Amnesty International: Azerbaijan criminalizes free speech online ahead of elections

May 16, 2013 By administrator

The Azerbaijani authorities must not use the upcoming presidential election as a pretext to silence critical voices and meaningful debate, Amnesty International said following a move to extend criminal defamation laws to the internet.

On 14 May, the Azerbaijani Parliament approved an amendment to the country’s defamation law to impose hefty fines and prison sentences for anyone convicted of online slander or insults. The new legislation constitutes a further attack of freedom of expression in Azerbaijan.

According to the state news agency APA, those found guilty of slander face a fine of up to 500 Azeri manat (US$637), corrective labour of up to one year or jail time of up to six months. The punishment for an online “insult” is even harsher – fines of up to 1,000 Azeri manat, one year of corrective labour or imprisonment of up to six months.

This is just the latest in ever-more restrictive measures – including actions to muzzle mainstream media outlets and the introduction of harsher punishment for peaceful protesters – ahead of October’s election.

“The Azerbaijani authorities’ fear of critical voices has already led them to attempt to keep peaceful protesters off the streets and to muzzle the mainstream media. This new law aims to shut down one of the few last resorts of legitimate protest – the internet,” said David Diaz-Jogeix, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia Programme.

“It’s clear from the timing of these ever-more restrictive measures that the authorities want to prevent any critical voices or meaningful political debate from taking place ahead of October’s election.”

“The high fines proposed under this law will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression, leading to self-censorship among independent voices and activists.”

The government of Ilham Aliyev – who has been in power for the past decade, following a decade of his father being in power – has been keeping a tight grasp on the public opinion by restricting severely freedom of expression in Azerbaijan ahead of October’s presidential election.

In addition to the legislative measures introduced in recent months, opposition candidates have been violently attacked, activists have frequently been detained during anti-government protests, and independent journalists have been attacked or prevented from carrying out their work.

Even before the recent defamation laws, criticism of the President’s family has often provoked a swift and harsh response from the authorities. In March 2012 two musicians were arrested and tortured after they insulted the President’s late mother during a public performance.

Turkey’s state-run TPAO joins with Exxon, Iraqi Kurds in oil exploration ( Iraq war dividend to Turkey???)

May 15, 2013 By administrator

Day by day it is clear who was behind Iraqi WAR. Was Turkish Government behind distraction of IRAQ?

After Iraqi war day by day Turkish Government taking full control of northern Iraqi resource, in-fact almost 60% of all Kurdish region economy is under Turkish government control. Turkish economy in year 2002 before Iraqi war it was less than $200 Billion after the war today Turkish economy is $1.2 Trillion. How much will Syrian destruction bring to Turkey?

Comment by: www.gagrule.net

ANKARA – Reuters

Turkish state oil company Turkish Petroleum (TPAO) is partnering with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Exxon Mobil to carry out oil exploration in northern Iraq, Turkey’s prime minister said on Tuesday, taking Turkey’s cooperation with Iraqi Kurds on energy one step further.

Exxon, a global oil company based in Texas, was the first to sign up for exploration deals with the KRG. Others including Chevron, Total and Russia’s Gazprom Neft have followed.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan said an agreement was in place for a Turkish company to become a partner with Exxon and the KRG and that details would be clearer after his U.S. visit.

“Our oil company already has an agreement with Exxon Mobil in place … This is a step with the KRG on exploration work,” Erdoğan told reporters at Ankara airport before heading to the United States for an official visit. He is due to meet U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday.

Until now, resource-hungry Turkey has been a customer and a transportation outlet for oil exports from the Kurdish region. With this agreement, the Turks would play an active role in exploiting Iraqi Kurdistan’s rich hydrocarbon resources.

Washington, wary of the divisions between Baghdad and the Kurdish region, has urged passage of a long-delayed national oil law to resolve the standoff, which has intensified since the last U.S. troops left in December 2011.

“We will develop our steps after this visit,” Erdoğan said, referring to the plans for northern Iraq, without specifying what the agreement would involve.

The Turkish company will take equity stakes in a partnership with Exxon and KRG and would become part of the production-sharing agreement, an Ankara-based energy source said.

Another energy official in Ankara said any contracts would be in the form of commercial agreements signed between companies, not an agreement between governments.

During his U.S. visit, Erdoğan will seek Obama’s support for further energy deals that Turkish companies are hoping to strike in northern Iraq.

