I’m playing with the idea of starting a new log. Not a log of life in Armenia, but a log played out by fully anonymous persons to the reader, who plays the part of various government, religious and community leaders or relatives of said leaders in Armenia and the Diaspora.

The logs will for the most part based on current news and issues. The readers can correspond with the writers via comments.

Though this is just for fun, I think it could result in some very interesting discussions that maybe the real person can learn something from.

For those that are interested in participating, please write to me at ara_manoogian@yahoo.com and please tell me who you would like to be.

The chicken count is coming in. Today I got a visit from a neighbor who I was pre-warned was complaining about my dog eating her chickens while I was in Yerevan.

She came by this morning and I was expecting her to say my dog ate 15 chickens, but she reported that my dog ate four hens and one rooster. I thanked her for feeding my dog and said I would replace them soon.

Though my dog was thin when I got back, I can’t imagine her not eating at least 1 or 2 chickens a day. Let’s see who else will be knocking at my door and adding to the count?

Living in a small town in Artsakh has its good and bad sides. Though I’ve shared with you many of the good things, I have finally encountered one of the bad things that has personally involved me.

What could be so bad that I would notice it and it had a slight effect on me? Gossip about me.

It seems that according to someone, I had not returned to Martuni for the last month because get this, I was beaten up severely by some Americans and was recovering in a hospital in Yerevan.

I learned this when again I got a call from my accountant a few days ago when in Yerevan, who was almost in a panic asking me if I was okay!? I told her yes and she again asked me if I was sure? I again said yes and asked her if she had a bad dream? She said no and hung up.

Yes, small town Martuni, what would I do without you and all the unemployed people who have nothing better to do.

I’m back in Martuni after a very long stay in Armenia. I’m really glad to be back.

The return trip was for the most part uneventful and the only thing interesting was picking up a couple of Westerners on foot with backpacks. They were on their way to Sevan which from the turnoff I left them at was 40 kilometers away.

One of them was from Italy and had made his way to Armenia via Bulgaria and Georgia. I asked him if he hitchhiked the whole way and he said no, only in Armenia, as he it was not safe to do so in the other countries.

The other walker was a girl maybe from Italy, but was leaving Armenia by air and going to Syria. She also had a noise ring.

I guess the only reason I picked them up was that they looked to the locals like freaks and from what I could tell, they were having no luck in getting anyone to stop. I guess holding up a thumb is really not an understandable signal in Armenia.

The weather here in Martuni is quite nice.

While I was in Armenia, I had sent my dog off to the chicken farm with my driver as she was in heat and 10 days ago, I got a call from my driver, who told me that he got a call from the farm to say that my dog had escaped and up until yesterday, my driver had not been able to find her.

When I was in Stepanagert, someone told me that they had come to my house on the 5th and my dog was at my house and barking. She said she came by on the 6th, and my dog was behind my house laying on the ground and looked sick and there was another dog in my yard. She said she chased off the other dog, but even then, by dog would not get up.

On my way home from Stepanagert, all I could think was that my dog returned home and maybe was injured by someone for killing a chicken or something and I was going to find her behind my house dead and covered with flies.

I got home and outside my house, my dog greeted me. She was quite thin and her paws were covered in a familiar blood (chicken blood) and she was a bit thin, but alive.

I fed her really well and for the most part she seems to be the same dog I left almost a month ago.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my driver, who was left here in Martuni to take care of things while I was gone and especially to look after my dog and make sure she was fed. At very least, I will make him pay for all the neighbors chickens my dog ate.

Anyway, it’s good to be home and also to find my dog alive.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
24 February 2004

Opposition Party Decries Government 'Repression' As Members Arrested

Shakeh Avoyan

One of Armenia's main opposition parties said Tuesday that scores of its activists around the country were rounded up and questioned by police early in the morning in what its leaders described as a renewed campaign of government "repressions."

