glasnost71

quote:Originally posted by MJ: Yes. But... What kind of right do the non-Christians have to live, in the first place? I think, non-Christians have no right to live. Absolutely!!! They should be all "unheaded", one by one, especially those for human-trafficking and prostituting, as well! So every "high moral holding" moron will be granted by a visa-FREE entry to "christian" paradise! Well, that was tough! No offense purposed by me, just an ironic comment!

quote:Originally posted by MJ: Nooo...He is just a good Chrstian holding high moral grounds... MJ, I hope you kidding... I know some christians "holding high morals", and they would resume calls on using the "guillotine" as a "barbarous moral" and "barbaric self-esteem".

quote:Originally posted by Paul bunyan: white slavers, whatever their nationality, should be executed in public by the guillotine. and their bodies would be taken to medical schools for dissection! What about executioners, should they stay alive, Paul Bunyan? Don't you sound like an old "song"?

quote:Originally posted by bellthecat: The report used the words "has succeeded to shut down a number of websites" so I assumed that meant closed, not just removed from the likes of Yahoo France. That I was wrong, is good news. But the word "Law" must have a different meaning in France than elsewhere - in this case it is actually just a public statement of belief. However France is geting a bad reputation in Europe for banning things (everything from foreign words to religious sects just because some ego-mad politicians object to them). Steve Indeed it did succeed to shut down denialist websites. But the first goal of this organisation is tracing and cutting the access to this websites. It isn't easy to shut down a website. It takes a considerable time of hearings and investigation. Genocide Recognition Law? If it is a Law? Yes it is!!! "The Law is the Law", - French say. "La Loi est La Loi" It's a Law. Otherwise it wouldn't have passed through Senate and National Assembly. I never heard of France having a bad reputaion because of forbidding everything. I think if there is a corner where France has artificially drawn "bad reputation" - it is Turkey. As I said before France is not perfect, but it strives to be in the frontline when it comes to new legislative aspirations. Besides, Turkish hysteria raised around the Recognition Bill (Law) is unfolded one and useless, since France is one of the most cheerful supporter's of Turkey's candidature into the EU. The question is why should France take always decisions which will please Turkish pride and denialism. You can't fool French. There will be a Day when France will pass its bill condemning Tortures in Algeria, during Algeria's Independence war. So Turkish "ultra-chauvinists" will stay without any contre-argument. Algerian issue is largerly discussed here, unlike Turkey where the Armenian issue is still a "taboo". I'm sure it will change in Turkey (thanks to French Senate), for the time being it is like that. [ August 01, 2001: Message edited by: glasnost71 ]

quote:Originally posted by bellthecat: If the French Senate had rejected the Law Recognising the Armenian Genocide, would Turkey have been able to close French sites alleging the genocide actually happened? You silence opponents by the strength of your facts and arguments. You do not censor them. And you do not encourage the French to ignore EC human rights legislation. Steve I guess you misunderstood this report. There is no such a law in France which forbids the "denialist" websites. There is only one law in France called the Gayssot Law which prosecutes only denialist of Jewish Holocaust by Nazis. TALKING about CDCA it pressures web portals or denialist organisations on the basis of the French Law which declares only that France does publicly recognise the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Many portals like Yahoo!France and Nomade will rather remove denialist sites from their listings then go through long court hearings which can end up, if CDCA wins (and there are many chances that CDCA will win, as they did once win against "Le Monde" newspaper's columnist) with hard consequences for the image of the Yahoo Directory which has already a "discutable" reputation in France. Meanwhile ther are probably hundreads of denialist websites in France which do act. They are removed from listings, but they are not shut down. I think CDCA and many other organisations have still lot of work to do. France is a country where the justice works seperately, less corrupted than in Turkey and more efficient when it comes to the protection of Law. But please, do not consider France to be an exemplaire country. It's in avant garde of many movements, but not perfect. Thought it is "Obvious", right!?! [ July 31, 2001: Message edited by: glasnost71 ]

A 10-year system was puting students under the pressure, I can't see what they're gonna do now with 11-year system. If this is for easying the programme - then it is good. If that's for adding more stuff to learn. They're gonna loose this reform. Kids are already badly overloaded by various disciplines to study in Armenian schools. Besides school reforms are the most popular thing among all ex- and post-Soviet Armenian govs.

Armenian Government Pressured To Toughen Laws On Human Trafficking Posted on - 30/07/01 19:00 By ArmenianForums.com Munich, (July 30, 2001) The Armenian government is coming under international pressure to introduce strict laws against the trafficking of women and children. It is also being urged to develop state-funded programs to facilitate the return of trafficking victims and to help them reintegrate into society. RFE/RL correspondent Roland Eggleston reports from Munich. A new report issued by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that every year between 500-700 women are taken from Armenia to the United Arab Emirates and Turkey to work as prostitutes. Although most of them are eventually returned home, the report says many face social discrimination and few obtain any assistance from the state in reintegrating into society. In some cases, the women are treated as the accomplices of the traffickers, and not as their victims. The report is also critical of the implementation of existing legislation to curb the activities of human traffickers in Armenia. The report says, "While the Armenian criminal code does address a number of trafficking-related offenses, there are shortcomings in the legislation and in its implementation." It adds that there has been only one indictment to date, and that -- despite the fact that the victims included minors -- the traffickers received light sentences. The report on the situation in Armenia is part of a concentrated offensive by the OSCE, the IOM, and other international organizations to focus attention on the problem of human trafficking in its 55 member countries, including the Caucasus, Russia, Ukraine, and elsewhere. The OSCE says Armenia's trafficking problem is mirrored in neighboring Georgia and Azerbaijan. Lydia Cristiana of the OSCE said the issue is truly international in scope: "This is not just a problem for Armenia and other countries in the Caucasus and elsewhere. Human trafficking can only be stopped if the countries which receive these women introduce strict controls, including punishment for those involved." The OSCE estimates that some 200,000 people -- mostly women and children -- are trafficked each year in its member countries. International agencies estimate the worldwide figure to be closer to a million, although many think it may be even higher. The OSCE field office in Yerevan told RFE/RL that young girls and even children are sought after in the United Arab Emirates. OSCE official Cerasela Nicolas said girls of 13 or 14 can bring in especially large sums on the market. According to OSCE information, she said, a female virgin can be sold for $40,000 for a month's service in the UAE. When the purchaser tires of her, she is then passed on to an ordinary brothel. When trafficked women are no longer wanted, they are usually left to be picked up by the police as illegal immigrants. Since the victims' passports and documents are typically seized by the traffickers, the women have no way of proving their identity or citizenship. Nicolas said that even in situations where both countries cooperate, it can take months before a woman trafficked abroad is returned to Armenia. A study by the IOM, based on interviews with 59 Armenian women who were recently returned from the UAE and Turkey, indicated that most come from Armenia's urban centers, and not from rural areas. About 50 percent were from Yerevan, 18 percent from Vanadzor, and 23 percent from Gyumri. The remainder were from other areas. Around 50 percent of the women acknowledged that they had worked as prostitutes. About 30 percent said they were forced to work without payment and to have sexual relations with their employers. Most of them told interviewers they had been tempted into trafficking rings by offers of well-paid jobs as translators, waitresses, or nannies. Many of them said they were unemployed in Armenia. The IOM report said that a lack of job opportunities in Armenia appears to be one of the factors contributing to the trafficking problem. It says many traffickers introduce themselves as foreign tour operators or pose as employment agents able to locate jobs abroad. But not all women are fooled. Of the 59 recently interviewed by the IOM, some 17 percent said they had suspected they would end up working in the sex industry. Some OSCE officials suspect that trafficking in Armenia is not the work of local groups but part of a regional network, possibly with links to the Russian mafia. The officials said they also suspect that Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan all serve as transit countries for women trafficked from Russia, Ukraine, and Central Asia. The IOM report on Armenia also points to corrupt bureaucrats as contributing to the problem. It says, "Poorly paid officials are willing to turn a blind eye [to human trafficking], or to falsify travel documents in exchange for money." The report calls on Armenian authorities to tighten existing laws and introduce new ones to combat the trafficking of women and children. The OSCE's Cristiana says wide gaps in legislation currently make the prosecution of traffickers difficult: "In none of the Caucasus countries does one have the full legal basis needed for prosecution. Nor is there much real research into human trafficking. That means local authorities do not have sufficient information about the size of the problem." The Armenian government has signed six international agreements relating to trafficking, as well as a number of bilateral and multilateral accords on the issue. It has not yet signed the UN Convention and its protocols relating to transnational organized crime, trafficking, and migrant smuggling. But it has indicated it will do so by the end of this year. --- by Roland Eggleston LEGAL NOTICE ARMENIANFORUMS.COM is a non-commercial online news and discussions service which aims at supporting the development of independent information networks in Armenia, Middle East and TransCaucasian Region. ArmenianForums.com is based in Paris, France All materials copyrighted by ArmenianForums.com may be copied and distributed without any restrictions and preliminary permissions. This permission is equally valid for individuals and media organisations. As a gesture of support we invite all publishers and scholars using materials from this website to refer to it as a source of information. Source: RFE/Radio Liberty Related: Hundreds of women leave Armenia every year for Arab Emirates and Turkey to work as prostitutes http://www.armenianforums.com/site/article.php3?id=258

