While there are few updates related to Armenian POWs being held captive in Baku for over 1,000 days, the Armenian government has quietly filled up its prisons by cracking down on any form of political opposition.

Today, there are more than a dozen political prisoners from opposition parties being held on frivolous charges and accusations, more than the previous two administrations combined. Earlier this year, both Google and Apple issued warnings that the Armenian government is actively using Israeli phone hacking software “Pegasus” to spy on political figures in the country. Main stream media in Armenia has provided little to no coverage of the status and sheer number of political prisoners held by the Armenian government. In addition to the arrests, over a dozen political and community leaders who have been critical of the Armenian government’s inaction related to the humanitarian disaster in Artsakh have been barred from entering the country. Yet, foreign organizations such as FreedomHouse, continue to rate Armenia as “Free.” Today, several individuals, including Mamikon Aslanyan, Suren Manukyan, Mikayel Arzumanyan, Grigory Khachaturov, and Armen Ashotyan, are held as political prisoners in Armenia. It is important to note political prisoners are individuals who have been incarcerated or detained due to their political beliefs, activities, or affiliations rather than any criminal behavior.

They are often held by a government or ruling authority as a means to suppress dissent, opposition, or activism that challenges the established political order. The detention of political prisoners is generally considered a violation of human rights and a breach of principles such as freedom of expression, assembly, and association.

Armenian people are humiliated in a way that, perhaps, has never happened in our centuries-old history.

NEWS.am spoke with Arshak Karapetyan, former head of the Intelligence Department of the RA Armed Forces, advisor to the RA Prime Minister for 2018-2021, former first deputy chief of the RA Armed Forces General Staff, former Minister of Defense, about involvement in the political struggle, Armenian-Russian relations and disagreements with the authorities. about

Many people in Armenia and the Diaspora are interested in why Arshak Karapetyan decided to make wide-ranging statements and enter the political struggle right now, two years after he was released from the post of Minister of Defense.

The thing is that before I did not think about engaging in politics and I did not imagine myself in politics. At that time, any of my statements could be considered political, and I did not want that. Now I, we all witnessed the loss of Artsakh and the treacherous behavior of the current authorities. As a result, the Armenian people are humiliated in a way that, perhaps, has never happened in our centuries-old history. Our enemy captured the leaders and generals of Artsakh (now it doesn’t matter how we treat them) in order to judge and humiliate them. As a patriot, I feel deeply offended. And many Armenians share that feeling.

In your address to the patriots, you accused N. Pashinyan’s government of cowardice and betrayal, calling the members of the government “a group of dilettantes and cowards”. Accusing the head of the country of betraying national interests is a very loud statement. Explain to our readers what, in your opinion, is the prime minister’s betrayal. At the same time, you appealed to the leadership of Russia, asking and demanding “to more decisively prevent attempts to destroy the Armenian people and their statehood”. How will you interpret your statements?

Let’s find out what betrayal is. Usually, when we say treason, we mean someone passing information to the enemy. But treason is also considered a conscious action or inaction in favor of the enemy, which led to serious consequences, in this case, the loss of Artsakh. It is treason to refuse to protect one’s own citizens, and Armenian citizens with Armenian passports lived in Artsakh. We are all witnesses to this betrayal, and I cannot find another word.

You never hid your sympathy for the Russian Federation, you graduated from the military academy in Russia. Some consider you a pro-Russian figure. In your statement, you also addressed “Russian brothers and allies”. However, against the background of the position of the Russian peacekeepers, which can be called at least passive, and, in general, Moscow’s recent actions, or rather, inaction, perhaps not everyone in Armenia will agree that the Russians are really our brothers. Many believe that Armenia should look for allies not in Moscow, but in Washington, Paris and Brussels. What is your opinion about the strategic vector of our country’s development?

In my message, I mentioned that I consider the mission of the Russian peacekeepers ineffective. As for the pro-Russian positions, I will say it clearly. I am pro-Armenian and have always been so. I studied not only in Russia, but also in the USA and Great Britain. And I have a good idea of the goals and problems of these countries. Our history has shown that the Armenian and Russian peoples are brothers. The graves of Russian soldiers have remained in Armenia since royal times. During the last few years, it was the Russians, the citizens of Russia who protected us, the Armenians, and died on our land, right? Remember the helicopter shot down in 2020 and the peacekeepers killed in Artsakh. I am sure that in our geopolitical conditions, Russia is the only country that is really interested in preserving the state of Armenia. But this is the topic of a separate conversation.

In your message, you used the concept of “state and citizen security” several times. It seems that you, as the former head of the Department of Defense, and the current authorities of Armenia have different ideas about security.

My point of view on issues of national security never coincided with the point of view of the current authorities of Armenia for the simple reason that they are, to put it mildly, not competent in this matter. They do not understand that National security is a comprehensive concept and consists of military, economic, energy security, etc. And to change the vector of national security, it is necessary to change not one component, but the whole. In our case, the change of the vector will lead to serious economic and energy problems. It will inevitably affect the export of our products to the Russian Federation, the supply of gas from the Russian Federation in general and its cost. And the consequences can be disastrous for our state. We have been building our country’s security system for decades. This system has ensured peace in our land for more than 30 years. Simultaneously

As of today, more than 3,000 people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh have left Armenia.

“Three thousand individuals who were forced to leave Nagorno-Karabakh have already departed Armenia due to their disapproval of Nikol Pashinyan’s stance towards Artsakh. These displaced individuals, who have endured significant losses in terms of their homes and livelihoods, attribute their predicament to Pashinyan’s ascent to power, driven by vengeful sentiments and animosity towards the Artsakh people. The people of Artsakh have persevered through numerous empires over the past three millennia, yet they found themselves unable to withstand the harsh actions of the autocratic leader Pashinyan.”

Uniting Armenians behind the Man who divided Armenians and destroyed Artsakh

I witnessed Garo Palin’s speech at the university. If we had superimposed a picture of Pashinyan over his image, one might have mistaken it for Pashinyan himself addressing the audience. He emphasized the urgency of uniting for peace without delay,

stressing that tomorrow may be too late. He lauded the effective functioning of Armenia’s judiciary, the freedom of its media, the vibrant democracy, and the booming economy all while portraying Pashinyan in a way that made it seem as if the previous regime had never existed in Armenia. off course lots of Pashinyan supporters.

By Harut Sassounian,

The most common question among Armenians these days is: Why did the United States government support Israel so strongly and promptly, but not Armenia and Artsakh?

This question became more pertinent after Politico disclosed last week that Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned: “Azerbaijan may invade Armenia in the coming weeks.”

During an October 3 phone call with Cong. Nancy Pelosi, Anna Eshoo and Frank Pallone and others, Blinken reportedly told them: “the State Department was looking at avenues to hold Azerbaijan accountable and isn’t planning to renew a long-standing waiver that allows the U.S. to provide military assistance to Baku.” Blinken added: “the State [Dept.] saw a possibility that Azerbaijan would invade southern Armenia in the coming weeks.” Politico wrote that two other unidentified sources confirmed the phone conversation. Cong. Pallone tweeted on Oct. 11 that “Aliyev is moving forward with his objective to take Southern Armenia.” On Oct. 15, in a written statement to Armenpress, State Dept. spokesman Matthew Miller said that the Politico article “is inaccurate and in no way reflects what Secretary Blinken said to lawmakers.” However, Politico said it firmly stands by its report.

Surprisingly, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated on Oct. 11 that the “risk was “extremely low,” and that there was no military buildup on either side of the border. Thus, the Prime Minister contradicted what Tigran Balayan, Armenia’s ambassador to the European Union, said on Oct. 6: Azerbaijan is actively preparing an invasion of Armenia within weeks.

More importantly, Blinken and other US officials have repeatedly said that they are committed to “Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” They have stated that “they are deeply concerned by Azerbaijan’s military action, declaring that the use of force to resolve disputes is unacceptable.” However, the U.S. government not only ignored its own warnings to Azerbaijan, but also the occupation of Artsakh and parts of Armenia proper. The United States, France and Russia have apparently decided that Turkey and Azerbaijan are much important for them than Armenia, regardless of the agreements Russia signed with Armenia and the sympathies of Western countries for Armenians. They have offered Armenians merely sympathetic words with zero action. Such shameful behavior has emboldened the dictator in Baku to move forward with impunity with his expansionist plans. These major powers did not even have the courage to pass a UN Security Council resolution to condemn Azerbaijan or impose sanctions.

Understandably, most Armenians are furious at the Israeli government for permitting its arms manufacturers to provide 60% of Azerbaijan’s advanced weapons which have killed and wounded thousands of Armenian soldiers during and after the 2020 War.

The more important issue is: why the United States is so protective of Israel, but not Armenia? The short answer is: due mostly to the activism of the Jewish-American community. There was a time when Jewish Americans were discriminated against in many ways. From the 1920’s until after World War II, American universities limited the number of Jewish students they admitted. After World War II, the United States even refused to accept thousands of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.

However, Jewish Americans overcame many obstacles by playing prominent roles in all aspects of American life, such as business, science, arts, literature, music, films, theater, comedy, media, civil rights and politics. As of January 2023, there were 37 Jewish Americans in Congress: 10 Senators and 27 House members. Sen. Chuck Schumer is the Senate Majority Leader. The US government contributed $53.6 million to build the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on donated federal land. Over the years, scores of Jewish Americans have served on the US Supreme Court. Shelley Greenspan is the White House Jewish Liaison. In the State Dept., Ellen Germain is the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues and Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt is the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband Douglas Emhoff is a Jewish American. There are several Jews serving in high-level governmental positions, such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Deputy Director of the CIA David Cohen, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission Gary Gensler, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Eric Lander, Deputy Health Secretary Rachel Levine, and National Security Agency cybersecurity director Anne Neuberger.

80 years ago, when 400 Rabbis asked to meet with Pres. Franklin Roosevelt, they were turned down. But last week, a group of Jewish Americans met with Pres. Joe Biden in the White House which was lit up in the colors of the Israeli flag. They have come a long way.

In the category of “Israel lobby in the United States,” Wikipedia mentions Christians United for Israel with over seven million members, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) which has three million members and $100 million annual budget, and J Street with an annual budget of $2 million. On the other hand, Armenian-Americans have two advocacy groups: the Armenian Assembly of America and Armenian National Committee of America with limited budgets. Armenians need to hire powerful US lobbying firms to counter those of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Armenians should increase their involvement in political campaigns and run for elective office. College students should specialize in political science or international relations. Armenians should increase their contacts with the US media; write letters to the editor and commentaries in local and national newspapers. The community should support financially the Armenian advocacy groups and contribute to the fundraising campaigns of political candidates. By playing prominent roles in American life, Armenians can influence domestic and foreign policy of the United States and help support Armenia and the Armenian Cause.

Why haven’t Armenians who witnessed this act of injustice against the elderly 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan from Nagorno Karabakh kidnapped by an Azerbaijan man taken action? Why aren’t the streets of Yerevan flooded with people calling for Pashinyan’s accountability?

68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan from Nagorno Karabakh was kidnapped by Azerbaijan when he was trying to reach Armenia with the help of the Red Cross to get medical treatment. Now he is undergoing a judicial farce and humiliation in Baku. His only fault is that he is Armenian…

Avetis Babajanyan,

Just two weeks after Artsakh was depopulated by Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan’s ally and arms supplier, Israel, is trying to repeat the same in the Gaza Strip, with even more brutal and anti-human methods.

The occasion and reason are the same: fight against terrorists and terrorism. Azerbaijan also announced on September 19 that it is starting an anti-terrorist operation in Artsakh, because an Azerbaijani soldier was allegedly killed by a mine explosion. The Israeli army is destroying the cities and villages of Gaza, because the Hamas militants had penetrated into the territory of Israel and killed hundreds of civilians and soldiers, and captured more than a hundred people. If Hamas is a terrorist organization and does not hide that it uses terrorist methods of struggle, then Israel, destroying Palestinian villages and cities, turns into a terrorist state. Claims that the Israeli army is striking Hamas military camps or headquarters have nothing to do with reality. The circulating videos show

Just as Azerbaijan blockaded Artsakh for more than 9 months, blocking the supply of food and essential goods to Artsakh, depriving it of gas supply and partly electricity supply, in the same way Israel blockaded the Gaza Strip, cutting off even the water supply. Israeli Defense Minister Yoava Galant justified his country’s policy as follows. “There will be no electricity, food, fuel. we are fighting against humanoid animals and will act accordingly.” Unlike Artsakh, where 100-120 thousand people lived, the population of the Gaza Strip exceeds 2 million, unlike Artsakh, whose agriculture could provide at least a part of the food demand of the people of Artsakh, and had its own sources of water supply.

They can say that the Palestinians are to blame for the created situation, and they should also bear the responsibility for further developments, or, as it is customary to say. “Israel has the right to self-defense” and the Palestinians are deprived of any right. First of all, the Palestinians did not start this conflict – this conflict has been going on for more than a century, since the time when the Jews decided to return to the Promised Land and re-establish their state. At first, with money, and after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, with weapons and violence, the Jews tore off the territories belonging to the Palestinians piece by piece and annexed them to their state. On the other hand, it is hard to believe the claims of Israeli officials that these Palestinian strikes were a surprise to them. and Israeli intelligence, reputed to be one of the best in the world, was unaware of the planned attack. Even if we consider that it was really a surprise, all the same, Israel will use it to the maximum to solve two important problems.

The first is the final closure of the Gaza issue. It seems that Israel has set the task of partially destroying the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip and displacing the rest and annexing it to Israel. It is possible that as a result of the blockade, hunger and thirst, humanitarian disaster and continuous bombings, Israel will reach the point where the Palestinians, having no other choice but to die of hunger and thirst, will turn to Egypt to open a humanitarian corridor and receive those who will survive after the Israeli bombings. : Even the most resistant and ready-to-fight nations break at some point, Artsakh and the people of Artsakh are a vivid example of this. Hunger and thirst can break any hero, at least killing him.

In addition to the occupation of another territory, Israel is solving a much more important problem, bringing the Israeli society out of the sense of comfort and tranquility. When the first Jews returned to Palestine and established their settlements, they had to enter into daily confrontation with the Arabs and be personally responsible for their own safety and right to life. The current Israeli society has degraded in that sense, believing that their technological progress has left others, especially the Palestinians, so far behind that the robots and computer programs they have created can ensure their safety, and they can enjoy the pleasures of life without any fear of backwardness and from the remaining Palestinians at the pre-human level. This attack by Hamas shocked Israeli society, showing that the security of the state and the nation continues to be under attack, and security and defense are everyone’s business. Even the destruction of the Palestinian identity in the Gaza Strip cannot bring perfect peace and security, on the contrary, it will increase tensions and challenges, Israel will continue to be in a hostile environment, and for that everyone, from the military to civilians, must be ready to face these challenges.

This is exactly the opposite of the policy pursued by Pashinyan, who endlessly preaches and implements a policy of refraining from confrontation and meeting all the demands of the enemy. If, by some misunderstanding, Pashinyan had found himself in the position of the head of the state of Israel, he would have been shot long ago, just as the then president of Israel Yitzhak Rabin was shot dead in 1995, only because the right-wing extremists accused him of signing the “Oslo Agreement” and thus recognizing Palestinian autonomy. : Rabin wanted to bring peace to his people by recognizing the right of Palestinians to live alongside Jews. Although the comparison with Yitzhak Rabin is not very appropriate, since he was the hero of the Six Day War in 1967, because under his command the Israeli army defeated Egypt,

Israel can be proud that it is so strong and has such international support that it can bomb Gaza with impunity, that it can leave millions of people, most of them children and women, without food and water, calling them “human-like animals” with whom can be done as desired. But is this the meaning of the existence of the state of Israel, to show the world that there is no right to justice, that only the right to force works, did the Jews declare themselves the chosen people of God, only to kill children, women and the elderly, and that is their divine mission. A nation that itself has been subject to deportation, persecution and genocide for centuries and millennia, now allows the state it created to commit the same crimes, being sure of its impunity.

Avetis Babajanyan

Dear compatriots:

Today, all of us in Armenia and in all the Armenian communities of the world, big or small, are facing a dangerous existential border and the catastrophic danger of losing our statehood.

And the main culprit of all this is Armenia’s Turk-centered authorities.

I have foreseen this catastrophic situation and fought against this government to the fullest since the day these scoundrels were brought to power.

It was in April 2018…

Today, unfortunately, our tragic losses continue, and these continue to remain in power.

For five years I have fought relentlessly against this destructive group, not discriminating between the battle platforms.

We all see that some have collapsed over time, some have stopped the struggle for various reasons, and some have left the struggle altogether.

This is their decision.

I have not stopped and will continue the struggle since 2018 and together we will achieve victory because we will act for our state and statehood, national unity and safe, dignified Armenia.

I announce the Armenian National Front nationwide movement and join the appeal of former RA Defense Minister Arshak Karapetyan.

Dear compatriots, we must all first, unite, erase the black and white that oppose our people and raise our tricolor.

Let’s clap for the sake of the Homeland, for the sake of geographical Armenia, real peace, for dignified Armenia and national awakening and rebirth, for our victory and our faith.

Way to go lord.

By Wally Sarkeesian

Allow me to clarify my standpoint: I hold no regard for the likes of ruthless dictators such as Putin, Erdogan, Aliyev, or the infamous Pashinyan.

With that said, when you find yourself in a situation where you have an ally but are relatively weaker, it’s essential to handle the alliance wisely and leverage it to your advantage. Take, for instance, the case of Syria, which has been combating the same adversary as Armenia for the past 11 years. Thanks to Russian support, Syria has managed to survive and even now, Erdogan is seeking talks with Assad. However, it’s important to recognize that this situation stemmed from Pashinyan’s ill-conceived agenda, where he favored certain Armenians and sought to dismantle Karabakh. This agenda received backing from some corrupt European and American interests, as it aligned with their goal of diminishing Russian influence in the region. These are the facts, and merely blaming Russia or others won’t serve Armenia well.

Pashinyan appeared to be more cordial, accommodating, and cooperative with the perceived enemy, as evident from the videos and images we’ve seen. He even attended the inauguration of Turkish dictator Erdogan Armenia’s number one enemy and Pashinyan gave a standing ovation and applause. ro the dictator However, in Armenia, he adopted a more confrontational tone, referring to himself as a vengeful Armenian leader. This behavior raises questions about his leadership, with some characterizing him not as a true leader but as a person who gained power through questionable means. It’s worth noting that he was accused of involvement in the tragic events of 2008, where 10 people lost their lives, so it may not be fair to solely blame Russia for the current situation.

Armenia needed a leader who could navigate diplomatically, especially when dealing with larger nations. Small countries can’t afford arrogance or dictatorial behavior. Drawing from my experience in business, I practiced a diplomatic approach when dealing with competitors. I was so cooperative and constructive that my competitors ended up giving me business. This is how you manage a situation when your competitors are much larger than you. Thank you for taking the time to listen.

A humanitarian cargo shipment sent by the Islamic Republic of Iran for forcibly displaced individuals from Nagorno-Karabakh has arrived in Armenia’s Syunik region.

The cargo, which includes about 60 tons of humanitarian aid such as food, hygiene items, warm blankets, heaters, and more, was received by Syunik Marz Governor Robert Ghukasyan and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia Mehdi Sobhan in the regional center of Kapan.

This aid will provide much-needed support to those affected by the conflict.