MARCH 2, 2019 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXIX, NO. 32, Issue 4576 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Another Armenian Genocide Survivor Dies In Argentina at Church in Turkey Age 106 Vandalized with BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Prensa Armenia) — Lusine Beredjiklian, one of the last survivors of the Hate Graffiti Armenian Genocide, died on February 21, at age 106. ISTANBUL (Combined Sources) — She was born on January 7, 1913 in Aintab. Another Armenian church in Istanbul, “When I remember, I cannot sleep,” Beredjiklian Turkey, has been vandalized with anti- said in 2015, when the 100th anniversary of the Armenian graffiti, the Armenian Armenian Genocide was commemorated. Patriarchate of Constantinople announced Beredjiklian said her father, Abraham, was a jew- on Facebook. eler. He sent his elder sons to Aleppo when World Vandals spray painted hate messages in War I had just started and later the entire family English and Arabic on the exterior wall of decided to go to Syria. On the way to Aleppo they the Surp Hreshdagabed Armenian Church were looted. Her mother, pregnant at that time, in the neighborhood of Balat on Saturday, died on the way, while Abraham died in Damascus. February 23. After that her brothers moved to Argentina, but The local council members reported the Lusine remained in Syria with her sister until 1929, matter to Archbishop Aram Ateshian as after which they also moved to South America. well as the local police. All her life Beredjiklian lived in Buenos Aires and This is not the first incident in which was one of the active members of the local Armenian institutions have been the target Armenian community. of graffiti and vandalism in Istanbul in recent years. Only last week, the walls of the Armenian Swiss High Court Surb Astvadsadsin Church in Istanbul’s Tosses out Opposition Zeinlink district were covered with hate graffiti. (See related editorial, page 18.) “You are finish” on one of the doors To Geneva Genocide In April 2018 photos of graffiti reading “This homeland is ours” spray-painted on Monument the exterior wall of the Armenian Surp In 2016, the exterior walls of the Armenian graffiti reading “One night, we GENEVA (Swissinfo.ch) — Switzerland’s highest Takavor Church and a pile of trash was Bomonti Mkhitarian Armenian School of suddenly will be in Karabakh.” court has rejected the opposition raised by several dumped in front of the church’s door began. Istanbul were vandalized with anti- The messages included the Turkish for Genevans to a recently-unveiled monument com- “You are finish” (sic). memorating the Armenian Genocide in the city. The Armenian patriarchate conveyed The decision published by the Federal Court on video footage of the incident to the police. Monday, February 18, rejected claims by residents Symposium and Concert Celebrating A recent report by a Protestant associa- that the monument would lead to the area becom- tion had suggested that Christians living in ing a site of demonstrations, or even conflict Tigran Mansurian at 80 Turkey were worried about the increasing between members of the Armenian and Turkish hate speech against their communities. communities. LOS ANGELES — The celebration of the Many Christian families reportedly had to “Residents can appeal when they are definitely 80th birthday of composer Tigran leave the country due to intensified cam- or at least with sufficient probability, affected by Mansourian is an occasion both for reflec- paigns on traditional and social media por- the repercussions of such a decision,” the court tion on the musical path he has traversed traying Christians as spies . wrote. This was not the case for the monument in as well as to revisit select works from his Minority Foundations Representative Parc Tremblay, Geneva. hauntingly diverse repertoire in perfor- Moris Levi condemned the attack, accord- The decision should bring to an end the long mance at a day-long event at UCLA’s ing to the Turkish news site Sendika.org. saga of the monument, which was unveiled in April Schoenberg Hall on March 6. “These acts are a clear hate crime and 2018 after a decade of debates and delay. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Mansurian our communities are still being subjected Not only was it tricky to find an appropriate loca- resettled in Armenia with his family after to such attacks,” Levi said. tion for the genocide memorial – initially approved World War II, where he began to study Armenian opposition lawmaker Garo in 2008 – but opposition from Turkey also made music, soon distinguishing himself as a rep- Paylan posted pictures of the graffiti on the monument a diplomatic headache into which resentative of the avant-garde constellation Twitter and said authorities should shed the federal government was forced to wade. of Soviet composers that included Arvo light on the people behind the attack. “Les Réverbères de la Mémoire” [Streetlights of Pärt, Alfred Schnittke and Valentin “A hate crime has been committed memory], designed by French artist Melik Ohanian, Silvestrov. That generation boldly experi- against Balat Surp Hreshdagabed is a collection of nine street lamps, each ten meters mented with styles emanating from Armenian Church. Hate crimes against tall and featuring lamps in the form of teardrops, Western Europe, before branching out to Tigran Mansourian churches and commemorating the Armenian Genocide. see MANSURIAN, page 20 see VANDALISM, page 4 The genocide was recognized by the parliament of Geneva in 2001 and by the Swiss federal parlia- ment in 2003. Roupen Herian INSIDE Rescuer of Orphans Remembered By the TCA Metro LA Chapter VEM 2019 ALTADENA, Calif. — The Tekeyan Cultural Association Metro Los Angeles Chapter hosted a Tour bilingual program titled “Roupen Herian: Rescuer of Armenian Orphans,” on February 17 at the Tekeyan Page 13 Center in Altadena. Boston-based scholar Aram Arkun, executive director of the Tekeyan Cultural Association of the United States and Canada and assistant editor of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator, served as the keynote speaker and presented the INDEX fascinating life of Herian, who dedicated himself to Arts and Living . 13 Armenia . 2,3 the herculean task of locating kidnapped Armenian Community News. 6 women and children during and immediately after Editorial . 18 the Armenian Genocide. International . 4,5 see HERIAN, page 12 Aram Arkun 2 S ATURDAY, M ARCH 2 , 2 0 1 9 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Yerevan University Head Under Hrazdan Mayor Arrested Mounting Pressure to Resign On Corruption Charges YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Former Mayor of YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Education ing membership in the former ruling serving out his current term in office in Hrazdan Aram Danielyan was arrested on Tuesday, Minister Arayik Harutiunyan on party. 2020. February 26, on suspicion of embezzlement and mis- Thursday, February 21, called for the On Wednesday, February 20, Meanwhile, Harutiunyan made a case use of state funds, the Investigative Committee said. resignation of the long-serving rector of Armenian police claimed that an for Simonyan’s resignation after a week- Danielyan is suspected of embezzling land and Armenia’s largest university who is fac- unnamed “managing official of the uni- ly cabinet meeting in Yerevan. The edu- property taxes during his years in office as mayor of ing corruption allegations denied by versity” has embezzled YSU funds and cation minister said that the YSU head the Armenian town. him as politically motivated. engaged in other corrupt practices over should go because he is widely “associ- The Investigative Committee said the criminal Aram Simonyan, who has run the past decade. In particular, a police ated with many negative practices that investigation is still ongoing. Yerevan State University since 2006, statement said that in 2015 a private have existed in YSU and the sphere of Danielyan hasn’t yet made any public statement on came under pressure to resign following firm remodeled the official’s apartment higher education in general.” the matter. last spring’s Velvet Revolution that top- and separate house in return for being Harutiunyan, who taught at YSU pled the country’s previous government granted a 400 million-dram construc- before being appointed to Pashinyan’s headed by Serzh Sargsyan. A member of tion contract by the YSU administra- government in May, went on to accuse Proceeds from Papian Sargsyan’s Republican Party (HHK) tion. Simonyan of trying to “politicize” the corruption inquiries and “using many Concert to Go to April deans and scholars as a shield.” War Hero Fund YEREVAN (Panorama.am) — Armenian opera singer, world-famous soprano Hasmik Papian sang at Pashinyan’s Party in the 10th jubilee festival of the Armenian Music No Rush to Admit which is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Armenian composer Avet Terteryan. The concert New Members took place at Aram Khachaturyan concert hall on February 20. YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Prime As Papian had informed earlier, all proceeds of the Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil charity concert will be donated to Armenak Contract party is careful not to admit a Urfanyan Fund, who died in the Four-Day Artsakh large number of new members even War in April 2016, destroying a tank and more though thousands of Armenians are than10 enemy soldiers. seeking to join it, a senior party member “I want to inform that 3.346.200 drams ($6,800) said on Tuesday, February 26. were collected from the sale of the tickets thanks to Aram Simonyan, the Yerevan State University rector, holds a news conference in his Lena Nazaryan said Civil Contract your dedicated efforts. The proceeds will be trans- office, 29 May 2018. has received 9,000 membership applica- ferred to Armenak Urfanyan Fund. I am extremely tions since Pashinyan swept to power in grateful to all those who contributed to this initia- May on a wave of mass protests that tive,” Papian wrote on her Facebook page.