Author: nina hovnanian

Islamized Armenians are baptized and learning the language – diaspora minister

14:14, 25.12.2014

YEREVAN. – The Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia continues to carry out
activities with the Islamized and clandestine Armenians.

Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakopyan told the aforesaid to reporters,
but she added that, for understandable reasons, this work is not
widely presented.

“But we are pleased with the results. The Government of Armenia helps
them visit the historical homeland.

“Moreover, an exception is made for the [respective] people over the
age of 20 to be permitted to participate in the [ministry’s] Come Home
[motherland visiting] program, which is intended for
[Diaspora-Armenian] teenagers.

“Two of them were not only baptized, but they stayed in Armenia to
learn Armenian. Later, they will return to Tigranakert [i.e., today’s
Diyarbakir, Turkey] to open an Armenian school there. Hundreds of
people in that region want to learn Armenian,” the minister stated, in
particular.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

SHPPS Constructed on Rivers to Get Green Passports

12:42 January 27, 2015
EcoLur

The SHPPs constructed on the rivers in Armenia will get green
passports. The process has been launched in the frames of Support to
SHPP-relating reforms through the dialogue of public and RA Nature
Protection Ministry for Sustainable Use of River Ecosystems” project.
This project is implemented by ‘EcoLur’ Informational NGO in the
partnership with Nature Protection Ministry – donors UNDP and GEF.

Currently the working group consisting of 10 experts is developing a
sample of green passport, which will include the indicators about
hydrological, ecological, technical and social descriptors. After the
approval of the green passport, the green passports will be completed
not only with the officially approved indicators, but also on-spot
monitoring findings.

It should be mentioned that the fields of SHPPs raises concerns in
Armenia in regard with the regulation of environmental flow,
conservation of biodiversity and fish species, conservation of forests
and landscapes during the construction, their impact on specially
protected areas and application of up-to-date technologies and quality
equipment.

“The material was developed in the frames of “Supporting reforms in
the sector of small hydro power plants through enabling a dialogue
between civil society and the Ministry of Nature Protection for
sustainable use of river ecosystems” supported by UNDP/GEF Small
Grants Programme”.

Amal Clooney’s latest case: Why Turkey won’t talk about the Armenian
genocideThe human rights lawyer represents Armenia in the ECHR – but what
happened in 1915 when up to 1.5m Armenians were killed, and why do Turks
deny it was a genocide?

[image: A picture released by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute dated
1915 purportedly shows soldiers standing over skulls of victims from the
Armenian village of Sheyxalan in the Mush valley, on the Caucasus front
during the First World War. Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their
forebears were killed in a 1915-16 genocide by Turkey’s former Ottoman
Empire. Turkey says 500,000 died and ascribes the toll to fighting and
starvation during World War I.]
A picture released by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute dated 1915
purportedly shows soldiers standing over skulls of victims from the
Armenian village of Sheyxalan in the Mush valley, on the Caucasus front
during the First World War. Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images
[image: Raziye Akkoc]

By Raziye Akkoc

8:37AM GMT 28 Jan 2015

Amal Clooney, the human rights lawyer, has *taken on another controversial
case
*
– the Armenian genocide.

Mrs Clooney is part of a team representing Armenia in a case she opens on
Wednesday in which a Turkish politician was convicted by Switzerland for
denying the genocide in 1915 ever took place.

*How has the Armenian genocide ended up in the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR)?*

DoÄ=9Fu Perinçek, chairman of the Turkish Workers’ Party, described
the
genocide of up to 1.5 million Armenians – a fact Turkey disputes as well as
the number of those killed – as an “international lie” in Switzerland in
2005.

A lobby group called Switzerland-Armenia immediately filed a criminal
complaint against him in July as it is against Swiss law to deny the
genocide as part of the country’s anti-racism laws.
Related Articles

– [image: Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney]

–

Amal Clooney takes on Armenia genocide case

12 Jan 2015
–

Armenian genocide is a ‘fact of history

21 Dec 2011
–

Amal Clooney accuses Turkey of hypocrisy on freedom of speech in
Armenian genocide trial

28 Jan 2015
–

‘The river flowed with blood’

18 Oct 2007

Mr Perinçek was found guilty of racial discrimination in 2007 in
Switzerland because “his motives were of a racist tendency”, according to a
later description of the case in an ECHR press release in 2013.

The Turkish national exhausted legal routes in Switzerland to appeal the
judgment but his appeal was dismissed and in June 2008, he lodged an
application to the ECHR complaining that his freedom of expression was
breached.

The Turkish government also submitted written comments as a third party
questioning the veracity of the genocide.

In December 2013, the ECHR agreed with Mr Perinçek and said his conviction
was “unjustified”.

