Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ZAMAN Turkey
April 23 2004

Three-Way Meeting on Karabag to be Held at NATO Summit

Turkey is preparing for a three-way meeting to discuss the re-opening
of the Turkish-Armenian border and a solution for the Nagarno-Karabag
(Karabakh) issue during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
summit to be held in Istanbul this June.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul invited his Azerbaijani and Armenian
counterparts during his trip to Baku last week. Meanwhile, Armenian
Foreign Minister, Vartan Oskanyan, announced that Armenia supports a
three-way meeting on the condition that they take up “regional
issues.” Oskanyan argued that a meeting only on the Karabakh issue
would be meaningless since Turkey cannot be a moderator.

Now, with Turkey’s involvement in the Nagarno-Karabakh issue, a
multi-phased transition plan will be the focus. Thus, Armenia will
retreat from the five regions that it occupied, the
Azerbaijani-Armenian border will be re-opened, and Turkey will
overcome the border issue with Armenia using the Syrian model.

04.23.2004
Salih Boztas
From: Baghdasarian

Daily Nexus
April 23 2004

Event Recognizes Armenian Genocide
By Vinicio Field – Reporter

Students and the community were invited to attend a commemoration of
the Armenian genocide Thursday night at Embarcadero Hall.

More than 50 people attended the event – hosted by the Armenian
Student Association (ASA) – which was held in remembrance of the
genocide perpetrated against Armenians by Turkey in 1915. The
commemoration began at 8 p.m., and included a lecture, videos and
photographs addressing the refusal of many countries to officially
recognize that the genocide actually occurred. Armenian Genocide
Remembrance Day officially takes place worldwide Saturday.

According to estimates made by online information centers such as
TheForgotten.org, around 1.5 million Armenians – 80 percent of the
Armenian population in Turkey at the time – were murdered during the
genocide. Event co-organizer Ara Keshishian of the ASA said the goal
of the event was to force people to remember what history has
forgotten.

“Imagine if your grandma were shot in front of you and no one
recognized it,” he said.

A number of audience members had tears in their eyes as Mariette
Soudjian sang both the U.S. and Armenian national anthems to begin
the commemoration.

Global and international studies visiting professor Richard Falk gave
a speech about the implications of the genocide’s lack of
recognition. Falk said he believed that official acknowledgement of
the incident would be crucial to the healing of Armenian people.

“The denial of the genocide of the Armenian people persists as an
open wound,” Falk said. “It is as important to overcome the Turkish
denial as it is for those of Armenian descent to receive the apology
in order to heal their wounds.”

Falk encouraged the audience to question whether any progress has
been made toward stopping genocide around the world.

“We have to ask ourselves: Is the world safer now?” Falk said. “How
far has the legal development against ethnic cleansing come when the
Armenian genocide is not even recognized; where countries, including
the United States, have ordered their bureaucrats not to use the word
‘genocide’ regarding events in places like Rwanda?”

Falk then recited portions of a poem written during the genocide
entitled “The Dance,” by a German eyewitness named Siamanto. The poem
details rape, torture and women being burned alive after being
ordered to dance nude. ASA members Carolyn Lee and Hermine Barseghian
also read from “The Dance,” and violinist Hagop Barseghian played a
song in tribute.

Diana Magpapian, ASA member and political science graduate student,
echoed Falk’s desire for acknowledgement of the genocide.

“Our presentation is not about money, it’s not about anything except
recognition. Most countries officially deny or ignore the Armenian
genocide. Denial is ignorance. We are trying to correct ignorance and
stop the denial,” Magpapian said.

ASA president and psychology major Talin Nazarian said he especially
wanted scholars to recognize the historical significance of the
genocide for the Armenian people.

“Armenians exist on all sides of the globe, but the genocide isn’t in
textbooks,” Nazarian said. “Until our history is in textbooks, it is
important for us to show the history of our people.”
From: Baghdasarian

Chinese Envoy To Un Criticizes US On Failed Human Rights Resolution

Xinhua news agency, Beijing
15 Apr 04

(New China News Agency)

Geneva, 15 April: China has, once again, foiled an anti-China attempt
brewed by the United States when a “no-action ” motion it tabled was
passed by voting here Wednesday (14 April) at the 60th session of
the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

This is China’s 11th victory over the US-led anti-China bid since 1990.

