OCTOBER 29, 2011 MirTHE rARoMENr IAN -Spe ctator Volume LXXXII, NO. 16, Issue 4210 $ 2.00 NEWS IN BRIEF The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Philanthropists Sued by Sargisian Man Convicted of Swindling Them Praises Close LINCOLN, Mass. — K. George Najarian and Carolann Najarian, MD, philanthropists, are being Relations with sued in a civil court by Grigor Igityan, the man con - victed of swindling them of both property and money. Igityan was convicted on all counts in the Russia criminal courts after more than eight years of hear - ings, trials and appeals up to the highest court in MOSCOW (Armenia Now) — President Armenia. He is now serving out his prison sentence Serge Sargisian’s first three-day state visit in jail. to Russia last week once more confirmed From jail, Igityan has launched a civil suit that relations with Russia “have gone through the Kentron Court of First Intention, beyond positive-friendly and are developing Yerevan, against the Najarians. He is claiming dam - in the realm of friendly partnership and ages for financial losses he reportedly sustained strategic relations,” the president said. due to being tried and convicted for crimes he had Many in Armenia, however, have concerns committed. In addition to the court case, the whether those words match reality. Najarians’ properties have been attached by the The president said that from the first day court. This is unprecedented in legal practice not of his visit the Armenian delegation could only in Armenia, but elsewhere. feel the pointedly warm attitude, which is According to the Najarians’ attorneys in the first evidence of Armenian-Russian rela - Armenia, all demands made in Igityan’s claim have tions as allies. been resolved through multiple court decisions in “It is an answer to all those who are try - the criminal case brought against him. The evi - ing to drive a wedge between the two coun - dence to substantiate these decisions against tries. We reaffirmed today that such Igityan was confirmed by the highest court there. attempts are futile. The Armenian-Russian strategic partnership has a strong historic ground and is actively developing in accor - Azerbaijan Gets UN The number of participants in the St. Giragos Church re-consecration service dance with both countries’ interests that exceeded 2,000, with groups of Armenian pilgrims from Istanbul, the US, Security Council Seat are aimed at the future and are important Armenia, Holland, Germany, Syria and Lebanon present. to both peoples.” UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Azerbaijan received the Sargisian’s visit has a full agenda: on the two-thirds support of UN member states needed for second day, Monday, the leaders of Armenia Pilgrims from the Eastern Diocese Take Part a Security Council seat Monday after its lead com - and Russia had a meeting at the Kremlin, petitor, Slovenia, dropped out. followed by the signing of a number of doc - In Consecration in Dikranakert Azerbaijan and Slovenia went into a second day uments. of balloting on October 24 after each failed to get “We are holding large-scale negotiations DIARBEKIR, Turkey — Last week Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the two-thirds majority needed from the General the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), led a group of Assembly for the sole eastern European seat on the Diocesan leaders on a pilgrimage to the city of Diarbekir (Dikranakert), where UN’s most powerful body. they took part in the October 22 re-consecration of the historic St. Giragos The Slovenian representative announced his Armenian Church. country was withdrawing after losing the 17th The group, which included the Diocese’s ecumenical director, Archbishop round to Azerbaijan by a 77-116 vote. In the final Vicken Aykazian, was scheduled to travel to the historic Armenian region of Van round, Azerbaijan got 155 votes, Slovenia 13 and as well, but the earthquake in that region on Sunday afternoon caused a cancel - Hungary one, with 24 countries abstaining. lation of those plans. Four of the 15-member council’s five new mem - see PILGRIMAGE, page 9 bers were chosen more easily on Friday: Pakistan, Morocco, Guatemala and Togo. Security Council seats are coveted because they give countries a strong voice in matters dealing President Dmitry Medvedev (right) meets More than 500 Die in Turkey Quake with international peace and security. with his Armenian counterpart Serge The new makeup puts Pakistan on the council Sargisian in Moscow. Van Rocked, No News from was damaged. alongside its regional rival, India, which like As of early Monday, more than 500 Colombia, Germany, Portugal and South Africa, is Surb Khatch Church deaths were reported, however officials serving a two-year term that wraps up at the end of both privately and publicly. We have cov - VAN (Combined sources) — As casualty expect to learn of more as the debris from 2012. They will also serve with the five permanent, ered all the topics on both bilateral and figures are rising, following Sunday’s 7.1- at least 25 apartment buildings is searched. veto-wielding members: China, France, Russia, regional as well as economic and military- magnitude earthquake in Van, Armenians It is also reported that 55 buildings had col - Britain and the United States. technical cooperation,” said Russian worldwide await information on whether lapsed in Ercis, on Lake Van’s northern The five new members replace Bosnia and President Dmitry Medvedev. damage done to the city — some 130 miles shore. A large portion of the known dead Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria. During their joint press conference the from Yerevan — included historic sites from were from Ercis. The fate of many villages Because ballots are secret, multiple rounds of two presidents also talked about economic the time when Van was home to about in the area is yet unknown, as rescue has votes are common in Security Council elections. cooperation. 185,000 Armenians (as estimated by the been hampered by debris blocking roads. “Russia has been and will remain our Armenian Patriarchate). No news has yet (The city of Van has an official population number one trade and economic partner,” emerged on whether Surb Khatch (Holy of about 370,000, however the figure is dis - said Sargisian, stressing that Russian Cross) Church on the island of Akhtamar — puted and the unofficial estimate is as high INSI DE investments in Armenia currently reach $3 a hallowed shrine to the Armenian faith as 600,000.) see RUSSIA, page 2 that sits on the north shore of Lake Van — see QUAKE, page 20 Lemkin on European Court of Human Rights Rules In Favor of Genocide Scholar Akçam Genocide page 14 STRASBOURG, France — On the European Convention on Armenian Genocide. A close Tuesday, October 25, the Human Rights. friend to the late Hrant Dink, European Court of Human Akçam, the holder of the the Turkish-Armenian journalist Rights ruled that the Turkish Kaloosdian/Mugar Chair for assassinated in January 2007, INDEX government’s prosecution, the Study of Modern Armenian Akçam knows all too well the under Article 301 of its penal History and Armenian Genocide dangers of speaking about this Arts and Living . 14 Armenia . 2, 3 code, with respect to Dr. Taner at Clark University in Worcester, taboo subject in Turkey. Before Community News. 5 Akçam’s public views on the Mass., became the target of he was gunned down in broad Editorial . 18 Armenian Genocide, violated threats and harassment for daylight, Hrant Dink was also International . 4 Akçam’s right to freedom of expressing his views and pub - prosecuted under Article 301. Taner Akçam expression under Article 10 of lishing his findings on the see AKÇAM , page 4 2 S ATURDAY , O CTOBER 29, 2011 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Soccer Coach Sees More Glory YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Vartan cause. Football now has the same The current Armenian team was built Youth from Armenia, Minasian, the head coach of Armenia’s power, judging from what is happening by Minasian around several young play - national soccer team, expressed delight in our republic and the diaspora.” ers plying their trade in foreign clubs. Karabagh, Azerbaijan to at a nationwide jubilation sparked by In terms of style, Armenia is probably The most prominent of them are the 22- its surprisingly strong performance in the most potentially exciting side to year-old attacking midfielder Henrik Compose Music the qualifying campaign for the 2012 emerge since Denmark in the early Mkhitarian of the Ukrainian champions YEREVAN (news.am) — The European Integration European Football Championship earli - 1980s,” a football commentator for Shakhtar Donetsk and Yura Movsisian, NGO, in cooperation with US Embassy in Armenia, er this month. In a recent interview, he Britain’s The Guardian daily wrote the 24-year-old US-Armenian striker launched the Together Project. also sounded optimistic about its ahead of the team’s last qualifier playing for Russia’s FC Krasnodar. Poets, composers, designers, photographers and future, saying that the squad will be against the Republic of Ireland that was Minasian said they will be joined by a artists from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno- bolstered by more young and promising played in Dublin on October 11. new and younger generation of players Karabagh will work on creating a song, a motto and players in the coming years. Armenia needed a victory to finish in the near future. “When I look at our a video during the next nine months with the aim “I don’t know what will happen in second and make the playoffs, but they Under-21, Under-19 and Under-17 of achieving an understanding amongst each other. the future,” said Minasian.