Photography: Armineh Johannes : The displaced people of Artsakh (Karabakh)

Garik Boshkezenian
The Eye of Photography
Feb 20 2024

Armineh Johannes is a humanitarian/documentary photojournalist. He sends us his reportage on the displaced people of Artsakh (H. Karabakh), following the ethnic cleansing, now live in Armenia.

 

Displaced people from Artsakh (Karabakh)

I started traveling to Armenia in 1989. I am of Armenian origin (born in Iran); I continued to travel regularly to Armenia to photograph the life of Armenians. I visited Artsakh (H. Karabakh) several times starting in 1990 and covered the first conflict with Azerbaijan which ended in 1994. During my travels to Artsakh, as a documentary photojournalist, I also photographed moments of their daily life.

Between September 19 and 20, 2023, after 9 months of blockade which had deprived the population of Artsakh of food, medicine and all other essentials, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against  Artsakh (Karabakh), which constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in 2020.

The September 2023 war led to the ethnic cleansing of the population of Artsakh; Fearing for their lives, the population began to leave Artsakh (Karabakh), where Armenians had lived for 7,000 years, and in just a few days, Artsakh (Karabakh) lost its entire Armenian population. I decided to follow as many people as possible in the different regions of Armenia where they had been displaced and resettled, in order to talk to them and try to tell their story with my photos. It was a very emotional journey for them and also for me as a photographer; sometimes I cried with them while taking their photos.

All 106,000 inhabitants of Artsakh are today displaced and living in different villages and towns in Armenia, having abandoned their lands, their houses, their cars, their livestock….. to save their lives, they left hurriedly in the clothes they were wearing, and could take nothing else with them. Although most of the people I photographed were very emotional and saddened when talking about their painful departure, each of them expressed their hope and desire to return to their ancestral lands. Through my photographs, I tried to capture their emotions, their suffering and perhaps a glimmer of hope in their eyes, even if the future seemed uncertain to them…

 

Biography

I grew up in Tehran, Iran, where I developed an early interest in photography at the age of 12 when I received an instamatic camera as a gift.

After completing half of my secondary education in Tehran, I went to England in 1970 to complete and pursue higher education and obtained a journalism degree.

Back in Iran, I began my career as a translator and then as assistant reporter, collaborating with media such as UPITN, the American television channels CBS and ABC, during a crucial period in Iranian history marked by the Iranian Revolution. 1979. In 1979, I was one of the five co-founders of the daily newspaper “Tehran Times”. However, about a year after its creation, the newspaper was taken over by the state. During the summer of 1980, just before the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war, I decided to settle in France. I first studied the French language in Vichy, then I continued my studies in Aix-en-Provence, where I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in History at the University of Aix-Marseille, and later an English degree.

It 1987 I began my career as a photographer with my first trip to Morocco and the High Atlas. In 1989, on the anniversary of the Armenia earthquake (December 7, 1988) I went to Armenia for the first time to take pictures in the cemeteries of Spitak and other towns affected by the earthquake. Since then, I have made several dozen trips to the four corners of Armenia and Artsakh, depicting the life of Armenians.

With the Nagorno-Karabakh movement and the first Karabakh war, I went to the fronts several times between 1990 and 1993 and spent several weeks with the Fedayais. I am among the rare photographers who visited the villages of Getashen, and the villages of Shahumyan province just before Operation Ring in 1991.

In February 1990 the daily newspaper “Le Monde” devoted an entire page to my work and organized an exhibition of around forty of my photographs in its premises in Paris.

In 1990 during the Rencontres Int.’l de la Photographie – Arles, I won first prize in the Photo Service prize and my photos were part of a group exhibition in Arles.

In 1992 the French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, as well as personalities from the photo world such as Christian Caujole (from the Vu a Paris Agency), Richard Fournet from the Ile de France Photographic Center praised my photographic work on Armenia…….

In 1997, I spent 1 year in Armenia and continued working on my portfolio there. I consider my work on Armenia and my experiences in this country to be the most enriching of my life.

Over the past few years, I have continued to document the lives of Armenians both in Armenia and in other countries in the Middle East as well as in the USA. I continue my work on Armenia until today.

I have had several exhibitions in France, Portugal and the United States.

My humanitarian photography work mainly focuses on the Middle East and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Alongside my in-depth work on Armenia which I continue to this day, during my career, my passion for humanitarian photography has taken me to countries like Georgia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain and my home country, Iran.

