RADIO LIBERTY (RFE/RL) BETRAYS ITS IDEALS
During the last few weeks, almost 20 American web sites and blogs published Armenian journalist Anna Karapetian's "Open Letter to Human Rights and Freedom of Press International Organizations". The commentary on the letter and the letter itself appeared on the internet pages of influencial newspapers such as the New York Times and USA Today.
Reflecting on the "Open Letter" the editor of Freemeniaonline blog Ted Lipien says, the Armenian journalist Anna Karapetian hopes that the Obama Administration's plans will include the protection of the very elementary labor rights of the foreign employees working in the headquarters of RFE/RL, which is known as a defender of human rights and freedom of speech. Despite the fact that RFE/RL is registered as a private organization, it is led by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the Senate. Moreover, the Secretary of State is an ex officio BBG member. This means that since January the 20th, Barak Obama's ideological partner Hilary Clinton has been a part of the policy making process regarding U.S. International Broadcasting.
Anna Karapetian's "Open Letter" has created an interest in the American Media because, funded by the American congress, RFE/RL with a mission to spread democratic values, is itself flagrantly violating those same values by discriminating against its non-American employees. These are mostly journalists who are invited from former Soviet Union, former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and other target countries. RFE/RL propagates democratic values for these undemocratic or transitional countries with the voices of the same journalists, who themselves have zero labor protection.
Here is what Anna Karapetian explains in her "Open Letter": "Signing a standardized Employment Agreement "governed by the applicable laws of the United States, the laws of the District of Columbia or the Policies of the Company", the non-American journalists trustfully and proudly place themselves under the protective hand of RFE/RL, a beacon of human rights. In reality, however, they obtain about as much legal protection as the inhabitants of Guantanamo: not in the country of their origin, not in the host country (Czech Republic) and not in the United States"
The management of the Radios indeed knows that from 1991 the foreigners working for an American employer abroad are expressly, specifically exempt from the protection provided to Americans by EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), and that Federal Civil Rights Act. The 1977 District of Columbia Human Rights Act being subordinate to US federal legislation also excludes them from protection.
Mother of three minors, Anna Karapetian only after being arbitrarily separated from the Radios after almost 12 years of employment discovered that she and more than 150 of her non-American colleagues are exempt from the protection provided to Americans by EEOC and are also not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, by the Equal Pay Act, by the Disabilities Act, by the Family and Medical Leave Act. How could RFE/RL offer such a contract, knowing that non-Americans cannot appeal to American courts? Legally, they are able to do this because the Czech Republic still has some regulations dating back to the Communist era, which allow foreign companies to use foreign labor laws if they don't contradict the fundamentals of the "Czechoslovak Socialist Republic".
"From such legal chaos and agreement larceny the small "tsars" of the Radios take advantage. It appears that at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty headquarters the non-American employees, mainly broadcasters and editors, are as unprotected against arbitrary decisions and discrimination as their colleagues in the countries to which the Radios broadcast, such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan or Azerbaijan. The methods are different but the results are virtually the same. In RFE/RL target countries the journalists are harassed, persecuted and forced into silence. At the Prague main office, they are harassed and separated from the Radios and thus forced into silence. As a result, in both cases their listeners are barred from the familiar voices they used to trust. RFE/RL "explains" it's policy with the philosophy of "employment-at-will" which more clearly in America is nick-named as the principle of "employment-at-whim". According to that doctrine the employer can fire anyone, anytime with no reason. The difference is that the American employees are able to protect their rights in the courts, while the non-Americans are denied this right. After all, one can't be amazed that several target states one by one started the process of banning RFE/RL programs on their national frequencies. The behavior of the Radios towards it's employees in fact is being monitored as an example by the authoritarian governments of those countries who also act with the philosophy of "at - will or at-whim",- comments Anna Karapetian.
The author of the commentary on Freemediaonline Ted Lipien writes "Legal cases against RFE/RL's employment practices have been filed by the dismissed employees with the Czech Supreme Court, the Czech Constitutional Court, and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg... In yet another major embarrassment for the BBG, one of the most respected world statesmen, former Czech president and human rights activist Vaclav Havel, promised to personally monitor the cases of the fired employees. The PR problem created by these cases and the damage to America's image abroad can be traced back to the actions of a relatively small group of unelected U.S. government officials".
The plaintiffs, two foreign female employees are suing RFE/RL for violations of their labor, civil and human (national equality) rights, resulting from the violation of legal sovereignty of the Czech Republic. The conclusion is one; these legal cases are a stamp of shame, a stigma on the history of the well respected Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which have supported democracy for decades. Regardless of what the results of the court cases will be the serious and substantiated charges against RFE/RL are already a tremendous blow to the reputation and the prestige of an institution with a glorious history.
- Hakob Tsulikian
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- 1268 Enthronement of the Armenian Catholicos, Hakob Klayetsee the First. He was an erudite scholar, orator, and commentator. He supported the signing of the Armenian-Egyptian Peace Treaty of the end of the 13th century. (He died in 1286).
- 1286 Death of Catholicos Hakob Klayetsee the First, an erudite scholar, orator, and commentator. He supported the signing of the Armenian-Egyptian Peace Treaty of the end of the 13th century.
- 1721 Greegor Shghtayakeer, who was elected Jerusalem's Patriarch in 1715, placed a chain around his neck to symbolize the debts of the Patriarchate. Several years later, on collecting sufficient funds to pay off the debts, he assumed his patriarchal throne. He built new buildings and introduced various improvements. He died in 1749.
- 1845 Birth of Mateos Izmirlian in Constantinople. He died in 1910.
- 1845 Birth of Patriarch Matheos Izmirlyan in Constantinople. He died in 1910.
- 1908 Death in Cairo (Egypt) of Arpiar Arpiaryan (writer and public figure). He was born in 1851.
- 1918 Death of Sultan Hameed, nicknamed the "Red Sultan" because of his organized Genocide of the Armenians in 1894-1896. He was dethroned in 1909.
- 1918 Turkish officers reject the armistice and move (with 25000 soldiers) on Erzroom, Van and the Black Sea coast. Armenian forces -- alone -- are unable to stop the Turkish agression.
- 1919 Two Armenian delegations leading by Poghos Noobar and Avetees Aharonyan present the "Memorandum on Armenian's Demands" to the Paris Conference. The document sought the recognition of Armenia's Independent Statehood, compensation for Armenian losses reimbursement, a 20-year mandate for Armenia by one of the Allied countries, and punishment of the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide. No attention was paid to the document.
- 1921 Protests in Loree Province against its "Neutral Zone" status under the Menshevik government of Georgia. Consequently, it is ceded to Armenia four days later.
- 1950 Creation of the European Radio Union.
- 1988 Party and Economic meetings took place in the Autonomous Region of Mountainous Gharabagh. These demanded the reunification of Artsakh to Armenia.
- 1988 First national mass demonstrations in Stepanakert in favor of Union between Armenia and Artsakh.
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