I've ordered this film through FNAC, I've got the English subtitled version two months later though I've seen before this film on the large screen in cinema. I wanted to present it to my friends and they all fell asleep. I laughed a lot. Honestly, I like Paradjanov's Pamgranates. It is the film you should watch rarely and depending on the mood. The Georgian actress Sofiko Chiaureli is remarkable [ July 30, 2001: Message edited by: glasnost71 ]

I think the worst idea of this meeting was to mediatize it as "RECONCILIATION" Commission. The use of the word "commission" leaves the listener stunned and confused. It makes this positive initiative sound as an "ambition" to take political decisions, where no side during this meeting was delegated by a mandate to sign 'agreements' (accords). I think the Head of Communication with Media campaigned in a harmful way for the image and mission of this reunion. He should be fired immediately for the lack of professionalism. In case if there was any Head of Communication for this event. I doubt that!

quote:Originally posted by Thorny Rose: ArmenianForums.com... Is that where Naira has been hanging out of late? Don't see her around here... seems to me, she made lots of friends here Thorny Rose, Naira is getting sunburnt and great (I hope so) fun on the beaches of Mediterranean sea, I had no news from her for the last two weeks. I wish I was replacing her. Where do you live in Turkey? Izmir, Istanbul or ? See you later; Regards

French-Armenian Organisation CDCA Traces the Genocide Denialist Websites Posted on - 29/07/01 15:05 By Micha MK Paris, (July 29, 2001) CDCA (Comité de Defense de la Cause Armeniénne) placed an Action Alert on its web site, inviting "web-surfers" to report Armenian Genocide "denialist" links by email or by completion of the online form. The organisation does not publisize its achivements in tracing and "beating" denialist websites, meanwhile it has succeeded to shut down a number of websites listed in Yahoo!France and other nation-wide web directories on the basis of the French Law recognising the Armenian Genocide. The French-Armenian CDCA is a well-known Armenian "Cause" militant-organisation which had largerly contributed to the affirmation of the Armenian Genocide commited by Ottoman Turkish Government in 1915. Along with other influential organisations of the French Armenian community (FRA Dachnagsoutioun, Comité du 24 Avril), CDCA had achieved significant goals in the Affirmation of the Armenian Genocide by the European Governments. On January 29, 2001 France adopted the Law relating to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which allows militants to condemn any action of "denialism" in regard to the subject of Law. --- The Text of the French Law Recognising the Armenian Genocide adopted by the French Senate and approved by the President and PM of France in English Armenian National Institute in French National Assembly of France - Text Définitif Loi 611 --- by Micha MK Editor and Moderator ArmenianForums.com LEGAL NOTICE ARMENIANFORUMS.COM is a non-commercial online news and discussions service which aims at supporting the development of independent information networks in Armenia, Middle East and TransCaucasian Region. ArmenianForums.com is based in Paris, France All materials copyrighted by ArmenianForums.com may be copied and distributed without any restrictions and preliminary permissions. This permission is equally valid for individuals and media organisations. As a gesture of support we invite all publishers and scholars using materials from this website to refer to it as a source of information. Source: CDCA web site Original article at ArmenianForums.com http://www.armenianforums.com/site/article.php3?id=241

