Once upon a time we wrote about the infamous tactics of the Azerbaijani government to justify the murder of Gurgen Margaryan by Azerbaijani lieutenant Ramil Safarov. The latter is on trial in Hungary.

As noted earlier, Azerbaijan has tried to “show” Hungarian society what a victimized but great nation Azerbaijan, hence its “hero” Ramil Safarov, is. For this, “Days of Azerbaijani Culture” were set to be organized in Hungary. After the news, I did not hear about those “Days of Azerbaijani Culture” anymore; perhaps nobody attended it or it has not taken place yet.

Gurgen Margaryan of Armenia, 26, was hacked to death while asleep by Ramil Safarov, a Lieutenant of the Azerbaijani Army on 19 February 2004. Both were participants of an English language training course within the framework of the NATO-sponsored “Partnership for Peace” program held in Budapest, Hungary. More on the murder at http://budapest.sumgait.info/.

Either way, Azerbaijan has switched the tactic to its alternative resource of “pressure”- oil. As the “State Information Agency of Azerbaijan” informs on 11 February 2006, “HUNGARIANS FAMILIARIZE WITH AZERBAIJAN OIL STRATEGY.”

During the “familiarization” with Azerbaijani oil strategy, the Hungarian representatives were again reminded, “that as a result of Armenian aggressive policy, 20% of Azeri territories were occupied and over 1 mln refugees remained without roof.”

In short, want oil for Safarov?

In many forums you will continuously read the question whether ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia) still exists. For me ASALA exists, because the Armenian question is still in existence.

A report from Noyan Tapan News agency (7 February 2006), as www.armeniangenocide.com posts, informs that former political prisoners and fighters of ASALA have joint in "Ukht Ararati" (Oath of Ararat) non-governmental organization to peacefully continue their fight for reinforcing the treaty of Sevres, which granted Armenians of modern eastern Turkey the right to have a united republic within a large area of historic Armenia.

Turkish nationalists continue their accusations of “ASALA-terror,” reminding that the fighters of ASALA reportedly assassinated several Turkish diplomats in the 1970s and later.

ASALA stopped its military actions in the early 1980s, but arguably had input in the 1990s’ liberation of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), an Armenian region, that along with Nakhichevan, had been signed off to Soviet Azerbaijan by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

From its birth (1975) until today, ASALA has published dozens of newspapers in different languages.

Last year Armenia Liberty published a few articles regarding the desecration of the Holocaust memorial in Yerevan, capital of Armenia.

This year one did not hear similar news, but it turns out, as Emil Danielyan writes on 2 February 2006 in an Armenian weekly, the memorial was vandalized on 26 January 2006, just a day before Jews throughout the world commemorated their greatest tragedy.

Who would do such a thing in a country like Armenia, where almost every person’s family has been affected by the Armenian genocide? Well, there are idiots everywhere; also Russian anti-Semitism seems to have influence on certain Armenians. Another reason, not justifiable indeed, is Israeli government’s official denial of the Armenian genocide, which is not, however, backed by most Jews.

Archival photo: On September 17, 2004-the last day of the Jewish New Year celebration, anonymous criminals painted a white cross and the “Satan” 666 number on Yerevan's Holocaust memorial (from www.168.am)

Danielyan writes, “The majority of people passing by the ‘Paplavok’ cafe’s round park [in downtown Yerevan] don’t even notice the small monument. Some people who actually see the monument are amazed that David’s star is a little faded. They can see many holes and scratches on the monument. About two months ago, someone had tried to erase the Jewish symbol with a hammer and a sharp metal. But after he saw that it was useless, he left. Now the damage is pretty serious.”

One should also note the response of ordinary Armenians to this horrific vandalism. The workers of the mentioned café, for instance, clean the monument every time whenever it is being vandalized. The head of the Jewish community of Armenia, Rima Feller-Varzhapetyan, says the vandalism “has nothing to do with Armenian politics or the Armenian people.” Ms. Varzhapetyan finds that those who vandalize Armenia’s Holocaust memorial have an agenda “to make everyone believe that there is Anti-Semitism in Armenia. But that doesn’t exist here.”

Even if there is not Anti-Semitism in Armenia, as the Jewish community head says, there is apparently a problem in Armenia. Indeed, there will always be found people who deny the Holocaust and the Armenian genocide, but this does not justify the vandalism.

One will argue that Israel has almost officially denied the Armenian genocide, so why should Armenians act otherwise? Well, shouldn’t the first official Christian nation follow Jesus’ command to “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”?

The Jewish community has decided to replace the raped Holocaust memorial with a larger one, which “will be dedicated to the victims of all the genocides committed in the past century, including the Holocaust…”

I personally think the Holocaust memorial should be placed in Tsitsernakaberd, next to the Armenian Genocide Memorial, because both of these tragedies have many commonalities. I know that Israeli government would never do the same in Tel-Aviv, but I prefer to go with “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”

According to Ms. Varzhapetyan, “the [Jewish] community has started to make donations for the construction of the [new] monument. Currently, only the Jews have made contributions.”

I have already contacted some Armenian organizations in the U.S. to see whether they would like to sponsor the replacement of the Holocaust memorial with a larger one. Blogian readers, who would like to contribute to the construction of the monument, can contact the Jewish Community of Yerevan at Address: Nar-Dosa str. 23
Yerevan, 375018 Armenia Phone: (37410) 57-16-77 Fax: (37410) 55-41-32 Web: www.fjc.ru/yerevan.

Via group e-mail, I received the list of “73 lawsuits that are currently filed in Turkey on cases concerning the exercise of the right for the expression of freedom of thought” from Turkish professor Fatma Gocek. The list contains the name of the accused, the legal code, the action considered criminal and the court date.

To mention a few “crimes” from the list:

HADEP(Çermik)’s offense is “Kurdish music at the Congress” (I assume he played or sang it), İbrahim Özden Kaboğlu’s crime is publishing “Working Group Report on Minority and Cultural Rights,” Aziz Özer’s crime is writing an article titled “No to Occupational Partnership in Iraq,” Aydoğan İnal’s crime is the writing “405 Turkish soldiers raped a Kurdish Woman: are these the soldiers the Iraqi popualce awaits?” and Mehmet Cemal Kavak’s crime is a talk given at the night organized at Anatolian Folk Culture Music Festival!

I am posting the whole list in the “comments” section of this entry.

As my senior friend and Blogian reader Ara S. Ashjian informs from Baghdad (Iraq), “The Iraqi government decided to reconstruct the Armenian Orthodox church in the northern city of Mosul, which was targeted by a terrorist act in 2004.”

It is worth to note that before the Iraqi war Armenian churches of Iraq faced no vandalism or destruction. Ironically, Iraq becomes the second conservative Muslim country after Iran to reconstruct Armenian churches. In contrast, Armenian monuments in Turkey and especially in Azerbaijan are deliberately being destroyed or cleansed from their Armenian identity.

Mr. Ashjian continues:

The decision came after the Primate of the Iraqi Armenian Diocese H.E. Archbishop Avak Asadourian had met with the Iraqi president Jalal Al-Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Ja’fari and appealed to them to reconstruct the Church.
On Jan. 16, 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister’s office requested in a note addressed to the Financial and Reconstruction Ministers’ offices the allocation of the amount of money required and commencement of the reconstruction of the Church.
For the same reason, H.E. Archbishop Avak Asadourian has also met with the Iraqi Minister of Reconstruction Jasim Mohammed Ja’far. During the meeting, Ja’far said that his Ministry has estimated the costs and will begin the work after getting the approval of the Prime Minister, as the Iraqi Al-Sabah daily newspaper reported on Feb. 4, 2006.

I shared some stories about Armenia’s recent heavy snow. Apparently, even the local government not cleaning the snow is not that horrible. It turns out, as a photolure photograph in an AZG article testifies, some talented people are taking advantage of the surplus of snow in Yerevan!

There are usually two types of Turkish/Azerbaijani responses to the photos of destroyed/desecrated Armenian holy sites in Turkey and Azerbaijan. The first response says, “This is Photoshop® fabrication,” the second one: “What about Muslim monuments that Armenians destroyed?”*

Commenting to the first response would be the last thing I could do to waste my life.

Coming to the second response, I find it rational: rational, because many would expect Armenians to “avenge” Turks and Azerbaijanis for their desecrations against the Armenian heritage. Many would expect Armenians to do the same, but not me. Because I have always believed that MY PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT. Because if Armenians did the same to the Muslim heritage, I would never raise my voice to protest the destruction of Old Julfa.

Special thanks to Onnik Krikorian for sharing the photos below.

*There are, indeed, a few other responses, like “It is shocking…” as Taner Akcam reacted in Toronto.

Malibeyli around Kashatagh (Lachin) District, Azerbaijani cemetery in Nagorno Karabakh, 2001, © Onnik Krikorian

Azerbaijani cemetery around Askeran, Armenia (Nagorno Karabakh Republic), 2001, © Onnik Krikorian

After reading about the violent Muslim riots around the world protesting the Danish cartoon of Islam’s founder, I was wondering how these Muslims would react if the desecrations below happened to their holy entities.

The legendary Armenian monastery of St. Apostles in Mush (now Turkey) in the early 2000s. The monastery functioned for hundreds of years, and became the birthplace of the Armenian epic poem over a thousands years ago, until 1915. Photo by Hrair Hawk Khatcherian

Jesus entering Jerusalem. Fresco from the Kaymakli Armenian monastery of Trabizond (Turkey). Photo taken in 2004 by Dick Osseman

St. Gregory Armenian Church of Kayseri (Turkey) converted to a Sports Center. Photo by Hrair Hawk Khatcherian

What is left of the legendary Christian monastery Narekavank (now in Turkey) after its post-1950s destruction. Photo by Hrair Hawk Khatcherian

Medieval Armenian stone cross beheaded during the 2000 destruction of Old Julfa (Nakhichevan) by the Azerbaijani government. Photo from www.raa.am

Christ targeted on Holy Cross medieval Armenian Church of Akthamar, Van (now in Turkey). Photo used to be available at the website of the Van University

One doesn’t usually get hand-signed letters in America, but this one is signed. Today I received a letter from Colorado Community College System President Dr. Nancy J. McCallin congratulating me on my “selection to the 2006 Phi Theta Kappa All-Colorado [college] Academic Team.”

Photo: 2005 All-Colorado team (at least two of these students were volunteers for my Texas campaign. I did not get elected)

There will be a ceremony on March 8 2006: “a special honoring luncheon” and recognition at the State Capitol. I will also have another meeting at the Capitol in less than two weeks concerning higher education in Colorado.

Am I in the All-USA Academic Team? We will find this out before April 24, 2006.

p.s. There is another reason for , but I will share it later.

“Oh human justice, let me spit at your forehead”

These words have been said in protest to the Armenian genocide. Over ninety years have passed, but right now I feel these words with all my soul and with all my essence. I am not speaking about the Armenian genocide though. I am not speaking about genocide; I am not speaking about Armenians.

I just watched “Sex Slaves” on PBS, and with tears in my eyes I am writing this. The movie showed women from the Ukraine and Moldova trafficked to Turkey. At http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/slaves/, you can find some information on the film, including and excerpt from it, so I don’t want to write about details that can be found in that website.

Photo: Like the girl in the left, one could notice other Caucasian (from the Caucasus) looking girls in the footages.

The most shocking aspect of the film was the corrupted police both in Turkey, Ukraine and Moldova. One of the traffickers was set free in the court, though he had sold girls and women to sexual slavery. Another shocking story was that in Turkey a trafficking victim ran to the Police and asked for help…and the Police took her back to the pimp.

…If those of us who were reminded of these crimes – and who among us is not aware by now that such crimes take place – continue remain complacent and do nothing, then we deserve to be condemned. Its true that anyone of us could sell everything, change ourlives completely and devote ourselves to preventing suffering, and still diminish relatively little of the world's suffering – but to do nothing is not forgiveable. I'm a middle-aged student living on loans, and if I don't cough something up, I don't think I can feel much self-respect, not after the slap in the face of this program….
– D. Sherter, Chicago, IL
– from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/slaves/talk/

One thing that the movie lacked to mention was the name “United Arab Emirates,” a country where thousands of people are trafficked every year.

For those of you who were able to watch Frontline on PBS tonight, what you saw was exactly what Armenian trafficking victims are experiencing today and how the system in Armenia works.– Ara Manoogian, journalist who interviewed sex slaves in Dubai
– from a group e-mail

Tania’s story was the most devastating outcome of human trafficking that could ever happen. After she escaped the slavery, she voluntary went back to “work”… I know some people who have not seen the film will start crying “what a disgrace!” But hey, watch your words… Don’t judge people when you don’t know their story. It was Tania’s story that made me cry, especially when her efforts of saving her little brother’s life failed…

What a disgraceful world we live in. Human justice, let me spit at your forehead once again…


P.S. Those who would like to support the efforts of HETQ (Investigative Journalists of Armenia) in investigating human trafficking in the Middle East can donate to HETQ through http://hetq.am/eng/support/. If you donate to HETQ through Atlanta-based philanthropist Nader Rastegar (more about Rastegar at http://rastegaronline.com/archives/bio.htm), an anonymous donor will match your contribution.