Protests to begin the day Protocols are sent to Parliament for ratification

The Heritage Party publicly declared today that it would be organizing demonstrations outside the National Assembly the day the Armenia-Turkey Protocols are introduced for ratification. The party, in its statement, calls on all those who oppose these “traitorous and destructive” documents to join with them in voicing their disapproval.

Heritage says that on that infamous day of reckoning, the entire nation and those political forces that truly represent the national interests of the people must once and for all prove to the authorities in power that their determination to struggle for honour and dignity is unwavering.

Residents nearby the Arzni health resorts have telephoned “Hetq” saying that scores of dead fish have been spotted washed-up along the banks of the Hrazdan River. Residents say that gulls and other birds are having a field day gorging on the easy prey.”Hetq” has reported the news to Karen Papoyan, Chief of the Environmental Inspectorate at the Ministry of Nature Protection.

Earlier this morning, MP’s and member of the Heritage Party made their way to the Tzitzernakaberd Genocide Memorial Complex and paid their respects to the Armenians murdered during the Baku pogroms of January 13-19, 1990.

Later the Heritage Party official sent a letter of thanks to the Ambassador of Turkmenistan in Armenia, expressing appreciation for the fact that thousands of Armenians fled Baku by boat across the Caspian Sea and found refuge in Turkmenistan and for the humanitarian assistance provided by that nation.

Susanna Abrahamyan, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Emergency Affairs, has just reported to “Hetq” that a 50-member Armenian rescue team has been outfitted and is on standby to leave for earthquake ravaged Haiti at a moment’s notice.

The unit will be headed by Colonel Sergei Azaryan, Deputy Chief of the Rescue Services Division attached to the Ministry of Emergency Affairs. Spokesperson Abrahamyan said that the unit’s departure date to Haiti was awaiting government confirmation. “We only received a directive to prepare the unit. I can’t say when it will be dispatched.”

Two veterinary inspectors working for the “Livestock Testing Center, Ltd” have been arrested of taking bribes totalling 450,000 AMD to allow vendors at the Malatia market to sell meat products without a safety inspection certificate.

The bribes were taken by the two inspectors last October. A third inspector from the same firm was also charged with taking a monthly bribe of 150,000 AMD.

At a press conference held today, NKR Minister of Defense Movses Hakobyan described 2009 as militarily “quite complex”, but nevertheless claimed that units of the Karabakh Defense Force were able to advance their frontline positions by about one kilometre in five different locations along the Arax River.

The NKR Defense Minister also boasted that, “I am ready to perform operations with this tank unit anywhere, even deep in enemy territory, and I am convinced we’d face no problem at all.” Here he was referring to the outstanding results of military inspections conducted in 2009 and the fact that the tank unit in question also performed quite well in military manoeuvres. »»»»»

“I lost my 16 year-old brother. I had three brothers. Two were able to pass themselves off as Azerbaijanis but they didn’t believe the third. They took him and demanding ever larger sums of money. We were waiting for the call to set up the transfer of cash. The next day we found his corpse. They had beaten him to death.”

This is the personal story recounted today by Edita Altunova, an eye-witness to the pogroms of Armenians in Baku that began twenty years ago to the day. Estimates of the number of Armenians killed during the pogroms in the Azerbaijani capital reach as high as three hundred. »»»»»

According to the RoA Defense Ministry’s Press Department, a man drove through an Armenian border checkpoint into Azerbaijan on January 10 at about 7p.m. In the car, were the man’s wife and three children, aged seven, six and three.

The driver, Yeghishe Gevorgyan, neglected the warnings issued by the Armenian border officials and drove through the checkpoint located at Yeraskh and entered Nakhijevan. The car came under fire from Azerbaijani security forces as it plowed through into Azerbaijani territory. »»»»»

Meruzhan Abrahamyan, Nikol Pashinyan’s proxy at the 10/9 polling station, has told “Hetq” that Petros Makeyan, his son Karen, and another Pashinyan proxy, will be questioned by police after receiving treatment for injuries sustained when the three were assaulted by a group of unidentified men at the polling station. »»»»»

At around 3 pm today, HAK’s press spokesperson Arman Musinyan, told “Hetq” that a group of unknown males attacked Petros Makeyan, a proxy for Nikol Pashinyan, and two others, at the 10/9 polling precinct located in the Derzhinsky School.

Mr. Musinyan stated that all three had been taken to Hospital#1. According to information we have obtained, Makeyan was forcibly shoved out of the polling station and that an argument then ensued.

At around 10:30 am at the 10/19 polling station located on Alaverdyan Street, news photographer Gagik Shamshyan took some shots of Ara Simonyan’s proxy walking arm-in-arm with voters to the ballot box. All this took place at the directive of local election committee president Gagik Baghdasaryan and was witnessed by employees of the United States Embassy who had arrived at the polling station to observe the balloting procedure.

Seeing that the irregular proceedings were being photographed, Gagik Baghdasaryan ordered a bunch of “goons” in civilian dress to take care of the prying news reporter. Shamshyan was set upon by the unidentified thugs. They proceeded to beat and threaten him, and attempted to snatch his camera away. »»»»»

The Minister of Education and Science, Armen Ashotyan, has decided to extend the closure of all pre-school and public schools in Armenia as a swine flu preventative.

The extended ban, on the advice of the Health Ministry, will be in effect from Monday, December 21 till Monday, December 28.

A man’s dead body was found slumped over the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz parked in a Nor-Nork courtyard last night between 1-2 a.m. The body was riddled with automatic gunshots.

According to “Hetq” sources, the dead man is Vladik Ghoukasyan, aged 40-50. Photo-journalist Gagik Shamshyan, now at the scene, reports that police forensic experts are examining the crime site along with the RoA Police Department’s Anti-Organized Crime Division Chief, Hunan Poghosyan. »»»»»

At a discussion group organized yesterday by the “Ayb” Educational Foundation, Father Mesrop Aramian, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, declared that the organization had drafted a business plan to reopen the Melkonian Education Institute in Nicosia Cyprus. »»»»»

On yesterday’s Yerevan to Istanbul flight, scheduled to take-off at 10:45 am, there was an unexpected and somewhat confusing delay. A “Hetq” reporter on the plane stated that all the passengers were ordered to embark and pass through security a second time.

Gevorg Abrahamyan, Public Affairs Director for Armavia, told “Hetq” that after the plane was filled with passengers an additional two individuals also showed up with tickets.  A decision was made to remove the additional passengers. According to airline safety regulations when even one person disembarks, security checks must again be completed for the plane and the remaining passengers. The repeated security was the cause for the delay. »»»»»