stage Archives

Armenian students stage walkout in protest of the new bill aimed at canceling conscription deferments

November 7, 2017 by administrator

Dozens of students from different departments across the Yerevan State University walked out of classes on Tuesday to stage a protest, venting their frustration over the new bill that abolishes the temporary exemptions from compulsory military service for graduate and undergraduate students, studying at the country’s state universities.

The protestors gathered in front of the main building of the University calling on the professors to join the strike and demanding the government to reconsider the bill provisions.

To note, the new amendments into the Armenian law “On Military Duty and Military Service” was initiated by the defense ministry and was adopted in the first reading by the parliament days ago. According to the proposed legislation, citizens liable for call-up are conscripted to army for compulsory service, while draft deferments are granted to only those students who would agree to undergo parallel military training and serve in the army as officers for three years after graduation.

Critics of the legislation point to the adverse impact of the new law on the education and science, suggesting the abolishment of conscription deferments will prevent prospective students from professional, scientific or educational activities. Meanwhile, the proponents of the law insist the deferments are a violation of social justice. Additionally, canceling all exemptions for compulsory service would minimize corruption risks in the military and educations spheres in cases when eligible citizens would wish to avoid the army.

Timati waved the Armenian flag on the stage. The rapper’s amazing concert in Yerevan

June 9, 2017 by administrator

Yes, that finally happened…Just some hours ago Timati rocked the stage in Yerevan with all his beloved hits. The rapper’s concert took place in Republic square.
He greeted his fans in Armenian then apologized for not being able to perform during the concert that took place on May 12.

«I’m sorry that I didn’t perform at Karen Demirchyan concert hall, but as I have promised I’m here with my big concert and I’m very happy to see you all here during my solo concert in Yerevan»,-said the rapper.

By the way, during one of his performances Timati also waved the Armenian flag on the stage, and that was one of the most touching moments of the long awaited concert.

Armenian Americans stage protests in New York and Washington DC against Baku aggression

February 27, 2017 by administrator

NEW YORK NY / WASHINGTON DC – Armenian Americans protested escalating Azerbaijani aggression against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia in New York City and Washington, DC in recent days, in the wake of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s largest attacks since his April, 2016, 4-day offensive that claimed several hundred lives, reported the Armenian National Committee of America – Eastern Region (ANCA-ER).

“President Aliyev’s latest attacks this weekend represent a continuation of the pogroms in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku from 1988-1990 and 25 years of escalating ceasefire violations that culminated in the April 2016 atrocities – the worst violence seen in decades,” said ANCA-ER Board Member Audrey Mardoian. “We continue to witness the cost – in innocent lives – of the refusal by the U.S. and the international community to clearly and unequivocally condemn President Aliyev’s aggression and put in place clear measures to stop his violence.”

The demonstrations, organized by the ANC of New York and ANC of Greater Washington, in cooperation with the local Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) chapters, were held on February 24th and 26th, respectively, and coincided with the 29th anniversary of the Azerbaijani pogroms against the Armenian population of Sumgait. Those massacres set the stage for similar attacks in Baku in 1990 and a cycle of violence that continues to this day. In Washington, DC, Vice-President Mike Pence’s motorcade passed within feet of protesters. At the end of demonstration, Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church pastor, Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, led DC-area protesters in a prayer in memory of those who have perished as a result of Azerbaijani aggression.

Also on Sunday, February 26th, the ANC of NY organized a special commemoration of the Sumgait-Baku massacres, hosted by the St. Gregory Mission Parish of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church – Eastern U.S. and held at the Brooklyn Armenian School, with remarks provided by the ANCA Eastern Region’s Artur Martirosyan.

A small group of Azerbaijani counter-protesters converged in both cities, many brandishing the sign of the Grey Wolves, a Turkish terrorist organization.

The latest violence raises additional concerns about reports of Azerbaijan’s impending purchase of the Israeli made “Iron Dome” missile system, which includes sensitive U.S. technology. The ANCA has called on the US State Department to exercise its right to oppose the sale, noting that it will only further embolden President Aliyev to increase his aggression.

“We are here to protest Azerbaijan’s most recent attacks and its pattern of violence going back more than a quarter century,” said AYF Central Hai Tahd Council Chair Lara Ozdemirci. “As Americans, we can and must contribute to peace by challenging Azerbaijan’s aggression, cutting off military aid and arms sales to Baku, deploying gunfire locators along the line of contact, and imposing sanctions on Aliyev and his inner circle.”

Armenians stage protest outside Azerbaijan permanent mission to UN

February 27, 2016 by administrator

A group of representatives of the American Armenian community on Friday staged a picket outside the building of the permanent mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations (UN), in New York.

Their protest was aimed against the Azerbaijani propaganda regarding the Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, Azerbaijan.

The demonstrators held signs that read “[Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev, stop the lies,” “Stop Threats of War,” and “We Remember Sumgait,” etc.

Twenty-eight years have passed since the Armenian pogroms in Sumgait. In late February 1988, large-scale massacres because of ethnicity were committed there.

On February 27 of that year, the situation went out of control in this town, which is just 25 kilometers from the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku.

Several thousand Azerbaijani nationalists started burning the homes of the local Armenian population and killing the homeowners.

According to official data alone, 32 Armenian residents of Sumgait were killed, and hundreds of others suffered severe injuries and became disabled.

The February 27-29, 1988 Sumgait pogroms, about which Azerbaijan is silent to this day, were the first harbingers of the Azerbaijani neo-fascism

These massacres were followed by the Azerbaijanis’ pogroms of the Armenians in Kirovabad—today’s Ganja—and in Baku, deportation of the entire Armenian population in Shahumyan Region, and incitement to war, all in response to the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) people’s demand to exercise their right to self-determination.