Kurt Chesko of the HALO USA (Humanitarian Landmine Clearance) will speak at
10:30 AM on Saturday, May 15th at The Glendale Public Library’s Central
Auditorium (222 East Harvard Street, Glendale, CA
91205).

The NKR Office encourages participation of the general public and
representatives of the LA-based Armenian-American organizations.

Vardan Barseghian
Representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic

Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States
122 C Street, NW, Suite 360
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: (202) 347-5166
Fax: (202) 347-5168

For additional information, please contact:

Kurt Chesko
Program Officer

HALO USA
Humanitarian Landmine Clearance
850 Seventh Avenue, Suite 506
New York, NY 10019
212 581 0099 (tel)
212 581 2029 (fax)
<;

Info from <; :
In Nagorno Karabakh defensive minefields were laid by both Azeri and
pro-Karabakhi forces. Moves in the front lines resulted in minefields and
significant quantities of UXO being left in peaceful areas needed for
agriculture. In many areas access to prime land is denied and the steady
stream of casualties indicates the requirement for widespread mineclearance
ahead of cultivation. Aid organizations in the region have had to restrict
their operations due to fears of landmines on or just beside roads and the
presence of unexploded ordnance in and around many villages.
In 1995 and 1996 HALO conducted an 18-month long program in Karabakh that
established a mineclearance capacity for the local authorities. This
included a survey of the region and the equipping and training of deminers.
The teams operated without assistance for three years and whilst they
successfully cleared hundreds of mines, their equipment had degraded and
accurate records of clearance had not been kept for some time.
HALO returned to Karabakh in 2000 with a view to reinforcing capacity
through a project of re-equipment, providing additional training and by
establishing a mine action centre (MAC). The MAC collates information
concerning mines, UXO and safe routes, and disseminates it to all who
require it, in particular other NGOs and international humanitarian bodies
operating in Karabakh.
In addition to landmines, unexploded ordnance is as great a problem in
Nagorno Karabakh. In response, HALO deploys three mobile explosive ordnance
disposal teams that clear hundreds of hazardous items every month.

PRESS RELEASE
The National Citizens’ Initiative
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 1) 27.16.00, 27.00.03
Fax: (+374 – 1) 52.48.46
E-mail: [email protected]

May 6, 2004

National Citizens’ Initiative Examines Political Confrontation in Armenia

Yerevan?The National Citizens’ Initiative (NCI) resumed today its series of
specialized policy seminars on vital issues of concern for both the Republic
of Armenia and Armenians worldwide.

Raffi Hovannisian, founder of NCI and the Armenian Center for National and
International Studies (ACNIS), greeted the capacity audience with opening
remarks on the “Political Confrontation in Armenia: Causes, Effects, and
Solutions.” “Even a cursory analysis of the past few years demonstrates why
we have so frequently lost in the course of our history. In our heart of
hearts and in our inner consciousness, each of us knows that the situation
in the country, as it stands now, is not durable. Whether we consider last
year’s elections a cause or an effect, they evidenced the commission of a
big national mistake, the correction of which is crucial. We welcome the
ongoing dialogue on various levels-its very invitation, attempt, and
realization-yet we also know that it is the incumbent president’s
responsibility to initiate the corrective change in the state of affairs.
Otherwise, the opposite, however unpredictable, is inevitable. It is at this
level that we need an expedited and comprehensive resolution forged by
consensus. This is neither a prediction nor a threat, nor advice of any
kind. This simply is a public imperative,” he said.

ACNIS analyst Hovsep Khurshudian delivered a paper on the current state of
political culture in Armenia. “Since 1988 and 1991 political culture in
Armenia has faced a perilous retreat, and accountability for this lies first
and foremost with the authorities,” he opined, calling on the governing
coalition to join the opposition in fulfilling the obligations set forth in
the recent resolution of the Council of Europe. To this end he suggested
establishment of a parliamentary committee composed equally of coalition and
opposition members.