Turkish court points to ‘organized crime’ in Hrant Dink assassination

May 15, 2013 By administrator

15 May 2013 /TODAYSZAMAN.COM, İSTANBUL

The Supreme Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court ruling in the trial into the 2007 killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink which dismissed the existence of an organized criminal network in the case.

In what many said was a shocking and frustrating ruling for the five-year-long trial in the Dink case, an İstanbul court found in early 2012 that there was no illegal organization involved in the murder according to evidence submitted to the court and cleared all suspects in the case of membership in a terrorist organization, angering lawyers and many others who said the trial failed to shed light on alleged connections between the suspects and state officials.

The court convicted Yasin Hayal of instigating a murder and sentenced him to life in prison, while another suspected instigator, Erhan Tuncel, was acquitted by the court. “We acquitted the suspects of organized crime charges. This ruling does not mean that there was no organization involved. This means that there was not enough evidence to prove the actions of this organization,” the judge said.

In June 2012, Dink’s lawyers submitted a petition to the Supreme Court of Appeals, arguing that the court ruling violated the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) by acknowledging the existence of a criminal organization but concluding it could not be located as it remains secret, adding that the court ignored evidence of organization in the case.

On Wednesday, the 9th Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld the life sentence of Hayal but revised the verdict of the lower court, saying that the suspects were members of “an organization established for the purpose of criminal activities,” not “an armed terrorist organization,” as the lower court had said in its ruling. The higher court also asked for a retrial.

Dink, the late editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, was shot dead in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007, by an ultranationalist teenager outside the offices of his newspaper in İstanbul.

Attorney Mark Geragos speaks at Watertown event

May 15, 2013 By administrator

May 15, 2013 – 16:02 AMT

Attorney Mark Geragos, the featured speaker on Monday, May 6, at the monthly dinner meeting of the Men’s Club of St. James Armenian Church of Watertown, MA drew an audience of over 500 people, The Armenian Mirror-Spectator reported.

The noted criminal defense attorney spoke about his new book, Armenian heritage, current events and the successful lawsuits against New York Life Insurance and AXA Corp. for claims on insurance policies issued to Armenians before the Armenian Genocide.

To help raise funds for their non-profit group, SOAR (the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief) volunteers set up an informational booth and sold scores of copies of Mistrial: An Inside Look at How the Criminal Justice System Works…and Sometimes Doesn’t, a new book co-authored by Mark Geragos and Pat Harris.

Dwelling on current events ranging from the Boston-Watertown area to those in California, Geragos covered a lot of ground. He shared his thoughts on the mysterious Mischa – described by a relative of Marathon bombing suspects as an Armenian (Christian) who converted to Islam – and the insensitivity of such a statement coming to light during a time when Armenians commemorate the Armenian Genocide, and where so many Armenians live in Watertown where the bombing suspects were caught.

Regarding recent lawsuits relating to insurance policies issued to Armenians before the Armenian Genocide, he described the great effort and steps involved in documenting the insured, finding heirs, and how one insurance company marketed to Armenians and Syrians; his research found that about 40 percent of policies issued to Armenians had no claims at all since no descendants were left.

During the question and answer period, he suggested a few ideas for creating awareness of Armenians and issues of importance: developing candidates for political office, and engaging the media.

Genocide recognition motion has strong focus on the Genocides as part of the Australian national story – Australian MP

May 14, 2013 By administrator

May 14, 2013 – 13:59 AMT

The Hon. Rev. Fred Nile MLC, who introduced the motion recognizing the Assyrian and Greek genocides while reaffirming the Armenian genocide, has directly responded to the Turkish Consul-General’s letter addressed to the New South Wales Parliament.

The Consul-General letter, which is riddled with baseless accusations goes as far as to say “the proponents of these claims have never been able to support their claims of genocide with a single document”.

Below is the text of the letter:

“Dear Sir,

As you noted in your correspondence of 6 May 2013, I moved a motion of recognition of the Genocides of the indigenous Assyrian and Hellenic peoples of Anatolia, incorporating a re-affirmation of the 1997 recognition of the Genocide of the indigenous Armenian people. The motion was tabled and carried unanimously, in accordance with Parliamentary procedure.

Similar motions of a commemorative nature are moved and carried by members of both Houses of the Parliament of New South Wales on a regular basis on a wide range of issues, particularly related to human rights and current affairs.

