FEBRUARY 25, 2012 MirTHE rARoMENr IAN -Spe ctator In Our 8 Volume LXXXII, NO. 33, Issue 4227 0th Y$e2a.r00 NEWS IN BRIEF The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 French-Armenians to Pay Tribute to Sumgait Akçam at NAASR Talk Pogrom Victims Discusses Istanbul Trials PARIS (Armenpress) — Commemoration events on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Of Genocide Perpetrators Sumgait pogrom will be sponsored by the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations BELMONT, Mass. — Prof. Taner Akçam spoke to a packed in France and Nagorno Karabagh Republic’s mis - audience at the National Association for Armenian Studies and sion in France, according to Nouvelle d’Armenie . Research (NAASR) on A holy liturgy will be chanted on February 26 in the post-World War I Saint John (Hovhannes) Armenian Apostolic By Alin K. Gregorian trials of Genocide per - Church, after which participants will lay flowers in Mirror-Spectator Staff petrators in Istanbul front of the statue of Komitas, honoring the mem - and other cities in ories of the Sumgait victims. Ottoman Turkey, part A demonstration condemning the Sumgait of a promotional tour of his new book, Judgment at Istanbul , pogrom will take place near the mayor’s office on a collaboration with Prof. Vahakn Dadrian. February 27. The trials, which were astonishing when they took place, have Prof. Taner Akçam with Prof. James Russell at NAASR confirmed what international scholars have known: that the Azerbaijanis Destroy Genocide and the forced marches of the Armenians were ordered by the government and that they were carried out at the suggesting that the British High Command had pressured the Armenian Monuments orders of a central authority and not haphazardly, as many sham trials to take place as part of Turkey’s punishment being denialists maintain. However, almost immediately after they took in the losing side of World War I. In Nakhijevan place, the Young Turk government distanced itself from them, see AKÇAM , page 17 YEREVAN (Armenpress) — No Armenian monu - ment has remained in Nakhijevan, expert Argam Ayvazyan told a news conference this week. He said the issue affects everyone. “The intellectuals, state Sargisian Participates in Convention Presidential Report officials, public figures have no right to be indiffer - ent. It is even unknown in which conditions the Backs Probe into monuments were eliminated,” Ayvazyan said. Of Homeland Defenders Union Public Officials for He said Azerbaijan vandalizes Armenian monu - ments and the issue is under the spotlight of the YEREVAN — President Serge Sargisian the convention, the president of Armenia Role in Dink Murder Ministry of Culture. The cross-stones registered dur - participated this week at the ninth conven - made a statement: ing different periods were eliminated primarily dur - tion of the Volunteer Homeland Defenders I am obligated to structure all my speech - ISTANBUL (Today’s Zaman) — A new ing 1998-2006. Union, which took place at the Karen es according to the accepted standards, to report from the country’s top office is He suggests the public demand the preservation Demirjian Sport and Concert Complex. At take into consideration how an official expected to put much-needed support of the Armenian culture and voice their concern in statement will be received by the behind judges and prosecutors who are the international court. most diverse audiences so that currently conducting investigations into words addressed to the one do several public officials for their role in not indirectly upset or hurt the the murder of Turkish-Armenian weekly Georgian MP Charged other. I have also to consider Agos editor Hrant Dink. With Coup Attempt every protocol nuance. To keep in The State Audit Institution (DDK), line, today I should have started which started the investigation into the TBILISI (News.am) — A former member of parlia - like this, “I salute the delegates issue last year in January and posted it ment was detained while attempting to cross the and guests of the ninth on the website of the presidential office Armenian-Georgian border, Georgian Ministry of Convention of the Volunteer on Monday, has stated that a threat Internal Affairs informs. Homeland Defenders Union.” against Dink’s life was known by the According to the report, Valery Gelbakhiani was However, I will not do that, police and gendarmerie officials who detained on Monday. He has been on a wanted list because 25 years of shared path failed to take the necessary measures in since February 2008, after he was charged with a make me speak and start in a dif - light of early warnings and tips about coup attempt. ferent fashion — like this: Folks, the plot to kill Dink. Gelbakhiani was head of the headquarters for it’s good to see you again. The report also noted that the serious - presidential candidate Badri Patarkatsishvili. Vazgen Sargisian used to say, ness of the actions of public officials in Gelbakhiani fled the state after criminal proceed - “Homeland defenders are one of the run up to the murder has not been ings against him in 2008, Novosti-Gruziya reports. our greatest achievements, if not understood and the link between their He circulated a letter earlier this year asking secu - the greatest. They shielded with actions and the murder could not be rity guarantees in order to visit his sick mother. their bodies, with their blood the established, leading to the failure of all of borders of our country and it was the investigations into public officials. their blood that spearheaded cre - The DDK report has come out at a ation of the Army of this coun - time when there is a secret investigation INSI DE try.” Vazgen was right. It is true into several public officials who alleged - that homeland defenders are not ly had roles in preventing the murder of President Serge Sargisian border troops — they are the Dink, who was shot dead by an ultra- see VETERANS, page 20 nationalist teenager in broad daylight. Kévorkian Dink was convicted in 2005 for “insult - ing Turkishness” in a newspaper article, Lecture Armenian War Veterans Pledge despite an expert report that he had not committed the said charge. He received threats from extremist rightist groups Story on page 13 Election Support For Sargisian and ultranationalist circles until he was murdered, causing outrage among many YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — A once-powerful organization uniting thousands of Turks who joined a massive demonstra - Armenian veterans of the Nagorno-Karabagh war has pledged to support President tion on the day of his funeral. Serge Sargisian in the upcoming national elections four years after effectively back - The 650-page report stated that the INDEX ing his most formidable political foe, Levon Ter-Petrosian. DDK’s authority is limited in conducting Arts and Living . 13 The Yerkrapah Union reaffirmed its allegiance to Sargisian during a weekend con - such an investigation, and it should Armenia . .2,3 gress that reelected General Manvel Grigorian, a former deputy defense minister, as avoid influencing the judiciary, but it Community News. 5 its chairman. evaluates the situation in the face of the Editorial . 18 “We must actively participate in all upcoming elections,” Grigorian told the high- European Court of Human Rights International . 4 see PLEDGE, page 20 (ECtHR) ruling, which declared in see REPORT, page 4 Benefit for the Armenian Mirror-Spectator Celebrating 80 Years and Beyond Thursday, May 24, 2012 2 S ATURDAY , F EBRUARY 25, 2012 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia US Congressmen Visit Armenia Armenian Students May YEREVAN — A 15-member Congressional delegation from the Study in Poland US House of Representatives headed YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The Ministry of by Chairman David Dreier met with Education and Sciences have announced a compe- President Serge Sargisian and tition to win a scholarship to study in Poland in the Speaker of Parliament Samvel 2012-2013 academic year for all professions, except Nikoyan on February 19. Sargisian medicine and art. hosted a dinner for the delegation, The press office of the ministry said the studies which included five members of the would be conducted in Polish; those who do not US House of Representatives and know the language must take a one-year course. Ambassador John Heffern. Graduates of secondary schools and universities Dreier, chair of the House may participate in the competition. Democracy Partnership (HDP), high - The deadline for the submission of applications is lighted the importance of the upcom - March 2. ing parliamentary elections to the bilateral relationship and urged the government and all the political par - World Bank Stands by ties to “do everything in their power to ensure free, fair and credible elec - President Serge Sargisian meets with the members of the delegation. Growth Forecast tions.” The delegation expressed YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — The World Bank still interest in developing closer ties to support the development of inde - CA); Rep. James Moran (D-VA); Rep. expects the Armenian economy to grow by more between the National Assembly and pendent, democratic legislatures. Joe Wilson (R-SC); Rep. Adrian Smith than 4 percent this year despite the risk of “exter- the US Congress. This was the second visit of the HDP (R-NE); Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX) nal shocks” that could slow its recovery, the head The HDP is a bipartisan, 20-mem - to Armenia. and Rev. Patrick Conroy, chaplain of of the bank’s Yerevan office, Jean-Michel Happi, ber commission established by the The delegation included Dreier (R- the House of Representatives. said last Friday. US House of Representatives in 2005 “Today our baseline scenario still projects growth in the range of 4.2 percent for 2012 and 2013,” Happi told a news conference. But he cautioned that this and other economic projections could be New Crowd Control Rules Approved for Armenian Police revised later this year “in the light of the ongoing crisis in Europe.” YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Security handled by police officers during the violent crowd.