11:17, 2 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. 342 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Armenia in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total number of confirmed cases to 420,498, the Ministry of Healthcare reported.
15 people died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the total death toll to 8493.
4020 tests were conducted on March 1.
755 people recovered (total 403,671).
As of March 2, the number of active cases stands at 8493.
Armenian soldiers are still illegally detained and subject to torture while thousands of civilians still live in danger, Member of the US House of Representative Adam Schiff said in a statement on the 34th anniversary of the Sumgait and Baku pogroms.
He noted that religious and cultural Armenian sites that have fallen under Azerbaijani control are under constant threat.
Bellow is the full text of the statement:
Yesterday, we marked the 34th anniversary of the Sumgait and Baku pogroms. Beginning on February 27, 1988, and for three days following, Azerbaijani mobs assaulted and killed Armenians – leaving hundreds of civilians dead and injured and women and girls were raped. Some victims were thrown from windows and burned alive. Tens of thousands were forced to flee.
After two years, it was estimated that only 40,000 of the 250,000 Armenian residents of Baku remained in Azerbaijan. On January 13, 1990, organized Azerbaijani mobs turned on them, too, killing hundreds and injuring many more.
The pogroms came as a direct result of years of vicious, racist anti-Armenian propaganda by Azerbaijani authorities, dehumanizing the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan and laying the groundwork for mass violence. Azerbaijani authorities made little effort to punish those responsible, instead attempting to cover up the atrocities and deny the government’s role in instigating the attacks.
As we reflect on yesterday’s anniversary, we honor the victims of this ghastly injustice and pledge to speak out against hatred so that history will not repeat itself. But tragically, more than three decades later, that is exactly what has happened. Beginning on September 27, 2020, and over 44 days, Azerbaijani forces once again targeted and murdered innocent Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, and displaced tens of thousands more. Today, Azerbaijani aggression against the people of Armenia and Artsakh continues. Armenian soldiers are still illegally detained and subject to torture while thousands of civilians still live in danger. Religious and cultural Armenian sites that have fallen under Azerbaijani control are under constant threat.
These are the horrific consequences when aggression and hatred grow unchecked – and it is why, whether these crimes against humanity occurred one year, thirty years, or a hundred years ago, we can never allow them to go unrecognized. More than that, it is why the United States must fully step into its role as a defender of democracy and peace around the world. We must not relent in our calls for the safe and unconditional release of the remaining Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians, for the end of U.S. assistance to the Aliyev regime, and for stronger efforts to support democracy in Armenia and a free, independent Artsakh.
So let us pause to remember those who suffered in the atrocities of the Sumgait and Baku pogroms. But let us also recommit ourselves and our nation to doing everything we can, today, to bring liberation to our Armenian brothers and sisters abroad, once and for all.
Speaker of Artsakh’s National Assembly Artur Tovmasyan released the following statement on the 34th anniversary of the pogroms against Armenians in Sumgait:
"Dear compatriots,
34 years have passed since the Sumgait pogroms,
Many peoples and nations around the world have suffered and continue to suffer from genocide, and for the Armenian people it’s about the past and the present, but never the future.
Azerbaijan, an artificial state born in early 20th century, has pursued an anti-Armenian mission since its formation, as evidenced by the 1988 Sumgait pogroms and the recurrent wars.
Azerbaijan’s sole purpose and obsession is to achieve the final occupation of Artsakh and the annihilation of the ethnic people.
Impunity and intolerance pushed the Azerbaijani authorities to commit new genocidal acts.
Armenophobia reached its peak in the September 2020 war unleashed by Azerbaijan, in particular in the form of inhuman treatment of the population of Artsakh and Armenian captives, murders, torture and cultural genocide.
Strongly condemning the Sumgait crime and Azerbaijan's long-standing policy of Armenophobia, we call on the civilized world to take effective steps to prevent the genocidal policy of Azerbaijan against the Artsakh Armenians.
We need to get out of this difficult situation, continue to live on our ancestral land, and demand that our rights be respected.
My homage to the memory of all our compatriots who fell victim to the Azerbaijani violence and all fallen heroes of the Artsakh wars.”
All the countries having interests in the South Caucasus region are gradually getting their “share of dividends” from the new situation caused by the 2020 Artsakh war, political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan says.
“One got the lands, the other – the roads, the third one – geopolitical presence, the fourth one – a great influence… And only we again found ourselves with nothing,” he wrote on Telegram on Wednesday, attributing it to Armenia’s failure to learn lessons from the 1920 events.
“I naturally understand what others what in our region, and why we have ended up in such a situation. A thinking man cannot fail to see this extremely simple picture.
“But there is one important circumstance that we must continually bring up: more has been taken from us than it was agreed upon. And never mind that the main culprit for this is the witless authorities of Armenia. Those who steal are just as guilty. And the thieves should also be reminded of this.
“As I repeatedly said, Shushi and Hadrut must be regained, also Karvachar – as a punishment for crossing the borders of already criminal decisions. This should be the key issue on the agenda of our next government,” Melik-Shahnazaryan said.
12:10, 25 February, 2022
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Ukraine is ready to engage in negotiations with Russia over a neutral status but is calling for security guarantees for doing so, UNIAN Information Agency reported citing a senior official at the Ukrainian presidency.
“Ukraine always leaves room for negotiations, including now, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion,” Mikhail Podolyaka, the advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian presidency said in a statement. “This war must be stopped. These military actions must be stopped,” he said.
The Minister of Justice in Armenia has called for a mass dismissal of judges, amid opposition concerns that the government is attempting to undermine the independence of the judiciary.
Judge Boris Bakhshiyan
Criticism predominantly stems from a case opened against Syunik judge Boris Bakhshiyan shortly after his decision to release an opposition figure from detention. Critics warn that such decisions subject the independent decision-making ability of judges to the control of state authorities.
Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan
Justice Minister Karen Andreasyan said the dismissals would take place as part of a judicial reform process.
“If the Supreme Judicial Council is up to the task, then I promise you that within a year the vetting in Armenia will be over, and we will have the kind of judicial system that you want,” he said during a February 15 interview with RFE/RL.
According to Andreasyan, the process of “vetting” judges has been slow due to opposition from “European structures.”
“There is some clan-based sentiment. For example, 93 judges signed some statement. I’m not saying that they all are corrupt. But I can see that 10, 20, 30 names are repeated when there is another action,” he said.
The statement in question refers to a reported appeal demanding an emergency session of judges following Bakhshiyan’s arrest.
Ashot Minasyan
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) granted a motion on behalf of the Office of the Prosecutor General to pursue criminal proceedings against Bakhshiyan days after his decision to free war veteran and Sisian volunteer unit commander Ashot Minasyan from jail. The SJC is an independent state body that oversees the system of judges and courts.
In November 2020, the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia detained Minasyan alongside former NSS head Artur Vanetsyan, former deputy speaker of parliament Vahram Baghdasaryan and Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) member and war veteran Ashot Avagyan. The NSS accused the four opposition figures of plotting the murder of PM Nikol Pashinyan and the seizure of state power as well as illegally acquiring and storing weapons and ammunition.
On January 26, 2022, Bakhshiyan, a judge of the Court of First Instance of the southernmost Syunik province, ruled to release Minasyan from detention on bail. The NSS had dropped the coup charges against the group in December 2021 yet maintained the accusation of illegal weapon acquisition against Minasyan.
Initially, authorities did not disclose what accusations had been leveled against Bakhshiyan. On February 1, the Prosecutor General’s Office released a statement dismissing speculation that Bakhshiyan had been targeted in connection with his decision to release Minasyan. The statement reads that while the office had “refrained from publishing anything regarding Boris Bakhshiyan,” it would respond to “publications not corresponding to reality” by his lawyers.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, criminal proceedings had been launched against Bakhshiyan, because he had detained a defendant, Nver Mkrtchyan, in a trial separate from Minasyan’s. Since Mkrtchyan had not appeared at a court hearing due to a “very urgent case,” his detention had been baseless.
Mkrtchyan provided incriminating evidence in the trial of Karajan mayor Manvel Paramazyan. Paramazyan was arrested in July 2021 amid a series of arrests of opposition Syunik politicians. Paramazyan was charged with voter bribery and fraud in the June 2021 snap elections, charges that he rejected as politically motivated.
In December 2021, Bakhshiyan ordered Paramazyan’s release on bail. On February 7, the week after a case was opened against Bakhshiyan, a Court of Appeals ordered Paramazyan’s re-arrest.
Bakhshiyan’s lawyers say that he has been targeted in an attempt to stifle his independent decisions as a judge. Arsen Sardaryan, one of Bakhshiyan’s attorneys, dismissed the explanation set forth in the statement by the Prosecutor General’s Office. Sardaryan said that authorities had not appealed Bakhshiyan’s decision to release Paramazyan when the ruling took place two months ago. Instead, authorities were “interfering with the legal activity of a judge,” Sardaryan wrote on Facebook on February 1.
Former Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan said that he had received a letter from Bakhshiyan’s attorneys stating that he was being “illegally prosecuted.” According to Tatoyan, the lawyers told him that the “the criminal prosecution against Judge Boris Bakhshiyan is connected with his decision to release a person from custody in another case.”
Armenian judges have also criticized the case against Bakhshiyan. Head of the Union of Judges of Armenia Aleksandr Azaryan released a statement on January 31 expressing his concern regarding the deprivation of Bakhshiyan’s immunity as a judge and his personal freedom. The Union of Judges is a non-governmental organization that aims to strengthen court-public relations through transparency and accessibility.
On February 2, the Union of Judges released a joint statement warning that the case against Bakhshiyan endangers the independence of the judiciary. It condemned the decision to “prosecute a judge for a judicial decision and to deprive him of his liberty, especially when the judicial decision has not been overturned” as a “restriction on the freedom of judges to make impartial decisions, which is inconsistent with the rule of law of any democratic state.”
On February 4, Bakhshiyan’s fellow judges from the First Instance Court of Syunik also released a joint statement expressing their solidarity with him.
While the case against Bakhshiyan continues, the Civil Contract Party has adopted measures to make it easier to prosecute judges. On February 9, the National Assembly voted to amend the process of seeking permission from the SJC to launch criminal proceedings against judges. Previously, seven of 10 members of the SJC had to authorize a decision to open a criminal case against a judge. The new procedure reduces the threshold to five members.
The opposition parliamentary factions denounced the amendments as an attempt by the ruling party to exert greater control over the judiciary. Armenia Alliance deputy Artsvik Minasyan said that five members of the SJC have been installed by parliaments controlled by the Civil Contract Party.
“As a result of this change, five members of the Supreme Judicial Council can make a decision and send any judge to the criminal prosecution field,” he said.
Civil Contract Party deputy and chairman of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Vladimir Vartanyan dismissed concerns that the amendments undermine the independence of the judiciary. Vartanyan said that they will prevent abuses by judges in case several seats on the SJC are vacant.
14:54,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. The digitization of the private library of renowned Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan and the creation of e-library will be fulfilled by the funds saved as a result of the operation of the solar power station installed in the Tumanyan Museum.
Director of the Hovhannes Tumanyan House Museum Ani Yeghiazaryan told Armenpress that the initiative has been proposed by the Armenian Energy Agency foundation which launched the program “Solar Energy for the Benefit of Cultural Heritage”, and the total financial assistance has been provided by HSBC Armenia Bank.
“This was really a very necessary initiative for us, and our cooperation started very quickly. Why is this important for us? Firstly, the share of electricity consumption of the whole year is ensured. Secondly, the money saved as a result of our talks with the Ministry of Culture will be directed to one of the key programs of the Museum – the digitization of Tumanyan’s private library and the creation of electronic library”, she said, adding that the Museum has dreamed of implementing this program for years, but it was impossible because financial resources were lacking.
According to Mrs. Yeghiazaryan, this was the best chance to have the poet’s rich library, which has nearly 8000 books, in electronic platform and make it available to the people.
The Museum Director hopes this will be an impetus for both the investors and organizers so that the program continues and other cultural centers are also able to use this opportunity.
The solar power station is operating at the Tumanyan Museum since January 2022.
RMC Sport report this afternoon that Azerbaijani side Qarabağ are set to complain to UEFA following their 3-1 defeat to Marseille yesterday over alleged pro-Armenia chanting.
Marseille – whose city holds a historically large Armenia diaspora – also saw several Armenian flags displayed by fans at the stadium.
The OM fans were ostensibly showing their support for the country in the wake of the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh region between the two Caucasus nations. One of the banners held up read “Artsakh is Armenia”.
As a result, UEFA could sanction Marseille as a result of its regulations regarding neutrality and political symbols.
