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Wednesday 26 January 2011

Intrigue of the Day: Luzhkov's wife Baturina vs. Ashot Eghiazaryan

City Spy

More bad news for Russia's reputed richest woman, construction mogul Yelena Baturina, wife of the ex-Mayor of Moscow.

Following hubby Yury Luzhkov's departure as Mayor - during his tenure, she managed to win many lucrative tenders for city construction projects - the couple announced that they would in future school their teenage daughters Aleona and Olga in London. No sooner had Yelena touched down here than she was reportedly quizzed by British officials at the airport.

Now Baturina, Luzhkov and potash billionaire Suleyman Kerimov are embroiled in a court case in London. They're accused of involvement in a conspiracy against Russian parliament member and businessman Ashot Egiazaryan that saw a hostile takeover of his shares in the redevelopment of the landmark Moskva Hotel in Moscow.

Already, many of Kerimov's assets have been frozen under the £1.5 billion lawsuit filed by rival Egiazaryan in London's arbitration court. Kerimov is battling the freezing order. Watch this space.

*source: London's Evening Standard

Human Rights Watch: ‘Armenia's international partners, EU did not fully use their leverage to influence the human rights situation’

Below are selected extracts and headlines from Armenia chapter in Human Rights Watch annual world report reflecting events of 2010. I could sum up it as a year of lost opportunities for Armenian authorities and for re-establishing democracy and respect for human rights in Armenia.

1 March chapter still wide open

11 political prisoners

No thorough investigation into deaths


“Authorities have yet to ensure a meaningful investigation into, and full accountability for, excessive use of force by security forces during clashes with protestors in March 2008. Ten people were killed, including two security officials and eight protestors.  Only four police officers have been convicted of excessive use of force, in December 2009. They were sentenced to three years, but were amnestied immediately, and are only barred from working in law enforcement.

More than 50 civilians were prosecuted in relation to the March 2008 violence, with some sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Although a June 2009 presidential pardon released many of them, local human rights groups maintain that 11 opposition supporters remain imprisoned on politically motivated charges.

On January 19, a court sentenced Nikol Pashinyan, opposition leader and editor-in-chief of the Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper, to seven years imprisonment for allegedly organizing "mass disorders" during the March 2008 events. An appeals court upheld the decision but halved his sentence. In November 2010 Pashinyan claimed two masked men attacked and beat him in Kosh prison; the government denied the allegation.

In April 2010, relatives of nine victims killed in the March 2008 violence, the eight protestors and one of the soldiers, appealed unsuccessfully to court for a thorough investigation into the deaths.”

Torture and Ill-Treatment in police custody, army

“Local human rights groups report continued ill-treatment in police custody. For example, on April 13, 2010, police detained 24-year-old Vahan Khalafyan and four others in Charentsavan, north of Yerevan, on suspicion of robbery. Khalafyan died of knife wounds some hours later. Police say he stabbed himself with a knife obtained in the station, and deny allegations of ill-treatment.

On April 23, investigators charged the head of Charentsavan's Criminal Intelligence Department and three others with abuse of authority. The trial is ongoing at this writing. Khalafyan's relatives and human rights groups want additional murder and torture charges. An internal police investigation led to the dismissal of Charentsavan's police chief and three officers. The Helsinki Citizens' Assembly (HCA) Vanadzor Office reported that police ill-treated two other men detained with Khalafyan. Police failed to conclusively investigate these incidents.

On August 27 a court ordered the investigation into the death in custody of Levon Gulyan be reopened. In May 2007, Gulyan was found dead following a police interrogation. Authorities say he jumped from the second-story of a police station trying to escape. Gulyan's relatives deny this, insisting he was tortured.

During a September 2010 visit the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention interviewed numerous detainees and prisoners who alleged beatings, other ill-treatment in police custody, and refusal by prosecutors and judges to admit evidence of the ill-treatment into court.

In September a YouTube video showed Army Major Sasun Galstyan beating and humiliating two conscripts. An investigation into abuse of power is ongoing.

In June the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found Armenia had twice violated the prohibition against inhuman or degrading treatment in the case of Ashot Harutyunyan. Convicted of fraud and tax evasion in 2004, Harutyunyan died of a heart attack in prison in January 2009. The court determined  authorities had denied him necessary medical care for his multiple chronic health problems, including heart disease, an ulcer, and diabetes.  The court also found the government's public restraint of Harutyunyan in a metal cage during his appeal hearings  amounted to degrading treatment.

On July 26, 14 human rights groups issued a statement citing a 20 percent  rise in the national prison population, which is leading to overcrowding, health problems, and conflicts among detainees.”

No independent TV station

Restrictions in freedom of assembly

Human rights defenders


“Police closed the investigation into the May 2008 attack on Armenian Helsinki Association Chairman Mikael Danielyan, who was wounded when an assailant shot him with a pneumatic gun after an argument. The investigation was allegedly closed due to lack of criminal intent. A court rejected Danielyan's appeal against the decision.

Mariam Sukhudyan, primarily an environmental activist, publicized on national television in November 2008 the case of two girls who alleged sexual harassment at a Yerevan school. Police charged Sukhudyan with falsely reporting a crime. On March 10, 2010, the United States Embassy awarded Sukhudyan its first ever Woman of Courage Award. A day later, the criminal case against her was dropped.”

Saturday 22 January 2011

Armenian Catholicos Garegin II: slap in the face to medical profession in Armenia?

Just to put it straight first. I wish good health and speedy recovery to Armenian Catholicos Garegin II.

Few days ago he underwent “laparascopic cholecystectomy” (removal of gall bladder) and reportedly feeling OK.
Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II has recently underwent a surgery in New York by the recommendation of doctors, Vahram Melikyan, the head of the Public Relations Department at the Holy See of St Echmiadzin, told Tert.am.

"The Catholicos has undergone a laparoscopic cholecystectomy," he said, adding that the patriarch was discharged from hospital a few days after the surgery and continues his meetings in the United States. Garegin II will reportedly return to Armenia later this month.
All sounds fine if only not for one ‘minor detail’. He underwent this surgery in... New York. This is a pretty routine procedure available in Armenia and does not require any complicated equipment or complex specialist treatment. So why Catholicos chose for his routine medical treatment New York, instead of, say, Yerevan?

Is this a reflection of his mistrust to the quality of medical profession, and particularly surgery, in Armenia?

Or is this a reflection of something else in line with “I go for shopping to Paris and London” - “I go for surgery to New York”?

In any case, ditching local doctors for such a routine procedure is pretty much a slap in the face to Armenian surgeons and medical profession in general.

*picture - via Tert.am

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Azeri blogger marks Hrant Dink's assassination anniversary by making Armenian language post

There are quite a few publications in Armenian and international (including Turkey and Azerbaijan) online space, blogs and media to mark the 4th anniversary of Hrant Dink's assassination in Turkey. But this particular post by well known Azeri blogger, musician and youth activist Araz Önər, currently based in the Netherlands, grabbed my attention. Not only by its content, which is good, but by posting it in Armenian too (available in EN, AZ and AM).

Below I re-post the Armenian version on my blog. Araz ends by transforming "We are all Hrant Dink" into "We are all free". If only...
***

Հրանտ Դինքի սպանությունը

Մարդիկ 17 տարեկանում կարող են շատ հիմար լինել: Եթե չորս տարի առաջ 17-ամյա Օզգուն Սամասթը իմանար, թե ում է սպանում, իր երիտասարդությունը չէր զոհաբերի նրանց համար, ովքեր իրեն ստիպեցին անել այդ ոճրագործությունը: Հրանտ Դինքը և´ հայերի, և´ թուրքերի համար պատմական կարևոր նշանակություն ունեցող լրագրող էր: Կարծում եմ նրա մահը մեծ հանցանք է ողջ աշխարհի ազատ լրագրողության դեմ:

Շատ ափսոս, որ Թուրքիայում 21-րդ դարում դեռևս մնացել են ֆաշիզմի հետքեր, որը սպառնալիք են դառնում այնտեղ ապրող արժեքավոր մարդկանց կյանքի համար:

Թուրքիան Նազիմ Հիքմեթներին, ում բարոյական և ֆիզիկական տառապանք է պատճառել, անգութաբար սպանված Հրանտ Դինքերին հետո կհասկանա և կգնահատի: Ներկայումս, ավաղ, Թուրքիան ոչինչ չի հասկանում: Այս ոճրագործությունը մի երիտասարդին վեագրելը ընդամենը մի խղճուկ փորձ է քողարկելու այն փաստը, որ սպանությունը կազմակերպվել է պետական մակարդակով: Դժվարանում եմ հասկանալ, թե ինչ էր մտածում թուրք ոստիկանը, որը ժպտում էր Օզգուն Սամասթի հետ թուրքական դրոշի տակ նկարվելիս…

Լինելով բլոգեր` կարծում եմ, որ Հրանտ Դինքի մահը մեծ հանցագործություն է թուրքական պետությունում ազատ խոսքի դեմ և խստորեն դատապարտում եմ այդ ոճիրը: Ի դեպ, չեմ ասում «բոլորս Հրանտ Դինք ենք, բոլորս հայ ենք», այլ ասում եմ «բոլորս ազատ ենք»:

Wednesday 5 January 2011

Arshile Gorky - the very Armenian art cafe in the heart of Tate Modern, London

It’s been ages I wanted to make this post - my reflections of last year’s Arshile Gorky’s major exhibit at my favourite art venue in London - Tate Modern. [Don’t ask me re the reasons for delay. I simply do not know. This is the way I write. It has to come to me - inspiration, weather, mood...]

I’ve seen Gorky before, at various art venues worldwide, but I’ve never seen such a big retrospective of his works concentrated in one place. What made this especially dear to me was the chosen venue for the exhibit - Tate Modern.


In some of Arshile Gorky’s abstract works I clearly noticed the Armenian shape of nose. Or may be it was just my imagination :)

I have to say I am not much fan of his abstract paintings as you could not find an individuality, a ‘signature’ there. They look more like studies after various artists. However, I like his portraits. This is where I can recognise ‘signature’ Gorky.


These two small paintings were so cute that became my instant favourites.

*self portrait 9 yrs old (above)
*my imaginary wife (below)

Outside the exhibit halls there was Arshile Gorky themed cafe space in the heart of Tate Modern. That was an exhibition in its own self, no less exciting, with pictures of Gorky I’ve never seen before, and his bio details. It was kind of surreal to have an Armenian corner on such a prominent display inside the Tate Modern.


And this ‘posing’ picture of Arshile Gorky, displayed in the cafe, was a revelation to me. He looks like a pretty sexy model there.