Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian meets with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen in Krakow

KRAKOW, Poland—The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and international mediators met again on Friday to discuss ways of breaking the deadlock in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group said they discussed with Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov in the Polish city of Krakow “possible ways to advance the peace process.” “The Ministers exchanged views on the current situation and reaffirmed their commitment to promoting peace in the region,” they said in a joint statement.

“The Co-Chairs reiterated the need to avoid actions or rhetoric that could raise tensions or damage the peace process, and discussed with the Ministers a number of confidence building measures to help create an atmosphere conducive to reconciliation,” added the statement.

The mediators also announced that they will again tour the Karabakh conflict zone later this month “discuss these issues further with the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a virtually identical statement on the meeting.

Nalbandian said late last month that President Serzh Sarkisian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev could meet soon for the first time in more than a year. It is not clear whether the possibility of such a summit was discussed during the Krakow talks.

Garen Yegparian

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

Seventeen participants started in Glendale’s brand Park and hiked up to the “Seven Trees” area. A brief presentation, focusing on the necessity of assisting the republics that we have and the lands under our control, was followed by a few poems recited. Then a few people shared thoughts, including a gentleman who had arrived separately. Then, everyone returned to the cars to go about the rest of their Genocide doings. (for full disclosure, I was an organizer of the hike).

After a quick shower, it was off to Pasadena and the second of what I’d hoped would be a five event day. This was a special year in that city. Catherine Menard’s winning (out of 17 entries) design of its new Genocide monument was unveiled. Completion is anticipated by the 100th anniversary, and will be located in Memorial Park. The circular design, surrounded by 12 (for the number of stolen Armenian provinces) pomegranate trees, and planned 1,500,000 drops of water that will fall into a basin is quite impressive. I am glad I attended. The program was standard, and the designer’s and organizing committee chair’s (Bill Paparian) comments were quite apt. I counted 458 people at the beginning of the program, with more arriving throughout. Easily 500 attended. Only one flaw, no fault of the program’s and monument’s organizers, marred the day. Another group had assembled just a few blocks away to unveil its own monument…

Next it was off to Hollywood via the Gold and Red lines (yes, there are now subways in the LA basin) to the annual March in Little Armenia. Unfortunately, since the Pasadena event started a bit late and ran longer than the anticipated one hour, I completed missed the march and cannot report on it, save to say T-shirts with some good designs were being sold.

Having left my car overnight in Hollywood, next it was off to Montebello for the annual United Commemorative Committee’s program at the Martyrs Monument there. The highlight was British Judge Geoffrey Robinson who spoke eloquently and strongly about the necessity of doing justice to the Armenian nation for the calamitous losses of life, land, and culture. He noted that at the time the Turks committed it, everyone knew a crime had occurred, but there was no law to act on. It was a crime without a name. Thence he traced the legal developments, including examples of progress towards separation of countries (e.g. Kosovo) and even the Safarov travesty. As usual, this program ran longer than planned because of the numerous elected officials who spoke. Getting a headcount was also difficult since many people come, lay a flower beside the eternal flame to pay their respects, and quietly depart. It did look like there was a slightly larger crowd than usual.

The final stop of the day was the most important, the AYF’s demonstration at the Turkish consulate. Once again the sidewalk in front of the closed and tightly guarded building was filled by people demanding justice. There were even some who had come voicing concerns about Turkey’s destructive role in Syria’s current civil war. Paul Krekorian spoke eloquently, citing the example of a teacher in Turkey who was arrested at a Genocide-denial training for having the temerity to ask, “What if it is recognized?” Raffi Orphali also spoke well on behalf of the organizers, giving due respect to those Turkish intellectuals who are taking steps forward to come clean and addressing the importance of political engagement. Of course this was done from the now traditional perch of the top of a U-Haul truck. I trace the origins of that to Scott Wildman spontaneously climbing onto a vehicle to speak at one of the demonstrations in the late 1990s. Some 3400 demonstrators were present.

On Saturday April 27th, a conference discussing the Diaspora organized by the ARF and USC’s Armenian Sturdies Institute was very appropriate. Whether the topic was the fate of Western Armenian, identity, psychological perspectives, defining what a Diaspora even is, or the Diaspora’s relationship with the homeland, or the utilization of the latest technologies to our benefit by having those tools serve as a means to bond Armenians to one another, all were interesting. It was very informative and the whole conference was to be posted online in addition to being live-streamed. Look for it and watch it. It will be well worth your while. It was also refreshing to hear serious analysis not just in English (or as I have come to expect in most Armenian language presentations, our Eastern dialect) but in serious, heavy duty, Western Armenian. Over two hundred people attended the conference.

The last event of the “season’ I attended was at the Ararat-Eskijian Museum, which has frequent and interesting lectures. This one, by Missak Keleshian, was about the orphans of the Genocide: where they ended up, how they were treated, who helped, who tried to Turkify them, the training they received, the relief work done, monies raised in the U.S., and even finding some of the facilities which housed them, but have been slow to be found and properly acknowledged. It was interesting to learn that a French version of the film “Auction of Souls” (Arshalouys Mardiganian’s story, she had also passed away at the Ararat home, where the museum is) had been produced which sparks some hope that perhaps a full set of reels of that movie might be preserved somewhere in the French speaking world, since only one of the reels in English has survived. Fifty people heard the presentation and saw the trimmed down version of an extensive set of pictures from the period that conveyed both the misery and hope experienced by those children—our predecessors.

Next week, I’ll relate patterns I noticed and issues that need to be addressed in our Genocide related work, particularly when it comes to commemorative activity.

Allen, with his brother-in-law and comrade in arms, Vache Thomassian during the ANCA Telethon

BY PATTYL APOSHIAN KASPARIAN

I hate the lack of control over my body’s physical reaction to pain—not the pain of a torn meniscus or a bumped shoulder, but pain that makes you sick to your stomach, changes your breathing pattern and makes you wish your heart was numb to all feelings.

I received a call Friday morning from an agoomp friend. His voice was not chipper as expected. He asked if I could handle some bad news. I said yes. Had I said no, I wonder if things would change?

“We lost Allen,” he said. “He died in a car accident last night.”

“No, he didn’t,” I responded. “I just saw his Armenia/Georgia Facebook check in and Instagram photo update.”

The rest hit like a ton of bricks. One blow after another. Hours later, we lost Sose too—‘til death do us part squared.

By this time, it was late afternoon in Los Angeles and time for me to pick up my daughter from school. As soon as she jumped into the car, she noticed my tear-soaked eyes. Even though I wasn’t sobbing and tried to smile, she detected the hurt and sadness in my eyes. I kept visiting Allen’s Facebook page, waiting for a status update. I checked my inbox to see if there was a private message. I looked at pictures and pictures and pictures.

“What’s wrong, mom?” my daughter asked. I pointed to a picture of Allen and told her that he was hurt and in the hospital. “He looks familiar,” she said. “Do I know him? Did he come to my birthday party?”

“No,” I responded.

“Has he been to our house,” she asked?

“Maybe,” I respond. “For a meeting or to drop me off after a meeting.”

She was still not happy with my answer. “Have you eaten lunch with him,” she asked like a typical first grader?

That’s when I broke down. What a simple question but one that remains unanswered.

Do we consider food around a meeting table lunch? Do we count walking to Mario’s to pick up sandwiches for a five hour meeting lunch? Do we deem stale chips and expired soda from the vending machine lunch?

Not only can I not explain this to a first grader but I’m confident most adults won’t understand the relationship of the ANCA family—or in laymen’s terms—agoomp friends. Under one vision and a common purpose, we work together. We work as a family. We spend our most valuable time together because it’s time we put in without conditions, without expectations and without restrictions.

I met Allen Yekikian seven or so years ago at the ANCA office in Glendale. He started as an intern but soon after took over the office’s networking responsibilities. Prior to Allen, none of the computers were networked together. Until today, I don’t know what that means, but I know he spent countless hours volunteering his time, knowledge and talent. He came and went at various hours—sometimes to feed the network and other times to talk shop with Haig Hovsepian and Antranig Kzirian. Even in his early twenties, he was passionate, assertive and opinioned.

The more he learned, the more he would speak out. We kept seeing him everywhere—from Asbarez to many leadership roles in AYF– local and regional. We became dependent on his talents in so many organizations. We would pull Allen in many directions and he would comply with our requests with such energy and joy. Even though he was inundated with Asbarez online, he didn’t turn us down when we asked for help with the ANCA Telethon. He would jump right in and take things over. For months on end, twice over—for the 2009 and 2012 Telethon, Allen played an instrumental role in media, web, marketing and design. He was a smart kid—with vision and optimism.

He had a sweet way of showing me (of course with a little bit of Allen sarcasm) that he was annoyed with my string of questions when I would ask him logistical questions. “Pattyl. Just get me the content, timeline and the contact list and I’ll take care of the rest,” he would say. “But Allen, how are you going to do it? Is it possible? Can I see a sample?” I would ask. He would slouch behind his Mac and through clenched teeth, he would say. “I told you I would take care of it.”

That’s Allen.

This time last year, a group of us were exchanging at least 30 emails and 50 text messages a day. Two weeks before the Telethon—we were in full swing. Allen was working full time at Operation Hope and running a double volunteer shift with AYF Central Executive. Over 100 volunteers working and everyone wanted a piece of Allen. After all, he was so talented. He understood the phone system and social media so Marketing and Media Relations enrolled his talent. He understood digital signage and web so Sponsor Relations and Development needed him too. However, it was more than his talent and knowledge people were after. His humility was unparalleled.

At the end of every big project or event, I would send him an over-the-top congratulatory message and I would receive the typical Allen response. Thank you. No problem.

We were so happy when Allen met Sose. Since I didn’t know Sose personally, I would refer to her as Vache’s sister. He was quick to remind me of her name on two occasions. Now I know why. She was as strong and as independent of a person as Allen. He knew she did not want to be known as Allen’s wife or Vache’s sister but as Sose Thomassian from Orange County.

With all this said, what do I consider the Yekikian and Thomassian families? Since Allen was a part of “my ANCA family, are they family too? If you ask me which cereal Allen ate for breakfast or which cartoon he watched as a kid, I couldn’t tell you. If you asked me the age difference in exact days between Vache and Sose, I would take a guess. But ask me what Allen believed in or what his position was on a specific topic, and I’d tell you with certainty. And not only me—but many of us in our ANCA family.

The ANCA-WR oval-shaped Board table is equivalent to a family’s dining room table. For our ANCA family, that’s where we share our most intimate moments, create memories and implement policy. We yell. We laugh. We argue. We react. We get things done. Sitting around the table, we have countless memories of Allen Yekikian. More so—we have countless completed projects and boundless blueprints for the future because of Allen Yekikian.

I will miss so many things about Allen. I will miss seeing him sitting on the floor of the ANCA office at the ripe age of 21 working on his laptop and connection hundreds of wires together. I will miss reading his articles in Haytoug and Asbarez. I will miss receiving texts and emails from him asking me why I chose to use a particular word over another in my articles. I will miss seeing him pop in his head for the quick greeting and run off to another meeting yelling from the hall—“I’m too busy to stay and talk.”

I will miss our walks across the street to the grocery store for chocolate and sunflower seeds when I used to bombard him with questions about his future. I will miss seeing him blush when I would ask him about his personal life with Sose. But most of all, I will miss his contagious energy and drive.

Allen and Sose were taken from us much too soon when they both still had so much more to offer our organization, our community and our Nation. Their memories, their ideals, their passion, and their drive will remain their greatest legacy for all of us as we continue the work of Hye Tad, motivated even more by their profound loss. On this sad occasion, the ANCA-WR Board of Directors, staff, local chapters, interns and family express their deepest condolences to the Yekikian and Thomassian families as we share their grief.”

Allen Yekikian

BY GAIANEH AVANESSIAN

Text message: Allen Yekikian died in a car accident. What? This can’t be real. Stealthily check my Facebook during a meeting and see confirmation via the Asbarez post. I feel the color drain from my face. I stand up, shake the hand of the recruiter and politely excuse myself. “I’ll keep in touch” I say, and leave. Walking to the meeting on campus from my apartment, I actually took time to notice what a beautiful sunny day it was. Walking out of the meeting and into the sunlight was one of the hardest things I’ve done. Such terrible injustice. How could the weather be so nice when the world was so cruel? I can’t enjoy this sunshine, I want it to be pouring rain to mimic the grief I feel…

I first met Allen when I joined the AYF Crescenta Valley “Zartonk” chapter at age 16. He was on the executive and welcomed me to the chapter with open arms. He even embraced the fact that I was parskahye and would jokingly say how happy he was our numbers were growing. He encouraged me to be as involved as possible and quickly became a role model for me in the organization. My first memory of him at an event was him making Armenian coffee on a tiny portable stove and selling it at our chapter’s booth at the Armenian Independence Day Festival. I have never seen anyone so enthusiastically sell coffee. For him it didn’t matter what the activity was, you needed to do it passionately with every fiber of your being.

He was so happy for me when I started working at AYF, and subsequently joined the PR council, which he chaired. He took me under his wing and taught me the ins and outs of PR/branding/website management/the glory of googledocs…things that I’d had no exposure to previously. One day I was assigned the task of writing a press release. I didn’t have to slightest clue where to start. He walked me through it step by step: title, introduction, quotation, substance, another quotation, concluding thoughts. Seemed easy at the time. But when I sent him my draft, he ripped it to shreds. I took his criticism, improved the article (or so I thought) and sent it back. Nope, still not good enough. Maybe third draft is the charm? Wrong again. Finally by the fourth draft it was worthy of being published. I honestly didn’t see the reasoning for such attention to detail in an article about a small AYF event. He explained to me the magnifying effect that such an article has. Without it, only the hundred or so people at the event would know about it, but by disseminating the article across different channels of media, thousands would read about the works of the AYF. As I came to that realization, I became more motivated to work harder.

The following fiscal year, Allen was elected to CE and I became PR chairperson with him as the representative to the council. Working for Allen must have been the most challenging thing I have ever done. I would often become frustrated by his seemingly unrealistic expectations. I would be stressed from juggling school, work, PR duties, chapter duties, and college applications but he was still adamant about none of that being an excuse. “I’m not you!” I finally blurted out one time. “I don’t want you to be,” he said, “but you need to be the best you that you can be, and that doesn’t happen until you’re pushed to your limits.” And he pushed me alright, but Allen never made me feel incompetent. Instead, he made me feel just inadequate enough so that I would work tirelessly to garner his approval. But when Allen approved of something, it was that much more rewarding.

Allen took pride in everything he did because he produced and accepted nothing less than perfection. Perfection is what he strived for and he delivered. Everything had to be in place down to the last comma and pixel. “Do everything perfectly today so if you die tomorrow, that is how you will be remembered,” he told me. Allen will most definitely be remembered. I learned so much from him about having the drive, passion, motivation and work ethic to succeed. He was my mentor in AYF and a tremendous positive influence in my life. He was a genius, a brilliant leader, a dedicated champion for the Armenian Cause, but above all, an admirable friend and exceptional human being.

May Allen and Sosé both rest in peace and the rest of us honor their legacy by continuing on the path they so boldly paved. Gone but never forgotten.

Regarding his graduation, Allen said at our last chapter meeting, “It’s a sad day to be a ninja turtle.” Very sad indeed.

Sose Thomassian

BY MELODY NAZARIAN

She wore white on her wedding day
And gleamed from head to toe
And though I wasn’t present there
I could still see the glow.

The way she peered into her Allen’s eyes
She couldn’t hide her awe if she tried
They were married in August in Armenia,
With smiles they couldn’t hide.

That night she illuminated like an angel
Not knowing she would become one soon
She danced in circles surrounded by light
That had nothing to do with the moon.

She was radiating from within
Getting ready to spread her light
All without even knowing it
Until one tragic plight.

And in an instant she left this earth
To spread her wings and fly
As heaven’s sweetest angel
The one that shines so bright.

Earth is now a little dimmer
But heaven is ablaze
With Angel Sosé’s beaming smile
That will never cease to amaze.

Paul Chaderjian

BY PAUL CHADERJIAN

It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. This wasn’t how it was scripted.

< #inhale >
I don’t know where you are and what you’re doing, but I imagine you two floating in slow motion in the middle of a vast, serene, white place full of clouds, hearing echoes of conversations from the wretched world far below.

Here, we are chattering simultaneously, posting, blogging, liking your photos, and it’s all reverberating through you and in you, even though it’s all meaningless, circular, and empty noise that mortals, like the ones you left behind, consider dialogue.

Our voices in this loud place run together, separate, sound foreign, fake, but they continue to sound. Perhaps there is music in your new place, in the background, a harp lessening your harsh transitions from the here and now to there, the eternal.

Here, we wish the clocks could turn back to a simpler time before Friday, to a time when you hadn’t died, hadn’t succumbed to fatal wounds, hadn’t been abruptly and violently taken from us, hadn’t gone missing.

Should we have tried to talk you out of the weekend trip to Georgia? Should we not have encouraged you to repatriate? Should I have told you to pursue medicine or real estate instead?

Now we’re talking, making noise, crying in front of our keyboards, hiding the emotional trauma, maybe drinking and eating.

There are drinks everywhere, food everywhere, but you know our thirst and hunger can never be quenched, our desires can never be fulfilled, and our curiosity never satisfied, while we are still here and not where you are.

In the air, in our heads and in ours mouths, we smell and taste staleness, the smell of sweaters after the rain, the smell of a shirt worn too many times at the gym.

Something rotten happened to us, but you know all that, you feel it, you are part of the collective, the whole, the holy, you are permanently etched in our souls and have become our guiding spirits.

You know all this.

< #exhale >
You were supposed to be here, you know. We were supposed to see each other in Yerevan in two weeks, sip coffee at Art Bridge, walk down Northern Avenue, have yogurt-barley “sbus” soup somewhere.

You were supposed to live out our DNA-programmed, collective dream of repatriating for more than just a few short months. You were supposed to be there so we would comfort each other in that foreign place, which was getting cozier because of your radiance, your love, passion and can-do attitude, your optimism and hope.

Your story, in pictures, on film, was epic. Diasporans, in love, marrying in the Homeland, finding jobs and moving — a premise worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster.

It was Monte Melkonian-epic. He had given up the comforts of the West to fight injustice wherever Armenians were before independence and post independence. You gave up the job at Operation HOPE, helping out an underserved subculture. You gave up your job in that fancy Los Angeles high rise, and you moved to help the American University of Armenia tell her stories.

You last told me Armenia wasn’t the same as I remembered it, when I asked you how you were getting along.

I asked if you were staying fit and continuing to exercise and eating well.

“I go to a luxurious Gold’s gym every other day. It makes any gym I went to in the states look third world. It’s absolutely huge and amazing.”

We would tell each other and our compatriots in the remote corners of the world that it would be okay, that we were proof it was all working out.

But you are gone, and we are hurt, human and too feeble-minded to understand.

We held memorials and vigils for you, just to let it sink it that it’s all real, that it’s not an internet hoax, a nightmare we would wake up from.

We looked at each other, at faces, thin and cherubic, lengthy, generic, pronounced and unpronounced, and we wondered what others were thinking.

We walked around, lit candles, took poses, tried to contain the anger at God, tried not to curse too loud, become too loud and obnoxious in our grief, or … to be too alive. While, in the back of our minds, we longed for one more embrace, a hug, a kiss on her cheek, a pat on your back, warm, live bodies near us, close to us, energizing our soul with your radiance, your love, your optimism and hope.

Now you’re gone, returned to heaven like shooting stars, 21st century fedayees whose departure is your challenge for us to take action.

< #it’s okay to cry >
We are cordial, but we make it quick. “Thank you. SH*T. Goodbye. I’m sorry. GodD*MN this Fu^King world. It’s still a shock. Tragic… Fu^K.”

We get into our cars, sit there for a moment in the darkness, touch the steering wheel, put our hands on the passenger seat, wishing it had been us and not you. What was going through your mind in those last minutes? What promises did you leave unfulfilled? What destinies were unmade? How many children and children’s children vanished with you?

Why did you leave us?

Do we leave the vigil and go home, retire to our room? Do we make one more stop? Do we start the engine and drive until there’s no more road ahead – drive nonstop to a nondescript location to get away, find people who didn’t know you, our pain, the unfathomable? Is there anyone in those three thousand people who have seen us and known our faces who don’t know, who aren’t hurting as much, who are not confused, angry at God, speechless?

< #banality or destiny >
I’m sitting here tonight, wondering if these words are being spoken in vain, if these words are a drama I’m playing to myself for myself. I’m wondering if these words are just another way to convince myself that there is more past this tragic lifetime, if there are reasons, if there can hope for joy.

Or are these words just nonsense, typed alone onto a screen, another form of teasing our minds, distracting from our most personal loss, or indulging in our narcissism. Perhaps words written are even more alienating than words not spoken, not read, not thought. Are we connecting here or disconnecting?

I can only remember your mission to connect us all in the information age. You were connecting us while you were alive, and now your deaths are, VIRAL, playing out on the same social media networks you used to share our stories, our cause and the rebirth of the Armenian Dream.

You were living the rebirth of our nation, the revolution, the renaissance you likened to the Zartonk of yesteryear, our intellectual rebirth during the Age of Enlightenment.

We had plotted and penned the iZartonk via Google docs a few years ago, and we were going to motivate, activate and connect every son and daughter of the Diaspora with the Homeland via the information superhighway.

You and I wrote: “Armenians in the Age of Enlightenment gave birth to young enlightened thinkers, selfless teachers, and the fearless Fedayees.” You were that young enlightened thinker, that selfless teacher and that fearless iFedayee.

In the pages of Haytoug, we promoted the idea a new generation of Armenians,  armed with their laptops, cell and smart phones could be and are now a new breed of freedom fighters, waging an informational struggle for freedom from their people’s established norms — norms which are staid and are slowly suffocating, if not killing a new generation of young Armenians in the Homeland and our far-reaching diasporas.

< #revival >
But in our world here, who has time to connect for enlightenment? Who has the luxury to ponder about that new place where you and Sose are – that white, heavenly place with the harps? Most of us, especially the Millennials, are going about trying to accumulate more fame and wealth, and our reality is carved by a media that in itself is in the business to draw and retain your attention to make money.

Facts are skewed, reality blurred, but we accept it like sheep in a flock, following their leader, following the herder. We follow because we know nothing else to do, nothing more to want than the prizes of our collective mindset, the gold medal, the Oscar, the public office, the fame, the Pulitzer, the Nobel prize and sainthood.

In this wild and frantic race to attainment, we forget life is going by, love is being wasted and smiles are being used for material gain. Our creativity is used for commerce, relationships are used for advancement, and our joy is equated to success and position.

That wasn’t your way. You knew this was a time for a revival, using the new weapons of modern civilization –the communications tools that every citizen of the world either has access to or knows someone with access.

You knew that these tools – cameras, keyboards, editing software, iPad and iPods, FlipCams and iPhones – and creativity could lead to a deeper connection between individuals, communities, diasporas and the Homeland, a connection rooted in the convictions that our ancient nation would be whole again, and all this could happen through the iZartonk.

< #reality TV >
But in this world, the very same world where you must go the speed limit or get run over, we are left with a bundle of raw emotions and indiscernible thoughts.

People we know died from a Genocide, the Spitak earthquake, the Karapagh Independence War. People died from jet planes crashing into skyscrapers, shooters walking into schools and opening fire, from terrorists bombing a marathon.

Not from a car crash in Georgia. Not swerving out of the way of a speeding bus heading to Baku.

Fear of our mortality has set in, so will we continue celebrating money and celebrity. Because those are sexier, better, prettier, more fun and somehow blessed and at the top of the game.

Or will we look in the mirror and remember what you preached in your short three decades?

< #reflection >
It’s time to wash my face, and I look up and have to force myself to recognize the man I’m looking at. I stand there alone, my mind feeling alone and lonely amidst family and friends, searching for answers, in the shopping malls, the grocery stores, the bars, the internet and in churches, on the highway, at the gyms, at the bookstores.

Now, we’re all looking. Now, we’ve lost our equilibrium. We’ve lost our peace. We aren’t able to sleep. Our minds are racing, searching for the reason, the meaning, the right words, trying to play a role in a movie we had written about our lives, but the director has left the building, the studio has closed up shop, its stock worth junk.

We’re left with images of what could have been, you at your peak, your post-mortem roles of our heroes, fighting all odds and finding love, moving to the homeland, creating a niche.

Then STOP.

We are left with a bunch of words on paper, a screenplay that will never materialize, and a lot of regrets. We’re left searching, hoping, wanting, but knowing the role we have always wanted may never come, a role you as renegades of pop culture, didn’t play.

< #how could it be >
We had plans in two weeks. Art Bridge. Sbus. CivilNet. We were going to plot the continuation of the manifesto we co-wrote. How would we tell Armenia’s stories to anyone who wanted to hear now that all three of us were in the Homeland.

Maral Habeshian introduced you to me when I moved to LA from Yerevan to fill the pages and airwaves of Armenian media — the glue we knew held and will hold our culture together in the information age.

She said you were eager, smart, talented, studying at UCLA and you were willing to help out. You already had a part time job at Asbarez but you wanted to do so much more. We plotted and talked about how you should cover an upcoming UCLA Armenian Studies conference on Musa Dagh.

We met for the first time at Conrad’s on Central. You had fries. Vincent Lima joined us, and we spoke at length about what media could and should do for our community. You shared my vision; I shared yours. We were instant friends.

When you introduced me to Sose, I could see why you were in love with her. She was everything you were and more. I copyedited the blog you launched for her, so she would review restaurants and write about food.

You asked me if taking her to Club 33 at Disneyland would be a big enough surprise for her birthday, and you saved for months to celebrate her and propose to her the way she deserved.

She was your muse and ours.

< #asbarez >
Ara Khachatourian, the man at the helm of this news-hungry beast of a Fresno-born Asbarez newspaper, the captain of our ship, put us to work together, and we wrote about the hidden Armenians, dance groups, the Telethon and Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and years passed.

Your instant messages prompting me to pen another column, and then another, and so we filled the pages of this paper, chronicled our history together, reported fact, contemplated identity, continued to stare at the Mountain that beckoned you and millions over the centuries.

You took on a pen name, Vartan Dudukjian, and came to my defense when readers argued with my thinking and essays on the pages of this paper. I liked Vartan. He was my defense, my back, my own Mark Geragos.

You and Liana Aghajanian joined me on the set of Horizon TV to talk about media. We took our show on the road and talked to teens about pursuing careers like ours, becoming citizen journalists, conscripted Lara Garibian into advocacy, and told our stories to one another and global audiences.

You quoted from Raffi’s novel, The Fool: “While the prudent stand and ponder, the fool has already crossed the river.” Those words were your auto-signature, but you lived by them while we pondered in our safe rat-race, in our mansions, wanting, desiring, racing in our fancy cars, or fancying other people’s oceans, beaches and rainbows from my 38th floor penthouse in Hawaii.

< #final #30 >
The last time I saw you was at PBS Los Angeles on Thanksgiving Day. You kept updating me on how many people were watching the Armenia Fund Telethon online. You told me about the viral messages via your social media campaign for the pan-Armenian Thanksgiving Day tradition that you’d become a part of and were promoting on multiple platforms and social media.

Your last words to me came via Facebook on April 22. It was 1:56 AM, and you said, “Are you coming to Armenia?”

I typed, “The plan is to be there by end of May. Waiting to work out details with Salpi.” I asked how life was.

You said, “Life is good. We’ve got an a conference at AUA today. Organizing my first press conference.”

I said, “that’s great. You’ll do great as usual.”

Tonight, I’m adding these words to my last email to you: I’m coming, Allen. I’m coming. We’re coming. We’re all crossing the rivers and oceans and coming.

And three apples fell from heaven: one for Allen, one for Sose, and one for every mourner and iFedayee.

< #end end end >

Tribute at St.  Mary’s church for Allen Yekikian and Sosé Thomassian

Garen Yegparian

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

I haven’t even gotten to write the second one, and now I’m compelled to write the “third” tribute/testimonial/memorial of this year. I had feared this might become a more frequently occurring duty, but never would I have thought I’d be trying to address the loss of a 28- and 30-year-old couple. Setting my fingers to the keyboard to write this piece just has not come easy.

The tragedy has sent severe shock waves throughout our dispersed nation, not just because of Allen Yekikian and Sosé Thomassian’s ages, but because they embodied so much of what all of us claim to want to do. They were doing it, bit by bit. “They were my reality show” is how one friend described it.

I cannot claim the honor of having known them well, especially Sosé. But I’ve seen Allen in action. He had a good moral compass, and wasn’t afraid to use it. He’d stake out a position, and defend it tenaciously. Usually he was right. He had a low tolerance for foolishness, and challenged it, not just for kicks, but to improve our collective existence. I mean, how can one not be proud of and respect a man who joins the ARF, and, when asked why, he responds that he wants to fix it?

Allen and Sosé did the right things. They were in the AYF, and not passively, but energetically, and led by action and example. They took on responsibilities. Allen worked for Asbarez and updated much of the electronic communications capacity of the publication. Then he moved on to a non-profit, and finally, found the way to parlay his Armenian and work experience into a pathway to repatriation, taking on a position with the American University of Armenia.

They’re gone, but the connections they made along the way throughout the Diaspora and homeland will keep their memory alive and, far more importantly, the path they travelled can serve as a guide to others who have not been able to find the way back to the homeland Armenians crave. Who knows, some might even widen that path and start the return to Turkish occupied Western Armenia.

Let Allen and Sosé’s deaths at the hands of a reckless bus driver not be in vain. Let them inspire us to always do the right thing for our struggle.

Newly-appointed ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan

GLENDALE—Major changes have occurred at the ANCA-Western Region headquarters over the past 10 days with the appointment of Elen Asatryan as Executive Director, the addition of Haig Baghdassarian as Legislative Affairs Director, and the promotion of Tereza Yerimyan to Government Relations Director.

“We are very excited to announce our new ANCA-WR staff and division of responsibilities, and we are extremely confident that our team will successfully take the organization to even higher levels,” stated Nora Hovsepian, co-Chair of the ANCA-WR. “Our former Executive Director William Bairamian laid the groundwork in the office upon which our new Executive Director Elen Asatryan can build to new heights. We wish William well in his future endeavors and are sure that by working together, our entire ANCA-WR Board, staff, committees and local chapters will make significant strides toward advancing the Armenian Cause,” added Hovsepian.

Elen Asatryan is no stranger to the ANCA family as she has served as the Executive Director the ANCA Glendale Chapter since 2006 and more recently, since 2011, has divided her time between the Glendale Chapter, ANCA-WR, and the Hye Votes Campaign.

As the Executive Director of ANCA Glendale, Asatryan was instrumental in many positive developments for the organization and the community at large. For more than six years, she was the face and voice of the organization, and was responsible for policy development and day-to-day operations. Her countless accomplishments during her tenure included the creation and expansion of many programs for the community which were achieved by the fostering of closer relations with city officials and community based organizations. Such programs included internship and mentorship programs for high school and college students, the Path to College Program, the Parent/Student Assistance Hotline, the ANCA Glendale Youth Activist Scholarship Fund, the Glendale Free Legal Clinics, community education workshops and forums, voter registration, and annual food and toy distributions to the Glendale community amongst policy related initiatives proposed in various city departments and at GUSD.

As Field Director of the ANCA-WR, Asatryan was responsible for developing chapters’ structures, strategic plans, as well as the promotion and development of new chapters in the Western Region of the United States.

“The ANCA-WR is a unique energetic organization with a rich history in the Armenian community and we are confident that Elen will carry that same passion for our Cause,” stated ANCA-WR co-Chair Chris Guldjian. “We are very pleased and proud to have someone with Elen’s background and dedication lead our team and are confident that she can take us to the next level,” added Guldjian.

Prior to her tenure as ANCA-Glendale Executive Director, Asatryan worked on local, state, and federal campaigns. Her commitment to Armenian issues dates back to her activist days at Hoover High School, then as an officer and advisor of the UCLA’s Armenian Students’ Association, and later as an intern of the ANCA-WR. Asatryan is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she studied Political Science with concentrations in American Politics and International Relations.

In early January 2013, Asatryan had taken a leave of absence from her position in order to manage the successful campaign of Glendale City Councilmember Zareh Sinanyan.

“I am honored to join the passionate and dedicated directors, staff, and volunteers that make up the ANCA-WR team in this new capacity,” stated newly appointed ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan. “I am confident that through our collaborative efforts we will reach even higher levels of distinction as we continue to build on previous successes of serving our community and representing its voice and its needs within respective legislative bodies,” added Asatryan.

The addition of Legislative Affairs Director Haig Baghdassarian is noteworthy, in that it represents the first time that the ANCA-WR has hired an employee who is based outside of the organization’s headquarters in Glendale. Baghdassarian is a practicing attorney who has lived in in San Francisco since 1998. Previously, he resided in Glendale and Burbank, during which time he first became involved with the ANCA, initially as a Leo Sarkisian Intern in Washington, then as a member of the ANCA-WR Governmental Affairs Committee, and later as a Board Member of the ANCA-Burbank Chapter.

Following his graduation from UCLA, Baghdassarian relocated to San Francisco to attend law school at UC Hastings, and shortly thereafter, he became an active member of the SF Bay Area Chapter of the ANCA where continues to serve on its Executive Board. Over the years, his involvement within the Armenian-American communities have not been limited to the ANCA family, as he has also been active with the Armenian Youth Federation, the UCLA Armenian Students Association, the Land & Culture Organization, the Genocide Education Project’s oral history documentation activities, and the Armenian Bar Association.

Prior to Baghdassarian’s graduation from law school, he became the first Armenian-American to be appointed as a San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner. He was sworn in by then-Mayor Willie Brown on April 24, 2001, and he held the office through 2004. Following his graduation from law school, he worked as Deputy City Attorney in San Francisco, and as a labor and employment attorney for two law firms specializing in state and municipal legal affairs.

“Given the current political landscape, it’s more important than ever before for our community to develop lasting relations with Members of the California state legislature and their staff,” said Hovsepian.

“The addition of Haig to our team will ensure that we develop a higher profile in Sacramento, and his wealth of experience will serve our community well,” she added.

Since 2012, UCLA graduate, Tereza Yerimyan has served as External Affairs Deputy, working with elected offices and various community organizations. Tereza Yerimyan’s new post as Government Affairs Director is well deserved given her contributions to the organization and eagerness to continue developing the legislative agenda of the organization.

“I am humbled by the organization’s confidence in me and look forward to developing our community’s relations with their elected officials through this new position,” stated Yerimyan.

In 2010 Yerimyan first became involved with ANCA through the ANCA-WR Internship/Externship program where she became acquainted with the array of issues that the addressed by the organization. She later became a staffer for the CA State Affairs Committee of the Western Region where she assisted in the organization of the annual Advocacy Day.

Yerimian spent the following summer in Washington, D.C. as a Leo Sarkisian intern with the ANCA. She was a part of the summer intern class that helped pass H.Res 306: The Return of Churches resolution demanding that the government of Turkey return confiscated church properties.

In 2012 Yerimyan was elected to the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council representing District 5 for the council. She is also a volunteer member of the ANCA Hollywood Board.

“Tereza is a natural fit in her new position as she has already displayed a deep commitment for governmental and legislative affairs. We are confident that she too will be an ideal representative for our region and look forward to introducing our new staff to the community,” explained Guldjian.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Garecetti addresses the crowd

Raise Approximately $50,000

TARZANA—The Armenian American communities of the West San Fernando Valley and Hollywood hosted a joint fundraising event for Los Angeles City Mayoral Candidate Eric Garcetti raising approximately $50,000. This marks the second Armenian American fundraiser held in the past two weeks approximately raising a combined $100,000 to elect Garcetti.

Over 100 local community leaders and supporters from all segments of the Armenian community including ANCA, ARS, Homenetmen, AYF, UYA and others were in attendance on Saturday May 11th  in order to express their gratitude and show their support for Eric Garcetti at the fundraising event held at the home of Raffi and Maral Sarkissian in Tarzana. Hosting the event were a cross section of Armenian Americans from Hollywood to Woodland Hills that included Sylvia Minassian, Harout & Ozhen Broutian, Raffi and Maral Sarkissian, Christine Jerian Kharmandalian, Louise Mardirossian Gill and Nareg Kitsinian.

Dignitaries present and in support of Eric Garcetti were State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian, Los Angeles City Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Paul Koretz.
Each of the elected dignitaries spoke about their close relationship with Garcetti and spoke of how he has consistently been supportive of issues affecting Armenia and the Armenian American community of Los Angeles. Furthermore, they each expressed their continued support for him for Mayor.

Commenting on the wide spread community support for Garcetti, host Raffi Sarkissian stated that “our communities wanted to work together to elect Eric Garcetti as the next Mayor of Los Angeles”. “Eric has consistently supported the Armenian American communities of Los Angeles and we are pleased with the support our local communities have pledged for him tonight” remarked Sarkissian.

In his remarks Garcetti stated that “the Armenian community can make the difference in this race. Everything we’ve done together whether it’s an ocean away in the shadow of Mt. Ararat or if it’s right here underneath Mt. Hollywood. We’ve shown the world that we can be a world of justice, opportunity, memory and a world that sets itself on the right path.”

Garcetti continued by acknowledging the presence of the numerous community organizations that he has worked with over the years who have provided many services to the Armenian American community. Garcetti concluded by expressing his appreciation towards his staff who over the years have worked within the Armenian American community to provide the crucial services needed including Christine Jerian, Arsen Melikyan and Baydzar Thomasian.

Eric was elected four times by his fellow colleagues on the Council to serve as President of the Los Angeles City Council from 2006 to 2012. He continues to serve as the Councilmember representing the 13th District which encompasses Little Armenia. Eric is endorsed by the L.A. Times, which calls him “the best choice for Mayor” and wrote that “Voters should be inspired by Garcetti’s stewardship of Council District 13″.

Eric has a long history of supporting Armenian related issues. To name a few of his undertakings, Eric visited Armenia while helping to establish Yerevan as a sister city to Los Angeles. He has consistently called upon the U.S. government to recognize the Armenian Genocide and the independence of Artsakh. Eric has visited Dzidzernagapert and has laid a wreath for the victims of the genocide.  As the councilmember whose jurisdiction includes Little Armenia, Eric supported the City Council motion to add Armenian language to the election ballots to help his constituents and also co-sponsored the Annual Armenian Independence Day Festival in Hollywood. When the Armenian Relief Society required much needed resources, he supported and funded its social centers. Not shy on partnering with community groups to improve his district, he worked with the Armenian Youth Federation on the annual AYF Little Armenia Beautification Project to further enhance the Armenian American neighborhoods and other parts of his district. His contribution to the Armenian American community transcends politics and includes humanitarian, educational and cultural support and as such Eric co-sponsors the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry Annual Walkathon and provides funding for the ANCA-Hollywood chapters civic and educational programs.

Eric was raised in the San Fernando Valley and earned his B.A. and M.A. from Columbia University. He studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and the London School of Economics and taught at Occidental College and U.S.C. A fourth generation Angeleno, Eric lives in Silver Lake with his wife and one-year-old daughter. He is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy reserve and is an avid jazz pianist and photographer.

Ferrahian students at UCSD Model UN

BY ALEXA KOVACS

On the weekend of April 27 and 28, twelve high school students participated in the last Model United Nations conference of the year. It took place at the University of California, San Diego. Students prepared months in advanced for their last opportunity to win the Best Delegate award and take home the gavel.

This is Ferrahian’s first time participating in the UCSD MUN conference. It is now added to the line-up of conferences at UCLA, UCSB and UC Berkeley that students will attend. Like UCSB, this conference is single delegation and follows the collegiate rules of procedure. Most students are used to working with a partner when it comes to going to Model UN conferences. However, this was not a challenge for the delegates. They worked harder and they were aware that the harder the work the closer they will be to winning the gavel, which is the first place trophy of each committee.

This conference was the most impressive in terms of how well the delegates preformed. Their months of hard work and research paid off. Shushan Ginosyan, a senior who will be attending UCLA in the fall, was able to woo the chairs of her committee and win the Best Delegate award and the gavel. She participated in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) committee representing Italy, where she spent two days with senior Garni Dadaian, who represented Belgium, debating the topic of Violence Against Woman. She was overwhelmed and couldn’t have been happier, especially with it being her last conference of the year. Shushan has participated in the MUN program since 8th grade, and has won multiple awards since then including research awards and Accommodation awards, which is third place. Shawnt Karakozian was the other delegate who brought home an award. Shawnt participated in the Crisis Committee. A crisis committee is a difficult room to be in, seeing as at any second a crisis could break out and delegates have to think quickly on their toes as to how to find a solution for a problem that they had never heard of and had never given a second thought about. This year’s Crisis Committee topic was Pandemic! Shawnt, also a veteran Ferrahian Model UN delegate, took home a research award, which is given to the delegate with the best position paper, and also took home the Outstanding Delegate award, which is second place.

Every single delegate of the Ferrahian group preformed to their best ability. They debated topics ranging from North African Migration into Europe to Waste Management. They were able to research and step into the shoes of UN delegates from around the world and give plausible solutions to problems that are relevant world-wide today.

Prince Ishcan Bagdasarian

"Abstraction" film poster

LOS ANGELES—PIB Productions has announced the release of a new movie trailer for “Abstraction,” an intense action crime drama revolving around the heist of a half a million dollar painting.

“Abstraction” is written and directed by Armenian filmmaker Prince Ishcan Bagdasarian and stars Academy Award ® Nominee Eric Roberts (Dark Knight, Expendables), Ken Davitian (Borat, The Artist), Hunter Ives, Korrina Rico (School Dance, In Time), Natalie Victoria (Deadheads), Richard Manriquez, and James Lewis (Gacy House).

Although PIB Productions had a limited budget to produce the independent feature film, they utilized modern innovative methods of filmmaking and called upon certain industry professionals who supported the ambitious project in its early stages.

“It was really interesting assembling a team with the proper knowledge who also believed in the film” says writer and director Prince Bagdasarian. “We had to film scenes that involved everything from extensive dramatic dialogue to police shootouts and car crashes. The dedication and expertise of our cast and crew was greatly essential in producing the film on our budget.”

The new trailer for “Abstraction” gives audiences a peek into the film and leaves them aching for more. “The positive feedback we’ve received from trailer viewers has been exciting. There isnow an overwhelming demand to see the film in its entirety”, explains Bagdasarian. “We’re confident the film will meet, if not surpass, everyone’s expectations.”

“Abstraction” was shot in and around Los Angeles, CA and is 100 minutes in length. After completion, it will be premiering at numerous film festivals before making its way to worldwide distribution. For additional information about “Abstraction”, and to watch the films trailer, please visit: http://abstractionfilm.com

Prince Ishcan Bagdasarian is a Los Angeles-based independent filmmaker with extensive industry experience and the founder of PIB Productions, a production company specializing in production and post production for films.

The Armenian Alphabet

GLENDALE—Chamlian Armenian School realizes that for many parents, helping their child(ren) with Armenian homework when necessary can be quite a challenge, especially if they have not attended an Armenian school. With this in mind, the school has started a free after-school tutoring program in Armenian (Eastern and Western), during which students are able to receive extra support with their Armenian Language homework.

Furthermore, to continue the support at home, the administration will soon be providing students with a new and innovative online tutoring program. The program will provide students with free Armenian language tutoring and homework support through a series of online videos prepared by Chamlian’s experienced Armenian Language teachers.

Chamlian Armenian School truly appreciates the sacrifices parents make in sending their child(ren) to a private Armenian school, and firmly believes that these programs will go a long way towards helping them succeed.

Representatives Adam Schiff (left) and Michael Grimm

• Reps. Grimm, Schiff, Valadao and Pallone Introduce Legislation During Prime Minister Erdogan’s White House Meetings
• New Measure Calls for a Just and Comprehensive International Resolution of this Crime against Humanity

WASHINGTON—As Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan continues his official U.S. state visit, a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives introduced the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Act, a new measure calling upon the President to build upon the U.S. record of having recognized the Armenian Genocide by working toward improved Armenian-Turkish relations based upon Turkey’s full acknowledgement of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“We welcome today’s introduction of the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Act,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “This innovative bipartisan initiative, building upon the U.S. record of having recognized the Armenian Genocide, calls for a new U.S. approach to Armenian-Turkish ties that reflects our America values and recognizes that our national interests require an end to Turkey’s denials and a truthful, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime.”

The Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Act, introduced by Representatives Michael Grimm (R-NY), Adam Schiff (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), reflects and reinforces previous U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide as a crime of genocide, citing the U.S. Government’s May 28, 1951 written statement to the International Court of Justice regarding the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, President Ronald Reagan’s April 22, 1981 Proclamation and Congressional adoption of Armenian Genocide legislation in 1975 and 1984.

“Almost a century ago, over a million Armenian men, women, and innocent children were mercilessly put to death by forces of the Ottoman Empire in a horrifying attempt to wipe them from the face of the earth,” said Rep. Grimm. “The U.S. has tirelessly defended justice and human rights throughout the world, and we have a solemn duty to recognize, once and for all, the injustices of the Armenian Genocide. On behalf of the Armenian community in New York City, I am proud to join with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in introducing Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Act.”

“The facts of history are well-settled – 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children were deliberately murdered in the first genocide of the 20th Century,” Rep. Schiff said. “With each passing day, we lose a few more of the dwindling number of survivors. We should all feel a powerful sense of urgency, and the profound call of moral duty to recognize the Armenian Genocide unequivocally and without delay.”

Congressman Valadao stated, “Many of those able to flee during the genocide immigrated to the United States and settled in California. Today, their families continue to grow, thrive, and instill their cultural heritage in their adopted communities. However, the sense of loss as a result of these horrific acts runs deep as many Armenian-Americans in my district personally know a friend or family member who was unable to escape the genocide. We must ensure that the United States government properly acknowledges what so many already know to be true.”

“The time for the U.S. to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide is long overdue,” said Congressman Frank Pallone, Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. “Armenia stands as a resilient ally of the United States and a nation dedicated to democracy and regional stability, and the Resolution introduced today shows that we will not stand idly by when the truth of this genocide is distorted by the Turkish government.”

Vahe Berberian's Yete

Are you ready to let loose and laugh? If you are, then you have to watch Vahe Berberian’s latest monologue Yete, which will be performed on Thursdays starting June 6, at Beyond the Stars Palace in Glendale.

Berberian is a master of finding the comedy in personal, social, and cultural topics– in this case, he finds the humor in anxiety.

Yete is Berberian’s fifth monologue after Yevayln, Nayev, Dagaveen, and Sagayn. Following 20 sold out shows in Los Angeles, his Sagayn tour took him to Yerevan, Beirut, Istanbul, Paris, Sydney, Cyprus, Geneva and a dozen other cities.

Four years have passed since Sagayn and Berberian is thrilled about his new monologue. “I love writing, painting and directing, but being alone on that stage is a completely different sensation. I feel empowered, because there’s nothing more difficult than getting up on a stage and trying to make people laugh for an hour and a half. If you fail, you can’t blame anyone else for your failure and you’ll be crushed, but if you succeed, you feel exhilarated,” says Berberian.

As in previous shows, the audience can sit comfortably around tables while mingling and enjoying a cocktail or two from the bar. Considering that its first-come, first -served seating, guests should arrive before doors open at 7:30 p.m.

Beyond the Stars Palace is located at 4171/2 N. Brand Blvd. Glendale, CA. Grab a drink at 7:30 p.m. and laugh at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $40. For reservations please call (818)667-7993 or visit www.itsmyseat.com/yete

ANCA-WR 2012 interns with former State Assemblymember Anthony Protantino

GLENDALE—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region announced Wednesday the opening of the application period for the ANCA Western Region 2013 Summer Internship Program. Interested individuals may apply online at www.ancawr.org/internship by the June 7 deadline.

“The ANCA-WR internship provided me with an introduction to the conduct and responsibilities that are expected in the professional work atmosphere and exposed me to the inner workings of politics at the grassroots level. It was a very rewarding experience, and I made lasting friendships with my fellow goal-oriented interns,” stated former ANCA-WR Intern, Aram Hovasapian.

During the 10 week program, interns will gain experience in non-profit management, government affairs, community organizing and education, communication, media, and planning and executing events. In addition to individual and joint projects, interns will participate in workshops featuring a variety of guest speakers including public officials, ANCA leadership, and specialists from the community. In successfully completing all internship program requirements, participants may receive school credit.

Applicants must be between the ages of 17 and 23 and be able to dedicate 30 hours per week to the program. The 2013 Summer Session will commence on June 17, 2013 and will run through August 23, 2013. Applications must be submitted electronically by Friday, June 7, 2013, 5:00pm to be considered.

For more information about the 2013 Summer Session of the ANCA Western Region Internship Program, please e-mail the program coordinator at elen@ancawr.org or call 818.500.1918.

To read about some of the experiences and reflections of former interns, visithttp://ancawr.wordpress.com.

Established in Summer 2006, the ANCA Western Region Internship Program is a selective part-time leadership program, which introduces high school seniors, college students, and recent college graduates to all aspects of the public affairs arena. The program provides an opportunity for student leaders and activists to gain an in-depth understanding of the American political system, Armenian-American issues and advocacy efforts on the local, state and federal levels.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Hrank Dink's body in front of the Agos newspaper offices in January 2007

ISTANBUL—A Turkish High Court on Wednesday ruled that the murder of Hrant Dink in 2007 was a crime committed by an armed criminal organization and not an act by individuals, reported Hurriyet Daily News.

The ruling opened the way for the retrial of suspects on charges related to the formation of an armed crime organization. The court stated that the “organization” was formed “with the purpose of committing a crime.”

However, Dink’s legal team will object to the decision that defines the current formation as “an organization formed to commit crimes” instead of an “armed terrorist organization,” according to lawyer Bahri Belen, who told the Hürriyet Daily News that the decision failed to note the suspects’ political motivations.

“The Supreme Court says there is an organization, but not of a political nature,” Belen said. “It is important to define the organization. The Supreme Court decision holds murder similar to a debt and checks gang, whereas there is a long process that starts with the McDonalds bombing to the Dink murder. The legal definition is wrong, since this is an act of terror, committed not by an ordinary criminal organization, but by a political organization.”

The court decision points at a contract for the crime rather than an organization, Deputy Parliament member Bekir Bozdağ said during an Ankara meeting.

Yasin Hayal, who was convicted of instigating the Dink murder, was also convicted of detonating a bomb outside a Trabzon McDonalds in 2004.

Belen said the upcoming new legal procedures following their objection and additional indictments would proceed faster than the initial stages.

The court also decided to hear a case into accusations that Hayal threatened Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, in addition to overturning his conviction of membership in a criminal organization.

The acquittal of Hayal’s brother, Osman Hayal, on charges of aiding murder was also overturned due to incomplete investigations, according to the court.

The court also overruled six charges against Erhan Tuncel for deliberately inflicting injury in the Trabzon bombing, demanding the increased charge of attempted murder. Tuncel was also tried in the Dink murder as a suspected instigator and was also employed by Engin Dinç, who was later called on to testify during the Dink murder trial.

The court also overruled acquittals for Silah Hacısalihoğlu, Zerney Abidin Yavuz and Tuncay Uzundal on charges related to membership in an armed terror organization, while approving a sentence against Ahmet İskender for aiding murder.

Dink was assassinated in Istanbul in January 2007 by Ogün Samast, a 17-year old Turkish nationalist, in front of the offices of Agos, the weekly for which he was the editor-in-chief.

After two years of proceedings, Samast was convicted on July 25, 2011, of premeditated murder and illegal possession of a firearm by Istanbul’s Juvenile Court for Serious Crimes and sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison. Following a five-year trial, the court ruled on Jan. 17, 2012, that it saw no “deep state” role in the plotting of the assassination, despite serious claims that a number of civil servants were involved.

The desecrated bell tower wall

KOTAYK, Armenia—The eastern wall of a bell tower of a monument dedicated to Artsakh freedom fighters in Proshian village was desecrated Wednesday, reported Yerkir Media.

As relatives and friends of former Proshian mayor Hrach Mouradian, who was murdered last month, approached the monument on his 40th day memorial, they notices the words “The Party is Over” smeared on the wall of the bell tower.

Authorities are investigating the incident to determine who tainted the monument with graffiti. Proshyan’s deputy mayor Vova Sahakian said that the graffiti was done with candle or paraffin and efforts to remove it were unsuccessful since the wax had seeped into the stone.

“We are very angry because many people are wondering at whom was the writing directed. Was it directed to Hrach Mouradian?,” said Sahakian. “This has been written on the military pantheon—a sacred place. I cannot express in words what it means to have the final resting place of our freedom fighters be desecrated.”

The murdered Mayor of Proshian Hrach Mouradian

Artsakh Hero and Armenian Revolutionary Federation member Hratch Mouradian, the mayor of the village of Proshian was gunned down in front of his office on April 2.

Two days later Armenian police announced that two people were arrested in connection with murder. Brothers Artak Petrosian and Arayik Petrosian, both residents of Proshian, were arrested with one of them subsequently being released.

Mouradian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and an Artsakh War hero was reportedly gunned down as he was headed to his office on April 2 and suffered injuries to his right temple.

Mouradian had an exemplary career from the onset of the Karabakh liberation movement until its end. He was awarded the Military Cross and several medals for his service to his country and heroism on the battlefield in Artsakh.

The ARF Supreme Council of Armenia on Wednesday issued an announcement condemning the vandalism and demanded that law enforcement agencies immediately identify the culprits, as well as those responsible for Mouradian’s murder.

Second Act of Vandalism
The people of Proshian had barely coped with the desecration of the memorial monument when a store owner in the village center reported graffiti spray painted on one of its walls with a “sexual slur” directed at Mouradian.

“The investigative bodies are saying that it’s not clear what has happened, but I have read it personally. The ‘sexual slur’ was directed at a specific person,” said Sahakian.

Law enforcement bodies have launched an investigation and have questioned several residents. The graffiti on the store wall has been removed and tagged by police. The law enforcement officials pledged that all measures were being taken to get to the bottom of the incidents.

“The situation [in Proshian] is very tense. It’s very explosive,” said Sahakian.

A scene from the Turkic country representatives' meeting

ANKARA—Organizational leaders from member countries of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States met in Ankara and signed a joint action strategy agreement to coordinate activities, reported the Azeri Trend news agency on Wednesday.

The second such gathering, the meeting was chaired by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, who is charged with representing Turks living abroad, was attended by the heads of Turkic organizations in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee, Valekh Hajiyev, represented Azerbaijan at the meeting.

The meeting stressed the importance of a “Strategy of joint activities of ‘Diaspora’ organizations of Turkic states”. The head of the Department for Turks abroad and related communities Kemal Yurtnac highlighted the importance of the meeting claiming that its results will become apparent in the coming years.

“In particular, we believe it is very important to take this step along with all the Turkic countries. I believe that Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan will join us,” Yurtnac said.

In his speech, Valekh Hajiyev stressed the importance of combining the Turkic peoples as one “diaspora” to solve “problems of the Turkic world.”

Joint activities of the peoples will give them confidence, contribute to their promotion and help the Turkic peoples to take a different position in the future.

Hajiyev said the first Forum of Heads of Diaspora Organizations of Member Countries of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States was held in Baku as Azerbaijan also considers the issue important.

Bozdag, stressing the importance of the meeting, said the joint activities of communities abroad play an important role in resolution of many problems.

He noted that the Turkic Republics should make inter-republic relations productive, calling to base the joint work on a common culture.

“As a government, we will do our best to support the work in this direction,” Bozdag said.

Then, the member countries of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States signed a joint actions strategy agreement.

The program of the first Forum of Heads of Diaspora Organizations of Member Countries of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, which will be held on June 21 in Baku, was also discussed within the meeting. It was decided that the panel discussions in three directions – America, Canada; Europe; Asia and the CIS will be organized within the forum along with the general session.

Diasporan repatriate Babken Der Grigorian watches the vote counting process after the polls close (Photo by Eric Grigorian)

BY SARA ANJARGOLIAN AND URSULA KAZARIAN
Photos by Eric Grigorian

As reports of irregularities during the Yerevan municipal election continue to make headlines in the media, members of a joint local-Diaspora monitoring team, which exceeded 100 people, are nevertheless optimistic about the level of engagement and partnership between local organizations and Diaspora resources.

The effort, which was the first of its kind, encouraged local monitors and provided a unique avenue of engagement for Diasporans. From the opening of the polls at 8 a.m. to the end of the vote count, which stretched well past midnight at many precincts, Diasporans stood alongside local monitors to deter fraud and to record any irregularities.

Each two-member team was equipped with video cameras and trained in their legal right under the Armenian Electoral Code to photograph and make video recordings. Specifically, the Diaspora team chose to deploy its monitors to what have become recognized as Yerevan’s “hot spots,” in District 7 (Sebastia-Malatia) and District 13 (Nubarashen), both of which are known to be heavily influenced and controlled by local oligarchs.

Violations reported across precincts
Observed violations included threats of physical harm and damage to property; routine dismissal by election commission members of violations observed and reported by monitors; what appeared to be premeditated and organized chaos, aided by commission members, with the apparent intent to distract observers and/or to infringe on their right to film and photograph the proceedings; and an overwhelming number of “helpers,” or people designated to assist those who may be physically unable to vote alone.

“Helpers” are allowed under the Armenian Electoral Code; however, according to many local and Diasporan monitors, most of these “helpers” were not occasional individuals helping family members or friends, but instead arrived in parallel with busloads of mostly elderly voters as part of what appeared to be an orchestrated strategy.

Diasporan repatriate Babken Der Grigorian, who was monitoring polling station 7/15 with his partner Paola Guevara, reported that more than 70 “helpers” were registered to escort blind, disabled, or otherwise infirm voters at his polling place.

At Precinct 7/28, where Diasporan repatriates Pedro Zarokian and Armen Kupelian were stationed, individuals registered as “observers” under shell NGOs caused ongoing commotion and often obstructed the legitimate monitors’ ability to record violations, some of which were committed by the precinct’s electoral commission chair. Zarokian also reported voter intimidation, which included roving gangs of men who congregated in front of the polling station and seemed to be responsible for “delivering” votes.

New form of Diasporan involvement?
Despite a long day full of these challenges, most Diasporans involved in the monitoring mission felt inspired and energized by the experience. Such was the case for repatriates Nairi Hakhverdi and Paula Der Matoian, who were stationed together at Precinct 7/14 and managed to capture some of the chaos that took place inside the precinct on video. After the polls closed, Hakhverdi remarked, “I can honestly say that we made a difference at our polling station. Simply getting the chairman to comply with the electoral code was enough to keep fraudsters on their toes. We couldn’t prevent suspicious voting completely, but we certainly got proxies and commission members sweating!”

Diasporan Rouben Galichian, who was deployed to Precinct 7/18, shared a similar sentiment: “I enjoyed it and think that our presence, badges, and the cameras did affect the voters’ and the committee members’ attitude and behavior. They all seemed to be more careful and on their toes. I will happily do it again.”

Harut Sassounian

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

The U.S. Supreme Court asked the Obama Administration last October if it should review a Federal Appeals Court decision that had struck down a California law (Section 354.4) extending the statute of limitations on Armenian Genocide-era life insurance claims.

The U.S. Solicitor General, the lawyer representing the United States government before the Supreme Court, filed a response last week. He urged the Supreme Court not to hear the appeal, and let stand the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the California law “impermissibly” intruded into the federal government’s foreign relations powers.

Given Pres. Obama’s disappointing record of kowtowing to Turkey, particularly on Armenian Genocide issues, it is not surprising that the Administration’s brief went far beyond the question whether the Supreme Court should hear the appeal.

The U.S. Solicitor General erroneously claimed that:

– Contrary to the assertion of Armenian litigants, “California was not acting within an area of its traditional competence,” i.e., insurance regulation.

– The California law “intrudes upon substantial foreign affairs powers” of the federal government and leads to judgments “based on politically contentious events that occurred in the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago”;

– Beyond simply intruding, this law would “disturb foreign relations” with Turkey. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had opposed congressional resolutions on the Armenian Genocide, alleging that such measures would “undermine efforts to encourage improved relations between Armenia and Turkey”;

– Section 354.4 “would impermissibly intrude upon the federal foreign affairs power” in an area where the United States “acted in the post-World War I era to resolve certain claims by American citizens” through the Ankara Agreement (Oct. 25, 1934), American Treaty of Lausanne (August 6, 1923), and Treaty of Berlin and Claims Agreement (Aug. 10, 1922).

Several rebuttals are in order to the Solicitor’s General’s misguided and politically-motivated arguments:

– The California law does not intrude on the federal government’s foreign affairs powers as it simply attempts to regulate the obligations of insurance companies, an area of state competence and jurisdiction. This law provides an opportunity to right a historic wrong by forcing insurance companies to make long overdue payments to heirs of their deceased clients;

– German insurance companies are the defendants in this case, not Turkey, even though the latter filed a brief opposing the lawsuit. Remarkably, the Solicitor General’s brief mirrors some of the arguments advanced by Turkey.

– The Solicitor General selectively cites the opposition of Clinton and Bush administrations to congressional resolutions on the Armenian Genocide, ignoring the long-standing U.S. record on genocide recognition, including resolutions adopted by the House of Representatives in 1975 and 1984, Pres. Reagan’s Presidential Proclamation of 1981, and U.S. Government’s 1951 written statement to the International Court of Justice (World Court) acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.

– All three treaties/agreements cited by the Solicitor General are unrelated to the subject matter of this lawsuit. The Ankara Agreement and the American Treaty of Lausanne involve the Republic of Turkey, not German insurance companies. Also, the American Treaty of Lausanne lacks any legal standing as a non-ratified treaty. The Solicitor General undermines his own position by acknowledging that the California law “does not expressly conflict with the Ankara Agreement, the American Treaty of Lausanne, or the Treaty of Berlin and Claims Agreement,” which “addressed only the claims of those who were U.S. citizens at the time of World War I, not those who became U.S citizens after the war had concluded.”

The Solicitor General’s “legal opinion,” besides being flawed on all counts, is more of a political statement that deprives American citizens of their right to insurance claims.

One would hope that the Supreme Court will ignore the Solicitor General’s brief, and agree to hear the case, even though the chances are slim, because the Court accepts only a small percentage of cases submitted to it.

The Solicitor General’s overreaching arguments, if unchallenged, would have a chilling effect on all future genocide restitution efforts, particularly on the eve of the Armenian Genocide Centennial!

Armenian-American community leaders should take all possible measures to counter the Solicitor General’s politically-motivated arguments, by cutting all ties with the Obama Administration, organizing protests at presidential appearances, seeking congressional intervention to establish a federal commission for genocide restitution similar to that of the Holocaust, and amending Section 354.4 of the California law to circumvent the presented objections, no matter how flimsy. Moreover, the Armenian government should immediately withdraw its signature from the Armenia-Turkey Protocols which are repeatedly cited by the White House and U.S. courts as a pretext for opposing Armenian Genocide-related efforts, under the guise of wanting not to undermine Armenia-Turkey relations, which are non-existent!

It is now crystal clear that Pres. Obama’s deceptive use of ‘Meds Yeghern’ in his annual commemorative statements does not amount to an acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide, contrary to the gleeful pronouncements of some gullible souls.

Finally, the Armenian-American community should reconsider its strategy of seeking genocide acknowledgment through congressional resolutions which are not only unnecessary, but counter-productive, as these unsuccessful attempts undermine previously adopted resolutions and cast doubt on the long-established U.S. record of Armenian Genocide recognition.

John Choi

HOLLYWOOD—The Armenian National Committee of America—Hollywood announced its endorsement of John Choi for the District 13 Los Angeles City Council.  The ANCA-Hollywood encourages the large and influential Armenian American community in District 13 to vote for John Choi on Election Day, May 21.

“John Choi is an exceptionally qualified candidate and a staunch supporter of the Armenian American community,” remarks Lara Yeretsian, ANCA-Hollywood Board Member. She continues, “if elected, Mr. Choi will be a strong ally in the Los Angeles City Council, working with the ANCA-Hollywood on advocating issues of critical importance to the Armenian American community.” Every Armenian American vote for Choi on May 21 will be critical to his being elected as the next City Councilman for District 13.

City Council District 13 includes part or all of the neighborhoods of Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, Virgil Village, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Temple-Beverly, Koreatown, Historic Filipinotown, Westlake, Wilshire Center, Melrose Hill, Echo Park, Elysian Valley, Atwater Village, and Glassell Park.

The ANCA-Hollywood team urges all Armenian Americans to participate in this city-wide election. It is important to take part in the election of the next mayor of LA as well as the city council and other open seats in the City of Los Angeles.

The ANCA-Hollywood Chapter promotes greater understanding of issues of concern to the area’s Armenian American promotes greater understanding of issues of concern to the area’s Armenian American community and strives to increase Armenian American civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.

Sose Thomassian and Allen Yekikian

BY NORA YACOUBIAN

Sose and Allen were not of our world as we know it.

There are those who drift in and out of our lives with such ease, such grace and leave us with an undying love for them as well as their cause and struggle.

They are quiet in their passion, but perseverant in their fight.

They are surrounded by love, loyalty and solidarity.

They are kind, empathetic, and possess an insatiable zest for life. They embrace beauty in its simplest forms.

They are our “moral compass.”

They are vibrant, energized, and challenge us far beyond our own expectations.

Together, they did great work and always remained humble and modest.

Her smile radiant, genuine, exuding all that is pure and good in the world, her eyes shining with the excitement of what tomorrow may bring.
She was his Juliet, yet at the same time, his Joan of Arc!

Allen was her Romeo, her Prince, steadfast, ready to conquer and bring about change for a brighter tomorrow for our people and the coming generations.

Never have two people, united through love, so effectively touched our lives.

Never have two people etched their spirit into each one of our hearts.

Today, we grieve, unable to absorb our monumental loss.

Tomorrow, we will join hands with our brothers and sisters, of all ages, from all over, to celebrate and embrace their dreams and aspirations for a better Homeland,
a more productive Diaspora, and a determined youth that that will change the course of destiny.

Sose and Allen will be at the helm, guiding us, along with all the unsung heroes in this endeavor.

We will continue to journey on the path they paved with love, respect and truth.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank the families for giving us Sose and Allen.

They are my heroes…they are our heroes.

Novorossiisk pipeline

Russia says Azeris not shipping enough oil

MOSCOW (Reuters)—Russia has terminated a contract to pump Azeri oil across its territory, ending a 16-year intergovernmental agreement, because Azerbaijan has not been shipping the agreed quantities, Moscow said in a decree.

The contract, signed in 1996, allowed Azerbaijan to pump oil through a 1,330-km pipeline from the Azeri capital of Baku to Novorossiisk, a port on Russia’s Black Sea coast.

Under the agreement, Azerbaijan guaranteed to ship no less than 5.0 million tonnes a year by 2002 through the pipeline, but it now pumps around 2 million tonnes annually.

Russian oil pipeline company Transneft, which operates the Russian section of the route and has a separate commercial contract with Azerbaijan, said deliveries of Azeri oil would not be affected this year, but its terms of transit could change substantially from 2014.

“Until the end of the year an agreement on oil transportation is in place, and I think we’ll stick to it,” state-owned Transneft’s spokesman Igor Demin said.

The decree to terminate the intergovernmental pipeline contract, signed by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on May 5, was released on Tuesday.

A source at Azerbaijan’s state oil firm SOCAR said it had not yet received formal notification from Russia’s foreign ministry and oil shipments through the pipeline continued.

The majority of Azeri oil is exported through Turkey or Georgian ports on the Black Sea, with only a relatively small amount passing through Russia.

Demin said Transneft had been looking at changing its tariffs on the pipeline since the start of 2013. “From January we will calculate the tariff based on real rates.”

Russia might propose a new contract to Azerbaijan based on a “pump or pay” principle, he said.

The 1996 agreement between Baku and Moscow gave a fixed rate for the pumping of Azeri oil to Novorossiisk and for annual transport volumes, but Azerbaijan has not met the terms and underuses the Russian pipeline, Transneft said.

Bedig Tashjian

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western US Central Committee would like to announce the passing of one its members, Unger Bedig Tashjian, which took place on Friday, May 10, 2013. Unger Bedig Tashjian, in the past, served on the  ARF Western Region Central Committee.

Unger Allen Yekikian

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Shant Student Association would like announce the untimely passing of one its members, Unger Allen Yekikian, who died on Friday, May 10, 2013, along with his wife Sose Thomassian in a car accident en-route to Georgia from Armenia.

Pan-Armenian Environmental Front

YEREVAN—The Canadian “Deno Gold Mining Company” filed a slander lawsuit against Armenian environmental activist Yeghia Nersesian The company claims that in December of 2012, during a meeting with the Armenian community in the USA, Mr. Nersesian announced that Deno Gold Mining Company applied electric shock to miners^_[1].

However, the company denies the allegation and has gone to court seeking a refutation of the slanderous charges which it claims tarnishes its “good” reputation. The Armenian press has covered the Deno Gold Mining Company on numerous occasions, thus allowing us to get an insight as to the company’s activities and to gauge the extent as to how really “good” that reputation is.

Deno Gold Mining is one of the subsidiaries of Dundee Precious Metals Inc., a Canadian-based international mining company. The company was established in 2004, in the Syunik Province town of Kapan. In the official web page of Dundee Precious Metals ^[2] the company’s operating principles are clearly marked – transparency, respect of human dignity, safe working conditions, environmental responsibility, etc. Similar values are indicated in the web pages of almost all mining companies. However, these values are not demonstrated in Armenia and other countries like it, which have essentially become raw material sources for other countries. Deno Gold Mining is no exception to this rule, and has repeatedly violated and continues to violate the above-mentioned values. This is evidenced by numerous press publications, which we would like to refer to in sequence.

Environmental issues
In its stated principles, Dundee Precious Metals mentions that it has undertaken certain environmental obligations which stipulate environmentally friendly operational activities. However, the facts show that “Deno Gold Mining” does not fulfill its environmental obligations or either does so at an extreme minimum level. For example, the company’s Geghanush tailings dump has experienced a number of break downs^[3]. According to studies, on November 15^[4] and December 1 of 2012^[5] considerable environmental damage was caused to the surrounding land and water resources (the damage was estimated respectively at 2.280 million AMD and 2,000,048 AMD).

In fact, residents of the community initially opposed the construction of the tailings dump^[6]. However it was built, thus violating the right of residents to participate in a decision making process that would affect them.

Moreover, the company initially claimed that the Geghanush tailings dump project had been designed by incorporating the best of international experience, and that therefore, the impact of the dump on the environment had been reduced to a minimum. Two accidents that occurred in the tailings dump prove the opposite. In 2013, according to the report drafted by RA National Bureau of Expertise, SNCO, the piping system of the Geghanush tailings dump was constructed on the old dump, that violations were made, and that it doesn’t comply with the original blueprints. Funding was made through a $4 million credit instrument of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)^[7] . If there are deviations in the design and construction, and accidents are being recorded in the tailings dump, hence the funding failed to achieve its objective. Last, but not least, the environment and the residents of the community are not protected against future accidents.

In a 2007 environmental audit of the “Deno Gold Mining” CJSC, a number of violations in the mining sector were uncovered. According to the Syunik Regional Environmental Inspectorate, the fines for the violations exceeded 300 million AMD; that’s to say that 550 kg of gold were misappropriated^[8].

In 2008, the company was subjected to a double audit by the RA Ministry of Environmental Protection of RA double audit. As a result, the fines levied in 2007 were reduced by almost 20 fold to 12 million AMD; that’s to say that 50 kg of gold were misappropriated. Mining expert Samvel Gasparyan, a member of the first inspection commission who detected the above mentioned violations, was not included in the inspection commission during the double audit in 2008 and the contract with him was terminated[9].

Hence, reasonable doubts arise that there are corruption risks in the activities of Armenian officials. And the irresponsible operations of mining companies leads to the fact that the organization damages the environment and then avoids full liability. Thus we rightly ask – Did the Canadian company assume environmental responsibility with the intent to only partially implement them, without compensating for the damage caused to the environment and people, via a tacit agreement with corrupted officials?

In addition, scientific studies of the RA National Academy of Sciences’ Center for Ecological Noosphere Studies also shows that as a result of the activities of Deno Gold, the Kapan community and surrounding communities have been polluted by heavy metals and toxic elements. However, the company has not taken any steps to eliminate the damage^[10].

Moreover, due to the exploitation by the company of the Shahumyan poly-metallic gold mine, it is being impossible to live and to be engaged in agricultural activities in that area. But the complaints of the residents remain unanswered^[11].

Respect of a man’s labor
In its stated values, Dundee Precious Metals notes its respect of a man’s labor and career development, the importance of honesty in communication with partners, and finding solutions which will respect the needs of the people and corporate interests. However, since 2009 Deno Gold has experienced periodic waves of protests and strikes lasting days on end. The reasons for the unrest are unpaid salaries for night shifts and dangerous work, employee layoffs and low wages. Moreover, strikes and complaints are followed by unjustified terminations which trigger new waves of protest^[12]. Most of the workers fired are those who have participated in the strikes and have demanded the restoration of their violated rights^[13].

As of 2011, according to the data, the company owes its employees 11 million AMD just for night shift payments per month. Hence, it has an annual debt of 264 million AMD just for night shift payments, which accumulated due to the incorrect application of the law^[14].

Many of the workers were able to receive their salaries only by court order^[15].

It was only in the spring of 2011 that Deno Gold Mining fully paid its former and current employees for their 2005-2007 unpaid night shifts.^[16]. One court case vividly illustrates the extent to which Deno Gold Mining takes care of the health and the protection of the rights of its employees.

The company had fired one employee who fell sick due to working in the mine, thus avoiding transferring him to another workplace more appropriate to his state of health and refusing to cover medical treatment costs. The employee was forced to file a lawsuit against the company. Only then was he able to restore his right to work and receive medical treatment^[17].

Operational Transparency
The company indicates that it works transparently and openly with its employees and partners. However, it mostly does not bring forward legitimate arguments for dismissing its employees. Besides, a significant violation of a transparent work-style is that Deno Gold Mining repeatedly refuses or avoids providing information about its activities, which directly relates to the health of the residents of the RA and environmental problems. The media has repeatedly mentioned that they are not provided with the results of the environmental audits of 2007-2009.

Environmental organizations have also applied to “Deno Gold Mining” in order to obtain the copies of environmental audit acts implemented to date and inquiries have been sent to find out whether the employees have medical insurance, what kind of medical examinations the workers undergo, what kind of diseases were discovered, etc.

In fact, “hetq.am” online newspaper notes that they have a document at their disposal where the results of another audit conducted in 2010 are marked. According to this audit the following amounts were not calculated in the reports of the first quarter; Zn-152.20 t, Pb-22.7 t, Au – 38.81 kg, Ag -100 kg. Deno Gold Mining was fined 250 million AMD for the uncovered violations. Today, however, there is no such legal indictment and the Ministry did not note this audit in its reply to Hetq Online. Where did this indictment disappear and what kind of transparency and accountability can we speak about?^[18]

But many of the inquiries remain unanswered to this day. During a recently organized conference, the company’s newly appointed director Hrach Jabrayan publicly announced that he is not going to provide environmental activists with any information about their activities because “they have offended him”^[19]. This merely goes to prove that the company is not working openly and transparently.

Safety at issue
The company also points out that the health and safety of their employees is of paramount importance in their system of values and that there can be no question about the safety of workers. But unfortunately, a number of deaths have been recorded in the Deno Gold mine. There are at least 6 deaths recorded by the Armenian press that occurred in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011.^[20] We are aware of the investigation results of only one of these deaths. According to the results, a number of mandated working conditions have not been met, which could lead to these accidents, although not being the direct causes of them^[21] . The question is, which are the security guarantees which cannot be subject to further discussion and which should protect the lives, health and safety of the employees of the company. Do employees in fact have life insurance contracts? By the way, on the official Dundee Precious Metals website, only one death at Deno Gold Mining Company has been listed^[22]. What answer has Deno Gold Mining Company given concerning all the deaths mentioned in the media? What are the causes of the deaths of these employees? Why has the company failed to provide any public explanation to date?

Community and social projects
It’s hard not to share the belief of Dundee Precious Metals Company that companies must strive to create better living conditions for the residents of the community where they operate and to make further investments in this matter if needed. But as a result of Deno Mining Company’s operations, a lot of people have either left their place of residence or have been evacuated. But the question arises, how does the company envisage helping the community and making it a better place for living? Is evacuating residents from their homes the best solution they have got?

A lawsuit against an environmental activist and a new project on exploitation of mines

Deno Gold Mining Company has repeatedly violated the rights of its employees. Its operations have damaged the environment and caused injury to people’s health. It has not ensured the safety of the tailings mine that was being exploited. To date, no information requested by the public has been provided. Despite all of this, the company still has plans to openly exploit the Shahumyan gold mine, even when there are numerous professional arguments against it^[23]. It’s true that the company denies the rumors of ever using electric shock on its workers and is trying to regain its “good reputation” through a lawsuit. However, it must be pointed out that this information has appeared in the media long before Yeghia Nersesian’s speech. According to the periodical Syunyats Yerkir, former Deno Gold Mining Company General Manager Robert Faletta was willing to subject disobedient miners to electric shock. According to the periodical, “the owner of the company has been informed about it a little bit late, which caused it to become a subject of special consideration”^[24].

In April 2012, one of the environmental activists, Mariam Sukhudyan, had pointed this out during an interview^[25], but to date the company has not presented a refutation demand. Incidentally, in an article placed on 1in.am, it is noted that “Arajin Lratvakan has been successful in verifying the fact that electric shock equipment had been purchased. But it was not for disobedient workers and had to be used in special cases”^[26]. Now the company denies that they ever purchased electric shock equipment. Probably the news site also had to be summoned for questioning? So shouldn’t the news site be questioned as well and asked to clarify the exact source of this information? One notable fact is that the company general manager Robert Faletta was fired in 2011, after continuous worker strikes and court cases and rumors about the use of electric shock.

The question then arises, why was a lawsuit filed against Yeghia Nersesian and why especially after the speech he had made in the United States? Conclusion can be drawn that Yeghia Nersesian’s speech in the USA enjoyed wider publicity, and Deno Gold Mining Company demands not to tarnish its reputation to have better opportunities to get a 40-million-dollar loan for exploiting a new mine. However, many citizens are skeptical about its statements because they have already witnessed serious contradictions between the values proclaimed by Deno Gold and its actual operating procedure. The good reputation of the company is being tarnished due to its own flaws, violations and lethal activities. Therefore, we have substantial reason to believe that the pressure used against activists seeks to silence the voice of the environmentalists and to implement the company’s next project, which is to exploit an open mine situated only 1.5-2 km away from a residential area.

The Pan-Armenian Environmental Front demands that Deno Gold Mining Company, owned by Dundee Precious Metals, remains committed to its declared values of not causing harm to the environment. They must also adhere to their assumed obligations and respect the rights of the workers and provide them with working conditions that will not endanger their health and lives.

The Pan-Armenian Environmental Front would like to appeal to our compatriots the world over to give voice to their complaints regarding the irresponsible and illegal functioning of German, Canadian, American and Russian companies. We urge our compatriots to follow the operations of all those companies which exploit mines in Armenia and fail to meet their obligations, thus causing harm to the Armenian people and the nature of Armenia. We make this appeal because your direct participation and support in this matter is of crucial importance.

The Pan-Armenian Environmental Front urges the community to join its struggle through any means accepted by the law – appeals, claims, petitions, preparing and publishing complaints, interviews with the media, protests in front of the administrative offices of these companies and other major events. Any lawsuits filed against environmental activists cannot stop us to fight against the eco-colonization of Armenia and for the protection of Armenia’s Mother Nature and for establishing social justice. Through concerted efforts we will be able to put an end to the numerous environmental problems in Armenia much more easily and quickly. Be informed, join, give your support and don’t forget that the protection of the environment is also the protection of Armenia!

President Serzh Sarkisian welcomes his Belarussian counterpart Aleksander Lukashenko

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Belarus is keenly interested in Armenia’s experience in the peaceful use of atomic energy and hopes to receive Armenian technical assistance after constructing its first-ever nuclear plant, President Alexander Lukashenko said during an official visit to Yerevan on Monday.

Lukashenko also called for deepening ties between the two former Soviet republics “in all directions” after meeting with President Serzh Sarkisian for talks that focused on economic issues.

The two leaders presided over the signing of several bilateral agreements. One of them relates to “cooperation and exchange of information” on nuclear safety.

“We are also interested in Armenia’s experience in atomic energy,” Lukashenko told a joint news conference with Sarkisian. “You probably know that Belarus is building its first-ever nuclear power plant. An exchange of information about safe exploitation of nuclear plants as well as new approaches to building energy blocks is of mutual interest.”

“You have serious experience in exploiting such facilities and we hope that Armenia will be able to send at least a dozen good specialists so that they assist us in the initial stages of operating the under-construction nuclear plant,” he said.

Belarus, whose population bore the brunt of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, plans to finish the ongoing construction of two nuclear reactors in 2016 and 2020.

Lukashenko is scheduled to visit on Tuesday Armenia’s nuclear power plant at Metsamor, more than 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. The Soviet-era plant built in the 1970s generates around 40 percent of the country’s electricity.

“I am very pleased to pay yet another visit to friendly Armenia which is an important and very close partner of Belarus in the Transcaucasus,” the long-serving Belarusian leader said. “The development of multi-faceted cooperation with Armenia stems from our long-term foreign policy and economic priorities.”

Lukashenko added in that regard that boosting bilateral commercial links is the chief priority of the two governments. He described as “shameful” the annual volume of Armenian-Belarusian trade, which stood at roughly $60 million last year. “I am confident that our negotiations today here in Armenia will definitely result in the doubling of our commerce in the next 1.5-2 years,” he said.

Sarkisian similarly stressed the importance of the “solid package of documents” signed after their talk. “We expect that they will give the right impetus to the development of bilateral cooperation,” he said.

Lukashenko, who has been ostracized by the West for harshly suppressing dissent in his country, also praised the Armenian authorities’ handling of a recent presidential election and said Sarkisian’s victory in the disputed ballot testifies to the “unconditional trust of the Armenian people.” “We are ready to stand by the realization of your plans in the post-election period,” he declared.

Lukashenko used his latest trip to Armenia to also underline his close personal rapport with Gagik Tsarukian, a wealthy businessman leading the Prosperous Armenia Party. Tsarukian, who has been personally involved in Armenian-Belarusian business projects, was widely expected to be Sarkisian’s main election challenger until unexpectedly dropping out of the presidential race last December. His party has since remained in de facto opposition to the Sarkisian administration.

Lukashenko was greeted by Tsarukian on his arrival at Yerevan airport on Sunday and chose to stay in a guest villa owned by the tycoon during his visit. He will attend on Tuesday the inauguration of a new church built by Tsarukian in Abovian, a town 15 kilometers north of Yerevan. The Armenian president is also due to be present at the ceremony.

American University of Armenia

YEREVAN–The American University of Armenia (AUA) continues to garner overwhelming philanthropic support for its new undergraduate program, set to launch in the Fall of 2013.

Recently, AUA received $50,000 from Dr. and Mrs. Noubar Ouzounian of California and $25,000 from the San Francisco Armenian Professional Society.

AUA will utilize the generous commitment of $50,0000 by Dr. and Mrs. Ouzounian to build a strong foundation for the new Bachelor’s program.

“It is our intention to provide young Armenians the opportunity to obtain a world class education that will prepare them to compete on a global level and build for themselves and their country a brighter future,” said Dr. Ouzounian. “It was through my education at the American University of Beirut that I was able to elevate myself and have a higher standard of living. I would like to provide students in Armenia with the same opportunity through the American University of Armenia.”

The donation of $25,000 from the San Francisco Armenian Professional Society will enable AUA to outfit 5 mobile audio-visual carts to enhance undergraduate classes, lectures, and workshops.

“We believe in what AUA stands for and continue to support its mission for education and professionalism,” said Dr. Agheg Yenikomshian, president of the San Francisco Armenian Professional Society. “Our donation will make a positive difference in supporting the development of higher education in Armenia.”

The new undergraduate program is an unprecedented expansion that will quadruple AUA’s student body over the next five years.

“The university is proud to have supporters such as Dr. and Mrs. Ouzounian and the San Francisco Armenian Professional Society,” said AUA President Dr. Bruce Boghosian. “These gifts will allow AUA to further its mission of providing accessible, high-quality education for the next generation of Armenian professionals while making AUA a destination for international students.”

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.

AUA is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, 985 Atlantic Avenue, #100, Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.

Maria Titizian

BY MARIA TITIZIAN

The news hit me in the gut… “Our beloved Allen is gone, Sose is in a coma.”

…Allen is gone and Sose is in a coma. How can Sose exist, live, breathe without Allen? How can Allen be gone, what does that mean, gone?

Horror in the pit of my stomach, I stand, I walk, I sit again, I cover my face to hide the unspeakable anguish. My husband grabs the computer and reads the heartwrenching news. Then the phone calls, the texts and the final blow, a final cal: “Maria, Sose is gone too.” There’s a deafening silence in my head. Numb, stupor and disbelief.

Gone? Where did they go? But I was just reading their posts on their way to their long-weekend in Georgia. Allen had posted that he was at the Armenian-Georgian border with Sose. We were all getting together Wednesday at Salpi’s for dinner. There had been a flurry of e-mails between friends, jabs, jokes, food to be eaten and stories to be told. What do you mean they’re gone? Sose had promised to bring soup and sing a Tata song, no doubt for Paula’s benefit.

Sitting in the corner of the couch, talking and texting with friends late into that sorrowful night, I kept replaying their wedding in my mind. We had been honored to be a part of it, to witness their oath of love and commitment to one another and to their homeland. Their parents, siblings, and friends had traveled thousands of miles from the U.S. to help realize this dream. They wed at an ancient Armenian church nestled in the mountains and then celebrated and danced late into the night on the shores of Lake Sevan. Vache, Sose’s brother was their best man – and not only. He was their best everything. He was their rock, their confidante, their anchor, their protector, he was an integral part of their connection to each other in a way that no one else could be…The Armenia contingent of «older» friends present at their wedding, Alex, Hambik, Salpi and I watched in wonderment as Vache made sure every detail, every precious moment was executed to their wishes and desires. He was there, present every single second of that joyous occassion. We were awestruck. The three of them were a gift to each other.

Now, Vache, his parents and Allen’s family have to find the way, the faith and the strength and to live without them. So do we all.

Their world, our world has changed inextricably, there’s a little less sunshine in it now.

What is striking for those of us left behind struggling to soften the corners of this bitter blow is the impact that Allen and Sose had which spanned generations and continents. The American University of Armenia, Asbarez Newspaper, Civilitas/Civilnet, ANCA, AYF Youth Corps, ARS, AYF Armenia, Armenia Fund and a number of other organizations posted announcements expressing their condolences and grief over this tragedy. This young couple had been able to leave a legacy in their short lives that the rest of us can only hope to achieve over a lifetime. It speaks volumes about their character, integrity and dedication. They lived and breathed and negotiated the Armenian dream in a way that can’t be formulated into coherent words, not yet at least, the pain is still too raw. And it wasn’t only the repat community in Armenia that was shaken; local news agencies picked up the news, reports were filed, articles are being written about a young Armenian couple, born and raised in foreign lands, who had made the impossible decision to return to the homeland and start a new life. People who didn’t know Allen and Sose personally are grieving alongside those of us who had the privilege of having them be a part of our lives.

A dear friend expressed it the best: “They were the type of magnet people that everyone wants to know and the chaos that ensued after rumors of the accident was star power level. And Sose, well, she was just a girl that liked to bake and wanted to be friends and go shopping for fabric and haggle over fruit prices and try and find a job and teach me how to bake cakes without wheat flour.”

Yes, Allen was just a boy who was determined to leave his imprint on our world, even if he didn’t know he was doing it, and Sose was just a girl whose smile, grace and intelligence was radiant beyond measure.

Two beautiful, young souls who were inseparable in life are now together somewhere else, far from all of us, united in another dimension, united for eternity as they had sworn to be. I don’t know about destiny or heaven for that matter. I don’t know about logic and justice and fairness. I just know that my life and countless other lives were touched by the grace of Allen and Sosse. May their souls repose in peace, may their families, their mothers and fathers especially find the strength to cope with this immeasurable loss and perhaps find consolation in knowing that they raised two spectacular human beings, and for Vache, I know that God will honor his presence in their lives by yet to be discovered adventures. He has two angels now guiding him with their light and the rest of us can honor their short presence in our world by following Allen’s mantra: “While the prudent stand and ponder the fool has already crossed the river.”

Allen and Sose at their wedding

BY ARIS HOVASAPIAN

I turned 30 earlier this year. Many people mark that milestone as the last of their youth, and first of their old age, but to me, it didn’t matter much. I felt the same on my last day at 29 as I did on my first day at 30. I was at work on my birthday; I had no epiphanies, no discoveries, no depression, no sense of impending doom. It was just another day, governed by reason and logic, with no room for silly superstitions, just like the day before and the day after.

I suppose the most difficult aspect of crossing these types of milestones is that one gets that much closer to the end. It’s essentially a reminder of one’s mortality, and the short time we have here on this planet. But that never crossed my mind on my birthday. Logic and reason ruled the day.

I did have one indulgence. I invited some friends to a big dinner for my birthday: my treat. Everyone I invited was local, except for one couple. Even though I knew they wouldn’t be able to make it, I still asked Allen Yekikian and Sosé Thomassian to be there. Allen and Sosé went to Armenia in August to get married, and made the big decision to repatriate a few months later. They had a going-away party on February 1, and were already in Armenia by the time I sent out invitations. Sosé sent me a happy birthday message, and I sent her a message asking if she and Allen would be joining us for dinner, and her reply was to “Skype us in!” I knew she was joking, but now I wish I had. And I wish I had gone to their going-away party, where I justified my absence by the distance I would have had to drive, and because I had been at their wedding in Armenia. I sent them my regrets back then, and we mutually agreed that we would see each other when they came back to visit.

On May 10, Sosé and Allen were driving from Armenia to Georgia, and an auto accident claimed both their lives. I’ve spoken to several friends since finding out about this and it still does not seem real. Even as I write these words, it is as if I am working on a piece of fiction. But it is all too real. My friends are gone. And now the realization sets in that I am mortal, that I have only a short time here, that I must make the most of it. I’ve experienced the passing of family members and family friends, but never of someone that was my friend.

I don’t recall if I met Allen or Sosé first, but I knew them both before they connected with each other. I met both through my activities in the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF). Sosé was in the Orange County chapter, while Allen was in the Crescenta Valley chapter, where I was also a member. Both held various leadership positions, and also worked on centralized committees and programs.

To say that Allen and I did not get along would be a severe understatement. Allen never met a point he couldn’t argue, nor a short sentence he couldn’t turn into a paragraph. Allen and I had myriad spirited discussions, both in meetings and outside, ranging from practical to logistical to theoretical matters. Our arguments would often annoy other members, who would eventually tune us both out. Our personality clashes even spilled over into emails; I recently came across a highly vitriolic exchange between the two of us, and forwarded it to another friend who had tried to mediate the situation at the time. I remember thinking that I should send it to Allen as well, and that he would get a kick out of it now. I wish I had.

Allen and I eventually settled our differences. We were elected to our chapter’s executive, and Allen and I ended up having to ask the third person to resign. The adversity of having to make that request brought us closer together. Allen had also disagreed with me on a major issue in the very beginning of our term, and when it became clear later on that I was right and he had been wrong, it became the first and only time that Allen did not argue his cause. We went on to work very well together for that year, which was a surprise to both of us. We supported each other and believed in each other without question, and our work together in a volunteer organization helped us become friends after that experience.

I was proud to have Allen as a friend and as a member of AYF. I have never seen anyone work as hard as Allen did, even though he was in a leadership position. I have never seen anyone as aggressive and as shameless as Allen was when marketing or promoting something he believes in. His ability to focus was second to none.

Allen was working at Asbarez during this time, but he moved on to a non-profit shortly after. About six months into that job, he was promoted to Chief Technology Officer. He confided in me that he had doubts about being a manager, mainly because he would have people working for him that would know more than he would. I responded angrily because I thought he needed some tough love. I told him he was whining, and that managers always have staff that know more than they do, but that a manager must delegate, and multitask, and answer tough questions, while the workers just do their assigned responsibilities. At the same time, I was convincd that one day, in the future, Allen will call me and offer me a job. I was in awe of how motivated he was, and how driven he was.

Allen eventually grew comfortable in his role, so much so that he sat on a panel for social media at the ANC Grassroots conference in November 2011. I’m certain he participated in other conferences and presentations, but this was about giving back to the community. I was on the organizing committee for the conference, and when I asked Allen to present, he didn’t hesitate or hedge, he only wanted to know when, where, and the email address to send his presentation. I only regret that the conference ran long and he and the panel were forced to condense their presentations.

I got to know Sosé better after she and Allen started dating. Sosé and I connected over TV shows, movies, and food. Combining two of those three, she would constantly tell me that I should watch Top Chef. She would sing its praises, but they would fall on deaf ears. We did talk constantly and obsessively about Lost. She was one of the first people to tell me about The Wire and how amazing it was (she was right about this one). Oddly enough, Sosé and I also talked a lot about fantasy football. She had somehow started playing fantasy football with some coworkers, and kept going for several seasons, so during football season, the first thing we would ask on a Tuesday morning would be if the other person won or lost.

Sosé was as dedicated to the community as Allen was, and their friends and colleagues could see how these two would build on each other’s momentum to move their projects along. Even when they were working on different committees, both would always support each other completely, putting in doing as much work as the other person. When either of them were working on a project, that project’s success was never in doubt.

Perhaps their greatest and best project was planning their wedding in Armenia. The logistics of wedding planning are hard enough when it’s local, but when it’s halfway around the world, it becomes incomprehensible. Sosé would share with amazement her interaction with flower vendors in Armenia, who would be shocked when asked to plan for flower arrangements months in advance. But they also coordinated the travel and lodging for all the friends and family that came out, and even planned a post-wedding tour of Artsakh with their wedding guests. When she found out I was having trouble finding an apartment to rent for my week in Yerevan, Sosé insisted that I stay with them (my guilt was somewhat relieved by the fact that I was the one who found the apartment they eventually rented).

Sosé and Allen were both ecstatic about how the wedding turned out. I don’t remember ever seeing either of them that happy. They were happy to be getting married, and happy that everything went so smoothly and their project was such a success. They were happiest with each other. The wedding was in August 2012.

No one was surprised when they announced that they would be moving to Armenia. The move from Los Angeles (and Orange County, Sosé would insist on its inclusion) to Yerevan is daunting and seems nearly impossible. They both left behind their families and careers to start over in a place that doesn’t have nearly the same opportunities. I was, and still am, envious of their courage to go through with this. Many Diasporans talk about someday moving back to “our ancestral homelands,” but Sosé and Allen actually did it. Unfortunately, unbelievably, in the cruelest twist of fate, their courage and steely resolve were undone by the fragility of the human body.

I will miss my arguments with Allen. I will miss Sosé’s TV and restaurant recommendations. I will miss going to dinner with them and discussing politics and Armenia and all the things that are wrong with the Armenian community. But I will always admire them for their courage, and for their convictions. They knew what they wanted, and they never stopped until they had it. They had a dream, and they lived it. They were my friends, and now they’re gone, but they will always be my heroes.

Armenian Relief Society

GLENDALE—The Armenian Relief Society of Western USA (ARS) mourns the loss of Allen Yekikian and his wife, Sosé Thomassian. The ARS-WUSA Regional Executive would like to extend condolences to their families, and particularly Vaché Thomassian, who has been a former member of the ARS Javakhk Fund Committee.

Allen Yekikian was a former Assistant Editor of Asbarez and director of Communications of AUA, as well as a leader of Armenian Youth Federation. His beloved wife Sosé, was a former member of the AYF Ashod Yergat Chapter of OrangeCounty, and a director of the AYF Youth Corps Program.

Since the whole community is in mourning, the ARS would like to offer some suggestions from the ARS Child, Youth & Family Guidance Center Director, Dr. Ida Karayan, PsyD, LMFT, CBT, followed by psychologists who are ready to provide individual and grief counseling to all those who would like to seek help.

This is a message from Dr. Karayan, a Family, Child and Individual Psychotherapist:

Dear fellow community members and youth,

I am shocked and deeply saddened to hear about the loss of Sosé Thomassian and Allen Yekikian. It is hard to understand why two people so well-loved by the community, so good, and so dedicated to being of service to those around them should be taken away from us, but everything, even this, must a purpose. Please accept my deepest condolences and do not hesitate to contact me if I can help. There is no way around actually feeling the pain of loss, but the following simple suggestions might help:

• Allow yourself to feel the feelings of sadness and loss, as painful as they are.
• Remember that the feelings you are having are moving you toward healing and acceptance.
• Be alone for a while if you need to, but don’t isolate.
• Mourn. Participate in the rituals that we have to help us deal with loss.
• Express your feelings of sadness through talking with others, wearing black, crying, or not crying—in whatever way you express sadness. You can even write about it.
• Allow yourself plenty of time to heal. In time, the intensity of the pain will dissipate, and a warm feeling of love will come to accompany the feelings of loss.
• Remember their legacy, cherish their memories and move forward as they wanted you to do.

To schedule an individual or group grief counseling appointment, please contact:

Dr. Sarkis Arevian, MD or Dr. Armen Goenjian, MD — both Board Certified Psychiatrists
4525 Atherton St., Long Beach, CA90819
Telephone: (562) 961-0155

Dr. Ida Karayan & Dr. Levon Jernazian (PhD, Clinical Psychologist)
1139 N Brand Blvd., Suite C, Glendale, CA91202
Telephone number for Dr. Karayan: (818) 243-9070
Telephone number for Dr. Jernazian: (818) 547-6929

Traditional Armenian wedding was staged at ARS Festival

GLENDALE—Attendees marveled as Armenian culture came alive during the Armenian Relief Society of Western USA’s 12th Annual Cultural & Food Festival held at the Glendale Civic Auditorium from May 4 to 5. Clad in orange t-shirts, ARS members once again assumed all tasks in the organization of this annual event, which attracts thousands of Armenians and non-Armenians alike.

The two-day festival program commenced with ARS school students singing the national anthems. One after another, singers and dance groups performed and provided entertainment for festival-goers. Saturday’s program was MC-ed by Arshalous Darpinyan, followed by ARS “Anahid” Chapter Chairperson Silva Poladian, who MC-ed Sunday’s program.

Beyond the thousands of spectators that gathered, this year’s event attracted visitors including His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, ARS Central Executive Chairperson Vicky Marashlian and Member Annie Kechichian; Congressman Adam Schiff’s Representative Mary Hovaguimian, Glendale City Councilmember Ara Najarian, Member of the Los Angeles County Commission for Women Alice Petrossian; Glendale Unified School District Board Members Nayiri Nahabedian and Dr. Armina Gharpetian; members of the Glendale Commission on the Status of Women Paula Devine and Vatche Tashdjian; representatives of St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church and sister organizations, among countless ARS and community members.

Invigorating performances by popular Armenian singers included Babin Boghossian, Antoine Bezdjian, Gevorg Chakmanyan, Gagik Badalyan, Ara Shahbazian, ARS member Varouhi Shahinian, Vako Nazar, Hayro Sarabian, sisters Roberta and Alla Arevian, and Argentinean singer Eduardo Diamonte. The Knar Band accompanied all performers.

Back-to-back performances by dance groups highlighted the talents of children and young adults. This year, Barekamutiun Int. Dance Studio, Cilicia Dance Group, Davigh Dance Studio, and soloists Gabriella Aghajanian and Gayane Abkaryan were featured. Dance lessons were also offered by Simon Euksuzian.

As in every year, the traditional Armenian wedding, re-enacted by the Vanush Khanamirian Dance School this year, proved to be a continued festival favorite. The merriment of such an occasion was felt by all in attendance, who watched the group’s procession while dressed in traditional Armenian costumes.

Proving to be a festival fun for people of all ages, a special section on the first floor of the auditorium was designated for children. Games were a major draw for youth, who visited different booths, manned by Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School student volunteers, and claimed prizes. A favorite amongst children was also the singer Maggie, who entertained youth with children’s songs.

Alongside cultural displays also on the first floor, lavash bread and string cheese making was demonstrated by ARS members Arsine Aposhian and Osanna Bekarian. Common among festivals, the food and pastries were also a major draw.

“This year, we were proud to have 9 major sponsors. Among these were Anoush Catering, Tazah, Specialty Car Craft Motor Group, Closet World, and Karoun Dairies,” explained Seta Tarpinian, Co-Chairperson of the ARS Regional Festival Committee. She added, “As always, we appreciate the generous support of our sponsors, whose contributions remain vital to carrying out such a large community event.”

The festival drew to an end on Sunday, May 5th at 7 p.m. and surely left fond memories among all its participants.

The ARS of Western USA, established in 1984 and with regional headquarters in Glendale, CA, has 27 chapters and more than 1,500 members in five western states. The ARS-WUSA operates a Social Services Division, a Child, Youth, and Family Guidance Center, and funds numerous youth programs, scholarships and relief efforts.

Paul Chaderjian

BY PAUL CHADERJIAN

On the edge of this multicultural  metropolis, miles shy of the suburban promises of Americana in Orange County, thousands of cars have come to a halt on a massive multilaned interstate in Buena Park. Cars, new and old, foreign and domestic, weave an incomprehensible tale of multicultural harmony in our globalized 21st century.

Inside the inner sanctum of isolated metal boxes on rubber wheels, radios blare the latest sensational headlines. A young Chechen is charged with heinous crimes that morning. The son of a dictator is threatening to make war in the Korean peninsula. Anonymous is shutting down the Internet in protest of unconstitutional reversals of privacy laws.

A Bruno Mars mix sounds from the woofers of a fancy black SUV driven by a young lawyer. A cancer surgeon listens to the Oprah network on Sirius XM broadcasting Dr. Phil’s talk on marginalization and belonging. Meanwhile a traffic reporter in a chopper above tells his TV audience about the Babylonian congestion tying up the southbound lanes.

One of the drivers making his way to an evening dance class keeps checking the digital clock in his Ford Windstar. The 20-year-old is on his weekly journey from North Hollywood to the Forty Martyrs Church complex in Santa Ana, where 40 dance students giddily anticipate their weekly rehearsal.

Donning fashionable, black sunglasses, a tight black t-shirt and black jeans, the young dancer and dance coach is weaving through the pastiche of tongues and histories, languages and ethnicities, tastes and journeys toward an untraditional career for the son of a traditionally conservative people.

Artur Aleksanyan

Artur Aleksanyan is a professional dancer, a rising star in the Armenian world with recognition for his talents from the Israeli, Russian, ballet and modern dance communities.

He’s danced since he learned to walk, performing with Hamazkayin’s renowned Ani Dance Company and in dozens of mainstream American productions like  “The Nutcracker,” “Snow White” and “Peter Pan” across the US and abroad over the past 15 years.

This is how the dancer is bringing his dance, his passion and skills to the kids and teens gathered as part of the Orange County Hamazkayin’s Yeraz dance group, which has inspired its small but tight-knit community for the past ten years.

Artur is teaching back-to-back classes with dancers between the ages of four and 19 as the group prepares for its June 2nd recital featuring various production numbers interwoven through a narrative.

“The story is of a boy who falls asleep after a long day at school and dreams of traveling to Armenia,” explains Artur. “He gets lost along the way and encounters several foreign cultures.”

The main character in the upcoming production heeds the advice of a few friendly gypsy boys, who point him in the right direction.

“The boy spends the remainder of his dream marveling in awe of the stories that the music and movement tell,” says Artur. “This is the first show that I am fully directing, and I am excited and anxious to see the final product.”

Rehearsal Hall
A month earlier, soccer moms have brought their most precious cargo to the Harut Barsamian Armenian Center in extremely large but safe SUVs. It’s midway through Lent, and volunteers are preparing vegan dishes for the “Meechink” meal two days later.

On a card table in the entrance to the hall, Lebanese-Armenian grandmothers on a break from kitchen duty distress exercising their math skills with a game of cards. While they keep track of their cards, they also keep an eye on the young souls milling around and socializing ahead of their class.

Artur is coaching 13-year-old Sofia Sakzlyan as she gracefully moves her hands and fingers over her head to melody titled “Deer of Karabakh.” She’s beckoning the past from a faraway place and recreating the golden age of her ancestors’ culture in a new land, a new stretch of diaspora.

Community organizer and head of the Hamazkayin Siamanto chapter, Shoushig Arslanian, says when the first instructor of the dance group moved to Boston, she “knocked on Ani Dance group’s door, and they were nice enough to send us one of their lead dancers.”

That’s how Artur began his relationship with the Orange County community last September, accepting the challenge of weekly 2-hour roundtrip drives every Monday night and marathon four-hour coaching gig, broken down into 60-minute sessions, individualized by gender and age groups.

“The best part of the experience is seeing the progress,” says Artur. “I do it because it’s a new challenge. I try to not only teach dance but to also teach our culture to our students through the one thing I’m able to communicate best with – dance.”

Passing The Torch
Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance plays loud from speakers connected to Artur’s iPhone. Young boys move to the rapid succession of notes, mimicking a choreography passed down from generation to generation in rooms like this all over the Armenian Diaspora.

8-year-old Armen Andekian moves rapidly across the floor with a sword in his hand. Artur instructs Armen and the other boys to watch one another and keep the proper distance as they move across Ghazarian Hall.

“Seeing the development of mental and physical strength, seeing the smiles after class,” are what Artur says motivate him. “I love to see them push through struggle. “

Artur says while he pushes his students to reach their best potential, he also realizes “not everyone’s born a dancer.” He says he doesn’t expect his students to pursue careers in dance but gains great satisfaction watching them improve artistically, physically and collectively over the previous week’s class.

Choreographing A Future
“I can’t say I was the one to discover a desire to dance,” explains Artur. “That’s a credit I must give to my folks. They signed me up for my first dance class at the age of 3. I guess it was a good parenting move I will forever be grateful for.”

It’s well past nine on another Monday night, and Artur is back in his Windstar on an hour-long drive back to the San Fernando Valley. It’s been an exhausting but gratifying night. He has belted out instructions, made the kids sweat, laugh and celebrate their ancestor’s arts.

He is teaching the kids lessons he’s learned and the disciplines he has acquired along the way, inspiring younger dancers the way the Ani Dance Company has inspired him since 2008.

“I love being part of a group where passion and devotion are eminent,” he says. “My directors, Yeghia Hasholian and Suzy Barseghian-Tarpinian, have been dedicated to keeping a fire lit for the Armenian culture through dance for close to 40 years.”

Artur says for dancers, it’s incredibly gratifying to have the opportunity to be on stage with a company like Ani.

“We don’t just dance,” he says, “we tell stories. We wear the costumes, we step to the rhythm, and we embrace the culture. Representing not just our culture, but our heritage.”

On a freeway that can lead one to any direction that can be punched up on a navigator, to any neighborhood, subculture or no culture at all, Artur has got his route planned.

“I’d like to better myself and improve my craft with further study, he says. “Possibly on the East Coast or overseas. Europe? Perhaps even in my homeland?”

Whichever direction his career takes him, Artur says he intends “to make the absolute best of it.”

And three apples fell from heaven: one for the storyteller, one for him who made him tell it, and one for you the reader.

Paul Chaderjian is a television news producer at the ABC station serving the Hawaiian Islands. He began his career at Horizon Armenian Television and has worked at ABC News in New York as a writer-producer for “World News Now” and as a reporter in Fresno. He served as the Arts & Culture and West Coast Editor of the Armenian Reporter, anchored English-language news at Armenia TV and has hosted the annual Armenia Fund Telethon. He may be reached via atwater@live.com

The honorees during the Ameria and AACC Luncheon

BY ANUSH HOVSEPYAN

How often do we get to celebrate being an achiever? The Armenian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) does so every year.  AACC’s 6th Annual Women in Excellence Luncheon, co-sponsored by Ameria Group, brought together 15 powerful Armenian-American women from all aspects of life and honored them for their extraordinary achievements and contribution to the Armenian community.

This year’s honorees include names such as Union Bank’s VP Sara Citak  Demir, Telemundo’s Director of National Sales Eliz Ghazarian Semerjian, Western Diocese Chair Araxi Boyamian,  Senator Carol Liu’s District Director Talin Mangioglu, AGBU MDS Vartouhy Keshishian-Kojayan and more.

For more than a year now Ameria Group Inc. has been working closely with AACC, as one of the outstanding Diaspora organizations, that has kept together the Armenian-American business community for years.  Alissa Asmarian, the Immediate Past Chair of AACC, says the Chamber of Commerce has been the voice of the Armenian-American businesses and has helped many businesses in the community achieve their full potential: “AACC has been going strong for 13 years now; each year adding new members to the Armenian-American business community and creating mutually beneficial connections.  AACC has gained the respect of both Armenian and non-Armenian businesses.”

Asmarian also stressed the importance of engaging Armenia-based businesses:  “Even though Armenia is only 21 years old as an independent republic, we are proud to see how Armenia’s business world has progressed.  Ameria Group, with headquarters in Armenia, is modeling that very business success possible in Armenia these days. We are proud to see companies, such as Ameria, expand beyond the borders of Armenia and establish powerful presence in the United States working toward building an Investment Bridge between the Diaspora and Armenia.”

AACC’s founder Armen Janian   says, with years of experience at the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, more than a decade ago had a vision to create a similar chamber in order to connect the Armenian-American businesses in benefit of the Armenian community. That is how the Armenian-American Chamber was born. “I started AACC with the main purpose to help Armenia.   In think AACC’s input in representing Armenian businesses from Armenia at International Expos is one of chamber’s major accomplishments.  I always say that people in Armenia and from Armenia are the ones that keep Armenia alive. They are the ones that create companies such as Ameria Group.  They have the intelligence, the knowledge, are financially well-off, know the local mentality and yet follow world-class standards. Ameria has been planting seeds in the diaspora and connecting the diaspora to Armenia through Ameria’s LA office.  Companies like Ameria are the future of Armenia.”

Ameria Group Inc’s CEO Rafi Manoukian says Ameria has been working closely with AACC since Ameria Group’s establishment in California.  Manoukian stated that AACC’s mission is very much in line with Ameria Group Inc’s mission to connect the Diaspora Business Community to Armenia.  “We always attend chamber’s business mixers, informing that Armenia is a great emerging market with promising business opportunities, now open to new franchises. Ameria itself is a great example of business success possible in Armenia; as it has turned $ 100,000 initial investment to more than $ 600 million in assets and has become a leader in Armenia’s financial and advisory services market.” Ameria has been a proud member of AACC since February 2012 when it joined the AACC’s 13th Business Awards, as AACC’s new member and Business Awards co-sponsor.

Ameria Group of Companies is an established financial and advisory services provider based in Armenia. With more than 500 employees, $ 600 million dollars in assets, branches across the country, Ameria is performing the most aggressive development in the Armenian financial and advisory market through a range of financial & advisory services.  Ameria Group is a winner of multiple global financial awards.   It is the only financial institution in the South Caucasus region recognized as a Global Growth Champion in DAVOS World Economic Forum for its exceptional growth and expertise.  The group is renowned in the region with Ameria Legal & Management Advisory, Ameriabank and Ameria Asset Management Company.  As an international pan-Armenian advisory group Ameria has a mission to reach out to Diaspora Armenians worldwide.  Since 2011 Ameria has established a presence in Los Angeles, USA, through Ameria Group Inc. connecting the American Diaspora to Armenia’s promising business & investment opportunities. Ameria’s LA office located in the heart of Glendale is a one-stop resource for all potential investors interested in Armenia and the region.

Sose Thomassian and Allen Yekikian

We mourn the deaths of Asbarez collaborator and former Assistant Editor of the English Section, Allen Yekikian and his wife, Sose Thomassian who were in a car accident on Friday en route from Armenia to Georgia. The entire editorial board, staff and management of Asbarez would like to offer their condolences to the Yekikian and Thomasian families.

Garen Yegparian

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

Since early 2012, we, as Armenians, have been in “elections mode”, especially those of us living in the U.S., and (arguably) more so those of us living in the Los Angeles area. Don’t think so? Here’s a list: the Republic of Armenia’s (RoA) parliamentary elections (Winter 2012), U.S. (presidential/other) Primary Elections (Winter/Spring/Summer 2012), U.S. (presidential/other) General Elections (November 2012), RoA presidential elections (Winter 2013), local elections—primary and general—in the Armenian areas of Los Angeles County (Winter/Spring 2013).

And now, it’s all winding down. The City of Los Angeles will hold its general election on May 21. This involves other cities as well since Los Angeles Unified School and Community College Districts (LAUSD & LACCD) extend beyond the city’s limits. With all this said, here are my recommendations or thoughts about each of the races many readers will be voting in.

The City of LA Mayor’s race is a tough call. On the two major fronts (Armenian and environmental) of importance to me, both Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel have been good. So I’m leaving this one up to you. There are strong supporters of both candidates in our community, and the race itself is currently a dead heat. Do some nosing around, you may find something that for you tips the balance in favor of one or the other. For City Attorney, I’d be voting for Mike Feuer over Carmen Trutanich, though from an Armenian perspective, it’s a close call. For City Controller, the candidates are Ron Galperin and Dennis Zine. I’m more familiar with Zine, who is Lebanese and close to our community. He gets my nod.

Three LA City Council members (Districts 1, 9, and 13) will be elected. These are runoff races, made necessary after the March 5 Primary Election because no candidate got more than 50% of the vote. There’s another seat (District 6, just vacated because that incumbent was elected to Congress), so it is technically a special election, but will probably end up producing a runoff. A sizeable Armenian population will be voting in this race, and my recommendation is Cindy Montanez. For Council District 1, I am going with the Sierra Club’s endorsement of Jose Gardea over Gil Cedillo. In the 9th, I will recommend Ana Cubas over Curren Price, based more than anything on my gut feeling about the candidates based on my reading and listening.

But Council District 13 is the biggie for the Armenian community, since it includes a sizeable portion (but not all thanks to last year’s unfortunate redistricting) of Hollywood. Here, the candidates are John Choi and Mitch O’Farrell. Both candidates have similar positions on the issues. They are both doing heavy outreach to the Armenian community, which is a very good sign. It means our votes are coveted and appreciated. Unfortunately, there has also been some ugliness in this competition. A gun seems to have been pulled by partisans of one camp against the other. There is also constant tension between them as Armenian neighborhoods are canvassed by the staff and volunteers of each campaign. The Sierra Club has endorsed Mitch, but the ANCA, John. In the context of the Armenian community, the ANCA’s choice is better, so I suggest you vote for John Choi.

For the one unresolved LAUSD seat—District 6, I do not have enough information to provide guidance. However, for the LACCD’s Seat 6, I STRONGLY recommend Nancy Pearlman. This is a woman who, despite strong odds against her, managed to get elected to this position. She has been the leading advocate of the green building policies implemented across the nine campuses in the college district, saving money in the long run while doing the right thing. Unfortunately, because of one vote, despite an otherwise stellar record, one of the unions representing some campus employees has targeted her. This is unjust. Please be sure to vote for her.

Of course, it’s not possible to speak of injustice and unpleasantness without transitioning to a discussion of the RoA’s elections. Almost three months later, the Europeans have come out with a report that, as Asbarez reported, gives mixed grades to the conduct of the February presidential election. But, focus on the discussion of the numbers, where Sarkissian is found to have fared far better in the precincts with anomalously high turnouts. Couple this with contemporaneous reports that these same precincts were the ones counted later, and you are left with the very real possibility that we had a stolen presidential election. And more recently, Yerevan’s city council (“Council of elders”) election was marred by irregularities, too. You have no doubt seen the reports of what was done at various polling places—the intimidation, vote buying, the thuggery, abuse of state power, and generally questionable behaviors by the authorities. There is only one way to remedy this—household by household, building by building, neighborhood by neighborhood, precinct by precinct, and finally electoral district by electoral district, the citizenry has to organize itself to elect ITS OWN REPRESENTATIVES, and not the handpicked puppet of some oligarch or government functionary.

With this said, I also must point out that some practices which are being condemned don’t seem so wrong to me. Rather, they are probably just good mobilization practices. The best example of this is the matter of having “lists” of voters. Why not? The trick in any election is to bring to the polls those who will vote the way “my” faction wants. In the same vein, there’s nothing wrong with giving people rides to the polling stations. Where that goes awry is if it’s done with government resources. We have a long way to go, with only one sure path to building a real democratic polity, the one I described above, one by one, grinding, grueling work though it may be. But the good news is, there is a sense I get from the eastern reaches of our homeland that citizens are coming around to saying “enough’s enough” and are starting to act like real citizens.

Don’t forget to vote, vote, vote, and get others to do so as well.

President Obama

WASHINGTON—The Obama Administration urged the Supreme Court not to hear the appeal of the Ninth Circuit’s 2012 decision striking down a California law extending the statute of limitations on Armenian Genocide-era life insurance claims, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“President Obama, rather than filing a brief based on the merits of this case, chose instead – on the eve of Prime Minister Erdogan’s visit to Washington, DC – to send Ankara a political gift by both deepening his Administration’s complicity in the denial of the Armenian Genocide and also obstructing justice for American citizens seeking redress through the U.S. courts,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  “We will, despite the President’s retreat from principle, persevere in pursuit of the justice owed the Armenian nation.”

In a 27-page brief submitted to the Supreme Court earlier today, the U.S. Solicitor General argues that the California law improperly allows courts “to issue judgments based on politically contentious events that occurred in the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago, with no substantial basis to claim that it is regulating in an area of its traditional authority.”

It also makes reference to selective Executive branch opposition to Armenian Genocide legislation, but not the U.S. record of recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a crime of genocide, including:
1. the U.S. Government’s May 28, 1951 written statement to the International Court of Justice regarding the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, in which the “Turkish massacres of Armenians” is cited among other “outstanding examples of the crime of  genocide”
2. President Ronald Reagan’s April 22, 1981 Proclamation number 4838; in which he stated, in part, “like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the Cambodians, which followed it – and like too many other persecutions of too many other people – the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.”

Read the U.S. Government’s brief.

The Supreme Court, which had requested the Administration’s brief in October of 2012, will consider the Solicitor General’s position, along with several “friend of the court” briefs defending the California Armenian Genocide-era life insurance law, including one filed by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.

The case has traveled a long and complex legal path, which has included three separate and conflicting opinions from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the most recent on February 23, 2012. That decision struck down the California law extending the statute of limitations for certain life insurance claims based on an unprecedented expansion of the rarely invoked doctrine of foreign affairs field preemption. In its ruling, the Ninth Circuit invalidated the California law, which was unanimously passed by the legislature, because of Turkish government threats aimed at silencing discussion of the Armenian Genocide in the United States.

Plaintiffs’ petition to the Supreme Court to hear the case was filed by Igor Timofeyev of Paul Hastings, LLP.  Claims for unpaid life insurance policies dating back to the Armenian Genocide were first brought by plaintiffs’ attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan.  Attorneys who have been representing plaintiffs include Lee Crawford Boyd, Rajika Shah, Mark Geragos, and Brian Kabateck.

A series of amicus briefs were filed in support of the plaintiffs’ petition including a filing by U.S. Federal and State legislators, filed by attorneys Mary-Christine Sungaila and Seepan Parseghian at the firm of Snell and Willmer, LLP.

Human rights and public policy groups including  the Armenian Bar Association, Armenian National Committee of America, Zoryan Institute for Contemporary Armenian Research and Documentation, Inc., Genocide Education Project, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Center for the Study of Law & Genocide, and the International Human Rights Clinic of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law also filed an amicus brief and were represented by Bingham McCutchen, LLP, led by partner David Balabanian.

Read the complete set of filings.

Gallipoli

SYDNEY—Turkey has sensationally stated that certain Australian legislators are not welcome to take part in Anzac celebrations in Gallipoli, as a consequence for passing a motion recognizing the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.

Both Houses of the New South Wales State Parliament (Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly) passed motions over the last week, affirming the reality of the 1915 Genocides which Turkey still denies.

In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has released a statement stating that those who were responsible for this motion will “doubtlessly be deprived of the hospitality and friendship” normally extended to Australians.

More specifically, the official statement says: “These persons who try to damage the spirit of Çanakkale/Gallipoli will also not have their place in the Çanakkale ceremonies where we commemorate together our sons lying side by side in our soil.”

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, commemorating the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who lost their lives during World War I after landing in Gallipoli, Turkey on April 25th 1915. Every year, thousands of Australians make a pilgrimage to Gallipoli for commemoration ceremonies.

The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) says that this statement technically means that all members of both Houses of New South Wales Parliament cannot make this pilgrimage, and will not be treated hospitably if they visited Turkey due to this legislation, which affirms the reality of the Armenian Genocide, as well as the Genocides of Assyrians and Greeks.

ANC Australia Executive Director, Vache Kahramanian said: “The Turkish Republic is once again trying to gag a democratic state because of their desire to speak the truth.”

“Turkey has time and time again tried to interfere in the legislative affairs of nations and legislatures who have the moral standing to recognize the heinous crime of genocide.”

“Turkey is attempting to utilize the sacred memory of Gallipoli as a political football. This is a deplorable action and should be condemned by all,” Kahramanian added.

Kahramanian noted that Turkey has had a long history of making such threats against nations who have recognized the Armenian genocide, including France and Canada. None of these threats, which include ceasing trade and diplomatic relations, have ever materialized.

ANC Australia will be meeting with legislators of Australia’s largest state of NSW in coming days, as many are deeply offended at having an ally nation ban elected Australian officials from taking part in Anzac celebrations in Gallipoli, Turkey.

Presidential election observer Narine Esmaeli was assaulted while observing polling

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—The son of an Armenian town mayor will go on trial soon on charges of assaulting an Armenian-American observer in one of the most serious cases of fraud reported during the February 18 presidential election.

The incident took place at a polling station in Artashat, the administrative center of Armenia’s southern Ararat province. Narine Esmaeli, a U.S. citizen of Armenian descent, monitored voting there together with a Yerevan-based observer, representing an Armenian civic group.

The observers say they were attacked by a large group of government loyalists that stuffed hundreds of ballots. Esmaeli has also accused local police officers of bullying her after the incident.

The allegations, picked up by Armenian opposition and civic groups, resulted in the launch of a criminal investigation by the Special Investigative Service (SIS), a law-enforcement agency subordinate to state prosecutors. They also led Armenia’s Constitutional Court to invalidate the official vote results in the troubled Artashat precinct.

In a statement issued this week, the Office of the Prosecutor-General announced that one local man, Sergey Muradian, has been charged with hitting Esmaeli and obstructing her work for vote rigging purposes. The statement said he burst into the polling station together with “a group of individuals” that stuffed the ballots.

Muradian, who works as a staffer at the Armenian parliament and whose father Gagik is Artashat’s current mayor, will face up to five years’ imprisonment if found guilty by court.

The prosecutors’ statement indicated that law-enforcement authorities will look for the other men involved in the fraud parallel to Muradian’s trial.

The SIS came under fire last month after Esmaeli, who arrived in Armenia last year to intern with the local branch of Transparency International, accused it of blackmailing her with intimate photographs that were taken secretly.

The SIS offered a different version of events, saying that it got hold of a more than 5-hour-long footage taken in the bathroom of Esmaeli’s Yerevan apartment. It claimed that the video was sent to the Central Election Commission by the Europe in Law NGO that monitored the presidential election. Both Europe in Law and Transparency International representatives in Armenia strongly denied that.

The SIS and prosecutors pressed charges against the Artashat mayor’s son in the following weeks.

New ACF Center in Encino

Garcetti, Koretz, and Krekorian Lead Effort

ENCINO—On Tuesday, May 7 the Los Angeles City Council voted 10-0  to approve a motion directing the appropriate City Departments to negotiate a long term lease of surplus City property to the Armenian Cultural Foundation. The surplus property known as the former fire station number 83 is located in Encino on Balboa Boulevard, just North of Ventura Boulevard.  The former fire station is slated to be rehabilitated under the direction of the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF), into a thriving community center providing much needed social, educational, youth and senior services to the entire West San Fernando Valley.

The City Council vote was an important first step toward securing the  long term lease to the ACF. After years of effort and close cooperation with the community toward achieving this goal, Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Paul Koretz co-presented a motion that was seconded by Paul Krekorian. All three elected officials played a crucial role in securing the property. Paul Koretz and his staff, whose district encompasses Encino  provided the local foundational support in identifying a viable property suiting the needs of a community center. Eric Garcetti, who has been a long standing advocate of the Armenian American Community both in his home district and within greater Los Angeles, provided the crucial support on the City Council to push the issue toward a timely vote. Paul Krekorian provided the vital logistical support within the city’s offices and departments to make the vote a possibility. Finally, all three elected officials worked together to ensure a swift unanimous vote on the City Council earlier this week.

With this lease the City will transform this neglected surplus property  which for the last six years has served as an eye-sore and nuisance to the local community into a productive community center saving the city significant maintenance costs. In the last six years despite regular maintenance to the facility, the structure had become attractive to squatters and vandals  raising additional public safety concerns and costs. Additionally, City Services had often been dispatched to clean graffiti from its exterior walls, sticking out in a relatively quiet residential area that is in close proximity to an elementary school and the Encino Park. After learning of the potential plans to rehabilitate the property, local residents have expressed their support, citing the problems the property has experienced in recent years.

Encino ACF representative Zohrab Kahwedjian stated “The background work that led to Tuesday’s successful vote was the culmination of nearly a four-year process. The ACF worked hand in hand with Councilmen Eric Garcetti and Paul Koretz to begin the arduous process of developing a public-private partnership between the City and the ACF chapter of Encino.”

When the opportunity to partner with the ACF and build a community center was presented, Councilman Paul Koretz recognized its potential which would provide vital services to the community. Importantly, over two years ago, these efforts also attracted the attention of Councilman Eric Garcetti whose district includes a thriving ACF community center in Hollywood. After learning of the hopes of creating another ACF Community center in Encino, Garcetti was the first to support the project early on and co-presented the City Council motion with Koretz, putting his entire weight behind the measure to ensure it came to fruition. Paul Krekorian, whose good standing and key positions in the City of Los Angeles seconded the motion and was vital to ensuring the vote’s unhampered success.

Tuesday’s vote serves as a milestone to lease the property. The specific language approved by the City Council directs the appropriate City departments to begin lease negotiations with the ACF. Moreover, the City Council has also determined that the provisions of the lease must include at a minimum a fifty-year term for one dollar a year. Such terms have been deemed reasonable to the City considering the amount of capital expenditures and investment the ACF will be providing to bring the property to a suitable condition and offer the full array of services to Encino and its surrounding communities. Precedent for such lease terms has been previously set between the City and other non-profit organizations for the same purpose, since the productive use of otherwise unusable City property to improve local communities will benefit the City as a whole. The motion calls for the long term lease to be presented to the Council within sixty days before the property is formally handed over to the ACF.

The new community center will become a beacon for the local community and the new home of the ACF of Encino. The ACF is slated to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to remediate, remodel and rehabilitate the property and transform it into a thriving community center. Moreover, the ACF plans to furnish the property with meeting rooms, office space and staff to provide the appropriate infrastructure to run its community based services.

“We are excited for this opportunity to provide a community center in Encino” said Kahwedjian adding , “we look forward to working with the city to finalize this lease and begin the process of building a flourishing community center for generations to come.”

Once a lease has been presented for consideration, Asbarez will report back on the Council’s final vote on the matter.

The Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) of Encino was founded in 1976 and is a non profit 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. The ACF operates exclusively for educational and charitable objectives by establishing cultural and educational centers throughout California and the United States advancing its charitable work through its more than 15 local chapters throughout the Western United States.

Tennis legend Andre Agassi lights a candle at St. Garabed Church in Vegas

LAS VEGAS—On the afternoon of Thursday, May 9 tennis legend Andre Agassi visited the newly built St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of Las Vegas.

Upon arrival Agassi met Archpriest Fr. Avedis Torossian, Parish Council Chairman  Adroushan Armenian and Building Committee members Koko Darakjian and Levon Gulbenkian. Houry Darakjian representing the ARS Armenian Saturday school, Lindy Schumacher representative of Kirk Kerkorian’s Dream Fund at UCLA, and Mr. & Mrs. Alex and Arda Yemenidjian were also present.

Agassi and the visitors entered the church after lighting their candles where a brief background was provided about the Las Vegas Armenian community and St. Garabed Church construction process.

The group then toured the Cultural Center facility where Darakjian briefed about the Saturday Armenian School and expansion plans for the 2013-2014 academic year and equipping the school with advanced Armenian language and history learning techniques.

At the end of the visit, Father Avedis presented Agassi with a traditional Armenian cross-stone commemorating this special visit. Agassi complimented the St. Garabed Parish and the Las Vegas Armenian community for their achievements and wished them continued success.

John Choi (right) and Mitch O'Farrell during a debate at Karapetian Hall on Thursday. Val Zavalla (far left) moderates the debate

LOS ANGELES–The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that the District Attorney is investigating charges that the Mitch O’Farrell campaign for the LA CIty Council District 13 is engaging in systemic and widespread voter fraud.

O’Farrell’s opponent John Choi’s campaign has turned over to the District Attorney and the City Clerk the names of nearly 200 voters who say their ballots were either mishandled by O’Farrell campaign workers or outright voted on their behalf by these workers.

Excerpts from the Los Angeles Times report:

“Interviews with several voters listed in the Choi complaint suggest improper activity occurred, although it was unclear who was responsible.

Eighty-two-year-old Raffik Hambardzumyan told The Times that an Armenian-speaking woman came to his house and helped him and his wife fill out their vote-by-mail ballots about a week ago. Hambardzumyan, who doesn’t speak English, said the woman told them they were voting for Kbushyan.

He was surprised when a reporter told him Kbushyan wasn’t on the ballot. “Why, what happened that he can’t get elected?” he said. He said he didn’t know which campaign the worker represented.

Hambardzumyan and other voters said they have been getting multiple calls daily about the election. “Daily, 4-5 times they call, different people saying different things,” he said.

Galust Khachatryan, 65, said he was recently visited by the same young man and woman who stopped by his home on behalf of Kbushyan in the primary campaign. Khachatryan said they didn’t help him vote but did take his ballot.”

“This is the most blatent and widespread case of voter fraud I’ve seen in twenty years of political campaigns,” said Mike Shimpock, Choi’s campaign consultant. “They are literally stealing this election. This needs to be stopped.”

Elise Kalfayan

BY ELISE KALFAYAN

From Opera Talks on Rossini to Mark Geragos on the Criminal Law System

The Library Arts and Culture Department, the Friends of the Glendale Public Library and the Associates of Brand Library continue to offer excellent free programs for the community, even as the Central Library facility awaits an $8 million renovation go-ahead and Brand Library and Art Center remains closed while extensive renovations are underway. Meanwhile, the Alex Theatre is preparing for a temporary closure and adjusting its programming schedule. Despite all this, the incredible range of enriching events offered for the community’s benefit continues, and is a point of real civic pride.

She worked on the city’s excellent Armenian Genocide Commemoration program, which completely filled the Alex Theatre April 24, and Library Armenian Outreach Coordinator Elizabeth Grigorian also helped organize Glendale’s Man’s Inhumanity to Man April 26 program at the Central Library. The series, which Glendale sponsors during the month of April, acknowledges tragedies experienced not only by Armenians, but by other persecuted cultures around the world. The Friday library event was a public forum discussing the injustices committed against Korean Comfort Women during WWII, and was a follow-up to a Summer 2012 exhibit on this topic.

In addition, just since the start of 2013, Grigorian has produced eight Armenian cultural events at the Central Library, and is now promoting the next one: Filmmaker Robert Davidian’s screening of his documentary film Armenian Activists Now – Birth of a Movement (Thursday, May 23, 7pm, in the Central Library Auditorium, 222 E. Harvard St., Glendale).

The Friends of the Glendale Public Library continue to support the Children’s Summer Reading program, the literacy program, and the Author & Artist programs of the library system. Community Events VP Leon Mayer persuaded Mark Geragos, JD, and Pat Harris, JD, to discuss their newly published book, Mistrial: How the Criminal Justice System Works…and Sometimes Doesn’t, at the Central Library on Wednesday, May 15, 7pm, just following the Friends annual meeting. Geragos is one of the most recognized criminal defense attorneys in the U.S., and he appears regularly as a legal analyst on CNN, Fox, and ABC shows.

Glendale Central Library Korean Comfort Women Forum April 26. From left to right: Andrew Kim, Scott Ochoa (City Manager), Elizabeth Grigorian (Armenian Outreach Coordinator), Phyllis Kim (Presenter), Jungran Shin, Joachim Suk-Won Youn (KAFC Spokesperson), Keun Hwang, Dan Bell (City of Glendale Community Relation Coordinator)

Arrive early (6:30pm) on May 15 to sit in on the Friends of the Glendale Public Library’s annual membership meeting, held just before the presentation of Mistrial, in the Central Library Auditorium. The meeting will review Friends’ activities, sponsored programs and new initiatives. It will also briefly cover the anticipated renovation of the Central Library facility, which the Friends have been following for some time, as it impacts the location of their book sale operations.

The Associates of Brand Library and Art Center, which supports Glendale’s art and music library branch and offers free music and dance performances, art shows, lectures such as opera talks and more, has temporarily relocated its programs to the Central Library. (Most of the branch’s art and architecture books and music resources are temporarily housed there as well, so they are still available to the public.) The Associates helped sponsor last year’s Library screening of Grandma’s Tattoos, and just produced the Armen Anassian music series.

Associates Board member Caroline Tufenkian, who has curated exhibits at Brand Library and many other galleries, has taken on the job of fundraising chair for the group. She has also organized Associates’ arts tours to the Fine Arts Building in downtown LA and other significant locations. The Associates of Brand Library will hold its annual meeting this Saturday, May 11, 2pm, in the Shoseian Tea House and Garden and the west end of Brand Park.

As it adjusts planning to become self-sustaining after its city management agreement ends in 2015, Glendale Arts has renewed its annual iHeart fundraising drive to raise the profile of the Alex Theatre, the “Jewel of the Jewel City.” The theatre will close from July through November as upgrades to the back stage and other technical improvements are needed to make the Alex a competitive venue in the Southern California entertainment market. It regularly hosts excellent civic events (among them the city’s Armenian Genocide Commemoration). It also is a great venue for charitable fundraising: Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s Dr. Norick Bogossian Cancer Care Guild sold out the entire theatre May 5 for a night of comedy featuring Maz Jobrani and Vahik Pirhamzei.

Glendale Arts brings first-rate programs like the LA Chamber Orchestra, musicals, ballets and comedies to downtown Glendale, where parking is inexpensive and restaurants abound. The newest addition to its programming is Live Talks Los Angeles, which will be holding three live author events in the theatre, starting with multiple Oscar and Emmy award winner/songwriter Burt Bacharach on May 14. The innovative Glendale Pops, whose shows are produced by Glendale Arts under the artistic direction of multi-talented entertainment veteran Matt Catingub, scheduled its last season two concert in a unique venue – prop house History for Hire (a Glendale Arts business supporter) – while the Alex construction start date was uncertain. The Glendale Pops third season will open at the Alex at the end of the year with HolidayPop!, which this past year featured local vocalist Danielle Sadd as well as a Glendale Youth Chorus.

The Friends of the Glendale Public Library, the Associates of Brand Library and Art Center, Glendale Arts, and the city’s Arts and Culture Commission are all communicating with each other to raise the profile of arts and cultural programming within the city.

The city of Glendale officially approved an Arts & Cultural five-year strategic plan in February 2013. The Arts and Culture Commission is now under the purview of the Library Arts and Culture Department, and the strategic planning initiative that begin last fall was coordinated within the city by library staff member and marketing professional Annette Vartanian.

Vartanian says, “The City has made arts and culture one of its priority goals and is making strategic decisions for investing in the arts for the benefit of the entire community. The Plan helps identify Glendale’s identity as innovative and creative. This is something important to every citizen in Glendale because it really shows that the City is committed to expanding the arts and cultural investments and opportunities in the community. The importance to the Armenian community is that we will be exploring new arts and cultural programs and projects that will speak to the Armenian community, as well as providing opportunities for artists in the community that can include artists of Armenian descent.”

More information about library, arts and cultural programming within the city of Glendale can be found on these webpages: http://library.ci.glendale.ca.us/featured_events.asp, .associatesofbrand.org/events.php, and www.glendalearts.org/

Elise Kalfayan is a Glendale resident, a native Southern Californian, and a combined first/second generation Armenian-American. She has produced or edited print and online pieces on topics ranging from urban development to Armenian Church history. She is the publisher of a Glendale community news blog  http://sunroomdesk.com, and works as a contract writer, editor, and publishing consultant for clients including businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and memoirists. She is also President, Friends of the Glendale Public Library, and a big fan of the Glendale Pops!

US Supreme Court

WASHINGTON—The Obama Administration will likely respond in the coming days to a request by the Supreme Court for a brief detailing the U.S. government’s position on the Ninth Circuit’s 2012 decision striking down a California law extending the statute of limitations on Armenian Genocide-era life insurance claims.

The Supreme Court, which requested the Administration’s brief in October of 2012, will consider the Solicitor General’s position, along with several “friend of the court” briefs defending the California Armenian Genocide-era life insurance law, including one filed by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.

“We look to the Solicitor General to protect the property rights of all American citizens and not close the doors of justice to certain vulnerable minorities, when they seek redress from insurance companies and banks which have improperly profited from criminal conduct.  We look to the Solicitor General to ensure that property rights are not trumped by foreign – in this case Turkish Government – intervention,” said Kate Nahapetian, Government Affairs Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, who has been assisting with the case for several years.

The case has traveled a long and complex legal path, which has included three separate and conflicting opinions from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the most recent on February 23, 2012. That decision struck down the California law extending the statute of limitations for certain life insurance claims based on an unprecedented expansion of the rarely invoked doctrine of foreign affairs field preemption. In its ruling, the Ninth Circuit invalidated the California law, which was unanimously passed by the legislature, because of Turkish government threats aimed at silencing discussion of the Armenian Genocide in the United States.

Plaintiffs’ petition to the Supreme Court to hear the case was filed by Igor Timofeyev of Paul Hastings, LLP.  Claims for unpaid life insurance policies dating back to the Armenian Genocide were first brought by plaintiffs’ attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan.  Attorneys who have been representing plaintiffs include Lee Crawford Boyd, Rajika Shah, Mark Geragos, and Brian Kabateck.

A series of amicus briefs were filed in support of the plaintiffs’ petition including a filing by U.S. Federal and State legislators, filed by attorneys Mary-Christine Sungaila and Seepan Parseghian at the firm of Snell and Willmer, LLP.

Human rights and public policy groups including  the Armenian Bar Association, Armenian National Committee of America, Zoryan Institute for Contemporary Armenian Research and Documentation, Inc., Genocide Education Project, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Center for the Study of Law & Genocide, and the International Human Rights Clinic of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law also filed an amicus brief and were represented by Bingham McCutchen, LLP, led by partner David Balabanian.

View the complete set of filings.

Heidi Tagliavini, head of an OSCE election monitoring mission, and her deputy Stefan Krause (L) give a press conference in Yerevan in January

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe gave on Thursday a mixed assessment of Armenia’s recent presidential election, reiterating that it was “generally well-administered” but questioning its official results that gave victory to President Serzh Sarkisian.

In their final report, the observers stood by their earlier preliminary conclusion that the February 18 vote was “characterized by a respect for fundamental freedoms” translating into free campaigning and a largely impartial coverage of the presidential candidates by the broadcast media.

The report says the 300 or so Western monitors mostly deployed by the OSCE witnessed no serious irregularities in the vast majority of 970 polling stations visited by them on election day. It says the vote counts observed by them were likewise mostly assessed positively.

The observers at the same time again accused the Sarkisian campaign of abusing its administrative resources during the election campaign. “These included a high number of state and local officials campaigning, which blurred the line between state and political party as well as between the performance of official and campaign duties,” reads their report.

More importantly, the OSCE mission, which formed the core of the broader international vote-monitoring team in Armenia, cast doubt on the credibility of the official results in hundreds of electoral precincts. They pointed to a “tendency of considerably better results for the incumbent in the majority of stations with above-average turnout.”

“This indicates possible serious problems with voting and counting and raises concerns about the integrity of the electoral process,” they said.

Citing the final results released by the Central Election Commission (CEC), the OSCE report notes that more than 80 percent of eligible voters ostensibly cast ballots in 144 of Armenia’s nearly 2,000 polling stations. Such a high turnout, it says, “seems implausibly high.” Sarkisian got over 80 percent of the vote in 115 of those precincts, according to the CEC.

“In 198 out of the 303 stations where turnout was between 70 and 80 per cent, the incumbent received more than 70 per cent of the votes,” read the OSCE report. “Among 249 stations where turnout was below 50 per cent, Mr. Sarkisian received more than 50 per cent in 40, and [the main opposition candidate Raffi] Hovannisian received more than 50 per cent in 155.”

The report does not say whether the official results in the precincts with very high turnout could have seriously affected the nationwide vote tally. According to the CEC, Sarkisian won the February 18 ballot outright with 58.6 percent of the vote, followed by Hovannisian with 36.7 percent.

The OSCE mission first questioned the CEC figures in an interim post-election report released on March 2. The Hovannisian campaign portrayed it as further proof of blatant vote rigging. The opposition leader considers himself the rightful winner of the vote.

Both the CEC and the Sarkisian campaign dismissed the fraud allegations. They argued, among other things, that the European observers gave a mostly positive assessment of the election conduct in their preliminary findings released on February 19.

The United States and the European Union have referred to those initial findings in their largely positive reactions to the conduct of the presidential ballot. U.S. President Barack Obama and EU leaders effectively recognized the legitimacy of Sarkisian’s disputed reelection with congratulatory messages sent to the Armenian leader.

Lawyers Tigran Yegoryan and Lousineh Hakobyan view video footage and discuss electoral code violations with diasporan repatriate Babken Der Grigorian who was a monitor in District 7 during the Yerevan elections. (Photo by Eric Grigorian)

BY TAMARA S. VOSKANIAN

YEREVAN–Following Yerevan’s May 5 municipal election, in which a variety of voting day violations were observed by election monitors, attorneys have filed approximately 160 complaints with the Territorial Electoral Commissions of the four Precincts representing the following three districts of Armenia’s capital: Sebastia-Malatia, Shengavit, and Erebuni-Nubarashen. The initial complaints had to be filed by 6 pm on the Monday following the elections – an extremely short deadline given the number of recorded violations. On May 8th at approximately 3 pm, the Electoral Commissions for the above-mentioned precincts notified the attorneys who filed the complaints that all four hearings were scheduled to take place at 7 pm that same evening, within several hours of the call.

During the hearings, the four Electoral Commissions uniformly dismissed all the applications on procedural grounds, without allowing the attorneys a chance to present their cases. Each of the four rejections were worded identically, although they purported to address different allegations, strongly indicating that the decisions had been pre-determined. The attorneys believe that the texts were supplied to the Territorial Commissions by the national Central Electoral Commission (CEC), thereby depriving the attorneys of pursuing what would have otherwise been the next step: appealing the decisions of the Territorial Commissions to the CEC.

Consequently, the attorneys have now decided to appeal the Territorial decisions directly to the Administrative Court – a court whose decision will be final and not subject to appeal. The attorneys are also working on a strategy to file a case with the Constitutional Court of Armenia. The goal of this lawsuit is to have the Constitutional Court extend the deadline for the filing of complaints with the Territorial Electoral Commissions, allowing a reasonable amount of time to prepare the cases. In this lawsuit, the attorneys will also be asking the high court to give election observers the same right to challenge the validity of the vote at polling stations that political parties and their proxies currently have.

The complaints that have been filed to-date allege a variety of infringements of the rights of voters, election observers and media representatives, and general violations of Armenia’s Electoral Code. Allegations include the following acts that were witnessed and recorded by observers:
Commission presidents failing to record violations in the registry, as they are required to do.

Party candidates entering polling stations during voting, which is prohibited by law; when asked to leave, coming back and posing as a party proxy.

Instances where more than one party proxy was present at a polling station; the law allows each party only one proxy per polling station.

A Republican Party commission president using violence in polling station 7/15.

One instance where a commission member allowed someone to vote in place of her sister, who was not physically in Yerevan on election day.

Two instances in which video camera equipment was stolen.

The goal of filing the complaints is not necessarily to overturn the final results of the election, as the margin between the parties who took first and second place is significantly large . Still, registering violations and documenting the lack of action by electoral authorities in the face of apparent fraud is a crucial step in the post-election process. Through strategic litigation and a continuous campaign of pressure on the electoral authorities, attorneys hope to bring about necessary and positive changes to both the country’s Electoral Code and the behavior of the authorities, with the ultimate goal of developing Armenia’s election process into one that is truly free, fair and transparent.

Copy of the hate mail

Elderly Armenian Couple Targeted with Racist Letter

BETHESDA, Md.—The Armenian National Committee of America – Greater Washington Wednesday called upon police and postal authorities to fully investigate and prosecute an anti-Armenian threat against an elderly Rockville couple of Armenian heritage.

An envelope addressed to A. Sahagian included a news clipping (see attached image) about the recent Boston Marathon bombing, with the handwritten message: “Another Armenian Bastard,” pointing to a discredited link between this act of terrorism and what the news story incorrectly referenced as “an Armenian man named ‘Misha.’”

“We call upon federal and local authorities to immediately investigate and fully prosecute those responsible for this hate crime,” said ANCA-Greater Washington spokesperson Sevan Kolejian. “This hateful act of intolerance and intimidation also serves to remind the media of the human price innocent citizens are paying for their flagrant and repeated misreporting of the ‘Misha’ story.”

Ara and Salpee Sahagian are both long-time residents of Maryland, having served in the lay leadership of Bethesda’s Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church, and as active members in a range of community and civic organizations.  A U.S. Army veteran, Ara worked for four decades as an engineer for the Department of the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.  His wife, Salpee, worked at the Library of Congress and later served as an aide to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield.

In the days following the Boston Marathon bombing, Armenian Americans protested news outlets that repeated the unsubstantiated, and now fully discredited, allegation by the uncle of the two suspects, Ruslan Tsarni, that they were somehow inspired to commit these crimes by an ethnic Armenian convert to Islam.  News reports later identified ‘Misha’ as Mikhail Allakhverdov, an Armenian-Ukrainian from Azerbaijan, whose family fled anti-Armenian persecution in the early 1990’s.

The ANCA-Greater Washington, DC has reached out to local churches and community groups to collect information regarding any other reported instances of anti-Armenian hatred, and calls upon all Armenian Americans to report documented cases of anti-Armenian hate crime to report-hate-crime@anca.org.

The celebration of the Shoushi Liberation 20th anniversary last year

The anticipation that had been building on May 8 turned into jubilant pandemonium on May 9. SHOUSHI WAS TRIUMPHANTLY LIBERATED.

The people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) in and around Stepanakert had endured grueling daily barrage of fire from Azeri forces, which had taken their positions in Shoushi and were relentlessly bombing the civilian population. The operation, whose military precision had delivered an exacting blow to Azeri forces, irreversibly stifled their attacks and paved the way for the eventual liberation of Lachin (Kashatagh) and the establishment of the vital land corridor to Armenia—a lifeline. It also was the spark that ensured victory in the Karabakh Liberation Struggle.

It would be an understatement to say that the events of and leading up to May 9, 1992 had a far greater importance for the soldiers of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Liberation Army and the general population of Karabakh. The liberation of Shoushi not only had crucial strategic significance, it also brought back the ancient Armenian capital that for so long had served as a center for cultural reawakening and intellectual renaissance.

The significance of Shoushi’s liberation still resonates as loudly as it did 21 years ago, as it is not merely a symbol but a constant reminder of the people’s expression of self-determination and courage, will and resilience.

Today, the Azeri Army, which 21 year ago retreated in disgrace and embarrassment, is regularly provoking military skirmishes around the border and threatening the fragile peace that has been safeguarded. The Azeri leadership is not only threatening war to reclaim Karabakh but has amplified its racist posturing toward Armenians, calling all Armenians enemies of the state. The international mediators refuse to properly assess the situation and, through convoluted statements, are attempting to remain neutral. And, Karabakh is still not at the negotiating table as a party to the conflict.

What is clear to the people of Karabakh, and the entire Armenian nation, is that the liberation of Shoushi embedded an irreversible course for our national liberation movement that is immune to threats and compromises. The people who conceived and carried out the remarkably unthinkable operation to liberate Shoushi will protect it to death.

The Azeris believe that by spending millions of filthy petro-dollars into a propaganda machine that perpetuates their lies, will temper and fray the resilience and determination of the Armenian people, when, in reality, Shoushi was just the beginning of the realization of the Armenian Liberation Struggle toward JUSTICE.

The Artsakh Army marching band (Photo by Matthew Karanian)

EDITOR’S NOTE: For a second time, Asbarez is teaming up with travelogue Matthew Karanian to present a travel special to serve as a guide for its readers who are planning a trip to Armenia and Karabakh. Matthew Karanian is the author of ARMENIA AND KARABAKH: THE STONE GARDEN TRAVEL GUIDE, which was published in February. This title is the first commercial travel guide to independent Armenia and Karabakh. To order by mail in the USA, send check or money order for $30 postpaid to: Stone Garden Productions; PO Box 7758; Northridge, CA 91327. For credit card orders and for orders outside the USA, go to www.ArmeniaTravelGuide.com

BY MATTHEW KARANIAN

The destination is elusive because it’s so far out of the way. There are no scheduled flights, and visitors have to arrive overland. Starting from Yerevan, this adds one day of travel each way.

Karabakh is also a prize, however, because of the abundance of cultural sites here that attest to the region’s ancient Armenian heritage.

What To See
The Monastery of Amaras is one of these prizes. Amaras is located in the south of Karabakh, and is famous as the site at which Mesrop Mashtots taught the unique Armenian alphabet roughly 1,600 years ago. The link between Mesrop and Amaras is a vivid illustration of the link between the nation’s religious history and its linguistic heritage.

The antiquity of Amaras is not uncommon for Karabakh.

In the far northwest, several structures from the Armenian monastery of Dadi Vank survive today. This complex is unequaled in its mysticism and majesty among the churches of Karabakh.

The buildings of Dadi Vank that are now at this site were all built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and have been recently restored. According to legend, however, the monastery was originally established in the first century AD. The site had been destroyed, and then rebuilt, about 800 years ago. Scholars are undecided, but if this legend is true, then Dadi Vank would gain distinction as the oldest Armenian monastery in Karabakh.

Tigranagert (Photo by Matthew Karanian)

Tigranakert may be the grandest prize of Karabakh, however, at least for visitors who are interested in archaeology and in ancient Armenian history.

Students of Armenian history are familiar with the ancient settlement of Tigranakert that is located in western Armenia, in an area that is today controlled by Turkey. The settlement is named for Tigran the Great, an Armenian leader who presided over Armenia’s greatest expansion in ancient time, from 95 BC to 55 BC.

It is less widely known, however, that three additional settlements were built and named for Tigran the Great. One of these other Tigranakerts is in Karabakh, and was built in the first century BC. This Tigranakert is located just north of the villlage of Askeran, and west of Aghdam, in central Karabakh.

Visitors arriving at the site will first notice a large structure looming alongside the road that looks like a castle. Most of this Tigranakert is today an archaeological dig site, however, and is operated by archaeologist Hamlet Petrosyan, Ph D. The castle is relatively modern, and only about 300 years old.

The ruins of this ancient Tigranakert are evident today to any visitor. But Petrosyan recalls the time, not so long ago, when its existence was little more than a hypothesis.

Petrosyan walked the site with me recenlty and explained how, years earlier, he had seen what he believed were remnants of walls. He saw large depressions in the topography that didn’t appear to be natural.
“We can suppose that here we will find something,” he told me, while pointing to a field that appeared to be just a field—except for a modest depression that might hide the long-buried foundations of civic buildings.

Petrosyan and his team of archaeologists from the Armenian Academy of Sciences Institute of Archaeology, began excavating the site in 2005. They discovered that this Tigranakert had a citadel, a central business district, churches, suburbs, and cemeteries. The city was built entirely from the local white limestone, and Petrosyan’s research suggests that it was occupied until the fourteenth century. They also determined that the site was founded in the first century BC.

In 2008, the area was designated the Tigranakert Historical-Cultural Reserve by the government of Karabakh. Vast areas of the 2,136 hectare site remain unexcavated, however, because of limited funding for the project.

Known ruins at the site include a fifth century church that, at 29 meters long, is one of the largest religious buildings in the Caucasus from this era. Excavations have revealed Armenian inscriptions on the church dating to the fifth century, as well as a primitive khatchkar (stone cross).

The church was destroyed, probably during the ninth century, and its stones were used in the 18th century as building material for the castle towers over the site. All that remains of the church structure today is its massive foundation, now exposed, at several feet below ground level.

The greatest cultural treasure of Karabkh, however, is without doubt the monastery of Gandzasar.

Even the name of this monastery attests to its status. The English translation of Gandzasar is “treaure mountain,” and to view the splendor of its architecture is to understand why. Some scholars and historians consider Gandzasar to represent one of the top masterpieces of Armenian architecture.

Construction of the main church at Gandzasar was begun in AD 1216. According to legend, the church was builit on the location of a shrine that contained the skull of St. John the Baptist. The skull had been brought here from Palestine.

The exquisite bass reliefs carved on the exterior walls of the monastery depict the Crucifixion, Adam and Eve, and two ministers holding models of the church above their heads, as an offering to God. There are about 150 separate inscriptions, engraved in stone and using the Armenian alphabet, throughout the complex.

Gandzasar is functioning today, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Artsakh of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The site is located 50 kilometers north of Stepanakert.

Use Stepanakert Or Shushi As Your Base
Karabakh covers a small geographic area, roughly the size of the US state of Delaware. A visitor can easily see all the sites described above, as day trips, while staying in the captial city of Stepanakert, or in the nearby historic town of Shushi.

Stepanakert is the closest thing that Karabakh has to an urban area, with a population of about 50,000. There are several tourist class hotels and a handful of restaurants. This is also the seat of the government. Don’t be surprised if you bump into the President of the country while walking along Freedom Square, at the center of town.

Because Stepanakert is the capital, and a center of population for the country, it is also a transportation hub, allowing visitors to use a scheduled mini-van to go to the cultural sites described in this story.

Traveling by public mini-van is a good way to meet local people, even if you don’t speak Armenian. But getting around with a private driver, or in a cab, at a cost of only about 25 cents per kilometer, is an inexpensive alternative, especially if you’re traveling in a group of two or three. If you are lucky, you may be able to rely upon your cab driver for translation services, too.

Shushi has good modern class hotels, and serves as a good hub from which to make day trips. Shushi was once a significant cultural capital for Armenians. The town was reduced to ruins during the final days of Soviet rule, and has been rebuilt during the past decade.  There’s much talk of a Shushi revival lately. If you choose to stay in Shushi for part of your journey, you may be able to help contribute to the revival, or at least bear witness to it.

When To Go
Shushi Liberation Day is celebrated each year on May 9, and is a grand time to visit. The holiday commemorates the day in 1992 that Shushi was recovered from the enemy by Armenians. There’s usually a parade in Stepanakert. There are commemorative events in Shushi, too, but most of the celebrating is done in Stepanakert. This might be partly because the population of Stepanaker is tenfold the number of people who live in Shushi.

But the significance of Shushi’s liberation to the people of Karabakh is certainly the greater reason. The liberation of Shushi in 1992 is credited with saving Karabakh, since the Shushi highlands control access to Armenia and hence to the rest of the world. The liberation of Shushi thus ended the enemy’s seige of Stepanakert and made Karabakh’s independence possible.

Karabakh Independence Day, on September 2, can also be a memorable time time for a visit. These are both popular holidays, and visitors should reserve hotel rooms well in advance.

Apart from these holidays, visitors to Karabakh generally don’t need advance hotel reservations, even during the so-called high season of summer. The destination is just too far off the well-worn tourist paths of neighboring Armenia.

Logistics
VISA: A visa is required, and can be obtained in advance in Yerevan or after your arrival, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Stepanakert.
MONEY: Credit cards are rarely accepted. ATM machines are located throughout Stepanakert, and dispense Armenian Dram, which is the official currency. US dollars in small denominations may sometimes be negotiable.
TRANSPORT: Mini vans and buses depart Yerevan’s Kilikia Central Bus Station each morning, and arrive in Shushi and Stepanakert several hours later. Vans and buses for the regions of Karabakh depart Stepanakert’s central bus station on Azatamartikner Street.
HOTELS: In Shushi, the tourist class Avan Shushi Plaza (www.avanshoushiplaza.com).  In Stepanakert, the high-end Armenia Hotel (www.armeniahotel.am).
FURTHER READING: “Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide,” (www.ArmeniaTravelGuide.com), was published in February and is the top guide.

Nagorno Karabakh Or Artsakh?

A parade in Karabakh (photo by Matthew Karanian)

BY MATTHEW KARANIAN

Nagorno Karabakh is an amalgamation of foreign names that was imposed on this region, and its etymology reflects the ongoing political misfortunes of the region. Karabakh is widely accepted to be a mixture of Persian and Turkish that means Black Garden.

The Russians added the adjective Nagorno, which means mountainous, and dubbed the region Nagorno Karabakh.

The historic Armenian name for the region within which Nagorno Karabakh is located is Artsakh. However, since the adoption of a new constitution in 2006, the state has been officialy known interchangeably as both the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the Artsakh Republic. Eventually, say the country’s officials, the name will revert to simply Artsakh.

Reprinted with permission from ‘Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide,’ (www.ArmeniaTravelGuide.com).

Having joined the liberation struggle in its beginning stages, Garnik Madinyan suffered a minor eye injury which turned into a big problem due to years of neglect. The surgery funded by AYF’s “With Our Soldiers” campaign helped restore his deteriorating vision and give this freedom fighter renewed hope for a better future.

The Armenian Youth Federation dedicated 2012 to the Armenian Freedom Fighter (Azadamardik).

The AYF will continue to raise money to help assist the medical needs of veterans of the Artsakh war. The organization will also be raising awareness about the history, key events, figures, and developments in the Artsakh liberation struggle and lend its support to advocacy efforts aimed at ensuring freedom and security in the region.

With almost daily threats of renewed hostilities from Azerbaijan and regular gunfire across the ceasefire line, it is essential that we honor those who have and continue to fight for the Armenian nation’s freedom.

The time is now for us to stand up together and reinforce Artsakh in the hearts and minds of everyone in our community.

ANCA's Chris Guldjian and Nora Hovsepian make presentation

SAN FRANCISCO—The Bay Area Armenian National Committee hosted Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region co-chairs Nora Hovsepian and Chris Guldjian at an ANCA Town Hall on Sunday at San Francisco’s Vasbouragan Hall.

The program included a short report on the ANCA’s latest efforts and a question and answer session, which provided grassroots activists and supporters an opportunity to ask questions and to voice their suggestions on how the ANCA can better serve the Armenian American community in advancing the Armenian Cause.

“As has been the case with the series of town halls we’ve held, this was another terrific opportunity for us to learn about our activists’ concerns and hear their suggestions for our work,” said Nora Hovsepian. “It was wonderful to hear so many thoughtful questions and ideas from members of a community that has accomplished so much for the betterment of our cause and culture,” she added.

Some of the participants at the town hall

Building on the long, proud tradition of town hall meetings in American democracy, the ANCA has been holding such meetings in communities throughout the Western United States in recent months. As a grassroots organization, the ANCA owes its success to the efforts of its individual activists. This includes not only their contributions of time, toil and treasure but also the considered opinions its activists and supporters.

“We’re thankful to everyone who participated in the town hall and to the ANCA-WR for providing an opportunity for individuals to gather and share their thoughts on issues concerning Hye Tahd,” said Bay Area ANC chair Armen Carapetian. “It was very helpful for our planning purposes to hear observations from individuals directly and to have the chance to interact with those who are not involved in our traditional working groups but do so much as individuals to the advance the Armenian Cause.”

To date, ANCA Town Halls have been held in Fresno, CA, Boise, ID, Las Vegas, NV, and Phoenix, AZ. In the coming months, the ANCA looks forward to continuing to engage with activists at town hall meetings in communities across the country. Individuals or groups interested in co-hosting an ANCA Town Hall in their community are encouraged to contact the ANCA-WR office by calling (818) 500-1918.

Astrologer of Karabagh

The Astrologer of Karabagh or the Establishment of the Fortress of Shushi: A Transcaucasian Novel. by Platon P. Zubov.

ARLINGTON, Mass.—The exotic and mysterious Caucasus has always captured the imagination of writers, artists and travelers. The Russian Empire’s southward expansion “stimulated an incomparably rich body of literature and an exceptionally lively engagement with questions of Russian cultural identity.” Alexander Pushkin’s poem The Prisoner of the Caucasus, Leo Tolstoy’s Hadji Murat, and works of other Russian literary luminaries, such as Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, Mikhail Lermontov and others who dominated the literary Caucasus in the 1830 and 1840s are among some of the best known.

Written in 1834 by Platon P. Zubov (1796-1857), the early nineteenth century Russian novelist, The Astrologer of Karabagh, is a fascinating historical novel. Shrouded in a passionate love story, it is based on historical developments in eighteenth century Karabagh, which was engulfed in tumult and transformation. This is the first ever English edition of Zubov’s novel. It has only been translated into Armenian in 1882 by the prominent nineteenth century Armenian novelist Raffi.

Platon P. Zubov was born to one of the prominent families in Russia. His literary career, beginning in 1834 spans over two decades and includes twenty-one major pieces. Author of numerous works, including poetry, songs, quatrains, novels as well as anthologies, is rich literary legacy also constitutes important source materials, rich in statistical data, charts and tables, biographies of famous military generals, geographical descriptions, anthropological sketches and observations on the lifestyle and culture of the people of the Caucasus. The Astrologer of Karabagh is perhaps one of his best and yet less known works.

“The historical novel portrays the historic life-experience of a people. It recounts within its limits how a people has lived and toiled. It highlights its customs, traditions and manners; its intellectual and moral characteristics. In other words, it personifies the man of times past in its original and primordial shape, which has evolved over time and become unrecognizable for the present generation. . . . ” These words by the great nineteenth century Armenian novelist, Raffi (1835-1888) most accurately speak to the significance and role of historical facts in nurturing the mind and enrich the imagination of a novelist. The Astrologer of Karabagh, though a work of fiction, reflects the realities of a stormy period in the Caucasus where new values and loyalties replaced the old ones and transformed the region forever. It provides food for thought on the power of history in shaping the present.

The Astrologer of Karabagh has been translated from the original 1834 Russian edition by Artashes Emin. With an introduction, annotations and bibliography of Platon Zubov’s major works, it is edited by Ara Ghazarians, the curator of the Armenian Cultural Foundation. Copies of The Astrologer of Karabagh are available for sale at the Armenian Cultural Foundation (781-646-3090). email: acf.hmh@verizon.net) and major Armenian bookstores in the west and east coasts.

Armenian Genocide Tent at JWW Walk to End Genocide

Community Remembers the Genocide and Renews Commitment to Fight for Justice

ORANGE COUNTY—On April 21 the Armenian community of Orange County commemorated the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, remembered the victims of this tragedy as well as the heroes that fought against the Ottoman forces and saved thousands, and renewed its commitment to continue the struggle for justice for the Armenian people. Three separate yet coordinated events took place: The AYF and ANCA-OC participated in the Walk to End Genocide in Fountain Valley, Professor Richard Hovhannisian presented a lecture about Smyrna/Izmir at St. Mary Armenian Church in Costa Mesa, and the “Unity is Our Strength” commemoration took place in Gugasian Hall at Forty Martyrs Armenian Church in Santa Ana.

AYF Ashod Yergat and ANCA-OC at Walk to End Genocide
The Armenian Youth Federation Ashod Yergat chapter spearheaded the effort to be a presence at the “Walk to End Genocide” held at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley. The annual event is organized by the Jewish World Watch (JWW) and takes place in various locations including Los Angeles and Orange County where the AYF made sure the Armenian Genocide was properly presented.

The event included a series of tents representing a timeline of the genocides in the twentieth century, where each tent was dedicated to a specific genocidal campaign. The first tent in the series represented the Armenian Genocide and included numerous pictures and articles describing the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire explaining how the tragic events of 1915 unfolded. There was also information about current events as they relate to the Armenian Genocide. The remaining tents represented the Holocaust, Darfur and other genocides of this century.

In addition to the informational tents prepared by the organizers, the AYF had its own table where they passed out flyers and pamphlets about the Armenian Genocide, brochures about the Genocide Education Project, and issues of Haytoug, the official publication of the AYF. In its continued efforts to raise awareness and attain justice for the Armenian people the AYF will continue to work closely with JWW and represent the Armenian community at this annual event.

Prof. Richar Hovannisian addresses the community at St. Mary's church

Dr. Richard Hovannisian Lecture at St. Mary Armenian Church
Archpriest Fr. Moushegh Tashjian led an emotional candlelight service commemorating the 98th anniversary of the Armenian genocide at St. Mary Armenian church. After his moving sermon the congregation gathered at Fesjian Hall for a memorable event organized by the Cultural Committee, which was sponsored by the Zorayan family. The hall was filled to capacity and the attentive audience carefully listened to Dr. Richard Hovannisian, Professor Emeritus at UCLA, explain the Smyrna/Izmir catastrophe. He spoke in both Armenian and English as he introduced the history of the region and gave a detailed account of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s campaign of ethnic cleansing in the region. He detailed the Turkish military’s role in raping, looting and murdering the Christian population then setting the city on fire, all while allied ships were anchored in the harbor refusing to help. Dr. Hovannisian also highlighted the important cultural contributions of Armenians from that region, especially in the development of Armenian education and publishing.

“Unity is Our Strength” Commemoration organized by ANCA-OC
Gugasian hall at Forty Martyrs Armenian Church was standing room only where over 450 community members attended the “Unity is Our Strength” commemoration organized by the Armenian National Committee of America Orange County Chapter (ANCA-OC), with the participation of all the community organizations, institutions, and both churches.

Archpriest Fr. Moushegh Tashjian opened the ceremonies with a prayer for the victims of the genocide, followed by opening remarks by ANCA-OC executive board member Talar Malakian who welcomed the community and representatives from all the organizations. The AGBU Manoogian Demirjian School students performed “Vocies from the Genocide,” an original and very moving play with dramatic dance pieces showing the impacts of the Genocide on the many generations of Armenians since 1915, including those who survived and their grandchildren growing up in the United States. The students from A.G. Minassian Armenian School presented a series of poems including a powerful rendition of Baruyr Sevag’s “we are few, but we are Armenian.” The program also included musical performances, speeches, and videos.

UCI student, Hasmik Piliposyan sang a very emotional version of “Adanayi Godoradzu.” Green K.A.R.D. comprised of AYF Ashod Yergat chapter members performed a three song set, including an original piece titled. Ayline performed an amazing acoustical set  which included “Adanayi Godoradzu,” “Pari Aragil,” “Gaboudig,” and “Mardigi Yerku.” She was accompanied by Greg Hosharian on piano and Kevork Rosdomian on percussions. Greg Hosharian performed a solo set on piano including a piece from Sayat Nova and an original work titled “lilayk.” He then sang while playing the piano in another original piece titled “Struggle,” where he was joined by Aylin and Greg Miller on guitar and Kevork Rosdomian on percussions. The final musical act for the evening was Armenian Public Radio who performed “Ambets Gorav Lousngav,” “Hayasdan Ashkhar,” “Odaroutiun Ayskan Darov,” and “Kele, Kele, Kelkit Mernem.”

Armine Mardirosian and Garineh Malkasian spoke on behalf of the Armenian Church Youth Organization (ACYO) and in remembering Hrant Dink declared that the Armenian people will continue the fight to secure the recognition of the genocide. Kevork Madenlian spoke on behalf of the AYF “Aghpiur Serop” Juniors and described the atrocities committed against the Armenian population, during which the heroic “fedayees” (freedom fighters) sacrificed their lives to save thousands and secured the existence of the Armenian race. He went on to explain that the AYF Juniors prepares well educated and informed youth who will continue the struggle for justice including the liberation of Western Armenia.

AYF “Ashod Yergat” representative, Shant Meguerditchian echoed the “Unity is Our Strength” motto for the evening and pronounced that together as one unified nation we are all responsible to the martyrs and as such the AYF will continue to carry the torch of justice. He went on to explain how we also have a duty to ensure that genocides do not take place against any group of people around the world. Lori Khajadourian, ANC-OC executive board member, reiterated the mission of the ANCA and called on everyone to join together and work towards “Hye Tahd,” emphasizing that this struggle does not begin or end on April 24th, but that it’s an ongoing battle every single day of the year.

Participating organizations in the “Unity is Our Strength” program: ACYO, AGBU Orange County Saturday School, A.G. Minassian Armenian School, ARF Armen Karo Gomideh, ARS Karni chapter and Saturday School, ARS Sevan chapter and Saturday school, AYF Ashod Yergat, AYF Aghpiur Serop Juniors, Forty Martyrs Armenian Church, Hamazkayin Siamanto, Homenetmen Sardarabad, Orange County Armenian Professional Society (OCAPS), St. Mary Armenian Church, and UCI Armenian Students Association (ASA).

Up next in Orange County – Annual Armenian Independence Day Celebration on May 28, 2013 at Gugasian Hall featuring Karnig Sarkissian. For more information and reservations visit the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/167716680057389/ or contact Allise Panosyan at (714)273-7975

A Place Far Away

Sex trafficking is a global problem. And yet, it is often baffling how that dark world can coexist parallel to ours, with the vast majority of us being unaware of its horrors. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing chaos in almost all of its former republics created a particularly fertile ground for the spread of, among other crimes, sex trafficking from that region.

A new novel by Vahan Zanoyan, entitled A Place Far Away, exposes the nature of that beast and touches upon a variety of social and cultural issues rarely seen in today’s literary and entertainment world.

“This is a powerful and well organized crime network that targets the most vulnerable elements in society,” says Zanoyan. “Young and underage girls from broken homes, orphans and children from extremely poor families and remote villages are the primary targets of sex traffickers.”

Zanoyan felt compelled to write the book after encountering an underage Armenian victim of the sex trade in Dubai. “It was not easy to extract her story from her,” he says, “but once I managed to do so, I was obsessed with the phenomenon.” So he spent the next eighteen months researching that world, interviewing over a dozen other girls, visiting their home towns back in Armenia, talking to officials in a few countries and meeting with organizations committed to fighting human trafficking. He then decided to write a novel based largely on real events.

Author Vahan Zanoyan speaks in Armenia

Why fiction? “I wanted to reach the widest possible audience in order to create the widest possible public awareness of the problem,” says Zanoyan. “I believe silence encourages this phenomenon, while exposure can act as a deterrent.” By choosing fiction, he could combine several different stories into one plot, providing the widest possible illustration of the various aspects of sex trafficking.

A Place Far Away tells the story of Lara Galian, a hauntingly beautiful sixteen-year-old from a poor village in Armenia. When a ruthless oligarch approaches Lara’s father with an offer to manage her through a wonderful and successful modeling career, her father refuses and is subsequently murdered. A month later, Lara’s mother accepts the offer and Lara is whisked away, only to be violently raped and sent to Moscow. Forced into prostitution, Lara refuses to accept her fate and goes through the motions as she’s moved from Moscow to Dubai and eventually sold for one year to a local VIP. She sets forth to escape while a Swiss investigative reporter works to help Lara and her family from back in Armenia. As plots begin to unfold and crumble all around her, Lara’s chances of escape begin to look increasingly slim, but with unlikely allies, the extraordinary courage and moral fiber of her family, and a spirit that never dies, Lara’s fate is far from sealed.

Zanoyan will donate all the net proceeds to a few organizations engaged in either fighting sex trafficking, or in rehabilitating rescued victims, who often suffer from prolonged psychological and physical damage.

At least two well known professional reviews give the book a thumbs up:

“Zanoyan illuminates the seedy world of sex trafficking in the newly independent states of the former USSR. … The rarely discussed subject matter from a seldom-seen part of the world makes for a compelling storyline … With his deft handling of personalities and the atmosphere of village life, Zanoyan gives depth to the narrative while individualizing his characters as the community exerts incredible effort to protect one of its own.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A Place Far Away is a compelling novel by a skilled writer who knows how to build narrative tension. … Zanoyan does not sugarcoat the horrific reality of human trafficking; from the outset, readers will be drawn right into Lara’s nightmare. … [in this] thought provoking novel, Zanoyan takes the reader from poverty-stricken villages in Armenia to Moscow and Dubai in a straightforward depiction of the horrors of human trafficking. … [his] description of the different lands and cultures is thorough, resulting in a credible and realistic setting.” Jeannine Chartier Hanscom, Clarion Review.

Sardarabad (photo by Matthew Karanian)

BY MATTHEW KARANIAN

First-time travelers to Armenia seem to always end up at Echmiadzin, Khor Virap, Geghard, and Garni.

There’s nothing wrong with this. After all, Echmiadzin, Khor Virap, and Geghard are three of the most significant cultural and religious sites in Armenia.

The fourth site, Garni, is the most significant site that’s located along the road to Geghard, which is, I suppose, a good enough reason to keep it on the itinerary. Plus it’s a great spot for a picnic.

Mount Ararat Valley (photo by Matthew Karanian)

These sites are on almost everyone’s itinerary for the additional reason that they are all trips that you can take in one half day, or less, from Yerevan. But this isn’t reason-enough for them to be the only sites on your itinerary. There are just too many other cultural, educational, and historic sites just outside Yerevan, that you can also visit in a half day or less.

Getting Off The Beaten Path
The town of Ashtarak, for example, is closer to Yerevan than Khor Virap, and boasts the architecturally significant Karmravor Church, which was built in the seventh century. In the time it takes to visit Khor Virap, you can drive to Ashtarak and back. Twice. And you will see sites that are just as memorable.

Karmravor is tiny and can accommodate only a few parishioners at a time. The church takes its name from its red tile roof, and the architectural style is said to be influenced by the Arab invaders who were passing through Armenia near the time the church was built. The ruins of two other churches, and a field of khatchars (stone crosses), are nearby.

Just east of Ashtarak, in the village of Saghmosavan, is the beautifully situated monastery of Saghmosavank. The monastery stands atop the gorge of the Kasakh River and is a dramatic example of thirteenth century Armenian architecture. This can also be a great place for hiking, as long as you use care not to fall into the gorge.

Many of Armenia’s greatest cultural sites are churches and monasteries. They have withstood the ravages of time better than many Armenian sites. Unfortunately, after visiting several dozen (or fewer) of them, monastery fatigue can set in. That’s when it helps to know about places worth visiting that are not churches—places such as the community nurseries of the Armenia Tree Project.

The Tree Project was founded in the US in 1994 as a non-profit organization, with the objective of helping reforest Armenia. The tiny village of Karin, just a few kilometers south of Ashtarak along the main road that leads to Echmiadzin, is home to one of the community nurseries of the Tree Project. Here, you’ll find trees, saplings, and other plants. But no monasteries or churches.

Private tours of the nursery are available, and the Project’s guides offer visitors a chance to learn about Armenia’s environment and about the reforestation efforts that are underway. The Tree Project’s nurseries, including the one in Karin, are responsble for producing the roughly one million trees that they have planted in Armenia in the past 19 years.

The Metsamor Museum is an off-the-beaten-path museum that’s another good alternative to the standard fare of day trips from Yerevan. The museum is located in the village of Taronik, which is close to the town of Metsamor.

Metsamor is perhaps more famous for its nuclear power plant, but the Metsamor Museum shouldn’t be overlooked. The facility houses artifacts from the nearby Bronze Age settlements, demonstrating that there was a vibrant cultural center here from roughly 4,000 to 3,000 BC.

One of Armenia’s greatest museums is located just beyond Metsamor, in the town of Sardarapat. Here, the Sardarapat Museum stands on the site of what is certainly Armenia’s most significant military victory of the modern era.

The stone statues of two massive winged lions flank a bell tower at the entrance to the site, and there’s a celebration each year on May 28 featuring folk dancers and cultural exhibits.

In 1918, Kemalist Turkish forces had internationalized the Genocide by invading Armenian regions of what was then the Russian Empire. The Turks were turned back by the Armenians at Sardarapat on May 26, 1918, however, and the Armenian nation survived. Armenia became an independent republic two days later. It is unlikely that the current Armenian Republic would exist today if this battle had been lost.

Relics from this battle are on display at the museum.

The museum also chronicles the development of Armenian culture from antiquity until the modern era. This is certainly one of the best museums in Armenia and deserves a trip at any time of year.

A visit on May 28 is likely to be especially rewarding because of the public ceremonies commemorating the victory at Sardarapat, and the establishment of the first republic in 1918.

I visited on May 28 last year, and got a chance to greet several Armenian leaders, including the President and the Catholicos of the Armenian Church. I chatted briefly with Raffi Hovhannissian, too. I wasn’t surprised to see them all at Sardarapat on May 28. Where else would any Armenian want to go on that day?

Logistics
KARIN: Located midway between Echmiadzin and Ashtarak. To arrange a tour, visit www.armeniatree.org
SARDARAPAT: Museum open 11 am to 4:30 pm daily except Monday. Admission is 500 dram (about $1.25). To get there, travel west past Echmiadzin.

What You Need To Know About Armenia

A woman in traditional Armenian costume (photo by Matthew Karanian)

• POPULATION: 3.259 million (2010 census)
• LAND: 29,793 sq. km. (roughly the size of Belgium or the US state of Maryland)
• CAPITAL: Yerevan (population 1,119,000)
• CURRENCY: Dram (1 US Dollar = 400 Armenian Dram)
• LANGUAGE: Armenian
• ETHNICITY: Roughly 96 percent of the population is Armenian
• RELIGION: Almost entirely Armenian Apostolic Christian
• TOURISM: More than 800,000 tourist visas issued in 2012
• BEST WEATHER: Visit during May or September
• BEST ROUTE: Fly from LAX through Moscow or from JFK through Paris for the fastest connections.
• VISA: Get a 3-week tourist visa for about $15 at the airport in Yerevan upon arrival
• SPENDING: Bring cash or an ATM card. Credit cards are accepted at larger hotels and shops.

READ ON: ‘Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide’ is the leading guide to the region, and was recently released in its third edition. This book is the source for the information that appears here. Purchase online at www.ArmeniaTravelGuide.com or by mail, $30 postpaid, from Stone Garden Productions, PO Box 7758, Northridge, CA 91327.

The Tatev Monastery with the tramway in the background (photo by Matthew Karanian)

BY MATTHEW KARANIAN

The Syunik Region of Armenia covers a vast expanse that stretches from Spandarian Reservoir, near the town of Sisian, all the way south to the Iran border.

Despite its grand size, there is usually no argument about which of the cultural sites of Syunik is the grandest.

I posted the question on FaceBook a while back and the two words that came back most frequently were “Tatev” and “obviously.”

Tatev is a monastery in southern Armenia that is located in a village that is also named, conveniently enough, Tatev.

Until a few years ago Tatev the village was known, if it was known at all, for the monastery. The monastery dates back to the ninth century and was once home to more than 600 monks and, briefly, a university. The site was destroyed by an earthquake in 1932 and restoration seems to have been ongoing ever since.

The complex is comprised of a main cathedral, known as the church of Sts. Poghos and Petros, as well as two additional chapels, a library, and a maze of other buildings all surrounded by a fortress wall.

The most intriguing monument on the monastic grounds is a 25-foot tall pillar with an engraved khatchkar (stone cross) at the top. This uncommon structure, named Gavazan, which is the Armenian word for a walking stick, was built in AD 904.

Tatev is one of the most cherished and admired architectural and religious sites in Armenia.

But enough about the monastery. Today you’re apt to hear just as much about a new aerial tramway that links this monastery to the main road.

The tram was built in 2010, some 1,100 years after the construction of the monastery. The tram’s 3.5 mile span has earned it an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s longest. It’s called the Wings of Tatev, which is both descriptive, and also an allegorical reference to the origin of the name for the monastery.

According to legend, when the main church of the monastery was under construction in AD 895 (give or take) a laborer slipped and fell into the gorge. While falling, the man pleaded, without avail, for God to grant him wings so that he could avoid death. He did this using the Armenian words “ta tev.”

Whether the legend is true is anybody’s guess. My guess is that it’s not.

But there’s no mistaking that Tatev is situated in a remote location, atop a steep gorge. Geographic isolation is the norm for monasteries in Armenia. The isolated location of Tatev and of many other religious sites may have helped to keep the monks focused on their work, free from worldly distractions. The remote siting also allowed these monasteries to be defended from marauding invaders, of whom Armenia has seen its share over the ages.

In the modern era, however, this geographic isolation serves mostly as a deterrent to tourists who are contemplating how they can reach a site, and still get back home, or to their hotel, in one day.

The aerial tramway at Tatev removes this deterrent. Passengers avoid the rugged road completely. Visitors are instead whisked from main highway to the monastery in 11 minutes. This is just one-quarter the time it would take to maneuver the hairpin turns of the roadway below—assuming that you are in a Jeep and that the road isn’t blocked by rockfalls, or washed out, or covered with snow and ice.

And it’s a good two hours faster than the length of time it took me to reach Tatev on my first trek there, in 1995, when the so-called road was really just an improved trail.

The rocks at Goris (photo by Matthew Karanian)

There’s still a deterrent to reaching Tatev, of course. You have to be willing to ride high in the clouds above a mountain gorge in a small booth that’s suspended only by cables. Long cables. Three-and-a-half mile long cables. Some of us might just opt for the treacherous drive.

No matter how you get to Tatev, there’s no denying that the aerial tram has stirred interest in the site. The President of Armenia even made a visit on the tram’s opening day, and was its first passenger.

Tatev is the southernmost destination in Armenia for just about every tourist. Adventurists, however, think nothing of traveling farther south to Shikahogh Reserve.

The one hundred square-kilometer Shikahogh Reserve is the only nature reservation in Armenia with primeval forests. Casual hikers can easily reach a grove of 2,000 year-old plane trees with trunk diameters that exceed four meters.  This natural treasure is as esteemed in Armenia, perhaps, as is Redwood National Park in California.

If you want to hike through the reservation you’ll need a permit, which you can easily get free of charge from the reservation’s director, at his office in the village of Shikahogh. When I obtained my hiking pemit recently, I also hired a guide to show me around. Even without a guide, and without a permit, there’s plenty of nature to see in the public areas near the villages of Shikahogh, Nerkin Hand, and Tsav.

If you’re traveling to Shikahogh, just go and don’t sweat the details. The villages here are tiny (Nerkin Hand’s population is just 113), and everyone knows their neighbor, as well as how to get into the Reservation. If you can pronounce Shikahogh, chances are good that you’ll get pointed in the direction of the director’s cabin.

From Shikahogh, there’s really no reason not to continue your journey to Meghri, the Armenian outpost that sits along the Armenia-Iran border.

Well, actually, there are probably a handful of reasons not to continue.  Lodging options in Meghri are rudimentary. There’s a lot of driving. And the climate tends to veer off in the directions of hot and hotter.

But there’s no reason not to continue if you are an explorer. And if you’re already hiking among ancient plane trees in the forests of Shikahogh, then yes, you are an explorer.

Meghri, population 4,775, is the final Armenian town before reaching Iran. The climate here is subtropical, and it is common to see pomegranates and figs growing on trees along the roads. The greatest historical site is a fortress that dates back to the tenth century.

The fort is famous for its role in the successful defense of Meghri from a Turkish invasion in the eighteenth century. The defense was led by the Armenian leader Davit Bek.

There’s also a trio of historic churches in town which date from the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries, and which are destinations for some Armenia pilgrims.

For me, however, the greatest thrill of Meghri was standing near the bank of the Araks River, watching the steady flow of trucks crossing the open frontier with Iran, and contemplating how Iran—a fundamentalist Islamic Republic—has for so long enjoyed such a strong bond of friendship with Armenia—the world’s oldest Christian nation. I got the sense that the world is less black-and-white than I might have imagined.

Logistics
TATEV: The turnoff to Tatev is located 280 km south of Yerevan, just north of Goris, along the west side of the road. The tram operates daily except Monday, from 9 am to 6 pm. Roundtrip fare for tourists is 3,000 drams (about $7.50). Envy the residents of Tatev and of the surrounding towns who are allowed to ride free.
SHIKAHOGH: Get a permit from the director of the reserve, in the village of Shikahogh. Hire a guide (optional) or hike independently.
MEGHRI: Travel time from Goris, in good weather, is about four hours. Avoid traveling between Shikahogh and Meghri after dark, because of unpredictable road conditions.

Matthew Karanian (photo by Karine Armen)

The Los Angeles Times published a major feature last month on the book ‘Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide.’ The story, ‘A Fresh View on Ancient Armenia,’ included an interview with author Matthew Karanian. Excerpts from the interview are printed below.

LOS ANGELES TIMES: How many Americans visited Armenia last year?

MATTHEW KARANIAN: Not enough. That’s why I published the book. There were about 850,000 tourist visas issued for Armenia in 2012. More than half, maybe up to 70%, were issued to Diasporan Armenians. And for the past several years, roughly 15% of all tourist visas were issued to Americans.

LAT: What will I find on the sidewalks in the center of Yerevan?

M.K.: There are so many sidewalk cafes in central Yerevan, sometimes it seems you can’t go for a walk without falling into one. But it’s a seasonal thing. In the winter the only thing on the sidewalk is snow.

LAT: If I’m walking those sidewalks in summertime, why should I be wary of children bearing buckets?

M.K.: Vardavar is a great day to be a kid. This is an ancient holiday, and the essence of it is children dumping buckets of water on strangers. With impunity. The impunity part is key, and it probably keeps a lot of adults off the streets that day. Vardavar occurs once a year, on the 14th Sunday after Easter. I learned about the holiday the hard way, during my first visit to the country in 1995. Now I pay more attention to the calendar.

LAT: Where do you go for the best view of Mt. Ararat?

M.K.: Ararat is huge! It dominates the psyche as well as the skyline. When I lived in Yerevan, my favorite place to view was from the balcony of my apartment. But for the best viewing, I recommend the vantage from the monastery of Khor Virap, which is just south of Yerevan and right on the frontier between Armenia and Turkey.

LAT: How’s the hitchhiking?

M.K.: Hitchhiking is common, and accepted, among people of all ages. I usually stop. This is mostly a rural thing, though. In the city, people who don’t own cars just take the bus.

LAT: If we can’t get to Ararat, what big, scenic mountain can we get to?

M.T.: Aragats is a great place to visit during the summer, not just for the hiking, but also to beat the heat of the city. There’s snow on Aragats year-round, and you can climb almost to the top — 4,090 meters — without any special gear, as long as you’re in reasonably good shape. It’s a great way to impress your friends: I climbed the tallest peak of Armenia!

LAT: Armenia has more very old churches and monasteries than your average European nation. Which ones make most sense for visitors?

M.K.: Echmiadzin is the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is Armenia’s national church. The structure dates back to AD 301, when Armenia became the first state to accept Christianity. So going to Armenia without visiting Echmiadzin would be kind of like going to Rome and then skipping a trip to the Vatican.

But my favorite pilgrimage is to the monasteries of Sanahin and Haghpat, in the northeast. Sanahin was founded in AD 966. Haghpat was built right about the same time, in AD 977. They’re both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But these are just highlights. There are too many ancient sites to mention. Armenia is a second Holy Land for Christendom!

LAT: Yerevan and northern Armenia get more attention than the south. If I go roaming in the south, what will I find?

M.K.: Tatev Monastery, which was founded in the 9th century, is the cultural highlight of the south. It was built on top of a deep gorge to deter invading armies and a variety of other plunderers. But [more recently] the remote location mostly just deterred tourists. So a couple of years ago they built an aerial tram — the world’s longest — to make it easier for visitors to get there. The majesty of Tatev never ceases to amaze me. I would walk there if I had to. But taking the tram’s a lot easier.

I also love the geography of the south. The region around Spandarian Reservoir is gorgeous. I’m in awe of Karahunj— a celestial observatory that’s older than Stonehenge. And Shikahogh Reserve is a natural treasure, with a grove of 2,000 year-old plane trees.

LAT: Tell me about the old shoe.

M.K.: I think there’s a secret contest, where all the countries of the world compete to have the oldest of something in every category. It’s a contest that Armenia is really good at, maybe because Armenia is itself so old.

In 2010, Armenia grabbed the titles for World’s Oldest Winery (6,100 years old, discovered in a cave) and World’s Oldest Shoe (5,500 years old, discovered, perhaps not surprisingly, near the winery). Must make all those 1,500-year-old monasteries feel quite young.

Armenia and Karabakh Travel Guide

The stories and photos that appear in this travel section of Asbarez are adapted from ‘Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide,’ by Matthew Karanian and Robert Kurkjian.

‘Armenia and Karabakh’ is a 320-page comprehensive travel guide, and is the winner of three national book awards, including an award for best travel guide by the Independent Publishers Association. The book was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times, which described it as “a fresh view on ancient Armenia.”

This title is the first commercial travel guide to independent Armenia and Karabakh, and it provides coverage of history, cultural sites, nature and conservation, and all the features one expects in a comprehensive travel guide book.

Karanian first traveled to Armenia in 1995, and he has worked there as Associate Dean of the law program at the American University of Armenia. He practices law in Los Angeles. Kurkjian is an environmental scientist in Los Angeles. He first traveled to Armenia in 1995, and has served as Director of the Environmental Research and Conservation Center at the American University of Armenia.

‘Armenia and Karabakh’ is available for purchase online at ArmeniaTravelGuide.com  and by mail order by sending check or money order for $30 (post paid) to Stone Garden Productions, PO Box 7758, Northridge, CA 91327.

Surveillance video captured the suspects removing the safe at Fory Martyrs Armenian Church

SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying three suspects wanted for stealing a safe from an Orange County Armenian church.

Watch the news report.

The three men are suspected of forcefully breaking into Forty Martyrs Armenian Church, 5315 W. McFadden Avenue, just before 5 a.m. on May 1, Santa Ana police said.

According to officials, the suspects, who were caught on surveillance, pried “open a side door and stole a safe containing approximately $15,000.”

The three men were seen fleeing the church in a gray newer model sedan, police said.

The first suspect was described as a white male, between 30 and 35 years old, clean shaven, with short brown hair and a thin build. He was wearing a black baseball cap with “Sox” logo, black jacket with orange liner, white/black striped polo shirt, blue shorts and white/black tennis shoes at the time of the crime.

The second suspect is described as a white man, 40 to 45 years old, with a thin build, bald head and mustache. He was seen on video wearing an olive green and white hooded jacket, blue jeans and black over white tennis shoes.

The final suspect is described as a man between 35 and 40 years old, possibly Hispanic, with a thin build and goatee. He was last seen wearing a light-colored hooded jacket, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes.

Santa Ana detectives believe the suspects may also be involved in four additional burglaries in the area where safes were taken.

Anyone with information should contact the Santa Ana Police Department.

The old Fire Station number 83

Old fire station to serve as community center

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday voted 10 to 0 approving the transfer of surplus city property, formerly know as Fire Station Number 83, to serve as the new community center for the Armenian Cultural Foundation in Encino.

The motion was co-introduced by City Councilmembers Paul Koretz and Eric Garcetti and seconded by Paul Krekorian.

“We thank the Los Angeles City Council, especially councilmember Paul Koretz in whose district Fire Station 83 is situated,” said a representative of the Encino Armenian community.

“This is a monumental achievement for the San Fernando Valley Armenian American community. This would not have been possible had it not been for the efforts of everyone in our community,” added the rep.

“We look forward to bringing this building back to life to service the needs of the entire community with social, educational, youth and senior programs,” said the community member.

Another vote on the matter is expected in the future.

Asbarez will provide extensive coverage of this developing story.

Fresno County

FRESNO—The Fresno County Board of  Supervisors became the newest target of Azerbaijan’s wrath after the local body passed a resolution recognizing the self-determination of the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and its independence last month.

The Fresno Bee reported Tuesday that Azerbaijan has officially written to the Board of Supervisors urging the body to rescind the April 23 resolution.

Fresno County became the first County in California to officially recognize the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh). On April 23, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution sponsored by Supervisor Andreas Borgeas that officially recognizes the Nagorno Karabakh Republic – a region historically and ethnically Armenian situated between Armenia and Azerbaijan – and also calls upon the California Legislature to grant official recognition.

The Permanent Representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States, Robert Avetisyan, commented at the time that “[w]e are grateful for [this] initiative, and hope that the adoption of this Resolution will set a deeper cooperation towards stability, as well as democratic and economic prosperity in our region.”  The Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles, Grigor Hovhannisian, commented that “[e]very step toward the recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is a step toward peace and friendly relations in the South Caucasus. I whole-heartedly welcome recognition efforts by community and elected officials, as a continuation of friendly relations and solidarity between the people of the Republic of Artsakh, the Republic of Armenia and Fresno, California.”

“This fuels fighting between the communities,” Azerbaijani Deputy Consul General Ramil Gurbanov, who is based in Los Angeles, told The Fresno Bee on Monday. It doesn’t help achieve “a diplomatic and peaceful solution in the region.”

“We stand with our Armenian friends, both in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh … We will not be muscled by a well-funded lobbying effort by the Azerbaijanis,” said Borgeas told the Fresno Bee, indicating that the Board of Supervisors will not budge from its earlier decision.

Following the passage of the resolution on April 23 Borgeas said, “I am thrilled to stand beside our Armenian friends – here, in Armenia and Artsakh – and hope Sacramento will also officially recognize the independence of NKR. While Fresno County is the first County in California to pass such a resolution, my goal is for this initiative to help inspire more recognition efforts throughout the state, country and eventually Washington, D.C.”

“[T]his resolution by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors is timely, appropriate and significant,” William Bairamian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee – Western Region commented at the time. State legislatures in Maine, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have already passed similar resolutions.

The Republican Party meeting where the cabinet was unveiled

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan unveiled late on Tuesday his new but largely unchanged cabinet that was formed as a result of Armenia’s recent presidential election.

The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) approved the candidacies of the new ministers submitted by Sargsyan during a meeting of the HHK’s governing body. HHK spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov said they will be formally appointed by President Serzh Sarkisian on Wednesday morning.

Only three of the ministers did not serve in the previous cabinet that was also headed by Tigran Sargsyan. Those are Finance Minister Davit Sarkisian (no relation), Economy Minister Vahram Avanesian and Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Yuri Vartanian. The latter is a renowned former weightlifter who won 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and several world championships for the Soviet Union.

Davit Sarkisian, who until now served as chief of the prime minister’s staff, and the outgoing finance minister, Vache Gabrielian will swap their previous jobs. Unlike, Sarkisian, Gabrielian will have a ministerial status in his new position.

Avanesian, who held different ministerial posts in the 1990s, will replace Tigran Davtian. The latter will be appointed as Armenia’s representative to the World Trade Organization.

Tigran Sargsyan himself was reappointed two months after President Sarkisian won a second term in the disputed February 18 election. The head of state indicated shortly after his reelection that he is not planning sweeping personnel changes because he considers the outgoing government’s economic record satisfactory. He acknowledged at the same time that “a huge number of our citizens are unhappy with our work.”

Aram Hamparian

BY ARAM HAMPARIAN

It’s time for a new American approach to the Armenian Genocide, one that is as simple as it is sound: Progress and peace based upon truth and justice.

American policy on the Armenian Genocide can be both principled and practical. For, in properly commemorating this crime, standing up to its denial, and seeking its just resolution, we will be bringing our policies as a government into alignment with our principles as a nation – to the benefit of both U.S. interests and American values.

Years of futile U.S. efforts to appease Turkey have failed to end Ankara’s blockade of Armenia and only hardened Ankara’s denial of truth and obstruction of justice for this crime.  In fact, it was only moments after Turkey and Armenia signed the Ankara-inspired Protocols back in 2009 that the Turkish government – rather than moving toward recognition of this crime – reversed course by brazenly adding new demands regarding Nagorno Karabakh.  Ankara proudly declared it would continue enforcing its illegal blockade of Armenia, and then, in an open affront to its U.S. ally, actually escalated its international campaign of Armenian Genocide denial.  Turkey, having secured the Armenian Foreign Minister’s signature on this document, has, for the past four years, used it non-stop as its weapon of choice in a relentless campaign to derail international progress toward a just resolution of this still unpunished genocide.

To the extent that there is, today, constructive discourse on this subject within a small but growing segment of Turkish civil society, the credit belongs to the international campaign for truth, empowered by independent scholarship and driven by Armenian calls for justice.  Allies of Ankara – including those in Washington, DC, are now shamelessly seeking to take credit for this new awareness and activism, but only because they failed to bully Armenians into silence and bury this epic injustice.  These apologists, sadly, remain part of the problem, not the solution.

Turkey’s obstruction of justice has, over the course of nearly a century, allowed Ankara to consolidate its hold on the genocidal gains of its crimes against the Armenian people, blocking the return to the Armenian nation of key elements – indispensable elements – of viability that long sustained the Armenian people upon their ancient homeland.  This denial poisons Armenian-Turkish relations, fosters wave after wave of anti-Armenian intolerance within Turkey, threatens Armenia’s and Artsakh’s security, and, of course, fuels regional tensions.

We must reject Ankara’s false choice that, when it comes to the Armenian Genocide, protecting U.S. interests means compromising American values.  The future of this region – it’s sustainable stability over the long-term – cannot be built upon a foundation of lies.  Justice is good geopolitics.

It’s time for the Obama-Biden Administration to reject Ankara’s gag-rule and proudly reaffirm our government’s record of having recognized the Armenian Genocide.  Sadly, under foreign pressure, President Obama has failed to reflect, much less reinforce, America’s standing acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide as a crime of genocide.  Our current President’s retreat is regrettable – on many levels – and certainly must be reversed, but it does not detract from the fact that, dating back to the time of President Woodrow Wilson, the U.S. government has officially condemned Turkey’s intentional campaign to destroy its Armenian and other indigenous Christian populations.  Since Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide and President Harry Truman became the first head of state to sign the Genocide Convention, the United States has, on several occasions, formally recognized the Armenian Genocide as a crime of genocide:

– The U.S. Government’s May 28, 1951 written statement to the International Court of Justice regarding the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, in which the “Turkish massacres of Armenians” is cited as an “outstanding examples of the crime of genocide.”

– President Ronald Reagan’s April 22, 1981 Proclamation number 4838; in which he stated, in part, “like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the Cambodians, which followed it – and like too many other persecutions of too many other people – the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.”

– House Joint Resolution 148 adopted on April 8, 1975, which designated April 24, 1975, as “National Day of Remembrance of Man’s Inhumanity to Man,” citing “all the victims of genocide, especially those of Armenian ancestry who succumbed to the genocide perpetrated in 1915.”

– House Joint Resolution 247 adopted on September 10, 1984, which designated April 24, 1985, as “National Day of Remembrance of Man’s Inhumanity to Man,” citing “all the victims of genocide, especially the one and one-half million people of Armenian ancestry who were the victims of the genocide perpetrated in Turkey between 1915 and 1923.”

– The House of Representatives, on June 5, 1996, adopted an amendment to House Bill 3540 (the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997), to reduce aid to Turkey by $3,000,000 (an estimate of its payment of lobbying fees in the United States) until the Turkish Government acknowledged the Armenian Genocide and took steps to honor the memory of its victims.

President Obama himself entered office having stated his “firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence.” He affirmed his U.S. Senate record of “calling for Turkey’s acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide,” and, as we all know, pledged publicly that: “as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.”

After years of failed efforts to appease Ankara, it’s time for President Obama to honor his words, and for our government to live up to America’s promise of truth and justice.

It’s time to stop outsourcing our nation’s Armenian Genocide policy to Turkey, and – in the interest of both regional stability and our core values as a nation – to reclaim American leadership in support of a truthful and just resolution of this crime.

Aram Hamparian is the ANCA Executive Director

A building in Baku that was forcibly demolished and its residents evicted

BERLIN—The Azerbaijani authorities should immediately stop its campaign of forced evictions and demolitions in the capital, Baku, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The government should also guarantee fair compensation to homeowners and residents, including those already evicted.

The controversial Winter Garden opens the week of May 6, 2013, in central Baku, where hundreds of residents were evicted to make way for the park, shops, and a parking lot. The authorities have planned a week of celebrations and events, including a speech by President Ilham Aliyev on May 10, marking the birthday of his late father, former President Heydar Aliyev.

“The opening of the Winter Garden is unfortunately far from a celebration for those forcibly evicted to make way for it,” said Jane Buchanan, associate Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should never have undertaken its sweeping program of illegal evictions, which displaced hundreds of families and left many of them in extremely difficult circumstances.”

Human Rights Watch has been documenting the illegal expropriations, forced evictions, and house demolitions in the Winter Garden area behind the Heydar Aliyev Hall and in other parts of Baku since April 2011, including in a February 2012 report, “They Took Everything from Me.”

The evictions and demolitions began in 2009 and have displaced hundreds– if not thousands– of families. Human Rights Watch has found that some people are evicted without warning or in the middle of the night. The authorities often cut off services to houses slated for demolition, making them uninhabitable and compelling residents to leave. Then the homes are demolished, sometimes with residents’ possessions inside. The government has refused to provide homeowners with fair compensation for the properties, many of which are in highly desirable locations.

Homeowners continued to face forced eviction in the lead-up to the park’s opening. On March 28, Baku city authorities forcibly evicted a family of five from their home in the Winter Garden area. The owner, “Shahla,” told Human Rights Watch that officials from the Baku Mayor’s office verbally informed her in November that they planned to expropriate her apartment and evict her family by May in advance of the Winter Garden opening. She received no official written notification and is not aware of any court order authorizing the eviction.

The authorities offered her 1,500 Azeri manat (US$1,900) per square meter for her apartment, which she believed was low, particularly given the central location of her home. Independent evaluations priced Shahla’s apartment at no less than 2,500 manat (US$3,185) per square meter. She repeatedly appealed to the authorities, sending letters and meeting with Baku mayor’s office officials for a review of her compensation, without success.

Workers dismantled parts of the building beginning in January.

Shahla’s family, including her 93-year-old mother who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, remained in their apartment building when workers began to dismantle it on March 24. Soon, electricity, water, and gas services were cut off and workers used bulldozers to bring down parts of the building.

“I resisted the eviction,” she told Human Rights Watch. “I was alone in the whole building. The workers tried to enter my apartment from the balcony and then damaged the roof. Others tried to damage the floor from the empty apartment below. …Water seeped in from the ceiling from the holes they made.” Ultimately, Shahla felt no option but to leave. The mayor’s office provided a truck to relocate her belongings, but she was forced to abandon some furniture and other possessions, since she did not have alternative housing immediately available. After many appeals to the mayor’s office, Shahla later secured a temporary apartment, with its financial support.

“The already painful experience of being evicted was made that much worse for Shahla and her family by the authorities’ indifference to her appeals for help and fair treatment,” Buchanan said. “The authorities should ensure that families like Shahla’s don’t suffer needlessly for the government’s decision to transform central Baku. All residents facing eviction need to be treated with dignity and their rights should be respected.”

In 2013, the authorities extended the demolition area related to the Winter Garden to include many additional streets beyond the initial plans for development of the park. In one striking case documented in the Human Rights Watch report, a homeowner forcibly evicted from her home in late 2011 in the heart of the Winter Garden area, is now facing eviction for a second time. In an interview with Human Rights Watch, Bashkhanum Abbasova, a 63-year-old retired university lecturerwho lives with her two sons, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, told Human Rights Watch that, using her savings and the compensation she was awarded for her previous apartment, she purchased a four-room apartment several streets away from the Winter Garden. She renovated it before moving in. In late 2012, officials from the mayor’s office verbally informed Abbasova that her new home would be demolished by mid-2013. Abbasova has received no written notification about the expropriation.

“Officials from the Baku mayor’s office warned us to pack up for eviction,” she told Human Rights Watch. “They said that these houses spoil the good view of the Winter Park and so they’ll be destroyed.”

She has been offered 1,500 manat ($1,900) per square meter for her second apartment. Abbasova saidthat market prices in apartment buildings near hers are between 2,500 and 3,500 manat ($3,185 and $5,240).

Baku city officials have not made public their plans for demolitions and reconstruction. When selecting a new location to buy an apartment after her eviction, Abbasova specifically sought information about the city’s plans and was assured that the neighborhood she selected would not be affected.

“Prior to purchasing the house, I double-checked with the Baku mayor’s office to see if there were any plans to demolish the houses where I planned to buy,” she said. “Senior officials assured me that the area … would not be destroyed. The houses were not in the city plan list [of houses to be demolished].”

“The homeowners in Winter Garden’s shadow have been completely subject to the whim of the authorities, unable to plan for major life decisions such as renting or buying a home,” Buchanan said. “At the very least, the authorities should immediately make all city development plans public and hold regular, well-publicized public hearings where residents can receive accurate information and share their views.”

In a 2012 meeting with Human Rights Watch, Azerbaijani government officials denied that the forced evictions in Baku were unlawful. A letter sent to President Ilham Aliyev in June 2011 regarding the demolitions remains unanswered. Governments have the right to expropriate private property and evict homeowners and residents in certain limited circumstances: solely to promote the general welfare and only in accordance with national law and international standards.

There is no basis for the Baku expropriations and evictions in Azerbaijani law, which guarantees the right to private property and allows the government to expropriate property only in limited cases, such as for national defense, roads, or communications infrastructure. A court order is required to expropriate property. National law requires the government to purchase at market value any properties it expropriates and pay an additional 20 percent of the market value of the home as compensation for the owner’s trouble.

The expropriation and demolition of properties in central Baku also violates Azerbaijan’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, which explicitly protects against unlawful expropriation of property. According to the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), any deprivation of property, including by expropriation, must comply with the principle of lawfulness, be in the public interest, and pursue a legitimate aim in a proportionate manner.

The ECtHR has also held that failing to pay compensation reasonably related to the value of the property is an excessive interference with an individual’s rights. In addition, in many cases of expropriation, the only appropriate sum deemed to be “reasonably related to the value of the property” will in fact be full compensation– that is the market price of the property, plus costs or losses incurred as a result of the expropriation.

The ongoing expropriation and demolition of properties in central Baku violates both Azerbaijani law and Azerbaijan’s international human rights commitments, Human Rights Watch said.

Greuel with owners of NASA Disposal Sarkisian Brothers

STUDIO CITY—Armenians from all around the San Fernando Valley and beyond raised over $50,000 for Wendy Greuel in her campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles.  The event was hosted by Michael Israyelyan at his restaurant Romonov’s in Studio City.  It was the most successful event to date within the Armenian community for a candidate running in the 2013 race for Mayor of Los Angeles.

Wendy Greuel with community leader Michael Mahdessian

More than 30 Co-hosts from several organizations came together to put on the event, including members of the ANCA, AGBU, Armenian Chamber of Commerce, and Community Members throughout the City of Los Angeles.

Wendy Greuel, currently the Los Angeles City Controller, has a long history of friendship with the Armenian community in Los Angeles.  Wendy, and her husband Dean Schramm have been strong advocates for Genocide recognition not only in Los Angeles, but throughout the country. At the event, Greuel stated her desire to have Armenian Americans play key roles in her Administration, and said she will consult with the Armenian community on a regular basis in providing city services, and in shaping the future of Los Angeles.

Many supporters at the event cited Wendy’s experience in the private sector as an executive for Dreamworks and her running a small family construction supply business as factors in their support for her campaign.  That experience and her pro business policies are in sync with many small and independent Armenian business owners in the Valley and Los Angeles.

Wendy has been endorsed by all the major business organizations in Los Angeles.  During her remarks at the event, Wendy noted the endorsement of former President Bill Clinton who she worked for and who praised her efforts in helping provide emergency aid during the Northridge earthquake.

She has also been endorsed by former Mayor Richard Riordan, Senator Barbara Boxer, and Congressman Brad Sherman.

Harut Sassounian

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

Armenians woke up on April 30 to the breaking news: “Ruslan Tsarni Apologizes to Armenian Community,” as reported by Alin Grigorian, editor of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator of Watertown, Mass.

Prior to this apology, Tsarni had been telling the international media that “an Armenian convert to Islam had brainwashed” his nephews — Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — the Boston bombers. By linking an Armenian to such a heinous crime, Uncle Tsarni had infuriated Armenians who suspected dubious motives behind his outlandish claim.

Armenians were naturally relieved upon learning that Tsarni had told the Mirror-Spectator: “Armenia has a very strong culture, therefore, I want to stress that his [Misha’s] ethnicity has nothing to do with it. I wish I had never said it. I felt for you [Armenians] and wish I had never done it.” He went on to apologize for linking the Armenian community “to this evil event.”

While this apology was a good start, it was inadequate compared to the magnitude of the damage Tsarni had caused to the good name of Armenians worldwide. Merely apologizing to an Armenian newspaper could not undo that harm, unless he repeated it on CNN or other TV networks.

I contacted Tsarni asking him if he would issue a similar apology on national television. He responded affirmatively since he regretted dragging the Armenian name into “this sad episode.” Tsarni stressed that he did not “speak about all Armenians, just one man of Armenian descent. I never had the intention of harming Armenians or anyone else. I feel sorry that the name of the Armenian people was used. I feel somehow guilty. I would like to apologize. No one likes to be brushed with an act like this.” Tsarni asked me to report that he felt terrible about mentioning Armenians in his TV interviews.

Given his willingness to make a new public statement, I offered to assist him in drafting the text of an apology for a possible future network appearance. He first welcomed the idea, but later informed me that he would neither accept my suggestion nor issue his own statement, claiming that his earlier remarks were accurate, since Misha was of Armenian descent, overlooking the fact that Misha Allakhverdov, born in Azerbaijan, was of mixed Armenian and Ukrainian parentage. Tsarni further advised that he never meant to refer to “the entire [Armenian] ethnicity. It was a simple technical characteristic of the person whose name I did not know at the time. Had I known his name was Misha, he would be Misha, not an Armenian or anyone else.” He justified the use of the phrase ‘a new convert to Islam of Armenian descent,’ by claiming that his intent was “to help the media, reporters, and law enforcement agencies to locate that person.” He, therefore, decided not to issue an apology on television, as he had promised.

Furthermore, he disputed Mirror-Spectator’s report of his apology, by claiming that he was “misquoted.” He asserted: “I never said, ‘I wish I never said it.’ I said that I had no intention to have the name of Armenians used in association with the bombing. I spoke about the certain individual who I was told about and that information was confirmed as true information.” Despite Tsarny’s belated denial, the Mirror-Spectator stands by its story and I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of its report!

I reminded Tsarni of his unfulfilled commitment to appear on national TV and set the record straight on his allegation about ‘the Armenian’ Misha. He has yet to respond, as he has been busy making funeral arrangements for his nephew, Tamerlan.

There are many unanswered questions about Tsarni. Although the internet is replete with all sorts of allegations about his background, we prefer to concentrate on questions of more immediate interest to the Armenian community:

– Why did Tsarni apologize to the Armenian Mirror-Spectator and then turn around and claim that he was misquoted? Could it be that he had felt sorry for his earlier statements to the media, and then backtracked after being advised by ‘unknown interests’ that he should not apologize to the Armenians?

– Why did he make a personal commitment to me to appear on major TV networks to apologize for maligning Armenians, and then refuse to do so?

With these unanswered questions, one can only wonder about Uncle Tsarni’s mysterious motives and enigmatic connections.

Voters at a Yerevan polling station on Sunday

YEREVAN–Amid allegations of massive voter intimidation and fraud, the Yerevan municipal elections concluded Sunday night when polls closed at 8 p.m.

The Central Election Commission issued preliminary results Monday, announcing that Serzh Sarkisian’s ruling Republican Party of Armenia came ahead with 55.86 percent of the voter. Trailing in second place was the Prosperous  Armenia Party with 23.05 percent. Opposition presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian’s Barev Yerevan bloc garnered 8.47 percent of the votes.

The Armenian National Congress party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Rule of Law Party and the Mission Party received 4.39, 3.79, 3.73 and 0.64 percent of the votes respectively. The aforementioned four parties did not garner the six percent of the votes needed to be part of the City Council.

The CEC also announced that of the  816,478 registered voters in the city 437,212 participated in Sunday’s election.

The CEC will issue final results on May 12.

ARF Reaction
The ARF Supreme Council of Armenia issued a statement Monday saying that it participated in the elections in order to change the moral climate of the country and to inspire the citizens to have hope and confidence in the future.

However, the ARF added, the ruling regime, once again used infinite state resources and bribes to force their victory upon the electorate.

“The monopoly of the authorities has gotten even stronger,” warned the ARF adding that the ruling regime can now govern both the country and the capital.

The ARF said that it will not retreat from its principled position and will continue to work to implement radical change for the sake of the country, freedoms and the well-being of Armenian citizens.

Maria Titizian

BY MARIA TITIZIAN

It’s time to take away the levers of their perceived power. It is time to eradicate the uneducated, morally bankrupt, economically powerful, groveling, sniveling mob of young men and boys and silly, vacuous girls who think they will determine the destiny of my country.

I’m done with being politically and socially correct. I’m done with the dim-witted and brainless little boys dressed in black who hang out on street corners with their thick necks and shaved and empty heads bullying and terrorizing everybody from residents to the police force. I’m done with thinking that democracy is a process which we must go through to get to where we want to end up because nobody knows the end game.

I’m done with your cheap fireworks and even cheaper dress code. I’m done with your chalaghaj and your khorovadz and your stomach-churning oghi. I’m done with your bravado and threatening words against those who you perceive to be weaker than you. I’m also done with those who have left and those who now, more than ever want to leave.

Yesterday I had to bear witness, yet again to a process that brought shame on me as a human being, as a mother and as an Armenian woman. I always keep naively hoping that with each election cycle we are moving closer to democracy and yet with each election we seem to be slipping further and further into the “mud.”
I was a proxy at two different electoral precincts, 4/28 and 4/30 both in the Arabkir district of Yerevan where I live for the Yerevan city elections. Before taking on that duty, I went to cast my vote. When I arrived at my polling station there was a long line-up of people waiting to vote. That might have been a normal occurrence however it was the group of young men hanging outside the building that annoyed me. I had woken up in a fighting mood anyway and seeing them standing there with their cigarettes dangling out of the corner of their mouths, their iPhones in hand, slumping over each other, acting like silly little brats and watching people as they entered and left certainly set the mood for the rest of my day.

At the first polling station (4/28) where I was a proxy there were long line-ups of voters pushing and shoving their way in. At times it was chaotic and for the three hours I was there until my next posting it was a constant flow of people being led by Republican party apparatchiks who were there acting as a commission member, proxy and observer not to mention the Republican thugs who were congregated outside in groups. The air inside was stifling as the number of voters kept swelling. I went outside to see what was going on and was confronted with an incredible amount of cars and vans. There were several police officers on hand purportedly to ensure that everything was going smoothly. I approached one of the police officers and asked him if there was another polling station in the vicinity because it didn’t make sense to have all this traffic for one station. As I was asking, another more senior police officer went on the defensive and demanded to know why I was even asking the question. I told him the number of vehicles didn’t make sense when the polling station was in the middle of a cluster of buildings where all voters needed to do was walk and he said, “Do you not think we are doing our job? We know what our job is.” I said you clearly know your job because you are not doing anything to prevent this circus from taking place and stormed back into the polling station.

Two specific incidents at 4/28 are worth mentioning. The first was a young man, not more than twenty, who tried to vote with a passport which stated he was born in 1959. One of the commission members was astute enough to notice and quickly called the rest of us over at which time the alleged 54 year old attempted to exit the polling station. His passport details were recorded and a complaint was filed.

Another incident was with another young man who apparently had three grandmothers (he kept escorting one elderly woman after another claiming they were his “dadiks.”) He too was escorted out of the station and another complaint against him was filed. These are only two cases of a continual attempt all day long at all polling stations to use any lever possible to swell Republican Party votes.
When I arrived at precinct 4/30 it was comparatively calm. However, ten minutes before the polls closed all mayhem broke loose as a group of about 25-30 men stormed the polling station and began to create a ruckus over an elderly woman who was demanding to be photographed and who was obviously sent in a few minutes earlier as a decoy so that they could stuff the ballot box. Some of us proxies and observers tried to protect the box while filming the idiocy unfolding before us. The chair of the commission lost all control of the situation until another man (with a very thick neck) stormed in demanding to know what was going on.

Who that man was remains a mystery. In the middle of the commotion was the Republican and Prosperous Armenia party proxies – it wasn’t clear to me whether they were further instigating the mob or trying to contain it. Once calm was restored and the doors locked with us inside, it took the chair and secretary of the commission a whole hour to go through the process of preparing everything for the ballot box to be opened. Once opened and the counting begun, several destroyed ballots were brought out which created yet another storm of controversy among the Republican Party proxy and the Prosperous Armenia observer to determine what constituted a destroyed ballot. A fist fight almost broke out with chairs being whipped across the room. And then calm was suddenly restored again.

At this point, my nerves and patience were very quickly disintegrating and I thought I was going to have a stroke. The RPA proxy had managed to be drinking throughout the day and approached me stinking of alcohol wanting to see the video footage I had taken of his dismal behavior earlier when he was about to break another man’s jaw over a destroyed ballot. When I refused he kept finding an excuse to approach me as the ballots were being counted, asking my name, where I was from until I told him to be careful because he didn’t know who he was dealing with and there would be irreversible consequences for him if he continued trying to engage me. He walked away with his tail between his legs and left me alone. For all my own bravado, I was literally shaking.

Once the ballots were finally counted with the RPA getting about 60 percent of the vote in my precinct, I asked the commission chair to unlock the door so that I could get out. I was done. I walked out into the clear night trying to breathe in some air only to be confronted by gangs of Republican Party bullies who had been hanging around the polling station waiting for their victory to be heralded. My husband quickly pulled up, picked me up and drove me home. On the drive I couldn’t talk, I was heartbroken, disgusted, disillusioned and felt dirty. And then the fireworks began all over the city…they couldn’t wait to celebrate their deepening grip on power.

After 12 years of believing, hoping, praying that we would be able to embark on the road toward democracy, I have come to the conclusion that while trying to stay the course, you sometimes need to fight like a bulldog, unyielding and be prepared to struggle till the end of your last breath.

Of one thing I am sure, those small-minded, power-hungry thugs with their minions who conduct themselves with disgrace will answer to all of us when we refuse to do their bidding, there just needs to be more of us to shift the balance of power away from the darkness and toward the light. I believe that this regime will collapse only when the rest of us can come to our senses by taking away their power.

A goverment loyalist protests at being filmed by RFE/RL correspondent Irina Hovhannisyan outside a polling station in Yerevan

BY IRINA HOVHANNISYAN

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Groups of pro-government youths standing in or outside polling stations, keeping a watchful eye on voters and clearly influencing the process have been a fixture in Armenian elections and Sunday’s municipal polls in Yerevan were not an exception to this rule.

Their menacing presence, largely ignored by the police despite running counter to Armenia’s Electoral Code, could be observed in various parts of the city throughout the voting. As was the case in the previous elections, opposition activists accused them of bribing and intimidating voters.

The men commonly known as “neighborhood guys” mainly working for the ruling Republican Party were again reluctant to talk to journalists. Some of them responded to questions from RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) with anger and even threats.

About a dozen such men rushed away from an RFE/RL correspondent when she approached them outside a polling station in Yerevan’s northern Nor Nork district. “Don’t film me or I’ll hit you in the head with this,” one of them said, pointing to his mobile phone.

“Put the camera away,” protested another young man.

Karen Karapetian, a proxy of the opposition Armenian National Congress at the local election commission, pleaded with the reporter to stay at the polling station for a while. “Your camera will scare them away,” he explained. “Or else, they will keep directing people.”

“Isn’t it clear in whose favor they are directing people? Of course not in the opposition’s but the ruling party’s favor,” he said.

There were clear indications of such pressure inside another polling station in Nor Nork. Several young men, who were neither proxies nor election officials, looked on as local residents cast ballots there in large numbers. “I’m waiting for my neighbors to vote so we can go home together,” one of them claimed before an Republican Party proxy there began filming the journalist.

Election observers dismissed such claims, saying that the men voted much earlier and are simply staying put in breach of the law.

Another young man, who refused to identify his status, gave guidance to an elderly woman outside the polling station moments later. “Granny, don’t talk to her,” he told the woman when she was approached by the journalist. “Whatever she says, don’t answer.”

Tension ran high within the multi-partisan commission that administered voting in that precinct. Suranuysh Petrosian, the commission’s chairwoman affiliated with the opposition HAK, accused one of its pro-government members, Anahit Barseghian, of helping government loyalists to carry out vote buying.

“I noticed that she kept a list [of voters,] marked the names of those voters who showed up and those who didn’t, and gradually passed that list on to Republican guys so that they bring in people,” claimed Petrosian. “When I tried to stop that she started screaming.”

“I had no lists,” insisted Barseghian. “I was just checking to see whether or not [residents of] two apartments came to vote.”

In neighboring Avan district, a middle-aged woman standing outside two adjacent polling places held what looked a list of voters. She hid the papers and hastily made her way into a nearby apartment block when asked to disclose their content.

“I won’t tell you what’s written there. No, it’s not a list,” the woman said after emerging from the building shortly afterwards. “You’re getting on my nerves. Why are you forcing me to smash your camera?” she added angrily.

In the southern Yerevan suburb of Noragyugh, RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) followed a commuter minibus that stopped by local houses, collected their residents one by one and drove them to a nearby polling station. A woman who escorted the dozen or so voters angrily denied telling them to vote for a particular party. “Shame on you,” she said before escorting the voters to another minibus.

The Republican Party of Armenia was accused by its political opponents of busing allegedly bribed voters to polling stations throughout the day. The ruling party denied those allegations.

Voters crowd a local polling station

BY GREG BILAZARIAN

With polls now closed in Yerevan, today’s mayoral election has been marred by extensive reports from local and Diasporan observers of intense cheating, interference and violations. The mayoral election, which many had hoped would be a progressive step forward from February’s presidential election, has been described by some observers as a step backward with one calling it “the worst election of the past few years.”

Just minutes before polls closed, the observer website had reported more than 250 election related complaints, with the largest concentration of reports coming in the Sebastia-Malatia district of Yerevan.

Allegations of wrongdoing include –

• Party proxies interfering with the election process, sometimes pretending to represent their opponent’s political party while engaging in illicit activity
• Large crowds gathering around precincts
• Political parties busing crowds from one polling place to another either allowing people to vote twice or to otherwise interfere in the process

More than 100 Diasporan observers joined another trained 160 election observers from civil society organizations, including Transparency International, and spread out all over Yerevan to monitor the election process. In Armenia, election observers have the right to observe the actual counting process. Despite the polls already closing at 8pm Yerevan time, observers are continuing to work well into the night.

More than 800-thousand Yerevan residents were registered to vote, no word yet on voter turnout or when we can expect to learn the results.

The local-Diaspora monitoring mission prepares for Yerevan municipal elections on Sunday, May 5

BY URSULA KAZARIAN

In an unprecedented effort, approximately 100 Diasporans, both visiting and repatriated, as well as local Armenians and non-Armenian expats, have been working with approximately 160 election observers from civil society organizations such as Transparency International, and Asparez Press Club, Gyumri, to monitor the upcoming Yerevan municipal elections this Sunday, May 5th.

On Election Day, the observers will be at polling stations across Yerevan and will document, record, and videotape any fraudulent activity that may take place, such as ballot box stuffing, multiple voting, attempted bribery, and voter intimidation.

The group will be providing Diaspora media outlets with information in real-time that we encourage you to follow. Watch for updates from observation mission team members on Election Day, May 5th.

Also, visit and “like” the Yerevan Media Center Facebook page to keep up with the latest news directly from the observers in the polling stations. And of course continue to get updates from Asbarez.

Motivativation
This undertaking was inspired in part by Diasporan Narine Esmaeili, who witnessed systemic fraud during the Armenian presidential election in February.

Following the election, Esmaeili reported that she had been physically assaulted and threatened by polling station officials when she attempted to protest violations of Armenia’s Electoral Code as they happened. According to a video interview in which Esmaeli recounted her experience, she had witnessed a group of 25-30 men walk into the station and surround the ballot box.

When she protested, Esmaeili says one of the men in the group pushed her against a wall and pinned her there with her hands pressed together, while polling station officials cut open the ballot box seal and allowed one of the men from the group to pour in a bag full of marked ballots. Later, local police officers arrived at the polling station and told Esmaeili to be a “good girl” and not to talk to the media. Watch Esmaeli’s full video testimony here.

Despite these and other observer reports of egregious violations of the Electoral Code, the international observation mission rubber-stamped the election as generally “well-administered” and “characterized by a respect for fundamental freedoms.”

The formal statement was met with heavy public criticism, and some individual observers strongly disagreed with the main findings. As OSCE mission observer Dermot Ahern said:

“I’ve been a practicing politician here in Ireland for 32 years, contesting and winning every election I personally fought in.  I was director of [the] elections board at [the] national and local level[s] for my party. I have never witnessed anything like this.  From my experience, I know a trend when I see one, and something very strange happened to overturn the result.”

Civic Response
Bolstered by the overwhelming evidence of widespread, massive fraud during the presidential elections, the local-Diaspora monitoring mission has trained a total of 250 volunteers to observe the May 5th Yerevan elections. The group believes that a well-organized and well-trained election observation mission is critical to prove claims of fraud and associated criminal activity.

The local-Diaspora monitoring partnership believes that widespread media coverage of live observation reports from the precincts is crucial in attracting strong public support to hold authorities accountable for the accuracy and veracity of the official election results. In addition to training with the local observation missions, the Yerevan-based Diaspora team is working with Diaspora media outlets to provide reliable updates in real-time.

This Diaspora observation mission will also serve as a foundation and learning experience for its organizers, who intend to coordinate similar missions in future elections. A positive reception of this effort will fuel greater local-Diaspora cooperation in the future towards the common goal of strengthening the democratic process in Armenia.

The result of this coordinated effort will necessarily inform the structure and nature of grassroots Diaspora assistance in the future. It is therefore important to follow the activities of this pioneer group, not only during the election, but also in the subsequent days and weeks, in order to fully ascertain the added value that coordinated Diaspora assistance may provide to the overall impact of the mission.

Azeri president Ilham Aliyev

NEW YORK—On World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders has released an updated list of 39 Predators of Freedom of Information ­– presidents, politicians, religious leaders, militias and criminal organizations that censor, imprison, kidnap, torture and kill journalists and other news providers. Powerful, dangerous and violent, these predators consider themselves above the law.

“These predators of freedom of information are responsible for the worst abuses against the news media and journalists,” Reporters  Without Borders secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “They are becoming more and more effective. In 2012, the level of violence against news providers was unprecedented and a record number of journalists were killed.

“World Press Freedom Day, which was established on the initiative of Reporters Without Borders, must be used to pay tribute to all journalists, professional and amateur, who have paid for their commitment with their lives, their physical integrity or their freedom, and to denounce the impunity enjoyed by these predators,” he said.

The report named Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev among 39 “global predators” on freedom of information. Aliyev is not the only Azerbaijani official on the list. Vasif Talibov, speaker of parliament in the autonomous Nakhichevan region, which is cut off from the rest of the country by Armenian territory, was also termed a “predator.”

The participants of the Diaspora conference

BY TALAR CHAHINIAN

Over the last few decades, the term “diaspora” has rapidly spread and expanded to take on multiple meanings both inside and outside of academic disciplines. So much so, that this proliferation of meaning, configured as the dispersion of the term in a semantic and conceptual space, has been referred to as “‘diaspora’ diaspora.”  In response to the concept’s growing discursive popularity, the founder and editor of Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies, Khachig Tölölyan, while providing the site for much of the proliferation in academia, has warned that “diaspora” is “in danger of becoming a promiscuously capacious category that is taken to include all the adjacent phenomena to which it is linked but from which it actually differs in ways that are constitutive, that in fact make a viable definition of diaspora possible.”

As the term “diaspora” moves toward encompassing multidirectional states of being (figurative diasporas, internal diasporas, post-nationalist diasporas), the Armenian diaspora, often cited alongside Jewish and Greek diasporas as being closest to the term’s classical definition,  has undergone radical shifts of its own.

Over the last 20 years, following the independence of the Armenian Republic from the former Soviet Union, the global Armenian landscape has changed drastically, calling our attention to definitions and narratives that have become outmoded in describing the Armenian diasporic experience. In an effort to work toward new frameworks in analyzing, understanding, and approaching the concept of diaspora as it relates to the Armenian context post-1991, the ARF Western US, with the co-sponsorship of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, ACF Western US, and the Armenian Review, organized a one-day, international academic conference that took place on April 27, 2013, in USC’s Davidson Hall.

The conference, entitled Independence and Beyond: In Search of a New Armenian Diaspora Post-1991, took the 1991 Independence as its departure point to ask why and how the backdrop of a nation-state complicates our long-standing conceptualization of the Armenian diaspora.

In throwing a retrospective glance over the last century, we see that the trajectory of the concept of diaspora has evolved in two contradictory directions in the Armenian context. On the one hand, the terminology of diaspora has evolved from its pluralistic beginnings toward more concrete and singular terminology. For instance, what was once referred to during the years of post-genocide dispersion as Ãñù³Ñ³ÛáõÃÇõÝ/Turkish-Armenians, óñáõ³ÍáõÃÇõÝ /dispersion, ·³ÕóѳÛáõÃÇõÝ/community Armenians, •³ÕóѳÛáõÃÇõÝ /migrant Armenians, and ³ñï³ë³¿Ù³ÝÇ Ñ³ÛáõÃÇõÝ /Armenians abroad, becomes solidified as ë÷Çõéù/diaspora as community institutions form and begin to cultivate a transnational network and a corresponding grand narrative. Yet in the last several decades, the once-uniform post-genocide Armenian diasporic populations have evolved to take on more pluralistic profiles, as new diasporas were formed due to the waves of migration from the Middle East, the ex-Soviet Armenian space, or the current Republic to Russia or Western countries.

While this transition from “diaspora” to “diasporas” marks a move in the opposite direction from the evolution of the discourse of diaspora, it is often left unchallenged or unproblematized. In our current moment, central to these oppositional shifts inherent in our understanding of diaspora is the presence of an Armenian state, which creates a point of contention for a transnational conceptualization of Armenianness, whether that’s manifested through language, culture, politics, or identity.

The April 27 conference attempted to examine this point of contention within our formulations of the Armenian diaspora through four thematic panels, two of which consisted of traditional paper presentations and another two that were moderated discussions around an umbrella topic.

The first panel, “Revising the Narrative of Return,” moderated by Houri Berberian (California State University, Long Beach), discussed the effects of independence on the myth of return that the post-genocide diaspora had sustained through its grand narrative. The presentations, made by Sossie Kasbarian (Lancaster University) Viken Yacoubian (Woodbury University) and myself (California State University, Long Beach), examined the conflation of Eastern and Western Armenian language and culture necessary in the process of return to a homeland that officiates only the Eastern. Since homeland, real or imagined, is central to the myth of return, the Republic punctures the myth’s potency. The concept of return is then re-invented either through what Kasbarian called “sojourners” visiting Armenia for nation-building projects, or as an impossibility, thereby marking diaspora as a more permanent than temporary state.

The second panel, “Cultural Narratives, Subjectivity, and Language in an Evolving Diaspora,” chaired by Anahid Keshishain (UCLA), built a case for culture as the only measurable definition of national belonging. The papers of Hagop Gulludjian (UCLA), Marc Nichanian (Sabanci University), and Fr. Levon Zekiyan of Universita Ca’Foscari (this latter read by Myrna Douzjian) all seemed to demand a shift of priorities from diaspora institutions. Ultimately, all three papers argued that in order to secure its survival, particularly as the only site available to the Western Armenian language, diaspora life needs to supplement or even substitute the realm of the “political” with that of the “cultural.”

The third panel, “Online Space and the Politics of Information Exchange,” set out to examine how the online sphere generates convergences or schisms between national and diasporic space. The discussion was led by Hayg Oshagan, who is a professor and director of the Media Arts and Studies Program in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University. The panelists represented key US-based news and analysis sources; the panel featured Ara Khachatourian of Asbarez, Nanore Barsoumian of the Armenian Weekly, Liana Aghajanian of Ianyan Magazine, and Asbed Bedrossian of Groong. Their discussions revealed that contrary to the immense community-building role that newspapers traditionally played in the diaspora, in the English-language diaspora publications online, a wider, global audience dictates content production. As such, the content becomes Armenia-centric, reflecting the global readership’s interest. The local, upon which diasporic identities are constructed and the collective of which forms transnational understanding of belonging, no longer marks the terrain for representation, for sources, or for audience.

The fourth panel, Re)Defining Diaspora and Nationalism,” produced a lively discussion about diaspora’s moment of crisis among its four participants: Asbed Kotchikian (Bentley University), Razmik Panossian (Director of the Armenian Communities Department at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation), Stephan Astourian (University of California, Berkeley), and Simon Payaslian (Boston University). The moderator, Khachig Tölölyan of Wesleyan University, launched the discussion by setting notions of transnationally scattered Armenian people against ideas about the Armenian nation-state and by urging the panelists to consider questions of centrality and marginality. All four panelists seemed to advocate a transnational model of the Armenian people, consisting of multiple centers or nodes on a network rather than communities in a hierarchical relationship with the Republic. From its forward-looking perspective, the discussion highlighted the importance of recognizing the changing face of the traditional diaspora communities, as well as the emergence of new ones, particularly in Russia. Here, as in other panels, the question of re-cultivating the exilic Western Armenian language emerged as the final frontier and the final defining challenge for the post-genocide diaspora, which in itself can no longer be identified as such, especially outside of the Middle East.

The process of rethinking diasporic formulations and revisiting existing frameworks in our approach to the concept of diaspora drew attention to the need to revitalize diaspora communities’ and institutions’ sense of agency, particularly in the face of an Armenian government whose institutions fail to develop or promote a horizontal relationship with diaspora communities at large and the Western Armenian culture specifically. Through the process of inquiry emerged the parallel need to revitalize the space of the intellectual within diaspora’s cultural and political imaginary. After all, only a distanced gaze, a requirement for productive critique, can lead us toward progress.

Endnotes
1. Brubaker, Rogers. “The ‘Diaspora’ Diaspora.” Ethnic and Racial Studies. 28.1 (2005): 1-19.
2. Tölölyan, Khachig. “Rethinking Diaspora(s): Stateless Power in the Transnational Moment.” Diaspora 5.1 (1996): 3-36.
3. Early discussions of diaspora marked forced exile as the originary moment of dispersion and conceptual homeland as a fundamental characteristic of its definition. William Safran’s proposed definition in the inaugural issue of Diaspora is often cited as an example of the term’s classical understanding. See “Diasporas in Modern Societies: Myths of Homeland and Return.” Diaspora 1.1 (1991): 83-99.

Talar Chahinian holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UCLA and lectures in the Department of Comparative World Literature at Cal State Long Beach. She or any of the other contributors to Critics’ Forum may be reached at comments@criticsforum.org. This and all other articles published in this series are available online at www.criticsforum.org. To sign up for a weekly electronic version of new articles, go to www.criticsforum.org/join. Critics’ Forum is a group created to discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora.

Yerevan municipal elections are Sunday

BY CHRISTIAN GARBIS

The Yerevan municipal elections are right around the corner, scheduled for May 5. Many political parties that are in opposition to the government or still on the fence are putting their faith in these elections, hoping that democracy will work in their favor this time around and system-wide reform will begin in Yerevan. Onlookers from thousands of miles away will be eager to see the election results and make their judgments about political successes and failures accordingly. And that’s what is so daunting.
When studying the comments section of several articles written about Armenian politics in the Weekly, it’s clear that readers fall into two distinct camps—those who side with the opposition and thus the importance of the role of democracy in the development of society, and those who are staunchly, even suspiciously, loyal to the government and choose to ignore or downplay legitimate criticisms. The latter group seems to believe that the democratic system is equally transparent as those of nations in the West, for instance the United States. While in America the presidential vote is determined by the number of electoral votes won, the popular vote is largely symbolic. In many still-budding democracies, like Armenia, it is the popular vote that counts.

Despite monitoring efforts by European structures like the OSCE and the pretense of transparency, it has been very easy—not to mention essential—to falsify the vote in order to retain power in nearly every election. Not only are games played at the polling stations (forging signatures on voter lists, ballot stuffing, bribing, carousel voting, harassment), but numbers are undoubtedly being conjured behind closed doors at the Central Election Commission (CEC). Naturally, this cannot be proven for certain since the CEC ultimately reports to the president, just as all state bodies do.

In other words, the conclusion that the candidate or party that acquires the most votes is the real winner is a naive sentiment for the simple fact that democracy and the rule of law are not allowed to function properly so long as the president of Armenia does not value that system of governance. And I don’t only mean Serge Sarkisian; -his two predecessors also behaved essentially as dictators. The president has complete control over all governmental agencies and institutions, and ultimately has the final say as to how something will play out. If governmental corruption, for instance, is to be stamped out, he must have the will to do it—and not only the prime minister, who clearly doesn’t or else is powerless to do so. The judiciary likewise reports to the president; it can act independently in low-profile cases where private interests are not at stake. When the president wishes for a ruling to be made one way or another, the judge holding the verdict is obliged to carry out his wishes, or be dismissed.

The CEC is no exception to the rule. The head of the commission also caters to the whims, or rather the shrewd planning, of the president. In other words, the “official results” of the elections cannot be taken at face value as being legitimate and a just expression of will by the people. The doctrine of legitimacy is prescribed by the president of Armenia alone.

These authorities will do anything to retain power. The Yerevan municipality, which is controlled by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, has been very busy with various community renovation and landscaping projects, laying down fresh asphalt on streets and courtyard driveways, replacing curbstones, and repairing sidewalks. Although it is their responsibility to maintain the city’s streets, they wait until the last minute before election day to accomplish the work, thereby demonstrating a semblance of attentiveness while earning votes. On election day, it’s safe to assume that the usual methods of vote buying and intimidation will be deployed. After all, it’s a normal practice.

Sunday’s vote will be falsified again simply because the authorities can get away with it, as was made quite obvious in February’s presidential elections, while managing to gain praise from Russia, Europe and the United States in the aftermath.

And when communities in the diaspora continue to ignore violations of democratic values by blindly embracing the outcome of the vote, despite any blatant flaws that are revealed, the Armenian citizenry is let down knowing that its compatriots based abroad are unsupportive of its plight.

Until the Armenian nation fully embraces democracy, the same free and fair elections that Western nations covet as the purest demonstration of freedom cannot be held. The determination is necessary, along with the much-needed collective consensus on the vote from the Armenian Diaspora. This time around, it is vital for Armenian communities worldwide, which have expressed their concern and support for Armenia’s freedom, to meticulously track violations that will be reported by the Armenian press throughout the day (notable news sources with live updates include Hetq Online, A1+, and Civilnet) before rushing to judgment on the outcome of the vote. Two hundred observers from the diaspora are rumored to be monitoring the municipal elections. Their crucial findings will need to be considered quite carefully in determining whether democracy in Armenia can indeed flourish, as it should.

Young Canadian-Armenian arrive in Yerevan to monitor municipal elections

BY TAMARA S. VOSKANIAN

YEREVAN—On May 2, Armenia welcomed three young volunteers from Canada who will join the monitoring mission for Yerevan’s May 5 mayoral election. Anoush Frankian of Toronto, Ararad Torosyan of Montreal, and Rupen Janbazian of Toronto will join more than 100 other diasporan Armenians who will be monitoring the election alongside 1,700+ local monitors.

For each of the three youth, this trip to Armenia is a welcome opportunity to return to the homeland. Each has spent months at a time in Armenia as volunteers, and has shown long-term commitment to participating in Armenia’s development and democratization. In Anoush’s words, “Armenia has great potential to flourish. Devoting myself, and encouraging others to partake in its development is critical to the country’s success.”

Anoush, Ararad and Rupen hope that their decision to fly to Armenia for the election will heighten enthusiasm in the diaspora for the political changes happening in Armenia. “We believe this is the minimum Diasporan youth can do to contribute to the development of a democratic Hayastan where the rule of law prevails, something that is critical to ensure that emigration stops and hopefully repatriation becomes larger in scale.”

For more information about how the Local-Diaspora monitoring mission began, watch: http://civilnet.am/2013/04/03/observing-elections/.

Garcetti with the Baghdassarian family

Co-hosts Ralph and Savey Tufenkian with Garcetti

GLENDALE—Local activists and members of the ANCA and other community organizations joined the Baghdassarian family to support Los Angeles mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti who is seeking to win City Hall’s top seat on May 21st.

At the home of Hacop and Hilda Baghdassarian, more than 100 friends gathered to discuss issues important to the City of Los Angeles and the Armenian-American community.

Gevik Baghdassarian, co-host of the event, greeted guests and thanked Garcetti for his continuous support and involvement in advancing Armenian-American issues and encouraging the participation of Armenian-Americans in the professional, cultural and spiritual arena in Los Angeles.

“It brings me great satisfaction to coordinate an opportunity to meet with Councilmember Garcetti to discuss ways to better our city and our community,” said Baghdassarian. “I believe Councilmember Garcetti has and will continue to identify the strength in our community and remain steadfast in his commitment to better our organizations, schools and businesses.”
Garcetti thanked his supporters and discussed his vision of expanding public transportation, improving primary education, fighting crime, and keeping businesses operating within city limits. He also discussed his previous official visit to Armenia and his efforts in strengthening the tie between sister cities Yerevan and Los Angeles.

Guests included Glendale City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian, Rev. Fr. Ardak Demirjian on behalf of Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, internationally known entertainer Armenchik and prominent Armenian-American business members, community activists and public figures.

“Through our professional, educational and civic accomplishments, Armenian- Americans have made a big imprint in the betterment of our city,” said Hacop Baghdassarian. “We look forward to continuing to build on our strong relationship with Eric Garcetti throughout the years.”

ANC Grassroots

GLENDALE—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region on Friday announced that it will be hosting its Annual Banquet and biannual Grassroots Conference on Thanksgiving Day Weekend 2013 in Los Angeles, CA. The last time the two events happened together in 2011, they collectively drew over 1300 attendees.

Two years ago, the inaugural ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference featured artists, scholars, intellectuals, professionals, and activists in a groundbreaking event which awed and inspired attendees that came to Los Angeles from around the country. With expectations high, Grassroots aims to set the bar even higher in 2013 with intellectually stimulating discussions during the day and fun social events at night. Those interested in attending are urged to make travel plans early.

As every year, the Annual Banquet will feature high profile guests and dignitaries. The event typically sells out.

Details forthcoming.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Harut Sassounian

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

The bizarre circumstances and dubious names in the Boston Marathon bombings have raised many questions that have yet to be answered by government officials and journalists.

The most mysterious character is ‘Misha’ whom Ruslan Tsarni, uncle of the Boston bombers, described as an Armenian convert to Islam who had supposedly brainwashed and radicalized Tamerlan, the elder of the suspected Tsarnaev brothers. Ruslan described ‘Misha’ as a heavy-set bald exorcist with a long reddish beard!

Initially, no one could find ‘Misha.’ While his alleged affiliation with Tamerlan and Armenian origin was prominently and repeatedly mentioned in the media, it took the authorities 10 days to announce that they knew who ‘Misha’ was and that he had no connection to the terrorist acts!

Last Sunday, Christian Caryl of the New York Review of Books, was finally able to locate and interview the elusive ‘Misha’ in his Rhode Island home. Even though Caryl disclosed that ‘Misha,’ a native of Baku, Azerbaijan, is the son of an Armenian father and a Ukrainian mother, and that his last name is Allakhverdov, the media continues to refer to him as an ‘Armenian.’ Notably, neither Caryl nor anyone else mentions the fact that ‘Misha’ or ‘Mikayel’ — a common Christian name — cannot be the name of a Muslim! Moreover, after the break up of the Soviet Union, many Muslim Azerbaijanis applied for asylum in Europe and the United States, under the pretext that they were persecuted Christian Armenians! It is odd that ‘Misha,’ supposedly a Christian, would flee from Islamic persecution in Baku, only to convert to Islam in America!

Interestingly, Caryl reports that ‘Misha’ had nothing to do with the Boston bombings, which is exactly what government investigators had earlier announced. Could it be that US officials had put Caryl in contact with ‘Misha’ in order to confirm their declaration of his innocence, leading some analysts to speculate that ‘Misha’ may have been an FBI informant whose cover is now being meticulously protected!

The next suspicious character is Uncle Ruslan who has accused ‘Misha the Armenian’ of having a powerful influence over Tamerlan. Ruslan himself has had a checkered past, having worked for USAID and several Caspian Sea energy companies, while married to Samantha Ankara Fuller, daughter of Graham Fuller, a retired top CIA official. Because of Ruslan’s close relationship to the bombers’ family, his employment with Central Asian oil companies including Halliburton, and marriage to the daughter of a high-ranking CIA official, some analysts have suggested that the enigmatic uncle warrants a closer look.

Last week, prominent Armenian-American attorney Mark Geragos blasted Ruslan Tsarni on CNN, suggesting that “somebody needs to give this uncle a field sobriety test, because I think this guy is under the influence of something.” Geragos was furious that Ruslan had linked the Boston bombers to the ‘Armenian Misha,’ while Armenians worldwide were commemorating the 98th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide! Ruslan then tried to reach Geragos by telephone, seeking “to clarify” his earlier statement. Geragos refused to take his call.

Some analysts suggest that Tamerlan may have been recruited by the Russian secret services (FSB) to spy on Chechen extremists during his six-month stay in Chechnya and Dagestan last year. Having informed the FBI and CIA of Tamerlan’s links to radical Islamist groups, and not receiving a satisfactory response from US officials, it could be that the FSB took matters into its own hands and recruited the unemployed and penniless young Chechen during his lengthy stay in Russia.

Other analysts speculate that Tamerlan may have been an informant for the US government. Such a supposition is much more credible than assuming that the FBI and CIA were too incompetent or too busy to conduct a thorough investigation of Tamerlan’s background after the Russian FSB brought his name to their attention. It could be that US authorities knew Tamerlan only too well and may have even encouraged him to travel to Russia as their mole in Jihadist circles.

Finally, there are those who believe that Tamerlan ended up betraying both the Russian and American intelligent services, deciding instead to support radical Islamic groups, “out of anger over US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” according to his younger brother Dzhokhar’s jailhouse confession.

Of course, these speculations are advanced by various analysts based on preliminary information, pending a thorough Congressional investigation to uncover the true facts. Americans killed and maimed in the Boston bombings deserve an honest answer!

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Garen Yegparian

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

This year’s commemorative trail began on April 14, in Encino, for me. The AYF’s Sardarabad Chapter had organized the fourth (if memory serves me correctly) “Cycle Against Denial,” a roughly nine-mile loop starting at the Ferrahian School. This is a great idea, but the participation was markedly lower this year. I counted just under a hundred participants, only a third that of previous years. No one had an explanation for this.

North Hollywood was next on the trail, on April 16. This event was perhaps the most traditional of the gatherings I attended this year, starting with the very fact that it was held in a church, an Assyrian one at that. This is where the Armenian community in that area holds its Sunday services, too. The venue is somewhat fitting, given our shared history of genocide at Turkish hands, and the fact that the murder of the Assyrians is finally getting more awareness. The event was the typical— culture/thematic speaker/kids performing/candle-lighting program.

As with others years, there were numerous lectures on topics related to the Genocide. On April 18th, the ARPA Institute hosted a very interesting one by Gregory Areshian, “Genocide on the Battlefields of Archaeology,” at the Merdinian School. Aside from the various interesting specific developments and picture he presented, and the unsurprising conflict between what scholarly study requires and what Turkish chauvinism produces, there was one very hope-inspiring take-away. It turns out there’s an internal conflict among Turkish archaeologists. There are the carriers of Ataturk’s revisionist tradition (based largely in government agencies), centered in Ankara, and strongly anti-Western. On the other side, there are those who are more open-minded (perhaps Ottomanist?), who oppose the expulsion of Western researchers, and are centered more in Constantinople. Seems to me this is another opening for us to assist in the transformation of Turkish society.

By April 19, the commemoration trail was daily, with multiple events sometimes. That night, I was only able to see the tail end of one out of three gatherings (the City of Burbank’s annual Boards & Commissions thank-you dinner created a conflict). The Hollywood ANCA once again organized “Revival through Art”. By the time I arrived, all I was able to partake of was viewing the paintings by young artists. But, the excitement level was palpable, and it was, happily, a far younger crowd than at most other commemorative events. What I missed was a multimedia program of the arts. Hopefully, in future years this event will outgrow its current venue, the Hollywood Armenian Center.

On April 20, the Shiragian Gomideh held its event at the north campus of the Ferrahian School. With some 250 in attendance and a largely typical program, this relatively newly organized community (North San Fernando Valley) is making good strides. Newly elected California State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian spoke, reflecting on his ties to the very site of the event and the need to engage our community, and particularly youth, in our political efforts. While this may sound trite, it actually was not, just because of how Adrin tied it in to our current (and his personal) reality. The highlights of the program were Raffi Hamparian’s fiery delivery that tied together many strings of our struggle- from justice, to memory, to the necessity of current political (especially electoral) engagement. Henry Astarjian, speaking in Armenian, was no less eloquent in laying out the broad path of our struggle, with particular emphasis on the need to engage with our neighbors, the Kurds, all in the context of the Sevres Treaty, while being alert of the pitfalls involved.

April 21th was another San Fernando Valley night, this time, the West. This event has a long history. Though traditional in nature—speakers, kids, elected officials, culture, etc., the organizers have been very good about bringing top-notch speakers. This year was no exception, when roughly 350 people heard Professor Ayda Erbal from NY. She did an excellent (though somewhat too academic and lengthy) job of establishing parallels between immediate pre-Genocide Ottoman, and current Turkish, society/mindset, as manifested in parliamentary discussions of both eras. She concluded that it was all about controlling the minorities, making it so they knew where they stood.

April 22nd was the night of the event organized by Glendale Unified School District’s High Schools Armenian Clubs held at Glendale High School. As usual, the caliber of the students’ performances, whether they hailed from high schools or early elementary, was very high. Attendance was also strong, as usual, with some 500 people present. Unfortunately, this year, one aspect was weak. Typically, a good strong speaker has addressed important issues, and that was lacking. Also, the program was “too much of a good thing”— I heard through the grapevine that a few last minute additions were made.

April 23rd was a multi-event night. It started with Burbank ANCA/AYF’s joint program. The local City Council issued its traditional proclamation. Unfortunately, this year the Holocaust remembrance organized annually by the Burbank Human Relations Council took place the same night, with that proclamation issued as well, so it was not possible to attend that gathering which is usually very interesting and informative. The Genocide proclamation was followed by a candlelight vigil on the steps of city hall with some 270 in attendance. The program was traditional, but appropriately brief.

From Burbank, I went to Montebello for another long-standing event, the vigil organized by that ANCA at the martyrs’ monument. I missed the United Young Armenians’ vigil held in Glendale Civic Auditorium’s parking lot. Once again, in addition to the traditional program, two speakers made very good presentations. Nora Hovsepian wove together issues of territorial restitution, Turkish societal evolution, the Safarov release and heroification, the Hyevotes program, Armenia’s being blockaded, denialism, hatemongering in Azerbaijan, the attacks on elderly Armenian women in Constantinople’s Samatya district, and our activities in Washington, DC. Then, Khatchig Mouradian reinforced the value of our activism by pointing to the ceremony held by Kurds in Diyarbekir to commemorate the Genocide. In that event, they had gone to an overlook of the Tigris where 98 years earlier Armenians had been thrown into the river, and there, just hours before the Montebello gathering, the Kurds had thrown flowers into the river. He emphasized that this was made possible only because of our persistent, relentless, efforts.

That is a valuable lesson to end on. More next week.

Participant of last week's Diaspora issues conference

BY LORKY LIBARIDIAN, MD

The implication of the title of the April 27, 2013 conference held at USC (“Independence and Beyond: In Search of a New Armenian Diaspora Post – 1991”) is that because there now exists an independent Armenia, the Diaspora must change. This is obvious. What is not as obvious, but goes to the core of the matter, are the realities and underlying assumptions that were highlighted by Dr. Stephan Astourian’s presentation in the last panel, “(Re)Defining Diaspora and Nationalism.” His main argument was that by not pushing a Genocide based agenda, the first administration of Armenia undermined that which is so fundamental to the Diaspora, subsequently the Diaspora itself, and thus Armenia’s relations with it for years to come.

Much of the Diaspora had been dreaming of a free and independent Armenia for decades, whether as an immediate necessity or as a longed for ideal. Yet when the dream finally became a distinct possibility and then a tangible reality, — that at a time of war and blockades and when the country was reeling from the disintegrating Soviet economic system—the fact that Armenia gave priority to its survival and survival of its own people, was, and continues to be interpreted as a rejection of the Diaspora, and a serious problem. Such people expected that this new state, facing existential challenges, give priority to the issues that topped the diasporan agenda: Genocide recognition and issues of Diasporan identity. This has always seemed quite strange to me, to say the least. Why didn’t the Diaspora support the Republic of Armenia as the core of its identity instead of Genocide? Why couldn’t it make that shift…? And why did the Diaspora feel the new Armenia owed the Diaspora the adoption of the latter’s agenda, why did and does the Diaspora feel entitled?

Now that’s not quite how it happened, and I said “much of the Diaspora” because while for decades the call for a free and independent Armenia was its motto, by the 1980s, the largest Diasporan political party, the ARF, had changed its position. While still espousing and preaching the ideals of a free and independent Armenia to its lower strata and the public, the party policies had in fact taken a major shift toward supporting a Soviet Armenia, as evidenced by arguments presented by its leader in official ARF publications in the late 1980s. In this case, then, I must also ask, why did this happen? And why did the Diaspora, or at least a great portion of it, then give itself the right to feel that Armenia owed it anything when it became independent, if not the other way around?

I asked a few people after the conference why it was that once a free Armenia existed, the Diaspora was, and is, still questioning and in some cases refusing the idea that Armenia should be the core and center of the Armenian nation… why a state-centered nation is even a question. I received two answers: “because it is not the state they wanted,” and, “because they did not lift a finger to help create it.” If that is indeed the case, it is quite sad. The first speaker of the panel, Dr. Asbed Kotchikian suggested that perhaps the Diasporan fixation on Genocide is holding it back. I will go further, and suggest that while Armenia is rife with problems: if one is to argue that the first administration of newly independent Armenia is at fault for tainting Diasporan-Armenia relations by refusing to take on Genocide issues as many Diasporan organizations expected, then truly, in this matter, the main pathology lies within the Diaspora, and its own identity issues and insecurities – at least that portion which feels that argument has any merit. That is, many Diasporans did understand the situation in the new republic and provided help in many ways, and others came to understand the situation with time. But there still remain those who seem unable to recognize that Armenian administrations have primary responsibility for the people who live on Armenia’s territory and that the republic was not created to resolve the problems of the Diaspora.

If we do indeed want to move forward, towards a stronger Armenian Republic, a stronger Diaspora (whatever that may mean), and a stronger, unified Nation, then we must address these problems directly. I hope that future such conferences tackle the issues of Diasporan genocide-based identity and self-entitlement, and perhaps even the malignant effect they have had on relations with the independent republic, directly. To that end, I have titled this piece with a suggestion for the title of such a conference.

USC

LOS ANGELES—The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) has raised concern regarding the University of Southern California (USC) Center for Public Diplomacy’s decision to invite Tolga Arslan, Turkish Vice-Consul, to speak at the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars (APDS) Conference on Friday, May 3.

Armenian Youth Federation

The conference is held annually and has four panels this year focusing on Public Diplomacy’s Domestic Dimensions, Public Diplomacy in Conflict Zones, and Diasporas and Consular Diplomacy. Togla Arslan has been invited to speak on the subject of Diasporas and Consular Diplomacy in order to share his public diplomacy strategies and the most effective ways of engaging with their diasporas. Arslan is not only a representative of a government that actively denies the Armenian Genocide, but he also actively works with organizations in the Diaspora that advocate for the denial of genocide.  This concern should not only be a concern to the Armenian community and to human rights advocates, but to the USC faculty and students as well. Inviting a representative of a government that does not engage in just practices in diplomacy reflects negatively upon the department and its credibility.

It is important that those attending this conference are educated and aware of the ongoing human rights violations by the Turkish government. USC should not allow representatives of foreign governments that have one of the worst human rights violation records to influence our education in the United States. It is important that we be critical and that we speak out when we see individuals like Arslan, through his government, attempting to influence our educational system.

The Armenian Youth Federation calls on the USC Center for Public Diplomacy to retract its invitation to Tolga Arslan, and to be truly critical of the representatives that they invite for future panels.

On November 1, Arslan was invited to be the keynote speaker at the UCLA Bruin Model UN conference, where he was supposed to deliver the introductory speech to the conference participants. Arslan canceled his appearance at the last minute due to the combined efforts of the Armenian Youth Federation Western Region (AYF-WR), Armenian National Committee of America Western Region (ANCA-WR), and the UCLA Armenian Student Association (ASA). The BruinMUN organizers thanked the Armenian community for their steadfast commitment to the principles of truth, justice, and human rights.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian American youth organization in the United States, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of Armenian-American youth.

Pope Francis I

BUENOS AIRES—In 2010, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the newly-consecrated Pope Francis I, and Argentinean Rabbi Abraham Skorka, published a book entitled “On Heaven and Earth” (“Sobre el Cielo y la Tierra”) that was re-edited in 2013. The book addresses topics such as religion, atheists, death and the Holocaust, reported Diario Armenia reports.

In a chapter called “On religions,” Bergoglio said: “In the Twentieth Century, they razed entire villages because they considered themselves Gods. The Turks did that to the Armenians, the Nazis to the Jews. They used a discourse of divine attributes to kill men.”

In another chapter “On the Holocaust,” Bergoglio said: “The great powers washed their hands and looked the other way because they knew much more than what they said, just like they washed their hands in the Armenian Genocide. At that time the Ottoman Empire was strong, the world was in war and looked the other way”.

Finally, in the chapter called “On communism and capitalism,” Bergoglio said: “If a person doesn’t fight for their rights thinking in Paradise, he is indeed under the effects of opium (Ed: in relation to Marx’s phrase, “Religion is the opium of the people”). The people who have suffered persecution and destruction -like the three major genocides of the last century: Armenians, Jews and Ukrainians- fought for their freedom.”

The NSW parliament

Reaffirms recognition of the Armenian Genocide

The Parliament of New South Wales, Australia, passed a motion recognizing the Assyrian and Greek Genocides and reaffirming the Armenian Genocide.

The motion introduced the The Hon. Rev. Fred Nile was passed unanimously on Wednesday, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia reports.

The motion reads as follows:

Whereas the NSW Parliament passed a motion in 1997 recognising and condemning the Genocide of the Armenians, this House recognises that Assyrians and Greeks were subjected to qualitatively similar genocides by the then Ottoman Government between 1914 — 1923: and

(a) joins the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks communities of New South Wales in honouring the memory of the innocent men, women and children who fell victim to the first modern genocides;

(b) condemns the genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks, and all other acts of genocide as the ultimate act of intolerance;

(c) recognises the importance of remembering and learning from such dark chapters in human history to ensure that such crimes against humanity are not allowed to be repeated;

(d) condemns and prevents all attempts to use the passage of time to deny or distort the historical truth of the genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks, and other acts of genocide;

(e) recalls the testimonies of ANZAC prisoners-of-war and other servicemen who were witness to the genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks;

(f) recalls the testimonies of ANZAC servicemen who rescued Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks genocide survivors;

(g) acknowledges the significant humanitarian relief contribution made by the people of New South Wales to the victims and survivors of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks; and

(h) calls on the Commonwealth Government to condemn the genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks.

Rev The Hon. Fred Nile, in his Adjournment Speech said:

Over the years, many members of the Parliament — both in this chamber and in the Legislative Council — have risen to address the issue of recognition of the Assyrian, Armenian and Greeks Genocides. Indeed, it was the Parliament of New South Wales that led the way on this issue, adopting a motion of recognition on the Armenian Genocide in 1997. I rise today to urge we complete the efforts, adopting a motion of recognition on the Assyrian and Greeks Genocides. In remembering these events, we do not seek to apportion blame. This is a matter of history, and history must neither be erased nor forgotten. We must remember and speak the truth.

“The truth of the genocide – the truth of what happened to the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek peoples – is in the records of our own Australian servicemen. We should remember and learn from such dark chapters in human history. What was the essence of the motivation behind these massacres and deportations? It was hatred – hatred in the form of racism. We need to remember the depths to which humanity can sink if we allow racism and extreme nationalism to take grip.  I repeat, in remembering these events, we do not seek to apportion blame. This is a matter of history, and history must neither be erased nor forgotten. We must remember and speak the truth,” he said.

Harsnakar is the site of the beating murder of Army doctor Vahe Avetian last year

YEREVAN—Public school officials in the Avan region of Yerevan are mandating that graduating students hold their celebratory gatherings at the notorious and now infamous Harsnakar restaurant, the site of last year’s brutal beating and murder of Army medical officer Vahe Avetian, sources reported Wednesday.

Harsnakar is owned by oligarch Ruben Hayrapetian—known as “Nemets Rubo—is the site of a brutal beating last year of three Army officers who were patronizing the establishment but wound up severely beaten by its staff members. Avetian died of his injuries days after.

Since the incident, residents of the neighborhood and the city have refrained from renting out Harsnakar for their function.

Is the mandate by public school officials a way for the authorities to pass down the losses incurred by the notorious oligarch to the public? It seems so.

The cost per person to have an event at Harsnakar is 11,000 AMD.

Prosperous Armenia Party's Naira Zohrabian

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—The Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), the second largest party in parliament, will not join a new government which is currently being formed by President Serzh Sarkisian, a senior BHK figure insisted on Wednesday.

“No, that is not possible,” Naira Zohrabian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “There is and there can be no such issue on Prosperous Armenia’s agenda.”

Sarkisian, who won a second term in office in February, is due to form his new cabinet by May 10. He reappointed Tigran Sarkisian as prime minister late last month.

There has been speculation in the Armenian media that the BHK could return to the government nearly one year after pulling out of it. The BHK’s exit was widely regarded as a prelude to Party chief Gagik Tsarukian’s participation in the February 2013 presidential election. However, the tycoon unexpectedly withdrew from the presidential race in December for still unclear reasons.

According to Zohrabian, the BHK has not even negotiated with the president on the possibility of a new power-sharing deal. She said Tigran Sargsyan’s reappointment is enough of a reason for Tsarukian’s party not to rejoin the governing coalition.

“After Tigran Sargsyan, whose economic policy has left the country in this situation, was appointed as prime minister, how can you imagine the BHK holding consultations on being part of the coalition government?” added Zohrabian.

The BHK has strongly criticized the government’s economic record during its campaign for the May 5 mayoral elections in Yerevan. Zohrabian, former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and other senior BHK members reiterated that criticism as they met voters in the city’s southern Shengavit district on Wednesday.

One angry local resident countered that the BHK was part of the government from 2007-2012 and is therefore also responsible for the country’s economic woes. “We never had a majority. We didn’t have full control over the government,” replied Zohrabian.

Former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian last week urged the Prosperous Armenia Party, of which he is a senior member, to officially declare itself an opposition political force.

“What Prosperous Armenia is doing today is very close to the classical definition of opposition,” Oskanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “But since we created hurdles for ourselves … that has created complications.”

“If we make such clarifications, I think a lot will change in our political field,” he said.

The BHK’s official transformation into an opposition force could be resisted by wealthy businessmen affiliated with the influential party. Analysts believe that they are reluctant to openly challenge the government for fear of losing their business assets.

Several BHK-affiliated entrepreneurs holding seats in the Armenian parliament attended Sarkisian’s inauguration for a second term in office April 9. Tsarukian, Oskanian and most of the other BHK parliamentarians were absent from the ceremony.

Asked whether his proposal will meet with resistance from other senior BHK figures, Oskanian said, “I know that there are different views within the party, which is very natural.” The party leadership will discuss the proposal and make a political decision, he added.

Oskanian also insisted that Tsarukian, who is one of the country’s richest men, does not fear a politically motivated government crackdown on his companies. “I don’t think so,” said the former minister. “What should he be afraid of? We should get that out of our mind. The authorities wish we were afraid.

“When political activities, dissent and pluralism are protected by the constitution, why should we be afraid? It’s the authorities that should worry that if they abuse their levers they could be held accountable in case of regime change.”

Richard Hovannisian and Elie Weisel (Photo by Jeanine Hill, Chapman University)

BY JANO BOGHOSSIAN

ORANGE, Calif.–On April 17, Professor Richard Hovannisian, First Holder of the AEF Chair in Modern History at UCLA and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Chapman University and the University of California, Irvine, engaged in “Conversation” with Dr. Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor, regarding the moral obligation of mankind to honor and preserve the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust by documenting and preserving witness and survivor testimonials, advocating for recognition, and promoting education.

Before a capacity audience in the Wallace All Faiths Chapel, the scholars touched upon their unique individual experiences and that of their communities while dealing with concepts of truth and justice in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust. Hovannisian posed the question of whether there can ever be real justice for Holocaust victims, even with the countless monuments and reparations they have received, to which Wiesel simply said “no”. Hovannisian added that the Armenians, on the other hand, have not even been given the satisfaction of a modicum of formal recognition by the Republic of Turkey. He wondered about Dr. Wiesel’s view of the Holocaust being beyond the bounds of history and therefore incomparable and argued instead that the Holocaust, like the Armenian Genocide, could be contextualized and historicized without making either of them seem rational.

Dr. Elie Wiesel spoke of the Armenians’ “passion for memory” and for preserving every detail of a calamity that marked and traumatized all subsequent generations of Armenians both in homeland and Diaspora. Wiesel then described how the Armenian cause “eventually became my cause,” and discussed the importance of remembrance and what might happen once the last witness eventually passes away.

Dr. Hovannisian emphasized that selectivity of memory poses a challenge for those not connected to an event, as the Holocaust has been universalized, while Armenians still struggle with denial. “The history is not just our history, but mankind’s history,” said Hovannisian, and stated that memory must not just be linked to a single victim group.

There currently exists two institutions in Los Angeles that preserve, digitize, index and utilize survivor testimonials from the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust—UCLA’s Armenian Oral History project led by Hovannisian, and the Shoah Foundation’s much more extensive collection at the University of Southern California. Hovannisian began the UCLA program in the 1970s by having students interview survivors of the Armenian Genocide. The interviews were later transcribed and translated by a subsequent generation of students.

“Elie Wiesel and Richard Hovannisian in Conversation” was moderated by Chapman University History Department Chair Jennifer Keene and was part of the University’s week-long events featuring Elie Wiesel and organized by the Rodgers Center of Holocaust Education headed by Dr. Marilyn Harran.

In the days prior to the Chapman program, Professor Hovannisian lectured in Yerevan, Armenia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay; Berlin, Germany; and Scottsdale, Arizona. On April 21, he was the keynote speaker of the annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide at St. Mary Church in Costa Mesa, California, and on May 1-2 returned to Chapman University on May 1-2 for guest lectures in two Holocaust classes. He will make a presentation on the destruction of Smyrna/Izmir in a communitywide program at St. Leon Church in New Jersey on May 17, and will be the featured speaker in Montreal on May 25 on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian republic.

Lena Bozoyan

GLENDALE—The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) of Western USA’s Regional Executive Chairperson Lena Bozoyan was among five women honored with the Heart & Excellence Award at the YWCA of Glendale’s 16th Legacy Luncheon on April 25, 2013 at the Oakmont Country Club. During the program emceed by Cater Lee, two high school seniors also received the Jane O’Connor Volunteer Service Award.

ARS Central Executive Board Chair Vicky Marashlian and Member Annie Kechichian attended the luncheon with ARS Regional board, staff and members.

In accepting her award, Bozoyan’s message was about being united against violence, terror and genocides. Referring to the ARS, ANCA-Glendale, Commission on the Status of Women and Neighborhood Legal Services of Glendale, she added, “One of the reasons that we created the Safe Family Task Force was because the YWCA Glendale lost one of the domestic violence shelters and we had to come up with an alternative for the victims.” She observed that service organizations in the task force are helping the YWCA and community organizations with relief efforts.

Alongside Bozoyan, Heart & Excellence honorees also included Toni Beck Espinoza, Jory Potts, Mary Margaret Smith, and Joylene Wagner.

Montebello City Councilman Jack Hadjinian

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY—Montebello Councilman Jack Hadjinian elected as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority. On the same day, El Monte Mayor Pro Tem Norma Macias has been elected as the body’s Chair.

The $1.7 billion ACE program in the San Gabriel Valley calls for constructing 22 rail-roadway grade separation projects, where the road goes over or under the railroad, and safety improvements at another 39 crossings.

“I appreciate the support of my colleagues in selecting me as Vice Chair,” said Hadjinian.  “I am confident that we can continue to make significant progress in moving the remaining ACE grade separation projects through the environmental, design and property acquisition phases and into final construction.”

“I appreciate this vote of confidence as ACE enters into the busiest period ever in its 15-year history,” said Macias, elected Chair at the ACE Board meeting on April 22.  “The ACE grade separations are needed to eliminate congestion, emissions from idling vehicles and safety hazards at crossings along the freight rail corridors through our communities which accommodate about 60 percent of the goods arriving in Southern California, the nation’s leading trade gateway.”

Hadjinian has been a member of the ACE Board of Directors since March 2012.  First elected to the Montebello City Council in 2011, he currently serves as the City’s delegate to the Governing Boards of the San Gabriel Valley and the Gateway Cities COGs and to the Housing, Community & Economic Development Policy Committee of the League of California Cities.

Macias has been a member of the ACE Board of Directors since January 2012.  First elected to the El Monte City Council in 2009, she currently serves as the City’s delegate to the Governing Board of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (COG) and to the League of California Cities.

Elected officials from the cities of El Monte, Industry, Montebello, San Gabriel, Pomona, the County of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments serve on the seven-member ACE Board.

The ACE program calls for constructing safety improvements at 39 crossings and 22 roadway-railroad grade crossing separations.  The ACE Project will relieve traffic congestion, improve safety and reduce emissions and noise at rail crossings while helping ensure the San Gabriel Valley’s continued economic vitality.  For a copy of the ACE Project DVD, please call (888) ACE-1426 or visit www.theaceproject.org

Ruslan Tsarni

BY ALIN K. GREGORIAN
From Armenian Mirror-Spectator

WATERTOWN — On April 30, Ruslan Tsarni, the uncle of alleged terror suspects, Tamerlan and Djokhar Tsarnaev, contacted the Mirror-Spectator directly to issue an apology to the Armenian community for his recent statements referencing Armenians in his discussions of the Boston Marathon bombings.

“Armenia has a very strong culture, therefore, I want to stress that his [Misha’s] ethnicity has nothing to do with it,” Tsarni said. “I wish I had never said it.”

Tsarni added, “I felt for you [Armenians] and wish I had never done it.”

He once again apologized for connecting the Armenian community “to this evil event.”

In previous media statements, Tsarni had discussed  a recent convert to Islam named “Misha” — now reported as Mikhail Allakhverdova —  stressing that he was of “Armenian descent” while implicating the man in the possible “brainwashing” of Tamerlan Tsarnev with notions of violence against non-Muslims.

Tsarni spoke briefly on the matter via phone, but said he was unable to comment further or answer additional questions.

Jerusalem Patriarch Arch. Nourhan Manougian

BY GREER FAY CASHMAN
From the Jerusalem Post

Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian wrote – in a missive read on Sunday at a conference in Jerusalem – that he cannot understand Israel’s ongoing refusal to recognize the Turkish massacre of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.

Manougian reasons is that if the United States has recognized the massacre – which took place over several years and began more than a century ago – than Israel should as well.

Manougian’s message was read at the Hebrew University, where Prof. Michael Stone, the founder of the Armenian Studies program at the university’s Institute of Asian and African Studies, annually conducts a symposium and commemoration of the Armenian genocide.

In his message to Israeli Armenians and Jews at the event, Manougian wrote, “For 98 years, so many efforts have been invested in getting the Turks to admit that they committed genocide and the Turks continue to deny.” Each year, the message continued, people repeat “never again,” and each year human rights organizations repeat the same report about human rights abuses, genocide, hunger and torture.

Manougian cited Rwanda and Darfur as examples of genocide that occurred in recent history, “but who remembers them today?” he asked.

At the start of his message, Manougian quoted Napoleon Bonaparte as saying, “The world suffers not because of the violence of bad people but because of the silence of good people.”

Similarly, in a leaflet distributed by the Combat Genocide Association, Holocaust survivor and acclaimed author Elie Wiesel is quoted as saying: “The opposite of love is not hate, but rather indifference.

The opposite of life is not death but rather indifference toward life and death. The opposite of peace is nothing other than apathy towards the ugliness of war and the beauty of peace.”

Tsolag Momjian, the honorary Armenian consul in Jerusalem, whose grandparents and uncles were slaughtered by the Turks, took exception to a remark made last week by Deputy Minister for Liaison with the Knesset Ofir Akunis, in which he said that the State of Israel has never denied the massacre, but that the decision to label it a genocide should be made through open debate.

Former Member of Knesset Yair Tzaban, who was the keynote speaker at the Hebrew University event, was praised by Stone and Momjian as being the first lawmaker and government minister to take up the Armenian cause. Tzaban noted that Yossi Sarid and Haim Oron, two of his former Knesset colleagues who were also ministers, had also brought the Armenian genocide to public attention in both the Knesset and the classroom.

He also praised broadcaster Yaacov Ahimeir for his efforts, begun in 1994, to ensure that something related to the Armenian genocide was broadcast each year on Channel 1.

Tzaban recalled that when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had been deputy foreign minister, he said that there are some things beyond politics and diplomacy, and the Armenian genocide is one of them. Neither politics nor diplomacy “should prevent us from identifying with the victims,” Netanyahu said at the time.

Unfortunately, as prime minister, he has not seen fit to recognize the Armenian genocide, said Tzaban.

“If America can recognize April 24, why can’t we?” he asked. Like the Armenians, Tzaban was outraged by what Akunis had said.

“Israel is so sensitive to all forms of Holocaust denial, racism, and neo-Nazism, but can’t bring herself to acknowledge the Armenian genocide because it might harm her political and diplomatic interests.”

Tzaban bemoaned how quickly Israel had forgotten, in his opinion, how many Jews begged for help and were turned away because it was not in the national interest to help them.

Stone underscored that genocide meant not only killing a people or a substantial part of a nation, but also killing a culture, a language, music and folk customs.

Ravished Armenia

BY ANUSH A. HOVSEPYAN

Genocide of Armenians through Swedish Eyes

The presentation of the books by Hayk Demoyan, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Director, was followed by a screening of a piece from the first Hollywood film on Armenian Genocide called Ravished Armenia. The film has been later renamed to The Auction of Souls.

The ARF-organized Diaspora conference

LOS ANGELES—Experts and scholars from four corners of the world were joined by hundreds of community members on Saturday at the University of Southern California’s Davidson Conference Center for a one-day academic conference called “Independence and Beyond: In Search of a New Armenian Diaspora after 1991,” which tackled critical issues facing Diaspora-homeland relations.

The conference was organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western US Central Committee in collaboration with the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, the Armenian Cultural Foundation and the Armenian Review.

Through its various presentations and discussions, the conference examined the impact of the independence of the Republic of Armenia and subsequent processes of nation-building on various facets of Diaspora life, such as political ideologies and cultural narratives, linguistic and literary production, organizations and institutions, economic investment, remittances and affiliation, and hybrid identity formation.

The four thematic panels featured leading scholars of Armenian, Diaspora, and Transnational Studies. Using their expertise in fields that range from political science and history to literature and journalism, the conference participants charted new frameworks and definitions in conceptualizing “Diaspora” in the Armenian context.

Dr. Talar Chahinian of the ARF Western US Central Committee and Dr. Richard Dekmejian of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies presented welcoming remarks, in which they outlined the mission and purpose of the conference.

The first panel, entitled “Revisions of the Narrative of Return,” was chaired by Dr. Houri Berberian of the California State University at Long Beach. Dr. Sossi Kasbarian of the University of Lancaster in the United Kingdom discussed “Return to Homeland: Challenging Concepts and Realities,” while Dr. Chahinian of CSULB made a presentation titled “The Real, the Imagined and the In-Between: Homeland Revisted.” Dr. Viken Yacoubian of Woodbury University rounded out the session with a presentation entitled “Convergence through Diversity: The Diasporic Experience of Ethnoracaial Identity Development.”

The second panel, “Cultural Narratives: Subjectivity and Language in the Evolving Diaspora,” was conducted entirely in Armenian and was chaired by Dr. Anahid Keshishian of UCLA. The panel featured professors Hagop Gulludjian of UCLA and Marc Nichanian of the Sanaci University in Istanbul. Gulludjian discussed “The Illusion of Survival: Whose Survival? What For?” and  Nichanian answered the question “Subject or Sovereign?” A third presentation, “Endangered vs. Enforced Identity,” which was to have been presented by Father Levon Zekiyan of Universita Ca’Foscari of Venice, Italy, was instead read by Dr. Myrna Douzjian, as Father Zekiyan was unable to attend the conference due to an accident.

“Online Space and the Politics of Information Exchange” was the third panel moderated by Dr. Hayg Oshagan of Wayne State University. Experts from the fields of information technology and journalism discussed the evolvement of the Diaspora in the information age. The panel featured Asbarez English Editor Ara Khachatourian, Armenian Weekly Assistant Editor Nanore Barsoumian, the proprietor of the Ianyan blog Liana Aghajanian and the director of the Groong news aggregator site Asbed Bedrossian of USC.

The conference concluded with a tour-de-force panel entitled “(Re)Defining Diaspora and Nationalism” moderated by Dr. Khachig Tololyan of Weslyan University. This panel featured Dr. Asbed Kotchikian, the editor of The Armenian Review and professor at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass; Dr. Razmik Panossian, the director of the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon; Dr. Stephan Astourian of the University of California Berkley; and Simon Payaslian of Boston University.

Each session saw the active participation of conference attendees through thought-provoking questions and discussion.

Asbarez will provide more details about the conference in upcoming editions.

Armenia's Presidential Palace

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—President Serzh Sarkisian’s staff has allocated some 500 million drams ($1.2 million) in grants to three dozen non-governmental organizations that have generally avoided publicizing their activities purportedly including human rights advocacy.

The Yerevan-based Center for Freedom of Information has obtained detailed information about the funding, provided from 2010-2012, from the Armenian Finance Ministry. The latter had to make it available in accordance with Armenia’s freedom of information legislation.

Hardly any of the 31 recipients of the presidential grants has been covered by the Armenian media to date. The government data shows that many of them were founded and registered with the Justice Ministry shortly before receiving state funding.

According to Arman Saghatelian, Sarkisian’s press secretary, decisions regarding the funding were made by a team of presidential administration officials and representatives of “partner organizations.” In written comments to RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) sent late last week, Saghatelian said that this “monitoring group” oversaw the use of the presidential grants. He said it is now looking into ways of making the state assistance to the civil society more “program-based and development-oriented.”

One such NGO, called Development and Integration, accounted for the single largest share of that assistance. In 2011-2012 it received six grants totaling almost 75 million drams. The Justice Ministry’s electronic registry of Armenian legal entities lists Levon Martirosian, a pro-government lawmaker, among its founders. Martirosian worked as an assistant to President Sarkisian before being elected to parliament in May 2012.

Practically nothing is known about the activities of Development and Integration. The same is true for virtually all other grant recipients. Six of them have the same person, Suren Barseghian, among their founders.

Shushan Doydoyan, the director of the Center for Freedom of Information, said she has tried in vain to obtain information about the work of the 31 NGOs. “This is surprising because nowadays any organization is interested in informing as many people as possible about their activities,” Doydoyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “However, these NGOs are trying to stay in the shadow.”

Even locating them is not an easy task. Two of them, the self-declared human rights group Arbanyak (Satellite) and the Country of Youth organization supposedly promoting proper health care, have the same registered address. An RFE/RL journalist discovered that their purported premises located at an office building in downtown Yerevan are now empty. A woman working there, who described herself as the building manager, said she has never heard of either organization.

Another presidentially supported NGO, Educated Generation, claimed to have an office on the same street in the city center. It turned out to be an empty apartment. Residents of the apartment block were unaware of Educated Generation. “I’ve never heard that name before,” said one neighbor.

This obscurity is in sharp contrast to the high-profile activities of Armenia’s best-known NGOs that are financed, as a rule, by Western governments, international organizations and foreign private foundations. Many of them are engaged in civil rights advocacy, regularly criticizing the government.

Levon Barseghian is a veteran pro-democracy campaigner who runs one such group, the Gyumri-based Asparez Journalists’ Club. “It’s unclear how newly established NGOs were getting that state funding so quickly,” he said. “There was little public awareness of their activities.”

Boris Navasardian, the chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, linked the problem with the overall lack of transparency in various tenders and funding contests administered by Armenian state bodies. “We know how state tenders are handled,” he said. “Grants are distributed in the same fashion.”

“We want the civil society’s activities to be as transparent as possible,” added Navasardian.

President Bako Sahakian

PARIS—The international community must take Azerbaijan’s threats of regaining the Nagorno-Karabakh seriously and condemn Baku’s ongoing arms-buying spree, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian told Agence France Presse during an interview while he was visiting the French capital.

“We can only be worried by the policy of militarisation and over-arming undertaken by Azerbaijan, because there are also clear and explicit threats against our country,” he said. “The international community must react to this situation.”

But he said the negotiations should be expanded to include representatives of the authorities in Karabakh.

“To have real and serious progress in the negotiating process the format must be re-established to have participants from Nagorno Karabakh,” Sahakian said.

He said he believed a negotiated solution was possible and insisted authorities in Karabakh would not be the ones to start a new war.

“It is a complex conflict, you cannot expect a solution from one day to the next. But there is no alternative to peace and dialogue,” Sahakian said.

Sahakian said he was hoping to drum up investment in France in the hopes of boosting the region’s small economy, which relies mainly on agriculture, manufacturing and some mining.

He said he also expected progress soon on one of the region’s key efforts – resuming commercial flights into a revamped airport in the capital, Stepanakert.

Sahakian said Karabakh was “not very far” from being prepared to restore flights into the region and that he hoped they could resume this year.

“This initiative must not be linked with resolving the conflict or be seen in this context,” Sahakian said. “Civil flights that will be established between Yerevan and Stepanakert are aimed simply at helping us emerge from the isolation that has been imposed on us.”

Cartoon by Nishan Hagop Paparian; Caption by Douglas J. Lawrence

BY TAMARA S. VOSKANIAN

What’s at Stake In the Mayoral Election?
On May 5 residents of Yerevan will go to the polls to elect the 65-member Council of Elders, one of whom will become the Mayor of Yerevan. The mayoral election is Armenia’s last election until the parliamentary vote in 2016, and is thus the last opportunity for several years to redistribute power among the country’s leadership. Because the government’s power in Armenia is concentrated so significantly with the executive branch, the system of checks-and-balances functions at a rather low level.

This explains the importance of the May 5 election. Yerevan is home to between one half and one third of Armenia’s population but wields a hugely disproportionate influence. As the Capitol and focus of most of the nation’s economic and intellectual life, whoever is Mayor of Yerevan oversees the vast local government apparatus and thus wields significant power in the country. As a key elected official, the Mayor could serve as a powerful check on abuse by the President.

However, Yerevan’s current mayor, Taron Margaryan, is a member of the ruling Republican Party (HHK), the same party to which President Serzh Sarkisian belongs. The fact that the President and Mayor belong to the same political party frustrates the hopes of many who seek a proper check on presidential power, which they see as crucial for Armenia’s modernization and development. If, on May 5, a candidate from an opposition party were elected Mayor, political power in the country would be divided in a new balance, and through political competition the power of Armenia’s citizens could be strengthened. Of course, as with any election, a crucial goal for May 5 is that the process is democratic, free from fraud, and legitimately representative of the people and their interests.

As most in the diaspora know, Armenia held a presidential election on February 18, the outcome of which was hotly contested. Reports of voter fraud and public demonstrations demanding a recount have gone unanswered, leading to lingering doubts about the legitimacy of Armenia’s democracy. A win for an opposition candidate in the mayoral election could help Armenia’s emergence as a nation genuinely struggling to democratize and employ the rule of law.

How the Election Will Work
Under Armenia’s electoral laws, municipal elections differ in important respects from those with which we are familiar in the West:

* Yerevan residents will mark their ballots for one political party, rather than for individual candidates.
* Each party vies for seats on the Council of Elders, and is awarded the number of seats proportional to their percentage of the total vote.
* The parties have already selected their leading candidate, who will automatically become Mayor if the party receives 40% or more of the votes.
* If no party receives over 40% of votes, the elected members of the Council of Elders will hold its own vote to choose the Mayor.

Six political parties and one bloc will be on the ballot, including:
* Republican Party (HHK) – top candidate: Taron Margaryan
* Orinats Yerkir (OEK)– top candidate: Armen Yeritsyan
* Prosperous Armenia (BHK) – top candidate: Vartan Oskanian
* Barev Yerevan – top candidate: Armen Martirosyan (Bloc of several parties, dominated by Raffi Hovannisian’s Heritage party)
* Armenian National Congress (HAK) – top candidate: Vahagn Khachatrian
* Dashnaktsutyun (ARF) – top candidate: Armen Rustamyan
* Arakelutyun

Voters will vote in 464 polling places in 13 electoral districts in Yerevan.

Although there are a number of political parties in Armenia that label themselves opposition, their past history of coalescing with the ruling party indicates that they may not be a true opposition but something closer to political nomads that shift loyalties when convenient.

Because it is entirely possible that no party will get 40% of the votes on May 5, designating the Mayor may very well fall to the Council of Elders. In such a scenario, the opposition will have an opportunity to form a coalition to unseat the Republican Party incumbent Margaryan. The formation of a coalition among parties seeking to replace Margaryan – including Prosperous Armenia, Armenian National Congress, Dashnaktsutyun and Barev Yerevan – is currently under discussion.

Monitoring Efforts
According to Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC), more than 1,700 observers are set to monitor the election. An additional 100+ diasporan Armenians will serve as monitors, which makes this the first-ever diaspora election observation mission in Armenia. These diaspora monitors include nonresident Armenians who will travel to Yerevan specifically to participate in the observation mission, as well as diasporans currently living in Armenia, expatriates and others.

Stay tuned for additional updates as the May 5 election approaches.

Maria Titizian

BY MARIA TITIZIAN

Springtime in Yerevan is my favorite season. As the city crawls its way out of winter, spring reveals itself with such grace and splendor in our city. The trees bloom and flower, then turn a rich green before the dry heat of summer pales their hue, the air is fresh and clear, Mount Ararat comes out of hiding and there’s a lightness that can be felt both physically and spiritually.

Taking advantage of the weather, I decided to walk to work a few days ago. I estimated it would take me about 40 minutes to walk from my apartment in Monument (by Mother Armenia) to Republic Square. Taking into consideration my advancing age and the fact that I hadn’t exercised in years, I thought it was about time I started to take care of myself. So I got up early, took a shower, had a boiled egg and a coffee and very happily started walking down my street, extremely proud of myself.

A few minutes into my walk a taxi pulled over with a group of men and stopped in front of me. Startled, I looked over and saw that the driver was staring at me. At this point, I was kind of speechless wondering what the heck was going on. All of a sudden, the passenger in the front seat bent over and yelled out, “Hi, Mom!” It was my son, Daron with his cousin and friend sitting in the back. A few weeks ago, my son decided to experience living on his own and moved in with his cousin, Varant who is here for a year working. I was still speechless at this interruption of my walk when Daron said, “Mom, wait for us, we’re just going to drop off Zareh (the friend) at his grandfather’s house and we’ll swing around and take you to work.” I told him thanks for the offer, but I would continue walking. They proceed, I proceed. I began pondering the benefits and drawbacks of living in a small city. As I was about to turn onto the main street to start my trek toward Cascade, which has stairs leading to the city center, the same taxi, with the same group minus one pulled over again. This time both Daron and Varant got out of the car, gave me a kiss and dragged me into the taxi. Daron said, “Mom, really? Walk to work from Northern Avenue; that will be your exercise for today.”

Needless to say, I reluctantly got into the taxi because it was now blocking traffic and drove down to Northern Avenue, and ended up paying for the cab fare. I walked but only for about 10 minutes, so much for my early morning exercise.

Several days passed since that mis-adventure, so this morning, with even greater resolve and determination, I did manage to walk to work, although it took me just over 50 minutes to reach my office.

The walk afforded me the opportunity to see things I would normally have missed while driving, like the beautiful trees that line Azatutyun Street with Mount Ararat in the distance, or the sculptures at the top of the Cascade, or the palatial home that is purportedly Hovik Abrahamyan’s (Speaker of the National Assembly, member of the Republican Party) which is the almost exact replica of the parliament building itself.

After walking down the stairs of the Cascade complex and reaching the Cafesjian gardens, I saw men and women busily working planting new flowers and cutting the grass, the smell of which reminded me of our neighborhood in Toronto when on Saturday mornings people would be out in their yards cutting the grass and tending to their gardens. It was a feeling of familiarity that was both nostalgic and pleasant.

As I continued walking through Opera Square I thought how blessed I was to be here in the land of my ancestors, which in turn reminded me of the conference in LA, “Independence and Beyond: In Search of a New Armenian Diaspora, Post 1991”  I had watched being livestreamed two days earlier. The event was organized by the Central Committee of the ARF Western Region and the USC Armenian Studies Institute. I had managed to watch most of the presentations, albeit with some skipping ahead, but the questions being asked not only about a new vision or framework for the Diaspora in the future but also questions of homeland, identity and belonging had made me wonder.

As I continued walking, I pondered those questions of the mythical homeland or the “step-homeland” a term, which Dr. Sosi Kasparian from the University of Lancaster had referred to in her speech, “Return to Homeland, Challenging Concepts and Realities.”  I listened to one presenter after the next posing critical questions rooted in our history and of the essence of Diaspora, language, literature and identity. As a Diasporan Armenian who had repatriated, burning all her bridges in the process, I too began thinking about the reasons why we moved if this was simply our “step-homeland.” While this particular homeland, the Republic of Armenia was not the actual homeland of my ancestors from Cilicia, I hadn’t questioned that reality. For me the equation was very simple – our people had not had a homeland for centuries, with the exception of the short-lived First Republic (1918-1920), present-day Armenia was not the land or the soil my ancestors had tilled but it was for all intents and purposes our homeland. The narratives of Western Armenia or the metanarratives that Dr. Stepan Astourian had referred to in his presentation at the same conference that made up the Diaspora, the one created post-Genocide, had been kept alive for several generations and had contributed to some sort of cohesiveness in a growingly diversified Diaspora.

I am not a scholar or an academic. My education, training and life experiences have not given me the tools or the time to delve deeply into these very difficult areas of defining identity, of Diasporas, of history. Something that Dr. Khachig Tololyan of Wesleyan University who was moderating the panel, “[Re] Defining Diaspora and Nationalism,” said regarding the definition of Diaspora got me thinking. He asked who defines the social forms, the people who live in the social form or the intellectuals and scholars who study them?  While many Armenian scholars in the West study Diaspora, identity, return to the homeland, we the Diasporans who repatriated didn’t ask many of the questions that were being raised at the conference. And most of us are here engaging in a way that might not have any significant impact or any impact at all, but we certainly know how to differentiate the ruling regime from the state or the homeland itself.

As Dr. Astourian duly noted most Armenians in the Diaspora (and the homeland) are disillusioned with the state. In his remarks he said that Diasporans don’t trust the “state” because of a lack of legitimacy and any attempt by the state to interfere in Diaspora affairs is perceived as unacceptable. Successive regimes have indeed failed to deliver their promises of a brighter future, I consistently write about those missteps and lost opportunities, however the regime for me does not define the homeland.

There is no doubt that this conference was an extremely important and timely one. It was important because it got those who participated and the rest of us who watched it from Armenia to begin thinking about those national issues which will impact the future of both the homeland and the Diaspora. If we all agreed with everything that was being said then the event would not have achieved its objective of stimulating a new national discourse and therefore, I can comfortably say, I didn’t agree with some of the positions and was even slightly taken aback with others, i.e. “The future, I am glad to report belongs to the Diaspora.” Well, that’s very good for everyone in the Diaspora, but without the homeland, how long can the metanarratives of Kharpert and Mush and Urfa be sustained?

In the coming weeks and months, I hope there will be more discussion and debate about some of the presentations and perhaps even some humble perspectives – a view from Armenia if you like – to the broad spectrum of opinions expressed there (I was not the only person following the livestream from Yerevan). I also hope the organizers of this initiative would consider sponsoring a similar conference in Armenia in collaboration not with state bodies that are obviously so mistrusted but perhaps with a university or an independent foundation/ think tank from Yerevan. Such an endeavor would serve several purposes but the immediate two that come to mind are that we begin to initiate this dialogue here, with participants from both Armenia and the Diaspora, and by doing so would not only be building bridges of mutual understanding but would also be enabling and encouraging civil society organizations in the country that are in great need of support. For me, both the Diaspora and the homeland are inextricably linked to one another, we need each other and although the current ruling regime might not seem conducive to meaningful engagement with the Diaspora (their objective is to use the Diaspora and if possible dominate it), the perimeters of which were set during the Levon Ter Petrosian era and as there is no serious reflection of the concept of statehood in the Diaspora, as Dr. Stepan Astourian noted in his presentation at the conference, these kinds of discussions are crucial to our future survival and empowerment.

Maybe I should stop walking early in the mornings…

Dr. Viken Yacoubian at the San Francisco event

EDITOR’S NOTE: On Wednesday, April 24, the San Francisco Bay Area community held a gathering commemorating the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The keynote speaker at the event was Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western US Central Committee member Dr. Viken Yacoubian. Below is the text of his inspirational speech.

I have often wondered how different my life would have been, indeed, who I would have become, had my grandparents not been survivors. Had the Genocide not shadowed me and embedded itself in the midst of my budding identity, what would have become of me had I not inherited the big burden and not felt compelled to transfer it in turn to my son?

Around this time, I often think of my grandfather Ashod who, in 1909, was living in Omaha, Nebraska, working in the oriental carpet division of a big department store. By 1915, he could no longer bear the stories of the atrocities. So he enlisted with the French Foreign Legion to go back to his birthplace, Sis, to fight the Turks. And hence my story. My name is Viken but I am more of an Ashod than I could ever be a Viken. And so it goes with all the Aras, and Armens, and Jacks and Steves on whose essence the stories of their grandparents are imprinted…

So weird. So awkward. Their unconditional love anchored us in this world, yet a piece is missing in our core. Some of us are aware of this missing piece, for others, it exists at an unconscious level. But make no mistake. There is a hole in our soul because our collective identities were formed in the backdrop of this horrific national tragedy. Oh, how I wish my son, your daughter, can finally grow up free of this burden, reconciled and empowered.

Can we ever forgive the Turks? There is clear evidence that forgiveness allows for the conflicting sides to successfully move beyond the negative emotions that are perpetuated when forgiveness is lacking and that forgiveness promotes positive emotional reactions. It is questionable, however, if forgiveness can occur in a context absent of historical and social justice. Recent research on peace psychology has suggested that there is an inseparable link between peace-building and social justice movements.

But let us for a moment explore the nature of our loss.

Aside from the obvious physical destruction caused to an entire group, the trauma of genocide also deeply and often irreversibly affects subsequent generations of survivors. The fissure in the psyche of the genocide victim or survivor is one that involves a separation “from one’s original personal, social, and historical groundings (connections).” In our case, 1915 signified a year when we were suddenly stripped of a heritage that dated back 3000 years. Our churches were defiled, towns and villages destroyed, cultural symbols desecrated. All manifestations of Armenian culture were destroyed, relegating such symbols to a collective memory that would now be wrought with the calamitous consequences of genocide. Furthermore, in our case, the “genocidal fissure” was further amplified by the continuous denial of the perpetrators and the silence or complicity of others. Denial of genocide ultimately signifies the victim’s alienation from his or her own experience and therefore represents a psychological uprooting that is fundamentally irreversible. Yet, to this day, the Turkish government vehemently refuses to acknowledge the genocide perpetrated against Armenians, even though right after World War I, the extensive documentation of the genocide played a prominent role in postwar negotiation debates by the Allied Powers. Unfortunately, in 1922, when Nationalist Turks in Ankara took over the country, earlier criminal sentences against those who had organized and executed the genocide were annulled along with any hope that the perpetrators would acknowledge the Armenian genocide. This set the stage for the social and psychological context in which virtually every Armenian’s identity was formed after the 1915 genocide.

The implications of dislocation and uprooting are many. There is the agony of the psychological reconstruction of a life that has been virtually obliterated by the grief, loss, and wholesale destruction, caused by massacres and genocide. The denial of the transgression by the perpetrator promotes a silence that in essence perpetuates the trauma for the children and grandchildren of the survivors of genocide. Denial preserves the experience of the trauma such that it is transferred to those who were not directly targeted by the assault. That is, us: The children and grandchildren of survivors.

For us, the collective experience of trauma has played a defining role in the formation of the Armenian identity. For us, the stories of sustained victimization. at times peppered with acts of heroism, are transferred across generations through cultural narratives, thus encapsulating the original experience for the new generations.

Genocidal victimization has profound socio-emotional and psychological consequences. Individual and collective losses are monumental and the destruction traverses from the intrapersonal all the way to the communal.

Forgiving requires a process that can potentially address the genealogic loss, what some have called the cultural orphanage of surviving generations of victims of genocide. Thus, the victim’s sense of power must be restored. While the perpetrator of genocide experiences moral inferiority and a fear of being rejected from the moral community, the victim feels a sense of disempowerment, a loss of self-esteem, as well as a loss of perceived control. It is the perpetrator’s acknowledgement of responsibility for the injustice caused to the victim that could effectively create the milieu where the victim’s sense of power is reestablished. Only such an action can allow the perpetrator to ultimately be accepted in the moral community.

Often, as is the case of the Turkish government, perpetrators avoid feelings of guilt through a denial of culpability or responsibility for their action. Perpetrators of genocide may even perceive their actions as having some merit or justification. The victims, on the other hand, emphasize the injustice inflicted upon them and the imperative of the perpetrators’ acknowledgement of responsibility. Therefore, restoring the victims’ sense of power will enhance their willingness to reconcile with perpetrators. On the other hand, the victim’s forgiveness will increase the perpetrator’s willingness to reconcile in light of the fact that such an action would restore its public moral image.
As it relates to transgressions and painful inflictions, psychological and emotional benefits are derived from the act of forgiving the perpetrator.

Genocidal violence occurs on a mass level and its consequences are far reaching, including trauma experienced by subsequent generations of the affected group who were not direct victims of the act itself. Denial not only exacerbates the pain of the original trauma in subsequent generations, but it also plays a significant role in preventing the launch of a healing process which could potentially lead to forgiveness on the part of the victim and subsequent reconciliation. Therefore, acknowledgement of responsibility by the perpetrator or its representative for the genocidal act is a necessary precursor to creating the context of forgiveness and subsequent reconciliation. Absent such an acknowledgement, genuine forgiveness and reconciliation cannot be achieved. It is imperative that victims of mass trauma experience external sources of validation through the acknowledgement of the impact of their monumental loss, a loss that has obliterated the most basic expectations and needs of human existence; a need for safety, security, and a sense of connectedness to one’s roots, family, and home. In sum, a loss of identity and raison-d’etre. Such a validation, surely on the part of the perpetrator, but also on the part of the larger society, is an imperative step for forgiveness to find a meaningful expression in the victim.

Meanwhile, we shall continue to survive, as we have done for so long; with dignity, pride, and a resilience that only survivors like us can exhibit. Indeed, we have become the perpetrator’s worst nightmare, for our shared experience of uprooting and trauma has unified us in ways that transcend physical boundaries; an “Armenianness” that only WE can experience; an “Armenianness” that Saroyan’s lyrical vivacity captures with such eloquence:

And the Armenian gestures, meaning so much. The slapping of the knee and roaring with laughter. The cursing. The subtle mockery of the world and its big ideas. The word in Armenian, the glance, the gesture, the smile, and through these things the swift rebirth of the race, timeless and again strong, though years have passed, though cities have been destroyed, fathers and brothers and sons killed, places forgotten, dreams violated, living hearts blackened with hate.

Meanwhile, we shall continue to survive…