Author: nina hovnanian

Number of claims to ECHR from Armenia not high – ex-judge

15:10 * 04.01.15

Fewer people are applying to the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR), Alvina Gyulumyan, former ECHR judge from Armenia, told
Tert.am.

Last year, the ECHR received 150,000 claims from the 47 Council of
Europe member-states.

“The the number of claims from our country s not at all high,” Ms
Gyulumyan said.

According to her, Armenian citizens’ claims to the ECHR are not the
indicator of distrust of the country’s judicial system.

“Two sides always meet at court. If one of them is satisfied, the
other remains dissatisfied. This is the reason.”

Armenia’s courts are doing their best to improve the level of justice.

“Popular mistrust of courts and their independence is a different
problem, which requires a comprehensive solution,” Ms Gyulumyan said.

Recent years have seen much work to reduce corruption risks, raise
judges’ salaries and improve court’s efficiency.

HAUT KARABAGH
Les deux militaires Arméniens tués hier au Haut Karabagh médaillés à
tire posthume pour leur courage

Le président de la République du Haut Karabagh Bako Sahakian a
médaille à titre posthume de la médaille > (pour
l’Héroïsme) l’officier Vartan Mkrdtchian et de la médaille > (Service combattant) le lieutenant Karen Krikorian.
Les deux soldats Arméniens tués la nuit du 3 janvier sur des points de
défense frontaliers au Haut Karabagh sont les deux premières victimes
arméniennes de l’année 2015 dans le conflit arméno-azéri. Les Azéris
qui ont conduit des commandos de nuit sur les positions arméniennes de
défense compteraient également de nombreux morts, malgré les démentis
de Bakou.

Le soldat Arménien, dans la nuit et le froid, défend les terres
arméniennes aux frontières du Haut Karabagh. C’est avant tout vers
ceux qui luttent dans des conditions très difficiles pour la sécurité
de la nation arménienne que nos regards doivent se tourner. Et de se
rappeler la phrase d’un soldat Arménien adressé à ses parents >. Une belle
leçon de courage d’une armée arménienne exemplaire et déterminée à
défendre la sécurité et les terres de la nation arménienne. Nos
pensées doivent les accompagner à chaque instant pour qu’ils sentent
dans les froides montagnes, la chaleur du souffle de la diaspora
arménienne derrière chaque soldat.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 4 janvier 2015,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

THE MIRAGE OF ARMENIA’S LEVEL OF MILITARIZATION

BY STAFF – POSTED ON DECEMBER 29, 2014POSTED IN: ARMENIA, NEWS
by: Z. S. Andrew Demirdjian, Ph.D.

In the USA Armenian Life Magazine of December 19-25, 2014 issue,
there was an article which attracted my attention with the speed of
lightening. The headline read: “Armenia 3rd Most Militarized Country
in World, Claims New Study.” I had to read it several times before I
could decide that I was reading it realistically and not wishfully.

The reason this article grabbed my attention is because a year ago, I
had an article titled “Azerbaijan: An Avalanche in the Making”
published, in which I presented comparative data to show that
Azerbaijan was considerably ahead of Armenia in the following three
crucial areas: weaponry, economy, and population. So, how could all
of a sudden Armenia is way ahead of Azerbaijan in militarization when
the former just purchased heavy weapons from Russia for $4 billion and
from Israel for $7 billion not to mention how much from Pakistan,
China, and the USA? As we all know, Azerbaijan has been on a frenzy
arms race in the last ten years.

This arguable study was conducted by the Bonn International Center for
Conversion (BICC) of Germany. Out of the 152 states examined in terms
of militarization levels based on the 2014 Global Militarisation Index
(GMI), Israel, Singapore, Armenia, Syria, Russia, Cyprus, South Korea,
Jordan, Greece and Azerbaijan (ranked 1 to 10). These ten countries
were ranked with the highest levels of militarization.

The decision criteria in the methodology of the “…GMI is divided into
three overarching categories: expenditure, personnel and heavy
weapons.

1- Military spending in relation to GDP [Gross Domestic Product]
and health spending are the most important indicators for determining
the level of militarization.

2- Besides military expenditure, the level of militarization is
also represented by the relation of military personnel to the total
population and physicians.

3- Finally, to determine the level of militarization of a country,
which does not only consist of resources and personnel, specific types
of heavy weapons have to be taken into account. This is why the GMI,
as its third category takes into consideration the number of an armed
forces’ heavy weapons in relation to the total population.”

In this commentary, I shall focus on how misleading conclusions were
drawn on Armenia’s “Military spending in relation to its GDP [Gross
Domestic Product]…” based on inappropriate research methodology in
terms of statistical procedures used in this descriptive study in
determining the spectrum of rankings.

Before I discuss the “artifactuality” of the methodology involved in
the BICC study, let me give you a simple case as an illustration of
deception through statistical manipulation of data:

Some years ago, a university assistant professor was commissioned by
Proctor and Gamble to conduct a survey study to determine how
preferred was Crest vs. its major competitor (Pepsodent) in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana. Pressed for time, the researcher undertook a quick
and dirty study and reported that 75 percent of those surveyed
preferred Crest over Pepsodent. Long story short, for retention and
promotion purposes the chairman of the professor’s department examines
the methodology of the study and finds out that this professor had
drawn the conclusion based on a sample of 8 students! Out of 8
respondents, 6 had preferred Crest. Is the conclusion of this study
valid? Of course, you’d respond with a resounding NO! Because the
sample is too small (technically speaking, it does not approximate a
normal curve). Well, over 95 percent of reported medical findings are
based on statistically insignificant, non-probability samples for
inferential studies based on deductive reasoning. That is why we get
often conflicting results from the same type of studies in the medical
field from a spurious observation or result arising from preparatory
or investigative procedures.

In the 1980s, when United States was being overrun by Japan, it was
even stated in textbooks that one of the reasons Japan was ahead
because it spent on R&D (Research and Development) more money than the
U.S. Later on, upon closer examination it was found out that the
comparison of R&D spending was based as a percentage of Gross National
Product (GNP), namely, R&D expenditures divided by GNP. In terms of
absolute dollar amounts spent on R&D, US was handily head over
shoulders ahead of Japan! Since US’s GNP was larger than Japan’s GNP,
the US had a larger divisor of the R&D expenditures. Therefore, the
relatively small result in percentages for the US was confounding and
distorting the facts at best.

By the same token of theoretical thinking, let us assume Armenia and
Azerbaijan have recently spent the same amount of money on heavy
weapons, say $100 million each (for the sake of simplicity). Let us
further assume that Armenia’s GDP is $300 million and Azerbaijan’s GDP
is $900 million. Now, which country spends more on weapons? As a
percentage of GDP followed by BICC’s methodology Armenia has the
higher level of militarization (100 ÷ 300 = 33% ; 100 ÷ 900 = 11%).
As a percentage of GDP, Armenia has spent three times more than
Azerbaijan. However, in terms of absolute amounts of money spent on
heavy weapons, Azerbaijan has all that petro dollars to militarize its
9 million population in the hope of usurping Karabakh and the
“Yerevan Khanate” which includes Lake Sevan from the Armenians, the
indigenous people of Anatolia!

Mark Twain once said, “There are lies, dammed lies, and statistics”.
That is to say, the power of numbers can either show big or small
difference between two or more things when the data are statistically
massaged. While Armenia being the 3rd most militarized country would
have the advantage of intimidation (over the bellicose Ilham Aliyev),
let us not delude ourselves, though, that Armenia has become
invincible. This is not to say that Armenia is weak. The Armenian
solider will fight for survival and defend his or her ancestral lands
with utmost bravery. The aim here is not to disregard the enemy which
is in reality spending a fortune, mega dollars on weapons and is
rapidly becoming a troublesome Goliath.

BICC’s study has only created a mirage. This process is a case of
perceptual paradox (which exposes a misunderstanding of our awareness
and perception of reality, and how this misunderstanding imbeds a
false sense of certainty about what is and what is not real). Lying
with statistics on purpose, by accident or through ignorance sounds
unrefined. I prefer the term “statistical miss-communication,” but the
blunt phrase “how to lie with statistics” has been the subject and the
title of over thirty books. Armenia’s total spending on weapons is
illusory or insubstantial if we use the correct methodology in
descriptive studies.

The Emperor has no clothes! We cannot be complacent for BICC’s
methodology of ranking is not objective or scientific. There is some
psychological satisfaction in that statement that Armenia is 3rd in
the world. Most Armenians will welcome and be proud of that news.
However, this kind of news is misleading, it is miss-communication,
and it is downright misinformation.

False expectations are detrimental to all of Armenia’s friends.
Misinformation and misperception would hurt Armenia for being overly
prepared to defend itself in the event of war. In fact, to follow the
principle of parity, the US should give Armenia a substantial increase
in military aid. Otherwise, it would be lopsided; Armenia would be at
a disadvantage against the naked aggression coming from Baku. Over the
last ten years, Azerbaijan has amassed modern weaponry to the hilt.
Let us stand vigil, let us get more weapons, let us increase our
level of real militarization over our hostile neighbor -and let us err
on the side of caution in order not to be caught again in the jaws of
a proven genocidal, fang-baring perpetrators.

Kirkus Reviews (Print)
January 1, 2015, Thursday

FOUR YEARS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF KURDISTAN;
An Armenian Boy’s Memoir of Survival

An account of tragic years in Armenian history.In 1915, Haigaz
(1900-1986), born Aram Chekenian, his mother and sisters became
victims of Armenian persecution by Ottoman Turks, forced from their
homes to march across the Syrian Desert. Starving and destitute, they
came to a village where they discovered that other Armenian boys,
after converting to Islam, found work as servants in Turkish
households. Acceding to his mother’s pleas, the young Haigaz became a
willing convert.

For the next four years, he lived among Kurdish tribes, tending sheep,
reaping crops, feeding chickens and serving as a trusted messenger.
Living in intimate proximity to the families, he learned their
customs, secrets and, with astute cunning, vulnerabilities. After
immigrating to America when he was 21, Haigaz began to write and
publish his memories of the massacre that killed his father and
brothers, and he mined his experiences in short stories that were
published in The Armenian Review. The author adapted some of those
stories for a memoir, published in Armenian in 1972 and now
translated, condensed and edited by his daughter. Haigaz tells a
harrowing story of barbaric cruelty by Turks against the people they
considered infidels. Nevertheless, after he converted to Islam-a
simple matter of declaration-he was treated humanely. When his first
master died, Haigaz moved to the household of his younger brother, a
“sensible, modest, and godly” man who had not taken part in the
Armenian massacres and, in fact, “could not kill a chicken or watch a
sheep being slaughtered.” His only vice seemed to be a great love of
alcohol, though forbidden by the Quran. Haigaz reveals intertribal
struggles and betrayals as world war raged in the background. In the
spring of 1919, with the Ottoman Empire defeated, he saw his chance to
escape. A richly detailed testimony to a young man’s courage in the
face of unspeakable horror.

Publication Date: 2015-03-26
Publisher: Maiden Lane Press
Stage: Adult
ISBN: 978-1-940210-06-3
Price: $26.95
Author: Haigaz, Aram

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 3 2015

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claims there was no fighting in Nagorno Karabakh

3 January 2015 – 4:57pm

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry has denied the information that there
had been a shootout last night on the front line in Nagorno Karabakh
as a result of which several soldiers were killed.

As earlier reported by Vestnik Kavkaza, the Armenian Defense Ministry
today reported that two people had been killed tonight in a shootout.

2015 curtain is opened, the show begins …

January 2, 2015 00:05

2015 promises to be a very eventful year …
at least for the Turks and the Armenians.

Do you think you are now lobbying battles or casuistry I do not know,
but it will be a lot of issues we will write to journalists.

Armenians do not want to move to a denial of the suffering 100 years
next year. But we know that’s not kid ourselves “deny” will continue
this year with different sentences.

Words are not enough anymore for us, important concrete steps.

Turkey intends to prepare the 2016 action.

Currently, the 100th anniversary of Armenian “gas” will wait to pass.

>From the first months of 2015, her husband came to appear on the
agenda of the Armenian genocide.

Turkey will see how much it, “parallel” We’ll see how long that will
be overshadowed by the struggle. But let me give you I will spoil you
in advance … 2015

Yasar Yakis, and the correspondence between Hubert Haenel was deciphered

Transcription not only record and publish things that make
contributions to journalism in Turkey. The prestigious Armenian
magazine published in France, Nouvelles in Armenia, the cover 2012 in
the January issue Valerie Boyer ‘in France which leads to the
Constitutional Court, Boyer Act (genocide law in Turkey)related Yasar
Yakis and period of the constitutional committee member of the secret
correspondence between Hubert Haenel published.

The content of the correspondence, more than Boyer law agendaYasar
Yakis and Hubert Haenel (which at that time was Sarkozy’s UMP party
senator from) are negotiable between.Rather collusion.

Jean Supplement, distributed autographed correspondence which passed
in an e-mail group and stated in the headline is left open to the
outside can be seen by everyone.

To pass the bill after saying the suit do his Haenel hand, moving to
more laws rating (February 28, 2012) from Haenel interesting answer:
“The decision will be announced at 5.00pm today, you will be
satisfied”

The lobbying in Turkey and abroad who complain constantly lobby seems
to have learned from the best, but then again the negotiations held
secretly in the system in Turkey that can occur with the saintliness
of such technology.

Hubert Haenel, we can expect in the coming days in advance to make a
statement …

Clooney in a case Perinchek

While in the case of the Armenian genocide by mutual Perin?çek
Switzerland for a long time was occupying the agenda of the Armenians.
I decided to go to Switzerland after winning Perinchek Court case.

Case will be in January. However, much larger than the diameter of the
case this time we thought.

The reason for this not to be an important personality of the
Perinchek. Armenia has also now take its place as a party in the case.

A previous case, the Armenian side did not, in his own eyes away,
showing a democratic attitude about it would be to interfere with the
internal affairs of Switzerland. Now the things are a little more
output from degenerated.

Was referred to the Court for the cancellation of conviction in
Switzerland Perinchek case. Therefore, the case has now moved to the
international arena.

Armenians, not to question the attitude of the Court that Perin?çek
committed criminal offenses in the case.

Also a small case of a sudden he was sat on the agenda of the European
Holocaust, because if Switzerland’s conviction is confirmed, other
countries will be affected by this decision is in conflict with many
constitutions in Europe.

Assange and Tymoshenko’s lawyer Amal Clooney intervened to Armenia

Armenia was prepared quite well. The media itself is a famous actress
and activist George Clooney’s Tanitsune us also as the wife Amal Ramzi
Alamud (Clooney) is only one of the group located in Armenia’s
powerful lawyers. Amal Clooney Julian Assange Wikileaks case, the
former prime minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko was in the defending
team. Kofi Annan’s advice came during the peak of his career.

International law expert and “inappropriate genocide: Who today
remembers the Armenians?” , author of Geoffrey Robertson and the
Armenian government Gevorg Kostanyan and Emil Babayan participate as
intervenors in the hearing.

Perinchek of the case in Switzerland, where they actually had an
opportunity to win an international ground transportation of the
Armenian genocide case.

Confused Diaspora

Needless to 2015 while others will be a complete mess of concepts.
Does Turkey on 24 April 2015 should be renewed or will be opened on
April 23 at the genocide memorial in Armenia?

Does the plan have?

I do not have.

But Genocide Museum Director Hayk Demoyan “Do not go to Turkey!” he says.
All those who say that this is done in an effort to increase the
credit of the Turkish government … And the “Trojan horse” says
being.

It may sound like a long time but I know too extreme a comment Demoyan
not obtain the rights to export.

Armenians in Turkey is approaching the complexity of the concept, or
step Armenians in Turkey are sometimes thrown out I’m not sure even.

See AGBU Europe, Racism DurDe and European Armenian Federation, the
European Parliament will be held in foreign Hrant Dink banner to
Erdogan’s memorial event “This is squeezed to lead the democracy and
freedom” has put the word …
They want to show it as an irony, but they could not …

Now what could this mean he does not ask myself. I do not think the
world’s largest Armenian charities from AGBU informed as much by the
state of the central office, but Erdogan in 2007. “We are all
Armenians” response to the slogans are still very much a pointless
give such a credit to the current President, who is standing in mind.
My intention is not to blame anyone just to emphasize that the
complexity of the diaspora head …

Adnan Oktar and the Armenian MOVES

A video posted on the internet in the last day of 2014 in the
relations between Turkey and Armenia in 2015 showed me how to be funny
things …

Institute of Regional Studies in Armenia (RSC) director Richard
Guiragossi, that comes to Turkey for many years and is in close
contact with many journalists. Adnan Oktar was a guest on the A9
channel. He also participated in the program without much knowledge of
the channel and about Adnan Oktar later we learned at the meeting. (
)

But Adnan Oktar and “kittens” in not interesting to talk of how
relations between Turkey and Armenia?

The role of civil society in Turkey-Armenia normalization process much
I cared about that at this point the bride level lowered a bit.

The first day on YouTube 30 thousand Armenians in this program
actually wants to watch everything being said. Oktar, borders are
opened, while the visa is actually in line like the words are removed
“Armenia are connected to us” is emphasized and continuous “Armenians
are good people,” she repeats the sentence …

We can happen to such a “tonga” or falling state Guiragossi top
twisted frankly. Each time is emphasized in politics and also manages
to convey the message, but here kitty channel A9 programmers and Adnan
Oktar when you have …

More Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey will open the
Constitutional Court has a case to reclaim their assets Fog
Katolikosl?Ä?±u?Ä?u ….

System Of a Down concert there …

Have done for memorial events in Turkey …

There have also …

Come on, let’s get the curtain opened the show begin …

Aris
[email protected]

,10950

REVUE DE PRESSE
Histoire d’un livre : aux sources du génocide arménien

L’idée du recueil est née il y a deux ans, au cours d’une discussion
entre deux historiens, Raymond Kévorkian et Yves Ternon, et un expert
en géopolitique, Gérard Chaliand. Ce dernier suggère, dans la
perspective de la commémoration, en 2015, du centenaire du génocide
des Arméniens, de préparer une publication en français de toutes
sources historiques (témoignages, documents diplomatiques,
reportages…) concernant la tragédie. Il n’y a pas, ajoute-t-il
alors, d’équivalent en France des travaux d’Ara Sarafian, chercheur
britannique et directeur de l’Institut Gomidas, à Londres, qui a
rassemblé en 2007 les sources américaines sur le sujet.

Raymond Kévorkian, Yves Ternon et Gérard Chaliand se connaissent bien.
Ce sont des amis de trente ans, réunis par la question arménienne,
dont ils sont spécialistes et qu’ils ont largement contribué à
défendre en France et dans le monde. Issus de la même génération, Yves
Ternon et Gérard Chaliand sont les auteurs, en 1980, de 1915, le
génocide des Arméniens (Complexe), l’un des premiers livres en
français publiés sur ce crime contre l’humanité. De son côté, le cadet
du trio, Raymond Kévorkian, ancien directeur de recherche à l’Institut
français de géopolitique, ancien conservateur de la Bibliothèque
arménienne Nubar Pacha, a signé un ouvrage de référence, Le Génocide
des Arméniens, paru en 2006 chez Odile Jacob. Il est aujour-d’hui
considéré comme l’un des meilleurs spécialistes au monde de la
question arménienne. Recoupements

Aussi, lorsque Raymond Kévorkian leur demande de le laisser faire sur
la méthode, ses deux amis lui témoignent aussitôt leur confiance, en
premier lieu son coauteur Yves Ternon. Le temps presse, les deux
chercheurs disposent de moins de deux ans avant le rendez-vous de 2015
pour rassembler, sélectionner leurs sources et remettre leur manuscrit
à Jean-Christophe Brochier, éditeur au Seuil. Au fil des mois, ils se
rendent compte qu’en élargissant leur champ de recherche aux autres
sources occidentales et turques, ils parviendront à produire, en
français, un ouvrage inédit dans le monde : un > qui croise
les témoignages et les met en perspective avec les archives. Ainsi,
les récits d’anonymes recouperont les déclarations des dirigeants
jeunes-turcs, responsables du génocide. C’est là, explique Yves
Ternon, toute l’originalité de ce livre inspiré du Bréviaire de la
haine, de Léon Poliakov (1910-1997), paru en 1951 (Calmann-Lévy). > Historien de la
Shoah, Léon Poliakov fut l’un des premiers chercheurs à avoir eu accès
aux archives de la Gestapo et réuni les sources sur le génocide des
juifs.

Mais, avertit Yves Ternon, il ne s’agit en aucun cas d’un travail de
comparaison. L’objectif est avant tout de >, précise Raymond Kévorkian, lequel a proposé par ailleurs à
son collègue de ne pas transformer l’ensemble des données en un récit
historique classique, mais de les présenter sous la forme d’> sur le génocide de 1915. L’intention est
d’obtenir un enchaînement fluide entre les témoignages des victimes et
les sources officielles.

Gaïdz Minassian

La suite sur le lien plus bas

samedi 3 janvier 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

D´autres informations disponibles : Le Monde

NICE
Le doudouk à l’honneur

L’association Alliance Pan Arménienne a organisé un concert lyrique
caritatif exceptionnel pour mettre à l’honneur cet instrument
traditionnel arménien.

Grce à la contribution de la Ville de Nice, représentée pour
l’occasion par Me André Chauvet (conseiller municipal délégué à
l’Opéra et à la Musique), ainsi qu’à l’aimable participation
d’artistes talentueux, ce concert a permis de tendre la main à un
hôpital pour enfants handicapés en Arménie, en coopération avec
l’association vençoise Terres d’Ailleurs. Cet événement a donné
l’opportunité d’écouter des mélodies pleines de pureté. Pour
l’occasion, le duo Miscellaneous (Céline Barcaroli et Tristan
Manoukian) s’est uni pour la première fois aux sonorités de la flûte
(Nelly Yeghazarian), de l’orgue (Carlos Ricci) et du doudouk (Levon
Chatikyan professeur de doudouk au conservatoire de Roman. La réunion
de ces 5 artistes et de leurs instruments aux sonorités particulières
a créé une harmonie angélique en cette veille de Noël. La sensibilité
des mélomanes a été touchée par l’association entre la grce des uns
et les sonorités plaintives des autres. Ces résonances douces venues
de lointains horizons ont paradoxalement semblé proches aux nombreux
spectateurs venus assister à ce concert, au sein d’une Eglise Réformée
comble.

Le point culminant était la rencontre de l’orgue avec le doudouk qui
transporta l’émotion de l’auditoire vers des sommets.

Le lendemain, une master class publique de doudouk a été donnée par
Levon Chatikyan. Le doudouk est un instrument traditionnel arménien,
inscrit depuis 2006 au patrimoine culturel immatériel de l’humanité
par l’UNESCO. Les sonorités plaintives du doudouk en ont fait un
instrument symbolique de la musique arménienne, exprimant avec
justesse la mélancolie d’un peuple vieux de 3000 ans. Cet instrument à
anche double, comme le hautbois, est fabriqué à partir du bois
d’abricotier. Depuis quelques années, il est devenu très populaire
parmi les compositeurs de musiques de film et de jeux vidéo.

Cette mise à l’honneur du doudouk fait le lien entre passé et présent
ayant permis à plus de 250 spectateurs de partager une tradition
plurimillénaire au service d’une oeuvre caritative.

samedi 3 janvier 2015,
Ara (c)armenews.com

REVUE DE PRESSE
Luttons contre le fascisme qui vient par un sursaut citoyen

Si l’on veut dissuader les quelques centaines de candidats au djihad
de quitter la France et de partir perdre leur me en Syrie, il faut
d’abord leur dire que ce choix éventuel est celui du fascisme, du
totalitarisme et de la barbarie, et que la liberté n’est pas du côté
de cet > (Daech) qui affirme vouloir imposer son
islam personnel au monde entier et rétablir un califat dont la plupart
de ses membres ignorent tout, sauf qu’il régna sur un territoire
immense remontant jusqu’au sud de l’Espagne. Oublieux des conditions
réelles de son extension, et principalement de la tolérance
philosophique et religieuse qui l’accompagna, à Grenade ou à Cordoue
comme au Maroc ou en Algérie, ceux qui prétendent le faire revivre
n’en sont pas les héritiers, mais les enfants d’Hitler et de
Mussolini. Dire cela, ce n’est pas jeter l’anathème et fermer les yeux
sur les conditions objectives qui peuvent permettre d’expliquer leur
geste, mais c’est inviter ceux qui les entourent à sortir de leur
mutisme ou de leur prudence et, comme dans les années 1930, à prendre
conscience que seule une levée en masse de la jeunesse et des adultes
contre ces avatars du fascisme que constituent tous les
fondamentalismes, catholique comme musulman ou encore hindouiste,
permettra de les réduire.

CRIMES CONTRE L’ESPRIT

Au nom du respect dû aux religions, on interdit aujourd’hui aux
artistes de les mettre en scène, et toute prise de distance avec elles
relève du >, terme commode qui écarte toute discussion.
Au nom d’une conception étrange de la liberté humaine, on prétend,
dans certains pays, punir de la peine de mort ce que l’on nomme l’ >, c’est-à-dire le droit fondamental d’un être humain de
renoncer en conscience à une religion imposée à la naissance au
bénéfice d’une autre, ou encore d’un agnosticisme et d’un athéisme qui
semblent redevenus des maladies honteuses. Si nul ne songe plus à
interdire les religions, on ne peut que s’effrayer de ces résurgences
d’une intolérance que l’on croyait l’apanage du passé et des
totalitarismes qui n’acceptaient précisément ni les différences entre
les êtres humains ni les conceptions philosophiques opposées aux
leurs. Rappeler ces quelques évidences nous paraît indispensable en
cette fin d’année 2014 qui vit, en France, les opposants au mariage
pour tous prétendre conserver pour eux seuls le bénéfice d’une loi qui
n’enlève évidemment rien aux hétérosexuels qui étaient les seuls,
jusqu’ici, à pouvoir s’en réclamer. Si nous ne sommes plus capables de
comprendre que la tolérance fut l’un des apports majeurs de l’esprit
des Lumières qui souffla en Europe dans la deuxième moitié du XVIIIe
siècle, et que le nazisme comme le fascisme italien ainsi que le
franquisme ou les dictatures qui fleurirent dans leur entourage au
Portugal, en Hongrie ou en Roumanie entendirent rompre avec tout ce
qui rappelait l’idéologie des droits de l’homme et les grands
principes de liberté, d’égalité et de fraternité portés par la
Révolution française, alors nous ne pourrons nous opposer au
fondamentalisme prôné par l’Etat islamique en Irak et en Syrie.

Oui, le fascisme est à nos portes. Il est même dans nos cités, et
nulle complaisance ne doit accompagner les tentatives destinées à
contraindre des citoyens, quel que soit leur ge, à adopter une tenue
vestimentaire, un régime alimentaire ou à aller prier au temple, à la
synagogue, à l’église ou à la mosquée, s’ils ne l’ont pas décidé
eux-mêmes.

Affirmer très haut que ces pratiques sont, non seulement des délits,
mais des crimes contre l’esprit, c’est remettre les religions à leur
exacte place, celle du for privé qui, en démocratie, ne saurait
s’installer dans l’espace public ni, encore moins, le saturer. C’est
aussi réaffirmer que l’esprit critique et la capacité à introduire le
doute dans son raisonnement sont les vertus mêmes qui fondent
l’activité scientifique et qu’elles ne peuvent disparaître, sauf à
craindre une régression qui ferait revenir l’humanité plusieurs
siècles en arrière.

Le beau film d’Ettore Scola Une journée particulière nous rappelle le
danger sécrété par les régimes, politiques ou religieux, qui font de
l’uniformité la règle et envoient en exil ou vers la mort ceux qui ne
marchent pas au même rythme que la foule. Le livre de Jonathan Littell
Les Bienveillantes, prix Goncourt 2006, fait d’un intellectuel nazi le
personnage principal de la fiction, balayant ainsi l’idée que seuls
des brutes ou des esprits faibles purent adhérer à cette idéologie
qui, elle aussi, prétendit chasser de la cité toute forme
d’hétérodoxie.

En Italie, on utilisa l’huile de ricin et le gourdin contre les
opposants, la torture systématique puis les camps d’extermination en
Allemagne. En Syrie et en Irak, les yézidis sont traqués et éliminés
comme le furent juifs et Tziganes pendant la deuxième guerre mondiale,
ou Arméniens de Turquie en 1915 et Tutsis du Rwanda en 1994.

Ailleurs, au Nigeria ou en Afghanistan, on brûle des écoles pour être
sûr que les filles ne déchireront pas un jour le voile de l’ignorance
qui assure la domination de leurs pères sur leurs mères ou de leurs
frères sur leurs soeurs.

Il est donc grand temps de réaffirmer ces rares vérités et de redire
avec force que le fascisme ne passera pas si les citoyens en décident
autrement et si chacun consent à appeler un chat un chat et un
djihadiste façon Al-Qaida ou Daech un assassin de la liberté et un
fasciste du XXIe siècle.

Jean-Yves Mollier est professeur d’histoire contemporaine à
l’université de Versailles- Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines

samedi 3 janvier 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

Russia’s Lavrov congratulates Armenia on joining Eurasian Union

20:27 * 02.01.15

The Russian foreign minister has congratulated his Armenian
counterpart on the country’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union
(EEU).

In a phone conversation with Edward Nalbandian earlier today, Sergey
Lavrov also addressed further integration processes and bilateral
relations, says a statement by the Foreign Ministry of Russia.

Armenia signed the treaty to join the EEU in October 2014. The
document was further ratified by the legislative authorities of
Russia, Belarus and Kazaskhstan, the founding member states of the
economic bloc. Armenia is considered a full-fledged member of the
Union starting from January 2, 2015.