My intention in moving this motion was NOT to attack or denigrate the modern State of Turkey which was established by a great Turkish leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who I greatly admire.

These Genocides were carried out by the leaders of the Ottoman Empire, not the modern State of Turkey which has wonderful relations with Australia, in spite of the Gallipoli campaign.

In moving this motion, I have drawn on the conclusions reached by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Scholars, and other national and international scholarly groups. The unanimous opinion is that the Assyrian, Armenian and Hellenic peoples were victims of genocide in the 1910s and 1920s.

As noted by Australian jurist Geoffrey Robertson QC in his 2009 study ‘Was there an Armenian Genocide?” (attached), Winston Churchill declared the events to be ‘an administrative holocaust … there is no reasonable doubt that this crime was planned and executed for political reasons.’

When commemorations and scholarly conferences on the Genocide of the Armenians are regularly held within the Republic of Turkey, and Turkish scholars and writers such as Taner Akcam and Orhan Pamuk call for recognition of the fact of the Genocides, I fail to understand how the NSW Legislative Council resolution constitutes ‘sowing the seeds of hatred’ in Australia?

The Genocide Recognition motion has a very strong focus on the Genocides as part of the Australian national story. As documented in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, ANZACs were captured and imprisoned as far south as the Sinai peninsula, as far east as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) as well as across Anatolia.

The archives of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra have written and photographic evidence that ANZACs rescued Armenians and Assyrians in Persia (Iran) and Mesopotamia (Iraq), as well as during the Palestine Campaign. Many of these ANZACs later became involved in an international humanitarian relief effort on behalf of the survivors for over a decade.

The events of the Assyrian, Armenian, and Hellenic Genocides were documented by the Australian media from early 1914 (before World War One began), throughout the war and well into the 1920s. I also refer you to a recent study by Dr John Williams of the University of Tasmania, published in the April 2013 issue of Quadrant magazine

As the Armenian National Archives were only formed in 1923, when the Genocides were almost over, a ‘joint commission of history’ between the Republics of Armenia and Turkey would have little to discuss. The archives relevant to the Genocides of the Armenians, Assyrians and Hellenes are in Ankara, Constantinople (Istanbul) and Moscow.

In conclusion, for the Christian Democratic Party, as for the entire Parliament of New South Wales, recognition of the Genocides of the indigenous Assyrian, Armenian and Hellenic peoples of the Ottoman Empire is not simply a matter of history. As the effects of the Genocides continue to this day, it is an issue of international law and human rights and I will continue to advocate such issues at every opportunity.

“Let justice be done, souls consoled, broken hearts mended, nations reconciled and honour given to all those who perished so needlessly during a dark hour in mankind’s recent history,” the letter reads.

The EyeOpener- Who is Graham Fuller & Ruslan Tsarni?, the alleged Bostom bombers’ uncle, (Video)

May 12, 2013 By administrator

Wednesday, 8. May 2013 by Sibel Edmonds

In the days of hysteria immediately following the Boston bombing, an unlikely media darling emerged. Ruslan Tsarni, the alleged bombers’ uncle, known to the press as “Uncle Ruslan,” gained notoriety for the ferocity with which he denounced his own nephews and their alleged Islamic radicalism. It isn’t hard to see why the press focused so closely on “Uncle Ruslan.” He said precisely what the so-called “authorities” wanted to hear about the suspects in precisely the way they wanted to hear it. However, far more interesting than the sudden popularity of “Uncle Ruslan” is his background and ties to other organizations.

Lately, a real narrative has begun to emerge from the background noise of the Boston bombing story that paints a very different picture from what we have been told. We have the uncle of the bombing suspects emerging as a media darling for his denunciation of the brothers, who just so happens to have worked with USAID and was living and working at the home of a top CIA official, Graham Fuller, who has actually advocated “guiding the evolution of Islam” to destabilize Russia and China in Central Asia. Now we have several of the pieces of the puzzle that Edmonds’ predicted in the past few weeks falling into place: that the bombers were likely being run by the CIA; that the event would bring focus on radical terrorism who have hitherto been painted as “freedom fighting allies” of the US; and that the case may be used as leverage to make new inroads on the Syria standoff between Washington and Moscow.

And several of the pieces of this puzzle revolve around Graham E. Fuller, former National Intelligence Officer for Near East and South Asia, a proponent of political Islam, an inspiration for the Iran-Contra affair, a character reference for CIA darling Fethullah Gulen, a former RAND analyst, and the father-in-law of the Boston bombers’ uncle.

