Day: May 3, 2024

Iran Says Crew of MSC Aries is Freed if Captain Goes with Crew  The Maritime Executive

The International Armenian Literary Alliance, in partnership with h-pem, announced the fourth annual Young Armenian Poets Awards in honor of Tamar Asadourian, a contest for exceptional Armenian writers between the ages of 14 and 18. Over the past three years, the Young Armenian Poets Awards has provided a space for young Armenian writers from all over the world to express themselves and have their voices be heard on the global stage. This year is no exception.

This year’s entrants are asked to submit work that explores the idea of “home.” Responses may consider physical spaces such as buildings and land as well as more abstracted notions such as the sanctuary of language, memory, or the one suggested in Naguib Mahfouz’s words: “Home is not where you were born; home is where all your attempts to escape cease.”

The IALA and h-pem encourage submissions from any young writer who identifies as Armenian, no matter gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, creed, national origin, socio-economic class, educational background, personal style/appearance, citizenship and immigration status, or political affiliation. Submissions will be read by IALA Advisory Board members and judges Gregory Djanikian, Arminé Iknadossian, and Raffi Wartanian. Cash awards totaling $600 will be granted for the top three poems, which will be published online on IALA’s and h-pem’s xbsites in the fall of 2024. Winning authors will be invited to read their work at IALA’s annual Emerging Writers Showcase and receive a copy of Tamar Asadourian’s “I remember you my future…”

“Literature is a vital element of a people and a culture⎯we are our stories,” said IALA founder Olivia Katrandjian. “As writers, we must support each other if we want to thrive not only as individuals, but as a literary community. As a people, Armenians must support our writers if we want the world to listen to our stories. IALA provides a platform through which young Armenian writers can be heard.”

Poet and IALA Advisory Board member Gregory Djanikian, who serves as a judge for the program, adds that YAPA is “a wonderful way for young poets to know that their poems are being read by strangers, that their poems are afloat in the world.”

“We continue to honor and create a platform for the next generation of exciting Armenian poets who have so much to teach us,” said contest founder and director Alan Semerdjian, “and this year we’re thankful, especially, to the family of musician/poet Tamar Asadourian whose support going forward will allow us to provide increased monetary prizes and assist in the vision of the Young Armenian Poets Awards initiative.”

Tamar Asadourian (1980-2020) was an accomplished pianist, author and artist. At 16, she performed at Carnegie Hall, and was acclaimed as “an absorbing artist of uncommon sensitivity and intelligence.” While studying at the Manhattan School of Music, Asadourian was forced to give up the piano due to illness. She suffered from severe depression, and dedicated herself to writing, drawing and the arts. After her untimely death, a collection of her poetry, prose and artwork was published in a volume entitled “I remember you my future…” (Naregatsi Art Institute, Yerevan, Armenia, 2022). Read more of Asadourian’s writing here, and read Lilit Keheyan’s reflections on her work here.

The Young Armenian Poets Awards this year and going forward are made possible by a generous donation from members of Tamar’s family, Sam and Tamig Ekizian.

The deadline for submissions is 8:59 p.m. PST on June 2. Awards are expected to be announced in the fall of 2024.

Read previous winning poems and submit your work here.

For more details, full submission guidelines, and more information on past winners, please visit IALA’s website, or contact Alan Semerdjian, Young Armenian Poets Awards Founder and Director, at ialayoungpoetsawards@gmail.com.

The International Armenian Literary Alliance supports and celebrates writers by fostering the development and distribution of Armenian literature in the English language.

H-Pem is an Armenian cultural platform that aims to highlight Armenian art, culture and other achievements by elevating Armenian voices from all walks of life.

WASHINGTON—The Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights filed seven Global Magnitsky Act sanctions cases with the United States Department of State and Treasury against more than 40 senior Azerbaijani officials. Filed jointly with the International and Comparative Law Center based in Yerevan, Armenia, with several co-submitted with the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, these Magnitsky Sanctions cases are in direct response to war crimes and human rights abuses committed during the recent Artsakh / Nagorno-Karabakh war, which culminated in the ethnic cleansing and forced deportation of indigenous Armenians.

“The Armenian Legal Center is committed to pursuing justice for the victims of war crimes and human rights violations,” said Ken Hachikian, Chairperson of the Armenian Legal Center. “By initiating Global Magnitsky Act sanctions cases against Azerbaijani officials, we aim to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions and ensure that justice is served.”

With these submissions, the ALC is calling on the U.S. government to take decisive action against those responsible for perpetrating serious human rights violations, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ALC stressed that atrocities committed against the people of Artsakh, Armenia, and the entire Armenian nation demand swift and firm response in the pursuit of justice and accountability for the victims and help prevent future atrocities.

Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, spearheaded by Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), introduced the “Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act.” This groundbreaking legislation addresses the atrocities perpetrated by Azerbaijani officials, particularly concerning the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.

The proposed bill mandates the Biden Administration conduct a comprehensive review within 180 days of enactment to determine whether Azerbaijani officials listed in the bill meet the criteria for sanctions under existing U.S. legislation, including the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act.

The list of over 40 Azerbaijani officials named in the bill was compiled by the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights in collaboration with its partners at the International Comparative Law Center in Yerevan, which verified the complicity of the named individuals in the perpetration of serious violations of international humanitarian law.

The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, passed by the United States Congress in 2016, authorizes the U.S. government to impose visa bans and asset freezes on foreign government officials and individuals responsible for significant acts of corruption or human rights abuses.

Based in Washington DC, ALC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nongovernmental organization with the mission to pursue justice for human rights violations emanating from the Armenian Genocide, including the regional security of the Armenia and Artsakh Republics.  

As many know, the year 2023 began in total blockade for the Republic of Artsakh, with little-to-no food, health care and other basic rights available for the people living there. By September 2023, the whole of Artsakh was under fire, with deadly attacks launched against the entire population of ethnic Armenians living there.

The heartbreaking result was a mass exodus of the hundreds of thousands of residents in the territory and the official dissolvement of the Republic of Artsakh. In a matter of days, an estimated 100,490 Artsakh residents left their homes and took a long and difficult journey toward Armenia.

Since this time, Armenians everywhere have made it a priority to help these forcibly displaced refugees from Artsakh. Armenia’s government quickly created a humanitarian center to respond to emergency needs; volunteer organizations helped those in need with food, clothing, medicine, healthcare and the like; and individuals and groups donated what they could in support of these displaced Armenians.

The AECP performing eye screenings for forcibly displaced Artsakh refugees

From the first days of the Artsakh peoples’ displacement, the Armenian EyeCare Project, too, has actively supported our compatriots through services the organization provides. AECP has provided eye screenings, detailed eye examinations, treatment including laser procedures and eye surgery as well as the provision of prescription eyeglasses, all at no cost. Several prosthetic surgeries have also been performed for wounded soldiers.

Due to the fact that refugees have dispersed throughout the country since seeking refuge in Armenia, it’s been important to have this eye care available in all of AECP’s facilities in the country, including AECP’s Mobile Eye Hospital; Regional Eye Centers and Diagnostic Eye Clinics located in various regions throughout Armenia.

Additionally, in cooperation with state institutions and social organizations, both AECP screening teams in Armenia as well as volunteer physicians from the U.S. who have visited the country for AECP’s Medical Mission have carried out eye screenings in temporary shelters for Artsakh refugees and further provided them with additional care such as provision of eyeglasses or surgery.

An AECP representative performing an eye screening on Aleksey Harutyunyan

The AECP has also made it a point to send general screening teams to Ararat, the province with the largest number of forcibly displaced refugees from Artsakh, and to have the AECP Mobile Eye Hospital stationed there. According to government statistics, 12,000 of the 47,300 who are utilizing state-provided assistance were living in this region at the time of AECP’s service there. AECP worked extensively to serve both the local population and Artsakh refugees in Ararat before moving on to the Armavir province to continue its screening and treatment work. 

Since the mass displacement of Artsakh residents in September 2023:

• Hundreds of refugees have undergone eye screenings on the AECP Mobile Eye Hospital and AECP Regional Eye Centers;
• Over 30 refugees have received eye surgery on the Mobile Eye Hospital, some on both eyes;
• More than 150 pairs of eyeglasses have been provided to these individuals.

Below are stories from just a handful of the displaced refugees from Artsakh that AECP has been able to help. There is still much work to do, but like many other groups and organizations, the AECP is committed to supporting these individuals who have experienced a great tragedy as best as it can.

Eduard and Edmilina Movsisyan, who are 73 and 69 years old, respectively, are Artsakh refugees currently living in the Talin, Aragatsotn province of Armenia. They live in a tiny room in one of Yerevan’s hotels that now serves as a shelter to a group of people from Artsakh recently displaced from their homes. Due to the forcible displacement of the Artsakh people in September 2023, the Movsisyan family lost their house in Artsakh’s Berdashen village.

“It is extremely hard to start from the beginning, but I am thankful to God that we have only had material loss,” Edmilina said. “All three of my sons bravely fought in the war, were wounded but they returned home alive.”

Eduard and Edmilina got acquainted with AECP in 2008 when the Mobile Eye Hospital visited Artsakh. Eduard received laser treatment at that time due to his diabetes. The treatment saved his sight.

In 2020, during the 44-day war in Artsakh, the couple moved to Armenia and relocated to Talin. Upon getting screened, it was determined that both Eduard and Edmilina had cataracts. They both received surgery and their sight has been restored. Eduard has also received further eye treatment this past year.

“This program helped us restore our vision,” Edmilina explained. “Though I will turn 70 next year, I want to work. I have already made an appointment with the manager of a nearby bakery and after finally solving my vision problem, I hope they give me a chance.”

Arkadya Ayvazyan, 68, is one of the many people who has been forcefully displaced from Artsakh. His son and daughter fought on the battlefield during the recent war in their homeland. During Azerbaijan’s military aggression and the tragic events of September 2023, Arkadya and his family locked the doors of their Artsakh home and moved to Armenia. Currently, the Ayvazyan family rents an apartment in the Metsamor village of the Armavir province. Their life has changed drastically.

Here in Armenia, Arkadya learned that he has a cataract in his left eye. Arkadya cannot afford the much-needed cataract surgery as he is now unemployed. Fortunately, the local ophthalmologist referred Arkadya to the AECP’s Mobile Eye Hospital to be treated at no cost.

After the successful surgery, Arkadya said: “I was so glad to receive this opportunity. Thanks to my restored vision I can now try to find a job and help my family solve our financial problems.”

Julieta Shahbazyan’s extended family of eight used to live together in Stepanakert, the capital city of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh.) Three children, their parents, grandparents and aunt all lived together, in a happy family. One person in the family was a schoolteacher, the other was a forest ranger and the grandparents helped around the house. They would spend their summers in a small home in the Aygestan village of Artsakh. They were happy.

But the Artsakh War provoked by Azerbaijan changed the trajectory of this entire family. They went from living a comfortable and content life to now having no jobs and living in very poor conditions.

During the AECP’s last Medical Mission in 2023, longtime AECP Volunteer Physician Dr. Richard Hill visited Artashat, a town in Armenia where many refugee families from Artsakh now live. Dr. Hill examined many patients with vision problems there, including Julieta, 87, and Aleksey Harutyunyan, 77, the grandparents of this extended family.

Julieta didn’t have any vision in one eye and very low vision – only 1 percent – in her other eye. Aleksey had only light prescription in one eye and very high eye pressure in his other eye. Dr. Hill gave recommendations to Julieta and Aleksey and referred them both to the Mobile Eye Hospital for further treatment and surgery.

Soon after, the detailed examination done in the Mobile Eye Hospital revealed cataract in Julieta’s eye and cataract and high pressure in Aleksey’s eyes. The surgeries for both Julieta and Aleksey were a success, restoring their vision and helping somehow to combat the countless difficulties these recent turn of events have unloaded on them.

Президент Европейского совета Шарль Мишель сообщает, что у него состоялся телефонный разговор с премьер-министром Грузии Ираклием Кобахидзе, в ходе которого он обсудил последние события в Грузии. Как отметил Мишель в разговоре он вновь подтвердил полную поддержку Европейского союза всем грузинам, которые ставят вперед европейское будущее своей страны. По его словам, призыв граждан Грузии к созданию […]

OTTAWA — An official probe found evidence of foreign interference in Canada’s last two federal elections, but the results of the votes were not affected, and the electoral system was robust, according to initial findings released on Friday.

The findings in the interim report confirm Trudeau’s assertion that China tried to meddle in the elections to no avail. The commission will release its final report by the end of this year. Beijing has repeatedly denied any interference.

“Acts of foreign interference did occur during the last two federal general elections, but they did not undermine the integrity of our electoral system,” said commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue, who is leading the independent public inquiry.

The Foreign Interference Commission was set up last year by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government under pressure from opposition legislators unhappy about media reports on China’s possible role in the elections. The commission is mandated to investigate allegations of foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections.

“Our system remains sound. Voters were able to cast their ballots, their votes were duly registered and counted, and there is nothing to suggest that there was any interference whatsoever in this regard,” Hogue said in a statement.

“Nonetheless, the acts of interference that occurred are a stain on our electoral process and impacted the process leading up to the actual vote,” she said.

OTTAWA — Canadian police charged three people on Friday with the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the province of British Columbia in June 2023, Canadian media said, citing court documents. 

Nijjar, 45, was shot to death outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. 

The news of his death came days after the White House expressed concern about the reported role of the Indian intelligence service in assassination plots in Canada and the United States. 

The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi. Nijjar was labeled a terrorist by India. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in September that Canadian authorities were pursuing allegations linking Indian government agents to the death of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s claim as absurd. 

CTV and Global News first reported the news of those arrested on Friday, with CTV saying all three were Indian nationals. 

Neither the RCMP nor the Indian mission in Ottawa were immediately available for comment. 

Canada had been pressing India to cooperate in its investigation. 

Last November, U.S. authorities said an Indian government official had directed the plot in the attempted murder of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada. 

Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, in charge of Canadian law enforcement agencies, did not directly confirm the arrests but told reporters the probe into Nijjar’s murder was “still an active police operation.” 

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation earlier cited a source saying investigators had identified the suspects in Canada some months ago and had been keeping them under tight surveillance. 

ADB president: Cooperation between South Caucasus countries very important  REPORT.az