Armenian Grandmasters to play in U.S. Chess Championships
13:48 28/02/2015 >> SPORT
GMs Varuzhan Akobian and Samuel Sevian will participate in the U.S.
Chess Championship to be held from March 31 to April 14, 2015 in St.
Louis. They will play against GMs Kamsky, Nakamura, So, Robson,
Onischuk, Naroditsky, Shankland, Gareev, Troff, Holt.
WGM Tatev Abrahamyan will play in the U.S. Women’s Championship which
will be held in St. Louis on the same days, armchess.am reported.
Source: Panorama.am
TRIAL OF GYUMRI MURDER CASE TO START IN THE NEAR FUTURE
16:39, 27 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The Garrison Military Court of the North-Caucasian Command will soon
start hearing of a number of criminal cases, including the murder
of a family of seven in Gyumri, Armenia by Russian soldier Valery
Permyakov, the Court’s representative Mikhail Ptitsin told Tass.
Private of the Russian Military Base #102 is currently undergoing
medical-psychological examination in the military hospital in Gyumri.
GURGEN YEGHIAZARYAN COMPARES NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WITH APPENDIX
17:35 27/02/2015 >> POLITICS
The position of Armenia’s National Security Council chairman has
been vacant for about nine months now, and this situation is just
disgraceful, Gurgen Yeghiazaryan, former deputy head of the National
Security Service, told reporters on Friday.
In his words, Armenia absolutely does not need the National Security
Council. He compared this organization with an appendix.
Referring to Armenia’s domestic political developments, Yeghiazaryan
said that the March 1 rally will be a kind of a test.
DAVID VIRABYAN APPOINTED AS ARMENIA’S REPRESENTATIVE TO CSTO
YEREVAN, February 27. /ARKA/. Armenia’s president Serzh Sargsyan
signed a decree on Friday appointing David Virabyan as the country’s
permanent and authorized representative in the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) with residence in Moscow, the presidential
press office reported.
The CSTO was founded based on a collective security treaty signed
by CIS member states on May 15, 1992. The CSTO members are Armenia,
Belarus, Kazkahstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. In late June
2012, Uzbekistan said it withdrew from the CSTO. -0–
METS AYRUM ALDERMEN’S COUNCIL GAVE GREEN LIGHT TO NEW TAILING DUMP DESPITE VILLAGERS’ OBJECTIONS
14:11 February 26, 2015
EcoLur
Not taking into consideration the villagers’ objections, Mets Ayrum
Aldermen’s Council reached a decision to change the category of 12
ha land areas from agricultural to industrial for the construction
of a new tailing dump for Akhtala Ore Dressing Combine on 26 February.
Without holding any discussions three members of Mets Ayrum Aldermen’s
Council, Mets Ayrum School Principal Sofya Ayvazyan, Ex Village Head
Papik Aruzhanyan and Akhtala Ore Dressing Combine employee Samvel
Mirzoyan hastily signed under the decision on changing the category
of the land areas for the tailing dump and immediately left the
rural municipality.
The villagers, who oppose to the tailing dump, argued with the village
head and the combine representative and they outlined that they will
be fighting till the very end irregardless of the adopted decision.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SAYS ARMENIA’S LAW ENFORCEMENT DID NOT CONDUCT EFFECTIVE INVESTIGATION IN SHANT HAROUTIUNYAN CASE
by Ashot Safaryan
Friday, February 27, 11:11
Amnesty International Report 2014/15 “The State Of The World’s Human
Rights” addressed also Armenia’s problems in the field. Particularly,
the report highlights such problems as restriction of the freedom of
assembly and use of violence by police against peaceful demonstrators.
According to Amnesty International “Peaceful protesters were dispersed
by police using excessive force in several instances. Police broke
up peaceful protests using excessive force on a number of occasions
throughout the year.”
As for tortures ands other ill-treatment, the report says local
(Armenian) human rights defenders continued to raise concern over
high numbers of reported beatings and ill-treatment in police custody.
The document spotlight the investigation in the case of Shant
Haroutiunyan, leader of “Tseghakron” Party, who is currently serving
his sentence in a penitentiary.
“Authorities still had to effectively investigate the allegations of
ill-treatment in custody of the opposition leader Shatn Harutyunyan.
