http://www.thecaliforniacourier.com/

The California Courier, Glendale, CA (2026)

05/23/2022

Camp Zavarian: A Summer of Activities and Lasting Love of Armenian Culture

LA CRESCENTA—Camp Zavarian, perched in the foothills of the Crescenta Valley, has been a home away from home for scores of local Armenian kids. At the camp, children take part in a wide range of activities. After attending this interactive, hands-on summer camp, children leave with a new sense of nationalism and self-confidence.

The day camp for children ages 5 to 12, was established by the ARF Zavarian Gomideh in 2008.

Each day starts with a prayer and the national anthems of the United States and Armenia.
In addition to swimming and playing games, the campers learn to cook Armenian dishes, practice arts and crafts, do yoga and zumba, and act in traditional Armenian plays. Every Friday, special guests from the community visit the camp to speak to the kids about various issues, such as Armenian history and culture, to life growing up as an Armenian in America. Psychotherapist Nora Chitiian helps campers in developing their social skills. Friendships are strengthened through campers inspiring each other during arts and crafts, learning together while they do scientific activities, and are introduced to others through games and teamwork exercises.

“Parents had often asked that we create a program to educate and entertain children in the summer months,” said Mike Keleshian, the camp’s executive director. “Camp Zavarian with its rich cultural and educational program is a fulfillment of our community’s requests. As an organization this is just one of the ways with which we cater to the needs of our community.”

The day camp, which offers extended hours for working parents, is open every weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., under the direction of Arpi Dabbaghian, an experienced and skilled educator with decades of experience working with children. The camp accepts 65 campers each week. The pool is monitored by a licensed lifeguard and the camp has its own cook, who includes Armenian dishes in the menu.

“As parents, we want our children to have an exciting summer, and their love for Armenian culture to be fostered,” said Roza Baghdassarian, whose two daughters attended camp last year. “Camp Zavarian offers every activity that kids enjoy—board games, swimming, dancing, yoga, and cooking—and also instills Armenian traditions in our children. We are so grateful that the camp started again last year when pandemic restrictions were eased. It gave our children the sense of normalcy and comfort that the lockdown and social distancing had eroded.”

“We have tried to make learning fun for the kids by teaching them about our culture through the various activities they enjoy doing during the day,” Dabbaghian said. “They are indirectly being acquainted with Armenian culture when they sing Armenian songs, act out Armenian plays, learn to cook Armenian food, and make Armenian related symbols during arts and crafts.”

As these children grow, they, too, get the chance to volunteer and guide the campers themselves. Volunteers, who are usually in high school, give back to the Armenian community through their meaningful service to Camp Zavarian.

“I joined Camp Zavarian when I was young, and many of my close friends were campers with me throughout the years,” said Megheti Baghdassarian, who was a camp volunteer in 2021. “Our counselors and volunteers were always kind and loving. We were like a big family. My younger sister started attending camp last year, and I’m excited for her to spend her summers at Camp Zavarian making friends and enjoying all that camp offers.”

The hardest part is saying goodbye to each other after 8 weeks full of fun.

Camp Zavarian begins this year on June 20, 2022. For more information, visit www.anccv.org/daycamp.htm.

04/11/2022

Canary Books to Publish ‘Zabelle Panosian – I Am Servant of Your Voice’ book & CD

Among the most significant Armenian singers in the early twentieth century, Zabelle Panosian made a small group of recordings in New York City in 1917-’18. Unaccountably, she was then largely neglected as an artist for more than half a century. This volume by three dedicated researchers is the first effort to reconstruct the life and work of a woman who had an exceptional and cultivated voice — who toured the world as a performer and made a significant contribution to the cultural lives of the Armenian diaspora, the elevation of Armenian art song, and the relief of survivors of the Armenian genocide.