With 28 votes for, 16 against and 9 abstentions, the 53-member
commission approved the Chinese motion, thus rejecting the US draft
resolution against China before it was put to the vote.

In his statement before the vote, Chinese Ambassador Sha Zukang said
that if the logic of the United States – the human rights situation
in China “worsened sharply” – holds any truth, China would have
already backslid to the primitive stage. “Facts have shown that far
from backsliding, the human rights situation in China has advanced
significantly. Reacting from disappointment and jealousy, the US
came up with this anti-China resolution,” Sha told more than 500
participants at the meeting.

“The truth is that China is now under a new generation of leadership
who is inspired by the ideal of building a people-centred government
and is committed to do all it can in the interest of the people. Under
this government, the Chinese people have successfully overcome the
SARS epidemic and achieved an annual GDP growth rate of 9.1 per cent,”
he said.

A recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report has
acknowledged the enormous progress made by China in achieving the
Millennium Goals and predicted that China could realize most of the
goals in the Millennium Declaration by the year 2015, he said.

Ambassador Sha described the US claim that China lacks basic freedoms
as pure distortion of facts and outright lying. “The truth is that
the Chinese people enjoy freedoms of speech, assembly, association,
religion and belief that are guaranteed by law,” he said.

“It is particularly noteworthy that last March the National People’s
Congress incorporated the concept of ‘the state respects and protects
human rights’ into the Chinese constitution, thus marking an important
milestone in China’s cause for promoting and protecting human rights,”
he added.

He briefed the session on China’s cooperation with international
human rights mechanism as well as human rights exchanges and dialogues
between China and more than a dozen countries.

Since the US has repeatedly refused visits by special rapporteur on
torture and other special mechanisms of the Human Rights Commission,
Sha said: “The US has no qualification to find fault with China and
nitpick China’s human rights situation.”

Although the United States claims that the resolution this year is
very mildly-worded, Ambassador Sha said: “It is only obvious that
the US resolution is nothing but a sugar-coated bullet. And even
masquerading as a mild resolution, its true purpose of obstinately
interfering in the affairs of other countries in order to serve its
domestic interests cannot be concealed.”

“Appointing itself as a ‘human rights defender’, the US picks on the
human rights situations of other countries at will, but says nothing
about its own disastrous human rights records. I cannot imagine how
such a grand superpower could be so cowardly,” he said.

Sha reiterated that China welcomes well-intentioned criticisms and
suggestions from other countries, but the US anti-China resolution
is “for the sole purpose of serving the interests of its domestic
presidential election, rather than that of genuine concern for human
rights”.

Of the 53 members now seating on the UN Commission on Human Rights,
those who voted for China’s no-action motion included Bahrain, Bhutan,
Brazil, Burkina Faso, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia Gabon,
India, Indonesia, Mauritania, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia,
Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland,
Togo, Ukraine, Zimbabwe and China.

Those who voted against the motion were Australia, Austria, Costa Rica,
Croatia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland Italy,
Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Britain and the United States.

And those voted with abstentions were from Argentina, Armenia, Chile,
Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Republic of Korea and
Uganda.
From: Baghdasarian

NEVER IN THE PAST 50 YEARS

Azat Artsakh–Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
14-04-2004

The cold weather in the republic in the past week caused great damage
to agriculture, especially the private farmers. Vladimir Zakiyan, head
of the department of land farming of the NKR Ministry of Agriculture),
touched upon this problematic matter. – For many years already I have
been working inthis sphere and such a situation, i.e. frost in April,
has not occurred in the past 5 decades. Of course, there were cases
when the temperature fell to zero degree but 7 degrees below zero is
an exceptional phenomenon. If you remember the temperature before the
frost was high, 22-25 degrees. Early blossoming trees, pear, peach,
apricot trees were damaged from too low temperature on these days. The
vineyards were “provoked” by early warm weather and then were
completely frozen.

