Author: Baben Ispiryan

“Court decision to close down the Kyrgyz service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Azattyk dealt a serious blow to media freedom in Kyrgyzstan and should be reversed,” stated the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR). This decision is the most recent in a series of troubling developments undermining freedom of expression and access to information in the country and should be strongly and unequivocally condemned by the international community, the statement said. On 27 April 2023, a local district court in Bishkek ruled in favour of a petition filed by the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth…

Vartkes Najarian was born April 4, 1930 in Kessab, Syria to Hagop, an evangelical minister, and Rebecca. They had five children: Sirvart, Ardashes, Vartkes, Vasken and Vrej. At an early age, the family moved to Beirut, Lebanon. After attending the Armenian Evangelical High School, he graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and received a scholarship to enter the AUB Medical School. In his spare time, he worked as a lifeguard on the Mediterranean beach and was a star athlete and national rowing champion. He graduated from medical school in 1957, and came to the United States to continue…

Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic has moved towards criminalizing acts of defamation and insult despite international criticism and protests by journalists who see the new law as a crackdown on free speech. The regional parliament on Thursday passed draft amendments to the criminal code introducing fines of 3,000 to 60,000 euros ($3,200-$65,000) for damaging a person’s honor or reputation and for publishing damaging videos, photos or documents without consent. The legislation has prompted a public outcry since it was announced in early March, with journalists, civil society activists and diplomats saying it aimed to silence independent media. The United Nations, the…

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, has said in an interview with Russian propagandists that to achieve “goals” in the war, the Russian army may go not only to Kyiv but also to Lviv. Source: Kremlin-aligned news outlets Quote from Medvedev: “Nothing can be ruled out here. If we have to go to Kyiv, then we have to go to Kyiv, if we have to go to Lviv, then we have to go to Lviv in order to destroy this infection.” Details: According to Medvedev, the Russian leadership wants to achieve all “goals” in the war against Ukraine.…

On February 5, around 15 Armenians from different parts of south India and Kolkata gathered at the Armenian Church in Chennai, to remember Reverend Father Harutyun Shmavonian, priest and founder-editor of “Azdarar,” the first Armenian journal ever to be published, the Times of India reports.Azdarar was printed and published in Madras 229 years ago by Shmavonian, who lived most of his life in the city, until his death on February 9, 1824. Shmavonian was born in Shiraz in 1750, but when he was serving as a priest there, he lost both his sons within a week of each other to an infectious…

Australian ski aficionados are already planning their next overseas winter getaway, as local ski travel specialists race to keep up with early booking demand. As record high winter temperatures in parts of Europe close slopes or force resorts to pivot to summer recreations, destinations like Japan and Canada are in high demand, bolstered by favourable exchange rates. Melissa Cowley, managing director at Sydney-based ski specialist wholesaler Ski Travel Company, said she’s already fielding northern hemisphere holiday enquiries for Christmas 2023 and January 2024. The early demand has meant wholesalers like Cowley are working two-to-three months ahead to finalise overseas ski…

The ruling Civil Contract Party had three tasks when it came to power in Armenia: to hand over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to Azerbaijan, to strengthen anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia by achieving the withdrawal of the Russian military base in the country, and to make a geopolitical change towards the West. Political technologist Armen Badalyan told this to a press conference Tuesday. “The first attempt to hand over Artsakh took place in the 2020 war, but Russian troops were able to stop it. They [i.e., the Armenian authorities] have achieved certain things regarding anti-Russian sentiments [in Armenia]. The authorities are successful in…

Residents of the territory reported disrupted deliveries of food and heating gas, and hundreds blocked from returning home, as the numbers of Azerbaijani protesters on the scene grew. An Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh continued for a second day, stranding residents on both ends of the blockade and disrupting supplies of food, medical supplies, and other essentials. As fears of the humanitarian consequences of the blockade rose, officials in the de facto Karabakh government reported the evening of December 13 that Azerbaijan had cut off the gas supply to the territory. “In parallel with this [gas cutoff], the people of Artsakh…