New buildings to be erected at demolished Christian cemetery in Baku

17.05.2008 13:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Complete demolition of the cemetery in the Narimanov district in Baku made no sense, a human rights activist said.

-The cemetery was demolished to use the territory as a ground for new buildings,- said Taisia Gordeyeva, the deputy chair of the committee of soldiers' mothers.

-They tried to justify the barbarism by construction of roads but, as a matter of fact, roads will take a minor part of the graveyard. Everything prompts that the territory is meant for construction of new buildings. But it will be a construction on human bones, for the remnants were not reburied properly,she said, adding that a park should be laid out at the site, Day.az reports.

In September 2007, Baku authorities decided to build a motorway through the Narimanov cemetery, where Armenians, Russians and Ukrainians were buried.

Valerie Gortzounian - “I am sad in Armenia”

hetq.am
[May 19, 2008]

Today I am sad. Thirteen years ago I decided to leave France, my third homeland, and relocate to Armenia, with the intention to invest in the fatherland, which I did by creating the Le Cafe de Paris. I invested my time, energy, health and resources, so that our little Parisian cafe could illuminate Abovyan Street.

Over time the Cafe has become a favorite place to do business, meet friends and just relax. However my little dream has turned into an unending nightmare. Not wishing to delve into my personal problems, I’d just like to simple note that due to my faith, perhaps misplaced, in my fellow man I gave a loan to a person. This person claimed that he couldn’t repay the loan while actually he just refused to do so. When I took this person into my business, out of a sense of charity, I realized that he was periodically stealing from me along with other employees he had won the loyalty of. These employees, like their patron, had become corrupted, one more than the other. I could say that this is a fairly commonplace occurrence that can happen anywhere. But everywhere else there is a system of justice that serves as strong defender of one’s rights and interests. The justice system is there to grab the hand of the thief...This is the reality everywhere except in my beloved Armenia where the practice of justice is corrupt to the very core, where compromises are made with the guilty party, where the weak are preyed upon for all they have, the spoils to be split with the powerful, and where money is valued more than the truth. This is the reason for my grief. I am sad that our beloved Armenia, so dear to our hearts, has ceased to function normally. I am sad because in the event that things continue in this way I will be forced to close the Cafe and return to France.

Valerie Gortzounian

Hurant Dadayan 1931-2008

Yesterday morning after a week of being uncomfortable, Rosa Myrig's husband Hrant passed away from a heart condition.

For those of you who don't know, Hurant and Rosa Dadayan had lost their 3 son's during the war we had with Azerbaijan.

The Dadayan family had returned to Martuni from Baku when the Azeri's started their killings of Armenians.

You can read a little bit of their history and my visits to their house here, here and here.

Hurant was a kind of my father figure to me in Martuni and has shared with me some very solid and sound advice over the years.

Rosa Myrig asked me if I really believed that he was gone? I of course could not and still can't believe he is no longer among the living. I was really expecting him to outlive Rosa Myrig, who was in much worse shape that Hurant.

I'm not sure now what will happen to Rosa Myrig. She was so in love with Hurant and though she is holding herself together well, dealing with what needs to be done to bury Hurant tomorrow, I know she is not well at all.

One thing she told me is that she is really now all alone. Her sons were taken from her and now her husband. She said she feels very empty and alone.

May Hurant rest in peace. We love you Hurant and I can say will never forget you and all you have done for the people who have stood by.

Leader of ANC, Levon Ter-Pertosian speaks at first congress

Yesterday in Yerevan the Armenian National Congress (ANC) had their first meeting to discuss the situation in Armenia.

It seems that ANC is the newest movement initiated by LTP to continue what he started after the flawed elections in Armenia.

I personally am not sure what Levon is up to or if he is being backed by outside powers. I can say that anyone who made claims that they received 65% of the votes, accuses the present government of being murderers and whatever other allegations he has made until now, but is not presenting evidence to back his claims, can not be taken seriously.

It looks as if things have not really settled down since the fraudulent elections and the killing of March 1st. The noticeable unrest is going longer than I was expecting and who knows, maybe this time around the truth really will come out and those who need to be put in their place will finally get what they have coming.

UN AND OSCE LACK EXPERIENCED EXPERTS FOR INVESTIGATION OF YEREVAN MARCH 1, 2 EVENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2008 15:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On March 14, 2008, Armenia's Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan sent a written address to UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Consuelo Vidal and Head of OSCE Yerevan Office Sergey Kapinos to engage the organizations' representatives in the forensic medical examination in the framework of investigation of the March 1 and 2 events, reported the press unit of the Prosecutor General's Office.

However, both officials said their organizations do not have experts fitting the case.

Earlier, CoE Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg stated necessity of an independent investigation into the events in order to avoid similar incidents in future.

An Open Letter to Mr. Javier Solana

Secretary General of the Council of the European Union

April 9, 2008



Dear Mr. Solana,

As you well know, Serzh Sargsyan was today sworn into office as the third President of the Republic of Armenia with all due pomp and ceremony. He swore to lead the citizens of Armenia in harmony and respect, and to protect their rights.

And what were the citizens of Armenia, from whom he was protected by a veritable army ready to open fire, doing at that very moment?

Allow me to explain, Mr. Solana. Some were busy laying flowers to mourn relatives and friends killed by Sargsyan's forces, to the background of Jazz music and balloons welcoming Sargsyan as president. Others, mostly women and children, were being brutally beaten only steps away from the site of the inauguration. One elderly woman in particular was being kicked and dragged through the streets by Sargsyan's forces. Still others—again mostly women and children—wondered when their husbands and fathers would stop their hunger strikes and be released from prison for crimes they did not commit.

And yet, Mr. Solana, today you congratulate Sargsyan. One wonders what you congratulated him for. For massive fraud, relentless repressions and political persecutions? Or, as the harbinger of Democracy and the staunch champion of Human Rights?

Do tell, Mr. Solana, does your definition of Democracy and Human Rights condone elderly women being dragged on the streets? Does it welcome the beating of innocent children?

Would you have liked to see your own grandmother under the boots of policemen, Mr. Solana?

The initial report of the monitors was to a large extent responsible for the carnage of March 1 and its aftermath. The Chairman-in-Office, Ikka Kanerva, whose impartiality and ethics has since been questioned in supermarket tabloids around the world, hastened to join the OSCE assessment of the elections as essentially "democratic". Yet for over 70% of the citizenry of Armenia, Kanerva's positive assessment was an outrageous and politically motivated position and raised serious questions about the term they have heard from the European Union and its hallowed institutions ad nauseam—Democracy. Your recent congratulatory message to a man whose criminal record is only too well known casts into doubt Europe's commitment to true Democracy. But above all, it elevates the agony and humiliation of the vast majority of the citizens of Armenian to unprecedented heights.

For the future, Mr. Solana, it would be expedient to desist from degrading the once lofty ideas of Democracy and Human Rights into idle political parlance. Human beings, especially those living in totalitarian states such as Armenia, need such ideals to face the brutalities and injustices that has become part of their every life.



Thank you.

Penelope Morrison

San Francisco, California

It will all be forgotten again

Today the former Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian was sworn in as President of Armenia. Though there are still many unanswered questions regarding the legitimacy of the election which landed him the post of President and the events that followed that he was directly behind, I really believe that as usual and in a very short period of time, most will forget what happened and it will be business as usual.

Though we are all to blame for the phenomenon of ignoring and dealing with reality, we really have to ask ourselves why we are so quick to turn a blind eye to such blatant criminal activity and are ready to forgive and even support the criminal elements, as we have recently seen our leaders in the Diaspora do?

All I know is that we really are a pathetic bunch and should remember the late Vartkes Barsam's (see: http://www.barsameng.blogspot.com/) talk about the illusion of what we think Armenia is and how for the sake of what we want to believe Armenia should be, we will avoid dealing with our realities (as we have recently seen).

For those of you who have not visited VARTKES BARSAM: IN HIS OWN WORDS, I strongly suggest that you do, as he paint a very accurate picture of what was and sadly is going on in Armenia today and who the players are that we are blindly supporting.

International Crisis Group report... a must read

Click here for a very well written report on the events of March 1, 2008.

PRESIDENTIAL "ELECTIONS" IN ARMENIA

Presidential elections in any country represent the only time that a people's voice can have a true meaning or value or importance. If that vote is not respected by a ruling regime, one can not expect dialogue or national unity.