Panosian’s music is derived from a syncretic experience of the Western Armenian village near the Sea of Marmara where she was born and a passion for the coloratura sopranos she encountered in Boston. As an immigrant carrying the traumas of dislocation and the loss of her home, she transformed her grief into action, dedicated her life to an expression of the greatest art she could imagine, both from her former life and her new life in America, and she created a path in her wake for her daughter to become a renowned dancer.

Tracing her story from the Ottoman Empire to New England, from the concert halls of Italy, Egypt, and France to California, Florida, and South America through two World Wars, the story of Zabelle Panosian is that of a serious talent recognized and celebrated, dismissed and forgotten, year by year, waiting only to be known and loved again.

A dedicated team created ‘Zabelle Panosian – I am Servant of Your Voice’; Ian Nagoski was responsible for the text, Harry Kezelian provided translations and Harout Arakelian worked on providing research and photographs.

Zabelle Panosian – I Am Servant of Your Voice book & CD to be published April 7, 2022 by Canary Books & Records, Baltimore MD. 80 pages. 21 tracks. Over 50 images.
By Harout Arakelian, Harry Kezelian, and Ian Nagoski; designed by John Hubbard, and printed by die Keure.

“A carefully crafted and detailed, yet succinct biography. Many of us were introduced to Armenian-American singer Zabelle Panosian’s soul-jolting rendition of ‘Groung’ via the 2011 release of To What Strange Place, but here, in Zabelle Panosian: I Am Your Servant, for the first time, we travel with Panosian from her birthplace in Bardizag to her home in New York We are there in the studio with her at Columbia Records for her historic recordings in lower Manhattan, and we stand with her in the radio studios of WEAF. We become readers of reviews of Panosian’s concerts both celebrated and scathing. We accompany her on performances, minuscule and grand from Waterford to Providence and San Francisco to Fresno, eventually recrossing the Atlantic with her to sing in France, Italy, and Egypt,” says Richard Breaux, Associate Professor of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. “More than a singer or performer, we learn of Zabelle, the estranged sister, the loving aunt, and the mother who passes the baton to her daughter, Adrina Otero, completing what will be the starting point for future historians or ethnomusicologists wishing to explore Zabelle Panosian and her legacy.”

For more information, visit: https://canary-records.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-servant-of-your-voice-march-1917-june-1918

04/11/2022

Harut Sassounian's Column of April 14, 2022

Turkey Evades Western Sanctions
By Welcoming Russian Oligarchs
By Harut Sassounian

The dispute continues between those who want to reward Turkey and those who want to condemn it, because of its contradictory positions on the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published on April 7 a detailed article by Jared Malsin and Elvan Kivilcim, titled: “Superyachts, Seaside Apartments and Suitcases Full of Cash: Russians Pour Money Into Turkey.”
As a result of the sanctions imposed by the West on Russian banks and businesses, tens of thousands of Russians have fled to Turkey with suitcases full of money, superyachts, private jets and other assets. “Many left carrying hundreds or thousands of dollars in cash because of capital controls that the Russian government imposed,” reported the WSJ. The Russians are buying houses and other properties in Turkey taking advantage of the law that allows foreigners to become Turkish citizens if they invest at least $250,000. Many Russians are able to circumvent Western sanctions by transferring their money from Russian to Turkish banks and converting their Rubles to Turkish Liras or other currencies. All NATO member countries, with the exception Turkey, have imposed strict sanctions on Russia, preventing its citizens from wiring their money out of the country, blocking Russian Airlines from flying to Western countries, and confiscating the oligarchs’ superyachts and private jets. Refusing to impose sanctions on Russia, Turkey is trying to revive its bankrupt economy by generating desperately-needed funds.
Fleeing Russians are able to avoid Western sanctions and capital controls imposed by Russia on its citizens through “Russian cash transfer companies that operate in Turkey, cryptocurrencies and simply carrying thousands of dollars in cash through airports,” according to the WSJ. The Turkish government has come up with the lame excuse that it will allow the transfer of Russian funds to Turkey as long as “the money is legal.” Such scrutiny, if it ever existed, very quickly disappeared, ignoring the requirement that foreigners obtain a residency permit before being allowed to open a bank account. According to the WSJ, “at a single branch of one state-owned bank in Istanbul, Russians have opened more than 600 accounts in recent weeks.”
The WSJ reported that “Turkey’s central bank took in about $3 billion in just two days in mid-March…. That money was likely largely composed of deposits from Russians, said Omer Gencal, an economist and former executive at HSBC Turkey and other major Turkish banks.”
Gül Gül, the chief executive of Istanbul real-estate company Golden Sign, told the WSJ: “the newly arrived Russians are buying as many as four apartments at a time, usually with cash, in order to invest the $250,000 required for citizenship. ‘Currently, out of 10 flats [apartments] we sell, six or seven are bought by Russians, said Ms. Gül. They are mostly businesspeople, wealthy ones, some of them oligarchs.’”
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich moved two of his superyachts to Turkish ports in recent weeks. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev docked his 74-meter-long (249 ft.) vessel called Universe in Istanbul last week, according to the WSJ.
Furthermore, the WSJ reported that the “search-engine company Yandex, classified-ad site Avito, commercial bank Tinkoff and software firm DataArt collectively had more than 1,000 workers fly to Turkey. About 900 Yandex workers flew to Turkey shortly after the beginning of the war, though around 300 of them have since left.”
Visa and Mastercard’s decisions to shut down operations in Russia have prompted Russians to use “the Russian Mir payment system, which works at certain locations in Turkey. ‘We accept Mir’ signs have begun cropping up in grocery stores around Istanbul,” the WSJ wrote.
“Middle-class Russians have mostly brought a few thousand dollars at a time, either in cash or by using Russian wire-transfer companies that continue to operate in Turkey. One popular service is KoronaPay, which allows people to wire money out of Russia and withdraw money in Turkey and a range of other countries. The company allows transfers worth more than 15,000 euros, equivalent to $16,400, as long as customers verify their source of income, according to the company’s website,” reported the WSJ. “Volkan Celikyurek, a money changer in Istanbul’s Laleli neighborhood, which is frequented by Russian traders and one of the only areas where exchange offices buy and sell Rubles,” told the WSJ, “I bought at most 100,000 Rubles at a time. But there are those who bought millions.”
In the meantime, Turkey’s economy is benefiting from the flow of Russian money, while its hypocritical condemnation of Russia is winning dividends from Western countries. The UK government just lifted the restrictions it had imposed on exporting weapons to Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced on April 7 that Turkey is interested in “cooperating with the UK in important defense projects, including warplanes, warships and aircraft carriers.” Cavusoglu also announced that Turkey is discussing with Canada the resumption of the purchase of camera systems for the Turkish Bayraktar armed drones, suspended after the 2020 Artsakh war.
Amazingly, the Biden Administration, instead of punishing Turkey for its sanction-busting schemes, wants to reward it by indicating that selling Turkey F-16 fighters is in the best interest of the United States and NATO. Nevertheless, Congress is opposed to the sale. Over 50 Members of Congress signed a letter in February urging the Biden Administration to reject the Turkish request to buy 40 F-16 jets and upgrade 80 other jets already in Turkey’s possession. The Congressmen cited Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile systems and the wholesale violation of human rights as the reasons for opposing the sale. Selling F-16 jets to Turkey would “more likely lead to further death and destruction in the region at the hands of Erdogan’s military,” the lawmakers wrote.
It remains to be seen how long Turkey can play its deceptive game on both sides of the fence in the Russia-Ukraine war.

08/03/2021

Tufenkian Rebuilds Two Homes in the Villages of Artsakh’s Martuni Region

HERHER VILLAGE, Martuni, Artsakh (TUFENKIAN FOUNDATION)—Two more families in Artsakh’s Martuni region were given the keys to their rebuilt homes last week, as part of the Tufenkian Foundation’s Martuni Village Home Renovation and Repair Project. The homes of the Hayrapetyans of Machkalashen village and the Sargsyans of Herher village sustained major damages by Azerbaijani shelling during last year’s war.

Zina Hayrapetyan, who serves as Machkalashen’s head nurse, lost her husband during the Artsakh Liberation War in the early 1990s. The Hayrapetyan home was hit twice during last year’s war while her son was serving in Hadrut. “Our family home was completely destroyed; it was in utter ruins. It was difficult to imagine that it could ever be rebuilt in such a short amount of time,” Hayrapetyan explained during an intimate ceremony on June 25, to mark the completion of construction of the house, which is home to five members of the Hayrapetyan family.

“Following the war, our board of trustees decided that the Foundation should only focus on the most immediate, pressing needs in Artsakh: the renovation and reconstruction of damaged homes, addressing the housing issues of our wounded soldiers and the families of our fallen,” explained Tufenkian Foundation trustee, Dr. Antranig Kasbarian. “We are looking forward to moving onto implementing development projects once these fundamental needs are addressed,” Kasbarian added.

After consultations with Artsakh authorities, the Tufenkian Foundation decided that it would carry out its work in the Herher cluster Martuni region of Artsakh: in Herher and its surrounding villages, including Tsovategh, Kherkhan, and Machkalashen. The Hayrapetyan and Sargsyan homes are the third and fourth of a total of 13 homes in the region that the Foundation will renovate and restore. While in Machkalashen, the Tufenkian Foundation also provided food assistance packages to ten vulnerable families in the village thanks to a gift by an anonymous donor.

The Sargsyans of Herher village were the second family to receive the keys to their renovated home on June 25. According to Karlest Sargsyan, the head of the Sargsyan household, the family lost everything in the war after being completely leveled by Azerbaijani fire. “Everything was destroyed; that’s what happens in war. But we thank God we survived,” explained Karlest, who lives with his wife, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.

“These are difficult times for our people, for the people of Artsakh, but I am certain that we will rise from the ashes once again, thanks to the support of organizations like the Tufenkian Foundation. We are indebted to the hard work and determination of the Foundation’s board, staff, and supporters, and I’d like to thank everyone involved—from the directors to each construction worker—for their commitment to the people of Artsakh,” Karlest said, before his house was blessed by Father Mkhitar Haroyan of the St. Vardanants Armenian Apostolic Church of Chartar.

During the ceremony, the Sargsyan family also received a surprise gift from a dedicated Tufenkian Foundation volunteer, 21-year-old Razmig Makasdjian of San Fransisco, Calif. After consulting the Foundation’s Artsakh staff, Makasdjian, who has been volunteering throughout Artsakh and Armenia since last December, decided to outfit the Sargsyan’s rebuilt home with a brand-new refrigerator. “This is the least I could do for a family that has suffered so much. I am happy I could do my small part and call on others to help in any way they can. I am hopeful about the future of Artsakh,” Makasdjian said.

The Martuni Village Home Renovation and Repair Project is a part of a larger program initiated and implemented by the Tufenkian Foundation to address the most pressing needs in the region. As part of its Herher village cluster restoration and redevelopment program, the Tufenkian Foundation also announced that it will be launching the Martuni Village Healthcare Improvement Initiative. The initiative will restore the village Buzhkets (community medical clinics) and provide training to local healthcare workers to ensure that residents receive quality care.

08/03/2021

SAS Posthumously Publishes Lalayan’s Mystical Perception of the Book of Lamentations

The Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) has posthumously sponsored the publication of Dr. Vahram Lalayan’s book Mystical Perception of the Book of Lamentations by Grigor Narekatsi in the 13th – 18th Centuries. Dr. Lalayan was a medieval theologian and the head of the Department of History at Grigor Narekatsi University in Artsakh. He was killed by Azeri forces in Meds Tagher village in Hadrut during the 2020 war. Mystical Perception of the Book of Lamentations was published in Armenian by Antares Press in Yerevan and deals with Narekatsi’s Book of Lamentations. Mystical Perception, edited by Lalayan’s colleague Dr. Amalya Grigoryan of Narekatsi University, consists of an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion, and a list of primary literary sources.

