Armenian News... A Topalian... 12 editorials

RFE/RL Report

Armenia, Azerbaijan In Fresh Talks Mediated By Russia

April 15, 2019

Armenia and Azerbaijan reaffirmed on Monday their stated intention to strengthen the ceasefire regime in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and take other take confidence-building measures during fresh peace talks mediated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Lavrov hosted his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, Zohrab Mnatsakanian and Elmar Mammadyarov, more two weeks after an Armenian-Azerbaijani summit held 

in Vienna. The three ministers were joined in Moscow by the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group.

“The Ministers emphasized their interest in further stabilization of the situation in the conflict zone, in particular during agricultural activities,” read a joint statement released by the participants of the talks. “They also agreed to take measures, on a mutual basis, to allow families to have access to their relatives held in custody in the respective detention centers of the parties.”

“The Ministers expressed their willingness to start concrete work on establishing contacts between people, including through mutual visits of media representatives,” added the statement.

It described the Moscow talks as a “follow-up to the agreements” that were reached by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev at their March 29 summit in Vienna.

Both Aliyev and Pashinian gave a largely positive assessment of what was their fourth meeting in six months. There has been a significant decrease in 

ceasefire violations around Karabakh and along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border since their first face-to-face contact in September.

Lavrov, Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov said they also “exchanged detailed views on key aspects of the settlement process.” It was not clear whether the 

conflicting parties narrowed their differences on a compromise peace formula that has been advanced by the United States, Russia and France for more than a 

decade. Their statement said only that they will “continue their contacts in the near future.”

Panorama, Armenia

April 16 2019

Fire-ravaged Notre Dame was set to host liturgy for Armenian Genocide victims on 22 April

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, ravaged by a massive fire on Monday, was set to offer a liturgy on 22 April to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

France will mark April 24 as a commemoration day of the Armenian Genocide, with the relevant decree signed by President Emmanuel Macron on 10 April.

According to the document, a ceremony paying tribute to the genocide victims will be held in Paris on this day every year. Similar events may also be held in every city at the initiative of the local governments.

Macron announced his decision to make April 24 as a national day of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide at the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations (CCAF) gala in Paris on 5 February.

The French leader’s move drew strong criticism from Turkey, which accused Paris of "manipulating history."

Representatives of the Armenian community in France and French politicians visit the Komitas Monument and Armenian Genocide Memorial in Paris on 24 April every year to pay homage to the Armenian Genocide victims. 

Armenpress.am

9 April, 2019

Pashinyan clarifies anti-fake news campaign

 Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has clarified his statement on bringing to account those behind fake news.

Speaking to reporters today, the prime minister said only those who spread inter-ethnic hate speech and violence will be held responsible.

He brought an example on how a fake social media account using symbols of the velvet revolution movement was spreading hate speech and calls for violence against Republicans. He said they couldn’t leave it without a response and had to tackle the problem.

Earlier on April 4, Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting that certain criminal circles are spending millions to manipulate public opinions in the press and social media. 

He told the National Security Service to investigate. “I believe the legislation enables this, certainly without doubting the freedom of speech and freedom of _expression_. This is a red line that we cannot cross”.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Arminfo, Armenia

April 12 2019

Ani Mshetsyan

Burgos is the 34th city of Spain, which recognized the Armenian  genocide

Bourgos was in the 34th  city of Ispanya, which claimed the Armenian genocide. SHANT  telecommunication company is the head of the Armenian community of  Ararat - Ararat Ghukasyan.

According to the source, the Soviet city of Bourgos brought one  Armenian soldier to the Armenian Ararat "Hayazid" Armenian genocide.  The Fourth Party of the Soviet Union (Democratic, Socialist, Imakhina  Burgos and Grajdanskaya) has published a joint institutional  statement, pledging the people, exiling the genocide and exhorting  Turkey and the Armenian Genocide genocide. 

The Stage, UK

April 16 2019

Kaj Nazar review at Bishop Centre, London – ‘witty revival of Armenia’s first comic opera’

by Yehuda Shapiro 

Kaj Nazar by Haro Stepanian, billed as Armenia’s first comic opera, has not been seen since its premiere in Yerevan in 1935. It was possibly a victim of Soviet displeasure.

Its title, which means Nazar the Brave, is not without irony. Drawing on traditional stories and a narrative by the poet Hovhaness Toumanian, it tells of a lazy, arrogant villager who somehow ends up as a supreme, war-mongering ruler. Starting off rather like the Grimm Brothers’ Valiant Little Tailor, it becomes closer to Rimsky-Korsakov’s caustic opera The Golden Cockerel.

Combining folk elements and sometimes abrasive modernism, the score is piquant, unpredictable and often witty. Its impact is assured by the conductor, Levon Parikian. The first two acts weave together flexible arioso and mercurial instrumental motifs, while Acts III and IV bring some longer-breathed numbers, including a dance sequence and a sinuous aria for Nazar’s long-suffering wife, Ustian.

Sung and played with spiky charm by Tereza Gevorgyan, she keeps close tabs on the Nazar of Berk Karazian. He pitches his comic antics precisely – this anti-hero is both exasperating and strangely endearing – while sustaining a lyrical tenor line. Aris Nadirian, London Armenian Opera’s artistic director, is a powerful vocal and physical presence as Sako, who becomes Nazar’s general, and each of the supporting singers makes a memorable impression.

Wisely, director Seta White does not encourage them to overact, not does she play for easy farcical laughs. Rather, she creates a series of almost ritualistic tableaux with simple decor, richly detailed costumes, a procession around the theatre and surreal projections such as a moon that becomes a rolling eyeball.

News.am, Armenia

April 14 2019

Aleppo's Armenian community celebrates Palm Sunday with grand ceremony 

The Armenian community of Aleppo celebrated Palm Sunday (Tsaghkazard) with a grand ceremony, reports Armenpress.

The ceremony at St. Mary’s Armenian Church was performed by Primate of the Aleppo Diocese of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, His Grace, Archbishop Shahan Sarkisian.

According to the source, the ceremony gathered nearly 2,000 representatives of the Armenian community of Aleppo.

Arminfo, Armenia

April 13 2019

Marianna Mkrtchyan

Armenian weightlifter Simon Martirosyan won gold at the European  Championship in Batumi

Vice-champion of the Olympic Games, world and European champion 22-year-old Armenian weightlifter Simon Martirosyan won the gold medal at the European  Weightlifting Championships held in Batumi in the weight category of  109 kg.  

In the double-event, the Armenian athlete gained 427 kg. In  the snatch, Simon Martirosyan lifted 192 kg, and in a jerk he lifted  235 kg.  Today, another Armenian weightlifter Samvel Gasparyan won a  silver medal at the European Championship in the weight category 102  kg.  To recall, in the Georgian city of Batumi European 

Weightlifting  Championships for adults started two days ago. During the week from  April 6th to 13th, the best weightlifters, weightlifters of the old continent will fight on the Batumi platform.

Armedia, Armenia

April 14 2019

My Family Was Always Proud of its Armenian Heritage: James Bagian - The Only Armenian in the World, who Has Traveled into Space (EXCLUSIVE)

"Armedia" IAA presents an exclusive interview with James Bagian, the only Armenian in the world, who has traveled into Space.

- Mr Bagian, what made you want to become an astronaut?

I had always been interested in aviation from the time I was a little boy.  My father, Philip Bagian, had been a highly decorated fighter pilot in World War 2 and I suppose I developed my interest from the stories he would tell my brother and me about the enjoyment, challenge, and satisfaction he experienced from flying. Having developed an avid interest in aviation at such a young age it was only natural to become interested in spaceflight and becoming an astronaut.

-You have logged over 337 hours in space. What is the outer space like? What feelings did You experience?

-Seeing the Earth from space with your own eyes gives a much greater appreciation for the planet than pictures or videos are capable of imparting. The beauty and seeing the Earth, its land masses, and oceans with no political boundaries definitely impresses one that all the peoples of the Earth and their activities ultimately can impact everyone regardless of where they live.

I was also impressed with the tremendous technical achievement that launching a spacecraft is and how fortunate I was to have been allowed to make my flights as well as the debt of thanks I felt to all of the people whose good work made the experience possible for me to have.

-What is the most memorable moment for you in space?

-I most vividly remember the first time I was in orbit and looked out of the window at the horizon to see the thin blue line that was the atmosphere that envelopes the Earth. It was a beautiful electric blue color and it was particularly striking to me because of how small and fragile it appeared especially as I contemplated how all the people on Earth depend on it for our survival every day.

-Please, tell us about your family and their Armenian traditions.

-Grandparents on my father’s side emigrated to the United States just after 1900. My father and his brothers and sister were the first ones in their family born in the United States.  They were always proud of their Armenian heritage and I fondly remember spending times together with my family enjoying Armenian delicacies and hearing from my father’s parents stories about "the old country".

-As we know, you have not been to Armenia yet. Would you like to ever visit Armenia?

-You are correct, I have never been to Armenia but I would be interested to do so.

The Independent - UK

April 13, 2019 Saturday

Immigration applicants suffer 'humiliating' wait in cold after system failure

 by: MAY BULMAN SOCIAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT

Dozens of people seeking British citizenship and other forms of UK status have been forced to wait in the cold for hours after the company subcontracted by the Home Office to process immigration applications experienced a system failure.

Sopra Steria, a French company that was last year awarded a £91m contract by the Home Office to deliver a "streamlined application process" for people applying for visas or settlement from within the UK, has come under fresh scrutiny after around 100 applicants were told their appointments had been cancelled and could not be immediately rescheduled.

People who were waiting outside the Croydon centre said they felt "humiliated" after having travelled to the venue - some very long distances - only to be left waiting and then told they could not be seen. It will fuel concerns about Sopra Steria, which has already been criticised for charging excessive fees for its services. It is understood that while six of Sopra Steria's service points are free to attend, the vast majority - around 50 library-based facilities around the country - charge £60 for an appointment.

The Financial Times reported in December that some applicants who had paid a £600 fee for a "super-priority" decision made in 24 hours were having to wait up to a week to be told whether their application had been successful.

One of those turned away was Armenian national Lusi Manukyan, 28, who had paid £60 for her appointment to apply for British citizenship. The Southwark resident has lived and worked in the UK for 11 years, and said she felt "humiliated" by the way she and others had been treated.

"There were people there who had travelled 60 miles to make the appointment; some had had to hire cars or pay for train tickets. There were people crying. But all the staff could say was that they apologise and that we would be refunded within three days and would have to book another appointment," she said. "But for many of the people who were there, they were saying they couldn't afford to book another appointment until they were refunded. And even if they could afford to do it, the next available appointment was another month away, and they would have to travel here again."

Ms Manukyan paid £100 on another appointment the following day. After she complained to the Home Office, she was offered a refund, but said she didn't believe all of those affected had been granted this offer.

Another European national, who asked not to be named, tried to book an appointment for one of the following three days but was told there were none available, meaning she would be unable to complete the process before leaving for a month-long visit to her home country.

"My meeting was at 6:30pm, but when I tried to go through I was told some people waiting had appointments at 5pm. No information was given for more than an hour. People had to stand outside in the cold. There were a lot of people who had children," she said. "Then a member of staff announced that the systems were down and they would refund us. They didn't give us any replacement appointment. I understand that system problems can happen at any time, but it seemed like a total lack of organisation.

"I sent a complaint this morning and they said I would definitely be refunded and that there was a slot on Monday, but on Monday I have a flight and I'm away for a month. I don't know what's going to happen with my application now as you've got 30 days from when you apply online to complete it."

A spokesperson for Sopra Steria said: "Late yesterday afternoon our systems experienced a technical issue which affected our ability to process a small number of appointments. The issue was swiftly resolved yesterday evening and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. A positive customer experience is vital to the service we provide and as such, we are working closely with our customers to process refunds for all paid appointments and to offer them complimentary appointments at their earliest convenience."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused to those customers who were unable to complete their application submission yesterday. This was due to a system issue with Sopra Steria.

"We are working closely with Sopra Steria to ensure that any customers affected by this issue are offered a free appointment as soon as possible. A full refund will be provided to those who paid for out of hours appointments as a result of this issue."

RFE/RL Report

Ruling Bloc, Opposition Spar Over LGBT Rights In Armenia

April 09, 2019

Astghik Bedevian

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s alliance and the main opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) on Tuesday continued to blame each other for a transgender activist’s unprecedented speech in the Armenian parliament which caused a stir in the socially conservative country.

Pashinian also hit out at former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), saying that some of its senior members are “gay activists.”

The scandal broke out during last week’s parliamentary hearings in Yerevan chaired by Naira Zohrabian, the BHK-affiliated chairperson of a parliament committee on human rights. They were attended by lawmakers, government officials as well as representatives of local non-governmental organizations.

One of those groups, Right Side, champions LGBT rights. Its transgender leader, Lilit Martirosian, also spoke at the hearings, complaining about widespread hostility and discrimination against sexual minorities in Armenia.

The presence of an LGBT activist on the Armenian parliament floor visibly surprised and angered Zohrabian. She berated Martirosian for bringing up issues which she said are not on the agenda of the hearings.

Zohrabian claimed afterwards that the hitherto little-known activist was invited, without her knowledge, to the hearings by Maria Karapetian, a parliament deputy from Pashinian’s My Stem alliance. Karapetian and other pro-government lawmakers denied that, saying that all participants of the discussion received written invitations from Zohrabian. The BHK parliamentarian 

rejected those claims as “blatant lies.”

The bitter recriminations came amid furious reactions to Martirosian’s public appearance from nationalist and conservative groups hostile to the Armenian LGBT community. More than a hundred members and supporters of those groups rallied outside the parliament building on Monday. Riot police stopped them from entering the building and protesting inside it.

Pashinian weighed in on the controversy on Tuesday, accusing Zohrabian of staging a “political provocation” against the parliament majority loyal to him. He said a security agency protecting the parliament building shared with him a list of individuals, including Lilit Martirosian, invited to the hearings, which was signed by the Zohrabian.

The prime minister went on to challenge the BHK to consider recalling Zohrabian and naming another head of the parliament committee.

The BHK’s parliamentary faction, which is the second largest in the National Assembly, was quick to hold an emergency meeting and voice strong support with its embattled member.

“Our faction believes that Naira Zohrabian did not violate any rules of ethical parliamentary conduct or provisions of the parliament statues or any other legal norm,” said Gevorg Petrosian, another senior BHK parliamentarian known for his vocal opposition to LGBT rights.

The BHK’s top leader, Gagik Tsarukian, threw his weight Zohrabian on Monday. Tsarukian described people’s non-traditional sexual orientation as a “vice” which must not be allowed to “spread” in Armenia.

Another BHK deputy, Vartan Ghukasian, went farther, saying that all “perverts” must be expelled from the country. “Send them to Holland,” Ghukasian told reporters. “We want … females to be females and males to be males. You can’t mix female with male. It’s shameful.”

Pashinian’s bloc was also attacked by Eduard Sharmazanov, the spokesman for the former ruling HHK. “Yes, something has changed in our country. Under the HHK, a transgender person would not have delivered a speech in the National Assembly,” Sharmazanov said in a video statement posted on Facebook on Friday.

Pashinian countered that Martirosian had legally changed her previous, male first name, Vagharshak, during Sarkisian’s rule. He said that the transgender activist’s current passport issued in 2015 identifies her as a male. “Is it a common practice among the Republicans to have men named Lilit?” he scoffed.

“When I was telling them that ‘you are gay activists’ they did not believe me,” Pashinian added mockingly. “They just can’t avoid that status and this is further proof [of that.]”

Meanwhile, the fallout from Martirosian’s public statement prompted serious concern from the European Union. In an extraordinary joint statement issued on Tuesday, the EU Delegation in Armenian and the Yerevan-based embassies of EU member states condemned “hate speech, including death threats directed at Ms. Lilit Martirosian, her colleagues and the LGBI community as a whole.”

“The EU calls on all in Armenia who promote and believe in the universality of human rights to condemn hate speech and on law enforcement agencies to take urgent steps to guarantee the physical safety of Armenian citizens and to investigate allegations against those suspected of perpetrating hate crimes,” said the statement.

JAM News

April 9 2019

Fierce public debate around transgender woman’s address to Armenian parliament

The issue has reached the prime minister, who has challenged the public to have an honest discussion on sexual minorities in the country

The recent address of a transgender woman to the Armenian parliament has caused quite the controversy in Armenia, with the issue being discussed in the parliament, in the media and on Facebook.

Lilit Martirosyan’s address to the Armenian parliament was the first time a transgender individual has addressed the country’s highest legislative body.The speech was made on 5 April, during public hearings on the topic of National Agenda for Human Rights.

Public organizations and NGOs were invited to the hearing, including the NGO Right Side, headed by Lilit Martirosyan.

“I ask you to look at me as the collective image of tortured, raped, physically abused, burned, stabbed, killed, emigrated, subjected to discrimination, poor and unemployed transgender people,” she told MPs and others gathered at the discussion.

Anger within the parliament 

Martirosyan’s address at first caused a mixed reaction in parliament among the participants of the discussions themselves.

First, the head of the Human Rights Commission and a Prosperous Armenia party MP, Naira Zohrabyan, expressed her dissatisfaction with the content of the speech.

She allowed Martirosyan to complete her speech and did not interrupt her, but later she expressed her indignation as to why she was present in the hall that day, and moreover, questioned whether her address was relevant to the discussion of the day.

The head of the parliamentary commission said that the topic of discussion was reforms in the judicial and legal sphere, and the rights of people with disabilities and children. Therefore, she said, Martirosyan’s address was disrespectful towards both her and the parliament as a whole.

“No one is violating your rights, but we have a clear agenda and you are violating it. This is disrespectful towards the commission and for human rights,” said Zohrabyan.

Her position was supported by the Prosperous Armenia party leader, Gagik Tsarukyan.

“I will tell everyone … as the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, as the head of a family brought up in Armenian traditions and faith, this is unacceptable for us … This is a vice, and we must hide the vice as it was before. We will never allow this phenomenon to spread,” Tsarukyan said.

Other Prosperous Armenia party members also spoke on this issue.

“It is an embarrassment to give the most important political platform of the country to such people. If you want to bring European values to Armenia, then you are very mistaken. There are people who are against it – most of the people in fact. Europe is emptying today, because women live with each other, and men live with men, they do not have children … There are statistics that show that within 10 years, Europe will become empty,” said MP Vardan Gukasyan.

Anger outside the parliament 

On 8 April, a protest was held against Martirosyan’s speech outside the Armenian parliament building.

Its participants, among whom were representatives of the clergy, demanded a meeting with government officials, as well as a ‘ban on sexual minorities’ at the legislative level.

They offered to “consecrate” the National Assembly hall in order to “clear it of the transgender [individual’s] presence”.

“Political provocation!” 

The issue reached the prime minister, who said he had studied the details of the case, right up to the biography of the speaker who spoke in parliament.

Nikol Pashinyan called the speech of Lilit Martirosyan “a carefully planned political provocation” by the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia in relation to the new government.

While discussing Lilit Martirosyan’s speeh in parliament, representatives of the former ruling party accused the new authorities of ‘fostering sexual minorities’.

In response to these statements, Pashinyan said that it was during the rule of the Republican Party that Armenian citizen Vagarshak Martirosyan had received a passport in the name of Lilit Martirosyan:

“In 2015, the so-called conservative authorities of Armenia, represented by the Republican Party, gave a young man by the name of Vagharshak an Armenian passport with the name Lilit Martirosyan, and in the column ‘gender’, they indicated this person as a man. I would like ask if there are many men among the Republicans with the name Lilit Martirosyan? When the Republican Party gave this man – Lilit Martirosyan – his passport and included him on electoral lists, they gave him all the rights and obligations of a citizen … I was correct in saying that the Republicans are gay activists.”

The prime minister also found out that the list of participants in the parliamentary discussions, in which Martirosyan was included, was signed by the chair of the parliamentary commission on human rights, Naira Zohrabyan. Thus, he said, her indignation at the appearance of this speaker at the rostrum of the parliament is baseless.

Pashinyan appealed to the Prosperous Armenia party:

“The behavior that the chair of the parliamentary commission on human rights manifested in this situation calls into question the situation with human rights … Prosperous Armenia should think whether Zohrabyan can remain a representative of this commission.”

The reaction on social media

Facebook users are divided into two camps.

Some believe that Martirosyan had the right to speak from the rostrum of the parliament, while others say it is an embarrassment to the country.

A few noteworthy comments:

“Lilit Martirosyan is a national hero!”

“Where are we going? Previously, people wouldn’t have the brazen courage to say something about being LGBT, but now they are speaking from the rostrum of the parliament!”

“This is The Divine Comedy.”

“What a circus.”

“Now if our country had its own Ramzan Kadyrov or Habib Nurmagomedov, such mistakes of nature would not have gotten there even for a second.”

“Is there any law prohibiting a man to have the name Lilith?”

Kavkazsky Uzel , Russia

April 9 2019

Armenian human rights activists say society is not ready to discuss LGBT problems

by Tigran Petrosyan

[Groong note: the below is translated from Russian]

By now, it is not safe to discuss the problems of the LGBT community, Armenian Helsinki Organisation head Nina Karapetyan has said. After the velvet revolution, the taboo on discussing the LGBT topic is being gradually lifted in the country, head of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Artur Sakunts thinks. The protection of human rights should be ensured in accordance with the habits, culture, and traditions of society, head of the Against Violation of Law organisation Larisa Alaverdyan says.

The Kavkazsky Uzel [website] has reported that transgender Lilit Martirosyan, who is a representative of the Right Side public organisation, made a speech at the 6 April hearing on human rights in the Armenian Parliament. The fact caused mixed reaction among social network users. On 8 April, a protest rally was held against the transgender's speech outside the ArmenianParliament. [In the ILGA-Europe ratings in 2017, Armenia came 47th, being recognised as one of the most homophobic countries in Europe).

This was the first time a transgender and representative of the LGBT community in general took floor in the Armenian Parliament, Armenian Helsinki Association Head Nina Karapetyan told Kavkazsky Uzel.

As she put it, the change of power in the country had allowed representatives of the LGBT community to openly discuss their problems.

"Had this happened at the meeting of the Human Rights Committee of the previous parliament, LGBT representatives would have run a serious risk having come to a meeting... This time, there was no room for MPs, as the hall was mainly full of civil sector representatives," Karapetyan said.

However, she doubts that the new authorities are ready to lift the taboo from the LGBT topic.

"Society is not ready to adequately perceive the situation with LGBTs. At today's (8 April) meeting between those opposed to LGBT and Deputy Speaker Alen Simonyan, you got the impression that the deputy speaker was trying to cut corners. And it became clear that the new authorities were not ready to discuss the topic," she said.

However, as she put it, in different segments of society, they are ready to discuss the LGBT topic, albeit not openly.

"Very many people even sympathise with them. However, they are not ready for discussions. They fear aggression on the part of those opposed to LGBTs. By now, it is not safe to discuss this," she emphasised.

"Prior to navigating a draft through parliament, we need to prepare society. Otherwise, there might be dire consequences for LGBT representatives proper," Karapetyan explained.

She also emphasised that the statistics of the crimes committed against the LGBT community was not fully reflected, as the police did not always file their complaints about crime.

"The police cannot have official statistical data. What mattered most in the transgender's speech was the data about violence [283 cases of violence against LGBTs registered before 2018). However, this went unnoticed against the background of the scandal," Karapetyan said.

Taboo on PGBT problems gradually lifted under new authorities

The head of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly and right activist Artur Sakunts finds it difficult to assess the statistics voiced by the transgender.

"This is nevertheless closed society. And they do not only fear to discuss their problems, but they also fear to emerge before society. And this was the first time a transgender had spoken about LGBT problems from the rostrum of parliament," he told Kavkazsky Uzel.

In his opinion, Armenian society is more tolerant than they try to present it.

"Under the new authorities, the LGBT problem has become a point of discussion. The issue is related to the problem of recognisability and awareness. The taboo is gradually being lifted. The quality of power has changed in term of rights protection. A normal process has begun and in it, there remain no tabooed topics," Sakunts said.

Introduction of human rights blueprint should consolidate society

The implementation of the human rights blueprint should take place in accordance with habits, culture and historic traditions, so as not to damage the blueprint proper, head of the Against Violation of Law organisation and first Armenian Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan told Kavkazsky Uzel.

In her opinion, the introduction of the human rights conception should consolidate society, rather than divide it.

In parliament proper, they forgot the problem during the (9 April) meeting, switching to interpersonal relations with [MP] Naira Zohrabyan [of the Prosperous Armenia party faction, whose commission had approved the list of invitations to public organisations, but who denied sending one to the Right Side NGO]. The problem proper was shot out. An approach of the kind is inefficient, as it might damage the general concept of human rights," Alaverdyan emphasised.

She said that Armenian society was a traditional society and that this was not a sign of being underdeveloped.

"A return to non-traditional sexual relations should not be considered as progress. This is a return to pre-Christian times... In Armenia, an overwhelming majority identifies themselves with traditional values, which are generally called national," Alaverdyan emphasised.

However, she is sure that society should struggle against violence, irrespective of who the victim is.

"However, for some reason, emphasis is placed on sexual preferences... Struggle against violence should be more radical, without dividing according to features," Alaverdyan concluded.

By now, Kavkazsky Uzel does not have Lilit Martirosyan's comments. After the scandal, which was raised over her speech from the parliament rostrum, the transgender blocked her telephone, social network account, and email. The website of the Right Side organisation, which she is the head of, is also blocked.