Hayasdani Avakani-in Aytseloutiounneroun Aritov
ARTICLE BY BAROUYR AGHBASHIAN
BEIRUT, LEBANON
ՅՕԴՈՒԱԾ ՊԱՐՈՅՐ ԱՂՊԱՇԵԱՆԷՆ
ՊԷՅՐՈՒԹ, ԼԻԲԱՆԱՆ
Armenian Genocide Resource Center
7 months ago
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
RAG-i 31 Norakirner-ue
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN
LOS ANGELES, U.S.A.
ԼՈՍ ԱՆՃԵԼԸՍԻ (ՄԻԱՑԵԱԼ ՆԱՀԱՆԳՆԵՐ)
ՄԵՐ ԹՂԹԱԿԻՑԷՆ
Reminder: The River Ran Red - Film screening - 4/27 - SF Public Library
Please Join the Bay Area Armenian National Committee
for a documentary film and presentation in commemoration of the
95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
The River Ran Red
with Michael J. Hagopian, in Person
for a documentary film and presentation in commemoration of the
95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
The River Ran Red
with Michael J. Hagopian, in Person
Winner of the Best International Historical Documentary of the New York International Film and Video Festival and Second Place (History and Biography) of the U.S. International Film and Video Festival
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
6:00 pm (promptly)
San Francisco Public Library
Koret Auditorium, Lower Level,
(100 Larkin Street at Grove)
Free Admission
The River Ran Red is the epic search for survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 along the Euphrates River. From his archives of 400 testimonies of survivors and eyewitnesses, award-winning filmmaker J. Michael Hagopian weaves a compelling story of terrifying intensity, taking the viewer from the highland waters of the river to the burning deserts of Syria... and to the final resting place of those whose blood ran red in the waters of the Euphrates
About Michael J. Hagopian:
In summer of 1915, when the Turkish soldiers rampaged through the town of Kharbert, Michael J. Hagopian's mother hid her baby in a mulberry bush and prayed to God that the Turkish soldiers would not find him. Mother and baby survived, and eventually made it to Fresno, California. Hagopian received an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and after receiving a doctorate in international relations from Harvard University, he went into cinema and founded the Atlantis Films Company, which produced over fifty documentary films on ethnic minorities and foreign lands. He won critical acclaim, including two Emmys for the writing and production of The Forgotten Genocide, the first full-length feature on the Armenian Genocide, that encompassed nearly 400 witness interviews and twenty years of research. In 1979, Hagopian founded the non-profit Armenian Film Foundation dedicated to preserving the visual and personal histories of the witnesses to the first genocide of the 20th century.
---
San Francisco - Bay Area
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: 415-387-3433
Fax: 415-751-0617
mail@ancsf.org
www.ancsf.org
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Khosk Tseghasbanutyan 95-amyagi vokekotchman
Content: 26 April 2010
- Խօսք Ցեղասպանութեան 95-ամեակի Ոգեկոչման Վիգէն Լ. Ադդարեան http://www.keghart.com/Attarian_25April2010
- Punish the Liar! Avedis Kevorkian http://www.keghart.com/Kevorkian_Liar
- Commemorating the Genocide in Canada (video-clips) http://www.keghart.com/Commemoration95_Canada
- Commemorating 1915 in Istanbul and Worldwide (video-clips) http://www.keghart.com/Hurriyet_1915_Commemoration
- "Genocide" of Armenian Monuments Continues (slides) http://www.keghart.com/Cultural_Genocide
- President Obama on Armenian Remembrance Day http://www.keghart.com/Obama_MedsYeghern
- Censure d’un Clip Arménien L'Orient-Le Jour (French) http://www.keghart.com/Lorient_LeJour_Censure
- Journey With a Skull Hamasdegh - Translation and Illustration by Tatul Sonentz http://www.keghart.com/Hamasdegh_Skull
- Arménie Ouverte, Turquie Fermée (French) http://www.keghart.com/Arm%C3%A9nie_Ouverte
- It is April 24 Again….so what has changed? Hagop Tchamkertenian http://www.keghart.com/Tchamkertenian_Consequences
If you would like your name to be deleted from the mailing list please respond by writing "remove" in the subject line.
Thank you for your attention!
