Author: Boshkezenian Garik

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
May 4, 2004 Tuesday

Armenian opposition say to refrain from protests until May 14

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Armenian opposition will refrain from meetings, marches or other mass
actions and is ready to organize discussions with the government and
political parties on the ways of ending the current crisis, Albert
Bazeyan, one of the leaders of the oppositionist Republic Party, told
a meeting in Yerevan.

Opposition forces took that decision as a sign of respect for the
resolution on the situation in Armenia that the Council of Europe had
issued April 28, he said.

The document contained, among other things, a call for dialogue
between the government and the opposition.

Bazeyan recalled that President Robert Kocharian’s resignation
remained the oppositionists’ chief demand.

He reiterated the claims that Kocharian was an illegitimate leader
since he had come to power due to “amassed electoral violations”.

The authorities say, in the meantime, that the oppositionists are
displaying political extremism and insist that dialogue be held in
the walls of the national parliament.

Despite rainy weather, the meeting gathered about 8,000 participants,
who thronged through the central streets towards the building of the
Prosecutor General’s Office, where they demanded to release from
detention some of the opposition activists.

Police reinforcements were drawn to the Presidential Palace.

A1 Plus | 13:53:34 | 28-04-2004 | Politics |

PACE PRELIMINARY REPORT ON ARMENIA

Here we represent PACE preliminary report on Armenia, which will be
discussed this evening.

Honouring of obligations and commitments by Armenia

Report

Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States
of the Council of Europe

Rapporteurs: Mr René André, France, Group of the European People’s Party,
and Mr Jerzy Jaskiernia, Poland, Socialist Group

Summary

Since the end of March 2004, a series of protests were organised by the
opposition forces in Armenia, calling for the holding of a “referendum of
confidence” in President Kocharian. The demonstrations, while announced,
have not been authorised by the authorities who threatened their organisers
with criminal prosecution. In the early morning of 13 April, the security
forces violently dispersed some 2000-3000 protesters who were attempting to
march towards the presidential palace, calling for President Kocharian’s
resignation. The police reportedly used truncheons, water cannons and tear
gas, causing dozens of injuries.

The Parliamentary Assembly considers that the actions of the Armenian
authorities are contrary to the letter and the spirit of the recommendations
formulated in its Resolution 1361 (2004) adopted last January and it demands
Armenia to urgently comply with its obligations and commitments.

The Assembly calls upon the authorities and the opposition to refrain from
any action which may lead to further violence and to engage in a dialogue
without preconditions, with a view to resolving the present conflict in
accordance with Council of Europe standards and European democratic
practice.

I. Draft resolution

1. Since the end of March 2004, a series of protests were organised by the
opposition forces in Armenia, calling for the holding of a “referendum of
confidence” in President Kocharian. The possibility of such a referendum was
first mentioned by the Armenian Constitutional Court following the
presidential elections in February and March last year. The Constitutional
Court has since reversed its decision and the authorities qualify the
opposition demands and protests as an attempt to seize power by force.

2. The demonstrations, while announced, have not been authorised by the
authorities who threatened their organisers with criminal prosecution.
Following the demonstrations on 5 April, the prosecutor general opened
criminal investigations against several members of the opposition and many
more were arrested. On the same occasion, several journalists were beaten up
by unknown persons while the police was standing by taking no action.

3. New demonstrations took place on 9, 10 and 12 April in Yerevan. In the
early morning of 13 April, the security forces violently dispersed some
2000-3000 protesters who were attempting to march towards the presidential
palace, calling for President Kocharian’s resignation. The police reportedly
used truncheons, water cannons and tear gas, causing dozens of injuries. A
number of protesters were arrested, including members of parliament, some of
whom are members of the Assembly, and some were allegedly mistreated during
their custody by the police. The security forces also assaulted and arrested
several journalists who were covering the opposition rally.

4. The tensions in Armenia continue to run high; new protests are planned
for the week of 26 April. For the time being, there seems to be little room
for dialogue between the authorities and the opposition, even if some offers
have been made and some members of the ruling majority – and notably the
Speaker of the Armenian parliament – have begun criticising the heavy-handed
crackdown on demonstrators.

5. With regard to the conduct of the authorities, the Parliamentary Assembly
recalls that its actions are contrary to the letter and the spirit of the
recommendations formulated in its Resolution 1361 (2004) adopted last
January. It is particularly concerned with the fact that:

i. massive arrests, including on the basis of the Administrative Code,
ignored the demand to immediately end the practice of administrative
detention and change the Administrative Code used as a legal basis for this
practice;

ii. the authorities refused to authorise opposition rallies for reasons not
permitted under the European Convention on Human Rights. Moreover the new
draft law on the procedure of conducting gatherings, meetings, rallies and
demonstrations, currently in the parliamentary procedure, was evaluated as
excessively restrictive by experts of the Venice Commission;

iii. persons detained during the recent events were reportedly subjected to
ill-treatment by police and security forces, in spite of Assembly’s demands
to take resolute and more active steps to remedy misconduct by law
enforcement officials; iv. freedom of expression continues to be seriously
curtailed and several acts of violence against journalists, which took place
during the recent events, were carried out or were allowed to happen by the
police and security forces.

6. With regard to the conduct of the opposition, the Assembly stresses that
they should do their utmost to avoid any future violence.

7. As to their demands for the holding of a “referendum of confidence” and
the resignation of President Kocharian, the Assembly stresses that:

i. both the presidential, and the parliamentary elections which followed in
May last year were severely criticised by the international community,
including by the Assembly delegations. The elections fell short of the
international standards in key areas and the irregularities observed notably
included biased media coverage, detention of opposition proxies and campaign
staff, falsification of results, intimidation of observers as well as
generally inadequate performance of the elections administration.

ii. although the fraud, in spite of its magnitude, did not decisively change
the outcome of the elections nor invalidate their final results, in its
report on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Armenia, adopted
in January 2004 (Resolution 1361), the Assembly expressed profound
disappointment at the conduct of the elections and called for a thorough
investigation into electoral fraud and an end to the judicial impunity for
those responsible for it.

8. Consequently, the Assembly considers that the opposition, while entitled
to fully enjoy their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, should
refrain from attempts to use street demonstrations to reverse the results of
last year’s elections, which have been, in spite of the irregularities,
validated by relevant national and international bodies.

9. The Assembly calls upon the Armenian authorities to:

i. allow peaceful demonstrations and refrain from any further action which
would legally, or in practice, lead to unjustified restrictions to the
freedom of assembly guaranteed by the European Convention on human rights;

ii. immediately investigate – in a transparent and credible manner – the
incidents and human rights abuses reported during the recent events,
including assaults of journalists and human rights activists, and inform the
Assembly of their findings and possible legal actions against persons
responsible;

iii. immediately release the persons detained for their participation in the
demonstrations and immediately end the practice of administrative detention
and amend the Administrative Code to this effect;

iv. create fair conditions for the normal functioning of the media, notably
as regards the issuing of broadcasting licences to television companies,
particularly to television channel A1+;

v. send a written report to the Assembly, before the opening of the June
2004 part-session, on the steps it has taken with regard to sub-paragraphs
9.i , ii, iii and iv.

10. The Assembly calls upon the authorities and the opposition to refrain
from any action which may lead to further violence and to engage in a
dialogue without preconditions, with a view to resolving the present
conflict in accordance with Council of Europe standards and European
democratic practice.

11. The Assembly believes that the recent events have added a measure of
urgency to its demands for Armenia’s full and unconditional compliance with
their obligations and commitments. It resolves to continue to closely
monitor the situation in Armenia and, if no progress with regard to
sub-paragraphs 9.i, ii, iii and iv is made by the opening of the June 2004
part-session, to reconsider the credentials of the Armenian delegation, in
accordance with Rule 9 of its Rules of Procedure.

II. Explanatory memorandum by the co-rapporteurs

1. Introduction

Since the end of March, opposition forces in Armenia decided to jointly
organise mass protests to force a “referendum of confidence” in President
Kocharian. The possibility of such a referendum was first mentioned by the
Armenian Constitutional Court following the presidential elections in
February and March last year, which were strongly criticised by the
international community. The opposition intentions are likely to have been
inspired by last year’s events in the neighbouring Georgia, where massive
protests led to the resignation of President Shevardnadze and early
presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Armenian authorities reacted to the opposition call for protests with a
campaign of political intimidation and administrative and judicial
harassment. Once the protests started, the reaction was even more ruthless.
Demonstrations were violently dispersed, journalists were beaten up, a large
number of opposition supporters were arrested and premises of the opposition
parties were raided by the police.

The Head of the OSCE presence in Yerevan blamed both the authorities and the
opposition for violent incidents. Most media and NGO reports put the blame
squarely on the government.

New opposition rallies were announced for the week of 26 April. The tensions
continue, there seems to be little room for dialogue right now.

2. Background to the recent events

The 2003 presidential and parliamentary elections

Armenia conducted two important elections last year – President Kocharian
was reelected president in March and the new parliament was elected in the
elections which took place in May.

Both elections were severely criticised by the international community,
including by the Assembly delegations. The elections fell short of
international standards in key areas, and the irregularities observed
included notably biased media coverage, detention of opposition proxies and
campaign staff, falsification of results, intimidation of observers as well
as generally inadequate performance of the elections administration.

The Assembly’s monitoring report, adopted in January 2004 (Resolution 1361),
expressed profound disappointment with the conduct of the elections. The
Assembly also called for a thorough investigation into electoral fraud an
end to the judicial impunity for those responsible for it.

However, in their explanatory memorandum, the rapporteurs concurred with the
findings of the OSCE observation mission that the fraud, in spite of its
magnitude, did not decisively change the outcome of the elections nor
invalidate their final results.

It was in this spirit that the Assembly ratified the credentials of the
Armenian delegation after the May parliamentary elections. However, the
acceptance of the results should not be understood by Yerevan as the
readiness to condone and tolerate this kind of conduct in the future. They
were given the benefit of the doubt, but they should be very careful not to
gamble with the trust of the international community. The recent events
regrettably indicate that the authorities have not fully understood this
message. “Referendum of confidence”

After several presidential candidates from the opposition contested the
results of the Presidential elections in February and March last year, the
Armenian Constitutional Court ruled that their complaints were well-founded
but did not invalidate the results. Instead, it proposed the holding of a
“referendum of confidence” in President Kocharian.

This decision, delivered on 16 April, was severely criticised by President
Kocharian and his supporters, as a challenge to the President’s legitimacy.
The Constitutional Court has since reversed its position and stated, on 26
January 2004, that its original decision had been misunderstood and
manipulated. In spite of this decision of the Constitutional Court, the
holding of a “referendum of confidence” constitutes the main demand of the
present opposition campaign of protests.

3. Chronology of recent events[1]

– 17 March 2004
President Kocharian dismissed Aram Tamazian, Prosecutor-General for the past
three years. Mr Kocharian stated that the role and prestige of the Office of
the Prosecutor-General had declined under Mr Tamazian’s leadership,
appointed in his place was Aghvan Hovsepian, Deputy Prosecutor-General. He
had served as Prosecutor-General in 1998 and 1999. Four Yerevan procesutors
were dismissed on 22 March.

– 23 March
The European Union’s special envoy for the southern Caucasus, Heike
Talvitie, met the Minister for Foreign Affairs and two Deputy Speakers of
Parliament. Ms Talvitie referred to the controversial draft legislation
currently before Parliament which would restrict freedom of assembly. Tigran
Torosian, a “parliamentary official”, gave an assurance that this bill was
in conformity with European principles and standards, and that it was
currently under examination by the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission.

– 26 March
In a joint communique to Parliament, the three political parties of the
governing coalition issued a warning about attempts to break constitutional
law, and called the responsible authorities to maintain order with
determination and firmness.

– 28 March
A major gathering organised by the Artarutiun opposition bloc in Giumri,
Armenia’s second city, degenerated into fighting between those who back
Artarutiun and supporters of President Kocharian. Four members of Artarutiun
were arrested for assaulting a police officer. The chairperson of
Artarutiun, Stepan Demirchian, had told participants (numbering around 1
000): “we are witnessing the death throes” of the Kocharian regime, and “the
Armenian people cannot tolerate the rule of such thugs”.

– 29 March
The Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, which represents the most
influential business persons, issued a statement warning that political
unrest would have negative effects on the Armenian economy and that such a
situation would jeopardise the chances of finding a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on terms favourable to Armenia.

– 30 March
President Kocharian’s press service stated that the opposition’s threats
were baseless and aggressive, and that the organisation of unauthorised
public meetings was a “criminal offence”, and would be dealt with as such.
The chairperson of the Armenian Helsinki Association, Mikael Danielian, was
attacked and beaten up by four unknown men as he left his home. He had
constantly expressed criticism of the Armenian authorities for violations of
human rights.

The prosecutor general opened a criminal case against members of the
opposition Justice Alliance under Article 301 (public calls for seizure of
power by force) and 318/2 (publicly insulting representatives of
government).
– 31 March

The authorities warned the opposition leaders that they might well be
arrested during an investigation of their plans to “seize power by violence
and change the constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia”. The
Artarutiun opposition bloc and the National Unity Party planned to organise
demonstrations in April calling for the resignation of President Kocharian,
whose re-election in 2003 they challenged. The leader of Artarutiun, Stepan
Demirchian, emphasised that the opposition was not seeking violence, but
merely wished to restore constitutional order.

– 1 April
At a meeting with European ambassadors, President Kocharian said that the
situation was tense in Armenia. He declared that stability was his priority,
and he rejected accusations that his government had threatened to arrest
opposition leaders.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation gave its support to the governing
coalition against the opposition, while the Republican Party and Orinats
Yerkir said that arrests among the opposition would be unjustified.

– 5 April
The National Unity Party organised a rally in Yerevan that drew an estimated
300 participants. Fights broke out and journalists trying to film the
clashes were beaten up while police was standing by taking no action. The
leaders of the two main opposition parties, Stepan Demirchian and Artashes
Geghamian, announced that they would be organising demonstrations from 9
April onwards in order to force the government to resign, despite a number
of arrests of opposition supporters made by the authorities on 4 April.

– 6 April
The police confirmed that 48 opposition activists and supporters had been
arrested following an unauthorised demonstration on 4 or 5 April. It was
reported that, during this demonstration, some journalists had been attacked
by unknown persons, without the police intervening. The police chief
declared that the law enforcement agencies had been told to intervene only
in extreme cases.

The leaders of the three main opposition parties, Artashes Geghamian, Aram
Sargsian and Stepan Demirchian, during new demonstrations in Yerevan on 9
and 10 April, decided to call for President Kocharian’s resignation, on the
grounds that his re-election had been fraudulent and therefore unlawful.
They issued an ultimatum to the authorities, giving them until midday on 12
April to organise a referendum of confidence in Mr Kocharian.

– 9, 10 and 12 April
The organisers estimate that 30,000 people (60 of whom were arrested) took
part in the 9 April demonstrations, with 10,000 taking part on 10 April and
15,000 on 12 April.

– 13 April
At 2 am on 13 April, special police equipped with truncheons, water cannons
and tear gas grenades attacked between 2,000 and 3,000 demonstrators who
were attempting to march towards the presidential palace to call for the
resignation of the President, causing dozens of injuries. Security forces
brutally attacked several journalists reporting on the opposition rally.

The police then moved on to the headquarters of the National Accord Party,
the People’s Party of Armenia and Hanrapetitiun, destroying their offices
and arresting some members of these parties, including three MPs. Artashes
Geghamian and Aram Sargsian called for new demonstrations. President
Kocharian met the three leaders of the governing coalition parties and
expressed condemnation of the previous days’ opposition demonstrations and
support for the police action. He added that the authorities would use all
lawful means of preventing any more extremist demonstrations

Vahan Hovannisian (a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation,
Dashnaktsutiun), Deputy Speaker of Parliament, said that the opposition had
overestimated its capacities and that its demands were of an extremist
nature. He pointed out that the three coalition parties had made an offer
the previous week to begin dialogue with the opposition.

At this time, Artashes Geghamian and Aram Sargsian were in hiding, fearing
arrest.

Stepan Demirchian rejected police claims that the demonstrators had used
violence against the police.

A spokesman for the US State Department, Richard Boucher, expressed the
United States’ concern about the acts of violence in Armenia, and urged the
two sides to engage in dialogue.

– 14 April
Artashes Geghamian, at a press conference in the parliament building, said
that the police had searched the National Unity Party headquarters and his
own flat, seizing documents and even family photographs. He added, with the
support of two members of the Artarutiun alliance, Albert Bazeyan and Viktor
Dallakian, that the opposition would continue to campaign for the
resignation of the country’s leadership.

At a meeting with members of Armenia’s United Communist Party, President
Kocharian called for dialogue with the opposition. Tigran Torosian and
Samvel Balasanian, members of the governing coalition, also proposed
dialogue, during a meeting with Artashes Geghamian, who rejected the offer.
Tigran Torosian added that a referendum of confidence in the President would
be both unlawful and unconstitutional.

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mr Schieder, and the Secretary
General of the Council of Europe, Mr Schwimmer, expressed serious concern
about the violent events in Armenia.

At a meeting with Natalia Voutova, Special Representative of the Secretary
General of the Council of Europe, the Prosecutor General, Mr Hovsepian, said
that the police had acted lawfully on 13 April.

5 April
The three parties of the governing coalition reiterated their offer of
dialogue, but the opposition leaders, Mr Demirchian, Mr Sargsian and Mr
Geghamian, rejected this proposal and voiced their intention of organising a
demonstration in Yerevan on 16 April.

1,000 people demonstrated in Yerevan against police brutality and the
arrests of 13 April. 115 people had been arrested on 13 April, including
three MPs who had subsequently been released. The police accused the former
Minister of Defence, Mr Harutiunian, who had been arrested on 13 April, of
disturbing public order and insulting officials.

– 16 April
A demonstration organised by the Artarutiun alliance and the National Accord
Party was attended by 6,000 people. Mr Demirchian told the demonstrators
that the police brutality of 13 April was a crime that could be neither
forgiven nor forgotten. Mr Sargsian added that the opposition would continue
to organise demonstrations until President Kocharian resigned.

– 19 April
In an interview with Russian daily Izvestia, Mr Kocharian described the
repeated opposition demonstrations as based on a “misunderstanding” and as a
“temporary phenomenon”, and said that Georgia’s “Revolution of Roses” could
not be reproduced in Armenia, whatever the opposition thought. He added: “I
do not understand the purpose of these demonstrations, when the opposition
is represented in Parliament and can work and prove to society its
effectiveness and its capacity to solve problems better than the President”.

– 20 April
Speaking to journalists, Mr Kocharian denied rumours that he was planning to
divert the attention of the opposition which was campaigning for his
resignation by dismissing his Prime Minister or dissolving Parliament and
calling new elections. The Prime Minister, Andranik Markarian, said that,
were he to be dismissed, he would join the opposition.

The United States Ambassador in Yerevan had separate meetings with Mr
Demirchian and Mr Geghamian. No information about these discussions is
available.

– 21 April
An estimated 20,000 people demonstrated to call for the resignation of
President Kocharian. Mr Sargsian called on the demonstrators to meet again
on 27 April for what he called a “decisive” demonstration. Mr Dallakian
summarised the opposition’s conditions for accepting the governing
coalition’s offer of dialogue: the release of all political prisoners, the
end of government “repression” against the opposition and the resignation of
the Minister of Defence and the Prosecutor-General.

– 22 April
The Venice Commission experts concluded that the draft law on the freedom of
assembly was not in conformity with European principles and standards.

4. Resolution 1361 (2004) on the honouring of obligations and commitments by
Armenia

In January 2004 the Assembly adopted its its second monitoring report since
the accession of Armenia to the Council of Europe in January 2001.
Resolution 1361, adopted on this occasion, takes note of some encouraging
developments that took place in the last two years – notably the
ratification of Protocol 6 to the European Convention on Human Rights which
formally abolished the death penalty However, the Resolution – as already
mentioned – sharply criticised the two elections carried out in 2003.
Moreover, it listed a number of serious concerns with regard to the
democratic and human rights conduct of the Armenian authorities and
expressed its expectations that these issues will be speedily dealt with in
accordance with Council of Europe standards and principles.

