LUSSAPATZ - The Dawn - 33-ՐԴ ՏԱՐԻ, ԹԻՒ 1028 ՇԱԲԱԹ, 12 ԱՊՐԻԼ 2014

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UN CHIEF CONDEMNS VIOLENCE IN SYRIA, INCLUDING ARMENIAN-POPULATED KESSAB

NEW YORK (Armradio.am) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- Moon on Monday urged the warring parties in Syrians and their support- ers to “do everything” to protect civilians in the Middle East country, where armed conflicts entered its fourth year in March.

In the face of troubling new reports of atrocities in the brutal con- flict driving Syria to its destruction, the Secretary-General demands that warring parties and their supporters ensure that civilians are protected, regardless of their religion, community or ethnic affiliation. Both the Syrian government and armed groups have the legal obligation and moral responsibility to do so. They must do everything to avoid and prevent violence against civilians, including indiscriminate shelling and air attacks on civilian areas.

The killing of an elderly priest, Father Frans van der Lugt, in Homs yesterday is but the latest tragedy high- lighting the urgent need to protect civilians. The Secretary-General condemns this inhumane act of violence against a man who heroically stood by the people of Syria amid sieges and growing difficulties.

The Secretary-General is also horrified by the gruesome images purporting executions in the Syrian town of Kassab. While the United Nations is unable to confirm the validity of these reported atrocities, gross human rights violations undeniably continue and residents of entire villages such as Kassab have been forced to flee. Government forces continue to indiscriminately destroy whole neighborhoods, burying entire families beneath the rubble of their homes. The Secretary-General is also extremely concerned that groups listed as terrorist organizations by the Unit- ed Nations Security Council continue to brutalize the civilian population.

There is a belief by too many in Syria and beyond that this conflict can be won militarily. More violence will only bring more suffering and instability to Syria and sow chaos in the region. The Secretary-General again urges all Syrians and their outside supporters to put a stop to this conflict, now. For the sake of families and communities across Syria, the Secretary-General appeals to all sides to permit immediately the unfettered access of humanitarian assistance and workers.

Under the Secretary-General’s leadership, the United Nations is prepared to contribute to a new day in Syria by fostering a political settlement, providing humanitarian assistance, and supporting reconstruction.

MILITANTS TRANSPORT 19 KESSAB ARMENIANS TO TURKEY

NEWS.am -- The militants transported 19 Armenian old people, natives of Kessab, to Turkey. The reports were confirmed for Armenian News-NEWS.am by Mayor of Armenian-populated town Vazgen Chaparyan.

He said they put forwards no demands for the release of Kessab residents. As to the situation of Kessab Arme- nians transported to Latakia, Mayor said their conditions have relatively improved.

“They have food, but they need financial assistance,” he said.

Chaparyan noted that 50 families out of 200 are still in the Armenian church of Latakia, the rest were sheltered by their relatives.

NKR MFA: INFORMATION ON NKR SENDING MILITARY UNITS TO SYRIA IS LUDICROUS

Panorama.am -- Some media have recently spread information about the arrival of "military units of the armed forces of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in Syria."

To verify the adequacy of this information the editorial staff of Panorama.am asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic for a comment.

“The disseminated information according to which military units of the armed forces of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic have been allegedly sent to Syria is so ludicrous that we do not consider it necessary to comment on such kind of rumors,” the press service of the NKR MFA reported.

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PRESIDENT OF FRANCE TO VISIT ARMENIA

YEREVAN/NEWS.am – President of France Francois Hollande will visit Armenia in the second decade of May, a diplomatic source told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to the source, the French leader will arrive in Yerevan on May 12 within the framework of his regional visit. President is expected to visit Tbi- lisi and Baku as well.

Hollande will meet with Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan. The parties will discuss a wide range of issues of Armenia-France relations.

The president will get familiarized with historic and cultural monuments of the Armenian capital. He is expected to visit Memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims.

It should be noted that France is considering possibility of adopting a bill criminalizing genocide denial, in- cluding Armenian Genocide.

RUSSIA DEMANDED ARMENIA PM’S RESIGNATION – ANALYST

YEREVAN/NEWS.am – Now ex-Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s resignation was the Kremlin’s decision, Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) analyst Edgar Vardanyan stated at a press conference on Tuesday.

“The [Russian President Vladimir] Putin administration is strength- ening its positions in its dependent territories, and it is creating a new situation in international relations. In all likelihood, the change in the PM was an order from Kremlin,” the analyst maintained.

At the same time, as per Vardanyan, Armenia’s political elite like- wise wanted for Sargsyan to resign.

“The elite, too, had problems with Sargsyan, and they took ad- vantage of this opportunity and sacked him,” Vardanyan added.

In his view, Sargsyan’s resignation will make changes in the plans of Armenia’s political opposition.

“What they [the four non-ruling parliamentary factions] planned is already in danger. Demanding the govern- ment’s resignation was considered a phase but, in reality, they had assembled around it. What they expected and demanded occurred ahead of time,” the analyst noted.

To the reporters’ query on what to expect from the change of government, Edgar Vardanyan specifically re- sponded: “You should not expect major positive changes. Nonetheless, the composition of the government will change; [President] Serzh Sargsyan himself said that major changes will be made.”

On April 3, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan submitted his resignation to President Serzh Sargsyan, and the President accepted the resignation.

DEM.AM ACTIVISTS STAGE SIT-IN PROTEST IN YEREVAN CITY CENTER

YEREVAN — Members and supporters of Dem.am civil movement campaigning against the controversial pension reform staged a protest in Yerevan on Wednesday, declaring that it was in support of the recent decision by the Constitutional Court that found some of the provisions of the law to be against the Constitution.

The crowd blocked a major street opposite the Finance Ministry building in the city center for more than two hours, demanding a meeting with Finance Minister Davit Sargsian. It said he must explain why tax authorities have continued enforcing the reform even after it was declared unconstitutional by Armenia’s Constitutional Court.

Davit Manukian, a leader of the Dem Em (I Am Against) pressure group campaigning against the reform said the authorities should comply with the Constitutional Court ruling handed down on April 2. He said that means the State Revenue Committee must stop forcing employers to withhold 5 percent of gross wages paid to workers born after 1973.

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In a surprise public appearance, former Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian addressed the protesters when he arrived at the scene and urged them to discuss the matter inside the ministry building. “Please come with us to the Finance Min- istry hall,” he said through a megaphone. “Up to a hundred people can fit in there. Let’s discuss your issues there. We cannot discuss legislative changes on the street.”

The crowd responded with boos and jeers. “So what do you want?” the ex-premier asked before leaving the scene. He refused to answer questions from journalists.

By ruling against some of the provisions of the law, the Constitutional Court gave the government and the National Assembly until the end of September to make appropriate amendments.

Members and supporters of the initiative plan to hold a rally in Yerevan on April 12 to address the situation created after the Constitutional Court’s decision and present their further actions.

US CONGRESS MEMBERS REQUEST INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA AND KARABAKH

NEWS.am -- Congressman Frank Pallone Jr., along with 27 members of Con- gress, sent a letter to Chairwoman Kay Granger and Ranking Member Nita Lowey of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the US Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs.

In preparing the Fiscal Year 2015 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Pro- grams Appropriations bill, the lawmakers are requesting that the subcommittee sup- port increased funding for US assistance to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, PolitickerNJ reported.

Specifically, the representatives are asking the subcommittee to direct the US Agency for International Devel- opment (USAID) to spend at least $5 million in FY 2015 for humanitarian and development programs in Nagorno- Karabakh, and to ensure that at least $40 million in overall FY 2015 economic aid is appropriated for Armenia.

YEREVAN RUBBER PLANT WORKERS ARE PRMISED ONE-MONTH SALARY

YEREVAN/NEWS.am – Even though the employees of Armenian capital city Yerevan’s Nairit chemical rubber plant are promised salaries for the third week, these wages are not paid to this day.

The management on Thursday yet again pledged to transfer salaries next week, a plant worker told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“They owe more than fifteen months of salary. But, now, they have promised [to pay the wages for solely] one month which, however, they don’t give once again,” he said.

To the query as to why the plant workers have stopped their demon- strations and the fight for their unpaid wages, our interlocutor responded: “The people are scared; the [plant] management is pressuring us.”

In his words, since the salaries are not being paid, three to four people hand in their resignations from Nairit each day.

Speaking to us, Nairit Press Secretary Anush Harutyunyan, however, denied all the aforesaid, and solely noted that the plant employees will receive one month’s salary on April 7, at the latest.

“As for banning demonstrations, there has never been such an issue at Nairit. As for the [job] cuts, we don’t fire anyone, but there are cases when people submit a resignation,” Harutyunyan said, in particular.

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RUSSIAN CITIZENSHIP LAW CONTAINS RISKS FOR ARMENIA – ANALYST

YEREVAN/NEWS.am – Russia has made amendments to its citizenship law in order to increase the country’s human resource, political scientist Yervand Bozoyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In his view, based on Armenia’s socioeconomic situation, numerous Armenian citizens would like to make use of the opportunity to receive Russian citizenship with a facilitated procedure.

At the same time, however, Bozoyan noted that a mass emigration can be avoided if Armenia’s socioeconomic situation is improved. The analyst added that the amended Russian citizenship law will enable the immigrants to legalize their presence in Russia, thus solve the latter’s demographic problem.

The Russian State Duma (parliament) recently approved the government-proposed amendments to the Russian law on citizenship; these amendments facilitate the obtaining of Russian citizenship, provided that the applicants move to Russia for permanent residence and give up their other citizenships.

TWITTER VICE PRESIDENT RAFFI KRIKORIAN TO VISIT ARMENIA IN MID APRIL

NEWS.am -- Tumo board member and Twitter Vice President Raffi Krikorian will be visiting Armenia in mid April at the invitation of Tumo, Tumo center said in a statement.

During his week-long visit, Krikorian will lead two computer pro- gramming workshops, give a public lecture, and meet with representatives of the Armenian IT community and government.

Krikorian and his teams manage the core infrastructure of Twitter, in- cluding its databases, server clusters, and software libraries. Prior to Twit- ter, Krikorian, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co- founded the personal energy management platform WattzOn, ran a consult- ing company, and taught at the New York University Interactive Tele- communications Program.

On April 18, 2014, Krikorian will give a public lecture on Software Development Management titled "The things that turn out to matter" about lessons learned while running engineer- ing at Twitter. He will lead an advanced programming workshop open to university students and recent graduates, focusing on the Twitter API, and an intermediate level workshop for Tumo students on good coding practices.

ARMENIAN WRESTLER ARTUR ALEKSANYAN WINS GOLD AT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

VANTAA, FINLAND — Armenia’s Greco-Roman wrestler Artur Aleksanyan defeated his Turkish opponent Cenk Ildem in the finals of the 2014 European Wrestling Championships in Van- taa, Finland, to claim the continent’s title for the third time in his career.

The 22-year-old Aleksanyan performing in the up-to-98-kg division did not lose a single point to his opponents defeating ri- vals from Ukraine, Croatia, Germany, Norway and Turkey.

Another Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler Arsen Julfalakyan (75 kg) won a silver medal at the same championships. In the final fight the 26-year-old Armenian lost to Russia’s Alexander Che-

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kirski 3-4. On the way to the final Julfalakyan beat representatives of Croatia, Austria, Sweden and Denmark. Earlier, Armenia’s freestyle wrestler Grigor Grigoryan (71 kg) won a silver medal, while Garik Barseghyan

(57 kg) and Musa Murtazaliyev (86 kg) won bronze medals.

ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH: ARMENIAN CHAPEL IN KAZAKHSTAN WILL BE OPEN AFTER RENOVATION

NEWS.am – Armenian St. Karapet chapel in Kazakhstan which was built at the expense of charitable funds by the Armenian communi- ty head Artyusha Karapetyan, is currently be- ing renovated.

Representative of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Vahram Melikyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that renovation will be com- pleted before the Christian holiday of Easter. As noted by Vahram Melikyan, chapel area is 30 square meters and for this reason it is im- possible to repair the building and at the same time hosting parishioners.

“Artyusha Karapetyan assured that redec- orating will be completed in the coming days and the chapel will be open to all parishion- ers,” he said.

Earlier Armenian News-NEWS.am re- ported that the head of the Armenian community of Kazakhstan Artyusha Karapetyan reportedly closed the chapel,

changed the lock and took away the Gospel, silver and candles.

AZERBAIJAN RETURNS ARMENIAN CAPTIVE

YEREVAN/NEWS.am – Azerbaijan has handed civilian Arsen Khojoyan over to the Armenian side, spokesperson for Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhan- nisyan wrote on Facebook.

“Several minutes ago Azerbaijan handed Arsen Khojoyan over to the Arme- nian side. He is being taken to Ijevan hospital for medical examination,” Hov- hannisyan wrote.

Armenian citizen was repatriated today under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“The man was placed in the care of Armenian officials on the road between the Azerbaijani town of Gazakh and the Armenian town of Ijevan, at the interna- tional border.

ICRC delegates had visited the civilian prior to his repatriation in order to assess the conditions in which he was being held and the treatment he received. Representatives of the organization had also been in contact with his family in Armenia.

Acting as a neutral intermediary and in accordance with its mandate, the ICRC facilitated this repatriation in conjunction with the Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities. The internee had previously confirmed to the ICRC delegates that he was returning of his own will,” ICRC said in a statement.

On March 7, Arsen Khojoyan had crossed the Line of Contact between the Armenia and the Azerbaijan armed forces. During his interrogation in Azerbaijan, Khojoyan had stated that he inadvertently had crossed into the Azer- baijani territory while tending his sheep.

Armenian military serviceman Hakob Injighulyan is still held captive in Azerbaijan.

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ERDOGAN REITERATES TURKEY'S COMMITMENT TO PROTECT AZERBAIJANI INTERESTS

NEWS.am -- Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo- gan reiterated his country's commitment to protect interests of “young brother” Azerbaijan.

Talking to reporters in Baku, Erdogan said their major goal is to further develop strategic cooperation between the fraternal nations.

“We will always stand by Azerbaijan on Karabakh conflict,” Erdogan said.

Speaking about projects connecting two states, he pointed out construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and Trans-Ana- tolian gas pipeline (TANAP) that is a part of Southern Gas Corri- dor.

RUSSIAN ARMY CHIEF: MILITARY OPTIONS TO SETTLE KARABAKH CONFLICT MUST BE EXCLUDED

NEWS.am -- Russia stands for peaceful settlement of Nagorno- Karabakh conflict, Russian army chief said.

Chief of general staff of the Russian armed forces Valery Gerasimov met with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov to discuss issues related to further military and technical cooperation.

“One of the main tasks of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia is settlement of Karabakh conflict so as to move forward and exclude military options,” ITAR-TASS quotes Gerasimov.

Hasanov noted that cooperation between Russian and Azerbai- jani armed forces is developing in all directions.

Speaking about Karabakh issue, Hasanov expressed hope that Russia, as a co-chairing state of the OSCE Minsk Group, will con- tribute to peaceful resolution of the conflict.

AZERBAIJAN NOT READY TO ACCEPT ARMENIA DELEGATION

YEREVAN/NEWS.am – The CIS Defense Ministers Council delegation has not received a formal written or verbal confirmation from Azerbaijan on whether it is prepared to accept the delegation from Armenia.

The Armenian defense minister’s press secretary Artsrun Hovhannisyan told the above-said to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

He responded to the query on whether or not the Armenia MOD delegation will participate in the session of the chiefs of the CIS mili- tary staffs, which is slated for April 8 in the Azerbaijani capital city Baku.

“And, under this, we first understand the de facto settlement of all the matters on the unimpeded crossing of the state borders of Azerbaijan and transit countries as well as the implementation of the border and customs control procedure,” Hovhannisyan stated.

Thus, the Armenian delegation will not attend the aforementioned session.

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THREE AZERI SOLDIERS KILLED, SIX WOUNDED IN A FRESH ACT OF SABOTAGE

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry says three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and six others wounded in a mine explosion along the border with Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijani news agencies cited the De- fense Ministry in Baku as saying Tuesday that the soldiers led by a captain hit a landmine at a section of Armenian-Azerbaijani “line of con- tact” southeast of Karabakh. They said the of- ficer, Jeykhun Orujaliyev, and two conscripts died on the spot. One of them, Seyfaddin Kerimov, was a former wrestling champion of Azerbaijan, reported SalamNews.az.

Two of the wounded soldiers were said to be in a critical condition and were flown to a military hospital in Baku by a helicopter.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov reportedly visited the frontline section on Tuesday to personally investigate the incident. According to the Trend news agency, Hasanov’s press office said that the “accident” oc- curred while the soldiers reinforced their trenches.

The Karabakh Defense Army later today reported that the Azerbaijani side attempted another reconnaissance- sabotage activity, but the attack was repulsed and Azeri soldiers had to retreat via a minefield.

“The Karabakh side suffered no casualties while fighting back the Azerbaijani attackers,” the Karabakh De- fense Army said in a statement. “Following the incident, frontline units of the Defense Army continue to ... control the situation along the entire Line of Contact.”

The incident occurred less than three months after an upsurge in deadly ceasefire violations on “the line of contact” around Karabakh and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. It was sparked by the killing of an Armenian sol- dier in northeastern Karabakh, which the military authorities in Stepanakert and Yerevan said was the result of a failed Azerbaijani commando raid. The Azerbaijani military denied attacking Karabakh Armenian positions in the area. It acknowledged suffering two casualties, both of them officers, there in the following days.

TAXI DRIVERS IN AZERBAIJAN ARE FORBIDDEN TO DISCUSS POLITICAL TOPICS WITH PASSENGERS

Panorama.am -- The taxi drivers in Azerbaijan are strictly forbidden to discuss political issues with the pas- sengers. As the Azerbaijani portal "Haqqin.az" reports, about 3 thousand taxi drivers received SMS messages with appropriate warnings from the government, Newspaper "Azadlig" report and does not explain the reasons for the ban.

Azerbaijani authorities are trying to silence those who criticize them, by punishing citizens for their political activities in social networks. This prohibition is also aimed at silencing the dissenting voices. As noted by the hu- man rights organization Amnesty International in its March statement, the Azerbaijani authorities are ready for any tricks, in order to stifle criticism of the opposition, civil society activists and journalists in their address, reads the statement released on the eve.

International organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, “The Committee to Pro- tect Journalists," and others have repeatedly called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release those arrested for politi- cal reasons. Amnesty International recognized at the end of the last year, the presence of 14 "prisoners of con- science" in Azerbaijan. According to AI and HRW, in 2013 10 journalists were arrested in Azerbaijan. British or- ganization Index on Censorship stated that freedom of speech in Azerbaijan is under serious threat. According to the organization, in the year of the presidential election the suppression of freedom of speech has reached an un- precedented scale.

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BUENOS AIRES TO COMMEMORATE APRIL 24 AS ‘DAY OF THE FIRST GENOCIDE OF THE 20TH CENTURY’

Panorama.am -- The legislative council of Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city, issued a statement on Thurs- day, written by councilmembers Virginia Gonzalez Gass and Maria Raquel Herrero, commemorating April 24 as the “Day of the First Genocide of the 20th Century,” on the “99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,” Prensa Armenia reports, according to Asbarez.

The council also approved a proposal submitted by legislator Pablo Ferreyra asking the Ministry of Education to allocate proper attention to the Armenian Genocide on the “day of action for tolerance and respect between peo- ple,” referring to an Argentinian law that commemorates the genocide suffered by the Armenian people every April 24.

“To educate about history is to educate for the respect and protection of human rights. In this sense, it is essen- tial to promote the inclusion of the issue of genocide in education, not only to remember but also to consider the conditions that made possible such abhorrent and savage events,” said Ferreyra in a press statement.

AJR 32 MOVING FORWARD IN STATE ASSEMBLY

SACRAMENTO, CA – On April 7, a delegation of over 100 members from the Armenian Council of America partic- ipated in a day of advocacy to gain sup- port for Assembly Joint Resolution 32 during the annual Armenian Genocide Commemoration sponsored by the Cali- fornia State Senate and Assembly at the State Capitol.

The delegation, made up of mem- bers from all throughout the Golden State, met with several elected officials discussing Assembly Joint Resolution 32 and effectively gaining support from a large number of Assemblymembers. Some of the State representatives the ACA met with, included, Speaker of the State Assembly John Perez, Scott Wilk, Mike Gatto, Katcho Achadjian, Chris Holden, Ed Chau, Adrin Nazarian, Roger Dickinson, Tim Donnelly and several others.

AJR 32 calls for the United States to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as a sovereign state, invokes strong language from the United States’ own history regarding the rights of the people to “self- determination and democratic independence.” If Gatto’s resolution passes, it would make California the most populous governmental entity to call for Nagorno-Karabakh’s recognition or to recognize it outright.

Assemblymember Mike Gatto, announced today that through the collaborative efforts of the ACA, AJR 32 will move forward in the policy committee and will be on its way to get full consideration by the State Assembly. The Resolution is projected to be heard on the Assembly floor after the spring recess around April 28. Four other states have passed similar legislation, including Louisiana, which was spear- headed by the ACA Louisiana Chapter.

The day-long activities featured a reception where dignitaries, including Senator de Leon and Lara, Assemblymembers Gatto, Achadjian, Wilk, Gomez, Brown, Nazarian and others, reiterated their support- ive stance towards recognition of the Armenian Genocide and applauded the audience for all their efforts in working towards the Armenian Cause.

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ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATED AT THE CALIFORNIA STATE CAPITAL

SACRAMENTO, CA – The Armenian Council of America, in partnership with the Ar- menian-American community of Sacramento, organized an informative and empowering even- ing vigil, commemorating the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the California State Capital on Sunday, April 6.

The program for the solemn occasion, which included dignitaries, members of clergy and community leaders, began with an invocation by Father Asoghig Jamgochian of the St. James Ar- menian Church, followed by remarks by ACA Board Member Mr. Krikor Moloyan and Social Democrat Hunchakian Party’s Western Region Executive Committee member Mr. Suren Khu- danyan. Both gentlemen expressed the worth of

acknowledging the Genocide and addressing the issue so that history does not repeat itself as it has in recent years in other parts of the world.

Among the dignitaries in the audience was Assembly member Roger Dickinson of the 7th Assembly District expressed his solidarity for the Armenian Cause. Also in attendance were a group of over a dozen SEIU Local 721 Armenian Caucus members, who travelled to Sacramento from Los Angeles to partake in the annual State Capitol Armenian Genocide commemorative events.

A duduk performance of “Dle Yaman” and “Groong” by Samvel, enchanted the audience as father and son duo Masis and Arshak Isayan sang “Mayr Hayastan.” Ms. Ruzanna Yeghiazarian gracefully recited Paruyr Sevak’s “Anlereli Zangakatun“ as Ms. Lena Manoogian sang “Adana” and “Cilicia” to pay tribute to those who perished during the Genocide.

The event concluded with a requiem prayer by Father Jamgochian who prayed for the memory of the victims of the Genocide.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TURKISH PEOPLE ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

On Wednesday, April 9, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) delivered an open letter to the Turkish people on the House Floor, urging them to acknowledge and learn about the Armenian Genocide of 1915. The full text is below.

An Open Letter to the Turkish People:

Today, I write to you on a topic of great importance to both of our nations. It is on a subject that many of you, especially the younger generation, may know little about because it concerns a chapter of world history that your government has expended enormous efforts to conceal.

Turkey has been at the center of human civilization from Neolithic times to the present, and your arts, culture and science have enriched the world.

But interwoven with all of Turkey’s remarkable achieve- ments is a dark chapter that too many of today’s Turks know lit- tle or nothing about.

Were you aware that your grandparents and great-grandparents had many Armenian neighbors and friends — that twenty percent of the population of today’s Istanbul was Armenian? Did you know that the Armenians were

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well integrated into Turkish society as celebrated intellects, artists, craftsmen and community leaders? Have you ever wondered, what happened to the Armenians? Have you ever asked your parents and grandparents how such a large, industrious and prosperous people largely vanished from your midst? Do you know why your government goes to such lengths to conceal this part of your history?

Let me tell you a part of their story. The rest you must find out for yourselves.

Ninety-nine years ago this month, in the dying years of the Ottoman Empire, the Young Turk government launched a campaign of deportation, expropriation, starvation and murder against the empire’s Armenian citizens. Much of the Armenian population was forcibly removed to Syria, where many succumbed during brutal forced marches through the desert heat. Hundreds of thousands were massacred by Ottoman gendarmes, soldiers and even ordinary citizens.

By the time the slaughter ended in 1923, one and a half million Armenians had been killed in what is now uni- versally acknowledged as the first genocide of the Twentieth Century. The survivors scattered throughout the Mid- dle East and the wider world with some making their way to the United States, and to Los Angeles.

It is their grandchildren and great grandchildren whom I represent as a Member of the United States Congress. Theirs is a vibrant community, many tens of thousands strong, with schools, churches and businesses providing a daily link to their ancestral homeland. And it is on their behalf that I urge you to begin anew a national conversation in Turkey about the events of 1915-23.

As a young man or woman in Turkey, you might ask: What has this to do with me? Am I to blame for a crime committed long before I was born. And I would say this: Yours is the moral responsibility to acknowledge the truth and seek a reconciliation with the Armenian people that your parents and their parents could or would not. It is an obligation you have inherited and one from which you must not shrink. For though we cannot choose our own his- tory, we decide what to do about it — and you will be the ones to shape Turkey’s future.

At the end of World War II, Germany was a shattered nation — defeated in battle and exposed as history’s greatest war criminal. But, in the decades since the end of the war, Germany engaged in a prolonged effort to rec- oncile with the Jewish people, who were nearly exterminated by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The German gov- ernment has prosecuted war criminals, returned expropriated property, allied itself with Israel, and made countless apologies to the victims and to the world. Most important, Germany has worked to expunge the cancer of dehuman- izing bigotry and hatred that gave rise to the Holocaust.

This path, of reflection, reconciliation and repentance must be Turkey’s path as well. It will not be easy, the questions will be painful, the answers difficult, sometimes unknowable. One question stands out:

How could a nation that peaceably ruled over a diverse, multicultural empire for centuries have turned on one of its peoples with such ruthlessness that an entirely new word had to be invented to describe what took place? Genocide.

As in Judaism and Christianity, the concept of repentance or tawba is central to Islam. Next year will mark a century since the beginning of the genocide and Armenians around the world will mourn their dead, contemplate the enormity of their loss, and ask, why? Answer them, please, with words of repentance.

Sincerely, Adam Schiff Member of Congress

"RECOGNIZE THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY, THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE" By Rosario Teixeira -- Peace of Art, Inc.

Boston, MA, April 4, 2014 -- During the month of April, the 2014 Armenian Genocide commemorative bill- boards will be displayed at the corner of Arsenal and School Streets in Watertown; on Cambridge Street, at the Lechmere Station in Cambridge; and on Route 1 South, 1/4 mile from the Gillette Stadium, in Foxboro.

Sponsored by Peace of Art, Inc., www.PeaceofArt.org, the 2014 Armenian Genocide commemorative bill- boards honor the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide. In this year's message "Recognize the Crime of the Century, the Armenian Genocide," the word 'genocide' has imbedded the number 100, and handcuffs. The

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number 100 refers to the approaching 100th anni- versary of the Armenian Genocide. The handcuffs refer to a century of victimization and denial by the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide and their supporters. The Armenian Genocide was the crime of the century because it was the first genocide of the 20th century. Had the genocide been con- demned by the world community, the governments that followed most likely would not have used genocide as the means to eliminate unwanted groups of their populations segregated by race, religion or ethnicity.

Millions of people around the world have been killed, victims of genocide, for political mo- tives, and ethnic cleansing. Since the Armenian Genocide took place in the beginning of the 20th century, genocide has become an effective tool of war, to eliminate unwanted sectors of the popula- tion segregated by race, or religion, or ethnicity. As the Armenian people struggle for recognition of the crime of the century, the world remains 'blind' to crimes against humanity perpetrated around the globe. The world community must recognize the Armenian Genocide and condemn such crimes against humanity.

In 1996, Peace of Art, Inc. founder and president, Daniel Varoujan Hejinian, began to display the annual Ar- menian Genocide commemorative billboards, bringing awareness about the Armenian Genocide to the community at large. Since 2003, through the annual commemorative billboards, Peace of Art, Inc., www.PeaceofArt.org has been calling for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and it has urged the community at large, the President of the United States, and the United Nations to recognize the Armenian Genocide. It is time to urge Turkey to rec- ognize the Armenian Genocide, and to make amends.

"To deny the Armenian Genocide is to further victimize those who perished and their descendants, it is an act of blaming the victims. After a century of denial, it is time to place the 'handcuffs' on the criminals. For those who think that after the last survivor dies there will be no more witnesses, and with the passing of time the Armenian Genocide will be forgotten, know that all Armenians are survivors of the Genocide, and as long as the Armenian Genocide remains unrecognized by Turkey, millions of Armenians around the world will demand recognition and justice." Said the president of Peace of Art, Inc., Daniel Varoujan Hejinian.

Peace of Art, Inc., is a non-profit educational organization registered with the Massachusetts Secretary of State, and tax exempt under section 501(C)(3). For more information visit www.PeaceofArt.org

ARMENIA, NAGORNO KARABAKH FLAGS RAISED AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

By Taniel Koushakjian

Last month, the flags of two tiny South Caucasus countries got their day in the sunlight at one of Florida’s largest universities. We’re talking, of course, about the republics of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, two Chris- tian, land-locked countries that are roughly the size of Maryland and Rhode Island, respectively. On March 11, the two flags were raised in the Atrium of Florida International University (FIU), where the colors of several other countries hang. Tucked away in a far away region known as the South Caucasus, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh declared their independence after the fall of the Soviet Union.

FIU Junior Gevorg Shahbazyan led the effort to have the flags raised. “Every time I walked into the Graham Center, I would look up, but never see the [Armenian] flag,” Shahbazyan told FLArmenians.com. “So I decided to do something about it.” After a month of back and forth with school officials he was able to meet with the person

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responsible and arranged to have the flags procured and hung. “I always wanted to see the Armenian flag with the other flags,” he said.

Originally from Yerevan, Armenia, Gevorg Shahbazyan and his family first moved to Los Angeles, California, before settling in Miami in 2010. An aspiring diplomat, Shahbazyan is currently study- ing international relations and hopes to attend graduate school.

Although the flags of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh have been raised, they are smaller in size than the other flags. Shahbazyan said that full sized flags have to be custom made, so they have been or- dered and should be up soon. Thanks to the help of Carlos F. Carrasco, the senior director of business and finance, and Ruth Hamilton, executive director of student affairs, Shahbazyan’s efforts were successful.

Shahbazyan has even been encouraged by faculty and staff to start an Armenian club at FIU. There are only a few students at FIU, but Shahbazyan said he hopes to “introduce our culture to FIU Panthers.” If established, it would be the only active Armenian student club in South Florida.

STATE OF THE TURKISH STATE AND THE ARMENIANS By Raffi Bedrosyan

Like a cell dividing itself into two, then each new cell further dividing into two, Turkey keeps being divided. Although divisions always existed, they remained mostly suppressed, until now. In this article, I will outline the old and new divisions in Turkey, and the Turks’ perception of us Armenians.

Beginning in 1923 with the founding of the republic, Turkey was governed by a secular, Kemalist and nation- alist ideology, with the single-minded objective of creating and maintaining a monolithic, single-nation state. Re- gardless of which party was in power, leftist or rightist, the “deep state”—dominated by the armed forces, big busi- ness, big state bureaucracy, media, and academia—directed all the affairs behind the scenes. The “deep state” lead- ers and their backers emerged as the elite of the society, aptly named the nationalist White Turks; they inherited and developed a state built on the economic foundations of plundered and confiscated Armenian and Greek wealth. The masses in Anatolia were mainly utilized as free bodies for the military elite, or as cheap labor for the industrial elite, and remembered only at election time. White Turks looked down to pious Sunni Muslim majority and labeled them takunyali, or clog wearers. The disappearance of the Armenians and Greeks from these lands was fiercely de- nied. The existence of other ethnic people in Turkey, such as the Kurds, was also continuously denied. Turkey is only for Turks, was their motto. As the Armenians and Greeks were already wiped out, the other ethnic groups were told that they were now Turks, or else.

The supremacy of the White Turks ended in 2003 with the election of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his moderately Islamic party. Despite attempts by the “deep state” to topple him, Erdogan outmaneuvered the White Turks, thanks to the religious Sunni Muslims of Anatolia and the recent arrival of underprivileged masses from Anatolia to the big cities. The provincial and religious Turks quickly secured and strengthened their grip on power. The influential fundamentalist religious leader Fethullah Gulen, who had been forced to leave Turkey dur- ing the previous regimes, cooperated with Erdogan and his followers quickly filled the cadres of bureaucracy, in- cluding key posts in the police, security, judiciary, and academic fields. Hundreds of “deep state” leaders and elite White Turks in the military, media, and academia were arrested and jailed on charges of an attempted coup d’état against the government. Many White Turks began to leave the country. Although less intolerant toward minorities than the White Turks, the attitude of the new leaders toward minorities and the Kurds did not change much.

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The alliance between Erdogan and Gulen ended in late 2013, when Erdogan felt secure enough to discard Gulen, and shut down the numerous supplementary educational facilities he controlled. Many parents in Turkey depended on these facilities for the child’s advancement, as the state education system is not sufficient to secure admission to the state universities. These facilities were used as a powerbase by Gulen; they were a major source of income and facilitated recruitment of new followers. Soon after Erdogan announced his intention to close these fa- cilities, state prosecutors and police controlled by Gulen revealed they had uncovered a major corruption scandal involving four of Erdogan’s ministers and hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes. The scandal was replete with juicy details of money-counting machines and millions stashed in shoeboxes in the ministers’ homes. Erdogan counter-attacked by swiftly removing, replacing, and firing thousands of state prosecutors, judges, and police offic- ers deemed to be followers of the Gulen movement. In the last few weeks, at least 10 taped telephone conversations involving Erdogan himself have been leaked. In them, Erdogan directs his son to dispose of hundreds of millions of cash in euros and dollars from their homes; orders several businessmen to pay $100 million each toward buying a media empire that he wants controlled; demands another media owner to fire several journalists; and decides how much certain contractors must pay in return for large contracts.

In the Western world, even a hint of attempted bribery or corruption is sufficient in bringing down govern- ments. But in Turkey, Erdogan carries on, dismissing the evidence as plots hatched by his one-time ally (and now mortal enemy) Gulen, as well as other virtual enemies, such as “parallel states” within Turkey, and, predictably, external enemies such as Israel, the U.S., the European Union, and the “interest lobby,” all jealous of Turkey’s fast growth. Erdogan’s latest move is to try to win back the nationalists who were charged and jailed for attempting to topple his own government; as a result, most of the jailed “deep state” leaders have been released, including the former army chief of staff and other commanders; one of the masterminds of the Hrant Dink assassination; the rac- ist lawyer who hounded Hrant Dink for “insulting Turkishness”; the politician who was charged for stating “The Armenian Genocide is a lie” in Switzerland, and with whom the European Court of Human Rights recently sided in the name of freedom of speech; an organized crime leader who arranged several contract killings of anti- nationalists and Kurds; the murderers of a German and two Turkish Protestant missionaries in Malatya; and several other ultra nationalist/racist intellectuals and journalists.

While these divisions have emerged among the Turks of Turkey, the Kurds of Turkey have made major ad- vances toward greater autonomy, language rights, and self-determination—a struggle that began in the 1980’s as a guerilla movement and, more recently in the 2000s, has become a political movement. The imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan imposed his will on Erdogan, who conceded to peace talks in exchange for a ceasefire.

Even though the four major divisions within Turkey—the “deep state,” the Erdogan people, the Gulen people, and the Kurds—keep fighting and plotting against one another, they come together and close ranks when it comes to the Armenian issue, past and present. The Turks themselves categorize Armenians into three distinct groups (in a completely misguided manner): the Good, the Bad, and the Poor. The small Armenian community in Turkey is the Good, as it is easily controllable and no longer a threat, possessing neighborly memories of shared dolma or topik. They’re good, that is, as long as they don’t ask much about the past or present, like Hrant Dink dared to. The Ar- menian Diaspora is the Bad, with its evil presence in every country poisoning locals against Turks and Turkey, and spreading lies about the “alleged” genocide of 1915. Finally, the Armenians who recently left Armenia to come to Turkey to find bread are the Poor. The Kurds, on the other hand, have more empathy toward the Armenians; how- ever, it is mainly because “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Although Ocalan came close to acknowledging the genocide, he has empathy only for the Good Armenians in Turkey and continues to define the diaspora as part of the external lobby threat against both Turks and Kurds. While the Kurds (barring a few exceptions) acknowledge the sufferings of the Armenians in 1915, they cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the active role they played in the genocide, nor open the subject of returning the vast properties seized from the Armenians.

Those Armenians who believe in meaningful dialogue with the peoples of Turkey now face the additional challenge of choosing one or more of these groups at the risk of alienating the others. The prospect of any produc- tive result, however, becomes dimmer by the day. Nevertheless, dialogue does continue, with the involvement of civil society organizations and intellectuals, and more significantly through the emerging force of Islamized Arme- nians of Turkey. Dialogue must and will continue until all four groups start to see that all Armenians, whether in Turkey, the diaspora, or Armenia—and whether good, bad, or poor—were all equally impacted by the genocide and equally demand acknowledgment and restitution.

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TURKEY TURNS ITS BACK ON THE E.U. By ALAN COWELLAPRIL

LONDON, April 3 — At the height of the Cold War, Turkey’s great landmass cemented its place in the West- ern alliance, its huge conscript army deployed across the sweeping expanse of Anatolia to safeguard NATO’s southeastern flank.

Even now, with crisis just across the Black Sea in Crimea and Ukraine, that same geography offers Western strategists an anchor in a troubled region stretching from the borders of Iran, Syria and Iraq to the far-flung outposts of the European Union.

A generation ago, it was Ankara’s assumption that its central role in the region’s geopolitics would translate into acceptance as a member of the prosperous European Union, now numbering 28 countries.

But that assumption has frayed. After months of increasingly authoritarian rule by an embattled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the portals of the club seem more than ever to be closing on Turkey. And paradoxically, Turkey’s most recent elections may deepen its estrangement, raising questions not only about European readiness to embrace Turkey but also about Mr. Erdogan’s interest in pursuing it.

“It is becoming clear that Erdogan’s Turkey does not belong to Europe,” a prominent German politician, An- dreas Scheuer, said after the Turkish leader accepted his party’s victory in the municipal ballot on Sunday not just as a personal vindication but a mandate for what an opponent called a “witch hunt” against his adversaries. “A country in which the government threatens its critics and tramples democratic values cannot belong to Europe,” Mr. Scheuer said.

“What happens next will worry many Turks as they hear Erdogan vowing to get even with his critics and op- ponents,” the columnist Simon Tisdall said in The Guardian. “That Turkey is now a deeply divided nation is only too clear. That Erdogan’s future actions may serve to deepen those divisions is the great fear.”

Since the creation of the modern state in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey has been caught in the over- lapping dilemmas thrown into sharp relief by its geography. While it straddles Europe and Asia, only a fraction of its soil lies west of the Bosporus that divides the two continents. For all the boutiques and businesses of Istanbul that look west to Frankfurt and Milan, the country’s distant east surveys a much rougher neighborhood.

The effort to accede to the European Union — haltingly underway since 2005 — pulls at one set of reflexes, while Mr. Erdogan’s style tugs at another. Last year, he deployed the police against protesters in Istanbul’s Gezi Park. In December a major corruption scandal broke over his aides and his family. Just in recent weeks, his gov- ernment has moved to block Twitter and YouTube — depicted as his enemies’ tools in a campaign to besmirch him with faked evidence of malfeasance.

But the elections on Sunday showed something else. While Western-looking, secular, middle-class Turks are frequently hostile to him, Mr. Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party still command the political bedrock among the working class and in the countryside where Islam — Turkey’s dominant faith — is strong.

The question of identity is not limited to Turkey. Divided among themselves over the very idea of Turkish membership of their largely Christian club, the Europeans find themselves caught between the Western values they demand of Turkish society and the realpolitik of a volatile region.

“We need Turkey as an important ally,” said a German government foreign policy specialist, “but we can’t ob- serve with indifference developments in the country.”

In an interview before the election, Fadi Hakura, a specialist in Turkish affairs at London’s Chatham House policy research body, said there seemed to be little appetite in Turkey for the kind of reforms the European Union is demanding to create a more liberal, transparent and inclusive society. “The main concern now,” he said, “seems to be to consolidate power, not promote reform.”

Mr. Erdogan’s uncompromising tone since the vote, Mr. Hakura said later, had merely strengthened that con- viction.

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WHY TURKS WERE CAPABLE OF EXTERMINATING ARMENIANS, BUT NOT JEWS

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

Endless comparisons are made between the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust. However, there is

yet another comparison that is rarely made: the Turkish ability to carry out the Armenian Genocide and inability to

eliminate the Jewish settlers from Palestine during the same period. Such a comparison has not been made because

hardly anyone has studied the Turkish deportation plans of Jews during World War I in relationship to the Armeni-

an Genocide.

My preliminary analysis is based on information gleamed from Prof. Yair Auron’s book, “Zionism and the

Armenian Genocide: The Banality of Indifference,” Vartkes Yeghiayan’s “Pro Armenia,” and other archival mate-

rials. I would like to detail the circumstances of deportations of the Jews and how they were mostly spared, while

Armenians were not! More importantly, what steps did the Jewish Diaspora and settlers in Palestine take to avoid

suffering Armenians’ tragic fate?

Armenians and Jews, as minorities in the Ottoman Empire, were convenient scapegoats for the whims of ruth-

less Turkish leaders. Interestingly, the Young Turks used the same arguments for deporting both Armenians and

Jews. The Turks had accused Armenians for cooperating with the advancing Russian Army, while similarly blam-

ing Jews for cooperating with British forces invading Ottoman Palestine. Furthermore, Jews were accused of plan-

ning to establish their own homeland in Palestine, just as Armenians were allegedly establishing theirs in Eastern

Turkey. In yet another parallel, Jamal Pasha, one of the members of the Young Turk triumvirate, had cynically

commented that he was “expelling the Jews for their own good,” just as Armenians were forcefully removed “away

from the war zone” for their own safety!

In 1914, when Turkey entered World War I on the German side and against the Allied Powers (England, Rus-

sia, and France), Palestine became a theater of war. Turkish authorities imposed a war tax on the population, which

fell more heavily on the Jewish settlers. Their properties and other possessions were confiscated by the Turkish mil-

itary. Some Jewish settlers were used as slave labor to build roads and railways. Alex Aaronsohn, a Jewish settler in

Zichron Yaacov, wrote in his diary: “An order had recently come from the Turkish authorities, bidding them sur-

render whatever firearms or weapons they had in their possession. A sinister command, this: we knew that similar

measures had been taken before the terrible Armenian massacres, and we felt that some such fate might be in prepa-

ration for our people,” as quoted in Yeghiayan’s Pro Armenia.

In Fall 1914, the Turkish regime issued an expulsion order for all ‘enemy nationals,’ including 50,000 Russian

Jews who had escaped from Czarist persecutions and settled in Palestine. After repeated intercessions by German

Ambassador Hans Wangenheim and American Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, these ‘enemy nationals’ were al-

lowed to stay in Palestine, if they agreed to acquire Ottoman citizenship.

Nevertheless, on December 17, 1914, Jamal Pasha’s subordinate, Bahaeddin, governor of Jaffa, implemented

the expulsion order, deporting 500 Jews who were grabbed from the streets and dragged to police headquarters, and

from there forced to board ships docked in the harbor. Homes of Jewish settlers were searched for weapons. He-

brew-language signs were removed from shops and the Jewish school of Jaffa was closed down. Zionist organiza-

tions were dissolved, and on January 25, 1915, the Turkish authorities issued a declaration against “the dangerous

element known as Zionism, which is struggling to create a Jewish government in the Palestinian area of the Otto-

man Kingdom....”

In response to protests from Amb. Morgenthau and the German government, Constantinople reversed the de-

portation order and Bahaeddin was removed from his post. According to Prof. Auron, the condition of the Jewish

settlers could have been much worse had it not been for “the influence of world Jewry on Turkish policy.... The

American, German, and Austrian Jewish communities succeeded in restraining some of its harsher aspects. Decrees

were softened; overly zealous Turkish commanders were replaced and periods of calm followed the times of dis-

tress.”

Back in 1913, Pres. Wilson had instructed Amb. Morgenthau upon his appointment: “’Remember that any-

thing you can do to improve the lot of your co-religionists is an act that will reflect credit upon America, and you

may count on the full power of the Administration to back you up.’ Morgenthau followed this advice faithfully,”

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according to Isaiah Friedman’s book, “Germany, Turkey and Zionism: 1897-1918.” After arranging for the delivery

of much needed funds from American Jews to Jaffa, Morgenthau wrote to Arthur Ruppen, director of the Palestine

Development Association: “I have been the chosen weapon to take up the defense of my co-religionists....”

In Spring 1917, the Turkish authorities issued a second order to deport 5,000 Jews from Tel Aviv. Aaron

Aaronsohn, leader of the Nili group – a small Jewish underground organization in Palestine working for British in-

telligence – immediately disseminated the news of the deportation to the international media. Aaronsohn secretly

met with British diplomat Mark Sykes in Egypt and through him sent an urgent message to London on April 28,

1917: “Tel Aviv has been sacked. 10,000 Jews in Palestine are now without home or food. Whole of Yishuv [Jew-

ish settlements in Palestine] is threatened with destruction. Jamal [Pasha] has publicly stated Armenian policy will

now be applied to Jews.”

Upon receiving Aaronsohn’s reports from Palestine, Chaim Weizmann, a key pro-British Zionist in London,

transmitted the following message to Zionist leaders in various European capitals: “Jamal Pasha openly declared

that the joy of Jews at the approach of British troops would be short lived as he would them share the fate of the

Armenians.... Jamal Pasha is too cunning to order cold-blooded massacres. His method is to drive the population to

starvation and death by thirst, epidemics, etc....”

American Jews were outraged hearing of the deportations in Palestine. News reports were issued throughout

Western countries on “Turkish intentions to exterminate the Jews in Palestine,” according to Prof. Auron. Moreo-

ver, influential Jewish businessmen in Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire demanded that their govern-

ments pressure Turkish leaders to abandon their plans to deport Jews. Jamal Pasha was finally forced to rescind the

expulsion order and provided food and medical assistance to Jewish refugees in Tel Aviv.

(To be continued)

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF 100-YEAR-OLD

YEVNIGUE SALIBIAN, ONE OF THE LAST PEOPLE ALIVE

WHO CAN RECALL THE HORROR OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Her life was saved by the reins of a horse as her family fled the brutality of Ottoman rule

By Robert Fisk – The Independent

She was a child of the Great War, born on a far- away killing field of which we know little, one of the very last witnesses to the last century’s first genocide, sitting in her wheelchair, smiling at us, talking of Je- sus and the Armenian children whipped by the Turk- ish police whom she saw through the cracks in her wooden front door. It’s not every day you get to meet so finite an observer of human history, and soon, alas, we will not see her like again in our lifetime.

They took me to meet Yevnigue Salibian last week up in the Mission Hills of California, whose warm breezes and palm trees are not unlike the town of Aintab in which she was born more than a hundred years ago. She is an old lady now in a home for the elderly but with a still impeccable memory and an equally sharp and brutal scar on her thigh – which she displays without embarrassment – where a horse’s reins sus- pended her above a ravine until she almost bled to death in her final flight from her Armenian homeland. “Hushhhhhh,” she says. “That’s how the blood sounded when it poured out of me. “I still remember it: ‘hushhhhhh’, ‘hushhhhhh’.”

The facts of the Armenian Holocaust are as clear and real as those of the later Jewish Holocaust. But they must be repeated because the state of Turkey remains a holocaust denier, still insisting that the Ottoman government did

Yevnige Salibian, Missak Kelechian and Robert Fisk

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not indulge in the genocide which destroyed a million and a half of its Armenian Christian population almost a cen- tury ago. The Armenians were axed and knifed and shot in their tens of thousands, the women and children sent on death marches into the deserts of northern Syria where they were starved and raped and slaughtered. The Turks used trains and a primitive gas chamber, a lesson the Germans learned well. Very soon, there will be no more Yevnigues to tell their story.

She was born on 14 January 1914, the daughter of Aposh Aposhian, an Aintab copper merchant who taught his five children the story of Jesus from a large Bible which he held on his lap as he sat with them on a carpet on the floor of their home. They were – like so many Armenians – a middle-class family, and Aposh had Turkish friends and, although Yevnigue does not say so, it appears he traded with the Ottoman army; which probably saved their lives. When the first deportations began, the Salibians were left in their home, but the genocide lasted till the very last months of the Great War – it had begun within weeks of the Allied landings at Gallipoli – and in 1917, the Turks were still emptying Aintab of its Armenians. That’s when the sound of crying led three-year-old Yevnigue to the front door of her home.

“It was an old wooden door and there were cracks in it and I looked through the cracks,” she says. “There were many children outside without shoes and the Turkish gendarmes were using whips to drive them down the street. A few had parents. We were forbidden to take food to them. The police were using whips on the children and big sticks to beat them with. The sounds of the children screaming on the deportation – still I hear them as I look through the cracked door.”

So many parents were killed in the first year of the Armenian genocide that the orphans – tens of thousands of feral children who swarmed through the land in their absence – were only later driven out by the Turks: these were tiny deportees whom Yevnigue saw. The Aposhians, however, were able to cling on until the French army arrived in eastern Turkey after the Ottoman surrender. But when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk launched a guerrilla war against the French occupiers of his land, the French retreated – and in 1921 the surviving Armenians fled with them to Syr- ia, among them Yevnigue and her family, packed into two horse-drawn carts. She was among the very last Chris- tians to leave her Armenian homeland.

“My family was divided between the two carts. I changed places with an old lady. It was at night and over a ravine, our horses panicked, and the cart overturned and an iron bar killed the old lady and I was thrown over the edge of a bridge and only the horse’s reins saved me when they got wrapped around my leg. Jesus saved me. I hung there and there was the ‘hushhhhhh’ sound of my blood pouring out of me.” Yevnigue shows the harsh scar on her leg. It has bitten deeply into the muscle. She was unconscious for two days, slowly recovering in Aleppo, and then Damascus and finally in the sanctuary of Beirut.

The remainder of her life – as she tells it – was given to God, her husband and the tragedy of losing one of her sons in a Lebanese road accident in 1953. A photograph taken on her arrival in Beirut shows Yevnigue to have been an extraordinarily pretty young woman and she had, she says, many suitors. She eventually chose a bald-headed Evangelical preacher, an older man called Vahran Salibian who had a big smile and whose name – Salibi – means crusader. “He had no hair on his head but he had Jesus in his heart,” Yevnigue announces to me. Vahran died in 1995 after 60 years of marriage and Yevnigue has lost count of her great grandchildren – there are at least 22 so far – but she is happy in her cheerful Armenian nursing home.

“It’s not a good thing to be away from your family – but I like this place. Here, it is my extended family.” She loves America, Yevnigue says. Her family fled there when the civil war began in Lebanon in 1976. “It is a free place. All people come from everywhere to America. But why is our President a Muslim?”

I try to convince her this is untrue. She reads the New Testament every day and she talks constantly of her love for Jesus – this is an old lady who will be happy to die, I think – and when I ask her how she feels today about the Turks who tried to destroy the Armenians, she replies immediately. “I pray for Turkey. I pray for the Turkish offi- cials that they may see Jesus. All that is left of the Prophet Mohamed is dust. But Jesus is alive in heaven.”

And I am taken aback by this, until I suddenly realise that I am not hearing the voice of a hundred-year-old la- dy. I am listening to a three-year old Armenian girl whose father is reading the Bible on the floor of a house in Ain- tab and who is looking through the cracks of her wooden front door and witnessing her people’s persecution.

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