Iraqi court issues warrant against ex Mosul governor Erdogan poppet as troops fight ISIS for Mosul

October 21, 2016 By administrator

An Iraqi court issued an arrest warrant against former provincial governor Atheel al-Nujaifi for allegedly allowing Turkish troops into Iraq last year, a controversy that has resurfaced as Iraqi and Kurdish forces are locked in an offensive to evict ISIS from its stronghold of Mosul.

Nujaifi, a Sunni, was the governor of Nineveh Province – where Mosul is the capital — when it fell to ISIS in June 2014. The Iraqi parliament removed him from his position the year after.

According to Turkish authorities, Nujaifi had agreed to allowing Turkish troops into Iraq during his governorship.

Abdulstar Birqdar, the spokesman of the Iraqi judiciary, said Thursday that three Iraqi MPs had filed a complaint against Nujaifi in December last year, claiming he had “sought the help of a foreign state whereby he facilitated the Turkish troops and empowered them to open a military base in the Zilkan military camp north of the province.”

The court warrant accuses Nujaifi of spying for a foreign country.

According to Turkish authorities, it was Nujaifi who gave the green light for troops to set up base in Iraq. Turkey says its role at the Bashiqa camp had been to train the Sunni Nineveh Guard militia, formerly known as the Hashd al-Watani. Nujaifi is in command of the militia, which enjoys good relations with Turkey.

Nujaifi said in a Facebook posting after news of the warrant that the Mosul offensive was the priority at this time, and that his Turkish-trained forces would be fighting alongside the Iraqi army for Mosul. He downplayed the accusation, saying he would leave the issue to those interested in “trivia” until “the dust of war” is settled and the matter can be dealt with legally.

For months, in the run-up to the Mosul offensive that kicked off Monday, Iraq had publicly urged Ankara to withdraw its troops from its base in Bashiqa and warned against Turkish involvement in the liberation of Mosul.

ANCA-WR Meets with Idaho Governor’s Office, Launches New Chapter

March 26, 2016 By administrator

BOISE, Idaho — A month after defeating a pro-Baku resolution in the Idaho state legislature, the Armenian National Committee of America Western Region visited the Gem State to engage and activate the Armenian community through town halls and meetings.

“We enjoyed meeting our inspirational and strong community of survivors in Idaho and look forward to building our cooperation in advancing our collective cause,” remarked ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan. “Building on our successes, we will stand by our community in amplifying their voice in the democratic process, especially through our newly-launched chapter in Twin Falls,” added Asatryan.

On March 18, prior to their first town hall in Twin Falls, Asatryan and Community Development Coordinator Simon Maghakyan met with Idaho ‎Governor‬ Butch Otter’s Chief of Staff David Hensley and staffer Katrine Franks to discuss Armenian-American priorities. The ANCA-WR team spoke on the century-long Idaho-Armenian friendship as part of the Near East Relief work for Armenian Genocide survivors, as well as current federal efforts to eliminate double-taxation with Armenia and bring peace to Armenia, Artsakh, and Azerbaijan.

Later that day, Asatryan and Maghakyan met with several dozen members of the Twin Falls Armenian community at the St. Ignatius Orthodox Christian Church. All community members in attendance at the town hall are refugees from Azerbaijan, where they were brutalized due to their Armenian identity and forced to abandon their homes starting in the late 1980s. Determined to become even stronger participants in the American democratic process, the Twin Falls community expressed readiness to launch an ANCA chapter in the area. The following morning, community members gave a tour of their city’s Armenian Genocide memorial plaque, as well as other significant sites in the Twin Falls area, to the ANCA-WR team.

“Thank you to ANCA-WR for organizing our communities to help us further our collective cause, and for uniting us with the greater Armenian diaspora,” remarked ANCA-Idaho chair Liyah Babayan. “We look forward to the newly-launched ANCA-Twin Falls chapter’s strengthening of our statewide efforts to advocate human rights and justice for Armenian Americans living in Idaho. After surviving the crimes against us by Aliyev’s Azerbaijani government, we were scattered by the thousands as refugees throughout the United States and the world. We might be the micro-minority in Idaho, but we impact our State in a major way,” added Babayan, who is a well-known entrepreneur and human rights activist in the Twin Falls area.

On March 19, the ANCA-WR team traveled back to Boise for a meeting with the state capital’s dynamic Armenian American community at the St. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. After a fruitful discussion on how to promote Armenian Genocide education among other issues, the ANCA-WR team had a unique chance to see the Armenian Genocide memorial plaque in Boise, as well as take a personal tour of the Anne Frank Holocaust Memorial with long-time human rights advocate and former docent Jo-Ann Kachigian.

“It was good to hear about ANCA-WR’s emphasis on educating people about the Armenian Genocide and the movement to include the topic in history textbooks! Imagine future generations of Americans who are knowledgeable about this critical but little-known historical event. Armenians in Idaho are a minority group, so I take every opportunity to teach others about our unique history,” noted Kachigian.

On February 11, 2016, the Idaho House State Affairs Committee introduced House Concurrent Resolution 37 in praise of Azerbaijan’s “interfaith tolerance,” sponsored by Representative Thomas Dayley. Upon learning about the resolution, ANCA-WR immediately alerted the local Armenian American community, submitted testimony to all House members in opposition to the resolution and called upon all members to encourage the withdrawal of this resolution. The numerous calls and emails generated by the ANCA-WR and local residents, as well as Babayan’s meetings with lawmakers during which she and her mother shared their personal experiences of persecution as Baku Armenians, educated lawmakers on Azerbaijan’s actual human rights record. On Feb. 17, Representative Thomas Loertscher, chairman of the committee, confirmed in an email that the sponsor had effectively withdrawn the resolution.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Breaking News California fires lead Gov. Brown to call state of emergency

July 31, 2015 By administrator

By Jeremy B. White

This summer fire season has been particularly intense, with a series of blazes such as the Rocky fire in Lake County and the Wragg fire near Lake Berryessa consuming thousands of acres and leaving firefighters scrambling.

“California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox,” Brown said in a Friday statement. “Our courageous firefighters are on the front lines and we’ll do everything we can to help them.”

In declaring a state of emergency, Brown mobilized the California National Guard and relaxes some regulations like environmental rules or those governing trespassing on private property.

“It eliminates a lot of the red tape or procedural hurdles you can have when multiple catastrophic incidences are colliding,” said Brad Alexander, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

It also clears California to receive assistance from other states, which Brown’s declaration called necessary because California’s “resources have been significantly committed” to containing blazes.

“It opens that door for us,” Alexander said.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article29701042.html#storylink=cpy

USA Nevada governor issues Armenian Genocide proclamation

April 1, 2015 By administrator

Nevada governor Brian Sandoval, issued a proclamation commemorating the Armenian Genocide, declaring April 19-26 as the “Day of Remembrance of The Armenian Genocide,” Massis Post reports.

Spearheaded by the Armenian Council of America (ACA) Nevada Chapter, the proclamation condemns the systematic murder and deportations of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, highlighting the plight of the Armenian people and the refuge they sought in the U.S. during that time.

The proclamation also honors the Armenian-American community in Nevada, citing that the “thriving community is a proud reminder of survival and determination even in the face of extreme injustice.”

Calling upon the House of Representatives and the President of the U.S. to recognize the atrocities, the proclamation also reiterates Turkey’s responsibility “to acknowledge the facts of the Armenian Genocide.”

The proclamation says:

WHEREAS, on the night of April 24, 1915, more than 200 leaders in the Armenian community, in the city known today as Istanbul, were arrested. Sent to prison, most were executed, beginning a horrible, systemic killing and forced relocation of the Armenian people that would last until 1923. During these years, the government of the Ottoman Empire claimed the lives of 1.5 million Armenians and forced 500,000 more from their homeland. The Armenian Genocide was a terrible breach of human rights and an event that has outraged the world; and

WHEREAS, the atrocities carried out against the Armenian people were grave and unimaginable, as they were subjected to deportation, abduction, torture, starvation, and more. And as with any violent conflict, Armenian women and children suffered the worst abuses. The bulk of the Armenian population that was displaced from their homes was forced to escape to neighboring as well as faraway countries. Many fled to the United States; and

WHEREAS, today Nevada is honored to be home to a vibrant growing Armenian-American population. This thriving community is a proud reminder of survival and determination even in the face of extreme injustice; and

WHEREAS, as Americans and Nevadans, it is our duty to raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide and to participate in the remembrance and mourning of the loss of innocent lives a century ago; and

WHEREAS, as Americans and Nevadans, we call upon Congress and the President of the United States to recognize the atrocities committed against the Armenian people, and call upon the Republic of Turkey to acknowledge the facts of the Armenian Genocide and work toward a just resolution;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BRIAN SANDOVAL, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, do hereby proclaim April 19-26, 2015, as “Days of remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.”

According to a press release by the RA Foreign Ministry press office, a similar resolution was adopted by the Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, President of Nevada State Senate Mark Hutchison, who, in turn, called upon Nevada citizens to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide and attend commemoration events honoring the memory of innocent victims.