Figure Skating fails to develop in Armenia. The only figure skating school in Shengavit district in Yerevan is in awful condition- no ice rink, only a few halls for gymnastics. The children studying there have to train in the open air skating rink of Karapi Lich (Swan lake) near the Opera House and sometimes in sport and concert complex after Karen Demirchyan.

The skating rink of Karapi Lich is open from 14 December to 28 February. If you come with your own skates you have to pay 500 drams per hour but if you rent skates it costs 1000 drams an hour. “The children studying at figure skating school in Shengavit district train here for free. There are specific hours for them to come to train with their coaches: from 9am to 11am and from 4pm to 5 pm,” said Sargis Bejanyan, the head of service of skating rink of Karapi Lich.”

Sargis told that the skating rink belongs to City Hall of Yerevan that cares for the comfort and safety of figure skaters. They have technical break every day from 5 to 6pm during which they restore the ice with special machines and make it ready for the skaters. They also have first-aid posts near the rink in case there are some injuries, breaks or fractures.

Read More »Frozen Issue of Figure Skating: To Be or Not Be in Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi

The “Journalists for the Future” NGO developed the “Online Journalist’s Code of Ethics” the first discussion of which took place on March 30 – April 1 in Aghveran during the training course “Online Coverage of Elections” organized by the JFF.

After some editing the Code was signed by 18 present journalists on April 1.

According to the JFF president Suren Deheryan, the “Online Journalist’s Code of Ethics” was developed alongside with journalists who co-operate with the NGO, in order to form common working approaches. But it can also be useful to anyone who wants to differ the real and qualified publishers from fake and doubtful informators.

“We emphasize the importance of our colleagues’ investment in the document improvement and we invite all the interested organizations to make their offers and comments,” says Deheryan.

The “Coverage of the Elections in New Media Platforms” training was organized in the frames of the “Invormed Voter” program with the financial support of the US Embassy in Armenia and the OSCE office in Yerevan.

The aim of the program is to encourage free and transparent elections supporting increase of the awareness of Armenia’s regional voters and their active participation in Parliamentary elections in May, 2012.

Read More »Armenian Journalists Sign the “Online Journalist’s Code of Ethics”

The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan (IPGA) condemns the blackmail and continued harassment of one of the few independent investigative journalists working in Azerbaijan, Khadija Ismayilova. The most recent episode in the harassment campaign involves a one minute film of an intimate nature being posted on the internet on Wednesday March 14). A week earlier Ismayilova said she had received a letter including intimate photographs and a threat, stating “Whore, behave. Or you will be defamed”. Ismayilova has publically refused to give in to the blackmail attempts.

The intimate film, which was captured with a hidden camera, was posted early yesterday on a fake news website, making it appear to be linked to an opposition party. Members of the IPGA, a coalition of international NGOs, call for an immediate and full investigation into the harassment and intimidation of Ismayilova. The IPGA also reminds public and private broadcasters, print and on-line media of their ethical responsibilities and editorial oversight and urge them to refrain from further publication and dissemination of the material.

Read More »Azerbaijan: In Solidarity with Khadija Ismayilova

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.

Read More »Living or Surviving /Digital story/

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.

Read More »Young activists look for their place in Armenian politics

A new daily – the “Gyumri-Asparez” – has been published in Gyumri. Author of the initiative is the Journalists’ Club “Asparez” in Gyumri.

Presentation of the first official issue was held on October 12. Before publishing the first issue, five experimental issues were published and distributed among the Shirak population free-of-charge (read also “Restoring the Tradition: Gyumri-based “Asparez” Want to Publish a Daily”).

According to Levon Barseghyan, council chairman of the “Asparez” Club, the Shirak marz did not have a local daily for about 20 years, hence, their aim is to anyhow restore the tradition of dailies. Materials for the daily are fully or partially published on Asparez.am website.

“We want to create a paper to make the society to get tied to it. We don’t want it to be a formal newspaper, but a table paper of people. And if we provide noteworthy materials, then people will be ready to spend 200-300 AMD for it,” believes Barseghyan. 

Read More »New Heartbeat: After a 20-year Break Gyumri has a Daily Again