ASSEMBLYWOMAN HILDA SOLIS GUEST
SPEAKER The picturesque skyline conference center of the law offices of Knapp, Peterson & Clarke in Glendale, CA was the site of the Armenian Bar Association's mid-summer meeting on August 12, 1993. Approximately 40 members and guests attended the meeting. Association Vice-Chairperson Armen Hovannisian started the meeting with a review of the history of the Association from its formation in 1989. He then explained the purpose of the Association and the various committees that implement the objectives of the Association. Committee Chairs Vicken Simonian (Pro Bono), Carla Matta (Student Relations), and Saro Kerkonian (Newsletter) each gave a brief overview of the work of their respective committees. Hovannisian explained the achievements of those committees whose chairpersons were not present for the meeting, i.e. Armenian Rights Watch and Armenia Liaison Committees. Hovannisian then introduced the guest speaker for the evening, California State Assemblywoman Hilda Solis. Representing a large area of Los Angeles County, Solis is one of the newest members of the Assembly. Yet her in depth knowledge of the political process and her keen awareness of the issues that presently concern California citizens reflects her many years of community service. Solis drew analogies between some of the issues that face both the Armenian and Hispanic communities, such as under-representation in government and the problem of stereotypes. A key to overcoming those problems is for communities to work together to deal with them, stated Solis. As an example, she cited the support she received from the Armenian community during her election campaign. Through that support, she became familiar with issues facing the Armenian community. Upon election, she co-sponsored Assembly Joint Resolution 28, introduced by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier. Following her speech, Solis fielded questions and drew very appreciative applause from the audience. The evening closed with the showing of a film entitled "The Armenian Genocide". Hovannisian explained that this film had been produced by Atlantis Productions pursuant to a bill passed by the California Legislature which authorized the making of two documentaries about human rights violations: one about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the second concerning the Armenian Genocide. The film about the Armenian Genocide was completed. However, as Hovannisian pointed out, the State Board of Education decided not to place the film on the teacher's list of approved films after intense lobbying by several well-organized Turkish organizations. Hovannisian cited this as an example of how Armenian rights can be compromised here in the United States and how organizations like the Armenian Bar Association should be involved to ensure that the rights of the Armenian community are adequately protected. ASSOCIATION AWARDED NED GRANT The Association has successfully competed for a grant from the National Endowment for Democracy. The grant is for the development of civic education materials, which could include sample curriculum units for school and home study, a legal news service and an anthology of documents on democracy. "The award is a sign of the growing stature of the Association" said Board Chair Tom Samuelian. "It is the result of the commitment of the Association and its members to the fundamental goal of promoting the rule of law in all communities where Armenians live." The National Endowment for Democracy is a federally funded, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of democratic values and the rule of law around the world. The grant will enable the Association to expand its current rule-of-law activities in Armenia, begun in 1991 with the support of the Babayan Fund. |
FROM THE CHAIR Greetings! Organizations go through seasons. These past few months for the Armenian Bar Association have been a season of sowing. The Board and Officers have charted out many promising options for the Association's growth. These will be the subject of our mid year meeting in Chicago, on Saturday, October 30, 1993. I am pleased to report that we have made progress toward some of the goals discussed at our Annual Meeting in March. We have secured funding and completed translation for the publication of Armenian language legal brochures to be distributed in California in cooperation with the California State Bar. We have helped students find summer work and internships. We have spoken out against distortions in official human rights reports. We have cooperated with other community organizations on a range of Armenia related issues. We have held meetings with governmental and nongovernmental organizations on issues of legal concern to Armenia. We have made proposals for grants to fund several projects to promote the rule of law in Armenia. We have collected several hundred books and nearly a dozen computers to be sent to Armenia this fall. We continue to provide legal services to those in our community who are unable to pay. In short, it has been a very busy few months for the Association. Still, much remains to be done. We want and need to engage more members in the rewarding work of the Association. Come to the mid-year meeting. Your participation is welcome and encouraged. If you cannot attend, please call or write me, or the Board members in your locality, to get more involved. This organization has gone through the sowing season. Now the time has come to cultivate our efforts. With your help, we can provide our community the legal counsel it needs to advance successfully. Thomas J. Samuelian Chair, Board of Governors |
A BA RECEIVES GRANT TO PUBLISH STATE BAR INFORMATION PAMPHLETS The Pro Bono Committee recently announced that the Armenian Bar Association received a grant from the Foundation of the State Bar of California to publish, in the Armenian language, legal information pamphlets issued by the State Bar of California. The pamphlets discuss a wide range of diverse legal topics such as bringing a small claims case and how to find the right lawyer. They are designed to help the layperson understand the basic workings of the legal system. Part of the cost of publishing the pamphlets has now been provided by a $2,000.00 grant from the Foundation of the State Bar. Saro K. Kerkonian and Vicken I. Simonian prepared an extensive application for the grant through the Foundation. The Foundation graciously provided capital to help fund the project. In order to work within budgetary restraints, the Pro Bono Committee has decided to publish initially three (3) pamphlets using desk top publishing through Alco Printing Company. Alco currently publishes the ABA Newsletter. The areas will be divorce, bringing a small claims action and landlord/tenant problems. In an attempt to obtain an accurate legal translation of the State Bar pamphlets, the committee, through ABA President Tom Samuelian enlisted the help of Hovannes Asrian, a visiting student and scholar at American University. The committee is grateful to Mr. Asrian for the service. The Pro Bono Committee anticipates that the first three pamphlets should be published and distributed to the community through the social service groups, churches, schools, and community centers before the end of 1993. If the project is well received by the community, the committee plans on publishing more pamphlets on other areas of the law. |
A BA LAWYER HAGOP TASHJIAN SPEAKS AT "KNOW YOUR RIGHTS" LECTURE SERIES At the most recent installment of the Armenian Bar Association's (ABA) "Know Your Rights" lecture series, member Hagop Richard Tashjian, an immigration law specialist, spoke at the Head Start Community Center in Glendale on June 29, 1993. The lecture series was initiated in 1991 by attorneys Saro K. Kerkonian and Zaven V. Sinanian. Kerkonian is the former Pro Bono and Legal Education Committee chairman, and a current board member of the ABA. He has been a frequent lecturer and in 1992 received a "Certificate of Appreciation" from the Mutual Assistance Association Coalition of Los Angeles County. The series has included lectures to various community groups, such as the Armenian Relief Society, Armenian Evangelical Social Service Center and Head Start, and has included the topics of "Knowing the Legal System", "Crime Prevention, Traffic Laws and Gang Violence" and "Landlord/ Tenant" matters. The lectures are a free service provided by the ABA to the community. At the June 29, 1993 lecture, Tashjian spoke to the group on specific problems encountered in the immigration process. The topics included relative petitions, work certifications, asylum and obtaining citizenship. Head Start is a federally funded service for low income parents. The audience consisted of Armenian and Hispanic mothers. Licensed to practice in California, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, Tashjian has been an attorney for ten years, and currently maintains offices in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. Tashjian is also a member of the American Bar Association and is on that organization's "Immigration Coordinating Committee." Tashjian's areas of practice include immigration and entertainment law. His lecture was well received, and he was asked by the Head Start staff to give return speaking engagements. Any community organizations interested in having a speaker, should contact the ABA at (818) 986-0646. |
Krikorian v. Department of State The State Department has, at long last, acknowledged that the "Note" was "an aberration" from U.S. policy made without the consent of the appropriate authorities. The Department has also acknowledged it withheld information that should have been released under the FOIA and has made additional searches for relevant documents. At an April 30, 1993 status hearing in the District of Columbia's Federal District Court, the Department advised that it would release previously withheld information by May 31 and would have the results of its additional searches by June 30. A July 15 District Court order requires the Department to submit a dispositive motion by September 15, 1993 unless a settlement is reached. The search issue represented the core of the appeal. The State Department and the District Court took the position that the government's search for documents was beyond review absent a showing of "bad faith." Krikorian forwarded more than ten reasons, including allegations of "bad faith", why the search was inadequate, and the Court of Appeals expressly agreed with his position that the test for search adequacy does not stop with a finding of bad faith. Unfortunately, the Department's renewed search has not produced any more documents because, it claims, those additional, relevant documents have been destroyed or simply cannot be found. The concession that the 1992 "Note" was an "aberration" came during the September 15, 1992 oral argument and is the most explicit repudiation the State Department has ever made. Prior to that, the District Court had written that "United States policy recognizes the Turkish Genocide of the Armenians." Subsequently, the Court of Appeals wrote that the "Note" "contradicted long-standing U.S. policy." However, it is important that the State Department itself publicly acknowledge and actually do something positive about the Genocide and its consequences. The State Department's more recent acknowledgement that it has been withholding information that should have been disclosed came just before the April 30, 1993, District Court status hearing to follow up on the Court of Appeals' remand. Of the ten documents at issue, additional information was released from nine. One of the documents released in June is a 1982 cable from the American Embassy in Paris which has some current relevance. The cable reports on an article in the Paris newspaper "Figaro" which juxtaposed the comments of Ara Toranian (an ASALA supporter) and Turkish Ambassador to France, Adnan Bulak. After quoting Ambassador Bulak's statement "we will never admit to the Genocide ....," the cable's author comments "Bulak's very direct language, coupled with Figaro's publication of his picture raises the profile of this already well known and (presumably) targeted Ambassador." Interesting to note is that the cable is signed "Maresca. "The controversial chief negotiator for the United States at the ongoing Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe "Minsk Talks" on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been Ambassador Jack Maresca, who was, in 1982, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. Ambassador Bulak was never the subject of an Armenian terrorist attack. In addition, the new releases include an exculpation of Greece from involvement in Armenian terrorism and acknowledgments that Corsun's original article was intended to focus on the actual tactics and activities of terrorist groups and that Corsun (whose name has been vilified as a Genocide denier) accepted that charge of Genocide against the Ottoman government. The new releases also make clear that the Turcophiles in the State Department effectively used the opportunities presented to cloud the historical fact of and the U.S. record on the Genocide. It is still too early to make a definitive analysis of the Note's publication and its aftermath. What is clear is that the original State Department article squarely acknowledged the Genocide and recommended that Turkey acknowledge the crime to avoid the problem of Armenian terrorism. Within six to eight months in 1982, that position was entirely reversed. Since then the cottage industry in genocide denial has taken off, and the public perception of Armenia as the uncompensated, historical victim in the region continues to change. The information in this article was provided by Van Krikorian, counsel at New York's Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, specializing in the firm's international practice group. His career includes service as Armenia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the 47th session of the United Nation's General Assembly |
REBUILDING THE REPUBLIC
AN INTERVIEW WITH ZAVEN V. SINANIAN SK: What motivated you to leave for Armenia knowing that conditions in Armenia were very difficult? ZS: My wife [Armenia] and I had similar ideals from the beginning. We made a commitment to help rebuild our ancestral land. The idea of a free, independent Armenia was a noble dream that became a reality rather unexpectedly. We, as torchbearers for an earlier generation of survivors, have the responsibility to ensure that this republic does not perish like its predecessor. The first years are critical in the survival of the newly-independent nation-state. SK: How did the fact that you are an attorney affect your decision? ZS: Independence presented a challenge to attorneys like us who have prepared ourselves not only for the courtroom, but also for international service. I wanted to assist the Republic's fledgling democracy, and help direct its development of legal and diplomatic affairs, by applying my knowledge and training in foreign affairs and law. SK: When did you decide to take the position in Armenia? ZS: Mr. Hovannisian and I discussed the possibility of serving in his administration in January, 1992, at his home in Los Angeles. Mr. Hovannisian, founder of the Armenian Bar Association, has been a longtime friend and a proven leader among Armenian-American professionals. He expressed his desire to have qualified lawyers serve in the Ministry. SK: What did you find upon your arrival in Yerevan? ZS: We were witness to the suffering of a nation. The people of Armenia, however, showed a strong will to persevere even when faced with extreme hardships where the most basic human needs were not available because of the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan. SK: What were your assignments at the Ministry? ZS: Initially, I worked on matters relating to international treaties and agreements. Soon after my arrival, Mr. Hovannisian requested my assistance in UN affairs. Armenia had joined the United Nations in March, 1992. In order for it to become an active member it had to be involved in the work of the UN agencies and organizations, such as the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and an assortment of other agencies which comprise the UN system. The Ministry's role in this was to rapidly prepare and submit for ratification the necessary "instruments of accession". SK: What were some of the challenges that faced the Foreign Ministry? Were the challenges met? ZS: There were many. Perhaps the most important were gaining diplomatic recognition for Armenia and establishing relations with the rest of the world. At the time of his appointment, Mr. Hovannisian inherited a Ministry of approximately 25 employees. Mr. Hovannisian was burdened with the immense responsibility of building a versatile, effective and professional institution. The challenge was to establish a Ministry that functioned on a twenty-four hour basis. I believe that Mr. Hovannisian achieved in laying down the basic foundations. At the time of Mr. Hovannisian's resignation, the Ministry had expanded to almost 120 employees, a reflection of the important accomplishments achieved by the Ministry during his tenure in office. SK: Did you attend any International meetings? If so, how were you received as a representative of a newly-independent republic? ZS: Yes. I attended four international conferences with representatives of Armenia. Three of the meetings were UN sponsored and one was a meeting of legal experts of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. I had the honor to accompany Mr. Yuri Barsegov, a world renowned jurist and former Soviet diplomat. Armenian delegations were well-received, and were seen as equal players in the community of nations. UN representatives were, in general, supportive of Armenia's process of integration into the world community. SK: Did you have an opportunity to observe the judicial system in Armenia? ZS: Yes, I did. I met with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Tariel Barseghian and developed a close working relationship with Karen Chilingarian, Chief of the Department of Codification at the Supreme Court. At the invitation of Mr. Chilingarian, I was able to attend a criminal trial. The trial reminded me of the Italian trials we see on American news programs, where defendants are held in a cell in the courtroom, while police officers with rifles guard the defendants. A Judge and two lay judges presided over the proceedings. The judge had complete control over the proceedings. Counsel have a minimal role in the proceedings. The defendants repeatedly spoke out in their defense, and the defense attorney's role was rather curtailed. The witnesses offered their testimony from a podium. The court reporter recorded the proceedings by hand. She only recorded that which was repeated by the presiding judge. The testimony of a witness was not recorded verbatim. Overall, the proceedings were significantly different from our judicial system. SK: Did you accomplish your goals? ZS: I think I accomplished most of my goals. I gained an in-depth understanding of Armenian society and life. Basically, being present at the inception of an independent republic taught me a lot about myself, my heritage and the rebuilding of a state. Some of my goals were long-term, and could not be realized in such a short period. Personal relationships need to be developed over a long period of time. Diplomacy is an art that is developed through experience. A person has to spend time learning, listening, watching and feeling its intricate and illusive nature to master it well. SK: Do you think Diaspora Armenians should be permitted to represent Armenia? ZS: I think they should, but I say that with some qualifications. In order to be an effective representative a person must understand the people of Armenia from within, and the only way to do that is by living there for awhile and appreciating the insights offered by the general public, which is highly informed about the issues. SK: Would you like to offer any advice to your colleagues? ZS: I urge all attorneys to stop and ponder for a moment how they can contribute in improving the life of the people of Armenia whose ancestors held to and built on their identity after living through, and surviving, the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. Mr. Hovannisian has shown us that we can make a difference if we remain true to the advancement of "liberty and justice;" ideas that are also a principal part of the American way of life. |
MIDYEAR MEETING IN CHICAGO OCTOBER 29-31, 1993 The Armenian Bar Association's Mid-Year Meeting will be held in Chicago on Saturday, October 30,1993 at the John Marshall Law School, kindly arranged by Professor Ann Lousin. The Chicago Marriott Downtown, in the heart of Chicago's Magnificent Mile at 540 North Michigan Avenue, where we held last year's Mid-Year Meeting, offers a room rate of $99/night for the weekend. Reservations can be made by calling the Marriott directly at (312) 836-0100. Because we do not have a reserved block of rooms for the weekend, any Association member who thinks it at all possible that he or she will be attending should reserve a hotel room as soon as possible. Association members are, of course, free to have their travel agents try other hotels in the area; possibilities (in no particular order) include the Sheraton Plaza, the Westin, the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, the Embassy Suites, the Park Hyatt, the Hyatt Regency, the Forum/Inter-Continental, the Richmont, and the Raphael. The John Marshall Law School is located at 315 Plymouth Court, a short cab ride from the Marriott. Our schedule for the weekend is as follows: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1993 ~7:30p.m. Dinner at Sayat Nova East, 157 East Ohio, Chicago, Illinois (1/2 block east of the Marriott) (meet at the restaurant-late arrivals welcome to join us for drinks and dessert) SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1993 8:30 - 9:00 Registration at John Marshall Law School 9:00 -12:00 Association Business (at John Marshall) 12:00 - 1:00 Lunch (on own) 1:00 - 4:30 Association Business (at John Marshall) 4:00 Panel Discussion - "Current Legal and Political Developments in Armenia-an Update" Speaker: Tamar Hajian (at John Marshall Law School) 7:30 p.m. Dinner at the home of Judge Jack Hoogasian, 760 North Burton Drive, Lake Forest, Illinois (directions and/or transportation provided) SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1993 Board of Governors Breakfast Meeting. RSVP to Gahmk Markarian at (312) 845-3413 (work) or (312) 951-6238 (home) to confirm your attendance at the meeting and also whether you will be joining us for dinner Friday and Saturday nights. |