Author: Elizabeth Jabejian

Armenian FM hopes growing int’l pressure on Azerbaijan will lead to release of PoWs

Elizabeth Jabejian

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 11:24,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. In order to speak about stability, security and peace in the region it is first of all necessary to create an atmosphere of trust, and this in turn requires the repatriation of the Armenian PoWs held in Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian told reporters.

“An atmosphere of trust is created in the event of solving highly important issues, first of all the issue of the release of our captives. I think Azerbaijan ought to understand that this is a humanitarian issue and if this issue continues being manipulated, I am sure it will be problematic for Azerbaijan,” Aivazian said.

FM Aivazian said the governmental inter-departmental task force is working every day over this issue.

“If you’ve noticed the international pressure is growing every day and I hope Azerbaijan will understand that this issue must have an urgent resolution,” the FM said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Human rights lawyers become “endangered species” in Turkey

Elizabeth Jabejian 
Amnesty International


By Stefan Simanowitz
Jan. 23, 2021


At the end of each year, the demise of the world’s most endangered
species is charted in a sadly familiar list, from tigers and snow
leopards to rhinos and gorillas.

But it’s not just wildlife that is at risk. Today marks the Day of the
Endangered Lawyer, a moment to recognize the threats facing lawyers
around the world who dare to stand up for human rights. In recent
years Amnesty International has felt the impact of these threats close
to home, through the government crackdown on our colleagues in Turkey.

One was a sunny morning in June 2017 I got a call. Taner Kılıç, our
then chair of Amnesty International Turkey and a tireless asylum
rights lawyer in Izmir, had been arrested in a dawn raid. Detention
orders for 22 other lawyers had also been issued.


A month later, Idil Eser, then director of Amnesty Turkey, was
arrested along with nine others, including human rights lawyer Günal
Kurşun.

Taner Kılıç, Idil Eser and the other nine arrested were all accused of
absurd terrorism-related charges and held in pre-trial detention for
many months – almost 15 in Taner’s case.

During a three-year trial involving 12 court hearings, each and every
allegation presented by the government was comprehensively exposed as
a baseless accusation.

And yet, last July, Taner was sentenced to six years and three months
in prison for ‘membership of the Fethullah Gülen terrorist
organization’. Turkey blames the Gülen movement for the 2016 attempted
coup.

İdil Eser, Günal Kurşun and another human rights defender, Özlem
Dalkıran, were also convicted and sentenced to one year and 13 months
for ‘assisting the Fethullah Gülen terrorist organization’. A few
months later in November, a regional appeals court upheld the
unfathomable convictions, rubberstamping the miscarriage of justice.
The four defenders have taken their case to the highest appeals court.

The fact that these politically motivated verdicts swept up several
lawyers drove home the increased danger to the legal community in
Turkey. Their cases are far from rare. Detaining lawyers has become
routine practice, deepening the climate of fear and repression across
the country.


Hundreds of lawyers are now believed to be in pre-trial detention or
serving prison terms in Turkey’s overcrowded jails. They are regularly
targeted through abusive criminal investigations and unfair
prosecutions, accused of the alleged crimes of their clients.

Veteran human rights lawyer, Eren Keskin, has been on the receiving
end of more than 100 criminal prosecutions for her role as a ‘symbolic
editor’ of the now shuttered Özgür Gündem newspaper. If the sentences
pending against her, Taner and Günal are upheld on appeal, all three,
who are currently on bail, would be sent to prison and unable to
practice law again.

In September, almost 50 lawyers were arrested in dawn raids across
Turkey. They are facing charges because the clients they had been
representing are accused of being part of the Gülen movement.

The latest blow came in November, when dozens of lawyers were among
more than 100 people issued with detention warrants as part of what
Turkish authorities called “terrorism-related investigations” in
Diyarbakır.
Commenting on the increasing number of arrests, the Istanbul Bar
Association said: “A lawyer cannot be identified with their client.
Intimidation which hopes to restrict the lawyers’ duty will impact the
public as much as lawyers and gradually destroy confidence in
justice.”

The targeting of defence lawyers with criminal charges for executing
their duties contravenes the UN Basic Principles on the Role of
Lawyers and critically undermines the right to a fair trial.

Lawyers are also coming under physical, sometimes fatal, attack. Tahir
Elçi, a prominent human rights lawyer, died after being shot in the
south-eastern province of Diyarbakır in 2015.

Two years ago, Turkey was the focus of the global ‘Day of the
Endangered Lawyer’. Dozens of lawyers protested behind a banner that
read ‘If lawyers lose their voice, citizens lose their breath.’

But little has improved in Turkey since then. Instead, the targeting
and harassment of lawyers through the misuse of the justice system has
become more acute.

Through abusive investigations, arbitrary detentions and unfounded
prosecutions under vaguely defined anti-terrorism laws, Turkey is
eroding the basic tenets of the rule of law.

In such a repressive climate the people who step up in defence of
human rights violations themselves become targets. The job of defence
and human rights lawyers is increasingly vital in Turkey, but ever
more dangerous.

*

Stefan Simanowitz is Amnesty International’s media manager for Europe.

Armenian, French FMs discussed the post-war situation in Artsakh in phone call

Elizabeth Jabejian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 21 2021

Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Aivazian held on Thursday a phone conversation with the Foreign Minister of France Jean-Yves Le Drian, the press department at the ministry reported. During the call, the interlocutors touched upon the post-war situation in Artsakh, issues of regional security and peace.

In the context of the implementation of the trilateral statements of November 9 and January 11, Minister Aivazian once again stressed the priority of fully addressing the humanitarian issues, first of all, the immediate and safe repatriation of prisoners of war, captured citizens and others detained.

The ministers next exchanged views on the humanitarian situation in Artsakh and the need for continuous involvement of international organizations, their unimpeded and direct involvement.

One of the main topics of the phone conversation was the need for undertaking steps to preserve the Armenian historical-cultural and religious heritage in the territories of Artsakh fallen under the Azerbaijani control, taking into consideration Azerbaijan’s efforts aimed at destroying the Armenian historical-cultural heritage or distorting its identity.

The need for resuming the peace process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship was stressed. The sides also exchanged views on a number of issues of mutual interest.

Turkish press: Azerbaijan to prioritize Turkish firms in reconstruction of liberated Nagorno-Karabakh

Elizabeth Jabejian
 ISTANBUL ECONOMY 
JAN 18, 2021 1:19 PM GMT+3
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pours concrete to inaugurate the construction of a new airport in Fuzuli, Azerbaijan, Jan. 15, 2021. (AA Photo)

An Azerbaijani official said Monday that the country will simplify procedures for planned investment in its recently liberated territories, adding that Turkish companies will be prioritized in tenders in a bid to improve the quality of construction projects.

Baku immediately launched a reconstruction campaign across Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding seven provinces once liberated from Armenia in late 2020. The government plans to revive the area, which has been dilapidated since the Armenian invasion in the early 1990s, allowing for the return of the Azerbaijanis who once called the region home. An extensive rebuilding and development initiative is now underway under the directive of President Ilham Aliyev.

The government plans to help facilitate the reconstruction process for foreign investors. With the legislative amendments, the bureaucratic barriers in tenders will be removed and the base price list of construction material ordered by companies will be updated.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Feyruz Mustafayev, the Azerbaijani Cabinet's head of Construction, Urban Planning and Utilities, described Turkey as an exemplary model in the field of construction, highlighting the strides it has made over the last 20 years. "That’s why we preferred the Turkish model from several other alternatives. In construction tenders held in Turkey, the base price is being given by the ordering institution. The same system will be applied here," he said.

Since the day they broke ground in Libya in 1972, Turkish contractors have undertaken over 10,000 projects, worth over $400 billion (TL 3 trillion), in some 127 countries to date. The nation is second only to China in the number of companies in the Top 250 Global Contractors List for 2020, prepared by the Engineering News-Record (ENR), an international construction industry magazine.

Some 44 Turkish contractor firms made the list, which ranks companies based on revenues from projects outside of their home countries. Turkey has maintained its performance and ranked second since 2017.

Mustafayev noted that they will continue to work with Turkey's Environment and Urban Planning Ministry on the new system.

"The base price arrangement was different for foreign companies in the old system. It was prolonging the process and creating difficulties for investors. There was also more bureaucratic works. But now, it will be easier as any foreign company can arrange tender specifications," he said.

Mustafayev added that Turkish and Azerbaijani businesspeople will carry out many joint projects to revive the area devastated by the Armenian occupation.

"Turkish and Azeri companies are jointly working on the construction of a new road from Fuzuli to Shusha. This is just the first step. Turkish companies have undertaken projects worth $16 billion in Azerbaijan so far. Not just in Karabakh, but throughout all Azerbaijan, Turkish companies will able to give advantaged offers. It will increase competition and quality in projects, thus creating a win-win situation," he said.

Clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, and the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces, violating cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the Armenian occupation.

The two countries signed a Russia-brokered agreement on Nov. 10 to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

Anti-Pashinyan protest held outside Armenian Embassy in Russia

Elizabeth Jabejian
Panorama, Armenia

Jan 11 2021
 
 
Numerous Armenians have gathered in front of the Armenian Embassy in Russia to protest against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Moscow.
 
The Armenian premier travelled to Moscow on Monday to hold trilateral talks with the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan. The sides plan to discuss the implementation of their November 9, 2020 statement on Artsakh, as well as further steps to resolve problems of the region. On the sidelines of the visit, Pashinyan will also hold a separate meeting with Putin.
 
"He is handing over villages [to Azerbaijan] one by one, he must leave," a protester said.
 
"We have gathered here because our homeland has been sold. I served in the Shushi battalion. Shushi is lost now. They sold my homeland," said another demonstrator.
 
"The traitor must be executed, he must be tried by state bodies, which, unfortunately, are not functioning today," another said.
 
A man said he had joined the protest to “prevent the traitor from signing a new agreement” with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
 
Video at the link below

Mikayel Minasyan: Nikol Pashinyan ‘determined to become five-time hero of Azerbaijan’

Elizabeth Jabejian
Panorama, Armenia

Jan 11 2021
 
 
Armenia’s former Ambassador to the Holy See Mikayel Minasyan says Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been preparing Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war for two and a half years.
 
"He was doing it in all areas – military, politics, diplomacy and information. He consistently and carefully prepared our failure with enthusiasm and specific cynicism. If we take a retrospective look at the diplomatic and information components, we are faced with a terrifying reality. Nikol, who was announcing about the creation of the new Armenia, became the builder of the new Azerbaijan," the former ambassador said on Telegram.
 
Minasyan states that two months have passed since the capitulation to Azerbaijan, but the “concessions do not stop.”
 
"Every day we are losing or handing over something," the ex-ambassador said, underlining that the Armenian authorities’ failure to react to Azerbaijan's rhetoric in any way testifies to the fact that the process will not stop.
 
"Has Azerbaijan ceased to be an aggressor? Of course no. Are the issues of Turkey's responsibility and international terrorism being raised? Of course no. Can the reaction of the international community to what happened be considered appropriate, even taking into account Nikol's incapacity? Of course no.
 
“Is it possible to put up with such a situation? Of course no. And Nikol … Nikol has earned the title of the four-time hero of Azerbaijan for the destruction of the Armenian army, the achievements of Azerbaijan’s diplomacy, the victory of Azerbaijan in the information war and the significant service rendered to Azerbaijan in the third Karabakh war,” he wrote.
 
“The most terrible thing is that he is ready and determined to become the five-time hero of Azerbaijan, this time for squandering the territories of Armenia and creating a pan-Turkic corridor. It depends only on us whether he will be able to wear the next Azerbaijani medal on his chest,” Minasyan said.
 

Parents of conscripts not satisfied with meeting Armenian PM Pashinyan

Elizabeth Jabejian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 15 2021
  

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Saturday the parents of conscripts, listened to them and assured that he would meet with them again to answer the questions raised by them.

According to one of the parents, Suren Julakyan, they are not satisfied with the meeting, "because it is too early to talk about solving the issues" raised by them.

Parents were demanding that their children serve on the territory of Armenia.

Information provided by Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan can’t serve as base for prosecution against them

Elizabeth Jabejian

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 11:09,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan has released a new report, stating that “information derived from interrogation of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan can neither be used as evidence, nor can serve against them as a basis for their criminal prosecution”.

“A new very valuable report!!! With concrete examples!

The report places particular emphasis on the Armenian POWs’ interrogation in Azerbaijan, concluding that the information provided by the Armenian prisoners can not serve as a basis for criminal prosecution against them, nor could it have any probative value in international organizations and venues.

In particular, the special report presents the atrocities of the Azerbaijani armed forces, which among other things, were accompanied by torture, indignation and humiliation of the Armenian prisoners.

These facts are based on the evidence and analysis provided in the report, which once again confirms the use of methods prohibited by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the Armenian prisoners in accordance with strict international standards. The report's assessments are also based on the ombudsman's own fact-finding work.

In addition, international requirements for the treatment of prisoners of war, civilians, their interrogation, legal standards, objective evidence and other materials were examined.

The ombudsman will send the special report to international organizations, including to the European Court of Human Rights.

I express sincere appreciation to Ms. Siranush Sahakyan for her important assistance and valuable contribution to composition of the report and analysis of evidence.

Here is the link of the report: ”, Ombudsman Tatoyan said in a statement on Facebook.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1040141.html?fbclid=IwAR3oVCi8wG81h1-luECL4cgPsGC987J5JlXdOznnpW3WIz0ixQ3pG10e1A8