NIKOLAY BAGHDASSARIAN.
14-04-2004
From: Baghdasarian

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian

NAASR TO PRESENT EAST COAST PREMIERE
OF `GERMANY AND THE SECRET GENOCIDE’

The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will
present the East Coast premiere of award-winning filmmaker J. Michael
Hagopian’s documentary Germany and the Secret Genocide on Friday evening,
April 23, 2004, at 7:30 p.m., at Belmont (Mass.) High School, on Concord
Avenue in Belmont. This special event is in commemoration of the 89th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The film, which chronicles the involvement of Germany with its ally the
Ottoman Empire in carrying out the Armenian Genocide, has been hailed by the
Los Angeles Times as a `revealing, notable, persuasive work … a rigorously
researched and damning indictment.’ Hagopian, a pioneer in the effort to
document the Armenian Genocide through films such as The Forgotten Genocide,
The Armenian Case, Where Are My People, and Voices from the Lake, will
attend the screening and take part in a panel discussion following the
showing.

Distinguished Panel to Discuss Film

In addition to Dr. Hagopian, the panel will include Prof. James R. Russell,
Mashtots Chair of Armenian Studies, Harvard University; Prof. Sharon Rivo,
Director, National Center for Jewish Film, Brandeis University; Dr. Suzanne
Moranian, historian and author; and John Shattuck, former Assistant
Secretary of State and current Chief Executive Officer, John F. Kennedy
Library Foundation.

Germany and the Secret Genocide follows the final footsteps of Armenians who
were led to their deaths in Turkey during the Armenian Genocide beginning in
April 1915. Hagopian weaves together filmed interviews and letters written
by American and European survivors of the Armenian Genocide with the
testimony of witnesses and experts in the field to examine Germany’s
involvement in the mass killings of Armenians.

It is shown in the film that Germany had the power to stop the Armenian
Genocide but opted to do nothing and became complicit in what the Allied
governments proclaimed a `crime against humanity’ by assisting in the
covering up of the Turkish government’s actions. In addition, the
involvement of a number of Germans who were among the early members of the
Nazi party under Hitler is explored.
Hagopian demonstrates throughout the film that the Genocide was a
well-thought-out extermination of an entire culture – complete with a
pre-arranged train schedule for the transportation of Armenians out of their
ancestral homelands.

Acclaimed and Pioneering Filmmaker

Born in Kharpert-Mezreh in Historic Armenia, Hagopian has explored his roots
and the history of his people through the medium of film and won critical
acclaim, including two Emmys for the writing and production of The Forgotten
Genocide, the first full-length feature on the Armenian Genocide. In all,
Hagopian’s work encompasses nearly 400 `witness’ interviews and twenty years
of research.
In 1979, Hagopian founded the non-profit Armenian Film Foundation to
document Armenian culture and instill pride in Armenian youth worldwide.
Since then, he has been leading the effort to raise funds and create the
`Witnesses’ trilogy on the Armenian Genocide. The first film, Voices From
the Lake, provided a case study of the Genocide’s impact on one community,
Hagopian’s birthplace of Kharpert-Mezreh.

Hagopian holds a doctorate in international relations from Harvard
University and an undergraduate degree from University of California,
Berkeley. Having left Armenia as an infant, he grew up in Fresno,
California, before moving to Los Angeles as a teenager.

Tickets are available in advance at the NAASR Headquarters and will be on
sale at Belmont High School on the night of the film showing. Advance
purchase is recommended. Ample parking is available at the Belmont High
School building and in adjacent areas on Concord Ave.

More information about the film showing is available by calling
617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to
NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenian protesters outside parliament, close to presidential palace

A1+ web site
12 Apr 04

A procession of protesters stopped outside the Armenian parliament.
The rest of the way leading to the presidential palace, which is only
100-120 metres away, is blocked by barbed wire with soldiers behind.

It is calm outside parliament. Music is being played. The protesters
are holding their hands up. A few minutes ago they started to chant
unanimously “Kocharyan, go”.

Academician Rafael Kazaryan is going to make a speech.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenian official urges opposition to end “undesirable political processes”

Arminfo
12 Apr 04

YEREVAN

The Armenian opposition should do everything possible to cut short
undesirable political processes or slow them down, Artashes Tumanyan,
head of the Armenian presidential administration, has said in an
interview with Armenian Public TV.

The opposition should not refuse to do legislative work. Although in a
political minority, it should try “to push through” certain bills. It
would be normal and civilized for the opposition to act so, Tumanyan
said. He disagreed with the view that the opposition had no other way
out but boycott the parliament sessions.

Speaking about the main opposition demands, he explained the first
point by a less than perfect electoral system. It is no secret that
since 1995 all the elections in Armenia have been “vulnerable” due to
various reasons. Until now, no amendments were made to the electoral
system, and here lies a broad area for the legislative activities. But
for reasons unknown, the opposition is not debating that despite the
fact that the views of the president and the coalition often coincide
with the initiatives put forward by the opposition. The latter had
repeatedly spoken about its readiness for dialogue.

The paucity of the opposition MPs does not mean at all that any
proposals by the opposition will be rejected, Tumanyan said.
From: Baghdasarian

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
April 8 2004

RUMOURS EXAGGERATED

The messages of the recent days remind those made before a war.
Threats and answers are made once from the Armenian party, and once
from the Azerbaijani. In Karabakh, however, there is no sign of war.
People think if there is, in fact, such threat why nobody reacts to
it. It means the tensions are provoked deliberately hoping that
something will explode somewhere. In this case for whom are these
tensions favourable? On March 29 negotiations were to take place
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Prague with
the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen. The
negotiations were cancelled because the Azerbaijani party refused to
take part in them. The Armenian newspaper `Haykakan Zhamanakâ’
writes that Baku generally refuses to negotiate with
Armenia. According to the newspaper, the maintenance of the deadlock
situation in the negotiation process is, as usual, favourable for
Russia. In his interview to the newspaper `Azg’ NKR minister of
foreign affairs Ashot Ghulian said, `The very first months of office
of Ilham Aliev showed that the prospect of the process of negotiations
is blurred. Perhaps for them the Karabakh problem has stopped being a
priority, and only vague militarist expressions are made, such as
starting negotiations from the beginning, complaining of the
activities of the international organizations and in particular the
Minsk Group,’ emphasized A. Ghulian. Although, maybe, the talks in
Prague failed because Ilham Aliev was going to relieve minister of
foreign affairs Vilayat Guliev from his post. The corresponding
decision was signed on April 2, 2004 and Elmar Maherram Oghli
Mamediarov was appointed minister of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan. It
is obvious that the process of negotiations is rolling
backward. Apparently this was the reason for active militarist
propaganda. Moreover, now in Baku, on the one hand, they say that
Azerbaijan cannot get reconciled with the loss of the territories, and
on the other hand, the resumption of the military actions is
favourable for the government of Armenia which prefers this to a civil
war. `As long as the Azerbaijani territories are occupied, the war
with Armenia may start at any moment,’ told the Azerbaijani minister
of home affairs Safar Abiev to the Azerbaijani agency `Trend’. `You
know what the situation in Armenia is, as long as the Armenian armed
forces are in our territory, the danger of resumption of war exists,’
stressed S. Abiev. Member of parliament of the Azerbaijani Mili Mejlis
Anar Mamedkhanov announced that the parliaments of Armenia and the
Republic of Nagorni Karabakh are going to legalize the occupation of
the Azerbaijani territories within one or two months. And the
Baku-based newspaper `Zerkalo’ foresees that in the upcoming days
additional points may be introduced in the military doctrine of
Armenia concerning the security of Nagorni Karabakh. `According to one
of the points of the doctrine, in case of military threat or
announcement of martial law the armed forces deployed in Nagorni
Karabakh pass under the military commandment of Armenia.’ Russia is
also worried by the danger of resumption of the military actions in
the conflict area of Karabakh. The Russian news agency `Regnum’
headlined the materials concerning Nagorni Karabakh last week `Will
the USA manage to prevent war in Karabakh?’. As to the USA, it will do
anything for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. This statement
was made by the deputy secretary state of the US Richard
Armitage. According to the newspaper `Turkish Daily News’, Armitage
cited the example of the recent events in Kosovo, adding at the same
time that such collisions are possible in Nagorni Karabakh too, writes
the newspaper `Azg’ and mentions that in the recent months the
skirmishes at the border between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces
have become frequent. The head of the director of plan and defence of
the US European command, major general Jeffrey Kohler announced that
the appeals of Washington for peaceful settlement refer to both
Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to him, before the years 2001-2002
the US government imposed sanctions against the Armenian and
Azerbaijani parties, which may be imposed again in case of new
confrontations at the border. At the same time he announced that the
USA does not intend deploying new military installations in
Azerbaijan. The opening of the Armenia-Turkey border also has a
special role in the relationships of Armenia with Azerbaijan. This
topic was touched upon the during the meeting of Richard Armitage with
Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliev; the latter was against, as,
according to him, opening the border with Turkey will render the
conflict impossible to settle, because Azerbaijan will lose an
important lever for putting pressure in Armenia. In his turn foreign
minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanian appealed to the government of
Ankara to make corresponding conclusions from Aliev’s statements who
considers Turkey as a lever in its hand against Armenia. On April 6 a
group of journalists representing the leading mass media of Azerbaijan
moves to the Armenian-Turkish border for the action `Turks Supporting
Turks’. The main slogan of the action is `No to Opening Border with
Armenia’. The action will start in the towns Igdir and Kars in the
northeast of Turkey and will end in Ankara. The participants of the
action will address a message to the government of the brotherly
country appealing to oppose the tension on the part of a number of
countries in this matter. The Azerbaijani journalists and the local
inhabitants will create a symbolic wall between the territories of
Armenia and Turkey. What is this if not a provocation of
tensionsâ’

