Armenia protests Israel’s supply of weapons to Azerbaijan

April 10, 2016 By administrator

Armenia protested Israel‘s supply of arms to Azerbaijan, Haarets reports.

The protest comes after an Israeli-made “suicide drone” attacked a convoy in the latest round of violence in Nagorno Karabakh.

Armenian ambassador to Egypt Armen Melkonyan, who also represents Yerevan in Israel, met with the head of the Foreign Ministry’s Division for Eurasia Dan Oryan, conveying Armenia’s utter discontent over equipping Azerbaijan.

The parties to the Karabakh conflict agreed on a bilateral ceasefire along the contact line which came into force at midday, April 5.

Prior to that, on the night of April 1-2, Azerbaijani armed forces initiated overt offensive operations in the southern, southeastern and northeastern directions of the line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh.

As many as 46 Karabakh servicemen were killed and 122 were wounded in the course of military operations.

As of April 5, the Azerbaijani side has lost 26 tanks and 4 infantry fighting vehicles, as well as 1 BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher, 1 engineering vehicle, 2 military helicopters and 11 unmanned aerial vehicles. The Azerbaijani side has admitted the loss of 31 fighters, 1 helicopter and 1 unmanned drones, whereas the Armenian side’s photo and video materials show dozens of killed Azerbaijani troops, 1 helicopter and 3 UAVs. Opposition media outlets, however, reported on the death of 81 Azerbaijani soldiers, stating that 6 more have gone missing. According to Karabakh authorities, 300 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in clashes.

14 Karabakh tanks have been neutralized since April 2.

Protests Break Out Across Azerbaijan Scores Detained In Amid Countrywide Protests

January 14, 2016 By administrator

Protest cross Azerbaijan (rferl) Scores of people, including opposition activists, were detained in Azerbaijan on January 13 amid countrywide protests over worsening economic conditions in the oil-rich Caucasus state.

Protesters rallied in the districts of Fizuli, Aqsu, Aqcabardi, Siyazan, and Lankaran to voice their anger over price hikes on staples such as flour and bread.

Most of the arrests were made in the district of Siyazan, where troops were sent in. Overall, 55 people were detained there “to protect citizens’ constitutional rights and ensure public safety,” the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor-General’s Office said in a joint statement.

The statement added that those detained held “illegal marches” in the city of Siyazan on both January 12 and 13.

“Unlawful actions inflicted various physical injuries on police officers and damaged two of the police vehicles,” the statement said.

Security forces used tear gas against stone-throwing protesters in Siyazan and several other towns, where an undisclosed number of detentions were reported.

The official statement acknowledged that protests took place in various locations and blamed the opposition Popular Front (AXCP) and Musavat parties for organizing them.

The central authorities’ account was contradicted by at least one local official. Rasim Novruzov, a deputy head of the district administration in Aqsu, said the events in his district could not be described as protests.

Novruzov added that local authorities had spoken to the demonstrators and agreed to address high flour prices.

However, reports indicated that several opposition activists were detained amid the unrest.

In Lankaran, local AXCP chief Nazim Hasanli was detained together with the chairman of the local branch of the opposition Musavat party, Iman Aliyev.

Hasanli and Aliyev were each sentenced to one month in jail for taking part in an unsanctioned protest. Both pleaded innocent, saying they had nothing to do with the rallies.

Meanwhile, AXCP youth activist Turan Ibrahim was detained in Baku. He was arrested near his home in the capital late on January 13, according to his brother, Togrul Ibrahim, who said at least seven police officers took him away as he was returning from work.

Ibrahim was taken to the Nariman district police department in Baku and charged with resisting arrest, his brother said.

Turan Ibrahim’s father, Mammad Ibrahim, is an adviser to the AXCP chairman who has been in custody since late September on hooliganism charges. The elder Ibrahim rejects the charges as politically motivated.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s government has faced increasing criticism about rights abuses. Several journalists and rights activists have been jailed over the past year on charges such as hooliganism, tax evasion, and illegal business activities.

Rights groups say the charges are often trumped up, and leveled in retaliation for opposition activities and criticism of senior government officials. Azerbaijani officials have denied the allegations.

Manat In Free Fall

The unrest follows a steep drop in the value of the national currency, the manat, against the U.S. dollar. Falling oil revenues, which make up the vast majority of Azerbaijan’s exports, have also rocked the economy amid a decline in global oil prices.

Azerbaijani citizens have been hard-hit by rising inflation, unemployment, and costs of staple goods. Earlier this month, a 63-year-old maintenance man set himself alight in front of his workplace, reportedly after complaining to colleagues of bank loans he could not repay.

In the latest sign of economic trouble, Azerbaijan’s Central Bank on January 14 banned independent currency-exchange outlets from operating. Central Bank officials said only banks would be allowed to exchange foreign currency.

The Central Bank in December listed “the continuing devaluation of partner countries’ currencies” among the factors contributing to the ailing economy.

The manat has tumbled by more than 42 percent against the dollar on the black market since the Central Bank withdrew support for the currency last month after exhausting more than half its foreign currency reserves in an attempt to prop up the manat against falling oil prices. Azerbaijan’s currency has fallen 33 percent on the official market.

The bank said it was forced to loosen the currency regime to “preserve hard-currency reserves … and ensure the national economy’s competitiveness on the international arena.”

The decision was also prompted by the continued depletion of a critical source of finance for the state budget, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ). Reserves in the fund, established in 1999 at the start of the start of the country’s oil and gas boom, have dipped by more than 9 percent since the beginning of the year.

When oil prices fell, the government had used money from the fund to prop up the Central Bank’s plummeting foreign reserves, leaving it with $33.6 billion as of December 1.

In related news, Baku has since ordered a cut in the price of flour, which had been rising rapidly thanks to the manat’s collapse.

In a statement on January 14, the Economy Ministry said it was waiving value added tax on the import of wheat and the production and sale of flour and bread from January 15.

It said that would allow a reduction in the wholesale price for flour, and listed the prices at which bread should now be sold.

“Anyone who sells flour and bread at higher prices will be held to account in the most serious way,” the statement said.

“This decision has been taken on the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev to strengthen the social protection the population, in particular poor families, from the change in the rate of the manat.”

Anti-Barzani’s KDP protests turn violent in Iraqi Kurdistan, two killed, 17 injured

October 10, 2015 By administrator

ERBIL-Hewler, Kurdistan region ‘Iraq’,— Two protesters are dead and at least 17 others injured after protests in the Kurdish town of Qaladze in Iraqi Kurdistan region turned violent Friday.

Demonstrators gathered outside the mayor’s office in Qaladze, 100 km east of Kurdistan capital city of Erbil, during the afternoon and called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to pay employees’ salaries and bring an end to the ongoing presidency and economic crises.

Friday’s demonstration turned violent when protesters changed their planned course and headed towards the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Qaladize throwing stones, officials said.

KDP guards shot into the crowd, killing two and injuring 17 others. Four security forces were also reportedly injured in clashes, NRT reported.

Angry demonstrators then attacked the building, setting it on fire.

“The firing came from the KDP,” said Hawsar Wshyar Mohammed Amin, a member of the Sulaimani provincial council from former opposition party Gorran.

But Hamid Qaladizei, a member of the KDP branch in the city, denied the bullets had been fired from there, and said it was not to blame for the man’s death.

“We acted very responsibly,” Qaladizei said. “There are people behind these protesters who are provoking them. The number of police is insufficient to protect us and control the situation.”

The KDP, Gorran and three of the region’s other parties have been wrangling over the terms of an extension for Massoud Barzani’s presidency since it expired on Aug. 20.

The stalemate has polarized Kurdish politics and compounded an economic crisis that began in early 2014 when Baghdad slashed funds to the region. A drop in oil prices that has pushed the region to the verge of bankruptcy.

KDP offices in the nearby towns of Zharawa, Hajiawa and Sangasar were also attacked late Friday, with the protesters setting the Zharawa building on fire.

Security forces moved into the area following the demonstrations to maintain order.

The Kurdistan Region’s three major cities – Erbil, Duhok and Sulaimani – are on high security alert as protests spread across the northern provinces and tensions remain high.

Security forces have set up a perimeter around the Change Movement (Gorran) party offices in Duhok and Erbil to prevent retaliatory attacks by KDP supporters.

Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s political parties suspended their ninth meeting on the presidency issue Thursday after failing to reach a final agreement.

Massoud Barzani has led Kurdistan region as president from 2005 for two executive terms and his last term was extended in 2013 by ruling KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) for two more years on the condition that he can no longer run as president.

Iraqi Kurdistan parliament speaker, Yousif Mohammed Sadiq said last August “Extending Barzani term is against the laws in Kurdistan. Law No. 19 passed in 2013 … clearly says the president’s term ends on Aug. 19 and cannot be extended,” Sadiq added.

KDP leader Masoud Barzani urged the Kurdistan Region’s security forces and government agencies to address growing unrest in the region.

The last serious bout of unrest in the region was in 2011, when Kurds protested against corruption and nepotism, inspired by popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.

Source: eKurd

Electricity Price Hike Protests Result in Arrests, Clashes with Police

September 2, 2015 By administrator

YEREVAN—As has been promised for weeks, the “No to Plunder” movement, which mobilized tens of thousands of Armenians in June to stage a two-week sit-in at Baghramyan Avenue, staged another protest on Tuesday, which began at Lover’s Park and moved to Republic Square.

At Republic Square the group of protesters were met by another group of protesters from the “Rise Up Armenia” group and proceeded to march toward the presidential palace on Baghramyan Avenue.

Protesters clashed with police as several members of the “No to Plunder” movement were arrested and were released within hours and returned to the protests.

There, the organizers, once again outlined their demands, specifically urging President Serzh Sarkisian to honor his pledge of the government subsidizing the electricity price hike until the results of a scheduled audit are announced.

Lebanon: ‘Revolution against corruption’: Beirut braces for new wave of protests

August 29, 2015 By administrator

REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The Lebanese capital is expecting a new wave of protests Saturday. Last weekend rallies against the authorities’ inability to deal with the rubbish collection problems resulted in violent clashes with police and calls for the government to step down.

“In our life we have only one chance to be united and to make revolution against all the corruption people,” Salah Nowzeddine, a protester from the “You Stink” movement, told RT’s Paula Slier.
The situation has been tense in Beirut since July when the authorities stopped using one of the country’s main landfills in the town of al-Naameh, south of Beirut, and piles of rubbish began to appear on the streets of the capital.

On August 22, the protests turned violent, resulting in injuries among both protesters and police officers. Numerous videos released on social media show demonstrators throwing rocks and firecrackers at police. The officers responded with water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas to tackle the demonstrators.

Following Saturday protests the Lebanese prime minister, Tammam Salam, described force used against protesters as “excessive” and promised that those responsible would be held to account.

Later, Amnesty International called on the Lebanese authorities to investigate the use of excessive force of police on protesters.

“Lebanese security officials responded to overwhelmingly peaceful protesters in downtown Beirut by shooting into the air with live rounds, firing rubber bullets, tear gas canisters, and water cannons, and in some cases hurling stones and beating protesters with batons and rifles,” said Lama Fakih, senior crisis adviser at Amnesty International.

Lebanese officials must uphold this right and send a clear message to security personnel that such attacks against peaceful protesters will not be tolerated… Even when responding to violence, security forces should never recklessly fire rubber bullets and other projectiles into crowds of protesters.”

Amnesty quoted Red Cross as saying that at least 343 people were treated for injuries and 59 more were hospitalized, following the rallies of August 22-23.

According to data from the country’s Internal Security Forces (ISF), 99 of their members had been injured in the protests, 30 of them seriously.

The political situation in Lebanon is very unstable, in part due to legislators being unable to pick a new president for more than a year.

Among the factors affecting the instability in the country are the war in neighboring Syria and the threat of Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL).

‘Electric Yerevan’ Organizers To Resume Street Protests

August 29, 2015 By administrator

Leaders of the No To Plunder movement at a press conference in Yerevan on August 28, 2015 (Source: Photolur)

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—No To Plunder, the Armenian youth group that was behind the recent “Electric Yerevan” protests, said on Friday that it will resume its campaign of “civil disobedience” next week, accusing the government of reneging on a pledge to subsidize energy prices.

Leaders of No To Plunder said that while the tariffs remain unchanged for households for now, Armenian businesses are being forced to pay more for electricity used by them. According to No To Plunder, this runs counter to President Serzh Sarkissian’s assurance that the government would “shoulder the whole burden” of the more than 17 percent price hike, pending the findings of an emergency audit of Armenia’s national power utility.

Sarkissian made the statement on June 28 at the height of non-stop protests on a central Yerevan avenue that were organized by No To Plunder, and attended by thousands of mostly young people. No To Plunder was pushed aside by other, more radical activists after urging the protesters to unblock Marshal Bagramian Avenue because of the concessions announced by Sarkissian.

“He said nothing about not subsidizing small and medium-sized businesses,” argued Artush Chibukhchian, one of the group’s leaders.

“Serzh Sarkissian has fooled the people and we must respond to that on the street,” Chibukchian charged at a news conference. “Serzh Sarkissian wants to make electricity more expensive. He doesn’t want to solve this problem.”

“We are resuming the street struggle,” he said. “We have had a chance to see that issues are solved on the street. They [the authorities] won’t do anything unless you put pressure on them.”

Mihran Avagian, another No To Plunder leader, announced that the youth movement will resume its street protests on September 1. But neither he nor Chibukhchian disclosed details of the planned actions. They said only that the group might again occupy Marshal Bagramian Avenue leading to the presidential administration building.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear as to who will conduct the promised audit of the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), the loss-making utility owned by the Russian company Inter RAO, or when. The Armenian government has so far only commissioned a U.S. consulting firm, Deloitte, to investigate and conclude whether the price hike sanctioned by Armenian state regulators in early June was justified.

Observers believe that the energy tariff for households will not rise at least until a referendum on constitutional changes takes place, which they see as vital for President Sarkissian’s political future. The referendum is expected to take place in November.

Day 3: Russia, West watching closely Armenia protests #ElectricYerevan

June 24, 2015 By administrator

The third day of actions of protest in Yerevan demanding the cancellation of the decision to raise electricity tariffs began with protesters still camped in a central Yerevan street, determined to continue their struggle till a corresponding decision by the authorities. Report ArmeniaNow

The events unfolding in Yerevan are being actively covered by the foreign press, and many Russian media call them the Armenian Maidan, drawing parallels with anti-government protests in Kyiv in late 2013, early 2014 that led to the change of government in Ukraine. Like in the case with the Ukrainian protests, they also accuse the West of “inspiring anti-Russian sentiments”.

Lately, the Russian state propaganda commonly uses the word “Maidan” to refer to movements in post-Soviet countries aimed at overthrowing the pro-Russian governments. But during the first two days of protests in Yerevan not a single word about any overthrow of a pro-Russian government was heard and not even demands were made for the nationalization of the infrastructure now being monopolistically owned by Russian state-run or private companies. A purely economic and social demand – to cancel the decision on raising the electricity prices by 7 drams (about 1.5 cents) – has only been raised.

Despite the absence of such appeals and demands, in Russia and elsewhere everyone appears to realize that the economic collapse in Armenia came in the wake of the country’s joining the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union at the beginning of this year. The unpopular measures being taken by the authorities – such as raising taxes, tariffs, increasing the external debt – only fuel anti-government sentiments.

Commenting on the events in Armenia, Dmitry Pekov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that Armenia is a country that is very close to Russia and that in Moscow they are closely watching the developments in Yerevan. The Rosbalt newspaper, reporting on the multi-thousands rallies in Gyumri, reminded that the city in the northwest of Armmenia hosts a Russian military base and mentions that some demonstrators also demand its withdrawal from Armenia.

On Tuesday, diplomatic missions of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the OSCE Office in Armenia made statements about the use of excessive force by the Armenian police against demonstrators earlier that day. On the morning of June 23, police dispersed a sin-in in Baghramyan Avenue with the use of water cannons and special means. There were also reports about violence used against journalists. And the Western diplomatic missions called for investigations of these cases and for allowing journalists to carry out their professional duties. The Western countries have not made any political statements.

The president of Armenia and the country’s top leaders also refrain from making statements about the protest actions: President Serzh Sargsyan offers to meet with a delegation of demonstrators, but they have rejected the proposal. If the president cancels the decision of the Public Services Regulatory Commission regarding the increase of electricity tariffs, it would mean that the Armenian authorities reject the request of the Russian state company Inter RAO to raise the tariffs. If the president leaves the decision in force, the protests are likely to continue to grow and develop in a yet unknown direction.

The demonstrators are unarmed, they do not allow disrespectful actions towards the police, however, the Vesti news program on a Russian state-run TV channel on June 23 reported that protesters allegedly were armed with iron bars, brass knuckles and truncheons.

Some Armenian analysts say that Moscow, probably, is preparing for the introduction of troops if protests in Yerevan take a clear anti-Russian character.

The countries that are members of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (Armenia is a member of this defense pact) have an agreement that in the event of internal disturbances, in case of a given country’s political leadership’s application, the CSTO can introduce troops in this country to stabilize the situation.

Dozens injured in Turkish election protests against pro-Kurdish poll rally

June 4, 2015 By administrator

Police fire tear gas and water cannon to disperse nationalists demonstrating against pro-Kurdish poll rally.

Turkish nationalists clash with riot police during an election rally by the opposition HDP in Erzurum [AFP]

Dozens of people have been injured in eastern Turkey, local officials say, after police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse nationalists protesting against an election rally by the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP).

Thursday’s clashes in the northeastern city of Erzurum were the latest in a string of incidents in the run-up to Sunday’s parliamentary elections, in which the HDP is trying to clear a 10 percent threshold for entering parliament as a party under proportional representation.

The unrest erupted a day after unidentified men opened fire on a HDP campaign bus in Kurdish-majority eastern Bingol province, killing the driver.

The governor’s office for Bingol said an investigation into the shooting had been launched.

Around 1,000 Turkish nationalists stormed the rally in the main square of Erzurum, an area seen as a bastion for Turkish nationalists.

About 2,000 HDP supporters had gathered to hear Selahattin Demirtas, the party leader, speak at the rally.

His appearance had been seen as a bold statement in a region where his party is far from popular, as it tries to win votes from outside its southeastern Kurdish-majority heartland.

Should the HDP pass the 10 percent threshold, it would become more difficult for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reach his goal of changing the constitution to boost presidential powers.

Private NTV television showed the demonstrators breaking through police barricades, before security forces responded with tear gas and water cannon.

The demonstrators, mostly young people, waved Turkish flags and chanted slogans such as “This is Erzurum, there is no way out from here” and “God is greatest”.

A minibus driver suffered severe burns when his vehicle, covered with HDP flags, was set on fire, the Dogan news agency said.

Security forces thanked

Ahmet Altiparmak, Erzurum’s governor, said in a statement quoted by Turkish media that 38 people had been wounded, including 11 police, 17 HDP supporters and 10 protesters.

But he also thanked the security forces and public for showing sensitivity so that the situation did not get out of hand.

The injuries were said to be not serious.

Demirtas went on with the rally and urged caution, saying: “There are only three days left. We will continue to work with patience, without allowing provocations.”

The HDP has long been accused by Turkish nationalists of being linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long armed insurgency in the southeast for Kurdish autonomy.

In May, two blasts targeting HDP’s headquarters in the southern cities of Adana and Mersin injured several people.

Source: aljazeera.com

Erdoğan’s guards, NY police scuffle during anti-Erdoğan protest

September 26, 2014 By administrator

A group of Turkish citizens staged a protest against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York where he came to attend the United Nations General Assembly, leading to a confrontation between Erdoğan’s guards and New York City police.

According to the private Cihan news agency, Erdoğan was met by protests in front of the hotel where he went to attend a dinner. Protesters chanted slogans saying “Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a thief,” “You exploit religion, make big haul,” “This is only the beginning, continue the fight!” Some protesters wore T-shirts that read “There is a thief [around us]!”

A quarrel broke out between demonstrators waving Turkish flags and shouting anti-Erdoğan slogans and Erdoğan’s guards during the protest. President Erdoğan’s nephew and bodyguard Ali Erdoğan reportedly attacked the protesters, and then a scuffle broke out between police officers and Erdoğan’s guards. The New York City police reportedly attempted to take a guard into custody.

President Erdoğan entered the hotel through a back door due to the protest. While the anti-Erdoğan protest was taking place in New York, some Erdoğan supporters also chanted slogans in favor of him. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi, former European Union Affairs Minister Egemen Bağış and current EU Minister Volkan Bozkır, who were accompanying Erdoğan, were also heckled. Erdoğan left the hotel by a back door due to the ongoing protest and headed to the airport to return to Turkey.

Erdoğan arrived in New York on Sept. 21 to attend the UN General Assembly. He had a number of meetings with foreign leaders and delivered a fiery speech in the UN General Assembly, slamming the UN for its lack of action against the Syrian civil war and Gaza offensive. During his trip he announced for the first time that Turkey’s role in the US-led anti-Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) could include military support.