Author: nina hovnanian

ARMENIA: TOP PLACES TO VISIT AS KIM KARDASHIAN TAKES NORTH WEST FOR THE FIRST TIME

10:40, 9 April, 2015

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS: Jet setter Kim Kardashian has already
taken her young daughter North West to the likes of Paris, New
York and London, and now the reality TV star has taken her little
one back to her roots in Armenia, Armenpress reports, citing the
Hello Magazine. Kim, whose late father Robert Kardashian was a
third-generation Armenian American, has always expressed a desire
to understand her dad’s culture and the country’s history. Now,
together with her rapper husband Kanye West and daughter, she is
visiting Armenia just weeks before the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian genocide.

As Kim draws sets about learning more about her heritage, we take
a look at the largely undiscovered travel gems the Eurasian country
has to offer…

Armenia’s capital is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities
in the world. It’s home to dozens of charming boulevards dotted with
cafes, parks, elegant squares and beautiful 19th-century buildings.

Several museums in this antique city also offer an education of
the country’s history. The Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan
is a gripping walk through history, from the pre-genocide era to
heart-wrenching interviews, eyewitness reports and films that speak
of the intense anguish of the genocide survivors.

Particularly beautiful and rich in monuments, the Debed Canyon is
perfect for exploring Armenia’s culture and history. Here you’ll find
the monasteries of Sanahin and Haghpat, both World Heritage-listed,
as well as numerous little villages, each of which has a chapel,
church or old fort of interest.

This ancient mountain town is found high up in the mountains of
Syunik, where the pace of life is slow and time appears to have stood
still. Don’t miss the Rock Forest – a labyrinth of rocky pyramids,
columns and obelisks.

As one of the biggest highland freshwater lakes in the world, it’s
little wonder Lake Sevan is known as Armenia’s “blue-eyed beauty”.

Come summertime, its shores become a veritable riviera where locals
flock to enjoy the sunshine and sparkling turquoise water.

This breathtaking mountain is also home to some medieval architecture
including a monastery, fort and observatory/weather station. Although
warm in summer, Aragats has a snow cap for about 250 days a year.

The gorgeous scenery of the Vorotan River Canyon is what draws most
visitors to Tatev, as well as the hikes along, within and atop the
canyon that offer spectacular views. The amazing monastery of Tatev,
a World Heritage Site, perched on a rock fortress is a jaw-dropping
bonus.

DETENTION OF ZHIRAYR SEFILYAN AND HIS TEAMMATES SPARKS PROTESTS OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE OF ARMENIA

by Ashot Safaryan

Thursday, April 9, 15:00

As many as one hundred people are picketing the building of
Investigation Committee of Armenia demanding representatives of the
Founding Parliament Movement to be released.

The picketers are holding the national flags of Armenia and posters
reading “Centennial of the Armenian Genocide without the Regime”
and chanting “Freedom to Zhirayr!” “We are the owners of our country!”

“Freedom!”

Artsakh War Hero, coordinator of the Founding Parliament (FP) Zhirayr
Sefilyan, members of the FP, Varuzhan Avetisyan, Pavel Manukyan and
Sefilyan’s brother Toros Sefilyan were detained on April 7 on suspicion
of organizing mass disorders for April 24 2015. The FP Movement looks
to shit power in the country.

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ARMENIAN PM MEETS KARDASHIAN SISTERS – PHOTOS

18:06, 09 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received the Kardashian
sisters today.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of the Kardashian family’s
contribution to the international recognition and condemnation of
the Armenian Genocide and welcomed their visit on the threshold of
the Armenian Genocide centennial.

Hovik Abrahamyan hailed the fact that members of the Kardashian family
never forgets their roots and added that their visit would make our
country better recognizable.

Kim and Khloe thanked the Prime Minister for the welcome and
said they were impressed by Armenia and the warm attitude of the
Armenian people. The guests said they intend to visit different
historical-cultural sites in Armenia to explore their legacy and the
Motherland of their ancestors.

The sisters confessed that visiting their historic Motherland had been
their long-time dream and added they’re happy to be in the country
of their dreams. They apologized for the failure to speak Armenian
and said they’re working to learn the mother tongue.

