Greece Considers Criminalizing Genocide, Holocaust Denial

June 2, 2013 By administrator

ATHENS—The Greek Prime Minister’s New Democracy Party has introduced a bill in the Parliament, which envisions criminal punishment for demonstration of xenophobia and the denial of Genocide and Holocaust, RIA Novosti reported.

The bill proposed applying criminal punishment for the support for or underestimation of the crimes of genocide recognized by the Parliament of Greece, the Holocaust and the Nazi crimes condemned by the international or Greek court. The bill suggests a punishment of up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 euros.

The same measures will be applied to those who incite violence and hatred on the racist, religious or ethnic basis, as well as those who participate in xenophobic or racist organizations. Legal entities will be fined 10,000 to 100,000 euros and will be deprived of any public support from one to six months.

The bill has been signed by almost all members of the Party and the Government.

Vardaton celebrated in Tbilisi

June 2, 2013 By administrator

June 2, 2013 – 18:48 AMT

Vardaton (holiday of roses) dedicated to Armenian poet and musician Sayat-Nova was celebrated in Tbilisi. Famed writer Hovhannes Tumanyan was the first to celebrate the holiday in 1914.

The event was attended by Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili who congratulated the local Armenian community on the holiday.

Ivanishvili described Vardaton as a common holiday for both Georgians and Armenians, deeming Sayat-Nova as a symbol of Gerogian-Armenian friendship.

“Sayat-Nova was a famous Armenian poet who was killed in the monastery by the invading army of Mohammad Khan Qajar. He was a great humanist. Sayat-Nova is equally dear to both Armenian and Georgian people,” Ivanishvili said.

Senate of Louisiana adopts resolution to support independence of Nagorno-Karabakh

June 2, 2013 By administrator

May 31, 2013 | 18:04

The Senate of Louisiana adopted resolution supporting independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and calling on the Congress and U.S. President to support “the self- determination and democratic independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.”

The document introduced by Senator Edwin Murray says “the Legislature of Louisiana hereby encourages and supports the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation in order to guarantee its citizens those rights inherent in a free and independent society.”

“The President and Congress of the United States of America are hereby urged to support the self-determination and democratic independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and its constructive involvement with the international community’s efforts to reach a just and lasting solution to security issues in that strategically important region,” the resolution reads.

‘Genocide’ cartoon in French school shocks Turkish students

May 31, 2013 By administrator

Hurriyet.com.tr

Two Turkish students in a French school have reacted after a cartoon depicting a Turk carrying a basket full of skulls with the words “Armenian Genocide” written on its side was shown in class.

The incident occurred at the College Anatole France high school in the city of Montbéliard in France’s Comte region.

A teacher displayed a cartoon during a geography and history class and asked students: “What do you understand from this cartoon? Why can Turkey not join the EU according to this cartoon?”

The cartoon depicted a mountain with the EU flag erected at its peak. Three stereotypical caricatures of Balkan peoples were drawn climbing the mountain. At the very bottom of the mountain was a “peasant” Turkish man struggling to get up from the ground with a very large basket on his back. The basket was filled with human skulls with the word “Turkey” written on it and the words “Armenian Genocide” above. Behind the Turkish character, a slender man with “France” written over his head was shown adding a skull to the already-full basket. Turkish students Muhammed Ali Erki, 17, and İsmail Erdal, 14, said they were shocked to see the cartoon. Erki reportedly asked his teacher, “We did not commit genocide, yet you accuse us of it. What do you think about Algerians?”

“You are right but this cartoon is not my idea, I need to give this class as part of the curriculum,” the teacher said in reply.

Erdal said he understood from the cartoon that “the French do not want to see Turkey in the EU.”

The students said they had not been able to concentrate on their classes after seeing the cartoon and added that were especially saddened to see North African students making fun of Turkey and Turks.

The families of the students notified the anti-racism COJEP International foundation. COJEP President Ali Gedikoğlu said they would bring the cartoon to the attention of the authorities in France and file a complaint with the French Education Ministry to have the cartoon removed from the curriculum.

French lawmaker: Artsakh will one day be recognized

May 30, 2013 By administrator

Artsakh will one day garner international recognition, said French lawmaker and chairman of the France Artsakh Friendship Group Francois Rochebloine, who was visiting the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic along with two of his parliamentary colleagues Tuesday, according to Asbarez.com.

Rochebloine, who is a member of the France’s center-right party loyal to former President Nicolas Sarkozy said the first step in advancing cooperation was the creation of the France-Artsakh Friedship group, adding that the priority at the moment is to preserve the peace and to ensure that achievements within the peace process are not hindered.

Rochebloine, a member of the French lower house is being accompanied to Artsakh by Senators Henri de Raincourt and Bernard Saugey who held meetings with Karabakh’s President Bako Sahakian and Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan.

Rochebloine observed that non-recognition of Artsakh has not slowed the development and work of state bodies, saying that youth in Artsakh will provide a “bright future” for the country.

On the last day of their visit, the legislators were accompanied by Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Parliament Speaker Ashot Ghulian on a visit to the Stepanakert Memorial where they laid wreaths at the tomb of Artsakh’s first president Arthur Mkrtchyan and French political figure Henri Sabi, who is buried in Artsakh.

After the Memorial the French parliamentarians went to Shoushi, where they visited the Museum of Fine Arts. At a special ceremony there, Ghulyan awarded the French visitors with a special medal dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Artsakh’s Liberation Struggle.

While in Shoushi, the French leaders visited the St. Ghazanchetsots Church and other sites.

Back in Stepanakert, the members of the France-Artsakh Friendship Group met with the representatives of the youth organizations in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and members of the French Club in Stepanakert.

Source: Panorama.am

Russian S300 anti-aircraft missiles ‘delivered to Syria’

May 30, 2013 By administrator

Syria has already received the first shipment of an advanced Russian air defence system, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is reported to have said in a Lebanese TV interview.

Russia vowed to go ahead with sending the weapons soon after an EU decision not to renew an arms embargo on Syria, BBC reports.

“Syria has received the first shipment of Russian anti-aircraft S-300 rockets,” Al Manar quoted Mr Assad as saying in an interview due to be broadcast later on Thursday.

“The rest of the shipment will arrive soon.”
The S-300 is a highly capable surface-to-air missile system that, as well as targeting aircraft, also has the capacity to engage ballistic missiles.

The delivery of such missiles raises fears of further tension with Israel as Syria has said it will respond directly if Israel launches any further air attacks on its territory.

Some analysts have characterised the possible use of the missiles as a “game-changer” in the Syrian conflict.
It is also feared that the missiles could endanger efforts to convene a peace conference on Syria in Geneva in June.
Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Muallem, said on Wednesday that Syria’s armed forces were back on the offensive.
“Our armed forces have regained the momentum,” he told the Lebanese media.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Turkey flies high in world bribery list

May 30, 2013 By administrator

Turkey ranks among the worst 10 countries in which bribery is commonly used to win contracts, according to an Ernst&Young survey conducted with C-level executives in 36 countries, The Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Some 39 percent of Turkish respondents to the survey think resorting to bribery is necessary to win the tenders in their sector, while 55 percent believe corruption is “widespread” across all businesses.

The gap between the two figures reveals the respondents’ tendency to think bribery is more common in the overall economy than in their own sectors.

“Despite companies knowing the corruption risks in the business world, they don’t acknowledge the risks in their own sectors,” Ernst&Young Turkey Audit Services Department Head Dilek Çilingir Köstem said in a statement. “In order to be able to move against corruption, executives should admit the risks to be able to manage them.”

Concerning “overall” corruption perception, Turkey ranks lower than 11 European countries in the list.

Slovenian bosses have the least faith in the transparency of business in their country, with 96 percent of them telling Ernst&Young surveyors that bribery and corruption commonly took place there.

As usual, northern European countries have the lowest percentages of respondents who think bribery is widespread in their country.

The survey also exposes perceptions over how companies report their true financial performances, by asking: “How often do companies report their financial performance to be better than it is?” The Turkish respondents who said “yes” to the question are reported at 45 percent in the survey results, higher than the 38 percent average.

