MARCH 25, 2017 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVII, NO. 36, Issue 4480 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Paris Street to Be Schiff, Pallone Support Aid to Armenia, Named for Zabel Yesayan Artsakh in Fiscal Year 2018 US Budget PARIS (armedia.am) — A street in Paris will be named for the late Armenian writer, Zabel Yesayan WASHINGTON — Armenian Caucus Co- tization for Armenia and the people of urge the Subcommittee to support imple- in honor of the official visit of Armenian President Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Artsakh for the FY18 budget before the mentation of the Royce-Engel peace pro- Serzh Sargsyan to France. House Intelligence Committee Ranking House Appropriations Subcommittee on posals, prioritizing the placement of inde- Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo made the announce- Member and Armenian Caucus Vice Chair State, Foreign Operations, and Related pendent monitors and equipment to deter- ment last week during a meeting with the president Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) provided testimo- Programs. mine the source of attacks along the line of in the Paris City Hall, the official website of ny in support of aid to Armenia and “I was deeply disturbed by the escalation contact; suspend US military aid to Sargsyan noted. Artsakh as the of violence in the last year and the major Azerbaijan until its government ceases its “We have decided to rename one of the streets of Administration military assault by Azerbaijani forces attacks against Armenia and Nagorno Paris after Zabel Yesayan. She was in the midst of released the against the people of Artsakh...In light of Karabakh, and agrees to the peaceful the suffering of the Armenian people and symbol- budget blue- the escalating violence and aggression, I see BUDGET, page 2 izes all these sufferings. In Paris we retain the print for Fiscal memory of all the sufferings of rebellions, struggles Year 2018. endured by the Armenian people, but at the same Schiff told time we are opening the possible roads which will the Armenian Jewish Right-Wing Extremists Riot During express hope, discoveries and initiatives also in Assembly of Yerevan,’’ Hidalgo said. America that “I Performance by Armenian Choir in Jerusalem Yesayan was the only woman to be rounded up remain deeply on April 24, 1915. She was a novelist, translator troubled by the Manofim contemporary arts festival event, and activist for women’s rights. ongoing cease- being held in the Clal Center mall, and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Ca) By Nir Hasson fire violations, clashed with attendees. The event was the i n c l u d i n g finale of Manofim’s ninth annual festival. Chairman of Turkish attacks against civilians, and the strong evi- JERUSALEM (Haaretz) — Right-wing Organizers had wanted to take advantage Azerbaijani Union dence of human rights abuses on the part extremists rioted during a performance by of the circular shape of the Clal Center inte- of Azeri troops. I will continue to work a Christian choir at a contemporary arts rior, one of the oldest commercial centers Sentenced for Hate with my colleagues to advance key priori- event in Jerusalem on Thursday, March 16. in Jerusalem. ties to ensure peace and stability in the The police arrested two members of the Various choirs performed on the ground Speech region. I also look forward to strengthen- anti-assimilationist Lehava organization, floor during the evening while hundreds of THE HAGUE (Public Radio of Armenia) — Ilhan ing and expanding the Armenian Caucus.” including its leader, Bentzi Gopstein. people stood on the floors above to watch. Askin, chairman of the Turkish Azerbaijani Cultural In his testimony, Schiff discussed priori- Dozens of extremists infiltrated the The right-wing demonstration erupted Association in The Hague, has received the sentence of during the performance by the city’s 120 hours of community service as well as a suspend- Armenian Church Choir. An eyewitness ed imprisonment of four weeks in the Netherlands after said the disruption started when the choir being found guilty of hate speech and inciting violence began singing, and that it took a long time for his “Karabakh will be Armenians’ grave” chants, the for the police to arrive. European Armenian Federation for Justice and see RIOT, page 4 Democracy (EAFJD) reports. Askin led the chants during a Turkish rally in Analysis: Almelo in June 1, 2014 at the Genocide memorial erected in the churchyard of the Armenian The Sick Man on Apostolic Church. The Federation of Armenian Organizations in the Netherlands (FAON) and Dutch Armenian The Bosporus Committee for Justice and Democracy (Hay Tad), had filed a complaint against the statements made By Muriel Mirak-Weissbach during that demonstration. Special to the Mirror-Spectator The court hearing on the case on March 3 was BERLIN — In the late 19th century, attended by many Armenians and Turks, as well as the cliché phrase making the rounds Dutch, Armenian and Turkish media. The video of the imperial palaces in Europe, was played during the session showed Askin chanting that the Ottoman Empire, a creature “Karabakh will be the grave of the Armenians” sev- in which they all had their vested eral times, and a crowd of a few thousand people interests, was the sick man of Europe. repeating the slogan. The means the Great Powers devised Askin stated that he doesn’t consider his state- Turkish Authorities Interfering to cure the problem led to world war, ments offensive. He said that his expressions relate in the course of which they divvied up to a specific region, where due to the current situ- In Patriarchal Election Process the dismantled empire, carving out ation war will possibly break out and blood will be new puppet states on the geopolitical shed. He believes that he has not done anything ISTANBUL (Agos) — The Clerical map. Not a few of our contemporary wrong. He said he does not regret his statements. Assembly of the Armenian Patriarchate of political analysts trace the origins of Istanbul elected Archbishop Karekin the current wars and crises ripping Bekjian, Primate of the German Diocese through the region back to that cata- of the Armenian Apostolic Church as strophic conflict a century ago. Today INSIDE Locum Tenens — a patriarchal alternate leading figures in European democra- on March 15. (See related editorial on cies are beginning to wonder if there page 18.) might be a new form of illness mani- The voting was seen as the first step of festing itself, this time in modern-day Comic patriarchal elections. Turkey. This time the threats of con- Thirty members of the Clerical flict are emanating from the palace of Assembly participated. the would-be new sultan. Relief The Locum Tenens is responsible for Referendum for Dictatorship managing the process of electing the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul. The ostensible casus belli in the Page 14 Vicar General Aram Ateshyan, Bishop escalating conflict between Turkey Sahak Mashalyan and Archbishop and Europe, especially Germany, is Karekin Bekjian were initially named as the April 16 referendum on the intro- candidates. However, Mashalyan, in a duction of a presidential system INDEX statement before the election, declared which would grant the Turkish presi- Arts and Living . 12 that would withdraw and supported dent powers so vast as to eliminate Armenia . 2,3 Bekjian. Still, Ateshyan is not stepping checks and balances on the part of Community News. 6 Editorial . 18 Archbishop Karekin Bekjian other institutions like the judiciary down as Vicar General. International . 4,5 see INTERFERENCE, page 5 and parliament. In what is shaping see CONFLICT, page 20 2 S ATURDAY, M ARCH 2 5 , 2 0 1 7 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Aurora Initiative Donates $1 Million in Scholarships to American University of Armenia Protest Erupts in YEREVAN — The Aurora Armenian Genocide,” said Veronika will provide enhanced diversity and Humanitarian Initiative in cooperation Zonabend, the co-founder of Scholae enrich the lives of all students. We are Armenia over Activist’s with Scholae Mundi Armenia will grant Mundi Armenia Foundation, and, proud to be a part of this initiative and, one million dollars in scholarships to together with her husband Ruben through our educational programs, be Death in Jail students from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Vardanyan, co-founder of the RVVZ able to express gratitude to the descen- YEREVAN (AP) — Protesters demonstrated Friday, Jordan and Egypt to study at the Foundation which helped create the dants of the people who sheltered March 17, for a second consecutive day over the American University of Armenia (AUA) Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and Armenians during the most tragic part death in prison of an opposition activist. between now and 2023. This scholar- the Aurora Gratitude Projects. of their history,” said Dr. Armen Der More than 1,000 people gathered in downtown ship fund is created as part of the “The American University of Kiureghian, president of the American Yerevan to criticize the government and demand a Aurora Gratitude Projects. Armenia is extremely grateful to the University of Armenia. proper investigation into the death of 49-year old The scholarships are for citizens of creators of the Aurora Humanitarian The recipients will continue to Artur Sarkisyan, who was in prison on charges of aid- the above-mentioned countries who Initiative, specifically Ruben Vardanyan receive the scholarships throughout ing terrorists. wish to pursue the following degrees: and Veronika Zonabend, who through their study at AUA as long as they are Sarkisyan went on a hunger strike last month to BSc in Computer Science, Engineering their immense generosity have created in good academic standing. The schol- protest his incarceration.