Armenian president Robert Kocharyan filed motion to Constitutional Court demanding the Election Code 14 article 3rd item specifying that voters list can’t be changed 2 days ahead of at the day of elections to be revised. He says, according to the item, voters are not to be able to use their legitimate right to vote and challenge Election Commission decision in court. It is remarkable that there...

Every year 15 to 20 thousands people dye from land mines all over the globe. UNO intends to intensify its efforts on prevention of mine proliferation. 125 countries have signed UN Convention against land mines since 1997. Armenia conducts works on reducing land mines application. Mine-relating issues are under discussion of a two-day seminar held in Yerevan with the presence of foreign experts. Armenian...

MPs Hakob Hakobyan, Ruben Gevorgyan and Frunze Kharatyan haven't signed the subpoenas and refused to appear before the court as victims.The court will bring the to trial.

Karen Demirchyan's assignee and Nairi Hunanyan's defense council Benyamin Minasyan had a conflict today . The judge demanded to keep order but no one followed it. Defendant Nairi Hunanyan even accused Ashot Sargsyan of calling him a terrorist under the court permission saying he would "demand a challenge" next time. Defendant Karen Hunanyan demurred state Prosecutor Hakob Martirosyan . But the...

“The terrorists didn’t make me phone Samvel Babayan, I’ve tried to find him under a general menace ” ,- today MP Samvel Avetisyan testified before the Court on October 27, thus rejecting his first preliminary inquest testimony and confirming the second one. MP announces his first testimony was given under stress . 3 months later he informed the preliminary inquest body he had phoned Jirayr Sefilyan of his own free will asking him to find...

“Armenian distant province of Lori has separated from Yerevan and fallen into neglect since the remote past. We do our shopping in Tbilisi. We receive our pension only after all the Armenian regions’ residents are given it. It seems like we are not the citizens of Armenia”, says a resident of Lori’s village of Sanahin. The villagers say they are deprived of enjoying update information and Lori’s...

Today MP Hmayak Hovhannisyan testified upon the October 27 trial. He said he had thought a theatre performance to take place in the Parliament Hall that day . He had realized it to be true only after having seen Vazgen Sargsyan killed. Hovhannisyan had heard no noise or shots at the corridor before the terrorists burst in the Hall. "I was listening to Finance Minister to make a speech when a noise...

Yesterday’s Armentel statement on easy card prompted Armenia citizens’ turbulent reaction. However, few of them managed to bye it. After 15 cards has been sold people waiting at one of the sale points were told no cards remained. There was stampede at all the easy cards’ sale points. As it became clear, the panics wasn’t due to limited number of cards. People merely fear that tomorrow they won’t bye them for $24. Armentel employees were...

"Highfest- 2003" international theatre festival will take place in Armenia after a 10 year break. The best theatre groups of the world will display their 25 best performances in Armenia within a week. Well-known theatre groups such as British "Restling School", Russian "Lenkom" and "Ten Operi" will participate in the festival. Majority of theatrical groups agreed to take part in the festivl free...

Within 3 days 56 enterprises of Armenia will display their home output to the public in the framework of "ArmProdExpo" exhibition. The exposition has been held for the second time and is of international character, i.e., oversea organizations have a chance to examine Armenian products and to conclude cooperation agreements with the Armenian enterprises they are interested in. International tasting-competition...

"Arkadi Anreasyan against "Football+" Weekly claim" was postponed for a month. Judge Vazgen Lalayan presiding the case has been on leave since yesterday. Let's remind the former chair of "Ararat" footbal club accuses the weekly of discrediting his honour and business reputation . The weekly published an article saying Arkadi Andreasyan cursed the referee openly. According to the complainant, it doesn't...

176 DAYS SINCE "A1+" TV COMPANY WAS BANNED FROM AIR

A silent protest action staged by 16 opposition parties was held Tuesday near the “Aragast” café to commemorate Poghos Poghosyan killed a year ago by Armenian president’s bodyguards. “The crime was committed and its perpetrators remained unpunished. We will mark this day every year until justice triumph”, “Republic” party member Artak Zeynalyan said adding “A year ago justice died in the republic”.

