyewitness said and regretted that the Armenian authorities have been passive all this time.

“Living in the United States, I see how Azerbaijan actively advances the false agenda related to the events of Khojalu, while Armenia isn’t doing anything to present the real image of the events of the past to the world,” Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte said.

From February 26 to 29, 1988, Armenian pogroms took place in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait, and based on official statistics, the pogroms left 27 dead and hundreds wounded. In a matter of days, 18,000 Armenians left the city. Two years later (from January 13 to 19, 1990), Armenian pogroms took place in Baku, leading to the murders of nearly 100 people and the expulsion of more than 200,000.

Wikileaks: Armenian 1st president asked the Americans for assistance before March 1 tragic event

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020 Antranik Varosian

News.am, Armenia

Jan 17 2020

18:09, 17.01.2020

The My Voice project has presented some opinions and assessments of American diplomatic sources about the 2008 presidential election and the tragic events of March 1, 2008, which appeared at the declassified Wikileaks documents. My Voice also provides links to Wikileaks:

The materials of 12 years ago are remarkable today. Moreover, they are especially important today, when an attempt is made to present reality only from the point of view of the Special Investigation Service and some players, the source noted.

Part 1.

The 2008 presidential elections in Armenia, as well as previous and subsequent events, were the focus of the US embassy in the republic. US diplomats did not remain indifferent to these events, trying to understand reality as accurately as possible, and sometimes taking on an intermediary role.

From the materials related to the internal political events in Armenia from November 2007 to April 2008 and published in Wikileaks, we highlighted the documents of greatest interest. Their overwhelming majority was compiled by representatives of the US Embassy in Armenia and sent to the State Department, the US Security Council, and NATO.

According to Wikileaks publications, back in 2007, the US Embassy was collecting information about the upcoming presidential election, while maintaining contact with the main candidates.

In a letter from November 27, 2007, Deputy Chief of Mission Joseph Pennington, presents Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s opportunities in the upcoming elections. According to Pennington, Ter-Petrosyan has very little chance of winning. Speaking about the candidate Artur Baghdasaryan, he noted that the latter would ‘sell’ his support to the one whose probability of victory would be greater.

In a letter from October 12, 2007, Chargé d’Affaires at the US embassy in Armenia, Rudolf V. Perina, notes that Ter-Petrosyan invited the US Chargé d'Affaires, to whom he presented points of view on the Karabakh issue, asking them to transfer it to Ambassador Matthew Bryza. His main idea was one official document that would summarize the results in the negotiation process on Karabakh, recorded during the reign of Armenian second president Robert Kocharyan.

He suggested that the Minsk Group co-chairs present a conflict resolution plan that summarizes all the circumstances agreed to date. Regardless of whether the parties agree to this or not, the presence of such a document meant the publication of the final result of the negotiation process during the time of Kocharyan. According to Levon Ter-Petrosyan, this would enable other presidents to continue from this point to not start all over again. He also asked not to submit the proposal as his, to keep this fact a secret and to present everything on behalf of the American co-chair. Ter-Petrosyan also asked to arrange a meeting with Bryza.

Commenting on the proposal of the latter, Perina notes that this has a certain political motivation. First, in his opinion, at one stage during the expected campaign, Ter-Petrosyan wants to say that the Karabakh issue was discussed with the US, to show that in comparison with Serzh Sargsyan he is a serious alternative. Secondly, if he can become president, which Ter-Petrosyan himself considers very likely, this document will be important in that sense to show that Kocharyan allegedly was negotiating around a losing document. It will also give him the opportunity as a president to compromise in negotiations with Azerbaijan.

This declassified Wikileaks document, perhaps, is distinguished by its exceptional shades: first of all, the fact that Ter-Petrosyan was ready to work against Kocharyan even at the cost of the country's security. In fact, asking the American side to disclose the unacceptable details of the negotiations, he understood that thereby giving Azerbaijan a huge advantage during further talks.

Another major episode: in 2008, Ter-Petrosyan sought power with a willingness to make concessions on the Karabakh issue, which he did not hide during meetings with US diplomats and, naturally, trying to “blame” it on Kocharyan.

Part 2: Manipulation.

February 12, 2008. A letter from the US Chargé d'Affaires Joseph Pennington to the US Department of State, NATO and several other organizations also mentions a rally organized by Levon Ter-Petrosyan on February 9 at Freedom Square. He noted that approximately 40,000 people took part in it. The US representative reports that several influential and wealthy representatives of the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union expressed their support for the latter. Pennington singles out an episode from Ter-Petrosyan’s speech, in which the latter accuses Kocharyan of the readiness to exchange Meghri for Shushi and Lachin. Pennington noted that Ter-Petrosyan’s goal was to show the public that there was a disagreement between the Armenian and Karabakh residents.

