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ARMENIA: SUPPORT OF BAR BOMBING BY OFFICIALS CAUSES OUTCRY
ianyan magazine
http://www.ianyanmag.com/2012/05/18/armenia-support-of-bar-bombing-by-officials-causes-outcry/
May 18 2012
ARMENIA - BY LIANA AGHAJANIAN ON MAY 18, 2012 3:26 PM
Prominent officials in Armenia have made public statements in support
of arsonists who firebombed a popular bar in Yerevan in a hate crime
against the country's gay community, a move that activists and human
rights group Amnesty International have strongly condemned.
Following the early morning blast at DIY bar which left thousands of
dollars in damage, Armenian Revolution Federation-Dashnaktsutuyn member
of parliament Artsik Minasyan bailed out the suspects and defended
their actions, calling them normal and in accordance with Armenian
societal values, while singling out bar owner Tsomak Oganesova whose
participation in Istanbul's Gay Pride Parade last year motivated
the attackers.
"I consider [Oganesova's] types - I don't want to sound offensive -
destructive to Armenian society," Minasyan told local media.
Oganesova, who is also a member of Armenian punk rock band Tsomak
and Pincet project, fired back on a program on Horizon television,
saying that she had seen comments on the social networking website
Facebook praising that the bombing of non-traditional bar DIY was on
the same day as the liberation of Shushi. The city was significant
in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict whose capture by ARF batalions on May 8,
1992, marked a victory for Armenia in the war with Azerbaijan.
"I don't want to point to Dashnaktutuyn, but it looks like this is
going this way," she said. Oganesova then said that the ideologies
of fascism and Dashnaktstutuyn aren't too far from each other.
After the bailout and public support by Minasyan, the bar was
vandalized again. This time, anti-fascist posters supporters had
made were ripped down, while swastikas were painted over the facade
of the bar.
Minasyan followed up with an interview on Armenia's Shant TV in which
he described Oganesova and supporters as trying to benefit from the
explosion by inviting attention upon themselves, saying that their
public out cry is "damaging to society's morals."
Since Minasyan's comments several other high profile officials have
come out in agreement. National Assembly Deputy Speaker Eduard
Sharmazanov told Armenian media he supported the actions of the
arsonists against homosexuals, "who have created a den of perversion
in our country and have a goal of alienating the society from its moral
values," he said. Hovhannes Sahakyan, a member of the ruling Republican
Party, in an interview with Aravot, called the suspects patriots.
"As a citizen I welcome these young people, as well as any legal
means and methods of struggle against all harmful phenomena," he
said."For me it's more important, that those youth recognize what
being Armenian means, they feel their Armenian roots," he continued.
Online, Hakob Barkhudaryan, the chief of staff of Public Council of
Republic of Armenia created a Facebook page praising the arsonists,
reports Unzipped.
The bombing, its subsequent government affiliated support and the rise
of ultra nationalist groups in the country has brought deeper issues
in Armenia, a country with who does not meet the basic requirements of
human rights standards in accordance with LGBT in a recently released
report by the International Lesbian and Gay Association - Europe,
up to the surface.
"In general, this attack is not an isolated incident, but
rather, represents a deeper trend of intolerance, prejudice and
bigotry,"Analyst Richard Giragosian, director of the Yerevan-based
Regional Studies Center said in an email interview with ianyanmag.
"Yes, of course, Armenia, as with many other countries, has a problem
with "differences" within society, whether it is the gay community,
religious sects, etc. There is no "explanation," but this is a broader
problem that needs to be recognized, challenged and overcome."
Giragosian says the issue is a road block to democratization and
development to the isolated and landlocked South Caucasus country,
which has closed borders with both Turkey and Azerbaijan over the
Nagorno-Karabakh war and has 30 percent of its population below the
poverty line.
" Armenia, most of all, can not afford such divisive and destructive
trends," he said, adding that the idealogy behind the attack hidden
behind 'national values' is not different from that of the Young
Turks, who drove and inspired the 1915 Armenian Genocide, in which
over a million perished. "This is the same hatred that drives genocide,
something that should be especially grave, inexcusable and unacceptable
for each and every Armenian."
The attack has turned into a matter of national and international
debate as several organizations, most notably sections of the ARF
have condemned the attacks.
ARF's Shant Student Association was the first to release a statement
after activists called on the political party to publicly come out
against the attacks.
"The egregious act and subsequent statements run counter to the
fundamental tenets and ideology of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation,"the statement said. "The ARF advocates individual freedoms
and rejects all forms of and expressions of domination and exploitation
including fascism, racism, and chauvinistic manifestations of national
supremacy...We stand in full support of an Armenia that is free
of all forms of discrimination, intolerance, and violence. Those
responsible for the crime must be brought to justice to the full
extent of the law."
The ARF Central Committee followed, commenting that they find "the
incident's root impetus of homophobia and intolerance as equally
reprehensible" while calling the blaming of the ARF party as a whole
"equally deplorable."
The political party, which has a large diasporan membership, currently
holds six out of 131 parliamentary seats after last month's elections.
Amnesty International called the supporting discourse dangerous while
adding that it fueled discrimination.
"The official response to the firebombing in Yerevan is utterly
shocking - protecting the human rights of LGBTI people is not a
concession, but an obligation under international law that Armenia
is a party to," said Dalhuisen.
The Armenian Gay and Lesbian Association of New York released their
own statement, offering support to Armenia's LGBT community, while
calling on the Armenian Parliament and ARF to reprimand Minasyan by
asking him to remove or resign from office immediately for "inflaming
conflict and endangering lives."
A petition on the site has been created on change.org created calling
on Socialist International, London to suspend ARF membership based
on the comments by Minasyan.
Homophobia in the South Caucasus as a whole is prevalent. Armenia and
neigborhing Azerbaijan have been ranked as some of the worst places
in the world to be gay, according to the ILGA-Europe index. Meanwhile
in Georgia, LGBT activists were attacked by Orthodox Christians as
they tried to march in downtown Tbilisi to mark the International
Day Against Homophobia. In Yerevan, the day was marked more calmly,
Global Chaos reports.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
ianyan magazine
http://www.ianyanmag.com/2012/05/18/armenia-support-of-bar-bombing-by-officials-causes-outcry/
May 18 2012
ARMENIA - BY LIANA AGHAJANIAN ON MAY 18, 2012 3:26 PM
Prominent officials in Armenia have made public statements in support
of arsonists who firebombed a popular bar in Yerevan in a hate crime
against the country's gay community, a move that activists and human
rights group Amnesty International have strongly condemned.
Following the early morning blast at DIY bar which left thousands of
dollars in damage, Armenian Revolution Federation-Dashnaktsutuyn member
of parliament Artsik Minasyan bailed out the suspects and defended
their actions, calling them normal and in accordance with Armenian
societal values, while singling out bar owner Tsomak Oganesova whose
participation in Istanbul's Gay Pride Parade last year motivated
the attackers.
"I consider [Oganesova's] types - I don't want to sound offensive -
destructive to Armenian society," Minasyan told local media.
Oganesova, who is also a member of Armenian punk rock band Tsomak
and Pincet project, fired back on a program on Horizon television,
saying that she had seen comments on the social networking website
Facebook praising that the bombing of non-traditional bar DIY was on
the same day as the liberation of Shushi. The city was significant
in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict whose capture by ARF batalions on May 8,
1992, marked a victory for Armenia in the war with Azerbaijan.
"I don't want to point to Dashnaktutuyn, but it looks like this is
going this way," she said. Oganesova then said that the ideologies
of fascism and Dashnaktstutuyn aren't too far from each other.
After the bailout and public support by Minasyan, the bar was
vandalized again. This time, anti-fascist posters supporters had
made were ripped down, while swastikas were painted over the facade
of the bar.
Minasyan followed up with an interview on Armenia's Shant TV in which
he described Oganesova and supporters as trying to benefit from the
explosion by inviting attention upon themselves, saying that their
public out cry is "damaging to society's morals."
Since Minasyan's comments several other high profile officials have
come out in agreement. National Assembly Deputy Speaker Eduard
Sharmazanov told Armenian media he supported the actions of the
arsonists against homosexuals, "who have created a den of perversion
in our country and have a goal of alienating the society from its moral
values," he said. Hovhannes Sahakyan, a member of the ruling Republican
Party, in an interview with Aravot, called the suspects patriots.
"As a citizen I welcome these young people, as well as any legal
means and methods of struggle against all harmful phenomena," he
said."For me it's more important, that those youth recognize what
being Armenian means, they feel their Armenian roots," he continued.
Online, Hakob Barkhudaryan, the chief of staff of Public Council of
Republic of Armenia created a Facebook page praising the arsonists,
reports Unzipped.
The bombing, its subsequent government affiliated support and the rise
of ultra nationalist groups in the country has brought deeper issues
in Armenia, a country with who does not meet the basic requirements of
human rights standards in accordance with LGBT in a recently released
report by the International Lesbian and Gay Association - Europe,
up to the surface.
"In general, this attack is not an isolated incident, but
rather, represents a deeper trend of intolerance, prejudice and
bigotry,"Analyst Richard Giragosian, director of the Yerevan-based
Regional Studies Center said in an email interview with ianyanmag.
"Yes, of course, Armenia, as with many other countries, has a problem
with "differences" within society, whether it is the gay community,
religious sects, etc. There is no "explanation," but this is a broader
problem that needs to be recognized, challenged and overcome."
Giragosian says the issue is a road block to democratization and
development to the isolated and landlocked South Caucasus country,
which has closed borders with both Turkey and Azerbaijan over the
Nagorno-Karabakh war and has 30 percent of its population below the
poverty line.
" Armenia, most of all, can not afford such divisive and destructive
trends," he said, adding that the idealogy behind the attack hidden
behind 'national values' is not different from that of the Young
Turks, who drove and inspired the 1915 Armenian Genocide, in which
over a million perished. "This is the same hatred that drives genocide,
something that should be especially grave, inexcusable and unacceptable
for each and every Armenian."
The attack has turned into a matter of national and international
debate as several organizations, most notably sections of the ARF
have condemned the attacks.
ARF's Shant Student Association was the first to release a statement
after activists called on the political party to publicly come out
against the attacks.
"The egregious act and subsequent statements run counter to the
fundamental tenets and ideology of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation,"the statement said. "The ARF advocates individual freedoms
and rejects all forms of and expressions of domination and exploitation
including fascism, racism, and chauvinistic manifestations of national
supremacy...We stand in full support of an Armenia that is free
of all forms of discrimination, intolerance, and violence. Those
responsible for the crime must be brought to justice to the full
extent of the law."
The ARF Central Committee followed, commenting that they find "the
incident's root impetus of homophobia and intolerance as equally
reprehensible" while calling the blaming of the ARF party as a whole
"equally deplorable."
The political party, which has a large diasporan membership, currently
holds six out of 131 parliamentary seats after last month's elections.
Amnesty International called the supporting discourse dangerous while
adding that it fueled discrimination.
"The official response to the firebombing in Yerevan is utterly
shocking - protecting the human rights of LGBTI people is not a
concession, but an obligation under international law that Armenia
is a party to," said Dalhuisen.
The Armenian Gay and Lesbian Association of New York released their
own statement, offering support to Armenia's LGBT community, while
calling on the Armenian Parliament and ARF to reprimand Minasyan by
asking him to remove or resign from office immediately for "inflaming
conflict and endangering lives."
A petition on the site has been created on change.org created calling
on Socialist International, London to suspend ARF membership based
on the comments by Minasyan.
Homophobia in the South Caucasus as a whole is prevalent. Armenia and
neigborhing Azerbaijan have been ranked as some of the worst places
in the world to be gay, according to the ILGA-Europe index. Meanwhile
in Georgia, LGBT activists were attacked by Orthodox Christians as
they tried to march in downtown Tbilisi to mark the International
Day Against Homophobia. In Yerevan, the day was marked more calmly,
Global Chaos reports.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress