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Timbuktu Endured Terror Under Harsh Shariah Law

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By LYDIA POLGREEN
Published: January 31, 2013

TIMBUKTU, Mali — When the Islamist militants came to town, Dr. Ibrahim Maiga made a reluctant deal. He would do whatever they asked — treat their wounded, heal their fevers, bandage up without complaint the women they thrashed in the street for failing to cover their heads and faces. In return, they would allow him to keep the hospital running as he wished.

Then, one day in October, the militants called him with some unusual instructions. Put together a team, they said, bring an ambulance and come to a sun-baked public square by sand dunes.

There, before a stunned crowd, the Islamist fighters carried out what they claimed was the only just sentence for theft: cutting off the thief’s hand. As one of the fighters hacked away at the wrist of a terrified, screaming young man strapped to a chair, Dr. Maiga, a veteran of grisly emergency room scenes, looked away.

“I was shocked,” he said, holding his head in his hands. “But I was powerless. My job is to heal people. What could I do?”

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We know how Armenians were massacred and eradicated in Turkey – Kurdish party leader

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January 30, 2013 | 00:04

The Turkish parliament’s pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Co-Chair Gultan Kisanak severely criticized the recent attacks that were carried out against elderly Armenian women in Istanbul’s densely-Armenian-populated Samatya neighborhood.

She recalled that five Armenian women were assaulted in the past 1.5 months, and one of these attacks had ended tragically, Evrensel daily of Turkey reports.

“During the assault against the 84-year-old Armenian woman, there was money on the table but they did not take it; this proves yet again that the attacks are carried out on grounds of racial hatred.

We know very well how the Armenians in this country were eradicated, subjected to massacres. We know about the still-bleeding wounds of Turkey’s recent past.

The attacks against Armenians are continuing systematically in the past 1.5 months, but neither the police nor the authorities are giving explanations; this is the embarrassment of this country.

We stand with our Armenian citizens. We will never leave them alone,” Kisanak stated.

Turkish studies expert says current atmosphere in Turkey is much alike that in 1915

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Anti-Christian atmosphere is developing in Turkey, in parallel with the improvement of Turkish-Kurdish relations, Turkish studies expert Artak Shakaryan told a news conference, commenting on the attacks of Armenian women committed in recent months in Istanbul.

“It is difficult to say who the killer is, but it is a fact that those killings are instigated by the nationalists,” he said, adding that the current atmosphere in Turkey is much alike that in 1915.

According to the expert, Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party tries to form an internal front not only against the Armenians but also against the entire Christian population so as to please the nationalists and to gain additional political dividends.

Following elderly women, Armenian citizens living illegally in Turkey are in danger, said the Turkish studies expert.

“They cannot apply to anyone for assistance because they know that police will either demand bribes or will deport them to Armenia. Armenian citizens will certainly be the next victims,” said Shakaryan.

CSTO head calls Azerbaijan’s decision to shoot down civilian planes “a ridiculous joke”

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January 29, 2013 | 12:39

YEREVAN.- Secretary General of CSTO Nikolay Bordyuzha labeled Azerbaijan’s decision to down civilian airplanes as “a ridiculous joke”.

Commenting on Azerbaijani government’s decision to shoot down the civilian planes overflying Nagorno-Karabakh, Bordyuzha said it is either misinterpretation or a ridiculous joke.

“I am considering Azerbaijan a civilized state. A state which will be consistent with universal values,” Bordyuzha said answering the question of Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent.

CSTO Secretary General doubts that leadership of any country will be able to give a command to shoot down a plane intentionally.

“We witnessed such cases in our history. We remember a tragedy in the Far East and the response of the international community. I do not think any state can allow itself to really destroy a civilian aircraft. So, I do not take this information seriously,” he resumed.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

OSCE mediators meet with Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs

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January 28, 2013 | 17:57

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and Ian Kelly of the United States of America) met jointly with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, and the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian on Monday.  Also participating in the meeting was the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The Co-Chairs continued discussions with the Ministers on the working proposal to advance the peace process, which they submitted to the sides in October 2012.  They also exchanged views on possible confidence building measures, says the statement posted on OSCE website.

The Co-Chairs referred to their statements of April 14, 2011 and July 13, 2012, and discussed with the Ministers issues pertaining to civilian flights to and from the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Foreign Ministers and the Co-Chairs stressed the importance of the OSCE Minsk Group as the framework for negotiating a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  The Foreign Ministers reiterated their support for a peaceful settlement and their determination to continue negotiations.  The Ministers and the Co-Chairs agreed to a further discussion of the peace process in the coming weeks.

Armenian top leadership paid tribute to Yereablur pantheon

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13:15, 28 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS:  Armenian top leadership on the occasion of the 21th anniversary of formation of the Armed Forces of Armenia visited Yereblur military pantheon. The President of the Republic of Armenia, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Serzh Sargsyan, His Holiness, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Nagorno Karabakh Republic  President Bako Sahakyan¸ Artsakh Diocese head Pargev Archbishop Martirosyan, National Assembly speaker Hovik Abrahamyan, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, NKR Defense Minister Movses Hakobyan, and high ranking military officials laid flowers on the graves of Vazgen Sargsyan, Andranik Ozanyan, laid wreath on the mamorial commemorating the memory of freedom fighters, Armenpress reports.

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan came forth in  the briefing with the journalists ”Armenian Army Day is a national holiday. Our army, passing 21 years of path has guaranteed Armenia’s people security. I wish our people peace and assure the army is ready to confront  all provocations ”. Besides Minister Ohanyan congratulated soldiers standing in the frontier line, as well as victims’ families.

Don’t touch my Armenian neighbor!

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January 28, 2013 | 10:27

ISTANBUL. – The Democratic Peoples’ Congress of Turkey held a march Sunday to protest the recent attacks against Armenians, in Istanbul’s densely-Armenian-populated Samatya district, as a result of which an elderly Armenian woman was killed, two others lost one of their eyes, and an attempt was made to kidnap another.

Past and present MPs as well as Khosrov Dink, the brother of Hrant Dink—the founder and chief editor of Istanbul’s Agos Armenian bilingual weekly, who was gunned down in 2007 in front of his office building—and many others took part in the event, Agos reports.

During the march, the protesters held banners that read: “Don’t touch my Armenian neighbor!”, “Hatred is yours, humanity is ours”, and “We are with the Armenian people, we will not allow racism”.

At the end of the march, MP Ertugrul Kurkcu spoke at Samatya Square and stressed that the aforesaid attacks against Armenians were carried out as a result of xenophobia. Also, he raised a suspicion that the police may be responsible for these attacks.

Azerbaijan police arrest youths at anti-government protest

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BAKU – Reuters

Police arrested about 40 activists demonstrating in Azerbaijan’s capital yesterday against President Ilham Aliyev’s government and in support of residents of a northern town where protests were crushed this week.

More than 100 protesters gathered in central Baku, some chanting “Freedom!” and calling for the resignation of Aliyev, who succeeded his father in 2003 and has tolerated little dissent in the oil-producing former Soviet republic.

Police swiftly stopped the protest, forcing demonstrators out of a park and then arresting some in the street.

The protest was triggered by unrest in Ismailli, about 200 km (125 miles) northwest of Baku, where police used teargas and water cannon on Thursday to disperse hundreds of protesters demanding the resignation of a regional leader. Cars were torched and a hotel set ablaze in a night of rioting.

Unrest in Ismailli reflected frustration at what some Azeris see as an overbearing government, corruption and a big divide between rich and poor in the mostly Muslim Caspian Sea nation of nine million where many lack jobs, money and prospects.

Western governments and rights groups accuse Aliyev of rigging elections and clamping down harshly on dissent, and he is expected to win a new presidential term in October despite opposition from Azeris tired of his rule.

“Our patience came to an end. People are very unhappy with this regime. We demand a change of power in our country,” demonstrator Malakhat Nasibova said at the protest in Baku.

The unrest in Ismailli began late on Wednesday as a brawl involving a local hotel owner who crashed his car, and rapidly spiraled into a riot involving up to 3,000 people.

Rioters set the hotel and cars in the courtyard on fire, before moving to the home of the regional governor’s son, where a car and two motorcycles were set alight.

Mass protests are usually quashed quickly by police in Azerbaijan. Riot police dispersed a protest last March in the town of Quba, 170 km (100 miles) north of Baku, after hundreds of residents demanded the mayor resign.

Squeezed between Iran and Russia, Azerbaijan is also a transit hub for U.S. troops based in Afghanistan – a role its critics say limits Western powers’ willingness to sanction Baku over human rights abuses and concerns about democracy.

Azerbaijan also supplies energy to Europe, and Western oil companies which bring oil through the Caucasus country would be concerned by any widespread violence and instability.

Agos: Turkey Silent as Attacks Continue

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Heavy Police Presence in Samatya after Attacks on Armenians

ISTANBUL (Armenian Weekly)—The Armenian neighborhood of Samatya in Istanbul is now under heavy police patrol after a series of attacks against elderly Armenian women in recent weeks, the Armenian Weekly has learned from activists and sources in Samatya.

The Istanbul Aksaray Police department has announced that there are 20 police patrols in the neighborhood, and around 100 plainclothes policemen have also been dispatched to Samatya.

Police has also announced that one person might be behind all recent attacks, while activists the Weekly has communicated with question that scenario.

The Samatya area is home to many Armenians. The community is weary of these attacks, and calls for caution have been made.

The front page headline in this week’s issue of Agos, the Turkish Armenian newspaper founded by Hrant Dink, reads “Turkey Silent, Attacks Continue” (see photo).

On Sunday, Jan. 27, The Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association, Nor Zartonk (young Armenians’ socialist initiative) and AKADER (Antolian Peoples’ Culture association) will hold a rally in Samatya in solidarity with the Armenian community there.

In recent days, a few media outlets and politicians have broken the silence on the issue, while overall, Turkey remains silent.

One murder, at least three other attacks in recent weeks

In recent weeks, there have been several attacks against Armenians in Istanbul, mostly in Samatya. In early December an Armenian woman was attacked and robbed; while months earlier an Armenian woman was attacked by a taxi driver and called an infidel.

On Jan. 6, three assailants tried to kidnap an elderly Armenian woman, according to Turkish sources. The attempt failed.

According to human rights activists, the common thread that runs through all of these crimes is not just their being motivated by hate or being committed in an environment that breeds intolerance against Armenians, but also the efforts of the authorities to play them down.

European Commissioner underlined seriousness of the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan

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20:32, 25 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS:

In Azerbaijan people have been arrested for their beliefs. As reports Armenpress, this was noted by European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle during the interview with Azerbaijani service of “Freedom” radio station.

“I believe, there are prisoners in Azerbaijan who have been detained for the expression of their beliefs, and this is an issue which bothers not only Council of Europe but European Union as well. This is the main sphere which causes concerns in cooperation with Azerbaijan. The main direction of our cooperation is related to Azerbaijani commitments to EU and fulfillment of its obligations, and in particular in the area of freedom of expression and attitude to opposition,” he noted.

It is remarkable that European Commissioner made this statement after the refusal of the report of German deputy Christoph Strasser made during The Parliamentary Assembly of the European Parliament on January 23.