Watch the Full Video Report Here:

Obama on the eve of Turkish PM Erdogan’s visit to Washington, DC – He send Ankara a political gift by Asks Supreme Court Not To Hear Insurance Claims Case.

May 11, 2013 By administrator

WASHINGTON—The Obama Administration urged the Supreme Court not to hear the appeal of the Ninth Circuit’s 2012 decision striking down a California law extending the statute of limitations on Armenian Genocide-era life insurance claims, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“President Obama, rather than filing a brief based on the merits of this case, chose instead – on the eve of Prime Minister Erdogan’s visit to Washington, DC – to send Ankara a political gift by both deepening his Administration’s complicity in the denial of the Armenian Genocide and also obstructing justice for American citizens seeking redress through the U.S. courts,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We will, despite the President’s retreat from principle, persevere in pursuit of the justice owed the Armenian nation.”

In a 27-page brief submitted to the Supreme Court earlier today, the U.S. Solicitor General argues that the California law improperly allows courts “to issue judgments based on politically contentious events that occurred in the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago, with no substantial basis to claim that it is regulating in an area of its traditional authority.”

It also makes reference to selective Executive branch opposition to Armenian Genocide legislation, but not the U.S. record of recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a crime of genocide, including:
1. the U.S. Government’s May 28, 1951 written statement to the International Court of Justice regarding the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, in which the “Turkish massacres of Armenians” is cited among other “outstanding examples of the crime of genocide”
2. President Ronald Reagan’s April 22, 1981 Proclamation number 4838; in which he stated, in part, “like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the Cambodians, which followed it – and like too many other persecutions of too many other people – the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.”

Read the U.S. Government’s brief.

The Supreme Court, which had requested the Administration’s brief in October of 2012, will consider the Solicitor General’s position, along with several “friend of the court” briefs defending the California Armenian Genocide-era life insurance law, including one filed by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.

The case has traveled a long and complex legal path, which has included three separate and conflicting opinions from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the most recent on February 23, 2012. That decision struck down the California law extending the statute of limitations for certain life insurance claims based on an unprecedented expansion of the rarely invoked doctrine of foreign affairs field preemption. In its ruling, the Ninth Circuit invalidated the California law, which was unanimously passed by the legislature, because of Turkish government threats aimed at silencing discussion of the Armenian Genocide in the United States.

Plaintiffs’ petition to the Supreme Court to hear the case was filed by Igor Timofeyev of Paul Hastings, LLP. Claims for unpaid life insurance policies dating back to the Armenian Genocide were first brought by plaintiffs’ attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan. Attorneys who have been representing plaintiffs include Lee Crawford Boyd, Rajika Shah, Mark Geragos, and Brian Kabateck.

A series of amicus briefs were filed in support of the plaintiffs’ petition including a filing by U.S. Federal and State legislators, filed by attorneys Mary-Christine Sungaila and Seepan Parseghian at the firm of Snell and Willmer, LLP.

Human rights and public policy groups including the Armenian Bar Association, Armenian National Committee of America, Zoryan Institute for Contemporary Armenian Research and Documentation, Inc., Genocide Education Project, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Center for the Study of Law & Genocide, and the International Human Rights Clinic of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law also filed an amicus brief and were represented by Bingham McCutchen, LLP, led by partner David Balabanian.

Turkey bans Australian legislators from celebrations in Gallipoli

May 10, 2013 By administrator

Turkey has sensationally stated that certain Australian legislators are not welcome to take part in Anzac celebrations in Gallipoli, as a consequence for passing a motion recognizing the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides, the Armenian National Committee of Australia reported.

Both Houses of the New South Wales State Parliament (Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly) passed motions over the last week, affirming the reality of the 1915 Genocides which Turkey still denies.

In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has released a statement stating that those who were responsible for this motion will “doubtlessly be deprived of the hospitality and friendship” normally extended to Australians.

More specifically, the official statement says: “These persons who try to damage the spirit of Çanakkale/Gallipoli will also not have their place in the Çanakkale ceremonies where we commemorate together our sons lying side by side in our soil.”

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, commemorating the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who lost their lives during World War I after landing in Gallipoli, Turkey on April 25th 1915. Every year, thousands of Australians make a pilgrimage to Gallipoli for commemoration ceremonies.

The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) says that this statement technically means that all members of both Houses of New South Wales Parliament cannot make this pilgrimage, and will not be treated hospitably if they visited Turkey due to this legislation, which affirms the reality of the Armenian Genocide, as well as the Genocides of Assyrians and Greeks.

ANC Australia Executive Director, Vache Kahramanian said: “The Turkish Republic is once again trying to gag a democratic state because of their desire to speak the truth.”

“Turkey has time and time again tried to interfere in the legislative affairs of nations and legislatures who have the moral standing to recognize the heinous crime of genocide.”

“Turkey is attempting to utilize the sacred memory of Gallipoli as a political football. This is a deplorable action and should be condemned by all,” Kahramanian added.

Kahramanian noted that Turkey has had a long history of making such threats against nations who have recognized the Armenian Genocide, including France and Canada. None of these threats, which include ceasing trade and diplomatic relations, have ever materialised.

ANC Australia will be meeting with legislators of Australia’s largest state of NSW in coming days, as many are deeply offended at having an ally nation ban elected Australian officials from taking part in Anzac celebrations in Gallipoli, Turkey.

Shoushi Stands Tall – Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh)

May 9, 2013 By administrator

The anticipation that had been building on May 8 turned into jubilant pandemonium on May 9. SHOUSHI WAS TRIUMPHANTLY LIBERATED.

The people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) in and around Stepanakert had endured grueling daily barrage of fire from Azeri forces, which had taken their positions in Shoushi and were relentlessly bombing the civilian population. The operation, whose military precision had delivered an exacting blow to Azeri forces, irreversibly stifled their attacks and paved the way for the eventual liberation of Lachin (Kashatagh) and the establishment of the vital land corridor to Armenia—a lifeline. It also was the spark that ensured victory in the Karabakh Liberation Struggle.

It would be an understatement to say that the events of and leading up to May 9, 1992 had a far greater importance for the soldiers of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Liberation Army and the general population of Karabakh. The liberation of Shoushi not only had crucial strategic significance, it also brought back the ancient Armenian capital that for so long had served as a center for cultural reawakening and intellectual renaissance.

The significance of Shoushi’s liberation still resonates as loudly as it did 21 years ago, as it is not merely a symbol but a constant reminder of the people’s expression of self-determination and courage, will and resilience.

Today, the Azeri Army, which 21 year ago retreated in disgrace and embarrassment, is regularly provoking military skirmishes around the border and threatening the fragile peace that has been safeguarded. The Azeri leadership is not only threatening war to reclaim Karabakh but has amplified its racist posturing toward Armenians, calling all Armenians enemies of the state. The international mediators refuse to properly assess the situation and, through convoluted statements, are attempting to remain neutral. And, Karabakh is still not at the negotiating table as a party to the conflict.

What is clear to the people of Karabakh, and the entire Armenian nation, is that the liberation of Shoushi embedded an irreversible course for our national liberation movement that is immune to threats and compromises. The people who conceived and carried out the remarkably unthinkable operation to liberate Shoushi will protect it to death.

The Azeris believe that by spending millions of filthy petro-dollars into a propaganda machine that perpetuates their lies, will temper and fray the resilience and determination of the Armenian people, when, in reality, Shoushi was just the beginning of the realization of the Armenian Liberation Struggle toward JUSTICE.

Serzh Sargsyan demands palpable results from Government

May 8, 2013 By administrator

11:42, 8 May, 2013

YEREVAN, MAY 8, ARMENPRESS. The activity of the new Government of the Republic of Armenia will be assessed only based upon the results. As reports “Armenpress” the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan stated this during the first session of the new Government of the Republic of Armenia. Armenia’s President congratulated the members of the government on the occasion of their appointment and underscored: “Last year’s objective was to provide 7 percent of minimum economic growth and that objective was completed. This year we have the same objective, but from now on we shall expect qualitative rates from your activity. Precise indicators of growth of the efficiency of the Government’s activity and settlement of social issues. We shall not ask you what has been done, but what the results of the work you carried out are. And those results must be palpable and visible.”

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan expressed his gratitude to the President of the Republic of Armenia for the confidence and assured that the Government has a clear understanding about the great expectations of the citizens. Among other things the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia noted: “We shall spare no effort to justify that confidence, and to make the results of our activity palpable and visible for all the citizens.”

The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed decrees on appointment of the Ministers. In accordance with the decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia Airmen Georgian was appointed the Minister of Territorial Administration and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.