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Articles
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Articles
Hurriyet Daily News
Turks in Istanbul commemorate 1915
killings of Armenians
ISTANBUL — Agence France-Presse
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Human rights activists and artists in Istanbul commemorated the 1915-17
killings of Armenians
by Ottoman Turks for the first time Saturday, breaking with a near century-old
Turkish taboo.
The Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association, or İHD, organized a rally
attended by about 100 people on the steps of the Haydarpaşa train station from
where the first convoy of 220 deported Armenians left on April 24, 1915.
Under the slogan "Never Again" and the watchful eye of the police, demonstrators
carried black and white photos of some of the deportees, most of whom never
returned.
Police kept at bay a group of counter-demonstrators including former diplomats
waving the Turkish flag.
Forty-two Turkish diplomats were killed by members of the extremist Armenian
ASALA organization in the 1970s and 1980s.
Turkish intellectuals and artists signed a petition calling on "those who feel the
great pain" to show their sorrow.
Avoiding an open confrontation over the term genocide —which the Turkish
government fiercely rejects — the petition speaks of the "Great Catastrophe" of
the 1915-17 massacres.
But despite this precaution, organizers were afraid of a backlash from those who
could object to the demonstration.
"All precautionary measures have been taken but it's always possible that someone
is losing it," Cengiz Aktar, an Istanbul academic who backs the petition, told AFP.
The unprecedented commemoration came as tens of thousands of Armenians
The unprecedented commemoration came as tens of thousands of Armenians
marked the 95th anniversary of the killings in the Armenian capital Yerevan amid
fresh tensions with Turkey over the collapse of reconciliation efforts.
The dispute about the genocide label has poisoned relations between the two
The dispute about the genocide label has poisoned relations between the two
neighbors for decades.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were systematically killed between
915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of modern Turkey, was
falling apart. Turkey says many were killed on both sides during civil strife.
RFE/RL Report
First-Ever Commemoration Of 1915 Slaughter In Turkey
Turkey -- Turks hold up pictures of Armenian intellectuals rounded up
and executed in 1915 during a public commemoration in Istanbul,
24Apr2010
Satenik Vantsian
About 100 Turks rallied in Istanbul on Saturday in a first-ever public
commemoration of the World War One-era mass killings and deportations
of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey that was organized by a local human
rights group.
The demonstrators gathered on the steps of the Haydarpasa train
station from where hundreds of Armenian intellectuals arrested on
April 24, 1915 were deported and subsequently executed. They chanted
`Never Again!' and carried black-and-white pictures of the most
prominent of the deportees.
`The events of 1915 must not be repeated,' Eren Keskin, a human rights
campaigner, said, addressing the small crowd. `We have gathered here
to say no to genocide.'
Turkish authorities did not try to impede the landmark gathering
organized by the Turkish Human Rights Association. Scores of police
were deployed around the station to prevent possible incidents between
its participants and a group of counter-demonstrators protesting
nearby.
Police stepped in when an elderly man condemned the unprecedented
commemoration. `Who allowed you to gather here? Who says that
Armenians were massacred? That is not true?' he shouted before behind
dragged away from the scene.
A similar gathering was due to take place in Istanbul's central Taksim
Square later in the day. Its organizers, a group of prominent
intellectuals and artists, urged fellow Turks to `pay tribute to the
victims of 1915' in an online petition circulated earlier this
week. Hundreds of people have signed the appeal that stops short of
calling the massacres a genocide and uses the Armenian phrase `Great
Catastrophe' instead.
Tens of thousands of Turks signed a similar online petition that was
initiated by the same public figures in December 2008. It offered
Armenians a personal apology and called for the Turkish government to
acknowledge the killings.
Turkey -- Turks hold up pictures of Armenian intellectuals rounded up
and executed in 1915 during a public commemoration in Istanbul,
24Apr2010
Satenik Vantsian
About 100 Turks rallied in Istanbul on Saturday in a first-ever public
commemoration of the World War One-era mass killings and deportations
of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey that was organized by a local human
rights group.
The demonstrators gathered on the steps of the Haydarpasa train
station from where hundreds of Armenian intellectuals arrested on
April 24, 1915 were deported and subsequently executed. They chanted
`Never Again!' and carried black-and-white pictures of the most
prominent of the deportees.
`The events of 1915 must not be repeated,' Eren Keskin, a human rights
campaigner, said, addressing the small crowd. `We have gathered here
to say no to genocide.'
Turkish authorities did not try to impede the landmark gathering
organized by the Turkish Human Rights Association. Scores of police
were deployed around the station to prevent possible incidents between
its participants and a group of counter-demonstrators protesting
nearby.
Police stepped in when an elderly man condemned the unprecedented
commemoration. `Who allowed you to gather here? Who says that
Armenians were massacred? That is not true?' he shouted before behind
dragged away from the scene.
A similar gathering was due to take place in Istanbul's central Taksim
Square later in the day. Its organizers, a group of prominent
intellectuals and artists, urged fellow Turks to `pay tribute to the
victims of 1915' in an online petition circulated earlier this
week. Hundreds of people have signed the appeal that stops short of
calling the massacres a genocide and uses the Armenian phrase `Great
Catastrophe' instead.
Tens of thousands of Turks signed a similar online petition that was
initiated by the same public figures in December 2008. It offered
Armenians a personal apology and called for the Turkish government to
acknowledge the killings.
RFE/RL Report
Armenia Marks Genocide Anniversary
24.04.2010
Hundreds of thousands of people silently marched to a hilltop memorial
in Yerevan on Saturday in an annual remembrance of more than one
million fellow Armenians slaughtered by Ottoman Turks during World War
One in what many historians consider a genocide.
An incessant stream of people passed through the Tsitsernakabert
memorial to the genocide victims throughout the day, laying flowers by
its eternal fire surrounded by twelve inward-bending basalt columns.
The day-long procession began in the morning after a traditional
prayer service held there by the supreme head of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II, in the presence of President
Serzh Sarkisian and other top state officials. Garegin presided over a
special liturgy in memory of the dead at the main church cathedral in
Echmiadzin shortly afterwards.
Execution of Armenians in the Constantinople, June 1915
April 24 marks the 95th anniversary of the arrest of more than 250
Armenian political leaders, intellectuals and artists in
Constantinople ordered by the government of the Ottoman Empire. Their
subsequent executions were followed by mass killings and deportations
of Armenians in what is now eastern Turkey and other parts of the
crumbling empire. Many of the estimated 1.5 million victims lost their
lives in so-called death marches to the Syrian desert.
The stark memorial perched on Tsitsernakabert Hill overlooking central
Yerevan is the focal point of the annual genocide commemorations in
Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora communities around the world.
In a written address to the nation issued on the occasion, President
Serzh Sarkisian said the 1915-1918 killings, which Armenians also call
Mets Yeghern, or Great Calamity, `had no precedents in the history of
not only the Armenian people but the entire world.'
`The Ottoman Empire's state machine carried out a plan to annihilate
the Armenians through all of its structures that acted in accordance
with explicit orders,' he said. `This day of 1915 became a
watershed. The millennia-long history of the Armenian people was cut
and divided into two parts: before and after the watershed.'
Against all odds, continued Sarkisian, the Armenians have managed to
`return to the international political arena' and are now determined
to prevent `a repeat of such crimes.'
Armenia -- A demonstrator sets fire to a Turkish flag as he attends a
torch-bearing march marking the anniversary of the 1915 mass killings
of Armenians in Ottoman Empire, in Yerevan, 23Apr2010
The Armenian leader also thanked foreign backers of the decades-long
Armenian campaign for international recognition of the
genocide. `There is no alternative to the inevitable expansion of this
process,' he said, reaffirming his government's support for the drive.
Successive Turkish governments have denied a planned government effort
to exterminate the Ottoman Empire's Armenian population. They have
claimed that Ottoman Armenians died in much smaller numbers and
because of siding with invading Russian troops. Accordingly, they have
strongly condemned foreign governments and parliaments recognizing the
massacres as genocide.
A Turkish flag was publicly burned in Yerevan on Friday evening during
a torch-bearing march to the genocide memorial organized by the youth
wing of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) and
attended by several thousand young people.
Armenia Marks Genocide Anniversary
24.04.2010
Hundreds of thousands of people silently marched to a hilltop memorial
in Yerevan on Saturday in an annual remembrance of more than one
million fellow Armenians slaughtered by Ottoman Turks during World War
One in what many historians consider a genocide.
An incessant stream of people passed through the Tsitsernakabert
memorial to the genocide victims throughout the day, laying flowers by
its eternal fire surrounded by twelve inward-bending basalt columns.
