HALO Trust has been working for almost three decades to clear Nagorno-Karabakh of landmines. The First Karabakh War left large swaths of the region riddled with these silent killers, while the consequences of the 2020 war continues posing new problems for local residents. HALO Trust has refocused its efforts since 2020 to clearing munitions and ordinances left over from that year’s 44-day war. The team, mostly local Karabakh Armenians, also remains determined to educate locals about how to recognize and respond when they come across a mine.
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Tavush residents march to Yerevan as opposition to border delimitation
By Mark Dovich Hundreds of residents from the border village of Kirants in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush region and supporters are marching to Yerevan, as opposition to a border delimitation agreement reached with Azerbaijan last month continues to grow. That first-of-its-kind deal to delimit, or legally define, a section of the border between Tavush and Azerbaijan’s northwestern Gazakh district is expected to involve Yerevan handing over to Baku four abandoned villages along the border. That prospect has prompted concern in Kirants and other nearby communities that people may be forced from their homes if Azerbaijan takes control of pieces of land […]
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Democracy Watch: Violent dispersion of protesters and media polarization
Violent Dispersion of Protesters in Kirants Police have violently dispersed demonstrators protesting the handover of four villages to Azerbaijan. The detainment of three dozen protesters who were blocking the road in Kirants, Tavush region violates Armenian citizens’ right to peaceful assembly. Armenian human rights defender Artur Sakunts notes that “when peaceful demonstrators are detained, law enforcement must provide valid justification for their actions,” and continues highlighting that in this case, the police’s actions contravene both local laws and the European Convention on Human Rights. Furthermore, the response by law enforcement appears disproportionate to the nature of the protests. Physical force […]
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Armenia remains freest country in region for media
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian Armenia remains the freest country for the press in the South Caucasus and one of the best in the entire former Soviet Union, the Paris-based non-profit Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, has determined. In the latest edition of its yearly World Press Freedom Index, published Friday, Armenia ranks 43rd out of 180 countries surveyed, with a score of 71.6 out of 100. That puts Armenia in what RSF calls as a “satisfactory situation” with regard to media freedom. Armenia’s position has steadily risen over the past few years, though it remained relatively stable this year, with […]
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CFTJ accuses Azerbaijan of torturing Armenian prisoners of war at
Last week, the United Nations Committee against Torture reviewed Azerbaijan’s compliance with its commitments under international law. Prior to the hearings, the Center for Truth and Justice, a U.S.-based nonprofit, submitted a report based on interviews with nearly three dozen former Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan, detailing widespread use of torture. CivilNet’s Mark Dovich traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to hear firsthand from the CFTJ team about their findings and about what these proceedings can achieve.
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The Turkish Malaise: A Conversation with Cengiz Aktar
On the Tsitsernakaberd hill in Yerevan, near the Memorial of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, renowned Turkish political scientist and activist Cengiz Aktar sat down with CivilNet’s Eric Hacopian to discuss his recent book “The Turkish Malaise,” which has been translated into Armenian. Dr. Aktar also talks about broader regional geopolitics and developments.