NAIRA HAYRUMIAN
From: Baghdasarian

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
April 3 2004

OMBUDSMAN OF AZERBAIJAN RECEIVES RETURN MAIL FROM HUNGARY

Commissioner on Human Rights in Azerbaijan Republic Elmira
Suleymanova has recently sent a letter to Ombudsman of Hungarian
Republic to ask the latter to ensure rights of Azerbaijan military
officer Ramil Sarfarov detained in Budapest for murder of the
Armenian servicemen on February 19, promote unbiased investigation
and keep the issue under control. The letter also clued up on the
roots of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, and infamous actions of the
Armenian aggressors including the Statement issued on the occasion of
the 12th anniversary of Hojali genocide resulted in mass annihilation
of innocent people.

In his return mail, Ombudsman of Hungarian Republic Albert Takashin’s
has expressed gratitude for the confidence to his office, and noted
in particular that the information provided in the letter had made
him think. `This detailed information will facilitate investigating
authorities to take fair decision,’ the letter said. Mr. Albert
Takashin pointed out that although the Hungarian law on Ombudsman did
not empower him to directly interfere the investigation, however, he
had sent all the documents to Prosecutor General, who had invited him
to monitor the process, receive information on the facts established,
and hear out the complaints from the suspect.

The Ombudsman of the Hungarian Republic assured his Azerbaijan
colleague that representatives of his office would regularly visit
Ramil Safarov to keep him informed of the efforts being taken by his
country to help him, and to learn of his needs and problems.
From: Baghdasarian

Transitions Online, Week in Review
23 – 29 March 2004

ARMENIA: A GATHERING STORM?

As the opposition prepares to challenge the president, Kocharian and his
government play the good cop/bad cop routine.

YEREVAN, Armenia–An increasingly defiant, more unified opposition, a
government out on the road meeting the people, and a president changing
senior figures in law-enforcement agencies: these three recent developments
are being taken as signs that, a year after deeply flawed presidential
elections, Armenia may be on the cusp of a fresh, large-scale political
battle.

The battle will become a little clearer on 31 March, when the opposition is
expected to announce that it will hold a rally in mid-April with the aim of
forcing President Robert Kocharian to step down.

This will be days after a demonstration on 2 April to mark the second
anniversary of Armenia’s leading independent TV channel A1 Plus. Despite its
popularity and international calls for greater media plurality, A1 Plus has
repeatedly been refused a TV license, with the government-appointed
commission usually opting to give licenses instead to new or inexperienced
producers. A1 Plus has said it may hold rolling demonstrations unless the
government meets its demands for the license tenders to be re-opened, with
civil-society members on the selection commission.

The demonstrations represent a gamble by the opposition. It has a record of
disunity and question marks hang over the size of the crowds that it will
draw. While the A1 Plus issue has angered many and while the station was
very popular, demonstrations two years ago garnered between 5,000 and
10,000. Crowds of up to 40,000 protesters gathered after the presidential
elections in 2003.

The opposition, however, is showing more unity than in the past. The joint
organizers of the mid-April demonstration, Artarutyun and National Unity,
have in the past accused each other of working with the government and were
widely seen as rivals. Both parties are big players on the political scene:
the rally will bring together the supporters of the man who came second in
the presidential elections, Artarutyun’s Stepan Demirchian, and the man who
came third, National Unity’s Artashes Geghamian.

Moreover, since the presidential elections in 2003, there has been a potent
demonstration of street power in Georgia in the form of the “rose
revolution,” which toppled the country’s long-time president, Eduard
Shevardnadze. In the immediate aftermath of Georgia’s revolution, there was
speculation about whether Armenia might follow Georgia’s lead, but there
were no major demonstrations. That may largely have been due to the wintry
weather, which is a factor in the timing of the new wave of protests.
National Unity had initially been thinking of holding off on demonstrations
until the arrival of warm weather in May.

A FRIENDLIER FACE, BUT A STRONGER HAND

The opposition also are taking hope from the actions of the government and
the president.

In recent weeks, senior ministers have been going out into the provinces and
countryside in a move interpreted as a bid to bolster public support for the
government. It also may be a direct response to ongoing nationwide tours by
members of the opposition.

There also has been some signs of a slightly milder tone by some members of
the governing coalition. In a joint statement on 26 March, representatives
of the three coalition parties–the Republican Party of Armenia, Orinats
Erkir (Country of Law), and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun)–poured some ash on their heads by acknowledging the
existence of many problems (though mainly social) and indicated that 2004
would be a crucial year for the government to deliver on its promises.

The appointment to senior posts of relatives of members of the coalition
might also suggest a rebalancing of power within the coalition.

However, Kocharian himself has struck a harsher tone, attacking the
opposition for having “a tramp’s mentality.” He also has showed a strong
hand. In a move that seems designed to show the opposition that he is firmly
in command of the security services, he fired four district prosecutors on
22 March. The clear-out affected seven of Yerevan’s 11 districts.

On 17 March, he had dismissed Armenia’s prosecutor-general, and sacked or
moved over a dozen senior police officials.

The country’s new prosecutor-general, Aghvan Hovsepian, is a Kocharian
loyalist.

Moreover, the government is not relenting to criticism about its policies
toward the opposition. During the week, the government also presented a
revised draft law to parliament that would in some instances enable the
police to arrest the organizers of mass rallies and would limit the right to
hold demonstrations. The government says the bill matches Council of Europe
standards. However, according to a 26 March report in the opposition daily,
an Armenian delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE), which Armenia joined in 2001, says that the bill falls short of
European standards.

Armenia has a poor record on political tolerance. After unsanctioned
opposition demonstrations over alleged electoral fraud in 2003, according to
RFE figures, police rounded about 400 supporters of the Artarutyun leader,
Stepan Demirchian. Many were sentenced to 15 days in prison, and reports
suggest that many were denied access to lawyers and their trials were held
behind closed doors.

Armenia’s current criminal code allows the security forces to jail people
briefly without a particular reason.

Fears that similar measures could be taken after the A1 Plus and opposition
demonstrations were heightened on 25 March when a leading member of the
opposition, Victor Dallakian, claimed to have been attacked on 23 March by
three men.

The police have already called the planned 2 April rally illegal.

THE UNDERCURRENT OF VIOLENCE

Kocharian also has demonstrated that he is unconcerned about allegations
regarding the violent nature of some of his appointees, choosing as governor
of the southern Syunik region a man who is accused of being the head of a
criminal gang.

Two nephews of Surik Khachatrian, a leading veteran of the war in
Nagorno-Karabakh, are currently being investigated for murder. RFE reported
that Khachatrian denied any role in the killing, though he did not deny the
guilt of his nephews.

Khachatrian’s appointment is just one of several recent examples of a
violent undercurrent in Armenian politics and among its political elite.

That was shown most explosively on 12 March. Kocharian and his Georgian
counterpart, Mikheil Saakashvili, were having dinner together when a
gunfight erupted in the next-door café. Five men were taken to the hospital.
Among them was the son of the minister for urban development, Ara Aramian.
The minister confirmed that his son had been involved.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the son of the minister for local
government, Hovik Abrahamian, also was involved.

–by Anna Hakobyan
From: Baghdasarian