The present dictatorial regime in Armenia operates behind a facade of Democracy. Therefore by accepting the nature of the present regime in Armenia, we are negating the essence of dialogue, national unity and especially national security.

How can one have dialogue with Serge Sargsyan who on March 7 said: "What I want to speak about is the elimination of the consequences of the disaster."

Why isn't S. Sargsyan trying to find the CAUSES of the disaster? And one of the major causes is that Sargsyan was NOT elected by the people of Armenia. And the responsibility for the consequences of that injustice remains solely on the shoulders of the ruling regime in Armenia. How can there be 2.3 million eligible voters when the population of Armenia does not exceed 2 million, or say 2.5 million if you like? The popular unrest and emonstrations started when, within the same day, Serge Sargsyan was declared the "winner".

Prof. Balakirian, in an article published in Massis Weekly of March 22 (see the web site below), clearly proves that the actual votes that Sargsyan could have gotten would not exceed 314,000 and the actual number of people voted were 1,123,000. http://www.massisweekly.com/Vol28/issue09/pg2.pdf

Not only did Serge Sargsyan declare himself the winner the same day of the falsified "elections", but also the Catholicos Karekin II congratulated him soon afterwards, proving that the latter is nothing but a puppet of the regime and not a servant of the people. How could Levon Ter-Petrossyan welcome the Catholicos in his house?

Armenia's ruling regime should serve the people and not the other way around. Unfortunately we are very far from being civilized to reach that level since a mafia rules the country. Is today's Armenia what our grandparents dreamed of? AZAD ANKAKH HAYASTAN?? IS THIS THE COUNTRY OF OUR GRANDPARENTS DREAMS??

Also read what Sargsyan has said on March 7.

"Firstly I must underscore that most international organizations
haven't responded negatively. There are only one, two cases of similar
proposals, the reason of which is either lack of information or even
disinformation. This also means the activity of some representatives of
international organizations in our country is far from perfect. Our
authorities provide large-scale unbiased information for all the
international organizations acting in Armenia and have expressed
readiness to give additional information in case of necessity,
regarding the materials they are interested in."

What "facts" and "large-scale unbiased information" is he talking about? Until when S. Sargsyan will cover up the truth?
How can one have dialogue with him? What is the premise or requirements for a dialogue? I suggest that intellectuals in Armenia and the Diaspora prepare proposals for dialogue and urge the formation of a national unity government that will organize a truly democratic elections in Armenia.

Peaceful demonstrations, or the "undesirable" or "unwanted" (by some) participation of Levon Ter-Petrossyan in the elections, can not be a coup attempt or an attempt to instigate civil war. The real coup attempt to keep their power and cover-up their wrong doings was done, as usual, by the Kocharian/Sargsyan regime against their own people by falsifying the elections.. And I side with the people. Months ago S. Sargsyan was declaring that he will win. In that case why go through all this "election" facade. Oh yes, in order to give him legitimacy and as a show to the world. Who are they kidding?

The joint statement on March 18 by the Armenian Assembly of America, the AGBU, the ANCA, the Diocese and Prelacy on the recent events in Armenia is disappointing to say the least. Instead of accusing the Kocharian/Sargsyan regime for the vast falsifications of the election results, they concentrated on the events of March 1 blaming the peaceful demonstrators. The joint statement talk about the need for the "rule of law, social and economic justice, freedom of expression and the media, and equal opportunity for all". That is exactly what the people of Armenia were demonstrating about and look what were the results. By taking this position, the signatories of this statement are encouraging the present regime to continue on its path of dictatorship. Instead, these organizations should have refused to accept the "election" results. Only through pressure we could have obtained positive change in Armenia. But it seems that another mafia exists in our midst.

Harut Sassounian's Lincy Foundation was another organization that quickly congratulated Sargsyan as the president elect. One wonders what Sassounian will get in return?

On February 25, a Turkish demonstration took place in Istanbul in front of a Turkish court in support of justice for the murder of Hrant Dink. While Armenian peaceful demonstrators are treated as the enemy by the so called "Armenian" regime, in Turkey, Armenians are being supported by the .............Turks. I can only say that I am glad that Kocharian or Sargsyan or anyone like them are not the President of Turkey or any other country for that matter.