*Why is Amal Clooney representing Armenia? *

Armenia is now challenging the ECHR’s verdict and is represented in the
case by lawyers from Doughty Street Chambers in London.

It has been reported Amal Clooney will be present, although it is unclear
whether she will be a barrister in the case to be heard by the Strasbourg
court’s 17-member Grand Chamber on Wednesday.

Amal Clooney with Kostas Tassoulas, Greek culture minister, during her last
high profile case – the return of the Elgin Marbles

For many Armenians, the genocide, like the Holocaust of six million Jews,
is still a painful issue exacerbated by Turkey’s continued denials. In the
Perinçek case, Armenia hopes to set out that the genocide is a fact which
cannot be denied without legal repercussions.

*What happened in 1915? *

In the last years of the Ottoman Empire, ethnic divisions became a bigger
problem for those in charge and the Armenians were viewed with suspicion.

Turkish historian, *Taner Akçam, in his book, A Shameful Act
*,
explains how non-Muslim communities were organised in a *millet *system of
limited self-government. Although the Ottomans ruled, certain groups along
religious and ethnic lines had limited control over their own affairs.

In 1908, junior army officers – often referred to as the Young Turks and
Committee of Unity and Progress (CUP) – seized power from Sultan Abdul
Hamid II, and the country underwent a process of what many historians call
“Turkification”. This nationalism was intended to bring all cultures
together but in 1914, “the Young Turks began a campaign to portray the
Armenians as a kind of fifth column,” according to *John Kifner in the New
York Times
*.

It is generally accepted by many, including historians and Mr Sarafian,
that the start of the massacres was April 24, 1915. This was the date on
which several hundred Armenian individuals were arrested and killed and led
to further massacres across Turkey.

The map below shows the areas where massacres took place – the larger the
circle, the greater the number of those killed.

(Data from Armenian National Committee of America)

It is believed this lasted until 1917 and led to 1.5 million Armenians
killed – a figure Turkey disputes, putting the figure at 300,000 to
600,000. Armenians are said to have sided with the Russians, and there were
groups who did so – the southeastern city of Van was seized at one point in
1915.

The murders took the form of death marches and deportations of Armenian
families. Many died as a result of hunger and exhaustion but many were
killed and their bodies found in mass graves years later.

In 1923 – the same year the republic was established – similar events
occurred but “with less intensity”, *according to Raffi Sarkissian
*,
co-chairman of the Armenian Genocide Centenary Commemoration Committee.

The Armenian National Institute, a Washington DC-based organisation, said
the deportations were disguised as a resettlement programme.

*”The brutal treatment of the deportees, most of whom were made to walk to
their destinations, made it apparent that the deportations were mainly
intended as death marches. Moreover, the policy of deportation surgically
removed the Armenians from the rest of society and disposed of great masses
of people with little or no destruction of property.”*

The events were not unknown to either the media – *New York Times’ archive
of coverage
**
– *or governments. In 1915, the actions were described as a `crime
against
humanity’ by France, Britain and Russia.

*But if there is evidence, why does Turkey deny it was a genocide? *

Turkey’s position – explained by Geoffrey Robertson QC, founder of the
Doughty Street Chambers in his book, An Inconvenient Genocide- is that the
intent to kill Armenians was not genocidal, according to its meaning.

Raphael Lemkin, a lawyer of Polish-Jewish origin, *coined the term genocide
* as “referring
to violent crimes committed against groups with the intent to destroy the
existence of the group”.

The Turkish republic does not deny there were deaths but disputes the 1.5
million figure and that the intent was to eliminate an entire race. Turkey
claims the killings were part of a conflict not a systematic genocidal
campaign of murder and “that the Armenians as a group took up arms against
their own government” and joined Russian forces.

Turkey says “demographic studies prove that prior to World War I, fewer
than 1.5 million Armenians lived in the entire Ottoman Empire. Thus,
allegations that more than 1.5 million Armenians from eastern Anatolia died
must be false”.

But Mr Robertson points out the Armenian Church estimates 2.1 million
Armenians lived in the empire.

According to Ara Sarafian, an Armenian historian, there are papers which
indicate the genocidal nature of Turkey’s actions including the papers of
Talaat Pasha, one of the Young Turks in charge of the Ottoman Empire,
published by a Turkish journalist in 2011.

Mr Sarafian told *Mediamax
*: “I
decided to present his data as the official view of the Armenian Genocide
according to Ottoman records… It has a column showing the Armenian
population of different provinces in 1914 according to official Ottoman
statistics, and it has a column that has been generated from the returns to
the 1917 survey. Most of these missing Armenians were probably killed.”

*What does the Turkish foreign ministry say?*

The Telegraph contacted the Turkish foreign ministry for comment on both
the ECHR case and the Armenian genocide claims.

