Armenian News

Armenian Parliament To Ease Ban On Opposition Rallies
By Astghik Bedevian

The Armenian parliament will ease next month severe restrictions on
freedom of assembly that were imposed by it following the post-
election unrest in Yerevan, a senior pro-government deputy said on
Tuesday.

The restrictions took the form of amendments to an Armenian law on
street gatherings. The National Assembly hastily passed them on March
17, four days before the end of a state of emergency imposed by then
President Robert Kocharian in the wake of Armenia's disputed
presidential election.

The amended law, which empowers law-enforcement authorities to ban
anti-government demonstrations practically at will, prompted strong
criticism from the international community. A partial or full repeal
of the restrictions was a key demand contained in a resolution on
Armenia adopted by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
(PACE) last week. The Venice Commission, another Council of Europe
body, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
said on Monday that the authorities have agreed to `repeal or change
the amendments' soon.

David Harutiunian, chairman of the Armenian parliament committee on
legal affairs, confirmed this, saying that the changes sought by the
PACE will enacted by the end of May. Still, he made it clear that the
law on rallies will not be brought back to its original content that
had been approved by the Venice Commission and the OSCE.

Harutiunian also reaffirmed the government's stated commitment to
complying with other PACE demands, notably the conduct of an
`independent, transparent and credible inquiry' into the March 1
deadly clashes in Yerevan between security forces and opposition
supporters. He suggested that such an inquiry be led by Armenia's
state human rights ombudsman, Armen Harutiunian (no relation). The
latter has questioned the use of lethal force against thousands of
opposition supporters protesting against the official results of the
presidential election.

The former justice minister also questioned the credibility of
Armenian prosecutors' ongoing criminal investigation into the deadly
clashes that has resulted in mass arrests of opposition leaders and
supporters. `I think that there is still large room for increasing
their professionalism,' he said of the investigators facing
opposition allegations of a politically motivated witch-hunt.

The PACE resolution demanded `the urgent release of the persons
detained on seemingly artificial and politically motivated charges.'
Only one prominent oppositionist has been set free since its passage
on April 17.

Agos executive editor Arat Dink was honoured by UK-based Index on

Censorship at a ceremony in London last night.

Dink was awarded the prestigious Guardian Journalism Award, which

recognises determined and brave journalism that often represents a

different point of view in the media.

Index on Censorship Chief Executive Henderson Mullin commented:

'The bravery of Arat Dink, and the rest of the staff of Agos, in the face

of Draconian laws restricting their freedom of expression, provides

inspiration for journalists throughout the world.

In honouring Arat, we also commemorate the work of his late father, Hrant Dink.'

Other award winners on the night included web portal wikileaks,

author Francisco Goldman, film maker Mohamed Al-Daradji

and U Gambira of the All Burmese Monks Alliance.


For more information, call Index on Censorship +44 (0) 20 7278 2313
www.indexoncensorship.org

Notes for Editors: The eighth Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression

Awards were presented in London on 21 April.

Index on Censorship is one of the world's leading repositories of original,

challenging, controversial and intelligent writing on free expression issues.

Index on Censorship continues to log free expression abuses in scores of

countries, report on censorship issues from all over the world, and add to

the debates on those issues. It has published its periodical since 1972.

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Armenian Priest Detained by Israeli Police Following Palm Sunday Incidents
Armenian News Network / Groong
April 21, 2008
By Bedross Der Matossian
Exclusive for ANN/Groong


On Monday, April 21, 2008 Israeli Police detained Fr. Norayr Kazazian,
Dean of the St. Tarkmanchatz School of Jerusalem, in relation to the
violation of the Status Quo by the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem on
Palm Sunday in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Hundreds of Armenian clergy and local community activists gathered
today in front of an Israeli Police Station near the Armenian Quarter
of the Old City of Jerusalem to protest the detainment of Fr. Norayr.

"I was called by the Israeli Police to show up at the Police Station
near the Armenian Quarter as a potential witness for yesterday's
incidents. Upon my arrival, however, I was immediately taken for
interrogation not as a witness, but as a suspect," stated Fr. Norayr
in a phone interview. During the interrogation, Fr. Norayr was ordered
to sign a document stating that he would not enter the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre for the next 10 days, a period which encompasses Holy
Week festivities in Jerusalem. "I refused to comply with the order of
the Israeli Police, because it is an extreme violation of my religious
and civil rights," stated Fr. Norayr Kazazian. While the Israeli
Police initially threatened Fr. Norayr's incarceration overnight until
an 8:00 AM court appearance on Tuesday, April 22, Fr. Norayr was
eventually released by the Israeli police without having to sign any
document, as a result of public pressure from outraged local and
worldwide Armenians. In addition to Fr. Norayr, community leader Serop
Sahagian and his son were detained by Israeli police on Sunday, April
20, 2008, and subsequently released. Father and son Sahagian were both
banned from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the next 10
days.

The latest incidents are a continuation of rising tensions between
Armenians and Greeks in Jerusalem, as a result of consistent
violations by the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem vis-à-vis the Status
Quo at the Tomb of Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In an
interview with ANN/Groong on Sunday evening, Fr. Norayr expressed a
sense of indignation and frustration over actions of the Israeli
police, as well as the latter's failure to uphold the centuries-old
terms of the Status Quo. Further, Fr. Norayr lamented that "the
Armenian community is extremely concerned about the upcoming Holy Fire
Ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In particular, we are
concerned about the failure and insensitivity of the Israeli Police to
enforce the Status Quo and uphold the rights of the Armenians in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre," he added.

Hundreds of Armenian worshippers from Jerusalem and pilgrims from
throughout the world were in attendance at Palm Sunday ceremonies at
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. These pilgrims are also expected to
participate in this week's Holy Fire Ceremony at the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

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