At least three members of the Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party led by former Prime Minister Aram Sarkisian were reportedly arrested in Yerevan on suspicion of illegal arms possession. Sarkisian and his associates claimed that the apparent crackdown is aimed at derailing opposition plans to launch campaign of mass protests against President Robert Kocharian this spring.

"From now on the Hanrapetutyun party will act in a much more active and speedier manner," Sarkisian told reporters. "We are taking up the gauntlet."

An RFE/RL correspondent witnessed a search in the apartment of one of the arrested opposition activists, Armen Rubinian, conducted by police officers wearing civilian clothes. The officers refused to comment.

Rubinian's mother said afterwards that they were looking for weapons. "They didn't find anything," she said.

A similar story was told by Romik Mkhitarian, the head of the Hanrapetutyun chapter in Yerevan's Shengavit district. Mkhitarian said police knocked on his door in the early hours of Tuesday, but he refused to open it after demanding an explanation. He said they then broke into his car garage to conduct a search there.

A spokesman for the national Police Service, Sayad Shirinian, confirmed that the authorities are taking "measures to find weapons and ammunition" and said they have already found "large quantities" of them. But he declined to provide any further information or comment on the opposition charges.

Hanrapetutyun leaders, meanwhile, accused the authorities of trying to intimidate and discourage their most loyal supporters from attending the promised anti-Kocharian protests. Hanrapetutyun is seen as the most radical force inside the opposition Artarutyun (Justice) alliance which refuses to recognize the legitimacy of Kocharian's 2003 reelection and has vowed to achieve his ouster.

"The authorities are worried that we will soon get the people to the streets and topple them," the party's chairman, Albert Bazeyan, said. He alleged that that law-enforcement officials are trying to hold local
Hanrapetutyun leaders in check by threatening to bring criminal charges against them.

Bazeyan also drew parallels with the infamous arrests of hundreds of opposition supporters during and in the aftermath of last year's disputed presidential ballot. More than 270 of them were jailed for up to 15 days for attending unsanctioned opposition demonstrations in Yerevan. The massive crackdown was denounced by the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

For Sale . Yerevan
By Louise Manoogian Simone/AGBU News

Can you imagine an anonymous private developer receiving a permit to build a neon-lit cafe adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC or twenty feet from the wall of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City? Can you imagine the facade of the Smithsonian Institute or Metropolitan Museum hidden by two-story high billboards advertising cigarettes, alcohol, wearing apparel and candy? Can you imagine the green space of Central Park in New York City suddenly overrun with a hundred cafes of indiscriminate design and size?

At first glance, one is impressed by a bustling, colorful Yerevan: new restaurants, hotels, shops, apartment and office buildings are flourishing throughout the city, a far cry from the hungry days and dark nights of ten years ago.

But the joy of seeing the first outdoor cafe, Western-style advertising, stores filled with previously banned goods, gas stations instead of rusted trucks hosing car fuel into buckets for waiting drivers is quickly turning into serious concern as commercial interests destroy historic sites and the environment.

Yerevantsi's have always honored their city: a city that was designed by revered architect-planner Alexander Tamanian in the first third of the 20th century. The older generation has always remembered with pride that the Opera House on the corner of two prominent streets with an adjoining plaza was constructed when the population was starving, proving that in the worst of times Armenian culture still remained a priority.

So what has changed?

Is it possible that two national elections in the past year caused payoffs for political support to a small but influential segment of the population? Could it be that the 21st century ruling generation has forgotten the pride and priorities of their parents? Or is it just poor taste?

After some inquiries, like most cities it seems that Mayor's office is responsible. Its chief architect and an appointed architectural committee grant licenses to all new design and construction within the city limits.

Trees have been cut down, park benches removed, a royal blue and white Roman Empire style cafe with Roman statues and fountains has recently arisen in a major green park, casinos line the highway from the airport to Yerevan instead of being placed a few lots back, a three story restaurant now stands on a corner in front of a fifty year-old apartment house blocking the view of dozens of tenants, the view from the American University of Armenia Business Center is now a wall of cafes instead of a park, kiosks are placed directly in front of institutions and billboards reign supreme on all major thoroughfares of Central Yerevan. Newspapers have reported that there are more gas stations in Yerevan than in Moscow-a city of 10 million. These are only a handful of examples. Ask anyone and they'll give you dozens more.

One local businessman who has many successful commercial interests related another incident. While driving on a major thoroughfare that leads from Republic Square to the new St. Gregory Church he noticed workmen digging large holes in the street ten feet from the sidewalk. He stopped the car and asked the workmen what they were doing. "Building a new store" was the answer. "In the street!" he exclaimed, immediately placing calls to a number of officials-the work was halted. Of course not everyone has that clout.

Considering the usual time span between obtaining permits and completing construction would be at least one to two years, it is possible two mayors who have held the post since 2000 are guilty not only in their sell-out of Yerevan but also in succumbing to the pressures of influential citizens and officials. The electorate has no vote since mayors in Yerevan, unlike other cities in Armenia, are appointed by the President.

Who knows what's next?

Trafficking In Armenia and the Struggle against It
AZG Daily #027
18.02.2004

Trafficking as an evil is spread all over the world. Armenia is not an exception. What shape does it take, does it really exist and what are the steps to be taken to tackle it? Below you will find interviews with government officials and victims of trafficking.

Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik Markaryan: “The phenomenon of trafficking does exist. In fact, it exists in every country and corresponds to the level of social welfare of the given country. It is two years that the Women’s Council within the office of the Prime Minister has been established. It is aimed at research and development of projects concerning trafficking issues. Although the scale of the problem is not large in our country, it really exists and is becoming obvious. We shouldn’t ignore it and say that there is no need to take steps to address trafficking. I would like to point out that the government’s Strategic Program of National Development for 2003-2015 includes studies on gender and trafficking issues. So great attention is paid to the phenomenon and it is certainly under control”.

In one of the regions in Armenia I had a chance to talk to a woman (for obvious reasons, I do not mention the place and the name) and tried to find out why she became a pimp and later a victim of trafficking. Ms. S. told me that her family of six had been deprived. Her husband left for Russia and she had no news from him. Her close friend urged her to make a living by prostitution and at first she received customers at home. One day she was invited to a party in Yerevan where she met people who promised her to help find a job abroad. 20 days later, leaving her children with her elderly mother and sister, she took a bus to Turkey. There she was met, taken to a hotel and the next day she was introduced to the employer as a waitress. Before she started work, they asked her to sign several documents. As she didn't know any foreign languages, she signed a contract agreeing to work for her employer for two years on the conditions set by the latter. She had 10 to14 clients a day. She was often beaten and humiliated. Once she tried to run away. She cut up a sheet, tied the pieces together and tried to climb out of the window but fell down from the seventh floor, breaking her arm and getting other injuries. Her employers helped her to recover but she was forced to sign another contract for five more years. Under this contract she was obliged to supply the employer with girls from Armenia. She had to send them to Turkey by bus. Otherwise she would have to pay 50.000 USD per year and, besides, she had to leave her two teenage daughters as hostages. Ms. S. thus became a pimp. Later she got the punishment she deserved. Now she swears that she will never do it again and is very unhappy because she was responsible for jeopardizing and ruining the future of her own daughters.

On October 14, 2002 the Prime Minister of Armenia passed resolution #591-A establishing an Inter-Departmental Committee aimed at tackling of trafficking in Armenia. The Committee included representatives of all the ministries and departments concerned with trafficking issues. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is responsible for coordinating the Committee’s activities. Valeri Mkrtumyan, Head of International Organizations Department in the MFA, says, “As a phenomenon, trafficking exists not just in Armenia and this region, but in all countries in transition. Trafficking is an evil and we have been fighting against it and will apply all possible means to continue fighting against it. Unfortunately, there has been no research that would help us deal with the problem, and I can hardly quote any data or any exact figures. One of our goals is to estimate the scope of trafficking in Armenia. In this respect, we only have progress in one direction. At least we know to which countries Armenian women are trafficked. They are Turkey, United Arabian Emirates and, to some extent, Greece and Holland… Presently the Committee is cooperating with all concerned agencies in those countries and in Armenia in creating a joint working group that will visit the countries where, according to our data, the trafficking phenomenon exists. The group will be conducting studies and will introduce the results to the Government.

My interview with the next victim of trafficking was a little more encouraging. K. learnt from her neighbor there was a big demand for nurses to look after elderly people in Turkey. She signed up in a queue, received a mall sum of money in Armenia, left three children and a disabled husband in the care of her relatives, got an air ticket from her future employers and left for Turkey with a group of seventeen women. On arriving in Turkey they were taken to a hotel. The next day the “employer” took away their passports. Then the women were forced to serve a client every 30 minutes. It may seem strange enough but most of the group agreed at once. They demanded that K either work for them during 3 years or pay a large sum of money. Only three months later, by pure chance, the police checked the hotel and found the women. They stamped their passports and exiled them from the country. K., who has a PhD degree in philology, is now in a state of depression, does not want to live and has made two attempts by poison herself. The second time, the doctors saved her life with great difficulty. The whole story came to light in the hospital when she was asked to explain the situation.

On the opinion of the Minister of Justice of Armenia, Mr. David Harutunyan, “the trafficking as a phenomenon does not exist. Perhaps there are separate cases but as a phenomenon, I think it does not exist. The criminal cases under prosecution are not sufficient ground to maintain that trafficking exists and has become a social phenomenon. There are some cases of trafficking. The perpetrators must be punished but it is too early to speak about it as a phenomenon. The US State Department has included Armenia in the list of countries where trafficking exists, based on publications in mass media. I think that trafficking as a phenomenon does not exist in Armenia.”

During one year Mrs. K sent five girls to Dubai to a hotel that belonged to a local friend of hers. All the girls agreed to go there and work as prostitutes. But the boyfriend of one of the girls learned about this and informed the police. When they were boarding their next flight, the police detained them but a day later they were released. Mrs K was arrested and sentenced to one year in jail. Mrs. K says “My friend in Dubai helped me with money and, as compensation, bought me a villa and a car. Now many mothers who have young daughters ask me to help them and send their daughters too. But now I do not take risk and I am afraid”.

On the opinion of the Chairmen of the Permanent Parliamentary Commission on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs, Mr. Mher Shahgeldyan, “unfortunately, trafficking in Armenia exists and there are facts indicating this. There are also data indicating that underage homeless children are involved and are used in these activities. I have no facts about the trade in human organs. Now we pay serious attention to the problem of adopted children, we check the families that adopt the children and keep track of them while they grow up. We cannot declare today that such things do not exist, that women do not go abroad for prostitution, sometimes as a result of fraud. The problem seems to be rather serious where the Arabic Emirates and Turkey are concerned.”

Mr. G is currently under investigation for recruiting girls from several regions for prostitution. The girls ended up as victims of trafficking. I interviewed two girls who were sent back from the Arabic Emirates on their own wish. Their fates were almost identical. They were deceived and taken abroad. As they say, their so-called “boss” and a man who was with him were met by certain people both in the Yerevan and Dubai airports. They shook hands and the girls had the impression that both sides knew each other very well. The “boss” introduced the girls to those people, then collected the girls’ passports and handed them over to those people. Without any difficulties or queues, the girls passed customs and passport check-ups and boarded the plane. One girl says that “there was a very young girl of about 16-17 who boarded the plane without problems at the check-ups. Later we learned that her passport was false. Upon arriving to Dubai airport, she was met by Mrs.G and then turned over to three men, two Arabs and an Armenian, and they left. Since then we have not seen this pretty young girl. The room where we served clients was thoroughly guarded. After eight months I realized that I had lost my feminine identity. I behaved like robot and automatically did what I was supposed to do. Then I felt that I was getting weaker and asked to see a doctor. They refused. Three days later I could not leave my bed. I asked the chambermaid who brought me food to hand my short message to any Armenian she could find. I did not know any foreign languages and could only explain to her with gestures that I was dying and put the message into her pocket. A few hours later several men and doctors came in. They examined me and, shaking their heads, talked to each other in Arabic, then left some medicines and went away. A little later the Armenian boss and the Arab entered my room. They saw the medicines and got very angry. They took the medicines and left the room. A few minutes later they brought one of my old clients. All I can remember is that I began shouting and breaking everything around me. The guards broke into the room, tied my hands and started beating me. I don’t remember how long I was unconscious but when I could open my eyes I saw the maid who had brought the doctors. A few hours later my employer arrived and spoke to me in Armenian. I was astonished because I thought he was an Arab. I demanded that they send me back to Armenia but he answered that he was not going to fall to my tricks. Only with the help of some kind people were my friend and I able to come back to Armenia. Now I am handicapped and do not want to live. I beg you to do something to stop this and prevent other girls from sharing my fate”.

Mr. Rafael Gulnazaryan, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General of Armenia, says, “Trafficking certainly exists in Armenia. The situation here is by far better that in the neighboring countries. If only the corresponding agencies had known earlier about trafficking! Now everybody knows about it. During the past six months, public organizations have become more informed; by now at least one third of them is aware of the issue. All the possible measures are taken to reveal the cases. The Fourth Police Department, the Office of the Public Prosecutor, National Security, Border Guard and all the law-enforcement agencies in general are concerned with this issue and cooperate with each other in this field. First of all, this work is done by experts from the Fourth Police Department who are specially trained in this field. The level of trafficking in Armenia is the lowest in all CIS countries. People from different countries run prostitution businesses that occupy entire streets. According to police data, trafficking exists in Armenia and has become evident in 1996. Earlier, in 1994-1995, there had been only separate cases. Public interest in this phenomenon arose only recently. Now public awareness has risen and there is an opinion that the issue was not dealt with before and that law enforcement agencies only just started to address this problem. This is not true and we have always been concerned with this issue even before it started to be called ‘trafficking’ in 1998, and, undoubtedly, law-enforcement bodies did deal with it. At present there are numerous cases under investigation, under prosecution, cases of trafficking prevention and solved cases, sentenced perpetrators. In few words, these cases always existed and are at various stages of solving. Besides, the number of cases does not necessarily correspond to the number of victims. Whatever the punishment, it is important that the crime be punished and the punishment be inevitable.

The behavior of the next interviewee astonished me. It was a woman who had worked as a prostitute for seven years, starting from the age of sixteen. She started to receive clients in her own home, then moved to Dubai. Twice a year she visited Armenia and gave her friends addresses where they could apply for the job of prostitute. According to her, “very few people have the ability to learn this ancient profession. While I am in demand and well-paid, and have my own clients, I’ll be able to create good prospects for myself, I’ll get rich and then I’ll marry an old man and will enjoy myself and do whatever I want. Do you mind my talking like this? I’m not ashamed of anything or anyone. This is a job and I learnt to do it well. I am very skilled in my profession. If you wish, you can come with me and see for yourself who visits me while I am in Yerevan. Many people are ready to break into my house and beg me to stay a little longer in Yerevan. But abroad they pay better. The people here are not so advanced and do not demand much. Well, this is enough, I’m wasting my time. My pals have been waiting for me the car for half an hour”. I felt demoralized and very uncomfortable and came back to Yerevan. On the way home I had an argument with my husband who was angry with me that I had tried so hard to find Anahit, that terrible woman, and allowed her to belittle me in front of him by saying that if I were a little younger she would have taken me with her.

Two years ago the Chairman of the Parliamentary Permanent Commission on State Law, Mr. Viktor Dallakyan, after getting acquainted with the problem, proposed a law that became the basis for introducing a provision on trafficking and its regulation. I interviewed Mr. Dallakyan and this is what he said: “This phenomenon exists in Armenia. Research shows that its scope is not large. This is a result of the difficult socio-economic situation in the country, poverty and unemployment. In order to solve this problem we thus needn’t worry so much about the results but need to exterminate the causes of trafficking. There problem has other aspects - moral and legal, plus scarcely any public awareness or media coverage. We also need to improve our laws. In particular, in the law we have a provision concerning this problem and setting a punishment for trafficking but we need to enforce a separate stricter law concerning crimes of this kind. I received proposals to this effect from corresponding organizations in the USA. There is a separate law concerning the problem of trafficking in the legislation of the USA. At present we are working on the draft of such a law and we are studying the experience and legislation of other countries. I think that enacting a separate law could provide proper grounds for addressing the issue.

I am thankful to the Education and Culture Office of the State Department of the USA for their support of my work on the article and my studies that included interviews with the victims of trafficking.

By Marieta Makaryan

Tonight I went to Southern Fried Chicken (SFC) and have to say that the food there is quite good. Only problem I had was the Ketchup, which has a strange taste and an exp. date of 14.04.03.

Though SFC is a very clean establishment, with cleaning people to rush your table the minute you get up and a bathroom with a live-in cleaning lady, the bathroom situation is a bit odd. What I mean is that they have one bathroom, with 2 sinks and 2 toilets, which is used by both sexes.

Today I found myself coming out of the toilet to find 3 girls/women at the 2 sinks doing their make-up. And though I didn’t mind watching them working away at making themselves beautiful, my food was getting cold and I had to wash my hands. After a couple of minutes of waiting, they gave up one of the sinks and as I was drying my hands, the lesser of the attractive finished and waited for her friend to finish to leave, freeing up much needed breathing space, as if she didn’t trust me in the same room alone with her very attractive friend.

The weather here in Yerevan is great. It’s not too cold and there is no sign of rain yet, though I did wash my car today, so you can be sure that rain will soon start.

I was told that a couple of days ago they had very heavy hail in Martuni, knocking out the telephone system and breaking windows.

I got a call last night that my presents were needed in Armenia, so this morning I headed out and in a few hours found myself in Yerevan.

The weather on the road was great and I brought a couple of people from Martuni with me, one of who got car sick on the way.

When we were pulled over while she was barfing out her brains, a cargo van pulled up and gave this poor girl a bottle of water and a hand full of candy.

To say the least, we were very impressed with the act of kindness and for the next hour talked about how there still may be hope.

Anyway, I’m going to be here for at least a week, so I hope I’ll have a chance to meet up with some of the loggers and relatives.

The Azeri’s want a peace deal and us to trust them? It’s clear to me that we have to have very defined borders with them and keep our buffer zone at all costs

A1 Plus | 18:23:25 | 19-02-2004 | Official |

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

At 5:30 am on February 19, Lieutenant Gurgen Margarian of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, posted to Budapest to participate in the NATO Partnership for Peace Programme’s English language training course, was brutally murdered in his sleep - axed by an Azerbaijani military officer attending the same course. His attempt on the life of a second officer of the Armenian Armed Forces was blocked.

The murderer has been arrested by the Hungarian Police. Representatives of the Armenian Embassy in Vienna are in Budapest, working with the police and monitoring the situation.

This crime is the logical consequence of the anti-Armenian hysteria that has been left unreined by the Azeri authorities over the years and of the warmongering militarist propaganda of recent months, which consistently infects all of Azeri society.

It is evident, that such state policy has crossed the bounds and officials, representing Azerbaijan abroad, can commit cold-blooded murder.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia expresses its outrage and most vehemently condemns this crime. The Ministry expects that the international organizations will appropriately assess this crime and react. At the same time, we demand that the Hungarian authorities punish the perpetrator to the maximum extent of the law.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry expresses its condolences to the family, relatives and colleagues of Lieutenant Gurgen Margarian.