Armenia switches to 11-year system of schooling Posted on - 30/07/01 15:51 By ArmenianForums.com Yerevan, (July 30, 2001) BBC monitoring Dispatched the following text: Under a state programme for the development of education, Armenia switches to the 11-year system of schooling in 2001-2002 academic year. The Education Ministry public relations department has told Noyan Tapan that the 11-year system of schooling applies to those starting secondary school in 2001 and afterwards. [passage omitted: about primary schools] [ July 30, 2001: Message edited by: glasnost71 ]

MJ@@!! Equally glad. Looks like debates are hot here. I'll catch you over there, certainly. Take care.

Toros Can, Turkish "Temps Fort" of La Roque International Festival Posted on - 27/07/01 11:04 By ArmenianForums.com Roque-d'Anthéron, France (July 27, 2001) The French daily "Liberation" opens today's "Culture" rubric by an article dedicated to Toros Can. Toros Can, 29 years old promissing virtuoso from Ankara, known for his feeling for modern composers and recent extravagant interpretation of Ligeti's "Etudes", will participate in La Roque International Festival of Classical Music. "Not playing contemproray authors means betraying the music, including the one of Mozart and Chopin", - states pianist from the pages of "Liberation". Toros Can grew up and graduated from High School in Ankara, Turkey. There he obtained his first Diploma of a professional musician. According to French newspaper Tedd Joselson, the Armenian student of maestro Horowitz, heard Toros Can's piano playing behind the "curtains" of a theater in Ankara, where he was giving his gala. Touched by young man's remarkable play, he invites him to London and arranges first performance repertoire. Later Toros Can entered the Royal College of Music. He holds also Diplomas from Meadows School of Dallas and Yale University. "L'enfant-prodige" of the «magicien Joselson» will perform on July 29, on the open air stage of the park of Château de Florans (Bouches-du-Rhône). By performing in the park of Château de Florans, "Liberation"'s correspondent says that Can intends to pay homage to Françoise Thinat, president of the prestigeous international contest "Concours international du XXe siècle d'Orléans", which the Turkish piano soloist claimed to be the best contest in the world. --- by Micha MK Editor and Moderator ArmenianForums.com LEGAL NOTICE ARMENIANFORUMS.COM is a non-commercial online news and discussions service which aims at supporting the development of independent information networks in Armenia, Middle East and TransCaucasian Region. ArmenianForums.com is based in Paris, France All materials copyrighted by ArmenianForums.com may be copied and distributed without any restrictions and preliminary permissions. This permission is equally valid for individuals and media organisations. As a gesture of support we invite all publishers and scholars using materials from this website to refer to it as a source of information. Source: Liberation

AFFMA 4th Annual Film Festival will showcase works by Armenian filmmakers in September By ArmenianForums.com Posted on - 23/07/01 10:46 Paris,(July 23, 2001) - Based in Los Angeles, USA, non-profit association AFFMA will organize its Fourth annual International Film Festival, where works by Armenian filmmakers and directors from around the world will be showcasing through Sept. 21-23, 2001. AFFMA Providing support to filmmakers who explore subjects of social, and cultural importance through the medium of cinema. Organisation also provides grants to students who have demonstrated academic excellence in the fields of film, music and arts. Source: AFFMA Web site Related: Reuters/Variety (via Yahoo!)