PLEASE SEND THE FOLLOWING LETTER (OR USE YOUR OWN TEXT)TO YOUR MP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
PLEASE SEND THE FOLLOWING LETTER (OR USE YOUR OWN TEXT)
TO YOUR MP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
(find your MP by clicking http://www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm ):
Dear MP
I bring to your attention the outrageous prison sentence imposed on the publisher Ragip Zarakolu for
publishing the book by London author George Jerjian on his grandmother's suffering during the Armenian Genocide.
He was prosecuted alongside more than 1,700 others (source: BBC News) under Article 301 recently revised
to allegedly conform to European standards.
Sadly, we feel the UK government policy is responsible for giving succour to Turkey's denial of the Genocide
leading to the lack of free speech and basic human rights for minorities in that country.
Leading writers, such as Orhan Pamuk, and historians, such as Taner Akcam, have sought refuge abroad for fear of
persecution following the murder in broad daylight of Hrant Dink, the newspaper editor.
I ask you to sign one of this year's EDMs on the 1915 Genocide (797, 119 or both) as a gesture of solidarity with Ragip Zarakolu.
Yours sincerely
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TURKEY AT PEACE WITH ITS HISTORY, SAYS GUL
Today's Zaman
June 18 2008
Turkey
Turkey has opened all of its archives to researchers looking into
killings that took place in 1915 because it is a country at peace with
its history, President Abdullah Gul said yesterday at an international
gathering held in Ankara.
Armenia claims Ottoman Turks killed up to 1.5 million Armenians
during World War I, toward the end of the Ottoman Empire, and labels
the killings "genocide." Turkey says the killings occurred at a time
of civil conflict in which both Armenians and Turks were killed and
that the casualty figures are inflated.
Gul's remarks on the contentious issue came as he was delivering an
opening speech at the 11th International Congress on the Social and
Economic History of Turkey, organized by Bilkent University.
The best option concerning incidents experienced in history is to
leave them to the assessment of historians, Gul said.
"That is our state's stance on Armenian allegations which have
constantly been kept on the agenda. Turkey has always done its best
to help historians research the allegations. It has opened its entire
archives to researchers. Turkey is at peace with its history and is
also proud of its history. History should not be written by politicians
or parliaments, but by historians and scientists," Gul added.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 during a war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, an ally of Ankara. The move hurt the economy
of the small and landlocked Armenia.
In 2005 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to
then-Armenian President Robert Kocharian, inviting him to establish a
joint commission of historians and experts from both Turkey and Armenia
to study the events of 1915 in the archives of Turkey, Armenia and
any other country believed to have played a part in the issue around
the world. No positive response has yet been made to this offer.
"In the past we objected to engaging in politics through exploiting
grievances, and we are against it today as well," Gul also said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Zaman
June 18 2008
Turkey
Turkey has opened all of its archives to researchers looking into
killings that took place in 1915 because it is a country at peace with
its history, President Abdullah Gul said yesterday at an international
gathering held in Ankara.
Armenia claims Ottoman Turks killed up to 1.5 million Armenians
during World War I, toward the end of the Ottoman Empire, and labels
the killings "genocide." Turkey says the killings occurred at a time
of civil conflict in which both Armenians and Turks were killed and
that the casualty figures are inflated.
Gul's remarks on the contentious issue came as he was delivering an
opening speech at the 11th International Congress on the Social and
Economic History of Turkey, organized by Bilkent University.
The best option concerning incidents experienced in history is to
leave them to the assessment of historians, Gul said.
"That is our state's stance on Armenian allegations which have
constantly been kept on the agenda. Turkey has always done its best
to help historians research the allegations. It has opened its entire
archives to researchers. Turkey is at peace with its history and is
also proud of its history. History should not be written by politicians
or parliaments, but by historians and scientists," Gul added.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 during a war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, an ally of Ankara. The move hurt the economy
of the small and landlocked Armenia.
In 2005 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to
then-Armenian President Robert Kocharian, inviting him to establish a
joint commission of historians and experts from both Turkey and Armenia
to study the events of 1915 in the archives of Turkey, Armenia and
any other country believed to have played a part in the issue around
the world. No positive response has yet been made to this offer.
"In the past we objected to engaging in politics through exploiting
grievances, and we are against it today as well," Gul also said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BARACK OBAMA: "THE EVENTS OF 1915 TO 1923, CARRIED OUT
BY THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AS GENOCIDE"
Azeri Press Agency
June 18 2008
Azerbaijan
Washington. Husniyya Hasanova-APA. With the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee set to consider U.S. Ambassador to Armenia nominee Marie
Yovanovitch at a confirmation hearing on Thursday, presumptive
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama restated his commitment
to U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA.) In a letter to ANCA Chairman Ken
Hachikian, Sen. Obama wrote "I share your view that the United States
must recognize the events of 1915 to 1923, carried out by the Ottoman
Empire, as genocide. We must recognize this tragic reality. The Bush
Administration's refusal to do so is inexcusable, and I will continue
to speak out in an effort to move the Administration to change its
position." says Sen. Obama in letter to ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian
Sen. Obama went on to cite his concerns about the firing of former
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans in 2006 for speaking
truthfully about the Armenian Genocide
"I was deeply disturbed two years ago when the U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia was fired after he used the term "genocide" to describe the
mass slaughter of Armenians. In a letter to the Department of State,
I called for Secretary Rice to closely examine what I believe is an
untenable position taken by the U.S. government." says Sen. Obama in
letter to ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Azeri Press Agency
June 18 2008
Azerbaijan
Washington. Husniyya Hasanova-APA. With the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee set to consider U.S. Ambassador to Armenia nominee Marie
Yovanovitch at a confirmation hearing on Thursday, presumptive
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama restated his commitment
to U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA.) In a letter to ANCA Chairman Ken
Hachikian, Sen. Obama wrote "I share your view that the United States
must recognize the events of 1915 to 1923, carried out by the Ottoman
Empire, as genocide. We must recognize this tragic reality. The Bush
Administration's refusal to do so is inexcusable, and I will continue
to speak out in an effort to move the Administration to change its
position." says Sen. Obama in letter to ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian
Sen. Obama went on to cite his concerns about the firing of former
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans in 2006 for speaking
truthfully about the Armenian Genocide
"I was deeply disturbed two years ago when the U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia was fired after he used the term "genocide" to describe the
mass slaughter of Armenians. In a letter to the Department of State,
I called for Secretary Rice to closely examine what I believe is an
untenable position taken by the U.S. government." says Sen. Obama in
letter to ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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