The US official also thinks that the real purpose of Ter-Petrosyan’s speech was public manipulation.

From this it becomes clear that American diplomats initially determined the main goals of the Ter-Petrosyan’s movement to manipulate society and sow enmity between the residents of Armenia and Karabakh.

Part 3: The rallies is the goal.

On February 13, 2008, Pennington noted in a letter that both Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Serzh Sargsyan were ready to go all the way to obtain positive results in these elections. No one is ready to accept a loss based on the results of the vote. The US representative predicts that Ter-Petrosyan will not be able to bring the required number of determined people to the street. He predicts that, protests will be quickly dispersed by the authorities with minimal use of violence, but at the same time not excluding the possibility of serious clashes.

Pennington notes that Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s plan is precisely in rallies. He is preparing to fill the streets after the election and declare that the election results were falsified by the authorities.

Part 4: Elections – Americans tend to believe the results of candidates.

02/20/2008 Pennington's letter sent to the State Department, the US Security Council, Turkey (probably to the US Embassy in Ankara) and several other organizations,

The SS is recognized as the winner of the elections: the number of participants in opposition rallies reaches 50,000.

The US representative in a letter notes that, according to the situation at 8pm, the number of demonstrators reached 50,000 mark at the Freedom Square, and so far the rallies are peaceful. It is also noted that the OSCE observation mission described these elections as mostly in line with international standards.

02.21.2008 Pennington writes an urgent letter that he sends to the State Department. It notes that on February 21, Ter-Petrosyan’s advisor Levon Zurabyan asked to arrange a meeting with a representative of the US Embassy. Zurabyan handed the letter to the latter, noting that it was personally from Ter-Petrosyan. It is noted that it is Zurabyan who is the person who maintains contact with the US diplomatic mission from Ter-Petrosyan.

Zurabyan also made two comments. He stressed that they have information that the authorities are going to interfere with the rallies planned for 3pm. According to him, the authorities are holding open the possibility of holding a second round, since Sargsyan’s result may fall even further from the mark of 50% and a second round will be held. Zurabyan said that they are sure that Ter-Petrosyan won the election.

According to Ter-Petrosyan’s letter, people are angry, they push them to decisive action. He noted that they kept the rallies within the rule of law, but at some point the situation may get out of control. The only way out is the second round, he noted calling on the US embassy to put pressure on the authorities so that a second round takes place and that no one interferes with their peaceful rallies, noting that the authorities will not be able to refuse the requirements of the diplomatic mission.

Commenting on Ter-Petrosyan’s letter, Pennington noted that they don’t want to get involved in the domestic political life of Armenia, while Ter-Petrosyan is waiting for this.

02/27/2008 The US Chargé d'Affaires ad interim and another embassy official meet with the main assistant and adviser S. Sargsyan on February 26, they ask the US to show even greater support for Sargsyan due to legitimacy, which, according to them, will make the rest of the parties show proper behavior. Embassy’s representatives replied that the clean conduct of the democratic process is Armenian government’s business, and that the US cannot give a green light on this issue. Although the US representative in his letter did not directly indicate the victory of Serzh Sargsyan, he noted that the latter gathered more votes than other candidates.

02/28/2008 Pennington presents the details of the meeting with Kocharyan on February 28. During the meeting, Kocharyan informed the American side that several days ago there were dangerous processes involving Yerkrapah, when the situation from the political channel could develop into a military one, meaning a coup attempt. Kocharyan noted that Yerkrapah already knows that if they try to provide military support to Ter-Petrosyan, the state will be able to withstand this with all force.

Touching upon a number of detentions, Pennington quoted Kocharyan as saying that their goal was to exclude the presence of weapons during rallies. Kocharyan also noted that if he wants to free the square, he will do it in 40 minutes, but this will harm the demonstrators, and he does not want it.

The US information once again confirms that an attempt was made with the help of senior officials of Defense Ministry, some Yerkrap commanders to lead political processes in a way dangerous for the statehood of the country in the direction of overthrowing the constitutional order with the use of violence.

To be continued.

[1]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07YEREVAN1383_a.html

[2]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07YEREVAN1482_a.html

[3]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07YEREVAN1050_a.html

[4]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07YEREVAN1257_a.html

[5]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN110_a.html

[6]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN117_a.html

[7]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN144_a.html

[8]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN150_a.html

[9]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN154_a.html

[10]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN163_a.html

[11]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN168_a.html»

Pashinyan questioned as witness and victim in 2018 wiretapping case, authorities say

January 16, 2020January 16, 2020 Antranik Varosian

15:38,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. PM Nikol Pashinyan was questioned today by investigators as a witness in the criminal investigation into the 2018 wiretapping of his phone conversation with then-NSS Director Artur Vanetsyan as well as the latter’s phone conversation with SIS Director Sasun Khachatryan.

The conversations were leaked online earlier in 2018.

The PM was questioned as part of the probe into alleged misconduct by all parties involved. The investigation is also determining whether or not there was any obstruction of justice against the judges who examined the arrest motions of former President Robert Kocharyan and former military official Yuri Khachaturov.

PM Pashinyan has been questioned at the Investigations Committee as a witness in the criminal case to determine the circumstances of possible in interferences on courts, Investigations Committee spokesperson Naira Harutyunyan said.

A separate investigation on the illegal wiretapping and leak of the phone calls is also in process. Pashinyan has been questioned for this case also, but as a victim.

The two questioning sessions lasted 2 hours and 35 minutes.

Edited and translated Stepan Kocharyan

NYT Armenian President interview: Recognition is a strength. It’s not a weakness

November 3, 2019November 3, 2019 Antranik Varosian

News.am, Armenia

Nov 2 2019

NYT Armenian President interview: Recognition is a strength. It’s not a weakness NYT Armenian President interview: Recognition is a strength. It’s not a weakness

20:51, 02.11.2019

If you take Turkey recognizing the Armenian genocide, that will also be recognition of the fact Turkey is on its way to become a tolerant state, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian said during an interview with The New York Times’ Roger Cohen.

“Recognition of something that you have done wrong in ordinary life, in your family, with your friends, recognition is a strength. It’s not a weakness. If you take Turkey recognizing the Armenian genocide, that will also be recognition of the fact Turkey is on its way to become a tolerant state,” he said.

According to Armenpress, journalist Roger Cohen published a detailed article in The New York Times and touched upon the adoption by the US House of Representatives of the Armenian Genocide resolution.

“In every office there are images of Mount Ararat, which rises in Turkey, a symbol for Armenians of longing, pride, the hope of return and the suffering of the Armenian genocide that began in 1915 and involved the Ottoman Empire’s killing of more than one million Armenians,” Kohen wrote.

The author also turned to the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying that today Armenia has closed borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and only borders with Georgia and Iran are open.

“Yet I found Armenians in upbeat mood! What do physical borders matter these days? The nearly three million citizens of Armenia are in constant touch with the many more millions of Armenians in the diaspora, who are sending money home. With a strong tech sector, Armenia sees itself as a start-up country. It’s looking forward more than back,” he noted. “The country’s bloodless revolution in 2018 has not delivered paradise, but it has eliminated fatalism. People feel they have the freedom to try what they want. Weeks of mass protests against corruption and cronyism brought down the old Armenian political class, much as massive demonstrations in Beirut, Baghdad and Santiago in recent weeks have brought down or shaken the governments of Lebanon, Iraq and Chile.

The author of an article entitled “The Spirit That Brought Down the Berlin Wall Lives On” in an interview with the Armenian President touched upon a wave of changes that swept people around the world. Armen Sarkissian noted that the old systems will no longer work today.

“We are living in a quantum world because more than half of life is virtual,” he said. The notion of democracies functioning through elections every few years is outdated. He called Armenia “one of the first labs” to find new “rules or behavior” for a world where every individual has a voice that “is exercised and expressed daily.”

Turkey summons US ambassador over Armenian genocide resolution

October 30, 2019October 30, 2019 Antranik Varosian

Politico

Oct 30 2019

Ankara expresses anger at move by House of Representatives.

By Zia Weise | 10/30/19, 11:26 AM CET | Updated 10/30/19, 4:51 PM CET

The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey David M. Satterfield | Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey has summoned the U.S. ambassador after lawmakers in Washington voted to recognize Ottoman-era mass killings of Armenians as a genocide and called for sanctions against Ankara.

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution recognizing the genocide — which Ankara denies — and passed a bill aiming to impose fresh sanctions on Turkey over its military operation against Syrian Kurdish forces.

“Undoubtedly, this resolution will negatively affect the image of the U.S. before the public opinion of Turkey as it also brings the dignity of the U.S. House of Representatives into disrepute,” the statement added.

The Armenian genocide — the massacre and deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks in 1915 — is a sensitive issue in Turkey.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians in the Ottoman Empire died during World War I, but denies that the killings were systematic and firmly rejects the label genocide.

Most modern historians say that the killings do constitute genocide. In the EU, many countries and institutions have recognized the killings as genocide, often prompting outrage from Turkey.

The U.S. resolution comes amid deteriorating ties between Ankara and Washington following disputes over a number of issues, in particular Turkey’s recent Syria offensive.

The Turkish foreign ministry on Tuesday also condemned the U.S. lawmakers’ Syria sanctions bill, which passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 403 to 16. The draft legislation “is incompatible with the spirit of our NATO Alliance,” the ministry said.

To enact the sanctions — which target senior Turkish officials and would restrict weapons sales to Turkey — the bill still needs to pass the Senate and be signed off by President Donald Trump.