Author: Manouk Vasilian

The European Court to examine the complaint on journalist Gayane Arustamyan’s case

Manouk Vasilian
  • 20:32 | September 25,2017 | Social
  • Հայ

The European Court of Human Rights received the complaint of Gayane Arustamyan, a journalist arrested on May 7, 2015, who was subjected to inhuman, degrading treatment and physical violence by the police.

Gayane Arustamyan’s interests are presented by Ani Chatinyan, HCAVO advocate. The complaint is based on the rights to avoid torture (Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and respect for private and family life, Article 8 of the ECHR and an effective remedy, as set in Article 13 of the ECHR)

Gayane Arustamyan was arrested and taken to the central office of the Police of Yerevan on May 7, in 2015, because of saying “What are you whistling, you idiot!” to a policeman who whistled when she was passing the street in the permitted place. The policems, evaluated this as an insult, and took her to the police station with his colleagues.

As stated by G. Arustamyan, on the way to the police station and at the station, the policemen evinced misguided behavior and expressions, hurting her both psychologically and physically. As a result, G. Arustamyan felt herself bad and called for help. The forensic-psychological examination, subsequently initiated by her, has confirmed the impact of the above-mentioned cases on her psychology.

On the basis of G. Arustamyan’s and A. Saqunc’s, head of the HCAVO, reports criminal case was filed on abusing position; but on August, 2015, the case was stopped, on the basis of absence of criminals. After appealing to authorities and to the court, G. Arustamyan’s representative T, Siradeghyan, the HCAVO advocate, appealed to the Court of Cassation, but was rejected.

With the complaint filed by the European Court of Human Rights, Arustamyan’s representative A. Chatinyan justified the fact that no proper investigation was carried out to detect and punish those who were guilty. The victim’s petitions for examination to reveal the link between her illness and the policemen’s activities were denied, and the results of her own examination of the case were not recognized as evidence by the court.

Details are available here

Kurdistan’s components in Parliament support referendum in mother language

Manouk Vasilian
Kurdistan 24 2017
Sept 17 2017
Baxtiyar Goran |
September 16-2017

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Representatives of the Kurdistan Region’s components in the Parliament support the independence referendum in their native languages.

The Kurdistan Region Parliament in a majority vote on Friday approved the decision to hold the independence referendum in the Region. 

With the presence of 68 MPs out of 111, the Kurdistan Parliament in a majority of 65 votes mandated the Independent High Election and Referendum Commission (IHERC) to hold the independence referendum on September 25.

Eleven seats in the Kurdistan Parliament are reserved for the Region’s minorities, allocated to represent the Assyrian, Armenian and Turkmen communities in the governorates administrated by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Yirwant Nisan, an Armenian MP, said that “I would like to firstly speak in the Armenian language to congratulate the people of the Kurdistan Region, including fellow Armenians, for holding the independence referendum.”

Speaking of the Armenian genocide, Nisan said that since Armenia has become an independent country, it has faced no more genocide.

"The referendum and having an independent country is an opportunity for the people of Kurdistan to prevent more genocide," he said.

Wahida Yaqo Hurmiz, an MP from the Chaldean, Assyrian Syriac bloc, speaking in his mother language expressed support for holding the independence referendum, saying that an independent Kurdistan is the legitimate right of the people.

“Referendum would resolve many of our issues and a civic constitution in the future independent Kurdistan would guarantee our rights,” Hurmiz stated.

BAKU: Azerbaijani, Russian, Armenian religious leaders to meet in Moscow

Manouk Vasilian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 5 2017
5 September 2017 10:48 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian religious leaders will hold a trilateral meeting in Moscow on September 8, said Alexander Volkov, the spokesman of the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia 4.

He told reporters that the religious leaders of the three countries will discuss ways of solving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The last meeting of two spiritual leaders was held in Moscow in November 2016, where they expressed intention to continue such meetings through intermediaries.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia are expected to meet in New York this fall.

Moreover, the OSCE Minsk Groups, established to broker a peace to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict is preparing for a meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents.