Author: Ophelia Vardapetian

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin will visit Armenia on April 12, Press Service of the Football Federation of Armenia reports.

Details on the visit programme will be announced later.

Artsakh Human Rights Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan outlined the work of his office and presented the findings of its latest report on Azerbaijani war crimes and atrocities committed during the four-day April 2016 war to public policy leaders at a forum sponsored by the Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR) at the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), reported the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC).

CTR’s Benedikt Harzl, an Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellow in Central European Studies at Johns Hopkins University SAIS and assistant professor of international law at the University of Graz, hosted the March 15th discussion.  In his introductory remarks, Prof. Harzl noted the lack of a harmonized and unified approach to conflict resolution involving de facto states as one of the reasons these situations continue to fester and the importance of hearing the voices from these entities.

Prof. Harzl explained that a crucial question revolves around “what role should be afforded de facto states in the course of conflict resolution” and believed “international law is indeed in a position to provide accommodation with de facto states.”

Mr. Melikyan offered an overview of the responsibilities of the Human Rights Ombudsman, an independent position established in 2008, to address the human rights concerns of the citizens of Artsakh, including social, political, education, and religious rights.  The Ombudsman has the right to investigate human rights complaints, can demand information from state and local government officials, and has unrestricted access to prisons.  Mr. Melikyan, who was elected to a six year term by the Artsakh Parliament in May 2016, reported that he handles about 130 complaints a year.  He is not an “Armenian rights defender,” but a “human rights defender,” stressed Mr. Melikyan, who recounted his visit to an Azerbaijani soldier currently in custody in Artsakh during which he shared a copy of the European Convention on Human Rights and emphasized his right to an attorney of his choice.

The number one human rights concern in Artsakh was the right to security and life, explained Mr. Melikyan, citing Azerbaijan’s constant threats of war and repeated attacks.  His investigation into the four-day April 2016 War found widespread and systematic war crimes abuses by Azerbaijani soldiers, including three cases of beheadings.  The report, which has been , found that of the 28 combatants and 3 civilians, who fell under the control of Azerbaijan, 90% of them were either tortured, executed, or mutilated.

Mr. Melikyan decried the lack of widespread condemnation of these atrocities, warning that “impunity encourages new atrocities.”

Ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff delivered powerful testimony Thursday before key House foreign aid appropriators, calling for the expansion of U.S. assistance to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia, and the implementation of measures to check escalating Azerbaijani aggression, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

The California Democrat, who also serves as a Vice-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, offered his recommendations during a hearing of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations, led by Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Ranking Democrat Nita Lowey (D-NY), as this panel prepares the Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) foreign aid bill.

“We appreciate Congressman Schiff’s leadership in supporting a broad array of Armenian American foreign aid priorities, including continued U.S. support for Artsakh, increased assistance for Armenia’s international peacekeeping missions, and a substantial contribution to Yerevan’s efforts to settle Middle East refugees,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We will continue to work with members of the State-Foreign Operations Subcommittees in both the House and Senate and with appropriators in both chambers to strengthen the U.S.-Armenia partnership and promote a durable and democratic peace for the Republic of Artsakh.”

In voicing his support for increased U.S. assistance to Artsakh, Rep. Schiff noted that he is “deeply disturbed by the escalation of violence in the last year and the major military assault by Azerbaijani forces against the people of Artsakh,” noting the “strong evidence of human rights abuses on the part of Azeri troops, and the appalling desecration of the bodies of Armenian and Artsakh citizens.” Rep. Schiff went on to outline three concrete steps Congress can take to address these concerns, including implementation of the Royce-Engel peace proposals, the suspension of U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, and the expansion of humanitarian aid to Artsakh.

Rep. Schiff stressed that the U.S.-Armenia relationship “is founded upon a shared commitment to freedom and democratic values,” citing Armenia’s participation in U.S. led peacekeeping deployments. He emphasized the importance of ongoing foreign military financing assistance for peacekeeping purposes, funding for U.S. training opportunities for Armenian officers, and recommended no less than $40 million in U.S. economic assistance to Armenia.

Rep. Schiff also focused on the important role Armenia has played as a “regional safe haven for Middle East refugees,” noting that over 20,000 individuals from Syria have found a new home in Armenia. The Congressman requested that the Subcommittee’s proposed FY18 foreign aid bill include provisions supporting Armenia’s efforts through aid and international organizations.

The first day of President Sargyan’s visit to the Russian Federation concluded with the meeting at the Embassy of Armenia in Russia with the doctors and students residing in Mocow. Present at the meeting was also His Eminence Ter Ezras Archbishop Nersissian, Primate of the New Nakhijevan and Russia Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The President underscored in his welcoming remarks that in his foreign visits he pays special attention to the meetings with our compatriots as they present a strong base for Armenia’s cooperation with other countries. The President said that this is particularly true in case of Russia where the Armenian community is among the most powerful in the world.

Serzh Sargsyan noted that he was proud that the Armenian doctors of Moscow are true to their calling and continue to have a great input to the development of the area of health care and regardless of where they are at the moment, are always ready to unite for the benefit of Armenia. In that context the President recalled how last April, at the difficult for Armenia and Artsakh moment, the Armenian doctors of Moscow came to aid and stood by the young soldiers, providing medical and also moral support.
Serzh Sargsyan in his remarks spoke also of the formed and successfully developing Armenian-Russian cooperation in the area of health care. At the meeting, the participants presented their views on the works aimed at the strengthening of the Armenian-Russian cooperation, including in the area of health care and, at the President’s suggestion, offered their views on the processes underway in Armenia.

In the evening, President Serzh Sargsyan met in the Embassy with the Russian state and political figure Sergei Stepashin. The President of Armenia awarded Sergei Stepashin with the Order of Honor for his contribution to the deepening of the allied cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation, and for the strengthening and development of the Armenian-Russian friendship.

A 64-year-old woman has successfully given birth to healthy twins – a boy and a girl – in Burgos, northern Spain, the BBC reports.

The Recoletas Hospital delivered the twins by Caesarean section, the usual method in such rare cases.

The unnamed woman had undergone fertility treatment in the US, Spanish media report.

In 2012 the woman gave birth to a girl, who was later taken into care by social services, amid welfare concerns.

Social workers said the girl was being brought up isolated, poorly clothed and with bad personal hygiene, the Spanish daily El Pais reported.

No decision has been taken yet about the mother’s twins. They and the mother are reported to be in good health in hospital. The boy weighs 2.4kg  and the girl 2.2kg.

Former German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been elected president by a parliamentary assembly, the BBC reports.

The Social Democrat, 61, is one of Germany’s most popular politicians.

The post is largely ceremonial, but the president represents Germany abroad and is seen as carrying moral weight.

During the US election campaign, the usually circumspect ex-lawyer described Donald Trump as a “hate preacher” and predicted more challenging relations with Washington.

He has also criticised those who “make politics with fear”, and spoken out against right-wing populism.

Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit and the son of an undocumented US immigrant, says President Donald Trump’s immigration ban is both “deeply un-American” and “potentially unconstitutional.” Ohanian expressed his views in an  posted to the official Reddit blog.

The tech industry figure describes himself as not only the son of an undocumented German immigrant, but also “the great grandson of refugees who fled the Armenian Genocide.” Ohanian says welcoming both groups — immigrants and refugees — is America’s “unfair advantage,” quoting a startup term for besting the competition. “Without them, there’s no me, and there’s no Reddit. We are Americans,” he writes. “Let’s not forget that we’ve thrived as a nation because we’ve been a beacon for the courageous — the tired, the poor, the tempest-tossed.”

The letter reads:

A little over a century ago, a Turkish soldier decided my great grandfather was too young to kill after cutting down his parents in front of him; instead of turning the sword on the boy, the soldier sent him to an orphanage. Many Armenians, including my great grandmother, found sanctuary in Aleppo, Syria—before the two reconnected and found their way to Ellis Island. Thankfully they weren’t retained, rather they found this message:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

My great grandfather didn’t speak much English, but he worked hard, and was able to get a job at Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company in Binghamton, NY. That was his family’s golden door. And though he and my great grandmother had four children, all born in the U.S., immigration continued to reshape their family, generation after generation. The one son they had—my grandfather —volunteered to serve in the Second World War and married a French-Armenian immigrant. And my mother, a native of Hamburg, Germany, decided to leave her friends, family, and education behind after falling in love with my father, who was born in San Francisco.

She got a work visa as an au pair in the U.S., uprooting her entire life for love in a foreign land. After she and my father married, she received a green card, which she kept for over a decade until she became a citizen. I grew up speaking German, but she insisted I focus on my English in order to be successful. She eventually got her citizenship and I’ll never forget her swearing in ceremony.

If you’ve never seen people taking the pledge of allegiance for the first time as U.S. Citizens, it will move you: a room full of people who can really appreciate what I was lucky enough to grow up with, simply by being born in Brooklyn. It thrills me to write reference letters for enterprising founders who are looking to get visas to start their companies here, to create value and jobs for these United States.

My forebears were brave refugees who found a home in this country. I’ve always been proud to live in a country that said yes to these shell-shocked immigrants from a strange land, that created a path for a woman who wanted only to work hard and start a family here.

Without them, there’s no me, and there’s no Reddit. We are Americans. Let’s not forget that we’ve thrived as a nation because we’ve been a beacon for the courageous—the tired, the poor, the tempest-tossed.

Right now, Lady Liberty’s lamp is dimming, which is why it’s more important than ever that we speak out and show up to support all those for whom it shines—past, present, and future. I ask you to do this however you see fit, whether it’s calling your representative (this works, it’s how we defeated SOPA + PIPA), marching in protest, donating to the ACLU, or voting, of course, and not just for Presidential elections.

Our platform, like our country, thrives the more people and communities we have within it. Reddit, Inc. will continue to welcome all citizens of the world to our digital community and our office.

“On a special day like today celebrating MLK (Martin Luther King) and everything he stood for, Erdogan’s government kicks out an MP in Turkey for mentioning the genocide,” System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian said in a Facebook post.

“Garo Paylan is a true hero because it’s quite easy to speak the truth in a society with no repercussions but very dangerous in one that has many repercussions. I had the unique honor of meeting him last year. We are with you Garo,” Tankian said.

The comments come after the decision to suspend Armenian Garo Paylan from Turkish parliament for speaking about the Armenian Genocide during the legislature debate of a new Turkish constitution.

“The Council of Europe does not have a direct role in the negotiations, and always refers to, and supports the role of, the OSCE Minsk-Group. However, we are concerned about the humanitarian aspects of the conflict,” CoE Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said in a statement.

“I am aware that the violations of the ceasefire on 29 December resulted in casualties, and that the Armenian Armed Forces are still holding the body of an Azerbaijani serviceman killed in the fighting,” he said.

“I urge the parties to respect the ceasefire, and I fully support the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group’s call for the return, without delay, of human remains – in accordance with the agreements of the Astrakhan Summit of 2010 – bearing in mind the humanitarian nature of this issue,” the Secretary General added.