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NEWS
Tragic Deaths: Family of five seeking warmth instead succumbs to poisoning -- 18 total dead from bad heating
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow Reporter
All five members of the Ghahramanyan family were found dead at their home in Echmiadzin on December 14 because of an
apparent gas leak.
Armen Melkonyan, senior aide to the prosecutor of Armavir region, says that the prosecutor's office has instituted a
criminal inquiry centered around the use of a gas burner fitted to a home-made furnace in the family's apartment.
The Ghahramanyan family moved to Echmiadzin from Jrarat village in the region. Volodya, 34, worked in the cemetery as
a stone dresser. He and his wife, Lianna, 29e had three children – Amalia, aged nine, Armenak, seven, and David, who
was three years old.
Yesterday the director of HayRusGazArd held a press conference in which he told that 18 people throughout Armenia have
died already this winter as a result of gas leakage connected with poor quality heating. Among the latest dead was a
couple discovered last week in Gyumri.
"When we opened the gate and entered the yard, the lights in the house were on. It was strange, because nobody had
seen them since Sunday. We thought they'd gone to the village. It turned out that they'd been dead at their home for
two days. Their beds were not made up, the children were in nightgowns," says a neighbor, who could barely hide her
distress.
The family, who struggled to make a living, heated their apartment by burning gas in a furnace intended for wood. To
get the maximum warmth at minimum expense, Volodya placed a netlike partition inside the furnace pipe, so as to retain
the heat as long as possible. As a result, the gas was not completely burned, causing a build up of poisonous carbon
monoxide fumes in the apartment.
"Today, many people are using this method by placing partitions inside the pipes. As a result, they play with human
lives. Carbon monoxide gas can't be felt in any way, can it?" says 40-year-old Armen Lazarian from Echmiadzin.
The head of Echmiadzin's gas-supply service Sashik Lazarian says that they cannot give any explanation until they
have the findings of an expert examination.
While an ordinary gas leak produces a clearly recognizable smell, carbon monoxide has no smell, taste or color. People
succumb gradually until they slip into unconsciousness and death.
"We found Volodya near the door, clutching his baby, he must have felt what had happened and wanted to get outside,
but he didn't manage to do that. If only the door was open. He had very bright children," said a neighbor, who didn't
want to say his name for fear of investigation."
Expert examinations by forensic medical and technical commissions have been ordered as part of the criminal
investigation, which continues
Loose: Two dig out of maximum security facility in Goris
By Zhanna Alexanyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
For the first time since the Soviet era, there has been an escape from Armenia's maximum security facility for
criminals.
Earlier this week, it was learned that Mher Yenokyan and Soghomon Kocharyan had slipped out of the Goris prison
sometime last Friday, apparently by digging through the lockup's 1.5-meter thick wall.
The men, both serving life sentences for murder, remain at large and a reward has been offered for information leading
to their capture. Roads leading out of Goris are now tightly patrolled and cars going out of the area are subject to
search by police.
Ministry of Justice press secretary Ara Saghatelyan says an investigation is underway to determine how the men managed
to escape.
Kocharyan, 38, was sentenced in 1995 for killing an Iranian national and stealing his car. After eight years in other
prisons, he was transferred to Goris last year.
Yenokyan, 29, was sentenced in 1996 for killing a classmate in the third-year of studies at a Yerevan medical
institute. An accomplice, Aram Harutyunyan, was sentenced to 15 years.
Varduhi Ohanyan, Yenokyan's mother, said the escape was an action of protest since her son's appeal to review his case
has been ignored.
The family of Iosiph Aghajanov, Yenokyan's victim, says they are very worried, knowing Yenokyan is at large.
Minister of Justice David Harutyunyan called the incident a "pitiful case".
"Unfortunately such things can't be prevented 100 percent," Harutyunyan said. "We still have old buildings that are
poorly protected. The Goris prison has been built in 1890 and has spared its resources as such."
City for Sale: Echmiadzin mayor makes questionable deal on public museum
By Vahan Ishkhanyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The Mayor of Echmiadzin has sold the premises of the city's Folk History Museum after giving assurance that the city
property would not be among properties being let in a series of business deals swung by the mayor.
As previously reported in ArmeniaNow Mayor Hrachik Abgaryan has been criticized by some residents of Echmiadzin for
selling public libraries to private enterprises, including those to which the mayor has connections. (See ????)
Now, the sell of the museum is expected to create more discontent among residents of the city and Seat of the Holy
See.
Director Hasmik Hakobyan was assured that the museum was not going to be sold and, a month ago Abgaryan told
ArmeniaNow that the premises would be kept for public use. But ArmeniaNow has learned that the decision to sell the
property – valued at about $100,000 and sold for $7,000 – was made months ago.
The museum was established in 1964. In 1984 it was relocated to its present territory, which is in the central street
of the town. It has about 12,000 exhibits, of which 500 are on display, including late stone-age pieces – from items
dated the 5th Millennium BC to domestic items used at the beginning of the 20th century. The current and former staff
members say that the museum was built with their hands, the state had not helped with anything:
"This museum is something like a church, after it is destroyed it will take years to restore it to its former look,"
says Hakobyan, who has worked in the museum for 34 years.
Staff members constructed exhibits inside, such as the copy of a round house dated to the 4th Millennium BC (a replica
of the house discovered during excavations), which is laid with bricks and mortar, and a tonratoon (the shed which
houses a tonir – a big jar dug in the earth in which fire is made, used for baking bread) with a special type of roof.
The doors of the museum are made with special wood engravings. Upkeep of the museum has been maintained by staff, with
no government funding.
The museum is to be relocated to the civil registration office, which is situated in the territory of the mayor's
office (the chief of the civil registration office was still not aware that a museum would be housed there instead of
his office).
"I was very angered when I learned it was sold," says director of the joint cultural directorate of the mayor's office
Eduard Hakhverdyan. "The deal was before me, I was not aware. Serzh Sargsyan says that troops need to be sent to Iraq
to protect Armenian cultural hubs, however if they do not protect culture in their own homeland, how will they protect
it in a foreign land? If you go there, please go, but do not speak on behalf of culture."
The deal was closed by the former director of the joint cultural directorate Benik Shamiryan, who later was appointed
director of the joint educational directorate and made the decision to sell the territories of the libraries.