According to Turkey, “our memory does not support the Armenian narrative on
the events of 1915, [but] it is only Turks and Armenians who can
effectively address their issues together and work jointly to find ways
forward. Turkey is ready to do its part”.

Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ=9Fan, the Turkish president

Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ=9Fan, the Turkish president, has also acknowledged the
“suffering [of] Turkish, Kurdish, Arab, Armenian and millions of other
Ottoman citizens”.

The *ministry’s full explanation of Turkey’s position
*
can be found here.

Orhan Tung, press counsellor at the Turkish embassy in London at the time
it was published, *wrote in the New Statesman in 2007
*,
“credible evidence” had not been shared to prove it was a genocide – an
argument Turkey often repeats.

*”On the legal aspect, the elements of the genocide crime are strictly
defined and codified by the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment
of the Genocide, adopted by the General Assembly on 9 December 1948.
However, Armenians, claiming that “the evidence is so overwhelming”, so far
have failed to submit even one credible evidence of genocide.”*

*Where does the debate currently stand? *

In total, 18 countries accept the massacres as genocide, including Germany,
Greece, and France (you can find the full list *here
*).

The British parliament does not officially refer to the killings as
genocide, but John Whittingdale, a Conservative MP and British-Armenian
All-Party Parliamentary Group, told The Telegraph it was a “terrible
massacre [that] we should recognise as genocide”.

Mr Whittingdale added he thought it was “unlikely” the British government
would accept the 1915 events as genocide.

Mr Sarafian told the Telegraph he is however hopeful Turkey will recognise
the events as a genocide.The historian who frequently goes to Turkey said
although it still “hurt for the state to deny the events”, Mr ErdoÄ=9Fan
has
made Turkey more open to discussion – despite his denials.

“In the 1980s I studied in Turkey and with my friends – they knew I was
Armenian – we never discussed the genocide.”

Now the historian goes to southeastern Turkey for events that explore the
genocide and he hopes to encourage both sides to talk about it “because we
are the same”.

Armenia ranked 52nd in 2015 Index of Economic Freedom

13:31, 28 Jan 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Armenia is ranked 52nd in the 2015 Index of Economic Freedom published
by The Wall Street Journal andThe Heritage Foundation.

According to the report, Armenia’s economic freedom score is 67.1,
making its economy the 52nd freest in the 2015 Index. Its overall
score has declined by 1.8 points from last year, reflecting
considerable deterioration in property rights, labor freedom, and
monetary freedom. This decline was the eighth-largest in the 2015
Index. Armenia is ranked 23rd among the 43 countries in the Europe
region, and its score puts it above the world and regional averages.

Armenia’s transition to a more dynamic and market-oriented economy has
been facilitated by openness to global commerce and by regulatory
reforms designed to encourage entrepreneurial activity. However,
continued efforts, particularly to strengthen the independence of the
judiciary and eradicate corruption, are needed to ensure progress in
long-term economic development.

Although Armenia performs relatively well in most categories compared
to world averages, the historical gains are not fully
institutionalized, and the country’s economic freedom has been on a
five-year downward path. This decline has taken place across six of
the 10 economic freedoms, most notably in labor freedom, freedom from
corruption, and monetary freedom.

Hong Kong tops the list, followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Australia
and Switzerland. Armenia’s neighbors in the region are placed as
follows: Georgia – 22nd, Russia – 143rd, Turkey – 70th, Azerbaijan 85,
Iran – 171st.

The Index covers 10 freedoms – from property rights to
entrepreneurship – in 186 countries. The economic freedom is measured
based on 10 quantitative and qualitative factors, grouped into four
broad categories, or pillars, of economic freedom: Rule of Law
(property rights, freedom from corruption); Limited Government (fiscal
freedom, government spending); Regulatory Efficiency (business
freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom); and Open Markets (trade
freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom).

Each of the ten economic freedoms within these categories is graded on
a scale of 0 to 100. A country’s overall score is derived by averaging
these ten economic freedoms, with equal weight being given to each.

INTERDICITION DE NIER LES GÉNOCIDES SAUF… LE GÉNOCIDE DES ARMÉNIENS !

Les Dirigeants Juifs demandent une loi en Europe mettant
l’antisémitisme hors-la-loi.
Selon ce projet certains actes seraient pénalisés, par exemple le port
de la burqa, le mariage forcé, la mutilation génitale féminine et la
négation de l’Holocauste

Les dirigeants juifs européens, soutenus par de nombreux chefs d’état
et de gouvernements de l’UE, sont sur le point de demander une loi en
Europe mettant l’antisémitisme hors-la-loi, dans une ambiance d’état
de siège et d’urgence, et de discussions sur un exode massif de la
plus vieille minorité d’Europe.

Un groupe de quatre experts internationaux en droit constitutionnel de
premier ordre, soutenus par le Conseil Européen sur la Tolérance et la
Réconciliation (CETR), a consacré trois ans à une large consultation,
avant de préparer un projet dans un document de 12 pages sur la ”
tolérance “. Ils font actuellement pression pour que ce projet soit
converti en une loi dans les 28 pays de l’UE.

La proposition rendrait hors-la-loi l’antisémitisme et pénaliserait en
outre un certain nombre d’actes considérés comme commis en violation
des droits fondamentaux dans les domaines religieux, culturels,
ethniques et dans celui du genre.

Au nombre de ces actes figureraient le port de la burqa, la mutilation
génitale féminine, le mariage forcé, la polygamie, la négation de
l’Holocauste et du génocide en général, criminalisant la xénophobie,
et créant le crime nouveau de ” diffamation à l’égard d’un groupe “-
la diffamation publique de groupes ethniques, culturels, ou religieux.
Les droits des femmes et des homosexuels y seraient également
protégés.

La loi proposée protègerait également, dans le prolongement des
attaques de Paris, la liberté d’expression fondée sur la tolérance et
dans l’intérêt de la sécurité.

” La tolérance est une avenue à double sens. Les membres d’un groupe
qui en souhaitent le bénéfice doivent en faire preuve eux-mêmes envers
la société en général, ainsi qu’envers les membres d’autres groupes,
les dissidents ou les autres membres de leur propre groupe “, peut-on
lire dans le document.

” Il n’y a nul besoin d’être tolérant envers l’intolérant. Cela est
particulièrement important lorsqu’il s’agit de la liberté d’expression
: on ne peut abuser de ce droit pour diffamer d’autres groupes “.

Au milieu de cette crise aigüe qui agite l’Europe issue du
multiculturalisme, la violence fondamentaliste commise en vertu de
principes sensément religieux et la réaction de l’état, un appel pour
un droit uniforme en Europe sera lancé cette semaine à Prague, aux
manifestations commémorant l’Holocauste et le 70ème anniversaire de la
libération d’Auschwitz.

” Un autre exode de Juifs quittant l’Europe est une menace réelle “, a
déclaré au Guardian Moshe Kantor, président du Congrès Juif d’Europe
et co-président du CETR. ” La seule façon de régler ces problèmes est
dans un changement profond des lois pour la protection de tous, pas
seulement les Juifs “.

Au sein du groupe d’experts qui a préparé cette proposition, il y a un
juge de la cour suprême d’Italie, un ancien professeur du King’s
College et un ex-président du prestigieux Max Planck Institute
allemand. Le groupe d’experts était présidé par Yoram Dinstein, un
spécialiste des crimes de guerre, professeur et ancien président de
l’université de Tel Aviv.

” L’antisémitisme en fait clairement partie, mais n’en est absolument
pas le moteur “, a-t-il dit. ” Il s’agit de tolérance, et si vous
espérez qu’on fasse preuve de tolérance, vous devez vous-même montrer
de la tolérance. Autrement, cela devient très malsain “.

Le document, A European Framework National Statute for the Promotion
of Tolerance, [Un Statut-Cadre National Européen pour la Promotion de
la Tolérance], selon les personnes qui l’ont préparé, s’est fixé pour
but de codifier, d’équilibrer les droits, les libertés et la sécurité
en des temps où les gouvernements sont divisés sur la façon de
résoudre les problèmes.

Mais il va beaucoup plus loin, appelant à la pénalisation de ”
l’approbation manifeste d’idéologie totalitaire, la xénophobie ou
l’antisémitisme “.

L’éducation de la tolérance devrait être obligatoire depuis l’école
primaire jusqu’à l’université, ainsi que dans l’armée et la police,
tandis que les media publics doivent ” consacrer un pourcentage
obligatoire de leurs programmes à la promotion d’un climat de
tolérance “.

Les personnes qui l’ont préparé consultent en ce moment les parlements
d’Europe, s’efforçant de recueillir des soutiens pour un consensus qui
verrait un grand nombre des propositions, sinon toutes, reprises dans
la loi de chacun des 28 pays. Étant données les disparités en matière
du droit des homosexuels, de lois sur la diffamation, la négation de
l’Holocauste, et autres, les propositions apparaissent comme un
terrain juridique miné.

En Hongrie, qui a un long passé d’antisémitisme et dont le
gouvernement actuel est de droite, les propositions ont provoqué des
ricanements, selon Dinstein, qui a ajouté : “Le gouvernement n’y
touchera que du bout d’un long bton “.

Lors de l’audition en commission du Parlement européen, a-t-il dit, le
Parti Indépendance du Royaume-Uni (Ukip) y était fortement opposé.