In his address entitled “Constitutional Procedures and ‘Legal’
Arbitrariness,” law professor Hrair Tovmasian noted: “It is manifest that
both the current and the draft Constitutions presented last year for
referendum, with their internal contradictions, incomplete checks and
balances, unclear accountability mechanisms, and powerful prerogatives
granted to the president, are not only useless in solving domestic
confrontations but also serve as their main cause. By means of systemic
change, the application of a parliamentary form of government in the
Republic of Armenia is the best way, in our opinion, to eliminate such
internal conflicts and to avoid them in the future,” he said.

Good governance analyst Karen Hakobian offered remarks on “Transfer of
Authority as a Mirror of Democracy: The Crises of Regime Change in Armenia
and in the Region.” “Armenia faces a crisis of authority and a governance
dilemma in general; hence, regime change becomes a necessity. But if there
are no established long-term socioeconomic and political objectives, if
there are no clear-cut and formulated models of good governance, one is
likely to encounter similar crises later on, this time during the reign of
the next administration. A change of regime should serve only as a means for
securing clearly defined public interests and the country’s development,” he
said.

During the second session of the seminar, representatives of Armenia’s
political parties took the floor, Alexander Butaev and Albert Baghdasarian
representing the National Democratic Union, Albert Bazeyan of the Republic
Party, Hovhannes Hovhannisian of the Liberal Progressive Party, Gagik
Tadevosian of the National Unity Party, and Grigor Harutiunian of the People
‘s Party of Armenia. Of the invited coalition representatives only Galust
Sahakian and Mushegh Lalayan of the Republican Party attended the
roundtable. Mkrtich Minasian of the “People’s Deputy” parliamentary group
also took part in the discussion.

The interventions of the politicians and public figures were followed by
formal deliberations on possible ways out of the present situation.
Noteworthy were contributions by Armenian Intellectuals’ Forum chairman
General Edward Simoniants; economist Edward Aghajanov; Anahit Bakhshian,
principal of Derenik Demirchian High School in Yerevan; Davit Petrosian of
the Noyan Tapan News agency; Avetik Ishkhanian, chairman of Armenia’s
Helsinki Committee; Gayane Markosian of the “Harmonious World” NGO; Manuk
Haroutiunian, senior research fellow of the Institute of Philosophy and Law
at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia; Yerevan State University
lecturer Aram Haroutiunian; political analyst Artsrun Pepanian; and many
others.

In particular, General Simoniants noted that “this meeting proves that it is
groundless to claim the lack of highly intelligent specialists in the search
for solutions to overcoming the crisis in the country. Unfortunately,
however, the bearers of this political benchmark are not united and
coordinated in academic and policy greenhouses such as this.” He regretted
the discontinuation of the opposition-coalition dialogue recently hosted by
ACNIS, and called for its resumption.

The National Citizens’ Initiative is a public non-profit association founded
in December 2001 by Raffi K. Hovannisian, his colleagues, and fellow
citizens with the purpose of realizing the rule of law and overall
improvements in the state of the state, society, and public institutions.
The National Citizens’ Initiative is guided by a Coordinating Council, which
includes individual citizens and representatives of various public,
scientific, and educational establishments. Five commissions on Law and
State Administration, Socioeconomic Issues, Foreign Policy, Spiritual and
Cultural Challenges, and the Youth constitute the vehicles for the
Initiative’s work and outreach.

For further information, please call (3741) 27-16-00 or 27-00-03; fax (3741)
52-48-46; e-mail [email protected]; or visit

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Communications Officer
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
May 6, 2004
___________________

Week of April 30 to May 6, 2004
* * *

DIOCESAN ASSEMBLY A SUCCESS

This past weekend (4/29-5/02), almost 150 representatives from local
parishes throughout the Eastern Diocese worked through a heavy agenda
during the Diocesan Assembly, hosted by the St. Gregory the Enlightener
Church of White Plains, NY. One of the major items on the agenda was
passage of next year’s Diocesan budget. The delegates also spent a lot
of time discussing the idea of stewardship and brainstorming ways to
build stewardship programs within their parishes. For more on the
actions of the delegates and to see pictures from the Assembly, click to
our Assembly blog:

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 5/5/04)
* * *

SERVICES THIS WEEKEND FOR FR. KABARADJIAN

The V. Rev. Fr. Varoujan Kabaradjian, long-time pastor for Evanston, IL,
passed away last Friday (4/30) after a prolonged illness. Funeral
services, officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian,
former Pontifical Legate and Primate of the Armenian Church of Great
Britain, will be held this weekend. For more on the life and service of
Fr. Kabaradjian and for details on the funeral service and viewing,
visit our website:

;selmonth=5&sel
year=2004

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 5/4/04)
* * *

PRIMATE TO BE IN BINGHAMTON THIS WEEKEND

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, will pay a
pastoral visit to the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Binghamton,
NY, this weekend. The parish will hold a dinner to honor the Primate on
Saturday at the church, and the Primate will celebrate the Divine
Liturgy on Sunday, during which he will ordain Hagop Injajigian, a
dedicated memver of the parish, as a deacon. Sunday’s service will be
followed by a reception at 1:30 p.m. at the Regency Hotel. For more
information on this parish, click to our website:

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 5/6/04)
* * *

PRIMATE PRESENTS HONOR IN FAIR LAWN, NJ

On Sunday (5/2), Archbishop Barsamian was in Fair Lawn, NJ, where he
joined the parishioners of the St. Leon Church for the parish’s
appreciation day celebration. During the festivities, the Primate
presented S. Rex Kachigian with the prestigious St. Nersess Shnorhali
Medal and a Pontifical Encyclical on behalf of His Holiness Karekin II,
Catholicos of All Armenians. The St. Nersess medal — the Armenian
Church’s highest lay honor — is awarded to individuals who demonstrate
outstanding commitment and service to the Armenian Church. To learn
more, click to the Eastern Diocese’s website:

;selmonth=5&sel
year=2004

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 5/3/04)
* * *

ETCHMIADZIN ORDAINS NEW PRIESTS

On Sunday (5/2), during a Divine Liturgy presided over by His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Grace
Bishop Abraham Mkrtichian, Primate of the Diocese of Syunik in Armenia,
ordained six new priests. Three of the new priests are celibate
priests.

(Source: Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, 5/2/04)
* * *

CATHOLICOS VISITS SOUTH AMERICA

On Monday (5/3), Catholicos Karekin II headed to South America, where he
will travel throughout the month. His agenda includes stops in Sao
Paolo and Osasco, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; and Buenos Aires and
Cordoba, Argentina. During the trip, the Catholicos will celebrate the
Divine Liturgy in many communities, meet with officials, and hold
discussions with local ecumenical meetings.

(Source: Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, 5/3/04)
* * *

REQUEST A PRAYER

When you feel as though you need a little more spiritual support, you
can request a prayer be said for you at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in
New York City. Simply click to our website, and your prayer will be
said during Sunday services:

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 5/5/04)
* * *

ASP TRIP FILLED

This year’s Armenian Service Program (ASP) trip is filled; 26 young
people will take part in it. The trip — organized by the Armenian
Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) — is an opportunity for
young people to visit Armenia while also helping the Republic’s
children. Participants will spend part of their summer trip serving as
counselors for a summer camp for children. If you would like more
information on future ASP trip contact the ACYOA by e-mailing
[email protected].

(Source: ACYOA, 4/30/04)
* * *

TRAVEL TO ARMENIA THIS YEAR

Traveling to Armenia strengthens your faith and dedication. If you
haven’t gone yet, there are four opportunities this year.

In June:

* Young Professionals Trip — June 12 to 26 / $2,250. THREE SPOTS ARE
LEFT, SIGN UP TODAY! Specifically designed for travelers between the
ages of 23 and 40, this trip offers a chance to see the sights of
Armenia and build life-long friendships with other Armenian American
professionals. Call the Fund for Armenian Relief (212) 889-5150.

* Diocesan Pilgrimage to Historic Armenia and the Republic of Armenia —
June 17 to July 7 / $3,450. Travel to Istanbul, historic Armenian
locations in modern day Turkey such as Musa Dagh, Cappadocia, Mt.
Ararat, and Ani. Continue to Armenia to tour important historical and
cultural sites. For more information call Armen Aroyan (626) 359-9510.

In September:

* Women’s Guild Pilgrimage to Armenia — September 16 to 27 / $2,400.
Tour Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, ancient holy sites, and current cultural
activities. For more information call Ann Devejian (203) 838-5758.

* Pilgrimage to Armenia — September 18 to October 3 / $2,350. A
Diocesan-sponsored trip to all the highlights of Armenia. For more
information call Sidon Travel at (818) 553-0777.

To get more information on any of these travel opportunities, e-mail
[email protected].

And don’t forget — you can also help fund the trip of a young person in
your parish, who will return more eager to be involved in parish life.

(Source: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 5/5/04)
# # #

YEREVAN TO RESPOND TO PACE RESOLUTION ON SITUATION IN COUNTRY

06.05.2004 16:50

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian does not agree with
some formulas in the descriptive part of the PACE resolution on the domestic
situation in the country, the state leader told journalists in Yerevan
today. In his words, such definitions, as e.g. “political oppression” are
especially displeasing. R. Kocharian reported that one of these days
official Yerevan will prepare its response on the descriptive part of the
resolution and the special opinion will be presented to the Council of
Europe before July, as the document requires. In the President’s words,
Armenia is a Council of Europe member and “is fully entitled to protect its
official point of view regarding the PACE resolution.” “The Council of
Europe is not a place where unilateral decisions can be made,” he
emphasized. It should be reminded that the resolution the PACE passed last
week calls on the authorities and opposition of Armenia to refrain from
violence and to sit at the bargaining table.

Anadolu Agency
may 6 2004

Allegations On Armenian Genocide Refuted With A Scientific Study

ANKARA – Turkish History Institution Chairman Prof. Dr. Yusuf
Halacoglu has said that Armenians’ allegations on genocide were
nothing but political propaganda, adding scientific facts refuted the
allegations.

Holding a press conference to promote a book entitled ”Armenians:
Exile and Migration” of historians Hikmet Ozdemir, Kemal Cicek, Omer
Turan and Ramazan Calik, Prof. Dr. Halacoglu said on Thursday, ”the
book was prepared examining nearly 15 thousand documents in archives
of the western countries. The study lasted for about one an half
years. These documents in the book will completely refute allegations
put forward by Armenians so far.”

”Under the light of data in western sources, Armenian population in
1914 was 1 million 400 thousand. Despite disease, losses stemming
from wars and all other factors, Armenian population rose to 1
million 700 thousand in 1918. These figures unveil wrongfulness of
allegations saying that 1.5 million Armenians were exposed to
genocide,” he stressed.

Prof. Dr. Halacoglu emphasized that those allegations would be
discussed with Armenians in a scientific platform in Austrian capital
Vienna in 2005 for the first time.

”A preparatory meeting will take place in Vienna on July 25, 2004 to
this end. Actually, I do not know whether Armenians could dare to
attend the meeting after all these data obtained from the western
sources. We will attend the meeting with documents from archives of
Russia, the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Iran besides
Ottoman era archives. Participants will be obliged to show original
documents. Our archives are open while Armenian archives are still
closed. We will stipulate Armenians existence of original
documents,” he said.

Prof. Dr. Halacoglu added, ”efforts to refute baseless allegations
of Armenians are as important as the Cyprus issue.”

Since 1965, the Armenians have been accusing the Turks of an alleged
genocide. Armenian enmity against the Turks began with the voluntary
Armenian troops in the Russian Army, and at last Armenian thuggery
reached its peak in the beginning of the 20th century. Many Turkish
people were killed by Armenian thuggery.

April 24, 1915 was the day in which the Ottoman Empire began to
arrest the Armenian thuggery. On this date, the Armenian Committee
centers were closed, their documents were confiscated, and the
leaders were arrested. The Ottoman Empire tried to prevent the events
by sending instructions to many cities. As a result of these
instructions, 2 thousand 345 people were arrested. The Armenians
exploits this date since the leaders of the revolutionists were
arrested on the date.