"The museum is being brought to a more central place (it is about 50 meters from the museum to the civil registration
office), it will be more spacious (the sizes of the new territory are not known)," says Shamiryan. "It is being done
according to the interests of the museum."
Details of the deal suggest other interests, however.
A territory of 495 square meters plus a 70-square-meter cellar was sold for 3.46 million drams (though the price was
not revealed to the public), about $7,000, which is about 15 times cheaper than the market price.
Although the territory was sold through an auction, it was considered simply formality and the buyer had been known in
advance – businessman Zarzand Karapetyan. It is also known that Karapetyan has also recently bought an apartment,
widely believed to have been handed over to the mayor.
"If we at least knew about the auction, other buyers could have come forward," says Hakboyan.
No funds are foreseen in the budget for repairs in the new territory.
Staff members say they are cautious against objecting to the sale of the museum and claim that the mayor has
threatened to fire the director if the sale is protested.
FEATURES
Between Iraq and a Hard Place: Government ponders alternative direction for Armenian peace-keepers
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmenianNow Reporter
Armenia's Ministry of Defense has considered sending an Armenian peace-keeping contingent to Afghanistan.
Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan said the matter was discussed earlier this month, partly in response to Poland's
decision to withdraw its troops from Iraq.
As Deputy Defense Minister Artur Aghabekyan said earlier, "a group of 50 Armenian specialists, made up of doctors,
drivers and sappers, if dispatched to Iraq, will be located in the southern part of this country, which is under the
administrative control of Polish troops".
However, in September, the Polish authorities declared their desire to disengage their troops from Iraq. Sargsyan paid
a working visit to Warsaw in the same month and a number of experts believe the question of a possible transfer of
Armenia's peace-keeping contingent to Afghanistan was discussed on his return from Poland.
"If Poland decides to withdraw its troops from Iraq, Yerevan will reconsider its approaches to the issue of sending
Armenian specialists to Iraq," Sargsyan said on December 8. "It is impossible to be within something that does not
exist. Therefore, in that case, Armenia will simply have to reconsider some positions. The issue of the possible
sending of an Armenian group to Afghanistan has already been discussed in the RA Ministry of Defense."
At present, the "Iraqi vector" remains the most likely destination for the Armenian contingent. The Afghan option is
not being widely discussed yet. Some specialists observe that the situation was similar when the question of sending
troops to Iraq first emerged.
"Exactly a year ago, in December 2003, information emerged on the start of negotiations between the Ministry of
Defense of Armenia and the Pentagon about possible deployment of an Armenian peace-keeping contingent to Iraq, but
this news did not become a factor of Armenian public-political life," says political analyst Levon Ghazaryan.
"Neither was this question considered adequately in April when Deputy Defense Minister Mikael Harutyunyan officially
declared the signing of a corresponding agreement to be a fait accompli. It is obvious that among the factors that
conditioned the passivity of the political establishment of the country on this question, the main thing was the
result of the US presidential elections. That's why, the issue has been hotly debated only since autumn.
"I do not rule out the possibility that in due course the 'Afghan question' will also become a topic of discussions
like the 'Iraqi question' is already today. I think official Yerevan still feels like insisting on the Iraqi vector."
When Sargsyan first revealed the possibility of transfering Armenian specialists to Afghanistan instead of Iraq, the
Constitutional Court of Armenia ruled that the deployment to Iraq was legal, since the provisions of a Memorandum "On
the regulation of management of a multinational division within the coalition forces of Iraq" signed by Poland and 19
other countries did not contravene Armenia's constitution.
Armenia has not yet acceded to the Memorandum, but if it does, Sargsyan said it intended "to send a note to the Polish
side that restrictions should be applied for the Republic of Armenia armed forces, such as participation only in
defensive and humanitarian actions, and the unacceptability of undertaking joint operations with the Azeri military".
"Taking into account the presence of a large Armenian Diaspora in this country and also friendship with Iraq, Yerevan
did not take part in the military operations," Armenia's Defense Minister said in the Constitutional Court.
"Yerevan has chosen a path of humanitarian involvement in Iraq, especially as it is consistent with the UN Security
Council's latest resolution N 1546 on Iraq adopted on June 8. Armenia has experience of peace-keeping activities in
Kosovo, and after sending its contingent to Iraq it will also enhance its own international image."
In this connection, he reported that Georgia and Azerbaijan are going to increase their contingents in Iraq from 157
to 880 and from 151 to 400, respectively.
The National Assembly Vice-Speaker and ARF Executive Council of Armenia member, Vahan Hovhannisyan, also spoke about
the country's image on December 8. As cochairman of the inter-parliamentary commission on Armenian-Russian
cooperation, he had participated at a session in Moscow and found that "the Russian side showed jealousy" towards
Armenia's involvement in Iraq.
"The Armenian delegation, in its turn, raised the question of whether Russia's forgiving a multibillion-dollar debt to
Iraq meant economic support to the government of this country, which is the protege of the "occupying force" – the
United States," said Hovhannisyan.
Military Science?: Young scientists angered over order to serve in Army
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Young doctors of science in Armenia are furious over a recent decree (issued November 15) by the Government of Armenia
by which candidates for doctoral degrees will face Army conscription.
Various medical associations have offered their assistance to help the doctoral candidates fight the decree, which may
be in conflict with the Constitution of Armenia.
"We don't object to doctors being called up for military service, but we object to doctors of science being drafted,"
says Parunak Zelvayan, chairman of the Armenian Medical Association. "There are only a hundred young scientist doctors
aged below 35 in Armenia today. I am asking a very rhetorical question – will those hundred people save the health of
our army?"
Young doctors doubt the necessity the government decision, since the meaning of the statement that the armed forces
need medical specialists is unclear.
Zelveyan says: "It is 10 years that the Military Medical Department of the Yerevan State Medical University has had
graduates and the goal of this faculty is to supply the republic's armed forces with appropriate highly skilled
specialists. It is known that numerous would-be doctors are admitted to that faculty every year and not all of them
join the armed forces later."
The Association considers that the government must reconsider its decision and stop the conscription of officers of
the first group of reserve medical staff with scientific degrees.
Strong Defense: Sargsyan says army is not worried about spread of religious sects
By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan told a group of youth last week that he doesn't see any threat to Armenia by
religious sects.
Since Armenia adopted laws protecting rights of religious minorities, there has been widespread concern that national
identity and security is at stake.
"The role of sects in our society is exaggerated," Sargsyan told a meeting at the Ararat Patriarchy. "I don't see any
danger in it at all."
