DOCSLIB.ORG

NEWS INBRIEF Aznavour: a Legend in the Worlds of Art and Humanity

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
NEWS INBRIEF Aznavour: a Legend in the Worlds of Art and Humanity OCTOBER 6, 2018 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXIX, NO. 12, Issue 4556 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Site in Armenia to Be Aznavour: A Granted Enhanced Legend in the UNESCO Status PARIS (PanARMENIAN.Net) — Monastery Worlds of Art of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley will be grant- ed an Enhanced Protection status by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural And Humanity Organization (UNESCO), according to a decision adopted by the organization. Enhanced protection is a mechanism established Dies by the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property PARIS (Combined Sources) — Thousands in the Event of Armed Conflict. It aims to ensure of people gathered in the Armenian capital full and effective protection of specifically desig- of Yerevan on Tuesday, October 2, to sign nated cultural property during international or a condolence book and pay their last non-international armed conflicts. respects to Charles Aznavour, who died on The monastery of Geghard contains a number of Monday, October 1. chapels and tombs, most of them cut into the rock, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Metropolitan Museum of Art His death at the age of 94 was which illustrate the very peak of Armenian announced by the French Culture Ministry. medieval architecture. October 1 was declared a day of mourn- ‘Armenia!’ Opens at Metropolitan The complex of medieval buildings, which is ing in Armenia, Prime Minister of Armenia already on World Heritage List, is set into a land- Nikol Pashinyan announced on his Museum of Art to Great Acclaim scape of great natural beauty, surrounded by tow- Facebook page. ering cliffs at the entrance to the Azat Valley. Aznavour, who sold more than 100 million NEW YORK — Look in any direction and you’ll see richly illuminated manu- Any cultural property is eligible for enhanced pro- records in 80 countries and was sometimes scripts, opulent gilded reliquaries, rare textiles, exquisitely carved khatchkars, pre- tection, provided that it complies with the three con- called the “French Frank Sinatra,” died at cious liturgical woodwork, rare printed books — and the artistic pièce de résis- ditions: the cultural property must be of the great- one of his homes, in the southeast of France. tance: a sixteen-foot painted map show- est importance for humanity; the cultural property For Armenians, he was more than a leg- ing the locations of the Armenian must be protected by adequate domestic legal and endary singer; he was the quintessential By Florence Avakian churches of historic Armenia before the administrative measures recognizing its exceptional hyphenate, successful as a Frenchman and Genocide. cultural and historic value and ensuring the highest Armenian, never forgetting either. These are some of the sacred objects level of protection and must not be used for military Born Shahnour Varinag Aznavourian in that grace eight rooms at the world famous Metropolitan Museum of Art in New purposes or to shield military sites. Paris in 1924, Aznavour began his career York. More than 140 exquisite pieces of devotional art make up the monumental peddling his music to French artists of the exhibition titled “Armenia!” which explores the remarkable artistic, cultural, and 1940s and 1950s such as Edith Piaf, spiritual achievement of the Armenian people over 14 centuries. Trump Names On Thursday morning, September 20, a crowded preview for the media took Candidate for Armenia place before the official opening on September 22. This extraordinary exhibit will be on view for the public until January 13, 2019. Ambassadorship Introducing this special event were president and CEO of the Museum Daniel Weiss, as well as a representative of the Hagop Kevorkian Fund which has had a WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump 50-year association with the Metropolitan. recently announced he will nominate Lynne M. see METROPOLITAN, page 16 Tracy to be the ambassador of the US to Armenia. Tracy is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, and currently serves as senior advisor for Russia Affairs at the US Armenian, Azeri Leaders Positive on First Talks Department of State. Previously, she served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Charles Aznavour DUSHANBE, Tajikistan (RFE/RL) — conflict zone which have again been on the Moscow, Russia, deputy assistant secretary for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan rise lately. “In essence, we can say that Central Asia in the Bureau of South and Central and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev there is an agreement to take measures to Asian Affairs at the Department of State, deputy Maurice Chevalier, and Charles Trenet. seem to have been satisfied with their first prevent violations of the ceasefire regime chief of mission at the US Embassy in Ashgabat, The Eiffel Tower was illuminated in conversation on the Nagorno-Karabakh along the entire Armenia-Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, and principal officer at the US honor of Aznavour. Le Parisien posted a conflict that took place in Tajikistan’s capi- Karabakh-Azerbaijan lines of contact,” he Embassy Branch Office in Astana, Kazakhstan. video on its Facebook account showing the tal Dushanbe on Friday, September 28. said in a video message on Facebook. Tracy served as the principal officer at the US tower. Charles Aznavour’s music can be The two men spoke with each other dur- For that purpose, Pashinyan went on, he Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, where she was heard playing in the area. ing a summit of the Commonwealth of and Aliyev agreed in principle to open a awarded the Secretary’s Award for Heroism. Candles were lit at Yerevan’s Charles Independent States (CIS), a loose grouping direct Armenian-Azerbaijani “communica- She is the