Daily Archives: June 19, 2013

Police probe into secondary school shooting after teacher ‘fired starter pistol in pupil’s face’

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teacher shoot the puiplePolice are investigating after a teacher allegedly shot a pupil in the face with a starting pistol.

The child was taken to hospital following the incident in St Clement on the Channel Island of Jersey.

A male teacher has been suspended while officers quiz staff and witnesses at Le Rocquier School, a mixed secondary school for youngsters aged 11 to 16.

Back bench politician Deputy Trevor Pitman said anxious parents deserved to know exactly what had happened.

He said: ‘For a teacher to fire a starting pistol in a child’s face, something must have gone seriously wrong.

The victim’s name and age have not been revealed but it is understood he was in his mid-teens.

States of Jersey police said officers were working with the alleged victim, the pupil’s family, other children and teachers to find out what happened.

 

ANCA EASTERN REGION PARTNERS WITH INVESTORS AGAINST GENOCIDE TO ENCOURAGE GENOCIDE-FREE INVESTING AT FIDELITY

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FidelityBoston, MA — The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) joined with Investors Against Genocide (IAG) on Tuesday in urging mutual fund giant Fidelity Investments to avoid investments in companies with ties to genocidal regimes worldwide.

Michelle Hagopian, ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director, and ANC of Eastern Massachusetts activist Dikran Kaligian represented the ANCA at Fidelity’s June 18th shareholder meeting as part of an outspoken group of anti-genocide advocates.

Six mutual funds recorded votes at Fidelity’s shareholder meeting on the proposal presented by Investors Against Genocide, which states “Shareholders request that the Board institute transparent procedures to prevent holding investments in companies that, in management’s judgment, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity, the most egregious violations of human rights.” These funds bring to 40 the number of Fidelity funds that have had “genocide-free investing” on their proxy ballot.

Tuesday’s preliminary voting results in favor of the proposal ranged from a high of 29.19% to a low of 24.13%, which are comparable to results on similar proposals at Fidelity in 2008 and 2009.

“Fidelity continues to own large positions in PetroChina, a company widely recognized as the largest business partner of the government of Sudan which is currently bombing, starving and displacing massive numbers of its own civilians in several regions,” said Eric Cohen, chairperson of Investors Against Genocide.

“This year marks 10 years of the genocide in Darfur, and it is the fifth year that Fidelity has opposed genocide-free investing. As a result, people investing with Fidelity are still inadvertently linked to companies tied to the atrocities in Sudan,” he said.

Fidelity’s website claims, “We are sensitive to the ongoing tragedy occurring in Darfur and, like most others in the world, we are repulsed by genocide and all other crimes against humanity. … That said, we have concluded that when it is appropriate to remain actively invested in a company, we will do so, thus retaining the ability to oppose company practices that we do not condone.”

“Fidelity’s anti-genocide statements need to be backed up by concrete action,” said Hagopian. “Tuesday’s shareholder meeting showed that millions of Americans want their investments to be genocide-free. Mutual funds are the most common investment vehicle for family savings and retirement plans in America. The ANCA and IAG will continue to speak out at these shareholder meetings as part of an international campaign to end all financial support for genocidal regimes.”

Although federal law prevents U.S. oil companies (and most other U.S. companies) from operating in Sudan, Fidelity and other American financial institutions are major investors in the foreign oil companies involved in Sudan that are helping to fund that government’s continued genocide and crimes against humanity. As a result, ordinary investors, through their mutual funds, family savings, and pension plans entrusted to these financial institutions, are inadvertently investing in genocide.

IAG, a Boston-based nonprofit organization coordinating the anti-genocide shareholder action at Fidelity and other financial institutions, including Vanguard, JPMorgan Chase, and Franklin Resources, is engaged in an effort to encourage legislation and regulatory changes to address investments in companies that help to fund genocide. For more information, visit: www.investorsagainstgenocide.org

In March, the ANCA San Francisco-Bay Area teamed up with IAG to advance a similar anti-genocide proposal to shareholders at Franklin Resources, the parent company of Franklin Templeton mutual funds.

 

Despite Internal Turmoil, Turkey Keeps up Genocide Denial Campaign

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Հարութ-Սասունյան1By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

 

Some may have expected that the recent mass protests and unrest in Turkey would preoccupy its leaders with internal problems, distracting them from other important developments, such as Armenian Genocide issues. Regrettably, this has not happened.

 

As tens of thousands of demonstrators angrily protested throughout Turkey, expressing their dissatisfaction with Erdogan’s dictatorial rule, foreign ministry officials continued to pursue their routine denialist tasks, countering any and all efforts by other states to reaffirm the reality of the Armenian Genocide.

 

There were three such instances of Turkish reaction in recent weeks:

 

1) The Turkish government reacted harshly when Pope Francis acknowledged the Armenian Genocide, calling it “the first genocide of the 20th century.” The Pontiff was speaking during the June 3 visit to the Vatican of a delegation of Armenian Catholics. Although Pope Francis had made similar remarks in the past while serving as a Cardinal in Argentina, this is the first time he referred to the Armenian Genocide since his recent papal election.

 

The Turkish foreign ministry was quick to lodge a formal protest to the Vatican, expressing its “disappointment” at the Pope’s statement. Vatican’s Ambassador in Ankara was promptly summoned to the foreign ministry and told that the Pontiff’s remarks were “absolutely unacceptable” and could harm bilateral relations. An unnamed Turkish official even suggested that the Pope’s upcoming visit to Turkey might be in jeopardy after his remarks on the Armenian Genocide!

 

Rather than backing down, the Vatican made matters worse for Turkey by announcing that Pope Francis planned to visit Armenia on April 24, 2015, to perform a requiem service at the Centennial commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

 

In view of the denialist mindset of Turkish officials, it is understandable that they would be displeased with the Pope’s factually candid and morally uplifting statement. After all, the Pontiff is not only the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, but also a head of state. Yet, there was no need for the Turkish foreign ministry to get so agitated, since the Vatican had recognized the Armenian Genocide twice in 2000 and 2001.

 

Turkish officials don’t seem to realize that by overreacting to acknowledgments of the Armenian Genocide, they are inadvertently promoting the very cause they are trying to undermine! Indeed, the Turkish condemnation of Pope Francis’ statement on the Armenian Genocide was reported by the media worldwide, helping to further publicize the facts of the Armenian Genocide. Ankara’s real intent in slamming anyone around the world who dares to speak out on the Armenian Genocide is to discourage all others from issuing similar statements, particularly in view of the upcoming Centennial in 2015.

 

2) The Greek Parliament also angered the Turkish authorities earlier this month when the ruling New Democracy Party, lifting a page from the French legislature, introduced a bill to punish xenophobia and denial or distortion of genocides recognized by Greece, such as the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust. Violators of the proposed law would face up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 euros. The Greek Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1996. Even though there has not been any public statements by Turkish officials against the newly introduced resolution, it is almost certain that pressure is being applied through Turkey’s ambassador in Athens and other diplomatic channels.

 

3) Ukrainian Parliament members Arsen Avakov of the opposition Batkivshchina ‘Fatherland’ Party, and Vilen Shatvoryan and Nver Mkhitaryan of the ruling Party of Regions introduced a resolution on June 6 for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Azernews reported that Azerbaijanis living in Ukraine protested outside the Parliament against this resolution. Also, a letter signed by several Azerbaijani organizations in Ukraine was sent to President Victor Yanukovych, claiming that the resolution is “of serious concern to the Turkic-speaking people of Ukraine, especially Azerbaijanis… and a serious blow to Azerbaijan and Turkey.” According to well-informed sources in Ukraine, the Turkish government is behind the Azeri protests, including the strong reaction from Mustafa Dzhemilev, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars and a member of the Ukrainian Parliament.

 

Despite the persistence of domestic instability, Turkish officials have continued to project their denialist policies around the globe, interfering with the internal affairs of other states. One would hope that the international community would reject the Erdogan regime’s pompous and arrogant attitude, as it is being rejected at home by large segments of the Turkish population.