Les organisateurs sont particulièrement désireux de voir transposée en
Grande Bretagne une loi similaire à celle d’Allemagne et d’Autriche
criminalisant la négation de l’Holocauste. ” Nous regrettons beaucoup
que cela ne soit pas fait par la Grande Bretagne “, a-t-il dit.

Le critère, disent les personnes qui ont préparé le document, devrait
être celui de la décision d’un tribunal international qu’un génocide a
eu lieu, et il devrait être accepté partout en Europe que sa
contestation en public est un crime. L’Holocauste, le génocide du
Rwanda, et le massacre des Musulmans par les Serbes à Srebreniça, en
Bosnie en 1915, par exemple, devraient être concernés. Le massacre
turc des Arméniens de 1915, par exemple, ne serait pas considéré.

Un décideur de premier ordre de l’UE a dit que s’agissant des
communautés juives en Europe, il n’y avait nul besoin d’une nouvelle
loi. C’est la sécurité et la protection qui sont les priorités.

Kantor s’est plaint que lorsqu’on soulève la question de la
protection, les dirigeants juifs régionaux étaient contraints
d’organiser la collecte de fonds.

” Nous affrontons aujourd’hui des choses qui n’étaient plus apparues
en Europe depuis 70 ans “, a-t-il dit. ” La communauté juive en Europe
a besoin de protection, il n’y a pas de doute. Les gouvernements
devraient payer et investir beaucoup plus d’argent. Nous avons déjà
payé nos taxes et il nous faut beaucoup plus d’engagements de la part
des gouvernements “.

Traduction Gilbert Béguian

mercredi 28 janvier 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

RUSSIE
La Russie avertit l’UE : ses approvisionnements en gaz devront passer
par la Turquie

L’AFP rapporte que la Russie a averti hier les Européens, décidés par
la crise ukrainienne à réduire leur dépendance énergétique vis-à-vis
de Moscou : ils devront aller chercher à leurs frais le gaz russe dont
ils ont besoin en Turquie, appelée à remplacer l’Ukraine comme zone de
transit pour cette ressource.

Le nouveau > de l’UE, le vice-président de la Commission
européenne chargé de l’Énergie Maros Sefcovic, venait à Moscou établir
un contact sur un dossier difficile. Cette première visite intervient
après un an d’éloignement, marqué par une nouvelle guerre du gaz entre
Moscou et Kiev et récemment l’abandon de leur projet commun de gazoduc
South Stream, remplacé par un tuyau entre la Russie et la Turquie.

Le responsable européen, qui porte le projet d’une Union énergétique
européenne, s’est vu signifier que vouloir tourner le dos au gaz russe
aurait un prix.

L’annonce de l’abandon de South Stream le 1er décembre par Vladimir
Poutine a constitué une surprise, à peine un an avant son ouverture
prévue et alors que des sommes importantes avaient déjà été investies.
Estimé au total à 16 milliards d’euros, ce projet de Gazprom, avec la
participation entre autres de l’italien Eni ou encore du français EDF,
devait relier sur 3 600 kilomètres la Russie à la Bulgarie par la mer
Noire pour se diriger ensuite vers l’Europe occidentale via la Serbie,
la Hongrie et la Slovénie.

À la place, la Russie compte non seulement construire un nouveau
gazoduc vers la Turquie via la mer Noire, mais aussi faire du pays un
important centre de transit pour le gaz russe.

Mais pour Moscou, l’objectif est de tourner la page de son histoire
gazière avec l’Ukraine, par laquelle transite actuellement la moitié
du gaz russe destiné aux pays européens (15 % de leur consommation).

L’objectif pour la Russie est aussi de montrer qu’elle trouve de
nouveaux clients au-delà de l’Europe, en Chine et Turquie, et qu’elle
compte se défaire de règles européennes qu’elle dénonce depuis
longtemps. Les pays de l’UE devront désormais investir eux-mêmes pour
aller chercher le gaz en Turquie.

mercredi 28 janvier 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

ARMENIE
Les organes judiciaires d’Arménie et de Russie coordonneront leurs
enquêtes sur le meurtre de la famille arménienne à Gumri

Alors que la société arménienne continue de pleurer la mort de la
famille Avetissian, dont le septième membre, un bébé de six mois, est
décédé le 19 janvier, les Comités d’investigation d’Arménie et de
Russie ont convenu de coordonner leurs enquêtes. Le Président du
Comité d’investigation de la Fédération de Russie, Alexandre
Bastrikine, en déplacement en Arménie, a mené des négociations de
quelques heures avec son homologue arménien, Aghvan Hovsépian. Les
deux hommes ont signé un accord pour mettre en place un organisme
russo-arménien ad hoc qui coordonnera le travail des enquêteurs. Selon
le porte-parole du Comité arménien d’investigation, un travail sérieux
doit être fait pour s’assurer que l’enquête est complète : >.

Lors d’une rencontre avec le Président Sarkissian, M. Bastrikine a
souligné qu’il existait une compréhension complète entre la partie
russe et les partenaires arméniens en ce qui concerne l’organisation
de l’enquête. Il a dit sa confiance que l’enquête qui sera menée sur
le territoire arménien témoignera de l’aspiration des deux parties à
ce que justice soit faite.

Le PM, Hovik Abrahamian, qui était à Gumri hier pour prendre part aux
funérailles de l’enfant décédé, a assuré que le Président Sarkissian
et le Gouvernement feront tout leur possible pour qu’il y ait un
procès juste tel que le demandent les habitants de Gumri.

Par ailleurs, galatv.am, le site de la chaîne Gala de Gumri, publie un
entretien avec le porte-parole du Président Poutine, Dmitri Peskov,
selon lequel >,
a-t-il dit. A la question de savoir si les manifestations qui ont eu
lieu en Arménie pourraient affecter les relations arméno-russes, M.
Peskov a estimé que certains milieux cherchent à politiser cette
affaire, >. Et
d’ajouter que >.

Les médias relaient les propos du chef de la diplomatie arménienne,
qui, lors d’une conférence de presse à Bruxelles, où on lui a demandé
si l’Arménie renégocierait avec la Russie les termes de l’accord sur
la base militaire russe, a estimé que les deux pays entretenaient des
relations solides et stratégiques et qu’ils allaient encore les
renforcer par des efforts communs. >. Selon Arminfo, le 20 janvier, Edward Nalbandian s’est entretenu
au téléphone avec son homologue russe, qui a présenté ses condoléances
pour le décès de l’enfant de six mois.

Hayots Achkhar et Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun rendent compte des
résultats d’un sondage en ligne mené sur le site de la radio russe
Echo Moskvi, selon lesquels 82% des Russes seraient en faveur de la
remise du suspect aux organes judiciaires arméniens. 31 204 personnes
ont participé au sondage, dont 25 720 se sont prononcés en faveur et
13% contre.

En raison des cérémonies commémoratives à travers toute l’Arménie, le
parti Arménie prospère a reporté la conférence prévue le 20 janvier
destinée à discuter des défis auxquels fait face le pays.

Enfin, plusieurs agences de presse et chaînes de télévision ont
rapporté les condoléances de l’Ambassade de France aux proches de la
famille Avetissian et au peuple arménien à la suite du décès de
l’enfant de six mois.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Arménie en
date du 21 janvier 2015

mercredi 28 janvier 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

Panorama, Italia
27 gen 2015

Pro Armenia. Gli ebrei raccontano il genocidio fantasma

Nel giorno della Memoria un toccante libro di Giuntina fa luce sul
primo genocidio del Novecento, quello degli armeni per mano dei
Giovani turchi

Anna Mazzone

Nel 1939, poco prima dell’invasione della Polonia, Adolf Hitler tenne
un discorso al comando delle SS, in cui ordinò come procedere per la
“soluzione finale” e lo sterminio degli ebrei attraverso un universo
concentrazionario fatto di sangue e orrore. Quando qualcuno dalla
platea gli fece notare che sterminare milioni di ebrei non sarebbe
passato inosservato, Hitler rispose: “Chi si ricorda oggi dello
sterminio degli armeni?”. Anche in questo Hitler è stato sconfitto.
Non si può cancellare un popolo né la sua memoria. E a mantenere vivo
il ricordo del genocidio armeno per primi sono stati proprio quattro
ebrei.

“Armeni, fratelli miei, è un ebreo che vi sta parlando…”. Nel giorno
della Memoria che ricorda l’Olocausto degli ebrei nella Germania
nazista della Seconda guerra mondiale e a settanta anni dalla
liberazione del campo di concentramento di Auschwitz, la casa editrice
La Giuntina dà alle stampe Pro Armenia. Voci ebraiche sul genocidio
armeno, un libro toccante e coraggioso a cura di Fulvio Cortese e
Francesco Berti, che racconta dello sterminio degli armeni per mano
dei Giovani turchi nel 1915.