Of particular public concern has been the position of Jehovah's Witnesses, whose beliefs prohibit them from performing
military service that requires using weapons.
During the meeting on "State-Church Cooperation" and "Army-Alternative Service" the young people voiced their concern
about the impact of conscientious objectors on Armenia's military.
Sargsyan said periodical surveys are being conducted among recruits and soldiers and the greater part of the surveyed
insist serving the motherland is one's sacred duty and that they are not concerned in this regard.
"I think those who do not want to serve can be a only a burden and dangerous for the army. We should not struggle
against them. We can only convince and spread our ideas, if not, let nothing be done by force," the Minister
said. "Quantity is not the most important thing. It is better to have 10, 20, 30 soldiers devoted to the motherland,
than 150-200 who are forced, although we do not have a problem of quantity for 6 years as well."
Sargsyan said those who are against taking arms can serve in the Armenian army by other means.
Referring to recently adopted laws, the Minister of Defense said:
"We have a law on alternative service that gives opportunity to those who do not want to take arms, to serve in an
asylum, take care of the elderly. It is also a service and patriotism. The question is how many will prefer that
alternative."
To the question of whether the Ministry of Defense is concerned that a large number will seek to avoid service through
membership in a pacifist religion, Sargsyan told the group it is not a simple matter to falsify one's religious
affiliation.
"Our laws are clear and leave no space for false sect members. They can not come to the military department and say
they are Jehovah's Witnesses. Such cases are investigated preliminarily by relevant bodies and it is not that easy to
deceive," said Sargsyan.
The army also, Sargsyan says, pays attention to religion that helps the soldiers.
Since 1997 the Apostolic Church has a spiritual service to keep the soldiers belief alive.
To intensify the cooperation, in September 2000 the Catholicos and the Defense Minister signed an agreement regulating
the spiritual service in the army.
At present some 30 priests serve in the military units of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
"The presence of priests in the army is a big step," said the minister. "The soldiers have the opportunity to
communicate, to share their concerns with them. And we should pay attention to everything to escape further
complications".
Sargsyan says the spread of sects should also be paid attention to, by countering their beliefs with practice of
traditional faith.
History Matters: Critics say Armenian museum in Turkey obscures rather than enlightens
By Ruzanna Amiraghyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The opening of the Surb Prkich Armenian National Hospital Museum in Istanbul presented a controversial message on the
eve of the European Union's consideration of Turkey's accession opportunities.
The hospital museum, whose opening was widely covered by the Turkish media, is the first in Turkey to be dedicated to
the country's Armenian minority. It includes religious artifacts, antique medical equipment and the Ottoman decree of
Sultan Mahmut II on the establishment of the hospital in 1832.
"Anyone seeing the exhibits of the museum will never have any doubts over the history that the two nations created.
Deep in my soul this is also a museum of humanism," said Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan at the official
ceremony on December 5.
Erdoğan said the museum, whose name means Holy Savior, would serve to shed light on the common history of Armenians
and Turks for current and future generations. He said: "As the Prime Minister of the country I feel obliged to secure
the rights of Armenians as well as other nationalities, to share their happiness and sorrow."
The EU decided yesteday (December 16) that membership negotiations with Turkey will commence October 3, 2005. The
European Commission issued a report in October recommending that member states authorize accession negotiations. But
it highlighted minority rights as one of the most acute political issues facing Turkey.
Vahan Hovhannisyan, deputy speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia and a member of the bureau of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, described Erdogan's comments as "an attempt to 'blow smoke' into the eyes of the
international community and the Armenian people".
He argued that one should not take "at face value" the Turkish Prime Minister's recent assertion that ethnic groups in
Turkey are native elements of the country whose interests Turkey had defended and would defend in future.
Erdogan argued that "instead of allowing (museum) pieces such as this to throw light on history, facts are being
distorted through speculation and disinformation", implying the Genocide of Armenians of 1915-1923 that Turkey's
authorities continue to deny.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, objected in response by saying: "Mr Erdogan, before you
speak of so called "assumptions" and "misinformation", you should visit the "Cilicia Museum" of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia in Lebanon. At that museum you would see irrefutable evidence of the Genocide perpetrated by the Turks.
"No one who sees these remains would talk of "assumptions" and "distortion" of facts. They are clear evidence of
Turkish barbarism. Shouldn't you ask why these are currently in Antelias? Are they there by coincidence? Before
speaking of "falsification" and "misinformation", you should also visit the relics of our martyrs that lie in a
monument not far from the museum. Where did these human remains come from? History is based on clear facts and not
assumptions. As much as you and others may deny, the Armenian Genocide is a fact of history".
The new Turkish Penal Code provides for imprisonment of anyone making statements asserting the Armenian Genocide
during the Ottoman era if they are construed by government officials as diminishing the authority of the Turkish state.
ARTS
Actor Honored: Khoren Abrahamyan laid to rest with bittersweet recognition
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Two months ago beloved Armenian actor Khoren Abrahamyan told ArmeniaNow:
"I have so many ideas and thoughts, so many things to say. I feel I am in my 20s and I am confident I will manage to
reach at least the half of the aims I have."
In his 50 professional years the actor reached plenty aims, among which was to bring his art to a mass audience that
rewarded Abrahamayan with admiration and respect. And his country rewarded him with the distinction of People's
Artist.
On Tuesday, appreciation of Abrahamyan's work mixed with grief as thousands honored him by carrying his body through
the streets of Yerevan, to the Sundukyan Theater where he first performed, then laying the actor to rest at the
Komitas Pantheon.
Abrahamyan died of heart attack last Friday in Yerevan.
Among mourners at services in the National Opera and Ballet Theater were President Robert Kocharyan, His Holiness
Catholicos Garegin II, Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan and Mayor Yervand Zarkaryan.
Khoren Abrahamyan's body was carried on the arms of admirers and colleagues accompanied by the music of his most
famous film "The Song of the First Love".
At his death, he had been working for three years to produce a sequel. His last stage performance was in the Sundukyan
where he appeared in Qobern's "Gin Play", November 21.
"We are a small nation, but we give birth to these kind of great people from time to time," said a colleague and
fellow People's Artist, Sos Sargsyan, fighting back tears. "Khorik was a great man of world significance, an
unimaginable actor and person." (Click to read ?????)
Students from the Theater and Cinema Institute and Yerevan State University formed a protest action following
Abrahamyan's funeral. They were angered that a party for the pop music group Shicker took place in the theater after
Abrahamyan's funeral.
Khoren Abrahamyan, like singer and director Tigran Levonyan and writer Hrant Matevosyan left this world insulted. For
10 years he did not have a stage, fired from the native Sundukyan theatre.
"A great man like Khorik, one of the last Mohicans, was asking on TV to give him a stage, a hall to play. I think it
is not a coincidence only we have a saying 'die and you'll be loved'", says playwright Perch Zeytuntsyan. "I am glad
they understood in the end and asked him to return to the mother theater and play at least once. We are gradually
becoming poorer, who will fill this big gap? Will it be those who made award ceremonies and birthday parties on the
day of the funeral?"
Armenia's "Grammys": A year of music takes 7 hours to recognize
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
In a strained program that lasted nearly seven hours, the music community learned winners of Armenia's National Music
Awards last Sunday night.
Top prizes were taken by H2 (Best Entertainment Program of The Year), Ani Kristi (Best New Artist), Arsen Safaryan
(Hit of the Year -- "Your Name"), Jazzle (Best Pop Group), Bambir (Best Rock Group) and Hayko (Best Album of the
Year), Andre (Singer of the Year), and Kristine Pepelyan (Female Artist of the Year).
The competition was renewed last year, after a 15 year interruption and guests waited in anticipation to see their
favorite "stars", who were expected to exit limousines and enter the Sundukyan Theater up a red carpet.
The carpet was there; the stars weren't. Seems that the invitation reading "evening gowns are a must", was a bit much
to ask for a December evening in Yerevan. So the celebrities chose to enter as the common, but warmly dressed into the
chilly theater.
Arthur Ispiryan opened the ceremony with a song devoted to actor Khoren Abrahamyan who died December 10, while the
beloved actor's photo smiled from a stage that otherwise held last year's decoration. The hall joined in tears and
ovations giving respect to the memory of the actor, not with a minute of silence but with applauses and bravos.
The best of the National Music Awards were represented in 19 nominations and were selected by 60 judges.
One spectator, pianist Narine Manukyan complained the awardees were not excited enough.
"Whoever stepped on the stage seemed to previously know he had won. For instance, why did Nazeli Hovhannisyan, who was
on the stage suddenly appeared in the hall as soon as the best anchor had to be announced so to rise on the stage
again solemnly" said Manukyan.
A judge, politician Paruyr Hayrikyan said "populism" or "rabis understanding" played a part in selection of winners.
"This is us, we make choices here just like we elect a president. But that is life as well," Hayrikyan said.
Winners in other categories were:
Ani Amiryan (The Future of Armenian Pop)
Avet Barseghyan and Nazeli Hovhannisyan (Best TV Music Anchor)
Hayko (Best DVD)
Hayko (Best Musical Project)
Davit Babayan (Best Video)
Forsh (Tigran Naghdalyan Award)
Fifteen categories were added since last year's awards. And the long night might have been longer, but categories for
Best Classic Album, Best Folk or Ethnic Album, Best Instrumental Album and Best Composer were withdrawn.
Living for Color: Kapan artist takes a lonely journey through abstraction
By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
With a careless walk, wearing shoes that are too big and shabby patched clothes, 43-year-old Husik Stepanyan is the
most unpopular artist in Kapan.
Like him, his paintings have always been odd. Besides traditional painting, Husik does abstract work that is not
easily accepted in a town where art is usually limited to landscapes of Syunik's most famous mountain, Khustup.
"I don't even bother explaining to them what abstraction is for here there are few who understand true art," says
Husik carefully arranging the paintings. "Those who understand can't afford to buy paintings, so they tap me on my
shoulder, say that it's very nice and go."
His studio in the basement of a multistory building on Lernagortsnery Street is a feast of color and emotions despite
the dreadful cold: Husik lives for his paintings and colors, passing his thoughts onto canvas.
The blue, the yellow, the red, the white and the black differ at times according to his mood. Yellow is the color of
overcoming difficult stressful situations, blue the color of comfort, and red of crisis, not a rare thing in the
painter's life.
Living in extreme social conditions, he cares only for his workshop and the world of color that he has been creating
for three decades. On the blackened walls there is "The Loneliness", "The Chess Thoughts" and abstract works that have
numbers as if continuing one another.
Some of the paintings have no signature. Husik says they are not finished in his soul.
Between the spiritual and the necessary the painter has always chosen the former. Though he says material questions
have never been important to him, he sometimes tries to conform to people's demands and accepts orders.
"The demand for the spiritual is very small in this town. Rather there is a demand for simplistic works. I need to
paint things that are in demand from time to time and if in the capital the most often sold pictures are of Ararat, in
Kapan it is the church in front of Mount Khustup."
"Most of the people in Kapan have a curious way of thinking," smiles the painter. "I sometimes hardly keep from
laughing; those who buy pictures here pay attention not to the essence and the depth of the painting but to the beauty
of the frame. And I don't have any opportunity to buy gorgeous frames. That is I can't provide what people are
interested in."
Husik, understood by few, goes on living, forgetting and having no opportunity to repair his workshop. There are no
windows as such; neither there are glasses or isolation every other one being covered with paper.
The walls of the workshop are black with the smoke from plastic bottles that Husik gathers in the streets and burns,
having no opportunity to buy fuel and trying to protect his paintings and warming the creating hands.
The most Husik has got for a painting is $300, an exceptional sum for a town like Kapan. The buyer, a foreigner who
was fascinated by Husik's art, bought the painting without haggling and left Kapan happy.
Artists in Kapan say Husik has always incited interest among specialists. His works were recently included in an
exhibition in Yerevan.
"I had no opportunity to be present there (for financial reasons), but the organizers and those who were present said
all the famous artists were interested in me and my paintings. But there is no opportunity to present oneself to
anyone, that has been the way for me," says the painter. "There have been offers that I rejected because of the lack
of means."
Husik also rejects all those who try to take advantage of his hardship and buy unique paintings for a very low price,
either to resell in Yerevan or to give as presents.
"My paintings cost a lot," he says. "I know that some day this will be known to many. Art that is created in one's
soul and has power cannot have a price."
--Boundary_(ID_PwpO0upe25MgArGSuU+qYw)--
Administration Address: 26 Parpetsi St., No 9
Phone: +(374 1) 532422
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.armenianow.com
Technical Assistance: (For technical assistance please contact to Babken Juharyan)
Email: [email protected]
ICQ#: 97152052
NEWS
Tragic Deaths: Family of five seeking warmth instead succumbs to poisoning -- 18 total dead from bad heating
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow Reporter
All five members of the Ghahramanyan family were found dead at their home in Echmiadzin on December 14 because of an
apparent gas leak.
Armen Melkonyan, senior aide to the prosecutor of Armavir region, says that the prosecutor's office has instituted a
criminal inquiry centered around the use of a gas burner fitted to a home-made furnace in the family's apartment.
The Ghahramanyan family moved to Echmiadzin from Jrarat village in the region. Volodya, 34, worked in the cemetery as
a stone dresser. He and his wife, Lianna, 29e had three children – Amalia, aged nine, Armenak, seven, and David, who
was three years old.
Yesterday the director of HayRusGazArd held a press conference in which he told that 18 people throughout Armenia have
died already this winter as a result of gas leakage connected with poor quality heating. Among the latest dead was a
couple discovered last week in Gyumri.
"When we opened the gate and entered the yard, the lights in the house were on. It was strange, because nobody had
seen them since Sunday. We thought they'd gone to the village. It turned out that they'd been dead at their home for
two days. Their beds were not made up, the children were in nightgowns," says a neighbor, who could barely hide her
distress.
The family, who struggled to make a living, heated their apartment by burning gas in a furnace intended for wood. To
get the maximum warmth at minimum expense, Volodya placed a netlike partition inside the furnace pipe, so as to retain
the heat as long as possible. As a result, the gas was not completely burned, causing a build up of poisonous carbon
monoxide fumes in the apartment.
"Today, many people are using this method by placing partitions inside the pipes. As a result, they play with human
lives. Carbon monoxide gas can't be felt in any way, can it?" says 40-year-old Armen Lazarian from Echmiadzin.
The head of Echmiadzin's gas-supply service Sashik Lazarian says that they cannot give any explanation until they
have the findings of an expert examination.
While an ordinary gas leak produces a clearly recognizable smell, carbon monoxide has no smell, taste or color. People
succumb gradually until they slip into unconsciousness and death.
"We found Volodya near the door, clutching his baby, he must have felt what had happened and wanted to get outside,
but he didn't manage to do that. If only the door was open. He had very bright children," said a neighbor, who didn't
want to say his name for fear of investigation."
Expert examinations by forensic medical and technical commissions have been ordered as part of the criminal
investigation, which continues
Loose: Two dig out of maximum security facility in Goris
By Zhanna Alexanyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
For the first time since the Soviet era, there has been an escape from Armenia's maximum security facility for
criminals.
Earlier this week, it was learned that Mher Yenokyan and Soghomon Kocharyan had slipped out of the Goris prison
sometime last Friday, apparently by digging through the lockup's 1.5-meter thick wall.
The men, both serving life sentences for murder, remain at large and a reward has been offered for information leading
to their capture. Roads leading out of Goris are now tightly patrolled and cars going out of the area are subject to
search by police.
Ministry of Justice press secretary Ara Saghatelyan says an investigation is underway to determine how the men managed
to escape.
Kocharyan, 38, was sentenced in 1995 for killing an Iranian national and stealing his car. After eight years in other
prisons, he was transferred to Goris last year.
Yenokyan, 29, was sentenced in 1996 for killing a classmate in the third-year of studies at a Yerevan medical
institute. An accomplice, Aram Harutyunyan, was sentenced to 15 years.
Varduhi Ohanyan, Yenokyan's mother, said the escape was an action of protest since her son's appeal to review his case
has been ignored.
The family of Iosiph Aghajanov, Yenokyan's victim, says they are very worried, knowing Yenokyan is at large.
Minister of Justice David Harutyunyan called the incident a "pitiful case".
"Unfortunately such things can't be prevented 100 percent," Harutyunyan said. "We still have old buildings that are
poorly protected. The Goris prison has been built in 1890 and has spared its resources as such."
City for Sale: Echmiadzin mayor makes questionable deal on public museum
By Vahan Ishkhanyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The Mayor of Echmiadzin has sold the premises of the city's Folk History Museum after giving assurance that the city
property would not be among properties being let in a series of business deals swung by the mayor.
As previously reported in ArmeniaNow Mayor Hrachik Abgaryan has been criticized by some residents of Echmiadzin for
selling public libraries to private enterprises, including those to which the mayor has connections. (See ????)
Now, the sell of the museum is expected to create more discontent among residents of the city and Seat of the Holy
See.
Director Hasmik Hakobyan was assured that the museum was not going to be sold and, a month ago Abgaryan told
ArmeniaNow that the premises would be kept for public use. But ArmeniaNow has learned that the decision to sell the
property – valued at about $100,000 and sold for $7,000 – was made months ago.
The museum was established in 1964. In 1984 it was relocated to its present territory, which is in the central street
of the town. It has about 12,000 exhibits, of which 500 are on display, including late stone-age pieces – from items
dated the 5th Millennium BC to domestic items used at the beginning of the 20th century. The current and former staff
members say that the museum was built with their hands, the state had not helped with anything:
"This museum is something like a church, after it is destroyed it will take years to restore it to its former look,"
says Hakobyan, who has worked in the museum for 34 years.
Staff members constructed exhibits inside, such as the copy of a round house dated to the 4th Millennium BC (a replica
of the house discovered during excavations), which is laid with bricks and mortar, and a tonratoon (the shed which
houses a tonir – a big jar dug in the earth in which fire is made, used for baking bread) with a special type of roof.
The doors of the museum are made with special wood engravings. Upkeep of the museum has been maintained by staff, with
no government funding.
The museum is to be relocated to the civil registration office, which is situated in the territory of the mayor's
office (the chief of the civil registration office was still not aware that a museum would be housed there instead of
his office).
"I was very angered when I learned it was sold," says director of the joint cultural directorate of the mayor's office
Eduard Hakhverdyan. "The deal was before me, I was not aware. Serzh Sargsyan says that troops need to be sent to Iraq
to protect Armenian cultural hubs, however if they do not protect culture in their own homeland, how will they protect
it in a foreign land? If you go there, please go, but do not speak on behalf of culture."
The deal was closed by the former director of the joint cultural directorate Benik Shamiryan, who later was appointed
director of the joint educational directorate and made the decision to sell the territories of the libraries.
"The museum is being brought to a more central place (it is about 50 meters from the museum to the civil registration
office), it will be more spacious (the sizes of the new territory are not known)," says Shamiryan. "It is being done
according to the interests of the museum."
Details of the deal suggest other interests, however.
A territory of 495 square meters plus a 70-square-meter cellar was sold for 3.46 million drams (though the price was
not revealed to the public), about $7,000, which is about 15 times cheaper than the market price.
Although the territory was sold through an auction, it was considered simply formality and the buyer had been known in
advance – businessman Zarzand Karapetyan. It is also known that Karapetyan has also recently bought an apartment,
widely believed to have been handed over to the mayor.
"If we at least knew about the auction, other buyers could have come forward," says Hakboyan.
No funds are foreseen in the budget for repairs in the new territory.
Staff members say they are cautious against objecting to the sale of the museum and claim that the mayor has
threatened to fire the director if the sale is protested.
FEATURES
Between Iraq and a Hard Place: Government ponders alternative direction for Armenian peace-keepers
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmenianNow Reporter
Armenia's Ministry of Defense has considered sending an Armenian peace-keeping contingent to Afghanistan.
Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan said the matter was discussed earlier this month, partly in response to Poland's
decision to withdraw its troops from Iraq.
As Deputy Defense Minister Artur Aghabekyan said earlier, "a group of 50 Armenian specialists, made up of doctors,
drivers and sappers, if dispatched to Iraq, will be located in the southern part of this country, which is under the
administrative control of Polish troops".
However, in September, the Polish authorities declared their desire to disengage their troops from Iraq. Sargsyan paid
a working visit to Warsaw in the same month and a number of experts believe the question of a possible transfer of
Armenia's peace-keeping contingent to Afghanistan was discussed on his return from Poland.
"If Poland decides to withdraw its troops from Iraq, Yerevan will reconsider its approaches to the issue of sending
Armenian specialists to Iraq," Sargsyan said on December 8. "It is impossible to be within something that does not
exist. Therefore, in that case, Armenia will simply have to reconsider some positions. The issue of the possible
sending of an Armenian group to Afghanistan has already been discussed in the RA Ministry of Defense."
At present, the "Iraqi vector" remains the most likely destination for the Armenian contingent. The Afghan option is
not being widely discussed yet. Some specialists observe that the situation was similar when the question of sending
troops to Iraq first emerged.
"Exactly a year ago, in December 2003, information emerged on the start of negotiations between the Ministry of
Defense of Armenia and the Pentagon about possible deployment of an Armenian peace-keeping contingent to Iraq, but
this news did not become a factor of Armenian public-political life," says political analyst Levon Ghazaryan.
"Neither was this question considered adequately in April when Deputy Defense Minister Mikael Harutyunyan officially
declared the signing of a corresponding agreement to be a fait accompli. It is obvious that among the factors that
conditioned the passivity of the political establishment of the country on this question, the main thing was the
result of the US presidential elections. That's why, the issue has been hotly debated only since autumn.
"I do not rule out the possibility that in due course the 'Afghan question' will also become a topic of discussions
like the 'Iraqi question' is already today. I think official Yerevan still feels like insisting on the Iraqi vector."
When Sargsyan first revealed the possibility of transfering Armenian specialists to Afghanistan instead of Iraq, the
Constitutional Court of Armenia ruled that the deployment to Iraq was legal, since the provisions of a Memorandum "On
the regulation of management of a multinational division within the coalition forces of Iraq" signed by Poland and 19
other countries did not contravene Armenia's constitution.
Armenia has not yet acceded to the Memorandum, but if it does, Sargsyan said it intended "to send a note to the Polish
side that restrictions should be applied for the Republic of Armenia armed forces, such as participation only in
defensive and humanitarian actions, and the unacceptability of undertaking joint operations with the Azeri military".
"Taking into account the presence of a large Armenian Diaspora in this country and also friendship with Iraq, Yerevan
did not take part in the military operations," Armenia's Defense Minister said in the Constitutional Court.
"Yerevan has chosen a path of humanitarian involvement in Iraq, especially as it is consistent with the UN Security
Council's latest resolution N 1546 on Iraq adopted on June 8. Armenia has experience of peace-keeping activities in
Kosovo, and after sending its contingent to Iraq it will also enhance its own international image."
In this connection, he reported that Georgia and Azerbaijan are going to increase their contingents in Iraq from 157
to 880 and from 151 to 400, respectively.
The National Assembly Vice-Speaker and ARF Executive Council of Armenia member, Vahan Hovhannisyan, also spoke about
the country's image on December 8. As cochairman of the inter-parliamentary commission on Armenian-Russian
cooperation, he had participated at a session in Moscow and found that "the Russian side showed jealousy" towards
Armenia's involvement in Iraq.
"The Armenian delegation, in its turn, raised the question of whether Russia's forgiving a multibillion-dollar debt to
Iraq meant economic support to the government of this country, which is the protege of the "occupying force" – the
United States," said Hovhannisyan.
Military Science?: Young scientists angered over order to serve in Army
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Young doctors of science in Armenia are furious over a recent decree (issued November 15) by the Government of Armenia
by which candidates for doctoral degrees will face Army conscription.
Various medical associations have offered their assistance to help the doctoral candidates fight the decree, which may
be in conflict with the Constitution of Armenia.
"We don't object to doctors being called up for military service, but we object to doctors of science being drafted,"
says Parunak Zelvayan, chairman of the Armenian Medical Association. "There are only a hundred young scientist doctors
aged below 35 in Armenia today. I am asking a very rhetorical question – will those hundred people save the health of
our army?"
Young doctors doubt the necessity the government decision, since the meaning of the statement that the armed forces
need medical specialists is unclear.
Zelveyan says: "It is 10 years that the Military Medical Department of the Yerevan State Medical University has had
graduates and the goal of this faculty is to supply the republic's armed forces with appropriate highly skilled
specialists. It is known that numerous would-be doctors are admitted to that faculty every year and not all of them
join the armed forces later."
The Association considers that the government must reconsider its decision and stop the conscription of officers of
the first group of reserve medical staff with scientific degrees.
Strong Defense: Sargsyan says army is not worried about spread of religious sects
By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan told a group of youth last week that he doesn't see any threat to Armenia by
religious sects.
Since Armenia adopted laws protecting rights of religious minorities, there has been widespread concern that national
identity and security is at stake.
"The role of sects in our society is exaggerated," Sargsyan told a meeting at the Ararat Patriarchy. "I don't see any
danger in it at all."
Of particular public concern has been the position of Jehovah's Witnesses, whose beliefs prohibit them from performing
military service that requires using weapons.
During the meeting on "State-Church Cooperation" and "Army-Alternative Service" the young people voiced their concern
about the impact of conscientious objectors on Armenia's military.
Sargsyan said periodical surveys are being conducted among recruits and soldiers and the greater part of the surveyed
insist serving the motherland is one's sacred duty and that they are not concerned in this regard.
"I think those who do not want to serve can be a only a burden and dangerous for the army. We should not struggle
against them. We can only convince and spread our ideas, if not, let nothing be done by force," the Minister
said. "Quantity is not the most important thing. It is better to have 10, 20, 30 soldiers devoted to the motherland,
than 150-200 who are forced, although we do not have a problem of quantity for 6 years as well."
Sargsyan said those who are against taking arms can serve in the Armenian army by other means.
Referring to recently adopted laws, the Minister of Defense said:
"We have a law on alternative service that gives opportunity to those who do not want to take arms, to serve in an
asylum, take care of the elderly. It is also a service and patriotism. The question is how many will prefer that
alternative."
To the question of whether the Ministry of Defense is concerned that a large number will seek to avoid service through
membership in a pacifist religion, Sargsyan told the group it is not a simple matter to falsify one's religious
affiliation.
"Our laws are clear and leave no space for false sect members. They can not come to the military department and say
they are Jehovah's Witnesses. Such cases are investigated preliminarily by relevant bodies and it is not that easy to
deceive," said Sargsyan.
The army also, Sargsyan says, pays attention to religion that helps the soldiers.
Since 1997 the Apostolic Church has a spiritual service to keep the soldiers belief alive.
To intensify the cooperation, in September 2000 the Catholicos and the Defense Minister signed an agreement regulating
the spiritual service in the army.
At present some 30 priests serve in the military units of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
"The presence of priests in the army is a big step," said the minister. "The soldiers have the opportunity to
communicate, to share their concerns with them. And we should pay attention to everything to escape further
complications".
Sargsyan says the spread of sects should also be paid attention to, by countering their beliefs with practice of
traditional faith.
History Matters: Critics say Armenian museum in Turkey obscures rather than enlightens
By Ruzanna Amiraghyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The opening of the Surb Prkich Armenian National Hospital Museum in Istanbul presented a controversial message on the
eve of the European Union's consideration of Turkey's accession opportunities.
The hospital museum, whose opening was widely covered by the Turkish media, is the first in Turkey to be dedicated to
the country's Armenian minority. It includes religious artifacts, antique medical equipment and the Ottoman decree of
Sultan Mahmut II on the establishment of the hospital in 1832.
"Anyone seeing the exhibits of the museum will never have any doubts over the history that the two nations created.
Deep in my soul this is also a museum of humanism," said Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan at the official
ceremony on December 5.
Erdoğan said the museum, whose name means Holy Savior, would serve to shed light on the common history of Armenians
and Turks for current and future generations. He said: "As the Prime Minister of the country I feel obliged to secure
the rights of Armenians as well as other nationalities, to share their happiness and sorrow."
The EU decided yesteday (December 16) that membership negotiations with Turkey will commence October 3, 2005. The
European Commission issued a report in October recommending that member states authorize accession negotiations. But
it highlighted minority rights as one of the most acute political issues facing Turkey.
Vahan Hovhannisyan, deputy speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia and a member of the bureau of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, described Erdogan's comments as "an attempt to 'blow smoke' into the eyes of the
international community and the Armenian people".
He argued that one should not take "at face value" the Turkish Prime Minister's recent assertion that ethnic groups in
Turkey are native elements of the country whose interests Turkey had defended and would defend in future.
Erdogan argued that "instead of allowing (museum) pieces such as this to throw light on history, facts are being
distorted through speculation and disinformation", implying the Genocide of Armenians of 1915-1923 that Turkey's
authorities continue to deny.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, objected in response by saying: "Mr Erdogan, before you
speak of so called "assumptions" and "misinformation", you should visit the "Cilicia Museum" of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia in Lebanon. At that museum you would see irrefutable evidence of the Genocide perpetrated by the Turks.
"No one who sees these remains would talk of "assumptions" and "distortion" of facts. They are clear evidence of
Turkish barbarism. Shouldn't you ask why these are currently in Antelias? Are they there by coincidence? Before
speaking of "falsification" and "misinformation", you should also visit the relics of our martyrs that lie in a
monument not far from the museum. Where did these human remains come from? History is based on clear facts and not
assumptions. As much as you and others may deny, the Armenian Genocide is a fact of history".
The new Turkish Penal Code provides for imprisonment of anyone making statements asserting the Armenian Genocide
during the Ottoman era if they are construed by government officials as diminishing the authority of the Turkish state.
ARTS
Actor Honored: Khoren Abrahamyan laid to rest with bittersweet recognition
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Two months ago beloved Armenian actor Khoren Abrahamyan told ArmeniaNow:
"I have so many ideas and thoughts, so many things to say. I feel I am in my 20s and I am confident I will manage to
reach at least the half of the aims I have."
In his 50 professional years the actor reached plenty aims, among which was to bring his art to a mass audience that
rewarded Abrahamayan with admiration and respect. And his country rewarded him with the distinction of People's
Artist.
On Tuesday, appreciation of Abrahamyan's work mixed with grief as thousands honored him by carrying his body through
the streets of Yerevan, to the Sundukyan Theater where he first performed, then laying the actor to rest at the
Komitas Pantheon.
Abrahamyan died of heart attack last Friday in Yerevan.
Among mourners at services in the National Opera and Ballet Theater were President Robert Kocharyan, His Holiness
Catholicos Garegin II, Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan and Mayor Yervand Zarkaryan.
Khoren Abrahamyan's body was carried on the arms of admirers and colleagues accompanied by the music of his most
famous film "The Song of the First Love".
At his death, he had been working for three years to produce a sequel. His last stage performance was in the Sundukyan
where he appeared in Qobern's "Gin Play", November 21.
"We are a small nation, but we give birth to these kind of great people from time to time," said a colleague and
fellow People's Artist, Sos Sargsyan, fighting back tears. "Khorik was a great man of world significance, an
unimaginable actor and person." (Click to read ?????)
Students from the Theater and Cinema Institute and Yerevan State University formed a protest action following
Abrahamyan's funeral. They were angered that a party for the pop music group Shicker took place in the theater after
Abrahamyan's funeral.
Khoren Abrahamyan, like singer and director Tigran Levonyan and writer Hrant Matevosyan left this world insulted. For
10 years he did not have a stage, fired from the native Sundukyan theatre.
"A great man like Khorik, one of the last Mohicans, was asking on TV to give him a stage, a hall to play. I think it
is not a coincidence only we have a saying 'die and you'll be loved'", says playwright Perch Zeytuntsyan. "I am glad
they understood in the end and asked him to return to the mother theater and play at least once. We are gradually
becoming poorer, who will fill this big gap? Will it be those who made award ceremonies and birthday parties on the
day of the funeral?"
Armenia's "Grammys": A year of music takes 7 hours to recognize
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
In a strained program that lasted nearly seven hours, the music community learned winners of Armenia's National Music
Awards last Sunday night.
Top prizes were taken by H2 (Best Entertainment Program of The Year), Ani Kristi (Best New Artist), Arsen Safaryan
(Hit of the Year -- "Your Name"), Jazzle (Best Pop Group), Bambir (Best Rock Group) and Hayko (Best Album of the
Year), Andre (Singer of the Year), and Kristine Pepelyan (Female Artist of the Year).
The competition was renewed last year, after a 15 year interruption and guests waited in anticipation to see their
favorite "stars", who were expected to exit limousines and enter the Sundukyan Theater up a red carpet.
The carpet was there; the stars weren't. Seems that the invitation reading "evening gowns are a must", was a bit much
to ask for a December evening in Yerevan. So the celebrities chose to enter as the common, but warmly dressed into the
chilly theater.
Arthur Ispiryan opened the ceremony with a song devoted to actor Khoren Abrahamyan who died December 10, while the
beloved actor's photo smiled from a stage that otherwise held last year's decoration. The hall joined in tears and
ovations giving respect to the memory of the actor, not with a minute of silence but with applauses and bravos.
The best of the National Music Awards were represented in 19 nominations and were selected by 60 judges.
One spectator, pianist Narine Manukyan complained the awardees were not excited enough.
"Whoever stepped on the stage seemed to previously know he had won. For instance, why did Nazeli Hovhannisyan, who was
on the stage suddenly appeared in the hall as soon as the best anchor had to be announced so to rise on the stage
again solemnly" said Manukyan.
A judge, politician Paruyr Hayrikyan said "populism" or "rabis understanding" played a part in selection of winners.
"This is us, we make choices here just like we elect a president. But that is life as well," Hayrikyan said.
Winners in other categories were:
Ani Amiryan (The Future of Armenian Pop)
Avet Barseghyan and Nazeli Hovhannisyan (Best TV Music Anchor)
Hayko (Best DVD)
Hayko (Best Musical Project)
Davit Babayan (Best Video)
Forsh (Tigran Naghdalyan Award)
Fifteen categories were added since last year's awards. And the long night might have been longer, but categories for
Best Classic Album, Best Folk or Ethnic Album, Best Instrumental Album and Best Composer were withdrawn.
Living for Color: Kapan artist takes a lonely journey through abstraction
By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
With a careless walk, wearing shoes that are too big and shabby patched clothes, 43-year-old Husik Stepanyan is the
most unpopular artist in Kapan.
Like him, his paintings have always been odd. Besides traditional painting, Husik does abstract work that is not
easily accepted in a town where art is usually limited to landscapes of Syunik's most famous mountain, Khustup.
"I don't even bother explaining to them what abstraction is for here there are few who understand true art," says
Husik carefully arranging the paintings. "Those who understand can't afford to buy paintings, so they tap me on my
shoulder, say that it's very nice and go."
His studio in the basement of a multistory building on Lernagortsnery Street is a feast of color and emotions despite
the dreadful cold: Husik lives for his paintings and colors, passing his thoughts onto canvas.
The blue, the yellow, the red, the white and the black differ at times according to his mood. Yellow is the color of
overcoming difficult stressful situations, blue the color of comfort, and red of crisis, not a rare thing in the
painter's life.
Living in extreme social conditions, he cares only for his workshop and the world of color that he has been creating
for three decades. On the blackened walls there is "The Loneliness", "The Chess Thoughts" and abstract works that have
numbers as if continuing one another.
Some of the paintings have no signature. Husik says they are not finished in his soul.
Between the spiritual and the necessary the painter has always chosen the former. Though he says material questions
have never been important to him, he sometimes tries to conform to people's demands and accepts orders.
"The demand for the spiritual is very small in this town. Rather there is a demand for simplistic works. I need to
paint things that are in demand from time to time and if in the capital the most often sold pictures are of Ararat, in
Kapan it is the church in front of Mount Khustup."
"Most of the people in Kapan have a curious way of thinking," smiles the painter. "I sometimes hardly keep from
laughing; those who buy pictures here pay attention not to the essence and the depth of the painting but to the beauty
of the frame. And I don't have any opportunity to buy gorgeous frames. That is I can't provide what people are
interested in."
Husik, understood by few, goes on living, forgetting and having no opportunity to repair his workshop. There are no
windows as such; neither there are glasses or isolation every other one being covered with paper.
The walls of the workshop are black with the smoke from plastic bottles that Husik gathers in the streets and burns,
having no opportunity to buy fuel and trying to protect his paintings and warming the creating hands.
The most Husik has got for a painting is $300, an exceptional sum for a town like Kapan. The buyer, a foreigner who
was fascinated by Husik's art, bought the painting without haggling and left Kapan happy.
Artists in Kapan say Husik has always incited interest among specialists. His works were recently included in an
exhibition in Yerevan.
"I had no opportunity to be present there (for financial reasons), but the organizers and those who were present said
all the famous artists were interested in me and my paintings. But there is no opportunity to present oneself to
anyone, that has been the way for me," says the painter. "There have been offers that I rejected because of the lack
of means."
Husik also rejects all those who try to take advantage of his hardship and buy unique paintings for a very low price,
either to resell in Yerevan or to give as presents.
"My paintings cost a lot," he says. "I know that some day this will be known to many. Art that is created in one's
soul and has power cannot have a price."
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