Armenian News
Defiant Judge `Not Punished For Landmark Ruling'
By Ruzanna Stepanian and Ruben Meloyan
Justice Minister Gevorg Danielian insisted on Monday that a judge in
Yerevan is risking dismissal not because of his unprecedented decision
to acquit two businessmen controversially imprisoned by the Armenian
authorities.
A group of trial attorneys, meanwhile, voiced support for Pargev
Ohanian, a judge in the court of first instance of the city's Kentron
and Nork Marash districts, saying that his ouster would deal a heavy
blow to judicial independence in Armenia.
The presidentially appointed Council of Justice will meet on Wednesday
to consider punitive measures against Ohanian which is sought by the
Judicial Department, another government-controlled body monitoring the
work of Armenian courts. The department claims that Ohanian broke the
law in his rulings on nearly two dozen criminal and civil cases.
In an interview with RFE/RL last week, the judge implied that he is
paying the price of his July 16 verdict that cleared Gagik Hakobian, the
owner of the Royal Armenia coffee packaging company, and one of its top
executives, Aram Ghazarian, of controversial fraud charges. The two men
had been arrested in October 2005 after publicly accusing senior
Armenian customs officials of corruption.
Speaking to RFE/RL, Danielian denied any connection between the
disciplinary action and what was a rare court ruling going against the
wishes of law-enforcement authorities and the National Security Service
(NSS) in particular. `This is a mere coincidence,' he said. `Whether or
not the [July] ruling is unfounded will be determined by further
judicial proceedings [at the Court of Appeals.] That ruling can be
overturned.'
Danielian claimed that Ohanian's activities came under scrutiny months
before the sensational acquittal condemned by prosecutors. `Nobody could
predict then what the judge will rule [on the Royal Armenia case,]' he
said.
But several prominent lawyers strongly disagreed with this, saying that
the Armenian authorities fear that Ohanian's verdict may have set a
dangerous precedent for other judges who normally endorse accusations
leveled by prosecutors.
`The majority of Armenian judges, including those with a 30-year work
experience, have never passed single not-guilty verdict,' said one of
them, Hayk Alumian. `In order to present rosy reports to European
structures, the authorities probably allowed courts to hand down a few
not-guilty verdicts a year. But as this case shows, even those few
acquittals are under strict control.'
`The question is not Pargev Ohanian's future on the bench,' said another
attorney, Ara Ghazarian. `The question is whether or not there is
justice in the Republic of Armenia.'
The freed businessmen, who may still be sent back to prison by the Court
of Appeals, insist that the fraud case against them was brought by the
NSS in retaliation for their refusal to engage in a fraud scam with
senior customs officials and its decision to publicly expose widespread
corruption within the Armenian customs. They say the authorities feared
that their example could encourage other local entrepreneurs to
challenge the reputedly corrupt government agency.
President Robert Kocharian reportedly expressed his displeasure with the
Royal Armenia men's acquittal at a meeting with senior judges held just
days after Ohanian's judgment. Under the Armenian constitution, the
president of the republic appoints and can fire virtually all judges at
the recommendation of the Justice Council.
While denying any pressure on Ohanian, Danielian chided the defiant
judge for implicitly alleging government retribution. `Ohanian should
defend himself not in the media but at the Council of Justice,' he
said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Video Allegedly Praising Dink Killer Proves Popular
By C. Onur Ant, The Associated Press
A homemade video clip set to a popular folk song that allegedly praises
the suspected killer of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink has
received hundreds of thousands of hits on the popular video-sharing Web
site YouTube.
A radio DJ says the month-old song quickly rose to become one of the
most requested songs on his show after word of the YouTube clip spread.
But a human rights group has asked prosecutors to take action against
the folk singer and the songwriter for allegedly inciting ethnic hatred
and violence. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the video
that shows Dink's dead body, followed by a heroic pose of his suspected
teenage killer, who will stand trial next week.