The Kardashians said they will continue to actively struggle for the
international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide
and emphasized the importance of the unity of all Armenians.

100 BILLBOARDS FOR 100 YEARS OF GENOCIDE

11:38, 08 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Peace of Art, Inc. launched its 2015 genocide awareness billboard
campaign “100 Billboards for 100 Years of Genocide.” Dedicated to
the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, and it honors the victims
of all genocides of the last one hundred years.

In January 2015, Peace of Art, Inc. began to display large electronic
and stationary billboards in Massachusetts, and expanded the
project to other states. Artist Daniel Varoujan Hejinian, founder
and president of Peace of Art, Inc. said “We are sending a message
of peace, to condemn the past crimes of genocide, and bring awareness
to this cause, in order to prevent other nations from being the next
target of genocide. With the billboards, our message is that genocide
continues to be a threat to humanity, we urge viewers to condemn the
crime of genocide, be alert, ‘Don’t be the next victim,’ and put an
end to this crime against humanity once and for all.”

Five different images were created for the Peace of Art’s 2015
Armenian Genocide centennial campaign. On the first billboard, a
dove, a symbol of peace, is circled by the letter “O” in the word
“genocide,” with the flags of countries that already recognized the
Armenian genocide. Another billboard was distinguished by a target
in the center of the word “genocide.” The third electronic display
symbolizes the bitten heart of a nation, in which the bitten piece
reminds us of the loss of 1.5 million innocent victims. The fourth
billboard display includes “Forget Me Not” flower in the center of
the word “genocide.” The fifth billboard states that the Armenian
Genocide has been recognized by 43 states in the United States, and
asks President Obama to join them, reminding him of his campaign
promise to recognize the Armenian Genocide. As April 24th, 2015
approaches, the Armenian communities in the United States, as well as
Armenian communities around the world, await impatiently for President
Obama to use the word “genocide” in his commemoration speech, without
distortions or euphemisms.

In 2003, Hejinian officially founded Peace of Art, Inc. a nonprofit
educational organization; however, his Armenian Genocide awareness
campaign activities began in 1996. Peace of Art, Inc. uses art as an
educational tool to bring awareness to the human condition. Through
the universal language of art, we promote peaceful solutions to
conflicts, but we have no political or religious associations. In
the last nineteen years we have displayed the Armenian Genocide
commemorative billboards calling for recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. In 2004 Peace of Art Inc. began to sponsor the Armenian
Genocide commemorative billboards.

This year, the goal of Peace of Art, Inc. is to raise 100 billboards
in different states and other countries to commemorate the centennial
of the Armenian Genocide. The billboards commemorating the centennial
of the Armenian Genocide, as well as previous Peace of Art, Inc.

projects have been organized and funded by Peace of Art, Inc.

TURKISH HISTORIANS TO SPEAK ABOUT YOUNG TURKS AND HIDDEN ARMENIANS

11:38, 08.04.2015
Region:Armenia, Turkey
Theme: Politics, Society, Culture

An Armenian Genocide Conference will be convened on Thursday and
Friday at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy, the university
websitereported.

Among the speakers at the event is Halil Berktay, a Turkish historian
and researcher at Sabancı University in Istanbul, Turkey. Berktay
will deliver a presentation on the ideology and objectives of the
Ittihad Party (Young Turks).

And Halil Berktay’s colleague from Sabancı University, AyÃ…~_e Gul
Altinay, will reflect on the recovery of the historical recollection
of Islamized Armenians.

BLAMING RUSSIA FOR EVERYTHING BECOMES NEW SPORT – KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON

(c) Sputnik/ Vladimir Astapkovich
RUSSIA
12:07 08.04.2015(updated 13:24 08.04.2015) Get short URL
112546
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that after a US official
blamed Russia of hacking the White House’s secret computers that such
claims have become a type of sport for the West.

(c) AP PHOTO/ RIC FELD,FILE Coverage When it Counts: CNN Rehashes
Baseless Claims of Russian White House Hackers MOSCOW (Sputnik) –
On Tuesday night, CNN cited a source that claimed Russia had hacked
the White House’s computers, saying those to blame “worked for the
Russian government.”

“In regard to CNN’s sources, I don’t know who their sources are. We
know that blaming everything on Russia has already turned into some
sort of sport. But what’s most important is that they aren’t looking
for any submarines in the Potomac River like has been seen in other
countries,” Peskov said.

The Potomac River flows through the capital of the United States,
Washington DC.

According to CNN, Russian hackers breached a White House computer
system in November 2014, retrieving personal information such as US
President Barack Obama’s schedule.

US authorities have not confirmed that Russia was behind the breach.

Washington repeatedly accused Moscow of cyberattacks but provided
no evidence for these claims. In February, US Director of National
Intelligence James Clapper named Russia, China, Iran and North Korea
as the leading cyberthreats to the United States.

Cybercrimes cost the United States about $100 billion annually, more
than any other country, according to a study by Intel Security and
the Center for Strategic and International studies.

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KARABAKH SERVICEMAN KILLED IN AZERBAIJANI FIRE ATTACK

YEREVAN, April 8. /ARKA/. Levon Mirzoyan, 19, a serviceman of the
Karabakh army, was fatally wounded and died on an eastern section
of Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line in the fire opened from the
Azerbaijani side at 17:15 local time on Tuesday, the press office
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s defense ministry reported on
Wednesday. The incident is being investigated now.

“The Nagorno Karabakh ministry of defense mourns the death of the
serviceman, and our condolences go out to his family and friends,”
the ministry says in its press release.

Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when Karabakh, mainly populated
by Armenians, declared its independence from Azerbaijan.

On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority
of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.

Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result,
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions
adjacent to it.

Some 30,000 people were killed in this war and about one million
people fled their homes.

On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the
military operations.

Since 1992, talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being held over
peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired by USA,
Russia and France. -0—

PAP DISINTEGRATION REINFORCED POLITICAL MONOPOLY, KOCHARYAN SAYS

April 8, 2015 12:00

Former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan

Photo:

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan
keeps insisting that “Armenia’s current problems have nothing to do
with the Constitution, and moreover, with the state governance system”.

He said this in his interview to 2rd.am website.

“One can fail or manage to govern a country both from the cabinets
of a President and Prime Minister. There are good and bad examples
of functioning of presidential and parliamentary models in the world.

However, functioning of a well-established internal party system with
effective democracy, factionalism, internal party fight resulting
in renovation of the party leadership and strategies is a mandatory
condition for a successful parliamentary country. Do you know any such
parties in Armenia? Unfortunately, even the level of political debates
in our country is offensively primitive”, said Robert Kocharyan.

“It’s naive to suppose that the parliamentary model will automatically
lead to democratic and competitive party environment. It will more
likely reinforce the phenomenon of patronage which is speeding up
and is one of the misfortunes of Armenia”, he added.

Commenting the developments around Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP),
Robert Kocharyan said:

“I was on good terms with Gagik Tsarukyan but there was no shadow
political agreements on the future formats of cooperation with the
party and its leader. There were many statements on this matter both
by Prosperous Armenia representatives and by my office. And it’s not
our fault that not everyone believed in their sincerity. The PAP had
its political team which energetically advanced the party’s interests.

Over the past years, the PAP has demostrated a keen aspiration to take
part in parliamentary and presidential elections. It’s also obvious
that I couldn’t cooperate with the format of non-governmental three
forces established a few months ago for very clear reasons. And after
all, there wouldn’t be such a format if the PAP served my interests”.

The second President of Armenia said that “the PAP disintegration, of
course, made life easier for the authorities. However, it reinforced
the political monopoly in the country either leaving the problems
unchanged or even aggravating the remaining problems”.

ANTON NOSSIK READS THE TESTIMONY OF ANDRANIK MURADIAN

April 8, 2015 09:28
EXCLUSIVE

Anton Nossik

Photo: FeelMore.ru

Mediamax presents 100 Seconds project devoted to Armenian Genocide
Centennial. The project is based on testimonies of Genocide survivors
published by the National Archive of Armenia.

Anton Nossik is a civic activist, blogger and journalist.

For 100 seconds project Anton Nossik reads an extract from Armenian
Genocide survivor Andranik Muradian’s testimony.

National Archives of Armenia Collection of Documents

Testimony of survivor Andranik Muradian on the massacre at the Village
of Atanants in Gyavash district of Van province

[1916]

Baku

My mother told me that soldiers had come looking for the men, found
that man in woman’s clothes and killed him.

I thought the danger had passed. But I was sadly mistaken. It was
night when the soldiers broke in the second time with candles in their
hands. My mother was taken by surprise and couldn’t manage to hide me
like before. I was terribly scared. But since the first time they had
thoroughly searched and had taken away all male children older than
1 year, they didn’t suspect that there could be other male children
left. So they didn’t search again. I was saved.

Then soldiers came for suckling male babies under 1 year of age. I
saw how they took two such babies from their mothers, put them on the
floor and with a leg on their legs and holding their head with a hand,
slaughtered them like sheep.

They impaled the last baby on the bayonet and went out laughing loudly
leaving the mothers who had lost their babies wailing.

Producers: Ara Tadevosyan
Filming: Anna Aleshkovskaya Post Production: Tumo LLC

The source of Andranik Muradian ‘s testimony: National Archives of
Armenia, Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turkey, 1915, Testimony of
survivors, Collection of documents, Yerevan-2013.

VivaCell-MTS is the general partner of 100 seconds project.

OMBUDSMAN’S REPORT TO CRITICIZE DIGITIZATION PROCESS

April 7 2015

The public grievances regarding the radio and television digitization
process have not yet begun to fade. People are concerned about whether
a few months later when we switch-over to digital broadcasting they
will not be able to watch most of the TV channels on their old model
TV sets, hence they have to spend additional funds for acquisition
of decoding devices. This issue is also covered in the RA Ombudsman’s
annual report. The document reads on this issue, “Insufficient public
awareness on radio and television digitization process, as well as lack
of sufficient guarantees for socially vulnerable people jeopardizes
the rights thereof to freedom of information.” Aravot.am inquired
from the Chairman of Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, Ashot
Melikyan, about what revisions are conducted by the public officials
pertaining to solving the problem, especially since these issues were
addressed in the Ombudsman’s report, which means that there are risks
in this area related to human rights violations, Mr. Melikyan replied,
“A political decision has been made that no provincial TV stations will
be shut down. The government is preparing a bill, according to which
the transition deadline of shutting down the analogue broadcasting is
postponed by six months. It will be extended to another half a year,
until January 1, 2016â~@³. Note that the main reason for protraction is
caused by yet unresolved social problems so that they will be able to
manage the process of delivering free decoding devices, as well as to
ensure the access of multiplexes to the market. Ashot Melikyan is sure
that the solution to given problems of is up to the RA international
obligation, and, this way or another, all these issues need to be
resolved. “It’s another matter that as per the obligations, they do
not accomplish it on time, but relevant entities are working on the
lists of vulnerable people to give a start to the process.” Note
that in compliance with the government decision, a tender should
be announced to import decoders to the country by the number of
vulnerable people. Ashot Melikyan noted that necessary legislative
amendments are required. “In compliance with the law on Television
and Radio, it is not possible to solve these technical issues, for
instances, the access of multiplexers to the market is not regulated
by this law. Therefore, the government officials assure that our
submitted bill underlies their elaborated bill, which will regulate
these issues.” Note that the bill was submitted by the Committee to
Protect Freedom of Expression, the Yerevan Press Club and the Center
for Media Initiatives. It is now in the National Assembly and based
on this, the Government of Armenia is elaborating a new bill. To our
question of how to avoid the violations of people’s right to receive
information, Ashot Melikyan replied, “Digitization should not cause
any family remain devoid of receiving digital signals and the right
to receive information on TV. It is also up to the RA international
obligation and they are just obligated to provide it. This approach is
also provided for in the digitization concept paper adopted in 2009.”

Tatev HARUTYUNYAN

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