recipient of the State Department’s Aznavour Square in memory of the leg- of a dozen former Soviet republics. tion line.” He cautioned, though, that the Distinguished Honor Award. endary French-Armenian crooner. Pashinyan said later on Friday that they two sides need to work out practical Tracy earned her BA from the University of see AZNAVOUR, page 4 agreed to stop ceasefire violations in the see TALKS, page 20 Georgia and JD from the University of Akron. The current US ambassador to Armenia is Richard M. Mills Jr., who has served since 2015. ADL Supreme Council Meets with Prime INSIDE Minister in New York NEW YORK — The meeting of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the members of the Supreme Council Commerce of the Ramkavar Azatakan party (ADL) took place in New York on September 26. The delegation included Vartan Nazerian, Mission chairperson of the Supreme Council, mem- bers, Dr. Arshavir Gundjian, writer and publi- Page 12 cist Hagop Vartivarian and Kevork Marashlian. During the meeting, the participants dis- cussed the political changes that have taken place in Armenia recently, as well as the INDEX recent reforms in the country. Arts and Living . 14 In the conversation with Pashinyan, the Armenia . 2,3 ADL delegates talked about the implemen- Community News. 7 tation of a more comprehensive policy by Editorial . 18 International . 4-6 From left, Hagop Vartivarian, Dr. Arshavir Gundjian, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the party in the motherland. Vartan Nazerian and Kevork Marashlian Priorities concerning Armenia-Diaspora stronger cooperation were also discussed. 2 S ATURDAY, O CTOBER 6 , 2 0 1 8 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia ‘Counterrevolutionary’ Bill Sparks Protests In Armenia; Pashinyan Offers Resignation Artsakh Soldier Killed YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Responding that in case of Pashinyan’s tactical res- to negotiate with leaders of the parlia- to an appeal from Prime Minister Nikol ignation his supporters will blockade mentary forces. STEPANAKERT (Armenpress) — A private in the Pashinyan, thousands of people began the parliament to prevent it from elect- Under the Armenian constitution, Artsakh Defense Army Gevorg Haroyan (born in gathering in Yerevan late on Tuesday, ing another premier during the two- snap elections can be called only if the 1997) was wounded under unknown conditions at October 2, after the Armenian parlia- week period. The controversial bill prime minister resigns and the parlia- one of the military units located in the southeastern ment hastily passed a bill that could effectively extended that period indefi- ment fails to replace him or her by direction at about 10:50 a.m. on October 1, seriously complicate his plans to force nitely. someone else within two weeks. Artsakh’s Defense Ministry reported. snap general elections. The soldier was taken to a hospital, where he suc- Deputies representing cumbed to gunshot wounds at about 3 p.m. not only Serzh Sargsyan’s An investigation is underway. Republican Party (HHK) but also the Prosperous Robot, Louis Pouzin to Armenia (BHK) and Dashnaktsutyun parties Speak at La backed the bill despite Pashinyan’s warnings not Francophonie Forum to “again create a revolu- YEREVAN (Armenpress) — TUMO center will host tionary situation in the the La Francophonie Economic Forum on October country.” 10. Deputy minister for economic development and “Those forces that par- investments Mane Adamyan said they expect 360 ticipated in the drafting of participants at the event. that bill and were going to The forum will last for two-days. Adamyan said that vote for it are exposing participants will take part in business tours October 9. themselves as counterrev- Adamyan says they plan to establish a network of IT olutionary forces,” ministers of Francophone countries at the forum. Pashinyan said after meet- She said that Louis Pouzin, the inventor of data- ing with the HHK’s parlia- Supporters of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan protest outside the parliament building in Yerevan, gram and designer of an early communications net- mentary leaders.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Armenia Page 1 of 13
    Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Armenia Page 1 of 13 Armenia Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor March 6, 2007 Armenia, with a population of approximately 3.2 million, is a republic. The constitution provides for a popularly elected president (Robert Kocharian) and a unicameral legislature (National Assembly). A constitutional referendum in 2005 and presidential and National Assembly elections in 2003 were seriously flawed and did not meet international standards. The country has a multiparty political system. Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces; members of the security forces committed a number of human rights abuses. The government's human rights record remained poor, and serious problems remained. Citizens were not able freely to change their government; authorities beat pretrial detainees; the national security service and the national police force acted with impunity; authorities engaged in arbitrary arrest and detention; prison conditions were cramped and unhealthy, although slowly improving; authorities imposed restrictions on citizens' privacy, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly. Journalists practiced self-censorship, and the government and laws restricted religious freedom. Violence against women and spousal abuse were problems, as were trafficking in persons, discrimination against persons with disabilities, and societal harassment of homosexuals. There were reports of forced labor. There were some improvements during the year. The implementation of constitutional reforms ratified in 2005 led to some increase in judicial independence and for the first time gave citizens direct access to the Constitutional Court. Penalties for trafficking were toughened and a court for the first time imposed financial, as well as criminal, penalties on traffickers.