The bill on water debt revision proposed by MP Babukhanyan was on the agenda of today’s parliamentary session. The head of Water Resources State Committee Gagik Martirosyan said the Civil Code didn’t stipulate the concept of “debt revision” and the government was strongly opposed to the passing the bill proposed by Babukhanyan. He said the parliamentary majority and government analogous bill is quite fit to solve the problem. The discussion...

Today, National Assembly member Hayk Babukhanyan accused parliamentary majority and the republic government of plagiarism. The MP said he and Grant Khachatryan have submitted a bill on the republic residents’ drinking water debts revision for the Parliament consideration as long ago as on April 12. He also said that after discussion they have been told the commission on financial and economic affairs...

Those who serve their punishment in detention facilities have been loosing any sense of humanity for the period of imprisonment, former detainee Ashot Bleyan says. “Haykakan Zhamanak” newspaper’s journalists have installed Internet page “SOS”, where detainees’ letters to journalists are to be placed. There will be also complaints about human rights abuses in the page. “It is the first step to establish prisoners’ direct contact with...

October 27 trial went on today. In March Oleg Yunoshev, Aram Sargsyan's assignee solicited to find the tape recorded after the crime in the Defence Ministry and attach it to the case and to examine the participants. Today the answers from Ministries of Defence, Internal Affairs and National Security regarding that event were made public. Defence Minister Serj Sargsyn confirms after the crime Armenian...

Today MP Jora Galstyan testified upon the October 27 trial. He added nothing to the testimony of others. But both his testimony for preliminary inquest and investigation in court turned out to run counter to each other . At the preliminary inquest he had said he hadn't seen, heard or remember anything. But today he said he remembered everything. He said he had seen the terrorists burst in the Parliament...

"We assembled here to help people" ,- today the representatives of 26 national associations of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent assured. They will discuss the strategy of AIDS prevention from September 23-25. This year the 6th conference of the European Network of Red Cross and Red Crescent for AIDS prevention will take place in Yerevan. 27 national associations of Central Asia, Western and Central...

Today the people assembled at the president's residence made a protest action. They said their sons arrested for murder of Gegharkunik Province Prosecutor Suren Parsamyan's son are not guilty .4 out of 5 young men are indicted for murder by one stab of a knife last May. "The children didn't know each other. They just met that day and had a quarrel. Some masterminds and a premeditated murder are being...

Today Armenia marks its independence 11th anniversary. It means the generation of independence exists in the republic. It means mothers have something to told their children about life before independence. It also means sons have to strengthen their fathers’ achievements. But fathers treat independence different ways. They have been studying for free and living conditions have been far better....

"Armenia’s Independence has cost the republic lives of many heroes buried in Yerablur cemetery while unworthy people reap the fruits of independence", say perished heroes’ widows and brothers in arms, who marked Independence Day by visiting their graves. The relatives of those perished expressed their disappointment in the republic current authorities accusing them of neglecting the families...

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan issued an edict Friday awarding medals to a number of Defence, Interior Affair and National Security Ministries’ employees on the occasion of Armenia’s Independence 11th anniversary. Composer Vladilen Balyan, movie director Atom Egoyan, the head of Shirak province’s Culture Department Hasmik Kirakosyan, philanthropist Anush Matevosyan, “Sayat Nova” musical group manager Tovmas Poghosyan and Ajaryan’s...

" 68 cases of violence act were fixed in Armenia in 2001 ",- Nelly Duryan, the head of Minors’ Department of Internal Affairs Ministry said at the meeting of Armenian Relief Union. According to her, there were mainly acts of rape, beating and other kind of pressure. She stressed all the 68 cases of rape ended with marriage . Number of rapes in the first half of this year is only 19. Sociologist...