Armenian News – Tert.am

BBC Reports On Aliyev’s Crackdown of Dissidents

May 30, 2013 By administrator

BAKU—“I try not to cry so that I can be strong for my son,” mathematics teacher Sakina Gurbanova tells BBC’s Damien McGuinness, struggling to hold back the tears, as she shows me a picture of her son.

A handsome, smiling 27-year-old law graduate, Zaur was pulled off the street by plain-clothed policemen on 1 April. Since then he has been in jail awaiting trial, accused of possessing arms.

But his mother says their home was never searched for weapons and that he is being punished for criticising the government.

According to human rights groups, the charges are trumped up – an authoritarian government’s attempt to stamp out any Arab Spring-style uprising, they say. And now, faced with presidential elections in October, the authorities are accused of clamping down even more heavily.

New regulations mean that participants in anti-government demonstrations in the city centre face heavy fines worth more than the yearly earning of many Azeris. And tough new libel laws are criminalizing criticism online.

Read the entire BBC report by Damien McGuinness.

Law Expert Says Saddam’s Trial Was Illegal

May 29, 2013 By administrator

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The trial of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein contravened international law because it was carried out under laws put into place by the occupying US forces, according to an expert in international criminal law.
“According to international law the trial was illegal,” said Saeed Pirmurad, explaining that the court was established after the invasion by Paul Bremer, the administrator of the so-called Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).

According to the Geneva Convention and The Hague agreement, said Pirmurad, an invader cannot change or draft new laws.
“Article 64 of the Geneva Convention says that the penal laws of the occupied territory shall remain in force,” except if they pose a security threat,” he said.
In 2005, one year before Saddam was convicted and hanged for his crimes, the Iraqi government drafted a new penal system, nullifying a previous version drawn up under American supervision. But the new law was not in force during the trial of Saddam or his top officials, said Pirmurad.
“If the law had nullified all the actions resulting from the law of the coalition forces, then the court would have been legal,” he said. “But the law was never approved by the presidency of Iraq.”

Pirmurad, who has a bachelor’s degree in law from Baghdad University and a degree in international law from Germany, said that neither the first Kurdish judge, Rizgar Amin, nor the subsequent others who took his place, had any knowledge of international criminal law.
“Unfortunately, professors and teachers are not very well familiar with the details of international criminal law in Iraq,” he said, adding that Iraq is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose membership is voluntary.
Pirmurad has no doubts that the Iraqi dictator committed crimes against humanity during his 30-year rule, but added that political parties had interfered in the legal system.
“The judges in Saddam’s trial were not professional. I have prepared a study for the European Union evaluating judges’ performance in Iraq and the findings are shocking,” he said.
“If Iraq was a member of the ICC, American military forces as well as Iraqi politicians involved in the sectarian war would have been prosecuted,” according to Pirmurad.
He said that the ICC would have collected more evidence of Saddam’s crimes, and as a result run a fairer and more appropriate trial.

Iraq’s supreme court has recognized crimes against the Kurds by the former Iraqi regime – known as the Anfal Campaign — as genocide.
But in Pirmurad’s opinion it is because of Iraq’s isolation from the international criminal court circle that the world has not yet recognized the crimes – which include the March 1988 killing of 5,000 innocent Kurds in the town of Halabja — as genocide.
Pirmurad said that the Kurds would have benefited more from Saddam’s trial, had international judges been involved in the process.

“Had the decision been made by an international court; the families of the victims of Anfal would have been compensated,” he said. “But this was not possible as Iraq is not a member of the ICC,” he concluded.

The Turkish “peace process”: suspicious, unspecific, and frail talks and steps 25.5.2013

May 29, 2013 By administrator

By Shakhawan Shorsh

May 25, 2012

Many countries in the region and around the world welcomed the peace process between the Turkish government and the Kurds, especially after the release of the letter written by Abdulla Ocalan, the jailed Kurdish leader of the Kurdistan Worker Party (PKK).

Ocalan’s message is quite broad and lacks a tangible and concrete political proposal. We should not forget that since Ocalan is not a free man, we must read his messages very cautiously. However, the key message of Ocalan’s letter is that the armed conflict can be resolved through dialogue and negotiations between Turks and Kurds. This message can be used for different aims. If Turkey desires a trustworthy solution and accepts the political rights of the Kurds, then this message can result in a reliable solution to the conflict between the Turkish state and the Kurds. In other words, Turkey must understand and accept that there is a huge Kurdish minority within their own territory that has the rights of recognition and self-determination. On the other hand, the message can also be used for a short-term solution to the conflict if the Turkish state continues to ignore the Kurd’s political rights and focuses instead on relatively insignificant individual rights and cultural rights.

If we look at the speeches of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan, we find that there is not any real admission and recognition of the Kurdish people’s rights. Rather, his speeches focus on the withdrawal of the PKK partisans and the end of the armed conflict; these speeches also focus on half-hearted steps toward ensuring more cultural rights for the Kurds. For instance, according to Erdogan, the only official language of the state is Turkish. Erdogan has said that if someone would like to learn Kurdish,www.ekurd.net they can go to a Kurdish private school and learn Kurdish. According to Erdogan, there is only one nation and one language in Turkey. There is not a Kurdish issue and an oppressed Kurdish minority does not exist in Turkey. Erdogan’s messages can adjust immigrants or small minority ethnic people which number is insignificant. Once we know that the Kurds number 25 million people, Erdogan’s messages seem like little more like a sort of denial and political maneuver to avoid facing the Kurdish problem.

Although Turkish leaders emphasize the importance of the withdrawal of the PKK partisans from Turkey, we cannot see any clear steps toward Turkey officially recognizing Kurdish rights. As PKK members are Kurds that belong to Turkish Kurdistan, the relevant question here is as follows: why should they leave their own homeland? During many negotiations between Iraqi Kurds and the Iraqi Arab regimes in the past 60 years, the withdrawal of Kurdish partisans was never a pre-condition or a demand in the negotiations.

On the other hand, using a jailed leader to lead the secret negotiations raises several questions. Ocalan cannot lead a negotiation in the so-called peace process because he is not a free man. He is no doubt affected by the harsh prison conditions and by the psychological torture and pressure he is experiencing at the hands of Turkish authorities. There is a real risk for Turkey to take advantage of him however it sees fit. Turkey could take real steps toward peace by giving amnesty to all PKK members and engaging the Kurdish leaders (including PKK leaders) in an open process of peace talks. If Turkey has a genuine intention to establish the constitutional recognition and acceptance of Kurdish rights, then it does not need to ask PKK to withdraw or cease the armed struggle. PKK partisans will automatically cease using force when the Kurdish people are free to enjoy their political rights.

While there are secret talks in the name of the peace process and the PKK has started to withdraw from Turkish Kurdistan, ordinary Kurds are worried about their political future and the outcome of the secret talks. It is not clear what Turkey’s actual intentions are underlying the so-called peace process. There is no clear roadmap concerning the solution of the Kurdish issue. Neither Ocalan nor the Turkish government has mentioned any of the known options (options that have been used in other countries) concerning state-minority conflicts.

There is a great doubt regarding the existence of a “peace process” that aims to solve the Kurdish-Turkish problem. The Kurdish question cannot be solved merely by Turkey accepting some of the Kurd’s cultural rights or recognizing the Kurdish language. There should be no need to negotiate cultural rights to begin with as Turkey should accept the cultural rights of its minorities without question. Cultural rights are one of the most basic rights in a free democratic country. Does Turkey not claim to be a free democracy?

The Kurdish issue in Turkey requires concrete political options that can lead to Kurdish self-rule in Kurdish territory and active Kurdish participation in the Turkish central government based on the principles of democracy and minority rights. Some manner of self-rule and self-determination with proportional representation and a power-sharing system (or a federal system) with Kurdish veto rights can lead to a long-term solution and stability in the region. Kurds make up a huge minority in Turkey; therefore, a reliable solution must meet the aspirations of the Kurds. In other words, Kurds have the right to self-rule and self-determination. If Turkey wants to experience a long-term peace with the Kurds inside Turkey, the Turkish government must grant full political rights to the Kurds.

Shakhawan Shorash, a freelance writer from Iraqi Kurdistan and regular contributing writer for Ekurd.net, you can visit Shorsh’s website at: www.kadirshorsh.com