Author: Serop Khederlarian

London (15/11 – 67) The streets in Colombo, Sri Lanka, erupted into celebration on July 13, 2022 after weeks of peaceful protests forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country. Rajapaksa, long implicated in war crimes when he was defense secretary, had presided over an economic catastrophe amid allegations of widespread corruption and impunity. But a year later, despite some superficial changes, there is no sustained improvement in the country’s economic situation that impinges many people’s human rights. The acute shortage of fuel that was the most visible feature of the economic crisis has eased. But more than six million people – nearly 30…

Frankfurt (3/12 – 12) The relatively rapid cohesion of disparate nations, historically competitive or even at war with one another, into the European Union came about in part because of the ongoing threat from the Soviet Union. The specter of a tank invasion from Warsaw Pact nations, today forgotten, was such a reality that the German government kept a major portion of its gold bullion across the Atlantic. The USSR, an ally in World War II after being double-crossed by Hitler – remember the “Non-Aggression Pact signed in Moscow by von Ribbentrop and Molotov – was soon appraised as a…

London (28/11 – 58) Tajikistan’s human rights record continues to deteriorate amid an increased crackdown on freedom of expression and the political opposition, as well as the targeting of independent lawyers, journalists, and family members of opposition activists abroad. Freedom of assembly is severely curtailed with any local protests, such as a series of protests in the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region (GBAO), violently quashed. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Programme Office in Dushanbe, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, and the Permanent Representation of France to the OSCE organized a study visit to Paris for government officials from…

Frankfurt (11/09 – 20) Two international human rights organizations have called on the Tajikistan government to immediately release jailed lawyer and human rights activist Manuchehr Kholiknazarov, as well as other activists and journalists. The International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the international non-profit organization CIVICUS, which bills itself as “a global alliance aimed at strengthening the action of citizens and civil society around the world,” in their message published specially on the eve of Independence Day, September 8, focus on the fact that Tajik human rights activist and civil society activist Manuchehr Kholiknazarov was falsely sentenced to a long…

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan says the agreement with Turkey on opening of the land border for citizens of third countries and diplomatic passport holders could be implemented in the near future. Mirzoyan expressed optimism on the matter during a parliamentary committee hearing on the 2024 state budget draft. “The Armenia-Turkey normalization process is highly important for us,” Mirzoyan told lawmakers. “And there’s a conversation about the Armenia-Türkiye normalization,” the FM said. Speaking about the agreement on opening the land border for citizens of third countries and diplomatic passport holders, the Armenian FM said: “I’d like to express optimism that…

Berlin (06/11 – 58) UN Special Rapporteur of Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, has once again called on the authorities of Tajikistan to release imprisoned Tajik journalists and bloggers. Mary Lawlor posted on her social media account, formerly Twitter, that during a meeting with Tajikistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jonibek Hikmat, in New York on October 24, she reiterated her call for the Tajik authorities to release the convicted human rights defenders and journalists, including Daler Imomali, Abdullo Gurbati, and Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva. Last year, in Tajikistan, eight journalists and bloggers were sentenced to various prison terms, ranging from 7…

Dubai is calling for a united front to spur the development of generative artificial intelligence to maximise its potential and reap economic benefits, the chief executive of the Dubai Future Foundation has said. Countries need to come together to prepare society for the innovation and to help bridge the gap between policies and the advancement of the emerging technology, which has a reported business opportunity of as much as $4.4 trillion, Khalfan Belhoul said at the Dubai Assembly for Generative AI conference on Wednesday. The industries with highest AI potential include banking, software and platforms, energy, communications and media, and health, according to the DFF. Mr Belhoul made his…

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says exodus amounts to ‘ethnic cleansing’, a claim Azerbaijan strongly rejects. An ethnic Armenian exodus has nearly emptied Nagorno-Karabakh of residents since Azerbaijan attacked and ordered the breakaway region’s fighter groups to disarm, the Armenian government has said. Nazeli Baghdasaryan, the press secretary to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, said on Saturday that 100,417 people had arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, which had a population of approximately 120,000 before Azerbaijan reclaimed the region in a lightning offensive last week. A total of 21,043 vehicles have crossed the Hakari Bridge, which links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, since last week,…

After Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticized Yerevan’s dependence on Moscow for security, the Kremlin publicly denounced his remarks. However, Russia is aware of Armenia’s growing distance from its sphere of influence, primarily due to the “three-day victorious special operation” against Ukraine. The United States is positioning itself to step in and fill this void. At the same time, in the background, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his coalition partner Ilham Aliyev are engaged in their maneuvers behind the scenes. Russia is currently experiencing a strategic mistake at its core During an interview with La Repubblica, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Russia…

Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Samvel Shahramanyan on Friday held a working consultation, Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the information department of Artsakh President’s Office. The situation created in Artsakh as a result of its complete blockade by Azerbaijan and the mechanisms for overcoming it were on the discussion agenda. Other urgent issues on the solution of food problems of the population, pricing of agricultural products, distribution of vital products and others were also on the discussion agenda. President Shahramanyan noted that the Government should take operational measures to centralize the food resources in Artsakh, to organize the process of providing vital…