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| TURKS FUME, AFTER CYPRUS GRASS ROOT ORGANISATIONS OVERTURN LOPEZ CONCERT,
IN TURKISH-OCCUPIED NORTHERN CYPRUS |
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Gibrahayer e-magazine - Nicosia Tuesday July 14 - Jennifer Lopez has officially "withdrawn" from a concert in a European territory currently under military occupation - claiming she never would have agreed to perform had she known the "relevant circumstances" surrounding the intense political situation.
Lopez was scheduled to perform in Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus ... an area that neither the United Nations nor the European Union recognise as an independent sovereign state ... because of the way it was illegally occupied by the Turkish military in 1974.
In fact, multiple Greek and Cypriot politicians expressed anger after reports surfaced claiming Lopez had agreed to perform at a swanky hotel in Northern Cyprus on July 24.
But a representative for Lopez told that, "Jennifer Lopez would never knowingly support any state, country, institution or regime that was associated with any form of human rights abuse."
The representative added, "After a full review of the relevant circumstances in Cyprus, it was the decision of management to withdraw from the appearance. This was a team decision that reflects our sensitivity to the political realities of the region."
On the eve of the 36th anniversary of the invasion of the Turkish army to Cyprus, a massive mobilisation of Cypriot and Hellenic organisations of the diaspora, managed to score a "home run" after their campaign hit two dozen large circulation newspapers globally and after they were successful in working the social networks and an all-out mail campaign, to score points for their cause.
The aftermath found The Turkish press fuming, but this game was already lost.
As Cypriots prepare to condemn the illegal occupation of Turkey in Cyprus with commemorative events in Cyprus and across the world, a press release from The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) puts things in perspective. The statement reads:
We will be demonstrating directly in front of the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC, to demand justice for the criminal Turkish invasion of Cyprus that began on July 20th 1974.
For 36 years Greek-Cypriots suffer an ongoing HOLOCAUST of our culture, heritage and people. Turkey’s crimes include the rape of 800 Greek-Cypriot women, the murder of thousands of Greek-Cypriots, the theft of half of the Greek-Cypriot people's homeland, the forcible displacement of hundreds of thousands, and the ongoing illegal occupation of a culture, a sovereign territory a homeland.
Over 100 United Nations resolutions have declared the ongoing Turkish-military-occupation of Cyprus illegal, and call for the speedy withdrawal of all Turkish troops from Cyprus. Turkey continues to mock international law and human rights and continues to exploit the theft of our land by spending millions to illegally convert it into luxury hotels and casinos. Turkey has brought over 150,000 illegal Turkish settlers into our stolen homes to commit cultural genocide by forcibly changing the demographic of Cyprus. |
| Look the Turkish murders, rapists, thieves, invaders, occupiers right in the eye, and join us chanting loud and proud
TURKEY OUT OF CYPRUS |
Turkey’s illegal occupation regime is an offshore base for the Turkish deep state, and uses Turkish-occupied Cyprus to export illicit narcotics and international terrorism.
We call upon all Greek-Cypriots and people of conscience who care for justice to join us, to bring their own noisemakers and flags, and to not give the criminal a moment’s rest on July 20th the 36th Anniversary of our trail of blood and tears. Look the Turkish murders, rapists, thieves, invaders, occupiers right in the eye, and join us chanting loud and proud TURKEY OUT OF CYPRUS.
In 2008 the CANA July 20 Turkish Embassy protest managed to get coverage by CBS. Our protest sends the strong message around the world that, no matter how hard the Turkish murderers, rapists, thieves, invaders, occupiers and their allies try to sell us their Turkish racist bizonal, bicommunal plans: WE WILL NEVER FORGIVE, WE WILL NEVER FORGET the perpetrators of the HOLOCAUST of the Greek-Cypriot people." |
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| ARF DASHNAKTSOUTIUN LOBBY GROUP IN AMERICA WELCOMES CHARGES OF GENOCIDE AGAINST SUDAN'S PRESIDENT |
|  WASHINGTON - The Armenian National Committee of America on Monday welcomed the International Criminal Court’s decision to expand its existing arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to include three counts of genocide, in addition to the crimes against humanity and war crimes charges levelled in March of last year.
“Armenian Americans welcome the International Criminal Court’s decision today to indict Sudan’s President, Omar al Bashir, on charges of genocide,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We are hopeful that this indictment, the first ever issued by the ICC for genocide, will lead to both decisive action against the al-Bashir regime’s ongoing genocide against the people of Darfur, and, more broadly, to increased pressure on governments worldwide to work for a world in which genocide cannot be committed with impunity.”
In a July 12 ruling, the ICC stated: “there are reasonable grounds to believe [Omar al-Bashir] responsible for three counts of genocide committed against the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups, that include: genocide by killing, genocide by causing serious bodily or mental harm and genocide by deliberately inflicting on each target group conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction.”
Despite the 2009 ICC arrest warrant, al-Bashir has travelled with virtual impunity to neighbouring countries, though a planned visit to Turkey last year was cancelled following international pressure. The Ankara and Khartoum regimes have grown markedly closer over the past three years, with Turkey continuing to supply lethal weaponry to Sudan. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly defended al-Bashir and Turkey’s close ties with the genocidal regime, stating “It’s not possible for a Muslim to commit genocide.”
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| A PARTY FOR ROSANNA |
|  Gibrahayer e-magazine - Nicosia 14 July - After playing hide and seek with a life-threatening situation, eight-year-old Nareg student Rosanna Baghdassarian returned to Cyprus after almost one month in Intensive Care in an Israeli Hospital.
With her classmates, friends and community members praying for her day and night and an overwhelming support that came from both people that knew her and from people who did not, Rosanna Baghdassarian arrived safely back home, after literally fighting for her life.
While in treatment, the whole community rallied for support for little Rosanna who a month earlier had struggled to keep a smiling face on Nareg Sports Day - while as we later found out - she was in intense pain, but wanted to participate in the Nareg Marzahantes ...anyway !
It was her spirit and determination to live, and to live with the things that made her happy, that carried her through in troubled times. Her classmates that love her like their own sister, a community that made the life of a child like she was the last in line of the species, and scores of anonymous good people who gave their love and support to a family, that they were only getting to know through the misfortune of a health condition gone bad.
And when she came back to Cyprus, all the people who stood by her and stood for her, gathered at a surprise party at Nareg's amphitheatre (video link here, images here), organised by the Nicosia Nareg Parents Association, to welcome Rosanna back to her life in our community.
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| visit www.gibrahayer.com |
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| GIBRAHAYER CALENDAR OF EVENTS |
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Friday 23 July at 8:30 pm - The Armenian National Committee of Cyprus is organising a briefing on its activities at AYMA. Speaker: Kaspar Garapetian of the Armenian National Committee of Greece. -
Sunday 25 July - Commemoration of the Khanasor Expedition at Loumata ton Aeton camping area in Troodos by ARF Dashnaktsoutiun Cyprus Gomideh, AYMA-HMEM, Hamazkayin, HOM and AYF. Program starts at 12:00 sharp. Details to follow. -
July 16 to August 1 - Khalkidiki Camp of the Armenian Relief Society of Greece (Gabouyd Khach) - From July 16 to August 1 - For participants of the age group 10-16 years old. For more details please contact Louise Aynedjian on 99533684. -
Saturday August 10-18 - AYF Youth Camp in Troodos. 33 years after the first time ARF Dashnaktsoutiun's youth organised its first panagoum in Cyprus, AYF Cyprus is organising its annual camp in Troodos. Details to follow: Contact Sevag Gurunlian on 99202923 and Kevork Keoshgerian on 99817806. -
Friday September 17 - Concert by Haroutune Bedelian (violin) and Lorna Griffitt (piano) at The Presidential Palace in Nicosia, organised by The Armenian Relief Society of Cyprus (HOM) on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Relief Society (HOM). More details to follow. -
Saturday 2 October - Main political event in Cyprus for the 120th anniversary of The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsoutiun at PALLAS Theatre in Nicosia. More details of the celebrations to follow. -
May - October 2010: Tatiana Ferahian is among 17 international artists participating in the "Out of Space" environmental art project, which takes place in the Nature Reserve De Rottige Meentein in Holland. -
Saturday 20 November 2010 at 7:00 pm at the Strovolos Municipal Theatre - Composer Ara Gevorgian and his entourage in Cyprus, performing in co-operation with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and participation of our SIPAN Dance Group. This unique event is organised by the Office of the Armenian Representative on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus. -
Sunday 21 November 2010 at 6:00 pm at the Strovolos Municipal Theatre - Composer Ara Gevorgian and his entourage in Cyprus, performing in co-operation with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and participation of our SIPAN Dance Group. This unique event is organised by the Office of the Armenian Representative on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus.
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| THE HISTORICAL ARMENIAN CEMETERY |
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| Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra - In the late 18th century, the affluent Armenian families that came from Turkey increased the number of the existing small Armenian community in Cyprus, thus creating the need for some place of repose. It is believed that the first burials in the Armenian cemetery were carried out circa 1810. In 1860, a fire at the Armenian Prelature deprived us of the register information. This task was performed by the new priest Hovhannes Shahinian, since 1 November 1877.
Over the cemetery gate, the marble inscription informs us that the surrounding wall was constructed with the contribution of the faithful, in 1888. The cemetery's chapel is dedicated to Saint Paul. According to the inscription it was constructed with the contribution of Constantinopolitan Boghos (Paul) Odadjian, in 1892. Boghos Odadjian (1853-1891) was a translator for the Cyprus government, as his marble tombstone says. The number of burials increased dramatically after the arrival in Cyprus of nearly 10.000 Armenian refugees who escaped the Hamidian massacres (1894-1896), the Adana massacre (1909) and the main Genocide (1915-1923), that even arrangements were made to bury some Armenian Protestants on the south side of the cemetery and a few Armenian Catholics on the north side.
Soon, the cemetery proved small to accommodate so many, and the last burial took place on 5 July 1931, as the community acquired a new site to the west of Ayios Dhometios, on Gregoris  Afxentiou street (by an irony of fate, since 1974 that cemetery lies in the buffer zone and visits are only allowed on Sundays). Up until 1963, some liturgies were held in the chapel, such as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and All Souls' Mass. In August 1934, the corpse of the great benefactor factor Garabed Melkonian (of the founders of the Melkonian Educational Institute) remained there for three days, which according to his wish was transferred from Egypt and was interred in a mausoleum at the grounds of the Melkonian.
In early 1963, due to the widening of Shakespeare street, about 100 graves were demolished and the remains were transferred to a mass grave in the Ayios Dhometios cemetery. After the bloody events of 1963-1964 and due to the proximity to the buffer zone, the site was somehow neglected, until in 1988 a partial restoration of the chapel was carried out and the site was cleaned up. |
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Complete restoration
The complete restoration of the entire cemetery was carried out between June 2008 and May 2009, with the initiative of the Armenian Ethnarchy and the effective contribution of the Armenian Representative in the House, Mr Vartkes Mahdessian, who for this purpose secured an allocation of €155.000. On 22 March 2009, members of the Armenian-Cypriot community planted small cypress trees and a memorial service was held. In late March 2010, a commemorative inscription was placed on the south side of the cemetery with the names of the 419 persons who rest there. Finally, on 11 April 2010 Archbishop Varoujan celebrated the re-consecration of the chapel, Divine Liturgy and a memorial service, in the presence of Representative Mr Mahdessian and about 100 faithful. It was the first liturgy since 1963! Historical figures
Historical figures are buried in the Armenian cemetery, such as the big landowners and entrepreneurs Melikjan Melikian (1842-1914), Artin Bey Melikian (1858-1921), Boghos Eramian (1840-1918) and Sdepan Eramian (1880-1937), as well as the dragoman Apisoghom Utudjian (1853-1929). To realise the historical significance of this cemetery, let us mention that when the British arrived in Nicosia, in July 1878, outside the walls of the city were only Koshklu Chiftlik, a tannery, a café, three Turkish cemeteries and the Armenian cemetery. Of the aforementioned, the cemetery is the only existing today. |
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