Archive - 2012

After waiting in the queue for two hours in one of the Gyumri post offices, Alvard Mkrtchyan, 70, finally gets her monthly pension. Alvard’s pension, which is 30,000 AMD (US$75), is the only source of money for her 6-member family: her ill son, daughter-in-law and three teenage grandchildren.“My son is not capable of working; my daughter-in-law is taking care of her husband” – says Alvard Mkrtchyan with tears in her eyes.She has a work experience of 35 years as a cleaner at a local school.“The pension is hardly enough to pay for the utilities, flour, potatoes and oil, not even talking about clothes and other basic needs. We are not living, we are surviving.”According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, there are about 320,000 retired pensioners in Armenia. Starting from January, 2012, the Government raised the pensions by 10%. Thus the average pension rounds to 28,000-30,000 AMD (about US$70).The Prime Minister of Armenia, Tigran Sargsyan stressed in his speech during the government session in December, that the increase in prices is fully compensated by the raise in the retirement pensions.However, according to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, the overall increase in food prices during 2011 reached 11%. And the minimum consumer basket is 42,000 AMD (US$110) from which the minimum food basket is 24,000 AMD (US$61).“The raise in the ...

Azatuhi Simonyan, 20, is one of the young parliamentarians of the Youth Parliament (YP) in Armenia, which was created in May, 2011. The parliament has 131 deputies who represent political parties, NGOs, university student councils and minority groups."I like the idea of youth parliament, since I see it as a place for young professionals' self expression, the opportunity to enter into political process rather than blindly follow it on TV news," says Azatuhi.Youth Parliament is a place where Armenian young activists learn how to argue for their plans, motions and get a better image on formulation of a draft law and its adoption.Anna Barseghyan, 21, represents her native Aragatsotn province in the YP. "The major incentive is the opportunity to have an input in the form of law by presenting certain elements from my own system of values," she says.Anna believes that this is an excellent place for the parties to include independent young people in their parties, mentioning that those youngsters may help them lead active election campaigns. Nonetheless, she does not consider that their actions have brought any changes in the political sphere up to now.Since the day of its establishment the Youth Parliament has discussed 15 motions and all 15 have been adopted, however none of these laws have been discussed in the Armenian National Assembly (NA) yet."The National Assembly is ...

The girl’s name would be Naneh. A sweet name for a girl, Armineh Gabrielyan says. The girl, who was never born. Armineh was forced to make an abortion."I still remember my girl’s every movement, I remember her every heartbeat, her - inside me. I still love her," she says (Armineh Gabrielyan’s name has been changed to protect her privacy).Mane, Ani, Elen, Lilit, Narine, Astghik, Mary... these are all popular Armenian female names. Names of daughters, who were never born.Armineh was 22, when she graduated from university and got married."After a month, I learnt that I’m pregnant," Armineh says. "When my husband and his family learnt that it was going to be a girl, they made me kill my baby".Armineh cannot have babies anymore, because of the abortion. Now in her thirties, Armineh’s eyes get wet and hands tremble as she tells the story.And she's one among tens of thousands.According to Armenia’s National Statistics Service (NSS) the number of abortions varied between 12 to 14 thousands from 2008-2010. While there is no official data on how many of the aborted children are female, latest data released by Karine Kuyumjyan, Head of Census and Demography Division at NSS, more than 43 thousand children where born in 2011, of which more than 23 thousand were boys, while the number of girls was 20 thousand.The experts warn, that such a difference in number accounts for ...

There was a book that influenced me to such a degree, that after being given a beautiful red rose in the street by a blond and extremely handsome stranger, made me accept the gift, walk several meters far, threw it into rubbish can and instantly disinfect my hands with a hand sanitizer. I was a college sophomore when I came across a book, called “The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB”. Christopher Andrew’s highly criticized book was about a senior archive officer at Soviet intelligence service headquarters in Lubyanka, Russia, who risked his life by copying a huge amount of confidential information of KGB operations throughout the cold war. In silent midnights when I was reading the 600 page tick book, I felt totally absorbed in the incidents that were going on and had a feeling as if I was the main character of the events. Sometimes I felt stressed out, sometimes the story lines made my heart beat faster... I was relaxed when everything was ok with the secret agent after completing dangerous intelligence operation.Very soon when I finished the book, I found myself extremely suspicious. I was aware of KGB officers’ various experiments on ordinary people,  so it made me avoid simple handshakes and even being touched by unknown people, thinking that I would become the victim of ...

The story you're going to read doesn't differ much from other inspirational stories that we hear from almost everywhere; from our parents at home, teachers at school, lecturers and professors at university, from friends, from books or on the internet.My story begins from a hot July day, when me, being an eleven-years-old girl, was going with my mom to get admission to one of the best step-dance-studios in Yerevan.I had so much interest in that dance, watching step-concerts on TV, pretending dancing at home in front of the mirror, that, even having gone in for completely different dances like Armenian folk dances, latino for more than 5 years, I had a great desire to make this wish a reality.Even to remember my fright, anxiety, and the responsibility I felt towards my mom, now brings a wide smile to my face.The toughest selection finally passed, and I was not accepted to the group. The first loss for the eleven-years-old girl. In the evening, going back home, I was feeling broken, like my whole life was destroyed, I couldn't look at mom, the feeling of shame, disappointment was killing me.On the way back home, on the public transport, the bus stopped at the bus stop, and there's a huge advertisement on the board;''Nike: Just Do It ''.The simple phrase off four simple words, this simple sentence changed a lot in me.I decided not to stop!I tried again after half a year, and ...

Փետրվարի 6-ին «Հայկական ժամանակ» օրաթերթի լրագրող Հայկ Գևորգյանը ազատ արձակվեց կալանավայրից: Նրա ազատումից ժամեր առաջ,  Հայաստանի գլխավոր դատախազի խոսնակ Սոնա Տռուզյանը լրագրողներին փոխանցել էր, որ Գևորգյանի ազատումը «Նուբարաշեն» քրեակատարողական հիմնարկից պայմանավորված է քրեական գործի նկատմամբ հսկողություն իրականացնող դատախազի ընդունած որոշմամբ:«Դատախազի նման որոշման համար հիմք է հանդիսացել այն, որ Հայկը մեղադրվում է ոչ մեծ ծանրության հանցանք կատարելու մեջ, նախկինում դատապարտված չի եղել եւ ունի մշտական բնակության վայր։ Ուստի եւ դատախազի որոշմամբ նրա նկատմամբ որպես խափանման միջոց է ընտրվել ստորագրություն չհեռանալու մասին», - ասել էր Տռուզյանը:Լրագրող Հայկ Գևորգյանին ձերբակալել էին երեք օր առաջ` փետրվարի 3-ին, ավտոմեքենայի շահագործման ...