Armenian News ... A Topalian 9 editorials
5 Sep 19
Armenia’s High Court Finds Jailing Kocharian to be ‘Unconstitutional’
Armenia Constitutional Court on Wednesday declared unconstitutional a legal provision that has been used by law-enforcement authorities for arresting and prosecuting former
President Robert Kocharian.
Kocharian’s lawyers had challenged the legality of two articles of the Armenian Code of Procedural Justice invoked by investigators accusing him of taking bribes and overthrowing the constitutional
order shortly before the end of his decade-long rule in 2008.
The court ruled that one of those articles is unconstitutional because it does not take account of current and former senior Armenian officials’ immunity from prosecution guaranteed by the Armenian constitution. But it dismissed the defense lawyers’ objections to the other clause that spells out legal grounds for arresting criminal suspects.
The ruling was signed by six of the nine Constitutional Court judges, including the court chairman, Hrayr Tovmasyan. Two other judges wrote dissenting opinions that were not immediately made
public.
The ninth judge, Vahe Grigoryan, was excluded from the consideration of Kocharian’s appeal because of having previously represented relatives of the eight protesters killed in the March 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharian and three retired Armenian generals stand accused of illegally using the armed forces against opposition supporters who demanded the rerun of a disputed presidential election. They all deny the accusation.
Speaking to reporters, one of Kocharian’s lawyers, Aram Vartevanyan, seemed satisfied with the Constitutional Court verdict read out by Tovmasyan. Vartevanyan said the ruling means that Kocharian’s arrest constituted a “violation of his constitutional rights” and that the ex-president should therefore be released from jail.
Asked whether he believes his client must also be cleared of the coup charges, Vartevanyan said: “We will be able to answer this question only after familiarizing ourselves with the full text
of the court’s decision.”
Armenian prosecutors and the Special Investigative Service (SIS), which indicted Kocharian in July 2018, did not immediately react to the court ruling.
In July, Pashinian accused Tovmasyan of cutting political deals with Kocharian’s successor, Serzh Sarkisian, to “privatize” Armenia’s highest court. Tovmasyan responded by warning the government
against attempting to force him and his colleagues to resign.
Kocharian was set free five days after the start of his trial in May. A district court judge presiding over it, Davit Grigoryan, further angered government supporters with his decision to suspend
the trial and ask the Constitutional Court to rule on the legality of the charges brought against the ex-president.
Kocharian was arrested again after Armenia’s Court of Appeals overturned Grigoryan’s decisions in late June. Law-enforcement authorities charged Grigoryan with forgery in the following weeks.
The judge was suspended as a result.
The case was then assigned to another judge, Anna Danibekyan. She is due to resume Kocharian’s trial on September 12.
Sept 5 2019
Following outcry, Armenian government steps back on controversial mine project
The government will take more time to assess whether the gold mine project is really safe for the environment, two weeks after announcing that it was.
Ani Mejlumyan
Two weeks after declaring that it would go ahead with a long-debated gold mine project, Armenia’s government has reversed course and said that it will continue to study whether it would in fact be safe for the environment.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a cabinet meeting on September 4 to discuss the Amulsar mine project. Environment Minister Erik Grigoryan “reported that inaccurate baseline data had been presented in a number of areas,” the government said in a press release following the event. At the meeting’s conclusion, Pashinyan ordered the relevant government organs to produce “a comprehensive analysis and complete data for further probe into the project,” the press release continued.
The announcement followed a tumultuous two weeks of debate about the mine project, which could bring hundreds of jobs to the country but which local and environmental activists oppose due to the potential ecological damage it could cause.
Construction at the mine was halted last year after protesters blocked the road leading to it. Pashinyan had said that he would delay a decision on whether or not to proceed with the mine until the release of a report commissioned by Armenia’s Investigative Committee and carried out by the Lebanese firm ELARD. ELARD released its report on August 14, and five days later Pashinyan announced that “at this moment the mine should be exploited.” He compared the environmental impact to "washing a car on the beach.”
But many others who read the report did not take such a sanguine view of its findings and accused Pashinyan of reading with rose-colored glasses. Among them were a number of civil society activists who wrote an open letter to three embassies in Yerevan – from the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden – criticizing them for supporting the mine project.
“Would any license to operate an open pit mine, in your backyard, ever be granted on the basis of [an] incomplete, inaccurate and fraudulent” environmental impact statement, the letter writers asked. “We know the answer to this is ‘no’ and ask that this standard be applied to the citizens and residents of Armenia. To do otherwise sends a clear message to Armenians that the United States, British and Swedish governments believe Armenians could and should settle for lower standards than U.S. or British or Swedish citizens."
A report from the news website openDemocracy, published September 2, provided further details on the years-long advocacy that British embassy representatives have carried out in favor of the mine project. Records obtained by openDemocracy chronicled dozens of meetings between UK officials and Lydian representatives.
After the records surfaced, Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle told the website: “It is concerning that British government representatives in Armenia have been supporting the construction of this remarkably controversial mine, one which could have a deleterious effect on the environment, as well as the associated health and wellbeing of rural communities … These documents raise questions about why the UK government would take such a political risk.”
The public debate led Pashinyan to order the Environment Ministry to prepare a new environmental assessment report by September 4, but ministry officials said that was too little time and now it is not clear when the issue will be finally decided.
Project skeptics’ assessments were bolstered by an August 29 video conference, broadcast to the public, between members of the government, parliament, ELARD, and the company that is building the mine, Lydian Armenia. During the conference, a representative from ELARD told Pashinyan that the company could not conclude that the mine would be safe. “In fact, the activities proposed by Lydian have flaws,” the representative, Ricardo Khuri, said. “The environmental impact assessment needs to be reviewed. A new environmental impact assessment is needed.”
Khuri also said that the Investigative Committee had pushed ELARD toward making a positive assessment, which appeared to surprise Pashinyan.
In response, Lydian hit back with an aggressive press release calling ELARD’s statements at the conference “misleading” and accusing opponents of the project of being funded by its competitors. “When will the government of Armenia identify the rival mining companies conducting this campaign, how much has been paid to oppose the Amulsar Project and who has been paid?”
The government did not respond to the question.
Questions about the Investigative Committee’s role were heightened by reports that its official in charge of Amulsar, Yura Ivanyan, was related to the former environment minister who had earlier approved an assessment determining that the mine would be safe to operate. Ivanyan held a press conference on August 26 giving a positive assessment of the ELARD report.
On September 4, however, several Armenian media reported that Ivanyan was fired, along with the deputy director of the Investigative Committee, Samvel Avetisyan.
Ani Mejlumyan is a reporter based in Yerevan.
Armenpress.am
3 September, 2019
Two Yerevan hospitals to receive state-of-the-art equipment
The pediatric neurosurgery department of the Holy Mother of God Medical Center and the neurosurgery department of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Medical Center in Yerevan will soon
receive state-of-the-art equipment, Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan said at a news conference.
“Thanks to these equipments the quality of rendered services will be elevated to international level,” he said.
Torosyan said the ministry is also planning to develop the project estimates for the reconstruction of 10 medical centers, renovation of 1 medical center, partial renovation of 3 medical centers and construction of 2 medical centers.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 5 2019
Lebanese Armenians building 600-house district in Kotayk
Lebanese Armenian investors are planning to build a 600-house district on the territory of the city of Yeghvard, Governor of Kotayk Province informs in a Facebook post.
The district will house 2,800 people. Seven houses have already been built in the neighborhood called “Mari.” The construction of the rest is under way.
The district will have a kindergarten, an educational complex, a church, shopping centers and entertainment places.
Investors say they thus want to contribute to the reinforcement of Armenia-Diaspora ties.
The Governor said to be ready to support any initiative that meets the interests of the community.
Arminfo, Armenia
Sept 4 2019
Armenia included in the list of largest wine exporting countries in 2018
Armenia is included in the list of largest wine exporting countries in 2018. The list comprising 80 countries was made public by the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE)) on its Facebook page.
Armenia is ranked 51st with wine exports totaling $9.4 million. Of other former Soviet republics Russia is ranked 56th, Azerbaijan 55th, Georgia 17th, Ukraine 31st, and Belarus 50th.
The list is topped by France, whose wine exports in 2018 brought it $11 billion – significantly ahead of its nearest export rival – Italy, whose export value amounted to approximately $7.3 billion.
The third place in the ranking is occupied by Spain, for which wine exports generated revenues of more than $3.5 billion. Australia, which earned over $2.2 billion in exports, ranked fourth, and Chile ranked fifth with over $2 billion.
Armenpress.am
5 September, 2019
Total foreign investments increase by 26% in Armenia in first half of 2019
In January-June 2019 the total foreign investments made in Armenia’s real sector increased by 26%, compared to the same period of 2018, comprising 705 billion drams.
Foreign direct investment flows have also increased by 20% in the same period, comprising 152 billion drams, against the 126 billion drams of the first half of 2018.
The Statistical Committee published the data on the socio-economic situation of the country for 2019 January-June.
According to the data, in January-June the net flows of foreign investments comprised 97.8 billion drams, against the -24.5 billion drams recorded in 2018. At the same time the net flows of foreign direct investments declined from 38.6 billion drams to 7.7
billion drams.
The main major investments were made from Russia, Germany, Italy and Netherlands.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
News.am, Armenia
Sept 4 2019
Expert says closure of boarding schools in Armenia linked to Istanbul Convention
The closure of boarding schools in Armenia is linked to the Istanbul Convention, Hayk Ayvazyan, head of the Luys Information and Analytical Center told reporters on Wednesday.
According to him, attempts are being made in Armenia under pressure from Western forces to introduce a guardianship system that has been operating in Europe for many years.
“The essence of the system is that centers are created that are managed by public organizations that receive money from the state budget for child custody. The more children will be in these centers, the more money they will receive,” he said adding that now the situation in Europe is critical, especially in the Scandinavian countries, where children are taken away literally under the slightest excuse.
Ayvazyan recalled that on June 20, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Zhanna Andreasyan said that AMD 0.5 billion had been allocated to four organizations for day-сare centers for children.
“While on June 7, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan signed a tripartite memorandum on taking preventive measures to prevent domestic violence, where other parties to the memorandum were LGBT people, as Maro Matosyan, Susanna Vardanyan, and others.”
According to him, ratification of the Convention implies a ban on obstructing the free propaganda of same-sex unions.
News.am, Armenia
Sept 5 2019
Armenia loses to Italy in heated clash
The Armenia-Italy clash (fifth round of EURO 2020 qualifying) ended with Italy’s victory (3-1).
At the 10th minute, striker for FC Sochi Aleksandre Karapetian scored the first goal after a pass from Tigran Barseghyan. At the 28th minute, striker for Torino Andrea Belotti tied the score after a pass from Emerson. At the 77th minute, striker for Roma Lorenzo Pelegrini helped Italy advance, and three minutes later, Andrea Belotti made a double.
At the second minute of the time added to the first half, Aleksandre Karapetian got his second yellow card and was removed from the playing field.
Overall, the Italian team was controlling the game, and evidence of this was the control indicator (68%) and the number of passes made by Italian footballers (598).
In the second half, the team of Armen Gyulbudaghyants, taking into account the removal of Aleksandre Karapetian, was mainly playing defense. Armenia managed to play a dangerous counterattack, but in the final part of the attacks, the Armenian footballers didn’t succeed.
The main referee of the clash Daniel Zibert didn’t miss any opportunity to call penalties in the direction of the Armenian team’s gate and to show yellow cards to the Armenian footballers.
Currently, Italy is the leader with 15 points in Group J of EURO 2020 qualifying. The Finnish team comes in second with 9 points, while Armenia’s team is in third place with 6 points. The teams of Greece and Bosnia & Herzegovina each have four points, and
Lichtenstein is in the last place with no points.
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Football Federation of Armenia Artur Vanetsyan and President of UEFA Aleksander Ceferin were following the clash at Republican Stadium.
EURO 2020 qualifying, 5th round
Armenia-Italy: 1-3
Aleksandre Karapetian, 10 – Andrea Belotti, 28, 80, Lorenzo Pelegrini, 77
Removal
Armenia: Aleksandre Karapetian (second yellow card, 45+2)
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