Shatn Harutyunyan and 13 other activists were arrested following
clashes with the police on 5 November 2013, when they were attempting
to march to the presidential building. Allegations of ill-treatment
by two activists detained during protests on 7 March also remained
without effective investigation,” Amnesty International reports.
To recall, 37 people were arrested after clashes with the police in
the course of the protest action “March of Millions of Masks” on Nov
5 in Yerevan. Four police officers and a teen were injured during the
incident, 20 of the detained have been arrested. On Nov the families
of the detainees held protest actions demanding their release. On
December 18 one of the detainees, leader of Tseghakron Party Shant
Haroutiunyan filed a complaint to the investigation against the ban
on meetings with the family. The ban was not lifted however. Later,
Haroutiunyan was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
“WHO IS GAGIK BUNIATYAN TO SPEAK FOR YEZIDIS?” – COUNTER STATEMENT
02.27.2015 11:57 epress.am
A representative of Armenia’s Yezidi Community Rustam Bakoyan has
expressed his dissatisfaction with National Commission on Television
and Radio (NCTR) President Gagik Buniatyan’s (pictured) statement
made yesterday in the National Assembly. In a counter response,
Bakoyan stressed that Buniatyan did not have the right to speak for
the Yezidi community. Yesterday, responding to HAK faction MP Nikol
Pashinyan’s remark as to why Armenian television stations show films
in Russian but not in the languages of other national minorities,
Buniatyan stated the latter absence was due to the lack of demand.
“I don’t understand, who is Gagik Buniatyan to speak on behalf of
Yezidis and other national minorities living in Armenia and make
spineless statements such as there is no demand for programs in these
languages. Honorable NCTR President, let me inform you that there
are 60,000 Yezidis in Armenia, when have you ever asked the opinion
of those 60,000 people to have come to such a conclusion?
I say this on behalf of myself and all Yezidis, that we, as residents
of the Republic of Armenia, as Armenian citizens, have always wished
and in some ways, we demand, that Armenian television stations provide
time for Yezidi broadcasts, so in case of an opportunity, you don’t
state that there is no demand.
Let me inform you that according to article 28 of the Law on Television
and Radio Broadcasting, public television stations could provide time
in the languages of the Republic of Armenia’s national minorities
with special programs or broadcasts. The general number of hours for
such broadcasts should not exceed one hour per week for television,
and one hour per day for radio broadcasts,” writes Bakoyan.
WORLD-FAMOUS PAINTER TO JOIN URI ENSEMBLE IN COMMEMORATING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
US Fed News
February 24, 2015 Tuesday 8:42 AM EST
KINGSTON, R.I., Feb. 24 — The University of Rhode Island issued the
following news release:
Painting is usually a solitary craft, pursued in a quiet studio or
loft. World-famous artist Kevork Mourad paints in a public setting –
and to music.
Mourad will bring his unique style to the University of Rhode Island
March 1 during a concert to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian genocide.
The Syrian-raised artist will paint to music performed by URI’s
Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Armenian Folk Chamber Ensemble. The
concert, conducted by Gene Pollart, will start at 3 p.m. in the Fine
Arts Center.
“Kevork is a world-class artist and the opportunity to see him perform
at URI is unprecedented,” says Theodore Mook, publicity coordinator
and a cello teacher in the music department. “Also, we’re honoring
a terrible historical event that gets overlooked.”
Raised in Syria and of Armenian origin, Mourad, who lives and works
in New York, is known for spontaneously painting to music on a public
stage. His paintings are also exhibited in galleries and museums
throughout the world.
He is a teaching artist with cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road project
and has performed at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Brooklyn
Museum of Art, the Chelsea Museum of Art, Le Festival du Monde Arabe
in Montreal, the Stillwater Festival, the Nara Museum in Japan, the
Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central
Park’s Summerstage with the Silk Road Ensemble and Bobby McFerrin.
Mourad will paint during the entire concert at URI, and his work
will be projected on a screen while he paints. His paintings will be
displayed later in the Fine Arts Gallery.
The first half of the concert will feature the Armenian chamber
ensemble, a seven-member New England group that performs traditional
Armenian songs.
