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April14, 2012 Saturday 3:40 AM EST
Peace Activist Threatened inArmenia,Azerbaijani Film Festival Cancelled
Georgi Vanyan. Photo: Onnik Krikorian
When I first met Georgi Vanyan back in 2009, I couldn't hide my
excitement. For me this middle-aged man who smoked one cigarette after
another and had sadness in his eyes, even when he smiled, was equal to
a rockstar. I couldn't believe I was talking to the person who
organized Days of Azerbaijan as well as Turkish Film Festival in
Armenia, despite regular threats he received and a very little support
he had among the Armenian public. He was also the only Armenian I
knew, who publicly called Nagorno-Karabakh region an "occupied"
territory, not "liberated."
Our meeting was completely random, we just happened to have common
friends in Georgian capital Tbilisi. Nevertheless, we talked for three
hours straight, sharing our insights on Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict
and possible scenarios for its resolution. He told me about his future
project - Azerbaijani Film Festival in Armenia. I said he was out of
his mind, but he explained it was "a logical continuation of the
previous events," and that it was worth a try.
So he tries. Vanyan'sYerevan-based Caucasus Center for Peace
Initiatives (CCPR) made several attempts to organizeAzerbaijani Film
Festival in the Armenian capital in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The event got
cancelled each time due to the pressure applied on Vanyan and the
venue owners.
Last Thursday they tried again in Armenia'ssecond biggest city
Gyumri. The festival consisted of four short films made in Azerbaijan
in 2007-2008. However, a group of 50 protesters who reportedly
gathered on the city's Central Square, prevented the event from
happening. When theattempt to negotiate with the protestersfailed,
Vanyan was able to leave the venue only after he publicly announced
the cancellation of the festival,according to RFE/RL. Another video
released on Youtube, shows Vanyan being assaulted by one of the
protesters outside "Asparez" Journalist Club, the event's venue.
Global Voices reported that in his announcement, Vanyan accused the
mayor of Gyumri Vardan Ghukassian of being responsible for the
"artificially created tension around the festival as well as possible
provocations and violence against the organizers and participants."
The video made by RFE/RL shows Ghukassian leading the protest against
Vanyan.
April14, 2012 Saturday 3:40 AM EST
Peace Activist Threatened inArmenia,Azerbaijani Film Festival Cancelled
Georgi Vanyan. Photo: Onnik Krikorian
When I first met Georgi Vanyan back in 2009, I couldn't hide my
excitement. For me this middle-aged man who smoked one cigarette after
another and had sadness in his eyes, even when he smiled, was equal to
a rockstar. I couldn't believe I was talking to the person who
organized Days of Azerbaijan as well as Turkish Film Festival in
Armenia, despite regular threats he received and a very little support
he had among the Armenian public. He was also the only Armenian I
knew, who publicly called Nagorno-Karabakh region an "occupied"
territory, not "liberated."
Our meeting was completely random, we just happened to have common
friends in Georgian capital Tbilisi. Nevertheless, we talked for three
hours straight, sharing our insights on Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict
and possible scenarios for its resolution. He told me about his future
project - Azerbaijani Film Festival in Armenia. I said he was out of
his mind, but he explained it was "a logical continuation of the
previous events," and that it was worth a try.
So he tries. Vanyan'sYerevan-based Caucasus Center for Peace
Initiatives (CCPR) made several attempts to organizeAzerbaijani Film
Festival in the Armenian capital in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The event got
cancelled each time due to the pressure applied on Vanyan and the
venue owners.
Last Thursday they tried again in Armenia'ssecond biggest city
Gyumri. The festival consisted of four short films made in Azerbaijan
in 2007-2008. However, a group of 50 protesters who reportedly
gathered on the city's Central Square, prevented the event from
happening. When theattempt to negotiate with the protestersfailed,
Vanyan was able to leave the venue only after he publicly announced
the cancellation of the festival,according to RFE/RL. Another video
released on Youtube, shows Vanyan being assaulted by one of the
protesters outside "Asparez" Journalist Club, the event's venue.
Global Voices reported that in his announcement, Vanyan accused the
mayor of Gyumri Vardan Ghukassian of being responsible for the
"artificially created tension around the festival as well as possible
provocations and violence against the organizers and participants."
The video made by RFE/RL shows Ghukassian leading the protest against
Vanyan.