Families Of Detained Airline Crew Wonder What's

[MosJan]

Grounded in a Distant Land : Families of detained airline crew wonder what's happening in Equatorial Guinea

 

 

Last week the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia confirmed that six citizens of Armenia are among 20 foreigners arrested in Equatorial Guinea and accused of conspiring to overthrow the government of that country.

 

Ashot Karapetyan, captain of the AN-12 crew, second pilot Samvel Darbinyan, aeronautical engineer Ashot Simonyan, navigator Samvel Matchkalyan, flight engineer Razmik Khachatryan and technician-engineer Suren Muradyan, have been in custody since March 9.

 

According to the Central Administrative Board of the Civil Aviation of Armenia, the crew works for Tiga Air and were running chartered trade flights inside Central Africa.

 

But authorities in Equatorial Guinea insist that the flight crew were part of a planned coup to overthrow President Teodoro Nguema.

 

As Armenia has no representation in that country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has called upon its allies in Africa to look to monitor the situation and assure that the Armenians are properly treated.

 

Meanwhile the crew's families in Yerevan have little information and considerable anxiety concerning their loved ones' whereabouts and condition.

 

“I have all my phone conversations with my husband registered,” says Nara Karapetyan, the captain's wife. “The last time I talked to him on March 5, it was 3 p.m. He told me everything was normal and on March 9 scheduled flights would start again.”

 

The couple agreed to speak again on March 8, but when Nara called, her husband did not answer, renewing her anxiety.

 

“When I was talking with my husband by phone (March 5), he told me they had some problems. I didn't know who he was talking about, customers or local authorities. As phone conversations with foreign countries are expensive we didn't talk much,” says the wife of Karapetyan, Nara Hayrapetyan.

 

For about 15 days the wives couldn't get any information about their husbands and didn't know even if they were alive.

 

All they were hearing was news reports that their husbands were involved in an international incident and were part of an attempted coup.

 

“We want to know one thing, are they alive and are they provided with medical assistance? We want them to return alive, it is important,” says Khachatryan's wife, Aghavni.

 

On Monday of this week, the International Red Cross told families that there is no threat to the crews' lives and that they are still in Malabo . Next Tuesday, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are scheduled to accompany Red Cross officials on a flight to Malabo to further investigate the matter.

 

“They are among the best pilots of all times in Armenia,” says a friend, helicopter captain Vardges Mnatsakanyan. “They are professional pilots and honest people. They are people, who during the war were keeping Artsax on their wings. Everybody knows them including authorities.”

 

 

http://armenianow.com/2004/march26/news/pilots/index.asp

[hytga]

Representatives from Red cross that wen there to see what's up, were arrested too

[Armat]

I feel for those pilots.They were just working to soppurt their families and it is very unlikely that they got into local feudal politics.

[MosJan]

Armenian Pilots ‘Risk Starving In Eq. Guinea Jail’

 

By Emil Danielyan

 

Six Armenian pilots jailed in Equatorial Guinea on controversial coup charges risk starving to death along with more than 60 other prisoners unless “immediate action” is taken to alleviate their plight,” Amnesty International warned late Wednesday.

 

The respected human rights group said conditions at the west African country’s notorious Black Beach prison worsened drastically in the last six weeks, with food rations cut from a daily cup of rice to almost nothing. "Unless immediate action is taken, many of those detained at Black Beach prison will die," Kolawole Olaniyan, director of Amnesty's

Africa Program, was reported to say in a statement.

 

The government of Equatorial Guinea denied the claims. "Prisoners in Equatorial Guinea are not going hungry,” a senior official told Reuters.

 

The six Armenians are the aircrew of an Armenian transport plane that was hired by a German airfreight company over a year ago to ship cargo to Equatorial Guinea. They were arrested in March 2004 and sentenced to between 14 and 24 years’ imprisonment on November 26 on charges of involvement in a reported plot to topple the longtime president of the oil-rich former Spanish colony, Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

 

The pilots, backed by the Armenian government and their German employer, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Amnesty International condemned their trial as “grossly unfair.” The London-based watchdog said the Armenians and five South Africans jailed at Black Beach on the same charges remain shackled for 24 hours a day.

 

Obiang’s regime is regarded by the United States and international human rights groups as one of the most repressive in the world.

 

Amnesty’s allegations contrast with the account of Ara Abrahamian, a prominent Russian-Armenian businessman who was allowed to meet the Armenian prisoners on a recent visit to Equatorial Guinea. In an interview with RFE/RL on Monday, Abrahamian described their condition as “normal.” He said he gave each of them $500 and made sure that they receive “adequate” medical care.

 

Abrahamian was also upbeat about the pilots’ release from prison, saying that they could be set free soon. He said his representatives remain in the country’s capital Malabo and their negotiations with the local authorities are “difficult.”

 

The Armenian-born tycoon, who is reputed to have close ties with the Russian government, had an audience with Obiang during the trip. Obiang, by contrast, apparently refused to meet Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian when he visited Equatorial Guinea in February.

 

Oskanian was received by other Equato-Guinean officials and admitted afterward that he secured no explicit pledges to liberate the pilots. He expressed hope on Wednesday that Abrahamian’s efforts will end in success.

[MosJan]

http://www.armenialiberty.org/images/photo/Guinea3.jpg

[MosJan]

«ՄԻՋԱԶԳԱՅԻՆ ՆԵՐՈՒՄԸ» ԽՈՐԱՊԵՍ ՄՏԱՀՈԳՎԱԾ Է ՀԱՍԱՐԱԿԱԾԱՅԻՆ ԳՎԻՆԵԱՅԻ ԲԱՆՏԱՐԿՅԱԼՆԵՐԻ ՃԱԿԱՏԱԳՐՈՎ

 

Նրանց թվում են Հայաստանի քաղաքացի 6 օդաչուներ

 

Միջազգային հեղինակավոր կազմակերպությունները շարունակում են հետեւել եւ խոր մտահոգություն հայտնել Հասարակածային Գվինեայի «Սեւ լողափ» բանտում պահվող առնվազն 70 բանտարկյալների ճակատագրի համար: «Միջազգային ներում» կազմակերպությունը երեկ տարածած հաղորդագրությամբ նշում է, որ վերջին 6 շաբաթներին բանտարկյալների պայմանները վատթարացել են: Հաղորդագրության մեջ նշվում է, որ բանտում պահվում են 11 երկրների քաղաքացիներ, որոնց նկատմամբ դատավարությունը եղել է անարդար, իսկ Հասարակածային Գվինեայի բանտարկյալները ձերբակալվել եւ բանտարկվել են առանց դատական եզրակացության կամ մեղադրանքի:

 

«Միջազգային ներման» Աֆրիկայի ծրագրի տնօրենը խիստ մտահոգություն է հայտնել այն առնչությամբ, որ «Սեւ լողափի» բանտարկյալները չափազանց տկարացել եւ հյուծվել են կտտանքների ու խրոնիկ հիվանդությունների պատճառով: Կազմակերպությունը կրկին Հասարակածային Գվինեայի իշխանություններին հորդորել է բանտարկյալներին անհապաղ տրամադրել կանոնավոր սնունդ, բուժօգնություն, ինչպես նաեւ բանտարկյալների ձեռքերն ու ոտքերն ազատել շղթաներից:

 

Հիշեցնենք, որ Մալաբոյի տխրահռչակ «Սեւ լողափ» բանտում են պահվում Հայաստանի քաղաքացի 6 օդաչուներ, ովքեր ձերբակալվել եւ դատապարտվել էին 14-24 տարվա բանտարկության Հասարակածային Գվինեայի նախագահի դեմ պետական հեղաշրջման փորձ իրականացնելու կեղծ մեղադրանքով:

 

Հայաստանի իշխանությունները եւ Համաշխարհային հայկական կոնգրեսի նախագահ Արա Աբրահամյանը բանտարկված հայ օդաչուներին Հայաստան վերադարձնելու նպատակով տարբեր հանդիպումներ են ունենում Հասարակածային Գվինեայի իշխանությունների հետ: Ընդամենը մի քանի օր առաջ Աբրահամյանին հաջողվել էր 500-ական դոլար ուղարկել օդաչուներից յուրաքանչյուրին եւ ապահովել նրանց բժշկական օգնությունը:

 

Ավելի վաղ՝ այս տարվա փետրվարին աֆրիկյան բռնատիրական այդ երկիր էր մեկնել Հայաստանի արտգործնախարարը: Մեր ունեցած տեղեկություններով, Վարդան Օսկանյանը եւս տարաբախտ հայ օդաչուներին ֆինանսական օգնություն էր ցույց տվել:

[Armen]

Armenians have this unparalleled ability to get into the center of world's attention in the most unexpected and weird way. We call it "Hayi bakht" Just recall the recent drama with armes smuggling to the U.S. A ridiculous piece of news with Armenians in the center of attention. One month has passed and no one remembers it. In fact nothing serious realy happened. But we got to the frontlines ...

 

I mean how do you end up flying in Equatorial Guinea?! There are buncha other countries that need qualified pilots.

 

I remembered an old joke

 

A group of Armenians survives a plane crash and ends up in the hands of local tribe who practices kannibalism. While they are being prepared to be served as that day's meal one of the guys notices that one of the drummers of the tribe beats the drum like an Armenian dhol, unlike the others who hold the drums between their feet. He turns to the guy and asks:

 

- "Akhper jan, hye es?"

- "Hye em, bayc ahavor sovats em, tsavd tanem"

 

-----------------------------

 

Let's hope Ara Abrahamian will not be late with his attampt to free them.

Edited April 15, 2005 by Armen

[MosJan]

ARA ABRAHAMIAN LEFT FOR MALABO TO RELEASE ARMENIAN PILOTS

 

19.04.2005 03:24

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Chairman of the Union of Armenians of Russia and the World Armenian Congress Ara Abrahamian is leaving for the Equato-Guinean capital of Malabo to settle the issue of release of 6 Armenian pilots, who have been in the local prison for over a year, Regnum news agency reported. It should be reminded that since January 2004 six Armenian pilots had worked in Equatorial Guinea on AN-12 plane registered in Armenia. In the evening of March 7, 2004 they were arrested in Malabo on accusation of participation in an attempt of a coup d’etat and in espionage as hirelings. The court has sentenced to commander of the Armenian crew to 24 years of imprisonment, and the rest of the pilots – to 14 years, while sentencing local residents charged of the same case to a year and a day of punishment. The lawyer of the Armenian pilots has appealed the decision in the Supreme Court of Equatorial Guinea. Ara Abrahamian was in Malabo once before. There he met with top officials of Equatorial Guinea. “I met with the prisoners. I managed to organize medical care for them, to provide financial assistance. Our pilots in their turn gave me letters for their relatives,” Ara Abrahamian stated. Before his visit to Malabo the WAC head had organized several letters to the Equato-Guinean President from the Pope, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the UN and UNESCO, held a range of talks with the Ambassador of that country in Moscow. “I am confident that the issue will be solved positively and I think before the end of the next week it will be solved finally,” A. Abrahamian stated. In his turn, Kolawole Olaniyan, director of Amnesty International's Africa Program stated that the prisoners are emaciated with persistent torture and chronic diseases. Besides, the prisoners of the Black Beach prison risk starving to death, as the prison direction has cut their food rations. In response to that, as reported by RFE/RL Special Advisor to Equato-Guinean President Miguel Mifumu stated that the prisoners get enough food and Amnesty International «merely puts pressure upon the country authorities for the prisoners to be released.» «Let them come and see what actually takes place, as the Red Cross has done,» he added.

[ED]

Equatorial Guinea President Pardons Six Armenian Pilots

 

 

 

Yerevan, June 06, Armenpress: A spokesman for Armenian foreign ministry has confirmed today that Equatorial Guinea president Teodoro Obiang Nguema on Sunday pardoned six Armenian pilots who were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their alleged roles in an attempted coup last year.

The "total pardon" is for "the Armenian nationals being held at Malabo's central prison," the decree dated June 4 said. The president granted the pardon as a "humanitarian gesture" on the occasion of his 63rd birthday.

The six Armenians, who have always claimed their innocence, are to be immediately released and handed over to "competent authorities" who will see that they are repatriated to Armenia, according to the decree. The Armenian pilots were sentenced with others in November in Equatorial Guinea. They were accused of taking part in a plot to overthrow Nguema which also involved suspected mercenaries who were arrested in Zimbabwe for alleging picking up weapons there to use in the coup attempt.

The pardon had been preceded by Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian's February visit to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea's capital, where he spent two days holding talks with the country's prime minister, foreign minister and chief prosecutor over the release of Armenians. Also Armenian president Robert Kocharian, head of the Armenian Church, Catholicos Karekin II, the late Pope John Paul II and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, asked the Equatorial Guinea president to pardon the pilots.

Apart from that Ara Abrahamian, a Moscow-based tycoon of Armenian descent and the president of the Union of Russian Armenians, traveled to Malabo earlier this year and spoke to Nguema about the release of the pilots. Later in Yerevan he pledged to bring them back in early summer. All six Armenians pleaded not guilty to the accusations. The court verdict was denounced as "grossly unfair" by Amnesty International

[Sasun]

This is good new. Thank God.

[Armen]

Thank God.

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Didn't know that Ara Abrahamian has that title now but anyway... it is good news

[MosJan]

welll well well at last good news

[Sasun]

Didn't know that Ara Abrahamian has that title now but anyway... it is good news 

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God worked in a mysterious way