In the second half, the URI ensemble will perform the world premiere
of “Wind Chimes for 1915,” composed by Kenneth Kalajian, of East
Greenwich, whose son, Charles, is a graduate student in conducting
at URI. (Charles, as well as Kenneth’s other son, John, will perform
with the Armenian ensemble, as will Kenneth.)
“It’s an honor to have the Symphonic Wind Ensemble perform the world
premiere of my piece,” says the elder Kalajian. “Just as the wind
is eternal, it gently breaks the darkness of the past and forever
propels the memory of our ancestors.”
The wind ensemble will also perform Frenergy by John Estacio, Amazing
Grace by Frank Ticheli, Armenian Dances by Alfred Reed and Puszta by
Jan Van der Roost.
Pauline Getzoyan, of Lincoln, and Kenneth’s wife, Esther, approached
the music department about having a concert to commemorate the
genocide. Pauline and Esther are teaching an honor’s seminar at URI
about Armenian history.
Between 1915 and 1918, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman authorities in what is now eastern Turkey. Many Armenian
men were arrested and killed, and women and children perished during
forced marches to the Syrian desert.
The massacre was carried out during and after World War I amid fears
that Christian Armenians in the Muslim Ottoman Empire were a threat
to the state for allegedly siding with the Russians, at war with
the Turks.
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES CREDENTIALS OF QATAR’S AMBASSADOR
Qatar News Agency
February 24, 2015 Tuesday 12:48 PM EST
Yerevan, February 24 (QNA) – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on
Tuesday received the credentials of HE Ali bin Hamad Al Sulaiti as
Qatar’s non-resident ambassador to Armenia.
During the credentials presentation ceremony, held at the presidential
palace, HE the ambassador conveyed to the Armenian president greetings
of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani as well as his wishes
of welfare to the president and the friendly Armenian people.
The ambassador stressed that he won’t spare any effort to enhance
friendship and cooperation ties between the two countries on all
fronts.
For his part, the Armenian president expressed his appreciation and
sincere greetings and wishes of health and happiness to HH the Emir
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and the people of Qatar. He wished
success for Ambassador Al Sulaiti in his post and more development
and growth to relations between the two countries, stressing that HE
the ambassador will receive the best care and attention. (QNA)
A M,OM
‘CHHANGE’ TO COMMEMORATE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
11:37, 26 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The Center for Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education (Chhange)
will be hosting a number of events in commemoration of the Centenary
of the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian Weekly reports.
On Sun., April 12, the Chhange at Brookdale Community College in
Lincroft, N.J., will host a special reception that will showcase
“A Journey to Life: Armenia,” an interactive exhibit that features
the personal histories of local Armenian survivors and their families.
Internationally recognized Armenian scholar Khatchig Mouradian
will introduce the exhibit and its historical content. In
addition, the commemoration will reveal “Illuminating Images: A
Hundred-Year-Remembrance,” an exhibit of 3-D artistic cityscapes
of Armenian life before and after the genocide. It reflects the
collaborative efforts of hundreds of middle school, high school,
and college students throughout New Jersey.
At the event, Chhange will also release its latest publication,
Hundred-Year Legacy of Courage: Celebrating the Lives of Armenian
Genocide Survivors in Our Community. This publication shares the
personal accounts of 54 Armenian survivors from across the Ottoman
Empire. The book honors individual survivors by preserving their
voices–a demonstrated, powerful vehicle to teach genocide history
and its lessons. In conjunction with publishing Hundred-Year Legacy,
Chhange has launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to help with
the publication costs.
On April 20, Chhange will host “Narrating Genocide,” featuring
Khatchig Mouradian and renowned author Chris Bohjalian. They will
explore different routes to the past, through history and literature,
and discuss how each genre informs the other. Discussion will be
moderated by renowned scholar Deborah Dwork, Ph.D.
In October 2015, Chhange will sponsor “Operation Reality: Historical
Perspective on the Assassination of Talaat Pasha.” Actor, novelist,
and historian Eric Bogosian will present his recent research and
book about the assassination of Talaat Pasha, the mastermind of the
Armenian Genocide.
Chhange will also present a commemorative public broadcast,
“Commemorating Genocide: Celebrating Survival.” This multi-part
TV series with 30-minute segments will contain interviews with
staff/consulting scholars of Chhange, as well as members of the local
Armenian community.