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The USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies, in collaboration with the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Variance Films, will host a special theatrical screening and rare analysis of Amerikatsi — Armenia’s official Oscar submission for Best International Film. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Michael A. Goorjian, the film’s writer, director and lead actor, and Patrick Malkassian, producer, in conversation with Luis Moreno Ocampo, Founding Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Dr. Shushan Karapetian, Director of the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies, and Ted Braun, USC Joseph Campbell Endowed Chair in Cinematic Ethics. 

Amerikatsi tells the story of Charlie, an Armenian-American who moves to Soviet Armenia in 1948 in hopes of finding a connection to his roots but is unjustly imprisoned. The Q&A will explore the role of film in portraying and shaping public opinion on topics such as genocide, ethnic cleansing and prisoners of war. Charlie’s story will be used as a metaphor to bring attention to the plight of prisoners of war held captive today and provide context about the role of international law and justice. 

The timing of this discussion is significant with the complete ethnic cleansing of Artsakh two months ago and the unknown fate of 55 Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan.

The screening and Q&A will take place on December 5, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at The Ray Stark Family Theatre, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex in Los Angeles, CA. 

The screening is free of charge and open to the public. RSVP is required. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Please note, all SCA screenings are overbooked to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

For more information, including trailer, RSVP and parking: https://cinema.usc.edu/events/event.cfm?id=69114

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Established in 2005, the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies supports multidisciplinary scholarship to re-define, explore and study the complex issues that make up the contemporary Armenian experience – from post-Genocide to the developing Republic of Armenia to the evolving Diaspora. The Institute encourages research, publications and public service, and promotes links among the global academic and Armenian communities.

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Rethinking Armenia’s Geopolitical and Defense Trajectory, organized by the newly established Institute for Security Analysis (ISA), will feature a series of both public and closed-door discussions around national security and state building on Tuesday, November 28 and Wednesday, November 29. Panelists will include personalities from a diverse range of disciplines and backgrounds. The summit will also be accompanied by capacity building workshops, advocacy efforts and stakeholder engagement.

The conference will be held at the Tufenkian Historic Yerevan Hotel and on Zoom. To register for in-person attendance, visit https://bit.ly/Security-Summit-In-Person. For profiles of the speakers or to register for Zoom attendance, visit https://bit.ly/Security-Summit-On-Zoom. There is a $40 fee for Zoom attendance.

The Security Summit starts at 4 p.m. EVN (7 a.m. Eastern Time). Zoom attendees will have the opportunity to view a recording of the conference for one week. The conference will predominately be held in English. Simultaneous translation will be available from English to Armenian and Armenian to English.

The Security Summit is sponsored by the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA), Armenian Network of America—Greater New York, Justice Armenia, Knights of Vartan Bakradouny Lodge, and National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).

“Critical security challenges — the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijan’s 2022 assault on Syunik and Vayotz Dzor provinces, and the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s indigenous Armenian population — have exposed the limitations of Armenia’s security strategies and highlighted an urgent need for fundamental modernization and institutional innovation,” ISA Senior Research Fellow Dr. Eduard Abrahamyan said.

The Security Summit aims to address these pressing issues head-on. Dr. Abrahamyan noted, “Our goal is to create a dynamic platform where fresh, often unconventional ideas can be exchanged, thereby encouraging collaboration among defense specialists and fostering public engagement across national security discourse.”

In the face of escalating regional threats and shifting power configurations, the Security Summit is committed to catalyzing grassroots and society-wide support dedicated to safeguarding Armenia’s sovereignty and rapidly enhancing defense and security reforms. By bringing together policy experts, defense specialists, statesmen and active citizens, the summit aims to clarify — and actualize — smart and alternative options for extracting Armenia from its current crisis.

The Security Summit will present seven panels that will examine Security and Geopolitics; Politics; and Next Steps and Policy Solutions. 

• Armenia’s Road to 2020: Nurturing Failure, Azerbaijan’s Aggression, and Russia’s Role
• The Emerging Geopolitical Order in the Caucasus: The Rise — and Threat — of Eurasianism
• Hybrid War: Disrupting Security, Society and Politics
• Strategic Disaster: The Dangers of Appeasement
• Salvaging Statehood: A Crisis Roadmap for the Armenian Republic
• Next Steps: A Legal Strategy for Artsakh
• Shaping a Reform Agenda: A Whole-of-Society Approach to Territorial Defense

Panelists include:

• Dr. Eduard Abrahamyan, Institute for Security Analysis;
• Hratchya Arzumanyan, National Security Expert;
• Dr. Stepan Astourian, Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis at the American University of Armenia;
• Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Glen Grant, National Security Expert;
• Talin Hitik, Legal Expert with Hitik Law;
• Colonel Vladimir Milenski, Ministry of Defense of Bulgaria; and
• Dr. Thomas Young, Defense Security Cooperation University and Naval Postgraduate School.

Dr. Abrahamyan encouraged Diasporans and Yerevan residents to join the Security Summit. “By forging innovative solutions and strategies, we hope to empower Armenia to navigate and overcome its security challenges and ensure a secure and resilient future,” he said.

Registration is required. For in-person and Zoom attendance, visit https://bit.ly/Security-Summit-In-Person and  https://bit.ly/Security-Summit-On-Zoom, respectively. For questions, contact Alvard Zakaryan at alvard@securityandnalysis.net or +37495202148. 

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PM takes serious notice of confidentiality breach in Azerbaijan LNG deal  Geo News

Azerbaijani police have arrested the founder and director of the independent online TV channel Kanal 13, a week after the authorities raided the offices of AbzasMedia and arrested its management.

Aziz Orujov was detained in Baku on Monday. On Tuesday, a court remanded him into three months of pre-trial detention on charges of building a house without a permit. If found guilty, he faces up to three years in prison.

Orujov’s lawyer, Bahruz Bayramov, said the charges aimed to restrict Kanal 13’s work. 

Bayramov argued that the court had ‘no reason’ to place Orujov in pre-trial detention. ‘[His] place of residence is known; he can’t run away and hide’, he said.

Before his detention on Monday evening, police searched Orujov’s house and offices. They later also searched his car.

The arrest comes a week after police arrested AbzasMedia’s director, Ulvi Hasanli, deputy director, Mahammad Kekalov, and editor-in-chief, Sevinj Vagifgizi. The three have been charged with smuggling money and face up to eight years in prison if convicted. 

[Read from OC Media: Editorial | Ilham Aliyev’s attempt to eradicate the free press cannot succeed]

Kanal 13 is an independent online TV station broadcasting on YouTube covering politics and social issues.

Orujov was previously detained in 2017 on charges of running a company without registering it in Azerbaijan and of abuse of power. He was sentenced to six years in prison but released on probation the following year after the Supreme Court cleared him of illegal entrepreneurship.

The post Azerbaijan arrests founder of Kanal 13 a week after AbzasMedia raid appeared first on OC Media.

Report to Congress on Iran Nuclear Programs – USNI News  USNI News

KHRN: Iran executes three prisoners for charges related to drugs …  شبکه حقوق بشر کردستان

Iran Says US Sent Many Messages Regarding Containing Gaza War  ایران اینترنشنال

Gaza City hospitals cut off by Israel’s war on Hamas  The Business Standard

The total capital investment in the Azerishiq’s AIP from 2016 to 2022, including ADB support under tranche 1, was about AZN1.58 billion ($938 million), or about 22% of the planned $4.6 billion

NPR News: 11-28-2023 12PM EST