My work has been published in: the Los Angeles Times (USA), Washington Post, Newsweek, Le Monde, Peuples du Monde, Libération, L’Express, Révolution (France), Photo Reporter, France- URSS, UN Multimedia, Foto Pratica ( Italy), l’Autre Journal, Marie Claire (Italy), Pop Eye (Japan), Asahi Graph (Japan), Asahi Magazine (Japan), AIM (USA), La Vie, Femme Actuelle, France-URSS (France), Christian family, Photography (England), Quantara (France), ENA (Greece), Refugees (France), Nouvelles d’Armée Magazine (France), …

 

https://plus.wikimonde.com/wiki/Armineh_Johannes

Film: Vidiots, Armenian Film Society to Screen Egoyan’s ‘Exotica’

Nyrie Kalashian
Glendale News Press
Feb 19 2024
Vidiots, Armenian Film Society to Screen Egoyan’s ‘Exotica’

Vidiots and Armenian Film Society are inviting the public to a special 30th anniversary screening of Atom Egoyan’s “Exotica” on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.
A steamy and sensual thriller of erotic obsession and a meditative treatise on loss and trauma, “Exotica” simmers with passion and pathos. Lives, loves and desires intermingle in the upscale Toronto strip club Exotica from the dancers, to the patrons, to the management.

“Exotica” won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, as well as eight Genie Awards, Canada’s equivalent of the Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Vidiots is a nonprofit video store that’s been around since 1985, and recently relaunched with a cinema at the historic Eagle Theatre in the Eagle Rock district of Los Angeles. It is a one-of-a-kind hub that inspires human interaction around film through theatrical presentations and preserving, growing and providing access to its diverse DVD, Blu-ray and rare VHS collection. The Armenian Film Society is proud to be a community programming partner for Vidiots.

Vidiots is located at 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd. To purchase tickets, visit vidiotsfoundation.org/movies/exotica.

First published in the February 16 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.

Sports: Sofia 2024 Day 7: Armenia wins gold and silver in non-Olympic categories

Edgar Tavakalian
Inside the Games
Feb 19 2024
  • By Rafael Khalatyan

    •  

  •  Monday, 19 February 2024

Armenia's weightlifters won their third gold and fifth medal at the 2024 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. So far, however, all their medals have come in non-Olympic weight categories.

Hakob Mkrtchyan and Davit Hovhannisyan topped the podium in the men's 96 kg category. Hovhannisyan, the returning champion, was at his best in the snatch. He finished with 169 kg, 3 kg better than Mkrtchyan. Pavel Khadasevich (AIN) was third with 165 kg. But Mkrtchyan, former world champion, was more successful in the clean and jerk. 

He lifted 209 kg in his third attempt, while Hovhannisyan missed the 210 kg, and became double European champion with a total of 375 kg. Hovhannisyan was 1 kg behind. Yulian Kurlovich (AIN) was slightly better than Khadasevich in the clean and jerk, but it was Khadasevich who went home with the bronze medal in the total. 

Without Iryna Dekha there was no clear favourite in the women's 81 kg. Three lifters managed 103 kg in the snatch, but Weronika Zelinska (Poland) was the first to lift the weight and took the gold medal. Elena Erighina (AIN) was second and Ilke Lagrou of Belgium third. 

Zelinska and Erighina battled for the gold medal in the clean and jerk, with the Polish athlete finishing first with 132 kg, 1 kg ahead of Erighina. Lagrou failed in all three attempts, leaving Turkey's Dilara Narin in third place.

Katherine Vibert had come to the European Championships with the aim of improving her total and breaking into the top 10 of the Olympic rankings, but she failed all three attempts in the snatch at 110 kg and two attempts in the clean and jerk at 140 kg. 

Aurora Humanitarian Initiative events to take place in Los Angeles

Emil Lazarian

 14:06,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative announced that a special series of events will be held from May 8–10, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. The events, including the 2024 Aurora Prize Ceremony and the Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum, are being organized in partnership with The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA.

The events are co-chaired by Dr. Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, and Co-Founder and Chairman of Moderna, and Dr. Eric Esrailian, UCLA professor and Chief of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases. Dr. Esrailian, also an Emmy-nominated film producer and entrepreneur, led the efforts to establish The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA in 2017.

“We are honored to join forces with The Promise Institute for Human Rights to support outstanding humanitarians and human rights defenders putting themselves at risk to help others,” said Dr. Afeyan. “Over the past eight years, Aurora has fostered a global network of like-minded individuals committed to this important work, and we look forward to the events in Los Angeles to further elevate the voices of grassroots activists everywhere and show the world the power of each individual to bring about positive change.”