The so-called Armenian genocide allegations caused assassinations of
many Turkish officials. Between 1973 and 1985, Armenian terrorist
organization of ASALA staged several act of terrorism against Turkish
diplomats abroad. 34 people lost their lives in these heinous acts in
19 separate countries.

RIA Novosti, Russia
May 6 2004

NO SEPARATISM BEHIND ADZHAR CRISIS: GEORGIA’S FOREIGN MINISTER

MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – There was no separatist undercurrent to
the Adzhar crisis-it was a clash between democratic and
non-democratic forces, said Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia’s Foreign
Minister, as she was commenting stormy developments in the autonomy
to a Moscow news conference.

“Democracy has won with democratic methods,” she summed up the
situation.

Updated Georgia is recurring to peaceful democratic means to settle
its problems. The rulers of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia-self-proclaimed republics in Georgia – may find that of major
interest, she assumes.

Georgia is willing to re-appraise the Abkhaz situation with
settlement prospects, added the minister.

“Georgia’s new leaders are self-reliant. That does not mean that they
are aggressive. We are taking a more pragmatic view of things than
before,” she reassured.

Miss Zurabishvili thanked Georgia’s partners in Europe and the USA
for promoting Adzhar settlement: “They helped us to get a dialogue
going. When the dialogue exhausted its opportunities, and the
situation demanded democratic progress, our partners offered us
support.” A reporter asked her what was to become of Aslan Abashidze,
recent Adzhar president. He will not be harassed and persecuted,
reassured the minister. Same about his family. Georgia’s President
Mikhail Saakashvili has pledged it.

“Russia has shifted the burden on its own shoulders. Thank you,” said
Salome Zurabishvili.

“Georgia has not entitled us to chase him,” Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s
Foreign Minister, retorted to that.

Reconciliation is the core of current Georgian policies. It concerns
all-whether they cherish the memory of President Zurab Gamsakhurdia
or side with ex-President Aslan Abashidze, stressed Salome
Zurabishvili.

She highly appreciated Igor Ivanov’s visit to Batumi, Adzhar capital,
as extremely important and endowed with a symbolism. Igor Ivanov,
preceding Foreign Minister, is now Russia’s federal Security Council
Secretary.

“The Adzhar situation would have been settled in whatever case-the
people determined that it would be so. But Mr. Ivanov arrived in an
important symbolical move. Russia was proffering us a helping hand at
the last instant. Mutual confidence is being established, which is
necessary for our relations to take the right road. Now, we no longer
have any difficulties trying to understand each other.” Lengthy local
conflicts are spoking the wheels of Caucasian progress, the minister
went on.

“What we refer to as ‘frozen conflicts’ are actually freezing our
development-I mean Georgia, Abkhazia and the entire region. We must
realise the point, and Georgia has realised it.” The same pertains to
Karabakh, over which another two Transcaucasian countries-Armenia and
Azerbaijan-have been clashing for many years now.

The whole world is making progress. Whether the Caucasian nations are
to join it depends on the settlement of those and similar conflicts.

The Commonwealth of Independent States is among Georgia’s foreign
political priorities.

“The CIS is prominent in Georgian policies, with an emphasis on
Armenia, Ukraine and the post-Soviet Central Asia.” Georgia greatly
values its partnership with CIS countries, and will carry it on,
reassured the minister.

Her country is determined to combine its partnership with NATO with
Russo-Georgian cooperation. Georgia’s road to Europe, and to
partnership with NATO, does not rule out close neighbourly contacts
with Russia-the two trends can go together.

“The time of a choice from among the principal players is past. There
was a time when Georgia was gambling on antagonisms. It gained
nothing,” Salome Zurabishvili emphatically remarked.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
May 5, 2004 Wednesday

Armenia sets up special department to fight corruption

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

A department empowered to fight corruption has been set up at
Armenia’s prosecutor general’s office. Its function is to combat this
evil in all bodies of state authority, including in the law
enforcement agencies and the prosecutor general’s office itself,
Prosecutor General Agvan Obsepyan declared on Monday.

“I am not so naive as to deny that corruption also exists in this
department,” he noted. Ovsepyan said the regulation for the new
department would be worked out within the next ten days to define all
the directions of the department’s activity.

According to the prosecutor general, the department would cooperate
closely with the president’s control service, the president’s
consultant on fighting corruption and other bodies of state
authority.

Corruption is spread specifically wide in the economic structures,
the prosecutor general said.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
May 5, 2004 Wednesday

Azeri presid notes positive changes in OSCE Minsk group work

By Sevindzh Abdullayeva, Viktor Shulman

BAKU, May 5

Azerbaijani president Ilkham Aliyev has noted positive changes in the
activities of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Nagorno Karabakh.

Aliyev told journalists on Wednesday, “the activity of the Minsk
Group has become noticeable, its co-chairmen are persistently seeking
solution to the problem.”

The Azerbaijani president believes the settlement process is underway
although not very actively.

President Aliyev expressed the hope that the negotiations on the
Karabakh conflict settlement with mediation of the OSCE Group,
co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States, will bring
concrete results.

“If we did not believe in that there would be no sense in conducting
talks,” the head of Azerbaijan stressed.

He positively assessed meetings held between the Azerbaijani and
Armenian presidents in Geneva in December 2003 and in Warsaw in April
2004, as well as talks held at the level of the two states’ foreign
ministers.

The next meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia
with participation of co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will be held
in Strasbourg on May 12.

On this day ten days ago the two sides reached an agreement on
ceasefire on the Karabakh conflict zone which is still being
observed.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
May 5, 2004 Wednesday

New round of consultations with Armenia opposition fixed for Thur

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Speaker of Armenian parliament Artur Bagdasaryan on Wednesday
announced a new round of the talks with the opposition that were
disrupted a week ago.

In the statement circulated here on Wednesday, the speaker invited
the heads of parliamentary factions for political consultations on
Thursday “to discuss the political situation in the country”. He
assessed as highly important the proposal for a political dialogue
addressed to the Armenian authorities and opposition in the recent
resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The speaker made this invitation for the reason that the readiness to
continue the talks had been expressed by the parties in the
pro-presidential coalition and by the opposition.

Similar talks were held in parliament on April 26-27 and were
disrupted on the eve of another rally of the opposition. Bagdasaryan
then expressed the conviction that the intermission in the political
consultations would enable the political forces participating in the
talks to discuss numerous proposals made during these meetings.

At the rally on Tuesday the opposition announced that there would be
no rallies nor other mass actions till May 14 and expressed the
readiness for talks with the authorities. At the same time the
opposition repeated its demand that Robert Kocharyan resign as
Armenian president.

The Armenian authorities describe the actions of the opposition as
“manifestations of political extremism”. Police dispersed the rally
of the opposition in downtown Yerevan on the night to April 13. The
opposition’s demands include the release of its arrested activists,
live time on TV and unobstructed travel of residents of Armenian
regions to Yerevan to participate in antigovernment actions.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Associated Press Worldstream
May 5, 2004 Wednesday

Armenian president signs into law a measure on rallies

YEREVAN, Armenia

Armenian President Robert Kocharian signed into law on Wednesday on
measure on public gatherings that limits where they can be held but
that provides for penalizing officials if they block legitimate
rallies.

The law came as Armenia undergoes a wave of opposition protests
calling for Kocharian’s resignation.

The law calls for rallies to be prohibited within 150 meters (about
500 feet) of places of strategic or state significance. That
designation could include the presidential palace, where police
forcefully broke up a large rally last month, injuring some
demonstrators and detaining more than 100.

However, the measure also calls for says national and local officials
can be subject to criminal or administrative punishment if they
illegally hinder the organization of mass demonstrations.

Justice Minister David Arutyunian said the final version of the draft
law took into account most of the changes recommended by the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Among the changes was elimination of a clause that would have
considered journalists and other non-participants in a rally legally
responsible in connection with a gathering’s actions.

Artur Bagdasarian, speaker of the Armenian parliament, said that
lawmakers couldn’t address all of the opposition’s complaints about
the new law, calling some of them unrealistic. However, he said they
could propose a parliamentary initiative to make changes or additions
to the law.