Toccante perché le voci narranti di Metz Yeghern, il Grande male come
lo chiamano gli armeni, sono quelle di quattro ebrei. Coraggioso
perché, a distanza di cento anni dal massacro degli armeni, il loro
genocidio è ancora negato dai carnefici. Nessuna traccia sui libri di
scuola di tanti Paesi europei, nessuna traccia nei libri di scuola
della Turchia del presidente Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

E, a quanto sembra, nessuno traccia nemmeno nelle commemorazioni che
si terranno il 24 aprile a Berlino, visto che il ministro degli Esteri
tedesco, Frank Walter Steinmeir, ha recentemente dichiarato che “Il
governo (tedesco) è informato delle iniziative programmate dalle
comunità armene per il centenario degli eventi del 1915. Ma al momento
non è previsto il patrocinio queste iniziative”. Rispondendo nel
Bundestag a una serie di domande dei deputati di Die Linke, il capo
della Diplomazia tedesca ha detto che non c’è “certezza storica” del
genocidio armeno e che, per questo, la questione va risolta tra
Turchia e Armenia. .

Pro Armenia. Voci ebraiche sul genocidio armeno è un volume che
gronda sangue e memoria. La prefazione di Antonia Arslan squarcia il
velo di racconti serrati e tragici. Le parole di Lewis Einstein, André
Mandelstam, Aaron Aaronsohn e Rapahel Lemkin rievocano un genocidio
fantasma, che aleggia sull’Europa e la cui testimonianza impone una
doverosa riflessione. Il racconto in tempo reale di questi quattro
ebrei è ancora più significativo perché Einstein, Mandelstam,
Aaronsohn e Lemnkin furono tra le poche voci a cercare di portare
all’attenzione del mondo quello che nel 1915 stava succedendo in
Turchia. All’epoca i tedeschi erano a conoscenza e non fecero nulla
per fermare l’eccidio, rendendosi storicamente complici dei Giovani
turchi e del massacro di più di 1 milione e mezzo di armeni.

Sfilano nelle pagine di Pro Armenia le immagini di madri, padri,
bambini, anziani, ragazzi e ragazze, un intero popolo sterminato,
cacciato dalle proprie case, umiliato, offeso, torturato. I vagoni
merce che trasportavano gli armeni a morire nel deserto non erano
marchiati dalla svastica del Terzo Reich, ma dalla Mezzaluna
dell’impero ottomano, tuttora nella bandiera della Repubblica turca.
Immagini di morte e disperazione in bianco e nero, che prendono corpo
e vita, che respirano plasticamente attraverso il racconto di chi
c’era e ha provato a salvarli.

Quattro uomini giusti, quattro ebrei. Furono tra i pochi a squarciare
il velo dell’indifferenza su un genocidio che era il tragico antipasto
della mattanza ebraica cui il mondo avrebbe assistito solo un pugno di
anni dopo. Le quattro voci dei “fratelli” ebrei degli armeni provarono
a lanciare l’allarme, tentatono di fermare l’eccidio in una disperata
corsa contro il tempo. Ma la comunità internazionale colpevolmente
volse lo sguardo altrove.

Oggi, a cento anni dal genocidio armeno, non è più possibile chiudere
gli occhi e – anzi – è un dovere tenerli bene aperti. Perché, se –
come dice Elie Wiesel – l’ultimo atto di un genocidio è la sua
negazione, la demonizzazione dell’altro, l’antisemitismo e
l’armenofobia galoppante, alimentata negli ultimi anni sia
dall’Azerbaijan che dalla Turchia, è il segnale che un nuovo genocidio
potrebbe ancora compiersi, perché laddove non esiste “memoria”, il
Grande male può nuovamente affilare i suoi artigli.

Ebrei ed armeni, uniti nella memoria e nella condivisione di un
passato di morte e di una ferita lacerante che si riapre ogni volta
che la comunità ebraica e quella armena entrano nel mirino di
antisemiti e armenofobi. Non è casuale che nel giorno della memoria
della Shoah il presidente armeno Serzh Sargsyan abbia indirizzato alla
comunità ebraica mondiale un discorso, dicendo che “E’ verità
incontestabile che relegare le vittime di genocidi all’oblio e al
negazionismo, soprattutto se di Stato, rappresenti un altro passo
dello stesso crimine. E si tratta di un doppio crimine perché viene
commesso non solo contro delle vittime innocenti ma anche contro il
nostro presente ed il nostro futuro”.

Ma c’è una speranza. In un’Europa segnata da un antisemitismo
crescente, la Fondazione per la Memoria della Shoah e la Fondazione
per l’Innovazione politica, hanno diffuso i risultati di una ricerca
sulla “Memoria nel Ventesimo secolo”. Un’inchiesta condotta su 31.172
giovani tra i 16 e i 29 anni in 24 Paesi del mondo. Il 77% dei giovani
intervistati crede che nel 1915 in Turchia andò in scena il genocidio
degli armeni. E in Italia i numeri sono addirittura più alti.
Nonostante il silenzio dei libri di Storia, l’87% dei ragazzi italiani
interpellati non ha dubbi nel dire che quello degli armeni fu un
genocidio.

Alla faccia di Hitler e delle sue convinzioni assassine, la Storia ha
già parlato. E questo vale per gli ebrei, per gli armeni e per i
ruandesi. I tre popoli che nel Ventesimo secolo hanno attraversato
l’inferno del genocidio e ne custodiscono la memoria, tramandandola
affinché non succeda mai più.

Pro Armenia. Voci ebraiche sul genocidio armeno
a cura di Fulvio Cortese e Francesco Berti
Prefazione di Antonia Arslan
Edizioni La Giuntina
pag. 140, euro 12

PRESS RELEASE
Date: January 27, 2015

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
Contact: Taniel Koushakjian
Telephone: (202) 393-3434
Email: [email protected]
Web:

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY TO HOLD ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING & BANQUET IN FLORIDA

Annual Florida Meeting to Feature Armenian Genocide Symposium

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) is pleased
to announce that the annual Assembly Members Meeting and Banquet will take
place at the Marriott Town Center on March 13-14, 2015 in Boca Raton,
Florida. Organized by the Assembly’s South Florida Regional Council (SFRC),
this year’s gathering will feature an expanded program, including a special
panel discussion on the Armenian Genocide.

`We are excited to welcome all members, guests and friends of the Armenian
Assembly to attend our annual meeting and banquet,’ stated Assembly Board
Member Lu Ann Ohanian. `It will be an informative and enjoyable weekend,’
Ohanian said.

The weekend will begin with a welcome reception on the evening of Friday,
March 13th. Following the welcome reception, guests will have the pleasure
of spending time with friends and family at their choosing. On Saturday,
March 14th, the Annual Members Meeting will take place at 9:00 AM, followed
by lunch. At 1:00 PM, the Assembly will host a special academic symposium
that will explore different dimensions of the Armenian Genocide. Speakers
will be announced shortly. Later that evening, guests will convene for the
Assembly Dinner Banquet, beginning with a cocktail reception at 6:00 PM,
followed by dinner at 7:00 PM.

Below is a listing of events for this year’s Assembly Annual Members
Meeting & Banquet:

Friday, March 13, 2015

– Welcome Reception, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Saturday, March 14, 2015

– Breakfast, 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

– Annual Members Meeting, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

– Lunch, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

– Armenian Genocide Symposium (Speakers Invited), 1:00 PM =80` 3:00 PM

– Cocktail Reception, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

– Dinner Banquet, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

All events will be held at the Marriott Hotel at Boca Town Center, 5150
Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, FL 33486. Please call (561) 392-4600 to
reserve your room and be sure to mention the Armenian Assembly in order to
receive the reduced rate of $169.00 per night.

For tickets or additional information, please contact Assembly SFRC Chair
Carol Norigian at [email protected].

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and
awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3)
tax-exempt membership organization.

###

NR: # 2015-003

TIO, Svizzera
27 gen 2015

L’Armenia difesa dalla signora Clooney

Amal Alamuddin sosterrà il punto di vista dello stato caucasico nel
caso Perinçek

STRASBURGO РPer difendere il punto di vista armeno nel caso Perin̤ek
che sarà trattato a Strasburgo, le autorità dello stato caucasico
hanno chiesto l’assistenza del celebre avvocato australiano Geoffrey
Robertson, che si presenterà in compagnia di Amal Alamuddin Clooney.
Anch’essa specialista delle questioni legate ai diritti umani, la
moglie dell’attore statunitense George Clooney è lontana parente del
missionario appenzellese Jakob Künzler, deceduto in Libano nel 1949.

Nata in questo paese nel 1978 da un padre druso e da una madre
sunnita, Amal Alamuddin lavora dal 2010 nel celebre studio legale
londinese Doughty Streets Chambers. Legami di parentela la uniscono al
missionario elvetico Jakob Künzler (Hundwil, 8 marzo 1871 – Ghazir, 15
gennaio 1949), soprannominato “il padre degli orfani armeni”. Basati a
Urfa (sud-est della Turchia), Künzler e la moglie hanno tratto in
salvo migliaia di bimbi armeni durante e dopo la Prima Guerra
Mondiale.

La figlia dei Künzler, Ida, ha sposato Najib Alamuddin, il cugino del
nonno di Amal Alamuddin Clooney, indicano fonti armene. Nel 1970, Ida
Künzler ha pubblicato un libro sul padre e la sua azione umanitaria,
intitolato “Papà Künzler e gli Armeni”.

Lo stesso Künzler ha redatto nel 1921 “Nella terra del sangue e delle
lacrime, la Mesopotamia durante la Grande Guerra (14-18)”, considerato
dagli armeni come una testimonianza capitale dell’esistenza del
genocidio.