“The 2024 Aurora Prize events in Los Angeles will offer guests and participants a chance to express their appreciation to those who selflessly help others in need. People will hopefully come away inspired to channel that gratitude into action, join us in this global movement, and contribute to our common cause,” said Dr. Esrailian, co-chair of the events. “By shining a light on the best of humanity, which often emerges in the darkest of times, we intend to raise awareness – both in the US and around the world – of ordinary human beings whose sense of compassion and justice motivates them to do extraordinary things.”

The 2024 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity Laureate will be announced during the Aurora Prize Ceremony, with the Laureate selected from the Aurora Humanitarians shortlisted in September 2023.  The prize award will enable the Laureate to continue the cycle of giving and supporting grassroots humanitarians and organizations that give a second chance to people in need. 

The Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum and other events will bring together leading experts in the field for insightful discussions on a range of topics including gender justice, women’s empowerment, global health crisis and education.

Yeremyan Projects participates in the prestigious Gulfood exhibition in Dubai

Antranik Varosian

 14:40,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS.  The “Yeremyan Projects” company is participating in Gulfood 2024, the largest international food and beverage exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 19 – 23 February. About 5,500 companies from about 130 countries are represented at the prestigious event this year.
The Yeremyan Projects pavilion provides participants of the exhibition with an opportunity to become acquainted with the history of the company, its implemented programs, as well as the product range of  "Yeremyan Products".
"Yeremyan Products" dairy, a high-quality product already in great demand among Armenian consumers, will be showcased at the general pavilion of Armenia. The international visitors will have the opportunity to taste it and become acquainted with "Yeremyan Projects" vision to cultivate a new culture of milk consumption. The visitors will learn about the benefits of the "Seed to Table" concept and the closed-loop, as well as the approaches and projects aimed at developing Armenia's new farming economy and producing quality milk.
Gulfood is a platform that brings together the leaders and experts of the field, which enables Armenian businessmen and producers to present their history, rich cultural heritage, Armenian cuisine and unique products.
Yeremyan Projects General Director Davit Yeremyan who is also participating in the exhibition, has emphasized that Armenian products, particularly dairy products meeting high-quality standards, have all the prerequisites for entering the international market. 
“Presenting Armenian production and its history beyond the borders of our country is a great honor and a responsibility for us. Today, we present our high-quality products to thousands of visitors and leaders of famous companies, alongside the largest manufacturers and businesses worldwide. We share our success story and present Armenia as a country that has successfully implemented global business and production models.
The Gulfood exhibition is a good opportunity to establish new partnerships, exchange experience and, of course, create new opportunities for the export of Armenian products," Davit Yeremyan said.
100,000 trade representatives are expected to visit the exhibition. Business meetings, seminars and panel discussions are scheduled within the framework of Gulfood 2024.

Azeri man arrested in Russia pursuant to Armenian warrant is suspected mercenary war criminal

Liana Toganian

 15:08,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. The Azeri national arrested in Russia pursuant to an international arrest warrant issued by Armenia is wanted for crimes against humanity, war crimes, mercenaryism and aggression, his lawyer has said.

Kamil Zeynalli’s lawyer Alekber Garayev told Azeri media that his client is wanted by Armenia under Article 135 (crimes against humanity), 147 (mercenaryism) and 149 (aggression) of the Armenian Criminal Code.

Other media reports said Zeynalli is also wanted under Article 140 (war crimes committed through prohibited methods of warfare).

Azeri national Kamil Zeynalli, who has been arrested by Russian police in Moscow, is wanted by Armenia, police earlier confirmed to Armenpress.

Zeynalli is on Armenia’s interstate wanted list, Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesperson Narek Sargsyan told Armenpress. He did not elaborate. “The mentioned individual is on the interstate wanted list on a murder charge,” he said.

Zeynalli, who is apparently a former member of the Azeri military, claimed on social media that Russian police told him that he has been arrested pursuant to an international arrest warrant issued by Armenia. The Azeri national is scheduled to make a court appearance in Moscow on February 22, according to the reports. Zeynalli claims that he could be extradited to Armenia.  He was placed under arrest at the Domodedovo airport and then booked at a police station.

The general prosecution of Armenia, however, told Armenpress that they don’t have any official information about Zeynalli’s arrest in Moscow.

According to unconfirmed media reports, Kamil Zeynalli is suspected of war crimes committed during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war when he fought from the Azeri side against Armenian forces, particularly of killing and beheading an elderly civilian hostage. According to the media reports Zeynalli is a recipient of Azeri medals for his military service.  According to the reports, the man is now a 'blogger' and a ‘fitness trainer’.

