Turkey's Pro-Kurdish HDP Leaders Arrested
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You may also choose to read ZARTONK on the net by visiting: www.zartonkdaily.com Reports and Advertisements could be sent to us by contacting: Email: [email protected] P.O.Box: 11-617 & 175-348 Beirut- Lebanon Tel/Fax: +961 1 444225 زارتــونك جريــــــدة سيــــــاســــــية أرمنــــــية ZARTONK JOURNAL POLITIQUE ARMÉNIEN November 7 - November 13, 2016 Volume #79 Number 33/ English 2 Issue (21,773) Article Diaspora News Arts & Society PG Armenia and Diaspora In PG AGBU Holds 89th General PG Narine Abgaryan Wins Quest for a New Start Assembly in New York Yasnaya Polyana Literary 03 05 08 Award News from Armenia and Artsakh Turkey’s Pro-Kurdish HDP Leaders Armenia To Allocate Arrested 47.4 Billion AMD Budget Loan To NKR In 2017 Armenia will allocate 47.4 billion AMD budget loan to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in 2017, Minister of Finance Vardan Aramyan said during the parliamentary debates of the 2017 state budget, “Armenpress” reported. Armenia has made allocation to the NKR in 2016 as well. It was planned to allocate 47.3 billion AMD budget loan, and the Government of Armenia decided to add Two leaders and at least 13 lawmakers of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) were detained another 3.3 billion AMD to 47.3 billion AMD budget loan. early on Friday over reluctance to give testimony for crimes linked to “terrorist propaganda.”Turkish police raided the Ankara house of co-leader Selahattin Demirtas and the house of co-leader Figen Yuksekdag in Diyarbakir, the Page 02 largest city in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, the party’s lawyers told Reuters. News from the World The Turkish Interior Ministry said detention orders for 13 MPs were issued, but only 11 were detained as two lawmakers were abroad. Lawyers had earlier said 15 MPs were detained. Turkish police raided the Ankara house of co-leader Selahattin Demirtas Belgian Senate and the house of co-leader Figen Yuksekdag in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, the party’s lawyers told Reuters. President says denial “HDP call international community to react against Erdogan Regime’s coup,” the party said on Twitter, referring to President Tayyip Erdogan. of Armenian Genocide Police also raided and searched the party’s head office in central Ankara. Television images showed party officials quarreling with police during the raid, and a Reuters witness said many police cars and armed vehicles must be criminalized had closed the entrances to the street of the HDP headquarters. A group of protesters chanting slogans tried to reach the party offices, but were stopped by police before they could in Belgium enter the street, a Reuters witness said. Christine Defraigne – President of the Belgian Senate – says there is a necessity of criminalizing the denial of “Very bad news from Turkey. Again. Now HDP members of parliament are being detained,” European Parliament’s Armenian Genocide in Belgium. Turkey rapporteur, Kati Piri, said on Twitter. After a meeting with Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Galust Sahakyan, Christine Defraigne told reporters A widespread difficulty in reaching social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook as well as messaging app the Belgian Parliament was one of the first European WhatsApp were reported across Turkey after the detentions started at midnight. Parliaments to adopt a strict resolution in 1998 on condemning the Armenian Genocide. HDP is the third largest party in the 550-seat Turkish parliament, with 59 seats. Parliamentarians in Turkey normally enjoy immunity from prosecution, but the pro-Kurdish party’s immunity was lifted earlier this year. Page 02 November 7 - November 13, 2016 P. 02 News from Armenia and Artsakh Page 01 Armenia Minimum President Sahagian Convoked A Meeting Wage Will Not Of The Security Council Change In 2017 On 3 November Artsakh Republic President Pago Sahagian convoked a meeting of the Security Council, Central Information Department of the Office of the Artsakh Republic President stated. Issues related to army building were on the agenda of the meeting. Defense minister Levon Mnatsakanian delivered a corresponding report. The President gave a range of instructions for proper realization of the discussed issues, underlining that army building and consistent improvement of the Defense Army’s fighting capacity would remain among our key priorities. Apartment to be Built in Artsakh for The minimum wage in Armenia will not increase in the coming year, and it will remain 55,000 drams (approx. Families of Perished Soldiers $115) per month. On October 31, a groundbreaking ceremony took place The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Artem Asatryan, of a new apartment building to be built in Stepanakert for stated the aforementioned at Wednesday’s National the Defense Army’s officers and families of the perished Assembly hearings on the draft state budget for 2017. freedom fighters, reported Artsakh’s presidential press This minimum monthly salary, however, is the net service. Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan income, whereas the gross minimum monthly wage— took part in the ceremony. without the funded pension and income tax cuts—shall Sahakyan expressed gratitude to philanthropist Vitaly be 76,600 drams (approx. $161). Grigoryants for participating in the implementation of this initiative noting the demand for and significance of such programs. Prime Minister Arayik Haroutyunyan and other officials Karabakh MOD: were also present at the event. According to the press service, Sahakyan received Azerbaijan Resorts Grigoryants on Monday, discussing implementation of new programs in Artsakh. consistent support to Artsakh highlighting his patriotic Sahakyan expressed gratitude to the philanthropist for activity. To Provocations In News from the World Information Field Belgian Senate President says denial of Armenian Genocide must be criminalized in Belgium Page 01 “And we even made steps to move even further ahead and define criminal responsibility for the denial of the Genocide. We began working in that direction quite early. The denial of Armenian Genocide must be equal to a crime. At that time we didn’t reach our goal, but The Azerbaijani side not only continues to escalate I think that by the adoption of resolutions by different the situation on the frontline by violating the ceasefire level Parliaments of Belgium condemning the Armenian and resorting to diversionary intelligence-gathering Genocide we will reach the realization of our goal”, she attempts, but also resorts to provocations in the said. information field. The aforesaid is noted in a press release, which the She added that it’s not about Parliaments dictating the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Ministry of Defense (NKR/ history, there is simply a need to convey history to the Artsakh MOD) disseminated on Monday. new generations, in order to once and for all condemn In particular, the release noted that the communiqué all acts of genocide. which the Azerbaijani MOD disseminated on the same day, and according to which the Armenian side allegedly “Our countries must move towards the future. I think our violated the ceasefire on Sunday night—and by using peoples have similar values, and in my opinion we can mortars, grenade launchers, and large-caliber machine continue this path together”, she added. guns, is not true, and this is yet another propaganda trick by the adversary. Defraigne said Europe’s doors are always open for As per the NKR MOD statement, the Artsakh defense Armenia. army vanguard units strictly follow the maintenance of the ceasefire, and they are never the aggressor. “We understand that Armenia is located in a difficult “By disseminating such disinformation, the Azerbaijani geopolitical position, however I have to say that Europe’s field and united development. Belgium will spare no side paves the way for further provocations,” the doors are always open for negotiations, for work in any effort in supporting Armenia in its decision”, she said statement also reads. November 7 - November 13, 2016 P. 03 Press Release Armenia and Diaspora In Quest for a New Start Western Armenian dormancy. Last September, 30 prominent Armenians, By Harout Sassounian including Serj Tankian, Atom Egoyan, Alexis Ohanian, Chris Summer Education Ever since Armenia’s independence, the Armenian world Bohjalian, Eric Bogosian, and Sebu Simonian issued a has been divided into three loose categories: those petition on change.org, calling for ‘Justice Within Armenia.’ supporting or in some capacity interacting with the So far over 4,000 individuals have signed this petition. Workshop: The government; various opposition groups; and those who A few days later, Canadian-Armenian actress Arsinee are independent or inactive. Regrettably, there has been Khanjian issued a highly critical Open Letter after being Next Steps hardly any effort to bridge the gap between these groups. detained by Armenian police during a protest in Yerevan on On the contrary, there has been plenty of harsh rhetoric, July 27. Khanjian outlined the government’s shortcomings, The Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste accusations, and confrontations. urging Diaspora Armenians not to be “ambivalent Gulbenkian Foundation brought together 41 educators Even though the Armenian government and the opposition bystanders” and engage in transforming the social and creators in Western Armenian from 9 countries, have different priorities, Armenians everywhere share a conditions in Armenia. to collectively develop learning tools for language common set of interests and concerns regarding — the On October 28, another group of 23 prominent Armenians, acquisition. The workshop took place in Portugal during economy, human rights, rule of law, Artsakh (Nagorno including Abel Aganbegyan, Charles Aznavour, Edward the week of July 9-17, 2016. Karabagh) conflict, emigration, Diaspora’s survival, and Djerejian, Vartan Gregorian, and Ruben Vardanyan, issued The group was composed of educators, academics, securing justice from Turkey for the 1915 Genocide. The another Open Letter urging “Global Armenians…to unite writers, musicians, artists, actors and IT specialists.