Press in Armenia is not free. Freedom House has issued its annual report, in which Armenian press is rated as “Not Free” in 2003-2004.{BR} Freedom House’s annual press freedom survey has tracked trends in media freedom worldwide since 1980. Now covering 194 countries and territories, Freedom of the Press: A Global Survey of Media Independence provides numerical rankings and rates...

The results of the recent monitoring on the Armenian-Azerbaijani borderline realized by the OSCE Caucasus region representative are ready. Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan claimed that very soon the Defense Ministry Administration of pulic links will announce the results of the montoring. {BR} According to Mr. Sargsyan this monitoring does not differed from the others. «As you know, a monitoring has...

«Although the issue of the RA Constitutional Amendments was not included into the PACE agenda, the EU will continue to support Armenia», said EU Secretary General Terry Davis in his press conference today. According to the radio station «Freedom», he has referred to the report about Nagorno Karabakh. Let us remind you that before being elected Secretary Davis was the reporter on this issue. {BR} Terry...

Anjey Malanovski, head of the Constitutional and International Rights Department, was present at the discussion of the correspondence of the RA Constitution to the article 7 part 1 second paragraph of the Law on the Defender of Human Rights which did not take place. {BR} The latter considered it his duty to express his opinion about the Ombudsman Institute. He told the journalists, «In many countries...

«We do not limit the ombudsman's authorities. We simply try to find out if they correspond to the Constitution or not», announced Minister of Justice David Haroutyunyan. According to the Minister, the opinion of any official is a pressure on the Court. «Imagine an argument between two citizens or a citizen and the community, and the ombudsman expressed opinion. If I am asked questions about Court processions, I don't answer. The opinion of the...

«I don't know why Mr. Petrosyan informed us about his being busy by means of the press», announced the surprise Gagik Haroutyunyan today and promised that during the next Constitutional Court session Rafik Petrosyan, head of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal affairs will apologize. {BR} Mr. Petrosyan was invited to the Constitutional Court to take part in the discussion of the correspondence...

“The changes in the part about the Local self-governing bodies in the Constitutional amendments show us clearly that they are inferior to the present Constitution in many points and they have lost many important things.” This was the opinion of Sos Gimishyan, member of the Community Financier Union Administration. According to him, the shortcomings are more in the offered variant. {BR} For example, non-confidence can be voiced not only to the...

The Parliament adopted the amendments to the Law on local self-governong bodies by the first hearing. Before the second a hearing was organised today in the Parliament in which representatives of the 930 communities of the country took part. Only the Yerevan mayor was absent, and Nor Nork community head Davot Petrosyan, whose father – the ehad of the NA Committee on state and legal affaors had organized...

An advocatory argument has been going on for the last few weeks about the elections of the Advocatory Chamber President. It will soon be transferred from the Court of the first instance to the Court of Appeal. {BR} Let us remind you that during the elections of the Advocatory Chamber President Enoq Azaryan won with a privilege of 12 votes, and Rouben Sahakyan, his competitor, appealed to the Court...

Armenian National Assembly deputy Shavarsh Kocharyan was elected Vice Chairman of the PACE sub-commission for protection of cultural heritage in Strasbourg today, FRE/RL reported. {BR}

Tomorrow Azerbaijani Foreign Minister will depart for Frankfurt to meet with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The meeting will be held within the frames of the Prague process. To note, The Azeri FM will leave for Frankfurt together with OSCE MG US Co-Chair Steven Mann, who is in Baku at present. {BR} According to the Armenian FM’s Press Secretary, Vardan Oskanain will not depart for Frankfurt...

The number of those who seek for justice from the Armenian Human Rights defender has increased with 13%. The Ombudsman has already prepared her first report covering the recent 10 months of activities. The cases of human rights violations are frequent mostly in Yerevan, Shirak and Gegharkunik regions. The citizens usually complain of the police, local self-government bodies, departments of social welfare...

The city councils of Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna have adopted a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide and held a minute of silence to commemorate the victims.{BR} According to a report of the press center of the State Commission on the organization of events dedicated to the Armenian Genocide 90-th anniversary, a concert dedicated to the date will take place in the “Sofia” concert...

«I am convinced that Kemal Pasha had a Black Book, which contained the places and number of people exiled. Without the opening of the Turkish archives the Genocide of 1915 is the same what the Holocaust without German documents is», Professor Richard Hovhannisyan stated today at the seminar entitled «Armenian Genocide. 90 years». {BR} The historian stressed that it should be clarified whether...

April 26, 1986 an unprecedented catastrophe took place in the 4-th energy block of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. As result of the thermal explosions a great quantity of radioactive substances burst into the atmosphere. {BR} 2300 inhabited localities were polluted throughout the territory of 50 thousand square km. The number of victims reached 3.3 million; 1 million of them are children. Today...

Today the wish of Garegin Nzhdeh, who made a will to be buried at the Khustup Mountainside, will be granted.{BR} Today the remains of Garegin Nzhdeh will be buried in Kapan, at the memorial to the outstanding commander.

Ignoring calls from a record two hundred and ten U.S. legislators, President Bush failed, once again, to honor his pledge to properly characterize the Armenian Genocide as a "genocide" in his annual April 24th remarks, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). {BR} In a statement issued, on April 24th, the annual day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide, the President again resorted...

The RA Constitutional amendments issue will not be discussed in the PACE spring session. According to the radio station «Azatutyun» the issue was not included into the agenda with the following correlation of votes – 78 for, 47 against and 9 abstaining from voting. Let us remind you that for being included into the agenda 2/3 og votes was necessary. {BR} George Columbier, the French co-reporter...

The RA Justice Ministry and the «Armenian Electrical Nets» LTD inform that for the purpose of transporting the high-voltage wires in the Shengavit community Court of First Instance on April 27 from 12:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. the consumers connected to the 110kw Central station will be deprived of electricity. {BR} The Arshakounyants avenue, from the State circus till the cinema “Hayreniq” streets...

«We apologize to the Armenians for us and our ancestors not having been able to prevent the Genocide», these are the words of Jashar Arif, representative of the International Exchange Confederation, who is a Turk. He has arrived in Armenia together with several other Turks to take part in the events of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. {BR} Taking it for granted that the Armenian Genocide...

Tonight it will become clear if the issue of the RA Constitutional amendments will be heard in the PACE. In the morning the Bureau approved its being included into the agenda, but the final decision will be made by the PACE delegates. It will be included into the agenda in 2/3 of the delegates vote for it. {BR}

Today Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan visited Tsitsernakaberd to commemorate the Armenian Genocide victims. {BR} RA NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan, Prime Minister Addranik Margaryan, Constitutional Court Chairman Gagik Harutyunyan, state and spiritual figures, high rank clergymen, delegations and diplomats were present at the ceremony. Bishop Paren Avetikyan chanted a liturgy in Holy Echmiadzin.

90 years ago this day became one of the most tragic days in the history of the Armenian people. 1.5 million of Armenians residing in Western Armenia fell victims to the plan of Young Turks who deliberately set to eliminating the Armenian people. About 800 thousand Armenians could escape. They found shelter in Eastern Armenia and wandered off all over the world. {BR} Today the Armenian Diaspora serves...

During 7 years already the ARFD Students’ Union after Nikola Agbalyan organizes a procession with torches towards Tsitsernakaberd on April 23 evening. This year students from Armenia and from many other countries took part in the procession. Moreover, the action was for the first time held on the state level. {BR} The procession started from the Republic Square, where a white armored car brought...