EU Mission in Armenia marks 1st anniversary

Kevo Kalantarian

 15:49,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. The 20th February marked 1 year since the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) deployed to Armenia. The Mission is tasked with patrolling and reporting on the situation on the ground on the border with Azerbaijan.

To this day, EUMA has conducted over 1720 patrols contributing to enhanced security and stability on the Armenian side of the bilateral state border with Azerbaijan, the EEAS said in a statement. 

EUMA contributes to human security in conflict-affected areas in Armenia and through its presence on the ground aims to build confidence among the local population in border areas. The Mission is exclusively civilian and unarmed, operating as an impartial actor. Through its reporting to Brussels, it has contributed to a better understanding of the situation on the ground. It also plays an important role in support of EU high-level efforts for Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation.

On 11 December 2023, the EU Foreign Affairs Council agreed to strengthen the observation capacity of EUMA within the Mission’s existing Area of Operation by increasing its presence on the ground from 138 staff to 209.

Head of EUMA, Markus Ritter said:

‘’The reinforcement of the Mission and increasing the number of staff enables us to conduct more patrols, contributing to overall security and stability in the region. We are conducting daily patrols to observe and report the situation on the ground. On this special day, I want to acknowledge the valuable work of the Mission’s personnel and thank the 23 EU Member States who are contributing staff to the mission. I also want to thank Canada for sending their first expert to EUMA. I would like to convey my sincere appreciation to our Armenian friends and partners for their warm welcome and the excellent cooperation during the past year.’’

EU Civilian Operations Commander Stefano Tomat said:

“I am very proud of what has been achieved by the mission so far.  It has conducted its activities with exemplary professionalism. EUMA’s presence on the ground is proof of EU engagement for peace and stability in the region.”

The EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos said:

“I want to thank EUMA staff for their dedication. EUMA helps to ensure an environment conducive to normalisation efforts and has made a worthy contribution to stabilizing the situation around Armenia."

EUMA operates from Headquarters in Yeghegnadzor, with six Forward Operating bases in Kapan, Goris, Jermuk, Yeghegnadzor, Martuni and Ijevan. The Mission will open a Liaison and Support Office in Yerevan in spring 2024. The mission has a two year mandate which runs until February 2025.

Speaking at a February 21 press conference, Ritter said, “We remain committed to our mandate as an impartial actor, in support of the EU’s efforts for normalization in this region.”

He added that the mission has contributed to de-escalation of the tension and reduction of the number of incidents.

Armenia receives new proposals from Azerbaijan on peace treaty in ongoing exchange

Emma Nadirian

 16:04,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has received new proposals from Azerbaijan on a peace treaty, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan has said.

“In response to our January 4 proposals, Azerbaijan has sent its variant, and we continue to work,” Grigoryan said at a press conference.

He said that there is still some “regress” in the Azeri proposals, which the Armenian Foreign Minister earlier spoke about.

Russia releases Azerbaijani national wanted by Armenia after brief arrest

Emil Lazarian

 16:17,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. Russian authorities have released Azerbaijani national Kamil Zeynalli after briefly detaining him at a Moscow airport pursuant to an Armenian international arrest warrant, his lawyer has said.

Kamil Zeynalli’s lawyer Alekber Garayev told Azeri media that his client is wanted by Armenia under Article 135 (crimes against humanity), 147 (mercenaryism) and 149 (aggression) of the Armenian Criminal Code.

Other media reports said Zeynalli is also wanted under Article 140 (war crimes committed through prohibited methods of warfare).

The general prosecution of Armenia, however, told Armenpress that they don’t have any official information about Zeynalli’s arrest in Moscow.

Zeynalli is on Armenia’s interstate wanted list, Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesperson Narek Sargsyan told Armenpress. He did not elaborate. “The mentioned individual is on the interstate wanted list on a murder charge,” he said.

Number of border incidents decreased but challenges remain – EU Civilian Operations Commander

Parkev Tvankchian

 16:27,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. EU Civilian Operations Commander Stefano Tomat has described the EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) activities as “impressive” and said that he is proud of the work that has been done during its 1st year.

“I am sure that the EU monitoring mission is bringing important contribution to Armenia and the region, which symbolizes the EU’s involvement for peace and stability,” Tomat said at an event dedicated to the 1st anniversary of EUMA.

“The number of border incidents decreased during the past year, and we can conclude that the EU monitoring mission has had its contribution in this positive development. But there are still challenges. The recent disinformation campaigns targeting EUMA underscore the difficult environment where the EU mission works. And in this sense, I’d like to reiterate our words of gratitude to EU member states for their support to the mission,” he added, noting that EUMA aims at building trust and doesn’t have aggressive goals.