Regrettably, the reaction of the Armenian authorities in the events of March
and April this year demonstrate that the Assembly’s request for further
progress was ignored and that, with regard to some of the Assembly’s key
concerns, the situation has even worsened.

Administrative detention With regard to the scandalous and continued use of
administrative detention, Resolution 1361 urged the authorities to amend the
Administrative Code to put an end to this practice which is incompatible
with the organisation’s standards. The Assembly also asked the authorities
to submit this new draft to Council of Europe expertise by April 2004.

Instead of immediately ending this practice and preparing the necessary
legislative drafts to this effect, the Armenian authorities resorted to a
wide use of administrative detentions during the recent events. While it is
difficult to verify the exact number of persons who were arrested and the
legal basis used for their detention, most reports indicate that their
number was between two and three hundred.

The Assembly repeats its demand for an immediate end to the practice of
administrative detention. The Administrative Code must be revised without
any further delay.

Freedom of assembly
Resolution 1361 asked the Armernian authorities to immediately begin
examining the question of balance between the freedom of assembly and
respect for public order, and to adopt a law on demonstrations and public
meetings in full compliance with Council of Europe standards.

Regrettably, during the March and April events the authorities have
displayed a diametrically opposite attitude. Most of opposition demands for
authorisation of their meetings were turned down, reportedly for reasons
that cannot be deemed as justified in accordance with Council of Europe
standards and practice. According to Human Rights Watch, the opposition
demands were turned down because of the “detriment to the city’s economic
well being” or “blocking traffic”.

Moreover, a draft law on rallies and demonstrations, which is currently in
the Parliamentary procedure, was evaluated by the Venice Commission which
found that the restrictions to the freedom of assembly envisaged by the
draft law were too broad and limitative, giving the state authorities the
right to restrict freedom of assembly for reasons which are not permitted by
the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Assembly insists that the comments of the Venice Commission are fully
taken into account in the last reading of the law in the Armenian
parliament, and that the freedom of assembly is no longer restricted in the
manner which we have seen during the recent events.

The opposition, for its part, shares the responsibility to prevent violence
during their rallies.

Conditions of detention
In January, the Assembly asked Armenia to make further efforts to improve
conditions of detention, on the basis of recommendations formulated by the
Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).
Regrettably, according to Human Rights Watch, several persons arrested
during the recent events were subjected to abuse during their detention by
the police. These allegations must be investigated, in a speedy, transparent
and credible manner, and if their veracity is confirmed, persons responsible
should be punished in accordance with the law. The Armenian authorities
should inform the Assembly, in the shortest delays, on the steps it has
taken to comply with this request. Freedom of expression and media

This is a long standing concern, also repeated in January. The situation has
hardly improved. The authorities continue to refuse to give the broadcasting
licence to the television channel A1+. Moreover, during the recent events
several journalists were severely beaten by unknown persons while police
were standing by, while others were assaulted and arrested by the security
forces themselves. Intimidation of the press through such a conduct will not
be tolerated. The lack of media freedom which made it very difficult to
obtain accurate information on the recent events was also mentioned in the
reaction of the Council of Europe’s Secretary General.

5. Conclusion

The recent events in Armenia resulted in a worsening of the situation with
regard to key concerns expressed by the Assembly in its January report, and
notably with regard to the continuation of administrative detention and
conditions of detention, human rights violations by members of police and
security forces, freedom of assembly, and freedom of media. This situation
cannot be allowed to continue. The rapporteurs expect an immediate and
significant change in the conduct and legislative practice concerning the
respect of Armenia’s obligations and commitments. Failure to do so before
the Assembly’s June session could lead to sanctions.

The opposition should enjoy full freedom to conduct their political
activities, which include the right to peaceful demonstrations. The
authorities should immediately abstain from any interference and
administrative and judicial harassment in this regard.

The fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly must be respected and
any restrictions must be in line with the European Convention on Human
Rights.

This being said, the opposition shares the responsibility for ensuring that
protests are not marred by violence. The parliament should be the main forum
for political arguments. They should not try to circumvent the political
institutions in the country with a hope to reverse the results of last year’
s elections which were, in spite of criticism, validated both at the
domestic level and by the international community.

The Assembly should not be drawn into accepting artificial analogies between
the situations in Georgia and in Armenia.

The Assembly should focus its efforts on ensuring full compliance with
Armenia’s commitments and obligations. Its January Resolution contains all
the necessary steps to bring about a qualitative change in the democratic
and human rights situation in the country.

The Armenian authorities must speedily implement the remaining commitments.
This would not only reduce the present political tensions (through a full
respect of democratic procedures, human rights and fundamental freedoms) but
also ensure that future elections in the country are carried out in full
compliance with international standards, and thus bring an end to the
endemic political instability in Armenia.

Both the authorities and the opposition should abstain from violence and do
their utmost to prevent further incidents. They should engage in a
meaningful political dialogue aimed at resolving the tensions and the
Assembly is ready to offer its good offices to this effect.

Reporting committee: Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and
Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee)
Reference to Committee:

Reference No. 2944 of 26 April 2004
Draft resolution unanimously adopted by the Committee on 27 April 2004
Members of the committee:
Mrs Durrieu (Chairperson),
Mr Frunda,
Mrs Tevdoradze,
Mrs Severinsen(Vice-Chairpersons),
Mrs Aguiar, Mr Akçam,
Mr Akhvlediani,
Mr B. Aliyev,
Mr André,
Mr Arzilli,
Mr Atkinson,
Mr Baska,
Mrs Bauer,
Mr Bernik,
Mrs Bilgehan,
Mr Bindig,
Mrs Bousakla,
Mr van den Brande,
Mr Budin,
Mrs Burbiene,
Mr Cabrnoch,
Mr M. Cavusoglu,
Mr Cekuolis,
Mr Christodoulides,
Mr Cilevics,
Mr Colombier,
Mr Debono Grech,
Mrs Delvaux-Stehres,
Mr Einarsson,
Mr Elo,
Mr Eörsi,
Mr Glesener,
Mr Gross,
Mr Grusenbauer,
Mr Hancock,
Mr Hedrich,
Mr Hegyi,
Mr Herkel,
Mr Holovaty,
Mrs Jäätteenmäki,
Mr Jakic,
Mr Jaskiernia,
Mr Jurgens,
Lord Kilclooney,
Mr Kirilov,
Mrs Konglevoll,
Mr Kvakkestad,
Mrs Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger,
Mr van der Linden,
Mr Lintner,
Mr Martínez Casañ,
Mr Marty,
Mr Medeiros Ferreira,
Mr Melcák,
Mr Mikkelsen,
Mr Mollazade,
Mr O’Keeffe,
Mr Olteanu,
Mr Pangalos,
Mrs Petrova-Mitevska,
Mrs Petursdottir,
Mr Prijmireanu,
Mr Rakhansky,
Mrs Ringstad,
Mr Rivolta,
Mr Rustamyan,
Mr Sasi,
Mrs Shakhtakhtinskaya,
Mr Shybko,
Mr Slutsky,
Mr Smorawinski,
Mr Soendergaard,
Mr Spindelegger,
Mrs Stoyanova,
Mr Surjan,
Mr Tepshi,
Mr Tkác,
Mr Vis,
Mrs Wohlwend,
Mr Yáñez Barnuevo,
Mr Zacchera.

