Nowhere, a Story of Exile as E-Book

The cover of “Nowhere”

On June 17, hybooksonline.com, a newly established publisher specializing in the publication of electronic books (e-books), released Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte’s Nowhere, a Story of Exile, which chronicles her lost childhood in Azerbaijan.

In 1988, Astvatsaturian Turcotte was a 10-year-old girl living in the seaside city of Baku, in the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan. Like any other young girl, she had childhood aspirations, crushes, and dreams. That entire life was swept away as the majority Muslim Azeri population drove the minority Christian Armenians out of the country using terror and violence. Her family was forced to flee to Armenia, a neighboring republic still reeling from the massive earthquake and unprepared for the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Azeri-orchestrated pogroms. Once there, she found herself an outsider—a nation-less girl surviving in an unheated basement and facing discrimination again, this time by her own people.

Nowhere, a Story of Exile is a riveting, heart-wrenching story told through a personal medium— Astvatsaturian Turcotte’s diary entries that documented the organized terror in Baku, her life as a refugee, and her struggle to find herself, all against the backdrop of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The author gives a voice to the horrific tragedy little reported in the West, to the Armenian population of Azerbaijan, and to the child victims of ethnic cleansing everywhere.

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte came to the U.S. as an Armenian refugee from Baku in 1992, and became a U.S. citizen in 1997. She now holds a law degree and was one of the first Americans to clerk for the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, after observing its creation at the United Nations. She is married and has two children.

To purchase Nowhere, a Story of Exile ($9.99), visit www.Amazon.com or www.hybooksonline.com.

Rhode Island Legislature Supports Freedom of Artsakh

Speaker Fox welcomes representative Avetisyan (L, standing)

From The Armenian Weekly

State House Calls on U.S. Government to Recognize Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s Independence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (A.W.)—The Rhode Island House passed a resolution today calling on the U.S. President and Congress to recognize the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR). The resolution also encouraged the republic’s “continued efforts to develop as a free and independent nation,” and praised Artsakh’s “constructive involvement with the international community and its efforts to reach a lasting solution to the existing regional problems.”

“I thank the Rhode Island House for passing this resolution in support of Karabakh’s aspirations for freedom, and hope that the legislature’s commitment to our shared values of human rights and justice will set an example for other legislatures in the U.S. and beyond,” said Robert Avetisyan, the permanent representative of NKR to the U.S. and Canada.

The resolution was voted on the House floor in the presence of Avetisyan, whom House speaker Gordon Fox (D) warmly welcomed in his introductory remarks. Fox also welcomed a delegation from the local Armenian community accompanying Avetisyan: Chairman of the Armenian Cultural Association of R.I. Hagop Donoyan, youth advisor to the AYF of R.I. Levon Attarian, member of the board of trustees of the Sts. Vartanantz Church Stephen Elmasian, and member of the ARF Eastern U.S. Central Committee Ani Haroian.

Dozens of local Armenian-Americans filled the gallery of the House during the session.

Almost concurrently, on Capitol Hill, Congressmen James Langevin (D-R.I.) and Congressman David Cicilline (D-R.I.) made statements on the House floor in support of the people of NKR. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), in turn, issued statements.

“It is more important than ever that the United States maintain a principled stand for peace in this region, show that democracy can be born from conflict, and support Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Langevin.  “It is my sincerest hope that Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self-determination can be affirmed without further loss of life.”

“20 years ago, the people of Nagorno Karabakh fought and died for their independence from Soviet Azeri repression and discrimination,” said Cicilline.  “I join the people of Nagorno Karabakh today in recognizing the 20th anniversary of their independence and the formation of the Republic’s Army and the liberation of Shushi.”

Representative Avetisyan will continue his meetings in Rhode Island over the next several days, pursuing economic development opportunities for NKR. His visit will conclude on May 20 with a community-wide celebration of the 20^th anniversary of the liberation of Shushi.

Details to follow.