Olympique was a clear favorite of the clash with Karabakh Agdam. Arkadiusz Milik, who came out in the first line-up of his club, had an appetite for the next goals. The first action was created by Konrad de La Fuente, who, however, scored next to the goal. Cengiz Under tried, but his shot was also inaccurate.
After 7 minutes, the home side’s defenders made an eyebrow as Abdellah Zoubir nearly made it one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, Pol Lirola returned at the last moment to avert the danger by stealing the ball from his opponent. In a moment, Zoubir shot menacingly and unexpectedly at Steve Mandanda’s goal. Goalkeeper OM was at his post and caught the ball.
Karabakh still played without complexes. In the 12th minute, Ibrahim Wadji broke off Alvaro Gonzalez and gave a flat cross. Filip Ozobic’s blow did not threaten the hosts’ goal. Milik tried at the second goal. The ball was stopped by Luka Gugeshashvili.
Marseille shook itself quite quickly. She began to attack bolder and bolder until the lead came out. Arkadiusz Milik gave them to her. In the 40th minute after the throw-in, the Polish striker shot his head, but the defender stopped his shot on the line. The Polish representative kicked the ball into the goal with his foot.
Milik was also the author of the second goal, which Papa Gueye found perfectly. The Polish striker did not make a mistake on his own and probably ended up in the net. Marseille was leaving with a two-goal advantage during the break.
Karabakh attacked again in the second half. He hit the post, but his defense also had to be careful. The Georgian goalkeeper of the visitors saved Gueye’s shot from the 54th minute in a manner known to him. Mandanda was also under fire. In the 64th minute Wadji scored strongly against the crossbar, but the Marseille goalkeeper effectively carried the ball over the crossbar.
In the 68th minute, Milik left the pitch and the audience cheered him on. Marseilles stepped back and gave the field to rivals. However, the visitors from Azerbaijan were unable to hit the target. Until then, however. OM caught up. In the end, the combined action of the 85th minute resulted in a goal for Karabakh. Patrick Andrade got the ball in the penalty area and played along the goal line, and Kady hit the net from close range.
In the last seconds of the match, Dmitri Payet was the most active, who replaced Milik. First he scored so that the goalkeeper parried the ball to the corner, then he hit the crossbar. In the end, however, in added time, he hit the net and set the score at 3: 1.
The next meeting of both teams will be held on February 24. His favorite will be OM.
Olympique Marseille – Karabakh Agdam 3: 1 (2: 0)
Goals: Arkadiusz Milik (41, 44), Dmitri Payet (90) – Kady (85)
Yellow cards: Ünder, Peres, Dieng
Olympique Marseille: Mandanda – Lirola, Balerdi, Kamara, Álvaro González, Peres – Ünder (69th B. Dieng), Gerson (69th Guendouzi), P. Gueye, de la Fuente (69th Bakambu) – Milik (68th Payet).
Karabakh Agdam: Gugeszaszwili – Vesović, Medina, Medveděv, T. Bajramov – P. Andrade, Garajev (90. Ibrahimnli) – Kady, Ozobić (74. Šejdajev), Zoubir – Wadji (89. Gurbanli)
https://sparkchronicles.com/olympique-marseille-karabakh-milik-gave-om-a-victory-europa-league/
Bill on occupied territories of Artsakh to be an important document – FM Babayan
09:35,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. The bill on the Occupied Territories of Artsakh, which has been recently put into circulation in the Parliament, is going to be an important document and is a very significant step in terms of settling the Artsakh issue and clarifying the approaches on determining the international status of Artsakh, Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan told Armenpress, highlighting the importance of the draft law from political, historical and moral perspectives.
“It, of course, is going to be a very important document. And this is our vision, it’s important both from political, historical and moral perspectives. It’s an important step in general, and this process itself is very important. Therefore, these discussions will take place in the National Assembly of Artsakh, and we are preparing that active discussions are going to happen. Of course, that will be a comprehensive law involving different aspects”, the Artsakh FM said.
According to him, the law is highly likely to be adopted, and this view is shared also by all parliamentary factions and political forces of Artsakh.
All factions represented in the parliament of Artsakh put into circulation a draft law on the Occupied Territories of Artsakh, according to which there will be a ban on those foreign companies which will want to carry out activity in the territories of Artsakh occupied by Azerbaijan, without the permission of the Artsakh government.