    [Show full text]
  • UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE 59 Session 7 November to 7 December 2016 PARTNERSHIP for OPEN SOCIETY INITIATIVE's J
    UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE 59th Session 7 November to 7 December 2016 PARTNERSHIP FOR OPEN SOCIETY INITIATIVE’S JOINT SUBMISSION TO THE COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE ON THE FOURTH PERIODIC REPORT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OF PUNISHMENT October 17, 2016, Yerevan, Armenia Hereby, the Partnership for Open Society Initiative,1 representing more than 60 civil society organizations, presents a joint submission prepared by the following civil society organizations, public monitoring groups, human rights lawyers and attorneys: 1. Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women; 2. Center for Rights Development NGO; 3. Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression; 4. Foundation Against the Violation of Law NGO; 5. Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly–Vanadzor; 6. Helsinki Committee of Armenia Human Rights Defender NGO; 7. Journalists' Club Asparez; 8. Open Society Foundations – Armenia; 9. Protection of Rights without Borders NGO; 10. Rule of Law Human Rights NGO; 11. Group of Public Monitors Implementing Supervision over the Criminal-Executive Institutions and Bodies of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia; 12. Public Monitoring Group at the Detention Facilities of the Police of the Republic of Armenia; 13. Davit Khachaturyan, Justice Group, Open Society-Foundations-Armenia, Expert, Ph.D; 14. Inessa Petrosyan, Attorney; 15. Tigran Hayrapetyan, Attorney; 16. Tigran Safaryan, Attorney; 17. Vahe Grigoryan, Attorney, Legal Consultant at EHRAC (Middlesex University). Contacts Persons David Amiryan Karine Ghazaryan Open Society Foundations-Armenia Open Society Foundations-Armenia Deputy Director for Programs Civil Society Program Coordinator E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] 1 http://www.partnership.am/en/index 1 Contents INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Co-Optation of the American Dream: a History of the Failed Independent Experiment
    Cinesthesia Volume 10 Issue 1 Dynamics of Power: Corruption, Co- Article 3 optation, and the Collective December 2019 Co-optation of the American Dream: A History of the Failed Independent Experiment Kyle Macciomei Grand Valley State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cine Recommended Citation Macciomei, Kyle (2019) "Co-optation of the American Dream: A History of the Failed Independent Experiment," Cinesthesia: Vol. 10 : Iss. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cine/vol10/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@GVSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Cinesthesia by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@GVSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Macciomei: Co-optation of the American Dream Independent cinema has been an aspect of the American film industry since the inception of the art form itself. The aspects and perceptions of independent film have altered drastically over the years, but in general it can be used to describe American films produced and distributed outside of the Hollywood major studio system. But as American film history has revealed time and time again, independent studios always struggle to maintain their freedom from the Hollywood industrial complex. American independent cinema has been heavily integrated with major Hollywood studios who have attempted to tap into the niche markets present in filmgoers searching for theatrical experiences outside of the mainstream. From this, we can say that the American independent film industry has a long history of co-optation, acquisition, and the stifling of competition from the major film studios present in Hollywood, all of whom pose a threat to the autonomy that is sought after in these markets by filmmakers and film audiences.
    [Show full text]
  • Kerkorian Slashes His GM Stake to Less Than 5%
    Kerkorian slashes his GM stake to less than 5% By Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY December 1, 2006 DETROIT — Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian will shed an additional 14 million shares of General Motors stock further indicating that he's no longer interested in pressuring GM's management for change. Analysts are divided over whether Kerkorian acted as an agent of change for the ailing automaker or whether he was just a distraction. During his year and a half as a major GM shareholder, he managed to get his top lieutenant, Jerry York, named to the board and pressured the automaker to explore an alliance with Nissan and Renault. Every major stock sale or buy made by Kerkorian has made headlines. After Thursday's sale, he will own less than 5% of GM and will no longer be required to file statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding his shares. The Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported in Friday's edition that the billionaire investor sold his entire remaining investment in GM — 28 million shares — at $29.95 a share, a transaction worth more than $800 million. The newspaper reported that the shares were sold to Bank of America, a key lender to Kerkorian.. Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy noted that there was a 28 million share block trade in GM stock on the New York Stock Exchange shortly after the filing Thursday. "It appears that Kerkorian may now be out of his entire GM position," Murphy wrote in a research note. Carrie Bloom, spokeswoman for Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp., said she could not comment on the transaction beyond the SEC filing.
    [Show full text]
  • American University of Armenia the Impact Of
    AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA THE IMPACT OF DIASPORA AND DUAL CITIZENSHIP POLICY ON THE STATECRAFT PROCESS IN THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA A MASTER’S ESSAY SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS FOR PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS BY ARLETTE AVAKIAN YEREVAN, ARMENIA May 2008 SIGNATURE PAGE ___________________________________________________________________________ Faculty Advisor Date ___________________________________________________________________________ Dean Date AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA May 2008 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The work on my Master’s Essay was empowered and facilitated by the effort of several people. I would like to express my deep gratitude to my faculty adviser Mr. Vigen Sargsyan for his professional approach in advising and revising this Master’s Essay during the whole process of its development. Mr. Sargsyan’s high professional and human qualities were accompanying me along this way and helping me to finish the work I had undertaken. My special respect and appreciation to Dr. Lucig Danielian, Dean of School of Political Science and International Affairs, who had enormous impact on my professional development as a graduate student of AUA. I would like to thank all those organizations, political parties and individuals whom I benefited considerably. They greatly provided me with the information imperative for the realization of the goals of the study. Among them are the ROA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Armenian Assembly of America Armenia Headquarter, Head Office of the Hay Dat (Armenian Cause) especially fruitful interview with the International Secretariat of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau in Yerevan, Tufenkian Foundation, Mr. Ralph Yirikyan, the General Manager of Viva Cell Company, Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • A Form Within a Form a Conversation Between Dor Guez and the Composer Hagop K
    A Form within a Form A Conversation between Dor Guez and the Composer Hagop K. Dor Guez: The fate, or should I say the physical presence, of a work of art that isn't fixed to a place doesn't necessarily attests to its origin, or sources of influence. This is especially true in the case of musical works like your own. Hagop K.: Similarly to movables such as ceramics, carpets, silverware, manuscripts, etc., sometimes it's impossible to point with any certainty to the origin of a melody. Objects such as these are easily transferable and thus it's often hard to pinpoint the identity of their maker. This enabled nationalistic historians to bend their findings and dub unmistakablely Armenian artifacts "Ottoman." D.G.: The nation-state's artificial borders distort the historiography of art. For this reason, the phenomenon of inscription (in Armenian "hishatakaran") is not accidental when we are dealing with minority culture, which is often nomadic. H.K.: More than any other people, we insist on artistic validation and authorship. There is a built-in blindness in the writing on Christian artisanship originating from Armenia. For example, academic literature tends to ignore the Armenian influence on the ceramics made throughout the Ottoman Empire. The prevalent reasons given to this oversight are that many of the objects manufactured by Armenian potters were commissioned by Muslim clients, or that Armenian carpets were woven and commissioned by Muslim subjects of the Empire. Having been subsumed by the metanarrative under the heading "Ottoman" or "Turkish" works, ornaments manufactured in Armenian workshops (decorated ceramic tiles, jars and eggs) were deemed unworthy of a chapter of their own.
    [Show full text]
  • Tigran Hamasyan 2
    PROFILE 5 days people are too busy on their phones and computers to look at the mountain, to look around them. I’m really interested in archeolo- gy and ancient ornaments” — don’t ask him why, he offers with a smile — “and there was this moment when I came across a 4000-year- old ceramic bowl from the Ararat Valley with impressions of the birds, trees and flowers the potter saw as he made it. I realised there is an art to observing.” While the album’s title track is all spacey vo- cals and ancient-to-future grooves, the song Egyptian Poet, with its changing vocal registers and swerving musical tempos, was inspired by a 4000-year-old book of poetry from Egypt. “I was fascinated by this book because it related so much to what is going on in the world now; back then it was all about love and power and hurt feelings too.” Crafted on a raw, ethereal sound- scape, Leninagone is a multi-layered, Russian- doll of a track that takes its melodic cue from late-19th-century Armenian piano music as it tells of the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, a historical event that had a profound impact on Armenia, a former component of the USSR. Hamasyan performing with the Ambitious, much? Another smile. “This Yerevan State Chamber Choir; music has a hint of the Russian Revolution Herbie Hancock, below [which kickstarted the Soviet Union], and from AMY T. ZIELINSKI/REDFERNS the way it’s arranged it is very much about Ar- menian folk influences as well as Caucasian me- Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Han- would say it is all about balancing body, mind lodies and Soviet classical music; creating a cock, him tapping the dashboard, me with my and spirit,” he adds, name-checking the contro- hybrid was part of Soviet ideology.
    [Show full text]
  • Armenian Christians in Jerusalem: 1700 Years of Peaceful Presence*
    Laury Haytayan1 Прегледни рад Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption UDK:27(479.25)(569.44) ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS IN JERUSALEM: 1700 YEARS OF PEACEFUL PRESENCE* Abstract This paper examines the presence of the Armenians in Jerusalem for the past 1700 years. This historical account sheds the light on the importance of Jerusa- lem for the Armenians, especially for the Armenian Church that was granted the authority to safeguard the Holy Places in the Holy Land with the Greek and Latin Churches. During the centuries, the Armenians survived all the conquests and were able to find all sorts of compromises with all the different powers that conquered Jerusalem. This study shows that the permanent presence is due to the wise religious authorities and the entire Armenian community who had no backing from super powers but they had their religious beliefs and their per- sistence in safeguarding the Holy Places of Christianity. The author takes the reader back in History by stopping at important events that shaped the history of the Armenians in the Holy Land. Key words: Jerusalem, Armenians, Crusaders, Holy Land, St James Monas- tery, Old City, Armenian Quarter. Introduction This paper comes at a time when Christians in Iraq and Egypt are being mas- sacred in their churches, Christians in Nazareth are being forbidden to decorate a Christmas tree in public space, and Christians in Lebanon are seeking to pre- serve their political rights to safeguard their presence in their Homeland. At a time, when the Palestinian Authority is alerting the International Community of the danger of the continuous and ferocious settlement construction in East Jerusalem by the State of Israel, and at a time when Christians of the East are being silent on the fate of Jerusalem by leaving it in the hands of the Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, hoping that the Unites States will be the caretaker of the Christians of Jerusalem.
    [Show full text]
  • BIO TIGRAN HAMASYAN in Its Ever-Evolving State, Jazz Invites Into
    BIO TIGRAN HAMASYAN In its ever-evolving state, jazz invites into its fold imaginative artists who freely and courageously pursue their own vision, not only built on tradition but also infused with their own personality and passion. In the case of pianist/keyboardist Tigran Hamasyan, potent jazz improvisation fuses with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. Tigran is one of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz-meets-rock pianists of his generation. Tigran’s fresh sound is marked by an exploration of time signatures, charged dynamics, the shifting between acoustic and electric modes of expression, all undergirded by an affinity to the grind of heavy metal. Born in Gyumri, Armenia, in 1987, Tigran grew up in a household that was full of music—his father more of a rock fan while his uncle was a huge jazz buff. When he was just a toddler, Tigran gravitated to tape players and the piano instead of regular childhood toys, and by the time he was 3, he was working his way through figuring out songs on piano by the Beatles, Louis Armstrong, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Queen. His jazz tastes early on were informed by Miles Davis’s fusion period, and then around the age of 10 when his family moved to Yerevan, he came to discover the classic jazz songbook under the aegis of his teacher Vahag Hayrapetyan, who had studied with Barry Harris. Tigran chose to study music. While he studied classical music at an Armenian high school geared toward music studies, Tigran continued to grow on his own as a jazz pianist.
    [Show full text]
  • Foreign Diplomatic Offices in the United States
    FOREIGN DIPLOMATIC OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES AFGHANISTAN phone (212) 750–8064, fax 750–6630 ˜ Embassy of Afghanistan Her Excellency Elisenda Vives Balmana 2341 Wyoming Avenue, NW., Washington, DC Ambassador E. and P. 20008 Consular Office: California, La Jolla phone (202) 483–6410, fax 483–6488 ANGOLA His Excellency Hamdullah Mohib Ambassador E. and P. Embassy of the Republic of Angola Consular Offices: 2100–2108 16th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20009 California, Los Angeles phone (202) 785–1156, fax 785–1258 New York, New York His Excellency Agostinho Tavares da Silva Neto AFRICAN UNION Ambassador E. and P. Delegation of the African Union Mission Consular Offices: 1640 Wisconsin Avenue, NW., Washington, DC California, Los Angeles 20007 New York, New York Embassy of the African Union Texas, Houston phone (202) 342–1100, fax 342–1101 ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador (Head of Delegation) 3216 New Mexico Avenue, NW., Washington, DC ALBANIA 20016 Embassy of the Republic of Albania phone (202) 362–5122, fax 362–5225 2100 S Street, NW., Washington, DC 20008 His Excellency Ronald Sanders phone (202) 223–4942, fax 628–7342 Ambassador E. and P. Her Excellency Floreta Faber Consular Offices: Ambassador E. and P. District of Columbia, Washington Consular Offices: Florida, Miami Connecticut, Greenwich New York, New York Georgia, Avondale Estates Puerto Rico, Guaynabo Louisiana, New Orleans ARGENTINA Massachusetts, Boston Embassy of the Argentine Republic Michigan, West Bloomfield
    [Show full text]
  • Armenia Page 1 of 18
    Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Armenia Page 1 of 18 Armenia Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2007 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor March 11, 2008 Armenia is a constitutional republic with a population of approximately 3.2 million. The constitution provides for an elected president and a unicameral legislature (the National Assembly). The May parliamentary elections failed to fully meet international standards due to procedural flaws, despite improvements over past elections. The country has a multiparty political system. Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces, although some members of the security forces committed human rights abuses. The government's human rights record remained poor, and serious problems remained. Citizens were not able to freely change their government; authorities beat pretrial detainees; the National Security Service (NSS) and the national police force acted with impunity; authorities engaged in arbitrary arrest and detention; prison conditions were cramped and unhealthy, although slowly improving; authorities imposed restrictions on citizens' privacy, freedom of press, and freedom of assembly. Journalists continued to practice self-censorship, and the government and laws restricted religious freedom. Violence against women and spousal abuse remained problems, as well as trafficking in persons, discrimination against persons with disabilities, and societal harassment of homosexuals. There were reports of forced labor. RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS Section 1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom From: a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life The government and its agents did not commit any politically motivated killings; however, the government reported that during the year, there were three army homicides and four suicides which were judged as resulting from military-related hazing.
    [Show full text]
  • Didier Daeninckx and the Manouchian Resistance Group
    1 An Ever-Present Past: Didier Daeninckx and the Manouchian Resistance Group ‘Writing is always “against”! […] Personally, I am against authority and the disappearance of memory’ — Didier Daeninckx (1997: 68)1 November 1943. Following a series of highly visible attacks in Paris, committed by the Communist, ‘immigrant’ Resistance group of Missak Manouchian,2 the Brigades spéciales (special Brigades) of the French police finally pounce on the perpetrators, and arrest follows arrest. At the end of a very brief trial a few months later, twenty-three members of the combat unit, including Manouchian himself, are condemned to death. The twenty-two men are immediately shot at Mont Valérien, on 21 February 1944 (the one woman, Olga Bancic, is executed separately, beheaded in Stuttgart on 10 May). More or less simultaneously, the photos of ten of these freedom fighters are displayed on the infamous Affiches rouges (red posters), which are plastered over the walls of French towns and cities, and which denounce ‘l’Armée du crime’ (the Army of crime), most obviously composed of people with names of foreign, if not Jewish, origin. Shortly afterwards, the Liberation of France, for which these combatants willingly gave their lives, commenced. That is by no means the end of their story, however. Throughout the post-war period, the group regularly comes back into the headlines, forming, as Margaret Atack has noted, ‘an important focal point for remembrance and controversy’ (2013: 175).3 For example, in 1955, in honour of the group, and to mark the inauguration of a rue du Groupe Manouchian in Paris, Louis Aragon writes the poem which will first appear in L’Humanité on 5 March 1955, entitled ‘Groupe Manouchain’, and then in his collection, Le Roman inachevé, as ‘Strophes pour se souvenir’ (1956: 225-26).
    [Show full text]