Armenian News...A Topalian...Freedom house survey...
arka.am
Armenia and Karabakh rated by freedom house as partly free countries
YEREVAN, September 19. Freedom House, a non-governmental organization surveying democracies and freedom worldwide, has released its latest Freedom in the World 2016 report, rating Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh as ‘partly free’ countries with a total score of 46 and 33 respectively (0 = Best, 100 = Worst). Nagorno-Karabakh is placed in the list of 15 "disputed territories."
The report assesses the situation with the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens in 195 independent states and 15 disputed territories.
The report provides an assessment of the level of political rights (PR) and civil liberties (CL) on a 1-7 scale , where 1 indicates the maximum freedom and 7 - the minimum. In terms of PR Armenia has 5 points, and 4 points in terms of CL. Both indicators for Nagorno-Karabakh are 5 points.
Apart from Armenia, other former Soviet republics of Georgia (64), Kyrgyzstan (38), Moldova (60) and Ukraine (61) were rated as ‘partly free.’
Azerbaijan (16), Belarus (17), Kazakhstan (24) Russia (22), Tajikistan (16), Turkmenistan (4) and Uzbekistan (3) were rated as ‘not-free’. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are in the group of "free" countries with rates of 86, 91 and 94 points respectively. Iran (17) was described as "not free" while Turkey (53) as "partly free" country.
Of 195 nations Norway, San Marino and Sweden (100 points) were rated as ‘most free’, followed by Canada and the Netherlands (99 points), as well as Australia, Barbados, Denmark, Liechtenstein , Luxembourg, New Zealand and Uruguay (98 points).
Somalia (2) was rated as the most "not free" country followed by Eritrea, North Korea and Uzbekistan (3 points). Syria is also included in this group. This group includes 50 states or 26%, with a total population of 2.6 billion people.
armenews.am
60% of Armenian population is malnourished victimede
This data is advanced by the Armenian office of the British organisation
Oxfam. 60% of the population of Armenia receives 2000 or less calories
each day instead of 2410 calories needed by the human body. 19% of
children under 5 are malnourished, and15% have a weight problem.
Extract from the press review of the Embassy of France in Armenia
Extract from the press review of the Embassy of France in Armenia
as of September 13, 2016
RFE/RL Report
Armenia Committed To `Reasonable Compromise' On Karabakh,
Armenia Committed To `Reasonable Compromise' On Karabakh,
Says Sarkisian
September 16, 2016
Armenia stands for a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict based on "reasonable" mutual concessions by both warring
sides, President Serzh Sarkisian said on Friday.
Sarkisian mentioned the unresolved dispute in his speech at a
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit held in Kyrgyzstan's
capital Bishkek.
"We have always made clear our position which is in tune with the
position of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group: namely, the
conflict's resolution through peace negotiations on the basis of
international law and norms as well as a reasonable mutual
compromise. I stress: mutual compromise," he said.
Sitting next to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, Sarkisian
stressed at the same time further progress in Armenian-Azerbaijani
peace talks is contingent on the implementation of confidence-building
measures designed to prevent deadly truce violations. Those include
international investigations of such violations and deployment of more
OSCE field observers in in the conflict zone.
Sarkisian and Aliyev agreed on such measures, sought by the U.S.,
Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, when they met in
Vienna in May more than a month after the heaviest fighting in and
around Karabakh since 1994.
The two leaders signaled further progress after holding follow-up
talks hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg
in June. That summit fueled media speculation that Moscow is pressing
the conflicting parties to agree to a peace deal based on the
co-chairs' so-called Madrid Principles. No further Aliyev-Sarkisian
meetings have been scheduled since then.
The mediators' framework peace accord calls for a gradual return to
Azerbaijan of virtually all seven districts around Karabakh that were
fully or partly occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces during the
1991-1994 war. In return, Karabakh's predominantly Armenian population
would be able to determine the disputed territory's internationally
recognized status in a future referendum.
Meeting with Putin in Moscow last month, Sarkisian stressed that
international recognition of the Karabakh Armenians' right to
self-determination must be at the heart of any workable peaceful deal.
By contrast, Aliyev and other Azerbaijani leaders have repeatedly
rejected a settlement that would stop short of restoring Baku's
control over Karabakh.
As of Friday afternoon, it was not clear whether Sarkisian and Aliyev
planned to hold a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the Bishkek
summit attended by Putin.
September 16, 2016
Armenia stands for a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict based on "reasonable" mutual concessions by both warring
sides, President Serzh Sarkisian said on Friday.
Sarkisian mentioned the unresolved dispute in his speech at a
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit held in Kyrgyzstan's
capital Bishkek.
"We have always made clear our position which is in tune with the
position of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group: namely, the
conflict's resolution through peace negotiations on the basis of
international law and norms as well as a reasonable mutual
compromise. I stress: mutual compromise," he said.
Sitting next to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, Sarkisian
stressed at the same time further progress in Armenian-Azerbaijani
peace talks is contingent on the implementation of confidence-building
measures designed to prevent deadly truce violations. Those include
international investigations of such violations and deployment of more
OSCE field observers in in the conflict zone.
Sarkisian and Aliyev agreed on such measures, sought by the U.S.,
Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, when they met in
Vienna in May more than a month after the heaviest fighting in and
around Karabakh since 1994.
The two leaders signaled further progress after holding follow-up
talks hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg
in June. That summit fueled media speculation that Moscow is pressing
the conflicting parties to agree to a peace deal based on the
co-chairs' so-called Madrid Principles. No further Aliyev-Sarkisian
meetings have been scheduled since then.
The mediators' framework peace accord calls for a gradual return to
Azerbaijan of virtually all seven districts around Karabakh that were
fully or partly occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces during the
1991-1994 war. In return, Karabakh's predominantly Armenian population
would be able to determine the disputed territory's internationally
recognized status in a future referendum.
Meeting with Putin in Moscow last month, Sarkisian stressed that
international recognition of the Karabakh Armenians' right to
self-determination must be at the heart of any workable peaceful deal.
By contrast, Aliyev and other Azerbaijani leaders have repeatedly
rejected a settlement that would stop short of restoring Baku's
control over Karabakh.
As of Friday afternoon, it was not clear whether Sarkisian and Aliyev
planned to hold a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the Bishkek
summit attended by Putin.
Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
September 17, 2016 Saturday
Skirmish between Aliyev and Sargsyan in Bishkek
Baku / 17.09.16 / Turan: On Friday at a CIS summit in Bishkek there
was a skirmish between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan accused Azerbaijan of aggression
during the April events, as well as violations of the cease-fire
regime in the subsequent period. In response,
Aliyev asked to speakout of turn, and actually reproached Sargsyan.
All international organizations are tired of these complaints of the
Armenian side, he said. The situation is paradoxical: Armenia occupies
the territory of a sovereign state, violates its territorial integrity, expels
the indigenous Azerbaijani population and engaged in imitation of
negotiations, Aliyev said. He recalled the UN Security Council
resolutions demanding the release of the occupied territories and
refusal to Yerevan to meet them. "They do not want peace, they want to
keep our territories under control and constantly accuse Azerbaijan,
that we violate something. We are the aggrieved party. We did not
occupied any territories. Our territory is under occupation," Aliyev
said.
resolutions demanding the release of the occupied territories and
refusal to Yerevan to meet them. "They do not want peace, they want to
keep our territories under control and constantly accuse Azerbaijan,
that we violate something. We are the aggrieved party. We did not
occupied any territories. Our territory is under occupation," Aliyev
said.
Sargsian's reply was: There is no sense to give answer to
lies;
and Ilham Aliyev answered: I have already answered a lie.
independent.co.uk
independent.co.uk
Kim Kardashian West blasts Wall Street Journal over advert
denying mass killings of Armenians was genocide
The reality TV star has criticised the newspaper for printing
The reality TV star has criticised the newspaper for printing
a full page advert for FactCheck Armenia
Heather Saul
Thursday 28 April 2016
Kim Kardashian West has accused the Wall Street Journal of profiting from genocide after publishing an advert directing readers to a website denying the mass killings of Armenians was a genocide.
Between 1915 and 1916 1.5 million men, women, and children were sent across the Syrian desert and killed by the Ottoman empire in what is widely considered, but not universally addressed as, the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey objects to the mass killings being called a genocide and disputes that there was an attempt to systematically destroy the Christian Armenian people. It argues that while atrocities were committed, many Muslim Turks were also killed in the war. The Republic of Turkey believes the number is inflated and estimates the death toll to be around 300,000.
In one of her most forthright blog posts to date, Kardashian West accused the WSJ of “reckless, upsetting and dangerous” behaviour by publishing the advert for FactCheck Armenia, which shows the Turkish flag with a peace sign under the headline “Truth=Peace” alongside a website domain which has the following statement on its homepage: “FALSE: The events of 1915 constitute a clear-cut genocide against the Armenian people.”
Kardashian West, who is of Armenian heritage, travelled to Armenia and laid wreaths at a memorial complex to mark the 100th anniversary of the killings in April 2015. The Kardashian family fled Armenia in 1913.
“For the Wall Street Journal to publish something like this is reckless, upsetting and dangerous. It's one thing when a sh***y tabloid profits from a made-up scandal, but for a trusted publication like WSJ to profit from genocide — it's shameful and unacceptable,” she wrote.
”Advocating the denial of a genocide by the country responsible for it—that's not publishing a 'provocative viewpoint,' that's spreading lies. It's totally morally irresponsible and, most of all, it's dangerous. If this had been an ad denying the Holocaust, or pushing some 9/11 conspiracy theory, would it have made it to print?“
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, a WSJ spokesperson said: “We accept a wide range of advertisements, including those with provocative viewpoints. While we review ad copy for issues of taste, the varied and divergent views expressed belong to the advertisers.”
The Independent has contacted WS for comment.
Belfast Telegraph, N. Ireland
Sept 19 2016
NI director defends new Armenian genocide film
By Allan Preston
Oscar-winning Belfast director Terry George has denied his new film
based on the Armenian genocide will be one-sided.
The director spoke out after it was revealed the First World War movie
was funded entirely by a pro-Armenian group in the United States.
The Promise stars Christian Bale as a journalist swept up in events
beginning in 1915 when 1.5 million Armenians were allegedly
slaughtered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.
More than a century on the events are fiercely divisive - Turkey
denies a genocide ever took place, saying the death toll was highly
exaggerated.
Despite support from the US, UK and Israel, more than 30 countries
including France and Germany have described what happened as genocide.
Mr George has previously been accused of an anti-British bias in films
such as 1996's Some Mother's Son starring Helen Mirren as the mother
of a Maze hunger striker.
A former member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, the political
wing of the INLA, he was sentenced to six years in jail for arms
offences in the 1970s.
Speaking at the Toronto Film Festival, Mr George said despite being
funded by Armenian-US group the Kerkorian Institute, The Promise would
be balanced.
"Queen Elizabeth funded Shakespeare, and no one calls Richard III a
piece of propaganda," he said.
"There's a difference between perception of a story and the veracity
of a story. We never wanted to dictate perception, just tell the
truth."
Filmed under tight security in Spain, Portugal and Malta, he said he
was "staying away from the Middle East and not having any publicity
whatsoever, to maintain that low profile".
Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)
Press Release
Dutch Public Prosecution Service initiates proceedings on
Thursday 28 April 2016
Kim Kardashian West has accused the Wall Street Journal of profiting from genocide after publishing an advert directing readers to a website denying the mass killings of Armenians was a genocide.
Between 1915 and 1916 1.5 million men, women, and children were sent across the Syrian desert and killed by the Ottoman empire in what is widely considered, but not universally addressed as, the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey objects to the mass killings being called a genocide and disputes that there was an attempt to systematically destroy the Christian Armenian people. It argues that while atrocities were committed, many Muslim Turks were also killed in the war. The Republic of Turkey believes the number is inflated and estimates the death toll to be around 300,000.
In one of her most forthright blog posts to date, Kardashian West accused the WSJ of “reckless, upsetting and dangerous” behaviour by publishing the advert for FactCheck Armenia, which shows the Turkish flag with a peace sign under the headline “Truth=Peace” alongside a website domain which has the following statement on its homepage: “FALSE: The events of 1915 constitute a clear-cut genocide against the Armenian people.”
Kardashian West, who is of Armenian heritage, travelled to Armenia and laid wreaths at a memorial complex to mark the 100th anniversary of the killings in April 2015. The Kardashian family fled Armenia in 1913.
“For the Wall Street Journal to publish something like this is reckless, upsetting and dangerous. It's one thing when a sh***y tabloid profits from a made-up scandal, but for a trusted publication like WSJ to profit from genocide — it's shameful and unacceptable,” she wrote.
”Advocating the denial of a genocide by the country responsible for it—that's not publishing a 'provocative viewpoint,' that's spreading lies. It's totally morally irresponsible and, most of all, it's dangerous. If this had been an ad denying the Holocaust, or pushing some 9/11 conspiracy theory, would it have made it to print?“
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, a WSJ spokesperson said: “We accept a wide range of advertisements, including those with provocative viewpoints. While we review ad copy for issues of taste, the varied and divergent views expressed belong to the advertisers.”
The Independent has contacted WS for comment.
Belfast Telegraph, N. Ireland
Sept 19 2016
NI director defends new Armenian genocide film
By Allan Preston
Oscar-winning Belfast director Terry George has denied his new film
based on the Armenian genocide will be one-sided.
The director spoke out after it was revealed the First World War movie
was funded entirely by a pro-Armenian group in the United States.
The Promise stars Christian Bale as a journalist swept up in events
beginning in 1915 when 1.5 million Armenians were allegedly
slaughtered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.
More than a century on the events are fiercely divisive - Turkey
denies a genocide ever took place, saying the death toll was highly
exaggerated.
Despite support from the US, UK and Israel, more than 30 countries
including France and Germany have described what happened as genocide.
Mr George has previously been accused of an anti-British bias in films
such as 1996's Some Mother's Son starring Helen Mirren as the mother
of a Maze hunger striker.
A former member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, the political
wing of the INLA, he was sentenced to six years in jail for arms
offences in the 1970s.
Speaking at the Toronto Film Festival, Mr George said despite being
funded by Armenian-US group the Kerkorian Institute, The Promise would
be balanced.
"Queen Elizabeth funded Shakespeare, and no one calls Richard III a
piece of propaganda," he said.
"There's a difference between perception of a story and the veracity
of a story. We never wanted to dictate perception, just tell the
truth."
Filmed under tight security in Spain, Portugal and Malta, he said he
was "staying away from the Middle East and not having any publicity
whatsoever, to maintain that low profile".
Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)
Press Release
Dutch Public Prosecution Service initiates proceedings on
suspicion of inciting violence against Armenians
The Hague, 14 September 2016 In response to the reports from the Armenian
community the Dutch Public Prosecution Service has decided to hear a
resident of The Hague on suspicion of an offense, namely inciting violence
against Armenians. According to the Public Prosecutor is the suspicion such,
that the institution of criminal proceedings against him is reasonably to be
expected. The Joint Armenian Organisations, namely the Federation of
Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) and Dutch Armenian
Committee for Justice and Democracy (Hay Tad) who reported the offence,
speak of a major decision of the Public Prosecution Service for Armenians in
the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world.
According to the Public Prosecution Service the person concerned has
violated the limits of freedom of expression speaking at a Turkish rally on
1 June 2014 against the Genocide memorial erected on the churchyard of the
Armenian Apostolic Church in Almelo. According to the Public Prosecution
Service, his statement "Karabakh will be the tomb of the Armenians" would be
a criminal offence, since he is inciting violence against Armenians because
of their race and/or religion.
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