ARKA News Agency
April 28 2004

152 crimes registered in Nagorno Karabakh in Q1 2004

In last 2 years Austrian Airlines provided $100 thousand on
assistance programs to Armenia

Azeri `Organization of Karabakh Liberation’ plans to make a March in
Nagorno Karabakh on May 8

EU enlargement summit opens in Warsaw

*********************************************************************

152 CRIMES REGISTERED IN NAGORNO KARABAKH IN Q1 2004

YEREVAN, April 28. /ARKA/. 152 crimes registered in Nagorno Karabakh
in Q1 2004, which is by 9% less than in the same period of 2003, it
was stated today during the sitting in NKR Police. It was noted that
2 murders in report period were discovered.
NKR Chief of Police Arman Isagulov noted the necessity of deepening
the links between operative services and district militia officers.
L.D. –0–

*********************************************************************

IN LAST 2 YEARS AUSTRIAN AIRLINES PROVIDED $100 THOUSAND ON
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, April 28. /ARKA/. In last 2 years Austrian Airlines provided
$100 thousand on assistance programs to Armenia, the Head of Austrian
Airlines Yerevan Office Werner Kruger stated today. According to him,
assets were basically spent for public activity in Armenia, namely
for assistance to Armenian Information Agency, National Philharmonic
Orchestra, National Chamber Orchestra and Chess Federation.
Austrian Airlines make flights in 125 cities of 67 countries. Yerevan
office of the company was opened in Jan. 2001 and first flight in
Vienna was made in March 26, 2001. L.D. –0 –

*********************************************************************

AZERI `ORGANIZATION OF KARABAKH LIBERATION’ PLANS TO MAKE A MARCH IN
NAGORNO KARABAKH ON MAY 8

STEPANAKERT, April 28. /ARKA/. Azeri `Organization of Karabakh
Liberation’ plans to make a march in Nagorno Karabakh on May 8. NKR
MFA stated that it is so-called march of peace, organized on public
initiative and more than likely has propaganda and populism
character. MFA stated that there was no statement to the authorities
of Nagorno Karabakh Republic from initiators of the march. `However
we think that there will be no statement in the future, because real
goals of the activity are different from announced. It could be that
in other conditions this step was estimated as activity directed on
establishment of atmosphere of trust between the parties of the
conflict, however, today it can be a provocation at contact line of
conflicting parties’. L.D. –0–

*********************************************************************

EU ENLARGEMENT SUMMIT OPENS IN WARSAW

YEREVAN, April 28. /ARKA/. The European Economic Summit will begin
today in Warsaw today, organized by World Economic (Davoss) Forum.
This year’s meeting is titled Europe: Enlargement and Beyond will
last three days under patronage of the Polish President Alexander
Kwasniewsky. According to founder of the Davoss Economic Forum Klaus
Schwab, the summit particpants in Warsaw will try to answer a global
question: `What kind of EU and Europe will we have after the
enlargement?, when 10 new state incorporate in the EU.
Around 700 representatives of political and economic elite arrived in
Warsaw from 45 states of the world, incl presidents, prime ministers
and ministers from 31 states.
As expected, the summit will discuss the forthcoming enlargement of
EU on May 1 and its impact on economic and political activity of the
EU, as well issues related to competition, demography, healthcare and
pension systems.
Amon the participants of the Forum are Armenian Presidents of Robert
Kocharian, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, President of Romania
Ion Iliescu, President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, President of Poland
– Alexander Kwasniewsky, President of Hungary Ferenc Madl, Presindet
of Serbia and Montenegro – Svetozar Marovic, President of Albania
Alfred Moisiu, President of Bulgaria – Georgi Pyrvanow, President of
Germany – Johannes Rau, President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili,
President of Portugal – Jorge Sampaio, President of Slvakia – Rudolf
Suster, President of Latvia – Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of
Moldova Vladimir Voronin.
The Warsaw is being permanently patrolled by helicopters, and around
20 000 policemen control the city with ready water canons for
dispersing of demonstrations. During European Economic Forum the
opponents of globalization held their `anti-forum’. According to some
data around 15 000 antiglobalists. T.M. -0–

Azerbaijan’s FM lifts veil on Nagorno-Karabakh talks

Date:01 May 2004 0136 hrs (SST)
URL:

BAKU : Azerbaijan and Armenia, which are locked in conflict over the
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, are discussing a deal under
which Armenian forces would cede territory in exchange for the
re-opening of a rail link between their two countries, the Azeri
foreign minister said.

“We are discussing various ideas, including the option of opening the
railway with Armenia in exchange for it pulling back from the seven
districts of Azerbaijan it has occupied,” Foreign Minister Elmar
Mamedyarov told reporters.

He added: “The subject of our negotiations right now is how ready the
sides are to make compromises.”

The railway-for-land swap was initially proposed by the European Union
as a way of resolving the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which has
poisoned relations between the two former Soviet republics for more
than a decade.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war over the mountainous enclave in
the early 1990s which left some 35,000 people dead and forced a
million others on both sides to flee their homes.

A ceasefire was signed in 1994, leaving Armenian forces in de facto
control of the enclave. But the war has never been formally declared
over. Peace talks to find a lasting solution have faltered, despite
mediation by the international community.

The remarks by the Azeri foreign minister partly lifted the veil on
peace talks which are being held in strict secrecy. Details of what
the two sides are discussing are very rarely revealed to the public.

Western governments are keen to see a lasting solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They say it is a source of instability in a
region which is taking on strategic importance for the West as an
export route for oil from the Caspian Sea.

Mamedyarov said the next round of talks would be in the French city of
Strasbourg on May 12, when he is to meet Armenian counterpart Vardan
Oskanian on the sidelines of a Council of Europe meeting.

He said they would pick up the discussions started by Azerbaijan’s
President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian,
who met for talks this week while attending a conference in the Polish
capital, Warsaw.

“In Warsaw there was a useful exchange of views between the presidents
and our aim is to continue that dialogue,” said Mamedyarov.

The railway line under discussion has been closed ever since the
conflict first flared up, some 15 years ago. It remained shut after
the fighting ceased as part of an economic blockade imposed by
Azerbaijan.

It links Armenia to Azerbaijan and also to Russia, a key Armenian ally
and trading partner. The re-opening of the route would ease the impact
of the economic blockade on Armenia.

The seven districts which figure in the proposed deal are not part of
Nagorno-Karabakh. They were seized by Armenian forces during the war
to provide a buffer zone against a possible attack by Azeri troops.

– AFP

ArmenPress
April 27 2004

RETAIL PRICES OF POTATO, CABBAGE AND GRAPE ARE DOWN

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS: According to Agri-Business
Development Center, retail prices of cabbage, potatoes, grape,
tomatoes are down, prices of flour, barley, wheat, onion, beef and
pork are up and prices of butter, sugar did not change as compared to
the same period last month.
The market price for one kg of pork a year ago was 1200-1300 drams
while its present average price is 1860 drams. Beef is sold at 1400
(2003 – 1200 drams). The present price of poultry is 1200 drams
against 1000 drams in 2003. Egg was sold at 44 drams a year ago,
while in January it increased to 55 and at present is sold at 58
drams.
Potatoes were sold in 2003, April at 200 drams per kilogram while
in January it reduced to 140 and its present price is 80-100 drams.
Last year cucumber was sold at 800 drams while this year it is 500
drams. Average price for apple is 400 drams. It increased by 100
drams as compared to the same period last year.
The highest prices can be observed at Mashtotc avenue market
number 1 and the lowest prices at Malatia market number 4 and in the
markets of Gyumri and Spitak.

Published April 27, 2004
Genocide: Remembering the past for the sake of the future
by Veronica Adamson

One and a half million people were murdered between 1915 and 1923, while the
U.S. sat on the sidelines — determined to stay neutral. But was allowing
countless innocent people to be murdered really remaining neutral? American
Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Sr. Henry Morgenthau certainly didn’t
think so. In 1915, Morgenthau sent this urgent message to the State
Department.

“Deportation of and excesses against peaceful Armenians is increasing and
from harrowing reports of eye witnesses it appears that a campaign of race
extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion.”

Although as an ambassador Morgenthau was expected to act supportively
towards his host country, he refused stay neutral, and asked the U.S.
repeatedly to take steps to end the “race extermination,” he perceived to be
taking place.

This race extermination in Armenia falls, as Morgenthau, and later his
successor Abram Elkus described it, under the category of genocide.
Genocide, later defined by the U.N. as the purposeful and systematic
extermination of a national, racial, political or cultural group, is a term
that is much debated when put in conjunction with the word Armenian. Many
governments, including the U.S. government, do not formally recognize the
Armenian genocide as a historical fact.

The Armenian Diaspora, which was spread around the world as a result of the
tragedy, is now a powerful group working to get the Armenian genocide
recognized as a historical fact everywhere.

Last Tuesday the Tufts Armenian club invited the Holocaust Museums chief of
staff, William Parsons, to speak at Goddard chapel about remembering
genocide for the sake of the future.

In reference to this event, I have asked president of Tufts Armenian Club,
Dzovinar Derderian, a few questions concerning the Armenian genocide, the
Armenian lobby, and William Parsons’ lecture last Tuesday.

Why do you think that the Armenian genocide should be recognized? <$>”The
Armenian genocide shouldn’t be recognized just to remember the one million
people who were murdered. It is important to know about it because it was
the first genocide of the 20th century, has crucial links to the Holocaust,
and by accepting the Armenian genocide Turkey will be taking a first step
towards bettering its human rights conditions.”

What do you mean it would be taking a step towards bettering Turkey’s human
rights conditions? <$>”If Turkey were to accept the Armenian genocide, it
would help the government reduce its human rights violations. It may, for
example aid the different ethnic minorities in Turkey such as the Kurds who
currently do not have the right to speak their own language, and are forced
to call themselves ‘Mountain Turks.'”

Which countries do not accept the Armenian genocide?<$> “There are many
countries who do not accept the Armenian genocide, but most crucial to my
eyes are the United States, Israel, and Turkey.”

What have the efforts of the Armenia Diaspora been in regards to getting the
Armenian Genocide recognized? <$>”I’m most familiar with the efforts of the
Armenian American community; however I’m certain that the efforts of
Armenians world wide are as effective. In Washington D.C., Armenians have
two lobby groups; one of their main tasks is to consistently mobilize
American Armenians to draft letters to politicians, urging them to recognize
the Armenian genocide.”

Have these efforts been successful?<$> “The efforts of the Armenian Diaspora
have been successful in multiple countries. Most recently, these efforts
have come to surface in Canada, where the parliament accepted the Armenian
genocide on April 21st. As for the United States, the House of
Representatives passed a bill accepting the Armenian genocide, however due
to Turkish pressure; Bill Clinton chose to veto the bill.”

In your opinion, which countries does the Armenian Diaspora prioritize in
their efforts to get the Armenian genocide recognized, and why? <$>”For most
countries, the reason that they do not accept the Armenian Genocide is
because of political reasons. Mainly because of Turkey’s geo-political
location, the United States and Israel do not accept the Armenian genocide.
In the case of the United States, it is crucial that it recognizes the
Armenian genocide because it is the most powerful country, and will set a
precedent for other countries. As for Israel, I think that out of common
history, it would be not only rational, but also beneficial to the progress
of recognition, if they were to recognize the Armenian genocide. Well, in
case of Turkey it is always good for a country to reflect on its own
mistakes in history, so that it can understand it, and therefore prevents it
from happening again.'”

Were you disappointed with the turn out for the Armenian Lecture last
Tuesday? <$>”I was not disappointed by the number, since Goddard chapel was
almost full, but I was disappointed to see that most of the people present
were adults from the greater Boston Armenian community, rather than
students.”

Bill Parson, in his lecture, spoke very little about the Armenian genocide.
How do you, and how do you think the audience, regards his decision not to
focus on that issue?<$> “I think that the audience was disappointed that
there was such little time devoted to talking about the Armenian genocide,
since after all, the lecture was in light of the Armenian genocide. As for
me — if the majority had not been Armenian, I would have been also
disappointed with his limited focus on the Armenian genocide. I believe,
however, that it is important that Armenians be aware of other genocides, as
much as they are of the Armenian genocide.”

The Armenian genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century. 1915
sounds as if it was too long ago to be of any relevance to our daily lives,
but this year marked the beginning of a pattern of “neutrality” towards the
tragedy of genocide. After the Armenian genocide, the U.S. would go on to
witness the same events unfold over and over again. As global citizens, we
cannot allow this to occur again.

Recognizing genocide is important for many reasons, but most importantly, in
preventing it from ever occurring again. Genocide is a never-ending
phenomenon and constantly needs to be monitored. William Parsons said in his
lecture that by the end of the summer we may very well be sitting in Goddard
Chapel mourning yet another genocide — a genocide in Sudan; on a far larger
scale than imagined. For the sake of innocent life, research the Armenian
genocide and push the U.S. into action regarding Sudan. For further
information of Armenia, please visit

Veronica Adamson is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.