Folk singer Ismail Turut - who describes himself as a Muslim and a
nationalist - denies any links to the making of the YouTube video and
says he does not approve of Dink's murder. But the lyrics of the
controversial song, written by Arif Ozan go: "If someone betrays his own
country, he will be taken care of immediately."
Dink was slain outside his newspaper in January. He had been criticized
for calling the mass killings of Armenians early in the century in the
hands of Ottomans a "genocide" in defiance of the official Turkish line
and was being prosecuted for insulting the Turkish identity. Although
thousands of Turks marched at his funeral to condemn the killing, some
extreme nationalists view the teenage killer and his alleged accomplice
as heroes for punishing the journalist who they feel betrayed the
nation.
"He (Turut) must apologize," said Riza Dalkilic, head of Istanbul branch
of the Human Rights Association who filed the complaint. The group is
known for its advocacy of minorities and freedom of expression.
Turut said he had nothing to do with the YouTube clip and insisted his
song is harmless. He was speaking a day after he and the writer of the
song testified to a prosecutor to explain the meaning of their work.
"Even if I have 40 heads and they chop off all of them, I will not
apologize for even a letter (of the song)," said Turut. "Who has been
subject to the slightest of harm because of my song?"
The killings of Armenians constitutes a shadowy part of Turkish history
that predates the modern republic. Up to 1.5 million Armenians were
killed from 1915 to 1917 in what Armenians and others say was a
genocide. Turkey insists the numbers are inflated and that the killings
occurred during a time of civil unrest during the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire.
The slain journalist is not the only Turkish intellectual hated for
expressing his opinion. Nobel literature laureate Orhan Pamuk is reviled
by many Turks, mostly ultra-nationalists, for talking about the killings
of ethnic Armenians and Kurds. He reportedly received many death
threats.
The European Union, which Turkey is vying to be a member of, has asked
Ankara to remove restrictions on freedom of expression such as the penal
code article which bars insulting the Turkish identity. Despite
grumbling by some Cabinet members regarding the article, a sweeping
change seems unlikely in the short term.
Ironically, Turut and Arif also say their song should be tolerated if
freedom of expression really exists. "I feel like a victim in my
homeland for defending some of our values" Turut said. "Don't I have the
right to freedom of expression?"
By Ruzanna Stepanian and Ruben Meloyan
Justice Minister Gevorg Danielian insisted on Monday that a judge in
Yerevan is risking dismissal not because of his unprecedented decision
to acquit two businessmen controversially imprisoned by the Armenian
authorities.
A group of trial attorneys, meanwhile, voiced support for Pargev
Ohanian, a judge in the court of first instance of the city's Kentron
and Nork Marash districts, saying that his ouster would deal a heavy
blow to judicial independence in Armenia.
The presidentially appointed Council of Justice will meet on Wednesday
to consider punitive measures against Ohanian which is sought by the
Judicial Department, another government-controlled body monitoring the
work of Armenian courts. The department claims that Ohanian broke the
law in his rulings on nearly two dozen criminal and civil cases.
In an interview with RFE/RL last week, the judge implied that he is
paying the price of his July 16 verdict that cleared Gagik Hakobian, the
owner of the Royal Armenia coffee packaging company, and one of its top
executives, Aram Ghazarian, of controversial fraud charges. The two men
had been arrested in October 2005 after publicly accusing senior
Armenian customs officials of corruption.
Speaking to RFE/RL, Danielian denied any connection between the
disciplinary action and what was a rare court ruling going against the
wishes of law-enforcement authorities and the National Security Service
(NSS) in particular. `This is a mere coincidence,' he said. `Whether or
not the [July] ruling is unfounded will be determined by further
judicial proceedings [at the Court of Appeals.] That ruling can be
overturned.'
Danielian claimed that Ohanian's activities came under scrutiny months
before the sensational acquittal condemned by prosecutors. `Nobody could
predict then what the judge will rule [on the Royal Armenia case,]' he
said.
