Published since 1951
Published on December 20, 2006
U.S. Voices ‘Solidarity’ With Armenian Rights Defenders
- A senior U.S. diplomat on Wednesday heaped praise on Armenia’s leading human rights defenders, saying that the United States believes their activities are “critical” for the country’s democratic future. Anthony Godfrey, the U.S. charge d’affaires in Yerevan, voiced Washington’s strong backing for human rights advocacy at a special lunch with the state Ombudsman Armen Harutiunian and three independent campaigners. "In Armenia, the United States stands in solidarity with you -- the country's brave men and women who are doing such essential work as supporting a free press, fighting against trafficking in persons, advocating for freedom of religion, and supporting women's rights,” Godfrey told them, according to the U.S. embassy. “We thank you for your efforts to further Armenia's democratic reforms, and for your dedication to fighting for those people who often don't have a voice,” he said. The U.S. State Department has described the Armenian authorities’ human rights record as “poor” in its annual reports released in recent years. A statement by the U.S. embassy said the lunch meeting, apparently the first of its kind, was dedicated to International Human Rights Day that was marked around the world on December 10. Two of its participants, Avetik Ishkhanian and Mikael Danielian, are outspoken critics of the Armenian government that have long accused it of condoning police torture, violations of due process and other human rights abuses. Ishkhanian, who leads the Armenian Helsinki Committee, said the U.S. and the West in general have done “more than enough” to highlight these problems and press the authorities in Yerevan to tackle them. “The reasons why the situation with human rights in Armenia is disastrous are purely domestic,” he told RFE/RL. “We have only ourselves to blame for that.” But Danielian disagreed, saying that Western powers “could and should have done more” to bring Yerevan to task. “I expect tougher action from them,” said the chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Assembly. Interestingly, the meeting at the U.S. mission in Armenia coincided with the professional holiday of the employees of the National Security Service (NSS), the Armenian successor to the Soviet KGB. It marks the establishment on December 20, 1917 of the VChK, Bolshevik Russia’s infamous secret police which historians blame for the deaths of millions of people. The agency changed several names before becoming the KGB in 1954. President Robert Kocharian, who reinstated the Soviet-era holiday after coming to power in 1998, used the occasion to award medals to the entire leadership of the NSS. Among the 17 decorated officers were the agency’s director, Gorik Hakobian, and the head of a hitherto unknown NSS directorate tasked with protecting “constitutional order” and combating terrorism. Kocharian’s office said they were decorated for their “considerable contribution” to Armenia’s national security. Ishkhanian scoffed at the official explanation, saying that the ex-KGB’s main function is to help the Kocharian administration stifle dissent and hold on to power. “This ceremony only testified to the deplorable state of human rights protection in Armenia,” he charged. In a rare newspaper interview given two years ago, Hakobian said his agency is learning and drawing inspiration from the “glorious” experience of its Soviet predecessor. He also described former KGB informers as “patriots” who honestly served their country. (Photolur photo: Hakobian, right, and other top NSS officers pictured with Kocharian after receiving the awards.)
- By Emil Danielyan
Headlines for December 20, 2006
Pipeline Break Cuts Russian Gas Supply To Armenia
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia was receiving a fraction of its regular gas supplies from Russia for a third consecutive day on Wednesday due to the reported rupture at a vital pipeline running through neighboring Georgia. ...Another Village Chief Shot Dead
By Astghik BedevianThe mayor of a big village in southern Armenia was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Wednesday in what his relatives and friends claimed was a politically motivated killing. Roland Mkrtchian, 60, was gunned ...U.S. Voices ‘Solidarity’ With Armenian Rights Defenders
By Emil DanielyanA senior U.S. diplomat on Wednesday heaped praise on Armenia’s leading human rights defenders, saying that the United States believes their activities are “critical” for the country’s democratic future. ...Yerevan Seeks International Condemnation Of Monument Destruction
AP
The Armenian government has launched a traveling photo exhibition of what it claims is destruction of monuments at an ethnic Armenian cemetery in the Azerbaijani region of Nakhichevan. "The Armenian ...
Most read news (last 7 days)
Radical Oppositionist Again Vows ‘Revolution’
By Astghik BedevianSarkisian Denies Huge Fortune
By Ruzanna StepanianRussia Moves More Military Material To Armenia
AFPOskanian Meets Iranian Leaders
By Emil DanielyanArmenian Internet Monopoly Scrapped
By Ruben MeloyanKocharian Rules Out Karabakh Deal Before 2007 Vote
By Emil DanielyanU.S.-Armenian Tycoon Launches New Lobby Group
By Harry Tamrazian in PragueDashnaks ‘Do Not Regret’ Alliance With Kocharian
By Satenik Vantsian in Gyumri and Emil DanielyanYerevan Seeks International Condemnation Of Monument Destruction
APKocharian Rejects Karabakh Vote Criticism
By Emil Danielyan
© AUA
Today in Armenian history- 1808 Birth of Mser Mseryants (public figure and philologist) in Smyrna. He died in 1873 in Moscow (Russia).
- 1883 Spandar Spandarian publishes the "Nor Dar" newspaper in Tbilissi (Georgia).
- 1885 Birth of Askanaz Mravyan (bolshevik politician). He was murdered by Soviet Police in 1929.
- 1912 The tsarist government promulgates a law on farmers' rights in the regions of Tbilissi, Kutais, Yerevan, Elizavetpol, and Baku provinces. Their servitude is abolished and they are allowed to buy back their land with state support.
Forum most active discussions
ARMENIAN NEWS
INTERACTIVE NEWS
INFORMATION
MY ARMTOWN
How to quit smoking?
How to write in Armenian on Windows XP?
All materials published on this website are taken from open sources and are copyrighted by their respective owners. You cannot reproduce or copy any materials published on armtown.com without written consent of original copyright holder. If you want to remove any material, please send us an email with proof of ownership/copyright and your material will be removed immediately. All materials published for information purposes only.