Azeri defence minister, British diplomat discuss ties, Karabakh

Turan news agency
26 Apr 04

BAKU

Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar Abiyev and Sir Brian Fall,
Britain’s special representative in the South Caucasus, today
discussed the military and political situation in the South Caucasus,
the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Azerbaijani-NATO relations, as well
as military reforms.

The visitor said that the United Kingdom favoured the development of
military cooperation with Azerbaijan. Speaking about the Karabakh
conflict, Fall expressed the hope that the OSCE and other
international organizations would step up their efforts to settle the
conflict. At the same time, he pointed out the need to maintain the
cease-fire in the conflict zone.

Burbank Leader , CA
LATimes.com
April 24 2004

Twelve groups to get a piece of CDBG money

City expects to receive about $1.6 million in federal grants for
2004-05 fiscal year.

By Jackson Bell, The Leader

BURBANK – The federal pie was up for its yearly slicing as City
Council portioned more than $1.6 million in grant money among several
community groups and city programs.

“This is the most difficult night of the year,” Councilman Dave
Golonski said at Tuesday’s council meeting. “It’s nice to be able to
provide support to a lot of worthy organizations, but hard to make
the tough choices between how much they get.”

The annual grants, given by the federal government to be doled out by
the city, will bring about $250,000 to a dozen community groups. The
city will use remaining funds for public services and capital
projects, including street improvements along Olive Avenue and Third
Street and code enforcement.

The Burbank Unified School District received $70,000 – the largest
amount – to run its summer youth-employment program. Other recipients
of significant grants include the Burbank Temporary Aid Center,
Burbank Family YMCA and Boys and Girls Club.

“We’re grateful for the continued support,” BTAC staffer Wendy Bocci
said Friday. “It’s very much needed and very well used.”

Bocci said the money will be used to help cover such expenses as
utility assistance, shelter and gasoline vouchers.

But not every organization will receive money. The Armenian Relief
Society, an agency that serves the needs of local Armenian Americans,
was not offered funding.

“I think they’re doing great stuff and I support their efforts,”
Golonski said. “I just don’t think it is as inclusive as it needs to
be to qualify for public funding.”

Burbank expects to receive the money granted by the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development later this year.

In addition, the city could receive nearly $900,000 from the HOME
Investment Partnership Program, and city projects to benefit will be
approved by the council at a later date.

A1 Plus | 21:04:37 | 23-04-2004 | Politics |

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER IS DEMOCRACY DEVOTEE

Armenian national Assembly Speaker Arthur Baghdasryan convened a news
conference today to state he reiterated his stance against persecutions. He
also voiced condemnation at the criminal case instigated against the Justice
alliance.

He said he was also opposed to criminal charges brought against
General-Lieutenant Vagharshak Harutyunyan. Political issues should be solved
only on political field, he said.

Answering journalists’ questions about the April 13 violence against
peaceful demonstrators, Baghdasaryan said neither National Assembly nor the
coalition government was empowered to put pressure on the law enforcement.
The law enforcement bodies are under the president’s direct control, he
says.

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

APRIL 16-22, 2004

HIGHLIGHTS:

YPC GENERAL MEETING

INTERETHNIC TANGLE IN THE MEDIA MIRROR

JOURNALISTS INJURED ADDRESSED THE GENERAL PROSECUTOR

WAN AND WEF PRESIDENTS REMIND ABOUT THE DUTY OF THE STATE

ASSOCIATION OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AGAINST THE MUNICIPALITY OF YEREVAN

“KENTRON” TV COMPANY TO CHANGE OWNER?

FRIENDSHIP ORDER TO TRANSLATOR AND PUBLICIST

“AYB-FEH” IS SEVEN YEARS OLD

“DEMO” AND “ASPAREZ” ON THE WEB

YPC GENERAL MEETING

On April 21 a regular General Meeting of Yerevan Press Club was held. At the
meeting the reports of the YPC Board (presented by YPC President Boris
Navasardian) and Auditing Commission (presented by the Commission Chairman
Mher Davoyan) were heard, and the YPC President, Vice President, members of
Board, Council and the Auditing Commission were elected. At the session the
Executive Director and the composition of YPC Commission on Professional
Ethics were approved. The renewed composition of these bodies is presented
at the YPC web site in “Structure” section.

The General Meeting also resolved to amend the YPC Statutes, as well as
discussed a number of other issues.

INTERETHNIC TANGLE IN THE MEDIA MIRROR

On April 16-18 in Tsaghkadzor a seminar “Ethics of the Interethnic Coverage”
was held. The event was organized by Yerevan Press Club and Friedrich Ebert
Foundation and brought together representatives of media, non-governmental
(including journalistic) organizations, state structures of Armenia.

The urgent issues in the very complicated relations within the region were
viewed primarily in the context of their media coverage. The newest history
of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, plentiful in interethnic
conflicts and tense inner political situations, makes the protection of the
journalists, working in the “hot spots”, even more important. It is the
discussion of what are the legal guarantees of this protection in the
documents of the Council of Europe, where the states of the South Caucasus
are members, that the seminar opened with. The tasks of the press at this
stage of the regional and international relations, the need to preserve the
“make no harm” principle when covering the interethnic issues, how Armenian,
Georgian and Azerbaijani media follow the norms of professional ethics and
what stereotypes they use when speaking about interethnic problems – all
these subjects caused the heated debate among the meeting participants. At
the seminar the results of the media monitoring studies on the coverage of
the Karabagh problem and interrelations Armenia-Azerbaijan-Turkey,
administered by Yerevan Press Club jointly with the partners from other
countries of the region since 2001, were presented. The different attitudes
expressed at the event and the vivid emotional background came to reconfirm
how complicated the interethnic South Caucasus tangle is and the significant
responsibility to be shouldered by the “fourth estate” in untying it.

JOURNALISTS INJURED ADDRESSED THE GENERAL PROSECUTOR

On April 16 “Haikakan Zhamanak” daily published “The Notification on the
Crime Committed”, sent on the previous day, April 15, by the Chief Editor of
the publication Nikol Pashinian to the RA General Prosecutor Aghvan
Hovsepian. The letter tells about the beating of “Haikakan Zhamanak”
correspondent Haik Gevorgian during the opposition rally in the early
morning of April 13 (see details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, April 9-15,
2004). In the opinion of the newspaper, the Deputy Head of RA Police
Hovhannes Varian is guilty of committing the crime.

Proceeding from the narration of the events of the night by Haik Gevorgian
and basing on the fact of physical and moral damage incurred by the
journalist, the daily solicits to institute criminal proceedings against
Hovhannes Varian by Articles 164 (“Impeding the legitimate professional
activity of journalist”) and 309 (“Exceeding the official authority”) of the
RA Criminal Code and bringing him to account.

