Epress.am News from Armenia
The policy of screening of Azerbaijani films destroys Armenia politically, said leader of the Armenian political party Constitutional Rights Union Hayk Babukhanyan, while speaking to journalists in Yerevan today and urging to prohibit “the British Council’s activities [in Armenia], which supports holding the festival.”
Looking to follow up on the issue, Epress.am asked the British Council to comment on Babukhanyan’s statement. Director of the British Council Armenia Office Arevik Saribekyan said the British Council is neither sponsoring nor participating in the festival program. Note that the word in Armenian which was used by both Saribekyan and Babukhanyan can mean either “sponsor” or “support.”
Recall that the Azerbaijani film festival in Yerevan was to take place on Nov. 2; however, it has since been postponed on at least 3 occasions and has yet to take place, since festival organizer, Caucasus Center for Peace-Making Initiatives NGO President Georgy Vanyan, has been unable to find a venue where he can host the event. On all previous occasions, property owners had agreed to let Vanyan use their space to hold the festival; in all three instances, however, the owners backed out, citing pressure from unnamed sources.
The Caucasus Center for Peace-Making Initiatives is organizing the festival, which is sponsored by the US Embassy in Armenia.
As reported by Epress.am on Saturday, US Embassy in Armenia Public Affairs Officer Karen Robblee provided comments on their role in the festival and whether they are preparing to intervene in the process.
“When the Embassy provides a grant for a project, the recipient of the grant is responsible for the project’s implementation. However, when a grantee finds its right to freely assemble or its right to free speech infringed upon, we may advocate on behalf of the grantee with the authorities.
“We have done so in this case, as we have done and will continue to do in other cases where the rights to free assembly and free speech are infringed. We understand that many Armenians may not agree with the notion of such a festival. They, of course, can choose not to attend. But we would hope that those who find the presentation of these films objectionable would restrict themselves to peacefully expressing their opinions, while respecting the right of the festival organizers to express theirs. Unfortunately in this case, the organizers have been subjected to intimidation, and an apparent organized campaign to deprive them of a venue. We find that regrettable, and have made that known,” she said.
Note that British Ambassador to Armenia Charles Lonsdale recently blogged about his support for the festival. In addition, the British Embassy Yerevan Facebook page includes posts of Ambassador Lonsdale’s blog entries, implying that the British Embassy, in any case, supports the event.