THE ARMENIAN WEEKLY - FIRST ENTRY 'Til Death Do Us Part! 'Suicide'...

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Recent Articles from the Armenian Weekly... Til Death Do Us Part: ‘Suicide’ Reignites Demands for Domestic Violence Legislation Where Does My Armenia Stop and My Diaspora Begin? ANCA Welcomes Broad Backing for Jamgochian Maryland Campaign ANCA-ER Partners with ‘Investors Against Genocide’ to Encourage Genocide-Free Investing at Fidelity Sassounian: Talat Killed Ottoman Crown Prince for Opposing Genocide? Armenian Musician ‘Udi Yervant’ Returns to Diyarbakir Search Armenian Weekly Til Death Do Us Part: ‘Suicide’ Reignites Demands for Domestic Violence Legislation Maro’s lips were painted a deep pink color, her eyelids dusted with a pearl-hued powder, her eyebrows angular and shapely, and her cheeks speckled with beauty marks. She wore a bed of white roses on her shirt, her body resting on a golden silk sheet. Maro looked peaceful, as the plump hands of an older woman—possibly her mother—pulled back the collar of her shirt to expose the bruised neck for the curious photojournalist to see. That photograph, one in a series of six, is now a piece in a puzzle that may reveal what happened to the 20-year-old mother of an infant girl—but only if a local Armenian court agrees to reopen the investigation into Maro Gulyan’s untimely death in July 2012. (photo by Anahid Hayrabedyan for Medialab.am) The official story—based on witness testimonies—claims Maro, a resident of the village of Arinch in Kotayk province, hanged herself in the bathroom using a belt from a bathrobe. It was said that suicidal tendencies ran in her blood, as two of... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Where Does My Armenia Stop and My Diaspora Begin? Gegham Mughnetsyan (photo by Karineh Minissian) I was born in Armenia (in Gyumri to be exact) when the Soviet Empire was taking its last breaths and Armenian independence was only months away. I belonged to a generation that had to grow up in a period of political, economic, and cultural change, which only brought confusion about who or what was to blame for that gloomy, endless transition. Fifteen years later, I found myself a world away in Glendale, Calif., in pursuit of a life that promised better opportunities for my parents, my two brothers, and me. Aside from having to learn the language and the customs of this strange land, we found ourselves conflicted about our “Armenian-ness” in the land of the diaspora; many of our peers did not speak Armenian nor had ever been to Armenia, yet they considered themselves equally Armenian. Unlike them, my childhood was not spent at Homenetmen or youth camps, my mother did not make choreg, I did not go to Sunday School, May 28th was not... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • ANCA Welcomes Broad Backing for Jamgochian Maryland Campaign BETHESDA, Md.—On June 17, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) joined an enthusiastic crowd of more than a hundred Maryland community leaders and activists in a strong show of support for House of Delegates candidate Hrant Jamgochian’s fundraising kick-off, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Greater Washington. Hrant Jamgochian and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone were joined by a growing and diverse group of Armenian-American and local area voters at the campaign’s fundraising kick-off hosted by Nancy Greenspan. The reception, graciously hosted by Nancy Greenspan at her Bethesda home, was an opportunity for area voters and supporters, including a diverse cross-section of the local Armenian-American community, to stand with Jamgochian’s campaign and support his positions on a broad range of local and state-wide issues, ranging from healthcare and education to the environment and economy. ... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • ANCA-ER Partners with ‘Investors Against Genocide’ to Encourage Genocide-Free Investing at Fidelity BOSTON, Mass.—The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Eastern Region joined with Investors Against Genocide (IAG) this month in urging mutual fund giant Fidelity Investments to avoid investments in companies with ties to genocidal regimes worldwide. ANCA-ER Executive Director Michelle Hagopian and ANC of Eastern Massachusetts activist Dikran Kaligian with supporters of Investors Against Genocide following the June 18 shareholder meeting at Fidelity. Michelle Hagopian, the ANCA-ER’s executive director, and ANC of Eastern Massachusetts activist Dikran Kaligian represented the ANCA at Fidelity’s June 18 shareholder meeting as part of an outspoken group of anti-genocide advocates. Six mutual funds recorded votes at Fidelity’s shareholder meeting on the proposal presented by IAG, which reads, “Shareholders request that the Board institute transparent procedures to prevent holding investments in companies that, in management’s judgment, substantially contribute to... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Sassounian: Talat Killed Ottoman Crown Prince for Opposing Genocide? It is not often that I cover murder mysteries, but I am making an exception given the unusual circumstances of an Ottoman Crown Prince’s death in 1916 and its possible link to Talat and the Armenian Genocide. The first clue was an article I came across in the April 3, 1921 issue of The Pittsburgh Press titled, “Patiently Tracked to His Hiding Place and Killed: How the Bloodthirsty Turkish Grand Vizier, Talaat Pasha, Who Planned the Murders of a Million Armenians Met His Fate.” This news report was occasioned by Soghomon Tehlirian’s assassination of Talat on March 15, 1921, in Berlin. One paragraph, in particular, buried in the middle of the lengthy article, contained a shocking revelation: “Perhaps the strangest fact of all in connection with Talaat’s career is that he paved his way to this supreme office by murdering the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Youssouf Eddine, a nephew of the reigning Sultan. The young prince had protested strongly against Talaat’s... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Armenian Musician ‘Udi Yervant’ Returns to Diyarbakir DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (A.W.)—Armenian musician Yervant Bostancı, who had left Diyarbakir for Istanbul in 1976 and had been living in the U.S. since 1993, moved back to his hometown last week. The musician/performer, known in Turkey as Udi Yervant, was greeted at the Diyarbakir Airport by a group of artist friends. Udi Yervant being greeted by friends upon his arrival in Diyarbakir. In an interview with the Armenian Weekly, Udi Yervant said he had left Diyarbakir for personal reasons, and eventually ended up in the United States. “I had fallen in love with a Kurdish woman, but under the circumstances of the day, marriage was not possible. My solution was leaving,” he said. “But I never got used to America. My heart stayed in Diyarbakir. The walls of my little music studio in the U.S. were covered with photographs of Diyarbakir and its famous musicians. In essence, even in America I was still living in Diyarbakir.” Udi Yervant returned to Diyarbakir for the first time in 2004,... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search •