Tuesday, August 12, 2008

the war is over?

Georgia’s war & the aftermath

Many of us had sleepless nights following the war in south ossetia, fearing it can lead to wars in the whole region. Finally the worst is behind (hope), can breath & assort where we ended up. Below I share my observations, sometimes judgments:

- one should be mentally challenged to think that could attack on south ossetia or Abkhazia & not get russia’s reply accordingly, that Russia would let the two regions to fall to america’s Georgia.
- One should be naïve to believe that the USA or Europe or NATO or any other state/organization would involve in war with Russia for Georgia’s sake.
- Attacking any of the unrecognized republics, the second front would be opened for Georgia without much delays, potential for 3rd & 4th fronts still exists.

Only first 2 statements deny any logic behind georgia’s war startup. Still cannot believe how it could happen?! Ok, sahakashvili is psycho & the diagnosis is not new, but the Georgian nation? What has blinded the folk that the majority supports sahakashvili’s war? What instincts were ruling them on 8th of august to celebrate a wild joy-party when getting the news that tskhinvali is destroyed & taken by Georgian forces? Knowing of thousands of victims among civilian ossetians, who Georgians clame are their co-citizens? & indeed are their brother-nation.. how to explain the thousands of Georgians gathering today in Tbilisi to support sahakashvili & the war? How they believe that after the renewed war, bombings, grads, destroying their houses, killings of civilian population, refreshing the hatred ossetians or Abkhazians will ever want to live in one country with Georgians, I don’t say in a country where Georgians rule.. I have many friends in Georgia, & if I ask those questions to them now, I’m afraid I’ll simply loose them & be turned into their “enemy”. But I hope after the tensions calm down, the life gets settled, our neighbours will ask themselves questions & find the answers. Unless the Georgian folk recognizes the committed crime, the right of other nations for freedom, the impassibleness of marriage through war & of forced integration, the wars with breakaway regions will be restarted every now and then, ASA Georgia regains strength & military potential. & we have already seen that there’ll be many volunteers to supply armaments to Georgia, to provide with money, to train Georgian troops.

I still have difficulties to guess what was georgia’s aim to start the war, what they wanted to achieve, but I can already see the actual results:
- for the foreseeable future Georgia can forget about joining NATO, the NATO states do not want to accept into their club smb so unreliable, unpredictable, instable, impulsive, adventurist (the rest of adjectives that come to mind r not politically correct, skipping). & they don’t want to play in war with Russia either.
- EU acception perspectives are pushed away for uncertain time
- In today’s meeting sahakashvili says smth like “Georgia is the frontline of europe’s fight against Russia”. But did mr still president ask europe if it wants to fight against russia? & what was doing the EU flag in all tv-shows sahakashvili held?! an american flag would be more appropriate..
- Georgia practically has already lost the 2 breakaway regions, with its aggression only showed the whole world that the regions cannot be part of Georgia. Georgians themselves gave winning cards to the opposite sides.
- Tskhinvali is completely destroyed, the inhabitants either became refugees or are killed or wait to be evacuated. Many other spots in the region also suffered severely.
- Georgia’s infrastructure is damaged, the population of the conflict zone line became refugees.
- Apart from the economy, the reputation of the country is damaged in the world.
- There were immense military losses.
- There were human losses both among civilians and soldiers.
- After the conflict the country will face severe internal crisis, government’s change is inevitable.
- The regional communications through Georgia and energy infrastructures are paralyzed, suffer not only Georgia, but also the neighboring countries.
- West’s multimillion investments in Georgia are basically lost.
- The bank system faces a crisis. Etc etc, I guess one can continue the list endless..

From whatever viewpoint I don’t try to look at the situation, there’re only losses for Georgia, why they would need this war?!!! How they could believe will come out as winners from this insane move? or was it a suicide attempt just to get other’s attentions?!

Questions are rather rhetoric, no sense to continue. What is clear, that despite the Europe mediates the return to prewar lines, despite moscow’s agreement to it, the status quo is altered & cannot be returned to the prewar situation. Once unfrozen, it won’t be easy to freeze back the conflicts, it’s no toy to play. This means the talks will be intensified & Georgia will be forced to recognize the separatist regions’ independence.

* & ja, today’s wars are more information wars than real fighting on the frontline. Who has a professional disinformation & propaganda generator “CNN” - has already gone half-way to the victory. from the western media the most adequate turned out to be the german press (i'm almost proud:))

Labels: , ,

Monday, August 11, 2008

HELP ARMENIA RECEIVE SHARE OF 2,5 MILION TO FIGHT DEFORESTATION

via [info]ermeni
If you are American Express holder it will take you 5 seconds to nominate Karina Demurchyan's project to receive a share of $2,5 Million from AmEx to fight deforestation in Armenia!

Backyard Tree Nurseries is a micro-enterprise project designed to meet Armenia’s reforestation needs in the context of Armenia’s environmental crisis. This innovative micro-enterprise project was originally developed by Armenia Tree Project in 2003. http://www.armeniatree.org

PLEASE VOTE HERE: http://www.membersproject.com/project/view/80XKMF

More details on the project itself: http://ermeni.livejournal.com/11248.html

A letter from the author of the project is below ( +followed by the russian version of the annmt )

Labels: ,

Sunday, August 10, 2008

georgian war

again war in south caucasus..

  • Aug. 8th, 2008 at 7:08 AM
after couple of months' provocations, last week's escalations, georgia openly attacked south ossetia. couldn't be w/o uncle sam's approval.. sure, georgia either enters NATO with 2 breakaway regions or forgets about them, time is pushing. in frames of nato accession process georgia picked its military expenses, bought armaments, got trainings from nato... all turned out actually to be preparations to war.
& last weeks' provocations by georgian state in armenian-populated region of javakhk, arrests of armenian activists perfectly fits into the picture.

news extracts via cc_tun:
Город атакуют грузинские танки и авиация. Грузия начала войну против Южной Осетии (ФОТО)
МИД РФ: Еще не поздно предотвратить массовое кровопролитие
Россия созвала экстренное заседание Совбеза ООН
Абхазия и Северная Осетия идут на помощь Цхинвали
Л.Слиска сравнила М.Саакашвили с Гитлером
Россия: Грузия исчерпала кредит доверия
Тбилиси приступил к "наведению конституционного порядка"
История противостояния Грузии и Южной Осетии some more from ahousekeeper: http://ahousekeeper.livejournal.com/260452.html

Labels: , , ,

Saturday, August 02, 2008

“YERKIR” UNION's APPEAL TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WITH RESPECT TO THE RECENT EVENTS IN AKHALKALAKI


"YERKIR", UNION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
FOR REPATRIATION AND SETTLEMENT
Contact: Robert Tatoyan
Mobile: +(374 94) 36 17 93
E-mail: rob@yerkir.org

July 30, 2008
Yerevan, Armenia

“YERKIR” UNION's APPEAL TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WITH RESPECT TO THE
RECENT EVENTS IN AKHALKALAKI

On July 17, 2008 a blast took place in the town of Akhalkalaki, regional center of the Akhalkalaki district of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia, near the house of the Chief of Police Samvel Petrosyan. There were no casualties.

Immediately after the blast, the local police forces initiated an unprecedented wave of arrests within the ranks of the activists of the “United Javakhk Democratic Alliance” the local political movement. Thus, up to 15 activists were brutally arrested, some were fiercely beaten. The police also entered the building of the Youth radio station which belonged to the same political movement. For this purpose, the entrance door was crushed and internal doors and windows were damaged. No arms were found however on the premises.

On July 17, around 8:00 p.m., some 40 persons regrouping both police forces and civilians, stormed into the house of the local activist, Gurgen
Shirinyan. During this operation, Gurgen’s father was fiercely beaten and one local policeman, Arthur Berudjanyan, was shot dead. Police sources
declared that Gurgen Shirinyan fled, while his father and aunt were arrested.

On July 18, “United Javakhk Democratic Alliance” issued a statement describing both the blast and the incidents that followed as provocations
aiming the destruction of their organization. The statement required from the authorities the holding of an impartial investigation.

In the afternoon Of July 20, another policeman - Armen Gabrielyan was shot dead. According to a declaration on behalf of the authorities, the dead
policeman had… committed suicide.At 4:00 am on July 21, armed and masked Georgian special forces intruded the house of the “United Javakhk Democratic Alliance” political movements’ leader, Vahagn Chakhalyan, and arrested all the members of his family. At 5:00 am, Vahagn Chakhalyan’s mother was set free, but he, his father and his adolescent brother were detained in Akhaltsikhe, the center of the province.

Later on they were taken to Tbilisi, where they continue to remain in custody up to now. Chakhalyan’s, his father’s and brother’s preliminary detention was immediately extended to two months.

Parallel to these events, the police stormed once again the building of the Youth radio station, but this time… arms and ammunition were “found” and
confiscated.

Currently, authorities keep under arrest Gurgen Shirinyan’s father (Harutyun Shirinyan), Gurgen Shirinyan’s aunt (Karine Shirinyan), as well as Vahagn
Chakhalyan, Vahagn Chakhalyan’s father (Rouben Chakhalyan) and Vahagn Chakhalyan’s brother (Armen Chakhalyan). The building of the “Youth Radio”
is closed and sealed, all computers and other furniture are confiscated.

On July 23, “Yerkir” Union of NGOs for Repatriation and Settlement, in collaboration with its Georgian chapter “Yerkir-Georgia”, has sent a fact
finding mission to Akhalkalaki; including a cameraman, a lawyer and members of the UNGO. The delegation interviewed relatives and neighbors of the
detained persons, as well as policemen. The Main places where the incidents occurred were also visited and filmed.

The following facts were noted:

1. All arrests were conducted with flagrant violations. None of the arrested persons was informed of his legal rights, his legal status, or of his possibilities for self- protection.
2. Many of the arrested were beaten both at the time of the arrest and during the detention period.
3. Detained persons were interrogated, (some, for several hours) however written reports on the interrogations were not kept.
4. During the search of Gurgen Shirinyan’s house, the police has “discovered” ammunition, however no external witnesses were present to
verify and register the facts.
5. An official search warrant was not presented to the father of Gurgen Shirinyan.
6. The police officers used degrading treatment toward Gurgen Shirinyan’s relatives, and in particular, Gurgen Shirinyan’s father was slapped and then
brutally beaten.
7. Under the pretext that an investigation has to ascertain as to whom the discovered ammunitions belong, Gurgen Shirinyan’s father and aunt were
arrested and detained without any warrant.
8. During Chakhalyan’s house search, arms and ammunitions were “found” and caused the arrest of Chakhalyan and his relatives. However no external
witnesses participated to the search or noted the results of the search.
9. Neither Vahagn Chakhalyan, nor any of the members of his family were shown a search warrant.
10. The arrest of the members of Chakhalyan's family was accompanied with violence, Rouben, Vahagn and Armen Chakhalyan were beaten and threatened.
11. Chakhalyan’s mother (Gayane Chakhalyan) was also arrested. She was questioned for more than a hour, but no written record was kept of her
interrogation. She was threatened and freed without any explanation.
12. Armen Chakhalyan, who is a minor, was interrogated without the presence of his parents or of any impartial adult.
13. In addition to the above mentioned persons who continue to still remain in police custody, numerous other persons were arrested and interrogated, they were all threatened, many were beaten, but all were released withoutany explanation and with no written record of the on-going interrogations which concerned them personally.

The “United Javakhk” Democratic Alliance” political movement participated in the local elections in October 2006, in which they got about 30% of the
Akhalkalaki district votes and took 3 seats in Akhalkalaki sakreboulo (local self-governing body). Yet, the movement rejected the election results as far
as it was concerned, dubbing those results as a flagrant fraud. The leaders of this political movement, and especially Chakhalyan, struggles for a long
time now for the fulfillment of the Armenian minority rights. Based on this fact, “Yerkir” Union strongly believes that Chakhalyan’s arrest and
subsequent detention were purely motivated by political reasons.

“Yerkir” Union considers the recent incidents in Akhalkalaki to be the Georgian government’s unwillingness to solve minority issues, preferring
instead to resort to brutal force to suppress expressions of legitimate complaint.

“Yerkir” Union therefore calls upon the Georgian government:
- to guarantee a fair and unbiased investigation of the recent incidents in Akhalkalaki,
- to immediately release from detention all relatives of Vahagn Chakhalyan and Gurgen Shirinyan,
- to immediately investigate all human rights’ abuses which took place during the recent incidents in Akhalkalaki, and in particular, the
human rights’ abuses which occurred during the arrests, the interrogations and the detentions,
- to hold a fair and impartial investigation of the assassination of the two ethnic Armenian policemen,
- to guarantee Vahagn Chakhalyan’s rights for a fair and impartial trial.

“Yerkir” Union also calls upon foreign missions in Georgia, international organizations and institutions, international and local human rights
organizations and Georgia’s human rights public defender, Mr. Subari
- to recognize Vahagn Chakhalyan and all his detained relatives, as well as Gurgen Shirinyan’s detained relatives as political prisoners
- to take appropriate steps for monitoring the conditions ofdetention of all the political prisoners, to secure their right not to be
subjected to torture and ill-treatment any more, and to assure their right to be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the
human person.

“Yerkir” Union urges the Georgian mass-media to respect the right of the Georgian and international communities to be informed and to break the
information blockade around this case by providing objective and full-length coverage.

“Yerkir” Union also expresses its concern about the alarming socio-political and psychological impact which will have the recent incidents on the
Armenian minority of Javakheti. We call upon the Georgian government, as well as upon the international and local organizations and institutions to
take appropriate and efficient steps for eliminating the possible negative impacts of these recent critical developments.

( +the armenian version )

Labels: ,

javakhk

подпишусь под каждым словом в цитате:
В связи с последним кризисом в Джавахке я по ходу дела отслеживал комментарии по данному вопросу в блогах и на форумах, и вот что меня крайне неприятно поразило- вновь пышным цветом расцвел комплекс "русского следа"- т.е. комплекс связки каждого обострения ситуации в Джавахке с происками русских спецслужб и соответственно призывы быть крайне осторожными, не поднимать шум, и т.д. и т.п. Оставим в стороне то обстоятельство, что люди говрящие о следе России в подавляющем большинстве своем в душе те же "русофилы", денно и ношно мечтающие чтоб русские наконец-то показалли грузинам где раки зимуют, и со своими русскими коллегами по случаю поднимающие тосты за возрождение России-матушки.
Оставим это в стороне. Для меня важно другое- вот эти самые люди так красиво и гладко рассуждающие о "русском следе" когда-либо были в Джавахке? Хоть в какой-либо деревеньке? Беседовали с простыми людьми, видели и чувствовали проблемы с которыми эти люди сталкиваются? Уверен, что нет!
Ладно, не хотите или не можете поехать в Джавахк- ваше дело, но читать-то вы, надеюсь, умеете? Так почитайте
Вот доклад Крайзис груп (они те ещё агенты Кремля) по нацменьшинствам Грузии- есть и русский и английский варианты. Пройдитесь по их рекомендациям
Или ознакомьтесь с доклатами Европейского Центра по проблемам меньшинств по Джавахку и Цалке (видимо, и там сидят русские и мутят воду). Или зайдите на сайт Комиссии по правам человека ООН и продитесь по докладам и рекомендациям по Грузии. Или просто дайте поиск по гуглу на Armenian minority of Georgia и пройдитесь по ссылкам.

Проблем много! Проблемы использования языка, перехода преподавания в школах гуманитарных предметов на грузинский язык, единых госэкзаменов на грузинском, отсутствия местного университета, аттестации директоров, "спорных" церквей, участия в управлении, ксенофобии и дискриминации и т.д.. Все эти проблемы приводят к кому, что армяне Джавахка и Грузии эмигрируют. Видимо, все эти проблемы русские и спровоцировали- специально, чтоб армяне от невыносимой жизни такой восстание подняли! Так нет, не получается, армяне почему-то упорно не восстают, а эмигрируют...

А теперь зайдите на сайт Совета Европы и прочитайте текст "Европейской Рамочной Конвенции о защите нацменьшинств". Призадумайтесь- это обязательства взятые Грузией и которые она должна соблюдать под угрозой санкций! ( +read more... )

via robbt
more on javakhk here: http://moonleight.livejournal.com/tag/javakhk

Labels: ,