The first chapter deals with the “Medieval Commentaries of the Book of Lamentations” and discusses the research of Poghos Khachatryan’s work on the first and fourth editions of the Book of Lamentations. The second chapter deals with the commentaries of the Book of Lamentations and analyzes the mystical interpretations.

“The Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) is honored to have been able to sponsor the publication of Dr. Vahram Lalayan’s book,” said SAS President Prof. Bedross Der Matossian. “It is the dream of every scholar to see the fruits of their years of hard work published. Unfortunately, Lalayan did not get that chance. As a scholar and a human being, he believed in the cardinal right to defend his land during the Artsakh War of 2020. He believed in the right of the Armenians of Artsakh to self-determination and was killed by the Azeri forces because he chose to remain in his home village. His book on Narekatsi is a testament to his character as a medieval theologian and historian and an Artsakhtsi defending his homeland. His name will remain eternal in the pages of history and for future generations.”

Lalayan’s colleague Dr. Grigoryan commented on the publication saying, “Dr. Lalayan’s contribution to the field of theology and history is of utmost importance. More than ever Grigor Narekatsi’s teachings are relevant today to all Armenians. Lalayan in his book has explored the subtext of the religious identity of Armenians through an analysis and interpretation of the Book of Lamentations. It was Lalayan’s wish to present the final version of his book to readers. Unfortunately, he couldn’t, as he was killed in the 44-day war and his book was published after his martyrdom.” According to Grigoryan, Lalayan has made an important contribution to the field Narekatsi studies and his research will be an important source to future generations of scholars.”

The publication of Lalayan’s book is the first result of a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in different aspects of academia signed earlier this year by SAS and the Narekatsi University in Artsakh. To order a copy of the book please click on Taran Krakhanut - https://daran.company.site/

If you would like to support SAS’s cooperation with Narekatsi University please contact Bedross Der Matossian @ [email protected].

08/03/2021

ANCA Central California Condemns Oklahoma Partnership Overtures to Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan—Governor Kevin Stitt advocated for the expansion of Oklahoma’s partnership with Azerbaijan during a meeting on July 27 with President Ilham Aliyev at the Presidential Palace in Baku.

The governor was accompanied to the meeting by U.S. Ambassador Earle Litzenberger, Chief of Staff Bond Payne, Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur, Maj. Gen. Michael Thompson, the Adjutant General of the Oklahoma National Guard, and Brig. Gen. Jon Harrison, Director of Joint Staff.

“It was an honor to meet President Aliyev and hear from him about ways Oklahoma can continue to work with the people of Azerbaijan,” said Gov. Stitt. “Oklahoma and Azerbaijan are both energy pioneers and I look forward to strengthening our partnership and connecting Oklahoma companies with the many economic development opportunities here in Azerbaijan.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, Gov. Stitt presented President Aliyev with a Will Rogers statue on behalf of the state of Oklahoma and personally gifted him a custom cowboy hat from Shorty’s Caboy Hattery in Oklahoma City.

The governor also had productive meetings with Azerbaijan Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov and Minster of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov to continue to strengthen the partnership between Oklahoma and Azerbaijan in the areas of agriculture, energy, education and security.

This evening, the governor will be the guest of honor at a reception held by Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov.

“The ANCA Central California strongly condenms Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s visit to Azerbaijan amid Azerbaijani President Aliyev’s ongoing attacks against sovereign Armenia and Artsakh. While the Governor was on a frolic with the Azerbaijani tyrant, three Armenian soldiers were killed by Azerbaijani forces,” said Sevag Tateosian, ANCA Central California volunteer.

08/03/2021

Governor Newsom Reappoints Harabedian to California Acupuncture board

SACRAMENTO—Governor Gavin Newsom announced the reappointment of John C. Harabedian, 40, of Pasadena, to the California Acupuncture Board, where he has served since 2017.

Harabedian has been an Associate Investment Manager, Legal Counsel at Omni Bridgeway since 2016. Harabedian served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office from 2015 to 2016. He was an Associate at Latham and Watkins LLP from 2011 to 2015 and a Law Clerk for the Honorable Josephine Staton at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California from 2010 to 2011. Harabedian was a Policy Analyst in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office in 2007, a Coro Foundation Fellow from 2006 to 2007 and an Analyst at Barrington Associates from 2004 to 2005.

He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School and a Master of Science degree in comparative social policy from the University of Oxford. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Harabedian is a Democrat.

08/03/2021

Lilit Makunts Appointed Armenia’s Ambassador to U.S.

Lilit Makunts, a former minster of culture and a staunch loyalist of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been appointed Armenia’s Ambassador to the United States.

President Armen Sarkissian signed the relevant appointment order.

Makunts, who has no prior foreign policy or diplomatic experience headed Pashinyan’s My Step Alliance in the previous parliament.

She will replace Varuzhan Nercessyan, who left Washington last week to become Armenia’s Ambassador to Great Britain.

08/03/2021

Harut Sassounian's Column of August 5, 2021

Erdogan’s Huge Mosque Near Washington
Is a Trojan Horse for Turkey’s Interests
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated one of the largest mosques in the United States in April 2016. It is officially called the Diyanet Center of America (DCA), a massive complex that is located on 17 acres in Lanham, Maryland, just 15 miles from Washington, DC.

Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) paid $110 million to cover the expenses of constructing the Diyanet Center of America. The DCA, registered as a non-profit in the United States, has $93 million in assets, according to its latest tax return.

This Center is affiliated with Pres. Erdogan and his ruling political party AKP. DCA’s website states that it “works in full coordination with the [Directorate of] Religious Affairs of the Republic of Turkey (Diyanet)” which receives a huge amount of funding from the Turkish government under the title of “Representation and Promotion Expenses,” an odd category for a religious institution. The Diyanet’s annual budget is $2 billion, exceeding that of most Turkish ministries. It is an official governmental institution that directs 85,000 mosques throughout the country and over 2,000 mosques overseas. It prepares a weekly sermon that must be read by Imams in all mosques inside and outside of Turkey. It imposes odd practices on the Turkish public, such as bans “on feeding dogs at home, celebrating the western New Year, lotteries, and tattoos.” The Diyanet’s Imams are instructed by the government’s intelligence services to monitor the activities of members of the Gulen movement and PKK (Kurdish Workers’ Party). The agency has created multiple Diyanet mosques or field offices in countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States.

According to Ahmet Yayla, a former senior Turkish police officer, the Diyanet now has thousands of affiliated mosques, dozens of schools, and official councilors assigned in 52 countries. It also maintains “faith attachés” in 38 regions globally. The Diyanet maintains the Turkish regime’s monopoly on religion and has become a mouthpiece for the state’s propaganda efforts.

In his article titled, “Erdogan, the Diyanet, and its Field Office near DC,” published in the Providence Magazine, Adam Smith wrote: “In the West, Diyanet institutions also work with proxies and supporters of other Islamist movements supported by Ankara, such as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood…. The Diyanet also demands full endorsement of Erdogan from its partners and congregants, and propagates the idea that all opponents of the AKP are ‘traitors.’ European governments have noticed the Diyanet's efforts to enforce loyalty to Ankara among European citizens, with Western officials criticizing Diyanet and AKP efforts to ‘conduct political propaganda in their mosques’” outside Turkey.

According to Smith, “the DCA is the head of 28 other Diyanet branches across the United States. Every one of these 28 branches has a president that is unflinchingly loyal to Erdogan and the AKP.”

In Smith’s opinion, “the DCA must be compelled to register under the Foreign Agents Restriction Act, which regulates agents of influence for foreign nations operating on American soil. Turkish Diyanet officials and imams across the US are working for and advancing the interests of a foreign government without ever having registered as foreign agents….” They “zealously pledge allegiance to the AKP…. Across America, these agents consistently campaign for Erdogan's agenda and aim to proselyte the Turkish regime's interests. In addition, DCA officials are increasingly involved in efforts to partner with and influence senior American politicians. Erdogan has acknowledged such outreach, even at one point claiming before an American Islamist audience that the AKP regime has directly supported efforts to elect Muslims in America.”

Furthermore, Smith reported that “other Turkish NGOs and various Islamist proxies also play a major role. For example, agents of Erdogan have reportedly established ‘camouflaged shell’ organizations to create a conduit for a ‘problem-free funds-transfer’ in the US, to lobby politicians and move money. Wikileaks documents reveal one Turkish regime operative in the US stating, ‘with this type of structure, funding regulations and tax barriers that limit lobbying activities in the US will be overcome.’”

Smith also claimed that “there is plenty of other evidence of criminal activity linked to the regime and the Diyanet. For instance, two of many of the regime-linked tax-exempt US front organizations, the Turkish Heritage Organization (THO) and Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC), were under investigation by the FBI, with leaked emails suggesting the group was conducting espionage operations for Ankara. Nonetheless, all these Turkish proxy groups continue to operate with impunity.”

We have no issue with Islamic mosques or Turkish centers in the United States. However, if it is proven that these non-profit institutions are engaging in political activities and lobbying on behalf of Turkey, the U.S. government should take appropriate legal steps to ensure that they are operating within the law.

08/03/2021

Constitutional Court Upholds Armenian Election
(RFE/RL)—Armenia’s Constitutional Court on Saturday, July 17 rejected opposition demands to overturn official results of the June 20 parliamentary elections which gave victory to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party.
The court upheld the vote results in response to separate appeals lodged by opposition alliances led by former Presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan and two smaller groups that failed to win any seats in the Armenian parliament.
The four opposition forces alleged serious irregularities which seriously affected the election outcome. In particular, they accused Pashinyan of abusing his government levers, bullying opposition activists and resorting to “hate speech” during the election campaign and forcing military and security personnel to vote for his ruling Civil Contract party.
Opposition representatives presented what they called evidence of the alleged violations during court hearings on the appeals that began on July 9 and lasted for six days.
The Constitutional Court also questioned representatives of the Central Election Commission, the Armenian government and Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party. They all dismissed the opposition allegations as baseless.
Pashinyan and his political allies maintain that the snap elections were free and fair, pointing to their largely positive assessment by European election observers. The latter concluded in a preliminary report that the vote was “competitive and generally very well-managed.”
The court’s refusal to cancel the vote results was announced by its chairman, Arman Dilanian. He said the ruling will be fully publicized in due course.
It was not immediately clear whether all of the court’s nine judges agreed with the decision. Five of them, including Dilanian, took the bench after the 2018 “velvet revolution” that brought Pashinyan to power.
Representatives of Kocharian’s Hayastan alliance and Sargsyan’s Pativ Unem bloc said they expected such a ruling. They claimed that it was handed down under strong government pressure.
Six weeks of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in September and November 2020 claimed more than 6,500 lives. The eventual Russian-brokered ceasefire also saw Yerevan cede to Baku swathes of territory it had controlled for decades.
Opposition parties have accused Pashinyan of mishandling the war and the truce terms were seen in Armenia as a national humiliation, leading to protracted street protests.
Nevertheless, according to the CEC, Pashinyan’s party won 53.9 percent of the vote, followed by Hayastan that got just over 21 percent. Pativ Unem came in a distant third with 5.2 percent. None of the 22 other parties and blocs that participated in the polls did well enough to be represented in the new National Assembly.
Citing a complex legal formula, the CEC has given 71 parliament seats to Civil Contract, compared with 29 and 7 seats to be held by Hayastan and Pativ Unem respectively. The two opposition forces challenged not only the official results but also the distribution of the 107 parliament seats, saying that it unfairly benefits the ruling party.