Latakia not a safe place – Kessab Armenians on evacuation, looting and rapes
16:31 • 27.03.14
Syria’s Armenian-populated town of Kessab continues facing fierce battles between government forces and the Islamist militants.
Though the Armenians have been evacuated to Latakia, the town is not thought to be safe enough for the community. Speaking to Tert.am, Avetis Manjikyan, a 49-year old restaurant owner from Kessab, shared his concerns in this connection.
He referred to a soldier’s recount of rapes against elderly women. “A soldier who returned from Kessab today tells me that an elderly [woman], aged probably 70-80, was stripped naked and raped. The situation is very bad. They weren’t able to repeat the 1915 massacre; only looted and raped the elderly,” he said.
Ninety-nine percent of Kessab’s population was evacuated to Latakia after the town came under three-pronged armed attacks on Friday. They have found shelter in the city’s Armenian church and the adjacent buildings.
Though they feel protected in Latakia, the place isn’t safe for them, Manjikyan said.
“Three to four missiles fall down each day. Latakia is not a safe place. Our people left only with the clothes they had on. Many were without passports. Our Armenian youth of Kessab fought for three or four hours to help us free the people,” he added.
Manjikyan said they hear that the rebel groups from Turkey are now stealing their property. He said he has reports that his restaurant too, has been looted.
Asked whether they want to settle in Armenia, Manjikyan answered that Kessab is a small Armenia for them. “Our Armenia is here. We didn’t know what the Turks were plotting against us. We thought the Turks might have changed. We are part of Armenia, the last part of the Cilician Armenia. Even our mayor here is an Armenian,” he added.
Manjikyan said they are thankful to the Armenian authorities for the attention to the community.
“We are very thankful to the president, so if they send a plane to offer relief, it will be very good for us. The situation is not good here,” he said, noting that hundreds of people now live together in a small church hall.
LATEST NEWS • All Today news
17:40 • 09/01
Armenian NA speaker offers condolences to French NA, Senate presidents
16:59 • 09/01
Former Turkish president calls Muslims to denounce Paris attack
16:42 • 09/01
Expert on Armenia’s economic prospects in context of Russia’s restrictions on USD
15:57 • 09/01
Israel won’t recognize 1915 as Armenian Genocide: Israeli ambassador to Baku
15:05 • 09/01
German exports and production fall in November
14:50 • 09/01
‘We should get rid of the complex. Armenian Genocide centennial not the end’ – Hayk Demoyan
13:32 • 09/01
Coca-Cola to cut 1,800 jobs worldwide
13:20 • 09/01
Elastic implant 'restores movement' in paralyzed rats
13:06 • 09/01
Australian Open raises prize money after big currency fall
12:54 • 09/01
Charlie Hebdo hunt: Shots fired as police chase car
12:29 • 09/01
Australian FM confirms Turkey’s gag on Genocide recognition
12:20 • 09/01
Armed tension eases along Line of Contact
12:04 • 09/01
Azerbaijan pursues short-term goals by provoking tension
11:03 • 09/01
‘Wake up the Souls’: System of a Down launching tour to commemorate Genocide
10:40 • 09/01
Israel not planning to recognize Armenian Genocide. says envoy to Turkey
10:21 • 09/01
Criminal case launched over crash against Australian citizen
10:02 • 09/01
Charlie Hebdo to publish next week
09:49 • 09/01
Apple customers spend $500m in App Store in one week
09:40 • 09/01
Russia sets sex rules for drivers
09:23 • 09/01
Earthquake in Georgia: Jolts felt in Armenian village
09:15 • 09/01
Ukraine nearing humanitarian crisis – Amnesty International
09:08 • 09/01
US closing air bases in Europe
08:53 • 09/01
08:41 • 09/01
French police hunt suspects in Charlie Hebdpo attack
18:14 • 08/01
Charlie Hebdo attack infringement on freedom of speech – Armenian experts
16:39 • 08/01
Sergey Parajanov to be commemorated in Tbilisi
16:10 • 08/01
Islamic State attacks checkpoints in Iraq's Samarra
15:55 • 08/01
Armenians pay tribute to Charlie Hebdo victims
15:03 • 08/01
German government agrees to keep Patriot missiles in Turkey until 2016
14:54 • 08/01
Baby born to freed Cuban agent
14:42 • 08/01
Armenia must break off negotiations, demand OSCE Minsk Group exert influence on Azerbaijan – expert
13:38 • 08/01
Samsung forecasts a 37% drop in quarterly profits
13:30 • 08/01
Martyr poets’ works to symbolize Genocide centennial
13:14 • 08/01
Output in fishery in Armenia up last year
13:01 • 08/01
Sotheby’s and Christie’s return to Guaranteeing artprices
12:56 • 08/01
Turkish president condemns Charlie Hebdo attack, urges 'firm stance against intolerance'
12:44 • 08/01
Chelsea willing to offer mega six-year deal to Messi
12:14 • 08/01
Spain to raise terror threat level following Charlie Hebdo attack
12:02 • 08/01
Azerbaijan commits 400 ceasefire violations
11:47 • 08/01
We strongly condemn terrorist act in Paris – Armenian FM
11:37 • 08/01
One hundred years of solitude: The Armenian Genocide and ethnic cleansing, 2015 – Huffington Post
11:22 • 08/01
Eurasian Union market good opportunity for Armenian programmers – IT specialist
10:41 • 08/01
Highways stuck in snow in Armenia
10:21 • 08/01
Quake on Armenia-Azerbaijan border: Jolts felt in Armenia
10:06 • 08/01
Asia stocks on rise: US futures, ringgit advance with oil
10:00 • 08/01
US Antibiotics discovery labels 'game-changer' for medicine
09:45 • 08/01
Azerbaijani citizens arrested on suspicion of fighting in Syria
09:36 • 08/01
Serzh Sargsyan issues condolence address over Charlie Hebdo attack
09:13 • 08/01
French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo attacked: Police name suspects
15:05 • 07/01
Iran must be immunized against sanctions - Khamenei
14:48 • 07/01
Star Wars actor dies in stage rehearsal
14:41 • 07/01
Lebanese-American world’s most popular porn star?
14:33 • 07/01
Why is Picasso granddaughter selling off paintings of his worth £200m?
14:19 • 07/01
Earthquake in Karabakh-Azerbaijan border zone
14:08 • 07/01
Sausages at center ofb EU-US trade row
13:58 • 07/01
2015 Africa Cup: Diafra Sakho ruled out of Senegal squad
13:51 • 07/01
Palestine to join ICC on Apr 1
13:35 • 07/01
Armenian Church observes memorial day on Jan 7
13:16 • 07/01
2014 Important year in Genocide recognition campaign – Turkologist
12:07 • 07/01
Missing child found sleeping in cellar in Armenia's Meghri
11:56 • 07/01
'Alien Earth' among eight new far-off planets
11:49 • 07/01
Deadly blast hits Yemen capital
11:39 • 07/01
English-speaking suicide bomber kills policeman in Istanbul
11:30 • 07/01
Nagorno-Karabakh reports over 400 ceasefire violations
11:08 • 07/01
AirAsia QZ8501: Tail of crashed plane found
15:22 • 06/01
Uruguay’s Foreign Ministry calls for recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
15:06 • 06/01
US shelves transfer of frigates to Turkey
14:17 • 06/01
LG Display presses on with OLED TV despite doubts
13:48 • 06/01
US Department of State concerned over ceasefire violations – Jen Psaki
13:15 • 06/01
Hürriyet cartoonist Latif Demirci draws
12:34 • 06/01
Actress Cameron Diaz and rocker Benji Madden marry
12:18 • 06/01
Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
12:02 • 06/01
CES 2015: Sony condemns 'vicious' cyber attack
11:46 • 06/01
Three Azeri troops killed as Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army retaliates
11:32 • 06/01
Daimler's self-driving concept car turns into mobile living room
11:18 • 06/01
Prince Ali to challenge Sepp Blatter for Fifa presidency
11:00 • 06/01
AirAsia flight QZ8501 search area expanded
10:44 • 06/01
Oil prices steady after 5 percent plunge; Brent holds above $53
10:30 • 06/01
Germany Pegida protests: Rallies over 'Islamization'
10:14 • 06/01
Age of stars is pinned to their spin
09:54 • 06/01
Controversial name in Dink case named Cizre police chief
15:14 • 05/01
Crime rate down in Armenia in Jan-Nov 2014
14:51 • 05/01
Snowfalls leaves nearly 150,000 in Canada without electricity
14:40 • 05/01
Messi, three months without scoring away
14:35 • 05/01
14:22 • 05/01
Deadly crash in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor region
14:08 • 05/01
Bluefin tuna nets $37,000 in Tokyo new year auction
14:02 • 05/01
Unknown queen’s tomb found in Egypt
13:57 • 05/01
Netflix accused of blocking workarounds used to view international sites
13:43 • 05/01
Situation tense along Karabakh Contact Line
13:21 • 05/01
Armenian regional governors satisfied with 2014 achievements
12:04 • 05/01
Fukushima rice tests ‘radiation free’ first time since disaster
11:58 • 05/01
Lebanon tightens Syrian refugees’ flow
11:51 • 05/01
Turkey to build first new church for nearly 100 years
11:34 • 05/01
AirAsia QZ8501 black box search resumes
11:27 • 05/01
Ice crust on Armenian highways
16:05 • 04/01
US slaps more sanctions on North Korea after Sony hack
15:54 • 04/01
Tourists demand high-quality services – Robert Minasyan
15:10 • 04/01
Number of claims to ECHR from Armenia not high – ex-judge
14:36 • 04/01
Most popular articles
14:50 • 09/01
‘We should get rid of the complex. Armenian Genocide centennial not the end’ – Hayk Demoyan
12:29 • 09/01
Australian FM confirms Turkey’s gag on Genocide recognition
08:53 • 09/01
10:40 • 09/01
Israel not planning to recognize Armenian Genocide. says envoy to Turkey
09:40 • 09/01
Russia sets sex rules for drivers
17:40 • 09/01
Armenian NA speaker offers condolences to French NA, Senate presidents
16:42 • 09/01
Expert on Armenia’s economic prospects in context of Russia’s restrictions on USD
15:57 • 09/01
Israel won’t recognize 1915 as Armenian Genocide: Israeli ambassador to Baku
12:04 • 09/01
Azerbaijan pursues short-term goals by provoking tension
12:20 • 09/01
Armed tension eases along Line of Contact
09:15 • 09/01
Ukraine nearing humanitarian crisis – Amnesty International
11:03 • 09/01
‘Wake up the Souls’: System of a Down launching tour to commemorate Genocide
10:02 • 09/01
Charlie Hebdo to publish next week
16:59 • 09/01
Former Turkish president calls Muslims to denounce Paris attack
10:21 • 09/01
Criminal case launched over crash against Australian citizen
12:54 • 09/01
Charlie Hebdo hunt: Shots fired as police chase car
13:20 • 09/01
Elastic implant 'restores movement' in paralyzed rats
09:08 • 09/01
US closing air bases in Europe
15:05 • 09/01
German exports and production fall in November
13:32 • 09/01
- Man immolates himself in Baku
- German government agrees to keep Patriot missiles in Turkey until 2016
- One hundred years of solitude: The Armenian Genocide and ethnic cleansing, 2015 – Huffington Post
- Azerbaijani citizens arrested on suspicion of fighting in Syria
- Iran must be immunized against sanctions - Khamenei
- Haykakan Zhamanak: Police uniform bid submitted to dissolved company
- Hraparak: Premier’s magic stick powerful only for few supermarkets
- Haykakan Zhamanak: Russian companies interested in Armenia’s state procurement procedures
- Hraparak: Armenian railway freight stuck at Poti Seaport
- Haykakan Zhamanak: Key topic of Sargsyan-Kocharyan meeting unveiled