On April 16 a similar address but referring to the Head of the Police of
Center Community of Yerevan Hovhannes Tamamian was filed with the General
Prosecutor by the correspondent of “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” newspaper Mher
Galechian, beaten and arrested in the early morning of April 13. In the
piece “How It Happened”, published on April 15 in “Haikakan Zhamanak”, the
journalist gave a detailed description of the act of violence and his
illegal detainment. In the letter to the General Prosecutor Mher Galechian
mentioned that the people who attacked him took his bag containing a
recorder, photo camera, owned by “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” Editor, 300
thousand drams, the round seal of “Ogostos” press dissemination agency and
documentations of the public organization “Shamiram”. According to the
journalist, when he was released from the cell of preliminary detainment
where he had spent 16 hours, the bag was not returned to him. Galechian
demanded to hold Hovhannes Tamamian accountable for impeding with the
exercise of a professional activity by the journalist, for illegal
detainment and for appropriation of his property.

It should be noted that the RA Criminal Procedure Code has a clause
according to which the media reports about crimes committed are a ground to
institute criminal proceedings (Article 176, Cl. 2). At the same time Clause
1 of Article 180 stipulates that the crime reports must be considered and
resolved without delay, and should it be deemed necessary, the legitimacy
and sufficiency of grounds should be verified – within 10 days since the
receipt of the report.

Meanwhile, on April 20 in a number of Armenian media the statements of
Hovhannes Varian and Hovhannes Tamamian were published, in which they deny
being involved in illegal actions against journalists.

As a response to the statement of Hovhannes Varian, “Haikakan Zhamanak” in
the issue of April 21 places the half- and full-faced photos of the Deputy
Head of Police. The editorial comment mentions that these are the photos of
“a dangerous criminal”, who, as it appears, “has endowed himself with the
authority of the Deputy Head of the RA Police and likes to introduce himself
as Hovhannes Varian”. This man, as the newspaper writes, took the editorial
camera of Haik Gevorgian and ordered “the criminals with batons that
accompanied him” to beat the journalist. The edition addresses the law
enforcement bodies to identify the person in the photos who “introduces
himself as the Deputy Head of the RA Police Hovhannes Varian”.

WAN AND WEF PRESIDENTS REMIND ABOUT THE DUTY OF THE STATE

On April 19 the Presidents of the World Association of Newspapers Seok Hyun
Hong and the World Editors Forum Gloria Brown Anderson addressed a statement
to the RA President Robert Kocharian. The letter voiced concern over the
events of April 5 and in the early morning of April 13 that resulted in
violence towards the journalists who were covering the situation (see
details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, April 2-8, 2004 and April 9-15, 2004).

The heads of the organizations uniting 18,000 publications of 100 countries
ask the Armenian President to ensure that a thorough investigation into the
incidents is conducted and to do everything possible for the journalists to
exercise their professional activities unimpeded.

“We respectfully remind you that it is the duty of the state to provide an
environment in which journalists are able to carry out their professional
duties without fear of intimidation. Such incidents foster a climate of fear
that inhibits journalistic investigation and can promote self-censorship”,
the letter by the heads of WAN and WEF stresses and a hope for the quickest
possible response of the Armenian President is expressed.

On April 16 the statement of Armenian Assembly of America was released,
where the need of a dialogue between the authorities and the opposition of
Armenia is emphasized. AAA also urges the Armenian authorizes to “take
resolute steps to protect journalists from interference and violence as they
perform their professional duties”.

ASSOCIATION OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AGAINST THE MUNICIPALITY OF YEREVAN

On April 14 the Association of Investigative Journalists and its Chairman
Edik Baghdasarian filed a suit with the court of primary jurisdiction of
Center and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan against the Yerevan
municipality.

According to Edik Baghdasarian, he is demanding that the city administration
ensures his right to information, necessary to finish the journalistic
investigation on the illegal building up of the public green zone around the
National Opera and Ballet Theater. During the past years 12 cafes and
restaurants were built on those grounds. The destruction of the green
“spots” that Yerevan is not very abundant in has always caused numerous
public protests, neglected by the city authorities. An opinion is voiced
that there is not a single incidental person among the owners of the cafes
and restaurants around the Opera Theater, they all belong to people,
well-known in the country.

Edik Baghdasarian addressed the present Mayor of Yerevan Yervand Zakharian
with request to access the resolutions of the city administration on using
this public territory for construction, adopted in 1997-2003, but was
repeatedly refused with varying pretexts. After this the journalist
addressed a letter to the Control Chamber of the RA President, from where it
was redirected back to the municipality, where the journalist is still being
refused information. Thus, according to Mr. Baghdasarian, he only has to
hope for a court decision to get access to documents, basing on which the
construction in one of the most beautiful places of the Armenian capital was
made.

“KENTRON” TV COMPANY TO CHANGE OWNER?

By unofficial information, confirmed by a number of sources, the Deputy of
the RA National Assembly, Chairman of the United Labor Party of Armenia
Gurgen Arsenian arrived at an agreement with the RA NA Deputy, President of
“Multi Group” Company, businessman Gagik Tsarukian on selling him “Kentron”
TV company. There is also a supposition that the management of the TV
company will be headed by Chief Editor of “Aravot” daily Aram Abrahamian.

FRIENDSHIP ORDER TO TRANSLATOR AND PUBLICIST

On April 21 a well-known Armenian translator and publicist Armen
Hovhannisian was awarded a Friendship Order at the Embassy of Russian
Federation in the Republic of Armenia. This award was conferred on Armen
Hovhannisian by a decree of the Russian President for the valuable
contribution in the development of the cultural cooperation between the two
counties. The literary “archive” of Armen Hovhannisian contains translations
of works by Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Shukshin, Solzhenitsyn and other classics
of Russian literature into Armenian.

Yerevan Press Club sincerely congratulates Armen Hovhannisian on the award,
hopes that his gifts to the Armenian reader will continue and adds a tiny
bit of pride – the wonderful translator and talented publicist is a member
of our organization.

“AYB-FEH” IS SEVEN YEARS OLD

April 21 marked the seventh anniversary since “Ayb-Feh” news agency of “A1+”
TV company went on air. The popular “Ayb-Feh” newscast has been out of air
since April 2, 2002, when “A1+” TV company was refused a broadcast license.
Having been deprived of air, “Ayb-Feh” continues to give up-to-date
information to the public on what is happening, working online on “A1+” web
site.

Yerevan Press Club congratulates the staff of “Ayb-Feh” and again wishes to
get back on air soon!

“DEMO” AND “ASPAREZ” ON THE WEB

Now the first public newspaper of Karabagh “Demo” (see YPC Weekly
Newsletter, March 26 – April 1, 2004) can be viewed online at:
. More detailed information on the publication can be
received via e-mail: [email protected]

Since April 21 the world wide web has another Armenian site – that of
“Asparez” Journalists Club of Gyumri (). Its Russian
and English versions are expected to be launched soon.

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
[email protected]

Subscription for the Newsletter is free. To subscribe or unsubscribe from
this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]

Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
375007, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 1) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 1) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: