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ARTSAKH HERO'S ACCIDENT RAISES CRITICAL CONCERNS
http://asbarez.com/111684/artsakh-hero%E2%80%99s-accident-raises-critical-concerns/
Wednesday, July 17th, 2013
Hrachya Harutiunian
BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
On Saturday, July 13, 46-year-old Artsakh war hero Hrachya Harutiunian
set out on his job in Russia as a truck driver transporting gravel.
Near the village of Oznobikhino outside Moscow his truck malfunctioned
and hit a passenger bus, killing 18 people and injuring 40.
What followed, however, raises critical concerns of racism and
xenophobia against Armenians in Russia-an issue that has grabbed many
a headline in the past-as well as a closer look at the emigration
problem plaguing Armenia and the state treatment of war veterans.
Immediately after the accident the Russian authorities initiated a
criminal investigation and charged him with vehicular homicide.
Russian state television and other media outlets were also quick
to blame Harutiunian. Some legal experts and journalists in Moscow
suggested, however, that technical faults may have caused the
disastrous crash. They said the still unknown owner of the old truck,
rather than the driver, may therefore be primarily responsible for
the tragedy, reported RFE/RL.
Harutiunian was taken to a court in Moscow to face criminal charges
on Monday. Television pictures showed him sitting in a cage, clad
in a woman's housecoat and wearing slippers. The 46-year-old was
unable to utter any words, having apparently still not recovered from
post-traumatic shock. A Russian state TV report derided his "mooing"
and accentuated on his ethnic origin.
The images caused outrage in Armenia, with critics accusing the
Russian authorities of violating the presumption of innocence and
fanning negative popular attitudes towards migrant workers from the
South Caucasus and the Russian North Caucasus. The Armenian human
rights ombudsman, Karen Andreasian, expressed serious concern in a
letter to his Russian counterpart on Tuesday, added RFE/RL.
Meanwhile, Armenian officials have been scrambling to ensure the public
that they are on top of things, with the Russian Embassy in Yerevan
issuing assurances that due process will be applied in Harutiunian's
case and condemning efforts to "politicize" the incident.
Protesters in Yerevan
Members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Nigol Aghbalian
Student Association and the Yerevan branch of the Armenian Youth
Federation held a protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan,
and while waving a woman's housecoat demanded fair treatment of
Harutiunian.
The sad crux of the situation is that Harutiunian had taken the job
in Moscow to raise funds for a proper tombstone for his son, Serob,
who died a year ago after completing his service in the Armenian
Armed Forces, according to Hrachya's brother Hayk.
In the last 20 years Russia has become home to the largest Armenian
population outside of Armenia with Moscow and Krasnodar serving as
centers for Armenians emigrating there. For the past several years,
Asbarez has reported on numerous incidents involving racially-motivated
hate crimes against Armenians in both cities and Russian intolerance
toward Armenians has been chronicled.
Through a controversial Russian government-backed program hastening
Armenian migration to Russia, which until last year was sanctioned
by Armenia's authorities, thousands of Armenians have moved to Russia.
While there, they have had to endure insurmountable socio-economic
hardship in order to survive
While Russia is deemed as a strategic partner to Armenia and endeavors
to increase its influence in the region, the issue of treatment of
Armenian citizens who are forced to migrate to Russia has not been
on the agenda of bi-lateral discussion between leaders of the two
countries.
On the domestic front, this roadside accident, as tragic as it is,
has also brought to the surface the harsh realities of emigration
from Armenia, or rather, the poor socio-economic conditions that
cause Armenians to emigrate.
During his presidential campaign Serzh Sarkisian said in an interview
with RFE/RL that "in no circumstance can a country be a prison for its
citizens," pledging to create conditions in Armenia that are compatible
with the countries to which Armenians move. In another interview
with broadcast media affiliates in March, Sarkisian blamed Armenia's
woes on what he called "rampant cynicism" among the population and
condemned the "forces" that were fueling the flames of the cynicism.
During Sarkisian's fist term, reports indicated that emigration
from Armenia rose with Sarkisian not making any strides in creating
"conditions in Armenia that would be, if not like, then at least
close to the conditions that our citizens seek abroad," as he said
in the aforementioned interview.
Hrachya Harutiunian fell victim to the skewed policies of the Armenian
government which is unable to provide its citizens with adequate jobs
and an opportunity to thrive in their own country. What is even more
sad is that those who fought for our country in the Karabakh war are
also not immune to the disastrous policies of the Armenian government.
Civic organizations in Armenia should protest Russia's ill-treatment
of Harutiunian and others, while the foreign ministry must make the
plight of Armenians in Russia a priority discussion point with Russia.
At the same time, the same civic and political organizations must
ramp up their advocacy on behalf of Armenian citizens and must demand
from the government to take concrete steps and halt the outflow of
Armenians from the homeland.
http://asbarez.com/111684/artsakh-hero%E2%80%99s-accident-raises-critical-concerns/
Wednesday, July 17th, 2013
Hrachya Harutiunian
BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
On Saturday, July 13, 46-year-old Artsakh war hero Hrachya Harutiunian
set out on his job in Russia as a truck driver transporting gravel.
Near the village of Oznobikhino outside Moscow his truck malfunctioned
and hit a passenger bus, killing 18 people and injuring 40.
What followed, however, raises critical concerns of racism and
xenophobia against Armenians in Russia-an issue that has grabbed many
a headline in the past-as well as a closer look at the emigration
problem plaguing Armenia and the state treatment of war veterans.
Immediately after the accident the Russian authorities initiated a
criminal investigation and charged him with vehicular homicide.
Russian state television and other media outlets were also quick
to blame Harutiunian. Some legal experts and journalists in Moscow
suggested, however, that technical faults may have caused the
disastrous crash. They said the still unknown owner of the old truck,
rather than the driver, may therefore be primarily responsible for
the tragedy, reported RFE/RL.
Harutiunian was taken to a court in Moscow to face criminal charges
on Monday. Television pictures showed him sitting in a cage, clad
in a woman's housecoat and wearing slippers. The 46-year-old was
unable to utter any words, having apparently still not recovered from
post-traumatic shock. A Russian state TV report derided his "mooing"
and accentuated on his ethnic origin.
The images caused outrage in Armenia, with critics accusing the
Russian authorities of violating the presumption of innocence and
fanning negative popular attitudes towards migrant workers from the
South Caucasus and the Russian North Caucasus. The Armenian human
rights ombudsman, Karen Andreasian, expressed serious concern in a
letter to his Russian counterpart on Tuesday, added RFE/RL.
Meanwhile, Armenian officials have been scrambling to ensure the public
that they are on top of things, with the Russian Embassy in Yerevan
issuing assurances that due process will be applied in Harutiunian's
case and condemning efforts to "politicize" the incident.
Protesters in Yerevan
Members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Nigol Aghbalian
Student Association and the Yerevan branch of the Armenian Youth
Federation held a protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan,
and while waving a woman's housecoat demanded fair treatment of
Harutiunian.
The sad crux of the situation is that Harutiunian had taken the job
in Moscow to raise funds for a proper tombstone for his son, Serob,
who died a year ago after completing his service in the Armenian
Armed Forces, according to Hrachya's brother Hayk.
In the last 20 years Russia has become home to the largest Armenian
population outside of Armenia with Moscow and Krasnodar serving as
centers for Armenians emigrating there. For the past several years,
Asbarez has reported on numerous incidents involving racially-motivated
hate crimes against Armenians in both cities and Russian intolerance
toward Armenians has been chronicled.
Through a controversial Russian government-backed program hastening
Armenian migration to Russia, which until last year was sanctioned
by Armenia's authorities, thousands of Armenians have moved to Russia.
While there, they have had to endure insurmountable socio-economic
hardship in order to survive
While Russia is deemed as a strategic partner to Armenia and endeavors
to increase its influence in the region, the issue of treatment of
Armenian citizens who are forced to migrate to Russia has not been
on the agenda of bi-lateral discussion between leaders of the two
countries.
On the domestic front, this roadside accident, as tragic as it is,
has also brought to the surface the harsh realities of emigration
from Armenia, or rather, the poor socio-economic conditions that
cause Armenians to emigrate.
During his presidential campaign Serzh Sarkisian said in an interview
with RFE/RL that "in no circumstance can a country be a prison for its
citizens," pledging to create conditions in Armenia that are compatible
with the countries to which Armenians move. In another interview
with broadcast media affiliates in March, Sarkisian blamed Armenia's
woes on what he called "rampant cynicism" among the population and
condemned the "forces" that were fueling the flames of the cynicism.
During Sarkisian's fist term, reports indicated that emigration
from Armenia rose with Sarkisian not making any strides in creating
"conditions in Armenia that would be, if not like, then at least
close to the conditions that our citizens seek abroad," as he said
in the aforementioned interview.
Hrachya Harutiunian fell victim to the skewed policies of the Armenian
government which is unable to provide its citizens with adequate jobs
and an opportunity to thrive in their own country. What is even more
sad is that those who fought for our country in the Karabakh war are
also not immune to the disastrous policies of the Armenian government.
Civic organizations in Armenia should protest Russia's ill-treatment
of Harutiunian and others, while the foreign ministry must make the
plight of Armenians in Russia a priority discussion point with Russia.
At the same time, the same civic and political organizations must
ramp up their advocacy on behalf of Armenian citizens and must demand
from the government to take concrete steps and halt the outflow of
Armenians from the homeland.