But several prominent lawyers strongly disagreed with this, saying that
the Armenian authorities fear that Ohanian's verdict may have set a
dangerous precedent for other judges who normally endorse accusations
leveled by prosecutors.
`The majority of Armenian judges, including those with a 30-year work
experience, have never passed single not-guilty verdict,' said one of
them, Hayk Alumian. `In order to present rosy reports to European
structures, the authorities probably allowed courts to hand down a few
not-guilty verdicts a year. But as this case shows, even those few
acquittals are under strict control.'
`The question is not Pargev Ohanian's future on the bench,' said another
attorney, Ara Ghazarian. `The question is whether or not there is
justice in the Republic of Armenia.'
The freed businessmen, who may still be sent back to prison by the Court
of Appeals, insist that the fraud case against them was brought by the
NSS in retaliation for their refusal to engage in a fraud scam with
senior customs officials and its decision to publicly expose widespread
corruption within the Armenian customs. They say the authorities feared
that their example could encourage other local entrepreneurs to
challenge the reputedly corrupt government agency.
President Robert Kocharian reportedly expressed his displeasure with the
Royal Armenia men's acquittal at a meeting with senior judges held just
days after Ohanian's judgment. Under the Armenian constitution, the
president of the republic appoints and can fire virtually all judges at
the recommendation of the Justice Council.
While denying any pressure on Ohanian, Danielian chided the defiant
judge for implicitly alleging government retribution. `Ohanian should
defend himself not in the media but at the Council of Justice,' he
said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Video Allegedly Praising Dink Killer Proves Popular
By C. Onur Ant, The Associated Press
A homemade video clip set to a popular folk song that allegedly praises
the suspected killer of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink has
received hundreds of thousands of hits on the popular video-sharing Web
site YouTube.
A radio DJ says the month-old song quickly rose to become one of the
most requested songs on his show after word of the YouTube clip spread.
But a human rights group has asked prosecutors to take action against
the folk singer and the songwriter for allegedly inciting ethnic hatred
and violence. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the video
that shows Dink's dead body, followed by a heroic pose of his suspected
teenage killer, who will stand trial next week.
Folk singer Ismail Turut - who describes himself as a Muslim and a
nationalist - denies any links to the making of the YouTube video and
says he does not approve of Dink's murder. But the lyrics of the
controversial song, written by Arif Ozan go: "If someone betrays his own
country, he will be taken care of immediately."
Dink was slain outside his newspaper in January. He had been criticized
for calling the mass killings of Armenians early in the century in the
hands of Ottomans a "genocide" in defiance of the official Turkish line
and was being prosecuted for insulting the Turkish identity. Although
thousands of Turks marched at his funeral to condemn the killing, some
extreme nationalists view the teenage killer and his alleged accomplice
as heroes for punishing the journalist who they feel betrayed the
nation.
"He (Turut) must apologize," said Riza Dalkilic, head of Istanbul branch
of the Human Rights Association who filed the complaint. The group is
known for its advocacy of minorities and freedom of expression.
Turut said he had nothing to do with the YouTube clip and insisted his
song is harmless. He was speaking a day after he and the writer of the
song testified to a prosecutor to explain the meaning of their work.
"Even if I have 40 heads and they chop off all of them, I will not
apologize for even a letter (of the song)," said Turut. "Who has been
subject to the slightest of harm because of my song?"
The killings of Armenians constitutes a shadowy part of Turkish history
that predates the modern republic. Up to 1.5 million Armenians were
killed from 1915 to 1917 in what Armenians and others say was a
genocide. Turkey insists the numbers are inflated and that the killings
occurred during a time of civil unrest during the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire.
The slain journalist is not the only Turkish intellectual hated for
expressing his opinion. Nobel literature laureate Orhan Pamuk is reviled
by many Turks, mostly ultra-nationalists, for talking about the killings
of ethnic Armenians and Kurds. He reportedly received many death
threats.
The European Union, which Turkey is vying to be a member of, has asked
Ankara to remove restrictions on freedom of expression such as the penal
code article which bars insulting the Turkish identity. Despite
grumbling by some Cabinet members regarding the article, a sweeping
change seems unlikely in the short term.
Ironically, Turut and Arif also say their song should be tolerated if
freedom of expression really exists. "I feel like a victim in my
homeland for defending some of our values" Turut said. "Don't I have the
right to freedom of expression?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARMENIAN PREMIER UNRUFFLED BY AZERBAIJAN'S GROWING MILITARY SPENDING
ArmInfo, Armenia
Sept 12 2007
Yerevan, 12 September: The co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group will
arrive in the region by the end of this week to meet the presidents
of Armenia and the Nagornyy Karabakh republic, Armenian Prime Minister
Serzh Sargsyan said in parliament while answering MPs' questions.
Sargsyan expressed confidence that today there is no serious threat
to Nagornyy Karabakh's security, even if we take account of the
development of Azerbaijan's economy which has been growing at the
expense of oil resources. "If we are more careful and try to analyze
statements by the Azerbaijani leadership, we will see that they have
not achieved their goal," the prime minister noted.
Sargsyan recalled that [Azerbaijani president] Ilham Aliyev had
pledged that the 2007 military budget of the Azerbaijani Republic
would equal the entire budget of Armenia.
"They failed to do this. Armenia's budget in 2008 will total 2.5bn
dollars and Armenia's military expenditure will equal the entire
budget of Armenia in 1998. I have information that Azerbaijan's
budget in 2008 will total 6-6.5bn dollars from which 1bn will be
military expenditure. The Armenian leadership, and in particular,
the president are doing everything possible to ensure a balance of
forces in the region," Sargsyan said.
ArmInfo, Armenia
Sept 12 2007
Yerevan, 12 September: The co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group will
arrive in the region by the end of this week to meet the presidents
of Armenia and the Nagornyy Karabakh republic, Armenian Prime Minister
Serzh Sargsyan said in parliament while answering MPs' questions.
Sargsyan expressed confidence that today there is no serious threat
to Nagornyy Karabakh's security, even if we take account of the
development of Azerbaijan's economy which has been growing at the
expense of oil resources. "If we are more careful and try to analyze
statements by the Azerbaijani leadership, we will see that they have
not achieved their goal," the prime minister noted.
Sargsyan recalled that [Azerbaijani president] Ilham Aliyev had
pledged that the 2007 military budget of the Azerbaijani Republic
would equal the entire budget of Armenia.
"They failed to do this. Armenia's budget in 2008 will total 2.5bn
dollars and Armenia's military expenditure will equal the entire
budget of Armenia in 1998. I have information that Azerbaijan's
budget in 2008 will total 6-6.5bn dollars from which 1bn will be
military expenditure. The Armenian leadership, and in particular,
the president are doing everything possible to ensure a balance of
forces in the region," Sargsyan said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUKHOI CIVIL AIRCRAFT EYES SELLING SUPERJETS TO ARMENIAN AIRLINE
Prime-Tass Business News Agency
September 13, 2007 Thursday 5:39 PM EET
Russia
Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft plans to sign a contract on Friday to
sell two SuperJet 100 planes to Armenian airline Armavia, a spokesman
for Sukhoi Civil Aircraft told Prime-Tass Thursday.
Armavia is also expected to acquire an option to buy another two
SuperJet 100s, the spokesman said.
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft is developing the SuperJet 100 regional aircraft
jointly with U.S. aircraft producer Boeing. The first test flight
of the SuperJet 100 is expected to take place before the end of this
year and mass production is expected to start in 2008.
Sukhoil Civil Aircraft is a subsidiary of Russian aircraft maker
Sukhoi, which is in turn controlled by the United Aircraft Building
Corporation (UAC).
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