Levon Ter Petrosian also falsified the elections in his 2nd term in 1996 and he made many mistakes. However he was responsible for the victories in Karabagh and brought Kocharian and Sargsyan to Armenia from Karabagh as a first step for unification. And look what the latter are doing with him now and how they are eliminating ALL opposition, and have literally occupied and controlled Armenia. Haiastaintsi's, Monte Melokonian, Sefilian and others from the Diaspora gave their lives for
Kharabagh. Did a single Kharabaghtsi shed a tear or extend a helping hand to the victims of "March
1", or to hundreds of political prisoners in Armenia? Did a single Kharabaghtsi say
shame on those who are beating peaceful people! Any demonstrations in support of the Armenian
people in Haiastan coming from Kharabaghtsi's?

Levon Ter-Petrossian behaved as an idealist and had the dignity to resign for the sake of Armenia and Karabagh. Kocharian, on the other hand, instead of improving the situation in Armenia he made it worse. The October 1999 massacre in the Armenian parliament was the greatest threat to the Armenian national security executed in broad daylight for which Kocharian is directly responsible. If that is not a coup, what is? It was the facto control of the Karabagh clan of Armenia. And you all know how well it was covered up. Kocharian and Sargsyan both falsified their "elections" creating huge financial illegal empires. Enough is enough. The people of Armenia are human beings not slaves.

As a result of all this, the actions of the present rulers may create strong adverse feelings between the people of Armenia and Karabagh, destroy their unity and undermine the national security when Turkey and Azerbaijan are united and gearing up their forces.

Social justice must prevail in Armenia if we want to survive and prosper socially, economically and politically and be able to confront future obstacles and plan for the future. Otherwise we are doomed. It is productive people who make a country grow and not a few individuals who suck the blood of the people.

Azerbaijan has a population of 8.6 million, with a 2007 GDP of $31 billion. What is the profile for Armenia? A pitiful situation indeed. Instead of bringing together the Armenian people in Armenia and Diaspora and build a strong densely populated country, the present regime has destroyed the country, with emigration and depopulation rampant in Armenia and Karabagh, and total lack of interest towards Javakhk and the destruction of Armenian cultural and historical monuments in Nakhichevan. And in the diaspora, the ambassadors and consulates of Armenia have done very little, if any, to encourage the participation and involvement of the diaspora in the much needed development of Armenia.

Armenians all over the world should denounce the so called Presidential "elections" in Armenia and stop supporting this illegal regime and ALL their supporters in Armenia and Diaspora. This can be done through continuous political pressure and peaceful civil disobedience.

We have a lot to do for sure.

Regards,

Harout Bronozian
3000 Honolulu Avenue #4
Glendale, California 91214
Tel. (818)248-3529
Fex. (818)248-6343

SERJ SARKISSYAN KILLS TOP LASER ENGINEER VELIK HAROUTIOUNIAN TO COVER-UP QUESTIONABLE SALE OF HIGH-TECH LABRATORY

I came across a site which looks to be a confessional of the late Vartkes Barsam, a man I knew and respected.

Vartkes died of cancer in September of 2006.

According to this site, Vartkes tells of a murder that the “newly-elected” President of Armenian Serj Sarkissyan committed a few years back.

The death was reported as a heart-attack, possibly the same kind of heart-attack Antranik Markaryan had last year (both most probably drug induced).

I contacted someone who was close to Velik and that person told me that a half-hour prior to Velik’s untimely death, Sarkissyan and three other people paid an unexpected visit to the laser institute to see Velik.

A half-hour after Serj and company left, Velik was discovered in his office dead.

What a tragedy to loose one of our top scientists. And for what? So Serj would not be found to have profited millions of dollars from the sale of the institute?

We not only lost Velik, but we also lost the institute, which was in the process of producing lasers for medical, manufacturing and military, just to name a few of the once classified projects. All of Velik and the institute’s work came to a grinding halt after his death. There were also the well paying jobs and economic gains for Armenia it provided that are now lost.

Just to get an idea as to who Velik was and why he is worthy of our respect, you should know that Velik was the one behind the building of a machine that helped us big time to win the war against Azerbaijan. Thanks to him, the Artsakh Armenians had a blinding laser in their arsenal near the end of the war that without a doubt saved the lives of many of our freedom fighters and allowed us to gain the upper hand on the Azeri’s, bringing their fighters literally to their knees.

All I can say is SHAME ON YOU MR. “PRESIDENT”!!!