Author: Nahapetian Lilit

Amnesty International Turquie, Association des droits de l’Homme
(IHD), Helsinki Citizens’Assembly, Mazlum Der, TIHV, etc.).
C/O Ligue des droits de l’Homme 138 rue Marcadet – 75018 Paris

Collectif pour les droits de l’Homme en Turquie
Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture (ACAT);
Assemblée citoyenne des originaires de Turquie (ACORT);
Assemblée européenne des citoyens (AEC-HCA France) ;
Amnesty International France (AIF);
Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH/FIDH)

Communiqué
Paris, le 19 mars 2008

TURQUIE AU TOURNANT DE LA DÉMOCRATIE

Grce à ses récentes réformes législatives, la Turquie a déjà accompli
d’immenses progrès sur la voie des libertés démocratiques. Comme, à
nouveau, elle s’apprête à faire voter divers amendements à sa
Constitution et à son Code pénal, le Collectif souhaite que soient
évités les compromis et les demi-mesures qui ne permettraient pas
d’effectuer les véritables progrès attendus par la population. Par
ailleurs, étant donné l’aggravation des violations des droits
fondamentaux en 2007 par rapport à l’année précédente, nous exhortons
les autorités à veiller à faire appliquer de telles réformes sur le
terrain.

Liberté d’expression
Le Collectif est fortement préoccupé par l’absence de rigueur dans la
législation turque, qui favorise l’interprétation abusive d’articles
imprécis du Code pénal et des lois antiterroristes. C’est pourquoi, il
est à déplorer que le gouvernement se satisfasse de telles ambiguïtés,
et permette que des milieux extrémistes les utilisent pour harceler
écrivains, journalistes, éditeurs, artistes et défenseurs des droits
de l’Homme qui expriment pacifiquement leurs points de vue.

En 2007, plus de 260 personnes ont été inculpées pour délit d’opinion.
Cinquante-cinq d’entre elles, dont 34 journalistes, ont été poursuivis
à cause de l’imprécision de l’article 301 du Code pénal1[1]. Comme le
gouvernement a promis « d’amender » cet article, le Collectif est
préoccupé par la crainte d’y voir maintenu des ambiguïtés, et demande
qu’il soit abrogé. En effet, même lorsque certains prévenus sont
acquittés, comme l’a été le Prix Nobel Orhan Pamuk ou la romancière
Elif Safak, ils sont de nouveau poursuivis en appel, ceci dans un
climat de harcèlement d’extrémistes qui culmine avec le meurtre du
journaliste Hrant Dink.

Tortures et violences policières
Bien que les cas de tortures alléguées aient officiellement diminué en
Turquie, le Collectif constate que la Fondation pour les droits de
l’Homme (TIHV) reçoit dans ses locaux plus de demandeurs de soins
qu’auparavant, en dépit des efforts du gouvernement pour éradiquer les
mauvais traitements. Il semble que ceux-ci soient souvent pratiqués à
l’écart des prisons, lors des manifestations et dans les voitures de
la police. En 2007, cette fondation a comptabilisé 406 demandeurs de
soins après maltraitances alléguées, contre 337 en 2006. De toute
façon, le Collectif proteste contre les nouvelles lois antiterroristes
qui, par exemple, prolongent à 24 heures la garde-à-vue au secret,
s’élève contre l’ambiguïté des textes, et déplore l’absence de
contrôles indépendants dans les prisons, la partialité des enquêtes
judiciaires et l’utilisation par les tribunaux d’aveux extorqués sous
la torture.

Culture de l’impunité
Le Collectif est particulièrement préoccupé par l’indulgence des
tribunaux à l’égard des agents de l’État. Une telle impunité est
inacceptable, notamment, lorsqu’elle protège des forces de l’ordre qui
commettent des violences, des tirs injustifiés ou des tortures. Le
dernier trimestre 2007 a compté de nombreuses exécutions
extrajudiciaires commises par la police et davantage encore par
l’armée. Bien que punies par la loi, de telles pratiques sont en
recrudescence, et n’aboutissent à aucune enquête indépendante. Le
collectif est solidaire de tous les défenseurs des droits de l’Homme
qui, en Turquie, se sont donné pour tche de lutter en faveur de la
paix, de la liberté et de la démocratie
(Amnesty International Turquie, Association des droits de l’Homme
(IHD), Helsinki Citizens’Assembly, Mazlum Der, TIHV, etc.).
C/O Ligue des droits de l’Homme 138 rue Marcadet – 75018 Paris

ARONIAN IN LEADERS’ GROUP WITH 3 POINTS AFTER 2 TOURS IN AMBER INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Noyan Tapan
March 17, 2008

NICE, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Two tours have finished in the Amber
International Chess Tournament that has started in the city of Nice,
France.

In the first tour Levon Aronian competed with Luk van Valli (Holland)
and in the second Sergei Karyakin (the Ukraine). L. Aronian drew the
game in "blind" chess and beat his competitors in speed chess.

Viswanathan Anand (India), Levon Aronian (Armenia), and Vasily Ivanchuk
(the Ukraine) are the leaders after two tours with 3 points each.

The games of the 3rd tour are fixed for March 17.

POLITICIAN: "AZERBAIJAN DID NOT WIN"

Panorama.am
16:22 18/03/2008

"Azerbaijan did not win, but Armenia defeated," said politician Levon
Melik-Shahnazaryan in a press conference held on today when evaluating
the article accepted by the UN Chief Assembly. According to him the
name of the article itself proves that it is against Armenians and
their interest. But the recognition of the article is not a victory
for Azerbaijan as it has but declarative bases.

"Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group member countries Russia, USA and
France which have world wide roles voted against the article," said
the politician and added that Easter super countries China and England
did not vote for but remained neutral.

Shahnazaryan said that the article including nine points in it can
be easily refused and ignored. For example according to one point the
internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan should be protected,
but as the politician said when in 1993 Azerbaijan became member
country of UN Nagorno Karabakh was not a part of it anymore.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTED IN THE FIRST READING THE DRAFT LAW ON ALTERATIONS AND AMENDMENTS TO THE LAW ‘ON NARCOTIC DRUGS AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES’

arminfo
2008-03-17 16:43:00

ArmInfo. Today Armenian National Assembly adopted in the first reading
the draft law on alterations and amendments to the law "On narcotic
drugs and psychotropic substances".

As deputy head of the Armenian Police Ararat Makhtesyan said, according
to the acting legislation of Armenia, comparing of the samples taken
from illicit traffic of drug narcotics and psychotropic substances is
not foreseen. No legal act fixed creation of the collection of these
samples and the way of their submission for testing. Because of the
created vacuum Armenian Police has drawn out a draft law directed to
resolving of the given problem. The purpose of the draft law is to
create a collection of samples of drug narcotics and psychotropic
substances. This will make it possible to fight criminality more
effectively. Some editorial corrections have been also made in the
draft law.

Los Angeles Times, CA
March 15 2008

Quality Armenian bakers from . . . Mexico?

Two childhood friends from Zacatecas went to work for baker Leon
Partamian in 1975. On his death they inherited his shop, which they
now run.

By Bob Pool, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 15, 2008

Their backgrounds are more burrito than boreg.

So how did a pair of childhood buddies from Zacatecas, Mexico, turn
into two of Los Angeles’ most popular Armenian bakers?

On West Adams Boulevard, Francisco Rosales and Jose Gonzales did it
by adopting Leon Partamian’s family recipes — and then getting
"adopted" by Partamian themselves.

The crusty owner of the 60-year-old A. Partamian Bakery in the
Mid-City area liked the way they cooked his sarma and lahmajune. And
he liked the two of them.

So when Partamian died 17 months ago, he gave his bakery business —
and the building that houses its vintage ovens and bread display
cases — to both of them.

Partamian’s gift has brought a sigh of relief to longtime Armenian
American customers who feared that the weathered storefront bakery
would be shuttered and used for something else in a neighborhood that
in recent decades has turned from white to black and now brown.

"This is the best lahmajune anywhere. It is the absolute best," said
Gail Deovlet Chancellor, 62, a homemaker who lives in Huntington
Beach and travels to the bakery to shop. "It took me an hour and 15
minutes to drive here. But it’s worth it."

Like most of Leon Partamian’s longtime customers, Chancellor knew of
the shopkeeper’s desire to eventually pass the bakery on to his two
loyal bakers. He had never married and had no children.

"After we’d been working with him 20 or 25 years he was telling
customers that he was going to leave the store to his ‘boys’ when he
was gone," Rosales said.

Partamian had quickly taken his two young bakers under his wing.

He helped them obtain green cards and with other family immigration
issues. He loaned them money when his "boys" had an emergency.

But Partamian left no written will when in late 2006 he died
unexpectedly at age 73 of a heart attack

. It took more than a year for his heirs to wade through probate
paperwork so they could sign over the business and its building to
Rosales and Gonzales, both 56.

Rosales immigrated to the U.S. in 1969 and Gonzales in 1971. They
were dishwashers in a Bob’s Big Boy restaurant in 1975 when they were
introduced to Partamian. He offered them both jobs.

It took about six months for the pair to learn how to craft the
delicacies that Partamian was famous for: the boreg, paklava, sarma
and the lahmajune — the eight-inch circles of dough topped with
ground lamb, tomatoes and bell peppers and cooked in a 450-degree
oven.

"It was not hard for us. We learned very fast. The recipes are a
little complicated. Leon showed us how much pepper and garlic and
other spices to use," Rosales remembers. "We use black pepper and
garlic in Mexico, but not black nigella and mahlab. I never saw that
in Mexico.

"I grew up with tamales and tacos. But when I tried Armenian food I
liked it. And Leon was such a nice man."

It didn’t take long after starting with Partamian for Gonzales and
Rosales to learn that the A. Partamian Bakery was best known for its
lahmajune, with customers coming from across the Los Angeles basin
and San Fernando Valley for the little lamb pies some call Armenian
pizzas.

They soon found themselves baking around 500 of them a day. At
Christmas and on other holidays, when lahmajune is reheated, sliced
into wedges and served as party appetizers, that number soared to
nearly 1,000, according to Gonzales.

Soon, Partamian was referring to his two young bakers as "my boys"
and gave some of their family members jobs in the bakery.

Rosales’ son, Raul, now an LAX garage attendant, worked there as a
teenager. "Our kids called Leon ‘Grandpa,’ " said his wife, Mirna
Vargas, of daughters Crystal, 9, and Viviane, 5.

Vargas occasionally helped at the bakery before giving birth nine
months ago to son Robert Rosales.

The two Mexican bakers never learned to speak Armenian. But that was
no problem, since Armenian shoppers all spoke English. Gonzales and
Rosales quickly learned the names of the Armenian baked goods that
each day filled Partamian’s shelves. The first name they learned was
lahmajune.

The little pizzas were always the little shop’s big draw.

"I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl, probably about 7,
for my lahmajune," said Myrna Suttice, 47, a caterer who lives in the
Fairfax District.

She is not of Armenian descent, but the lamb pies were popular snacks
for youngsters growing up in the Mid-City neighborhood, Suttice said.
Partamian knew all the children by name and asked to see their report
cards. Good grades earned them free bakery treats.

"I was so glad when Leon handed this place down and it didn’t get
closed," Suttice said.

So was Audrey Hovsepian. The Ladera Heights septuagenarian had known
members of the Partamian family for decades.

"Mr. Partamian was a very kind man. He’d bring his mother to St.
James Armenian Apostolic Church in a wheelchair when she got older.
We all knew his plan was to leave the bakery to his ‘boys.’ We just
didn’t know he hadn’t written it down."

Partamian’s niece, Norma Kurkjian, said there was never any doubt the
family would honor his wishes.

He had made it clear he wanted Rosales and Gonzales to continue, she
said.

Kurkjian, a retired teacher who lives in Northridge, said some
advised the family to sell the business. The property at 5410 W.
Adams Blvd. was appraised for about $500,000, she said.

"But he wanted the bakery to go to the ‘boys’ because they were loyal
to him for 35 years and they bake authentically. He wanted them to
have financial security."

Still, though, "it’s hysterical to go in and see these two Mexican
men making grape leaf and sou boreg. It’s such a hoot."

Rosales and Gonzales live with their families several blocks from the
bakery. Since Partamian’s death, they have worked 12-hour days, six
days a week, without a vacation.

Partamian’s death was a shock, according to the pair. "He left the
store on Saturday and never came back on Monday," said Rosales.

Partamian’s legacy is a good one, agreed Chancellor, whose parents
held her by the hand the first time she stepped inside the tiny shop
and peered into the display case at the stacks of freshly baked
lahmajune.

Her parents, Dewey and Gladys Deovlet, were Armenian immigrants who
dropped the "ian" from Deovletian so they could more easily find
jobs. They were customers when Abraham Partamian opened the bakery in
1948.

Abraham Partamian’s sons, Charles and Leon, worked there, helping him
and their mother, Victoria, bake peda bread and meat boreg, a
turnover filled with ground lamb, and lahmajune.

When his parents died, Leon Partamian took over the bakery.

"Mr. Partamian was always ‘Mr.’ Partamian. That was the way we
addressed him. We never used first names," Chancellor said.

She looked at photos of Partamian and mementos of his life that
Gonzales and Rosales display above the shop’s front counter.

"Mr. Partamian was much loved," she said.

And on West Adams Boulevard, two loyal employees know that better
than anyone.

orld/la-me-armenian15mar15,1,529283,full.story

WETHER OR NOT THERE IS POLITICAL CRISIS IN AREMNIA
GEVORG HARUTYUNYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on March 15, 2008

Artashes Geghamyan

Leader of `National Unity’

`Even if the Republic of Armenia is facing a political crisis, it has
got a geopolitical shading and implication. The thing is, the far-flung
geopolitical plans, aimed at realizing not only in Armenia but also in
the South Caucasus, in case Levon Ter-Petrosyan was elected as a
President on February 19, 2008, presidential elections are ruined.

The fact of the failure became evident, when it was revealed that Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s participation in the Presidential elections pursued a
sole objective of destabilizing the situation in the country at any
price. Thus establishing a fertile soil for different international
organizations and the powers backing them to interfere in our country’s
internal political affairs. The final result of the actions was
Armenia’s detachment from its age-long friend ` Russia and the
establishment of Turkey’s hegemonic role in the region. This is the
reason of the provocation of illegal demonstrations and mass disorder,
in the post-election period. And the same powers are trying to
represent the situation established by themselves as a political
crisis.

Whereas the statement about a political crisis in Armenia is out of the
question. Yes, there is crisis in the Republic of Armenia, but it is a
crisis of trust, that has been introduced for many years by the press
belonging to Armenian Pan National Movement. They have set a task to
sew skepticism in our society towards the pro-oppositional powers, in
which the government in power also has its role; this is the reason why
the opposition domain is deserted at the moment. In parallel to all
this they were also trying to sew skepticism towards the authorities.

As I already mentioned, unfortunately the authorities also contributed
to the formation of this mentality among the society, with its policy
unpleasant for the people. At the moment we have to overcome the crisis
of trust. Each of us must admit his/her fault and repent. In this
regard I think the proposal made by the newly elected President was the
best step forward. And it must serve as an example for many people.

We must be vigilant. The Republic of Armenia is facing the most
critical period of its new history, when the well-known powers are
doing their best to lead the people to very dangerous temptations.

But we will never let this happen. Armenia is an independent, legal
state and we must maintain this Constitutional Clause as the apple of
our eye.

We must be able to prevent the interference of any international
organization in our internal political life. Moreover we must have
courage to say publicly that it is the double standard policy of these
countries that gives rise to the astonishment of the civilized world.

Vardan Khachatryan

Political Secretary of `Heritage’ Party

There has been and there is political crisis in our country. We
shouldn’t try to convince ourselves that we have overcome the tension,
because still there is a lack of social solidarity.

Today all the developments take place in the condition of the state of
emergency. In my opinion the race is still on, by the both sides, and
the Mass Media continue their campaign. Whereas in our opinion, these
days the Mass Media must try to annihilate the tension. We haven’t
overcome the crisis because no one has done anything for it.

It is possible to overcome the crisis by means of a dialogue. For us it
is intolerable to create tension in the political domain and to see a
confrontation between the people and state punishing structure. We must
take certain steps to prevent these phenomena. If a political figure
has committed a crime he must be punished as any citizen of the
Republic of Armenia. If not, collision is unavoidable in the society.

Today a dialogue is indispensable, which should be based on pan
national interests. The negotiating parties must be on the same plane;
no matter they obtained 21, 52 or 65% votes.

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT DOES NOT MIND MEETING WITH RA PRESIDENT ELECT SERGE SARGSYAN

armradio.am
14.03.2008 15:45

The President of Azerbaijan is not opposed to meeting with RA President
elect Serge Sargsyan, the new President of Armenia in the framework
of the NATO summit to be held in Bucharest on April 3 and 4.

"If the Co-Chairs put forward a proposal and Azerbaijani President
takes part in the NATO summit, Ilham Aliyev will consider the
proposal," Novruz Mammadov, the head of the Department for the
International Affairs of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan
said to TrendNews.

Azerbaijani President informed Mathew Bryza, the American co-chairman
of Minsk Group of his principal consent to continue talks with Armenia
during Bryza’a visit to the region, Novruzov said.

RUSTAMIAN: ARF READY TO COOPERATE IF OUR APPROACHES ACCEPTED

Yerkir
14.03.2008 15:30

Yerevan (Yerkir) – ARF Supreme Body of Armenia representative Armen
Rustamian has commented on Prime Minister and president-elect Serzh
Sargsyan’s statement on the ARF’s inclusion in the future coalition
government.

He said the talks have been going on for a long time on crucial issues
the country faces, including fundamental reforms. He said usually
the results of the talks are made public in joint statement after
the talks are over. "This is why Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan’s
statement on March 13 was surprising.

But I tend to take it as a good sign, which means that the priorities
we have presented to him have been accepted. This is good grounds for
a successful outcome of our talks. If our approaches are accepted we
are ready for a closer cooperation," Rustamian said.

EU CONCERNED ABOUT ARMENIAN CRACKDOWN

Radio Liberty
March 13 2008
Czech Rep.

The European Union reiterated late Wednesday its calls for the Armenian
authorities to lift the state of emergency in Yerevan, release all
political prisoners and agree to an "independent investigation"
into the country’s deadly post-election unrest.

The government of Slovenia, holder of the EU’s rotating presidency,
also said on behalf of the block that it is "particularly concerned"
about continuing arrests of supporters of opposition leader Levon
Ter-Petrosian. "The Presidency calls again upon the Armenian
authorities to release citizens detained in connection with their
political activities and to refrain from further arrests of opposition
leaders," it said in a statement.

"The Presidency reiterates its recommendation to conduct an independent
investigation of the events of 1 March and what led to them,"
the statement said. In a further indication of EU distrust in the
authorities’ ongoing investigation into those events, it welcomed a
March 2 report by Armenia’s human rights Ombudsman Armen Harutiunian
that questioned the use of force against thousands of Ter-Petrosian
supporters demanding a re-run of last month’s disputed presidential
election.

The statement also renewed the EU’s calls for the Armenian government
and the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition to embark on "political dialogue
based on mutual understanding and trust."

Ter-Petrosian has repeatedly said that he is ready to start such
dialogue so long as the authorities accept EU recommendations contained
in a similar statement issued by the Slovenian presidency last
week. The government’s position those recommendations remains unclear.

ARMENIAN LEADER LIFTS RESTRICTIONS ON PARTY ACTIVITIES, LEAVES …

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Presidential Bulletin
March 11, 2008
Russia

Armenian President Robert Kocharian has issued a decree easing
the state of emergency imposed on March 1 after massive rioting
in Yerevan.One of the restrictions that he lifted concerns the
operations of parties and political organizations, another – the
expulsion of people who are not permanent residents of Yerevan at
their own expense and if that is impossible at the expense of state
coffers with subsequent compensation of relevant sums to the budget.

"The Armenian president signed the decree considering that no grave
offenses have been registered in Yerevan since the introduction
of the state of emergency and that the situation remains stable,"
presidential press secretary Viktor Sogomonian said at a last Monday
briefing in Yerevan.

He said that the legal sector of the presidential administration is
working on the justification of the cancellation of one more provision
of the decree on the state of emergency concerning restrictions on
the operations of the mass media.