The day-long procession began in the morning after a traditional
prayer service held there by the supreme head of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II, in the presence of President
Serzh Sarkisian and other top state officials. Garegin presided over a
special liturgy in memory of the dead at the main church cathedral in
Echmiadzin shortly afterwards.
Execution of Armenians in the Constantinople, June 1915
April 24 marks the 95th anniversary of the arrest of more than 250
Armenian political leaders, intellectuals and artists in
Constantinople ordered by the government of the Ottoman Empire. Their
subsequent executions were followed by mass killings and deportations
of Armenians in what is now eastern Turkey and other parts of the
crumbling empire. Many of the estimated 1.5 million victims lost their
lives in so-called death marches to the Syrian desert.
The stark memorial perched on Tsitsernakabert Hill overlooking central
Yerevan is the focal point of the annual genocide commemorations in
Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora communities around the world.
In a written address to the nation issued on the occasion, President
Serzh Sarkisian said the 1915-1918 killings, which Armenians also call
Mets Yeghern, or Great Calamity, `had no precedents in the history of
not only the Armenian people but the entire world.'
`The Ottoman Empire's state machine carried out a plan to annihilate
the Armenians through all of its structures that acted in accordance
with explicit orders,' he said. `This day of 1915 became a
watershed. The millennia-long history of the Armenian people was cut
and divided into two parts: before and after the watershed.'
Against all odds, continued Sarkisian, the Armenians have managed to
`return to the international political arena' and are now determined
to prevent `a repeat of such crimes.'
Armenia -- A demonstrator sets fire to a Turkish flag as he attends a
torch-bearing march marking the anniversary of the 1915 mass killings
of Armenians in Ottoman Empire, in Yerevan, 23Apr2010
The Armenian leader also thanked foreign backers of the decades-long
Armenian campaign for international recognition of the
genocide. `There is no alternative to the inevitable expansion of this
process,' he said, reaffirming his government's support for the drive.
Successive Turkish governments have denied a planned government effort
to exterminate the Ottoman Empire's Armenian population. They have
claimed that Ottoman Armenians died in much smaller numbers and
because of siding with invading Russian troops. Accordingly, they have
strongly condemned foreign governments and parliaments recognizing the
massacres as genocide.
A Turkish flag was publicly burned in Yerevan on Friday evening during
a torch-bearing march to the genocide memorial organized by the youth
wing of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) and
attended by several thousand young people.
RFE/RL Report
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Obama Again Avoids `G-Word' In Armenian Remembrance Message
24.04.2010
Emil Danielyan
Backtracking on a campaign pledge, U.S. President Barack Obama on
Saturday again declined to describe the 1915 massacres of Armenians in
Ottoman Turkey as genocide as he honored the victims of `one of the
worst atrocities of the 20th century.' (UPDATED)
As was the case in April 2009, Obama used instead the Armenian phrase
Meds Yeghern, or Great Calamity, to mark the 95th anniversary of the
start of the mass killings and deportations. `In that dark moment of
history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their
death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire,' he said. `Today is a
day to reflect upon and draw lessons from these terrible events.'
`The Meds Yeghern is a devastating chapter in the history of the
Armenian people, and we must keep its memory alive in honor of those
who were murdered and so that we do not repeat the grave mistakes of
the past,' he added.
Obama at the same time again made clear that he stands by his
statements on the subject issued during the 2008 U.S. presidential
race. `I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in
1915, and my view of that history has not changed,' he said.
In a January 2008 statement to the Armenian community in the United
States, Obama, then a presidential candidate, called the Armenian
genocide `a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body
of historical evidence.' `America deserves a leader who speaks
truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds forcefully to all
genocides. I intend to be that president,' he said at the time.
Obama backpedaled on that pledge after taking office, anxious not to
antagonize Turkey, a key U.S. ally. In his April 2009 statement on
Armenian Remembrance Day, Obama implicitly cited the need not to
undermine the U.S.-backed rapprochement between Armenia and
Turkey. The process culminated in the signing of Turkish-Armenian
normalization agreements in Zurich last October.
Obama's latest message contains no explicit references to the
normalization process that has stalled because of Ankara's refusal to
unconditionally normalize ties with Yerevan. It only voices support
for continued historical dialogue between Armenian and Turkish
societies.
`I salute the Turks who saved Armenians in 1915 and am encouraged by
the dialogue among Turks and Armenians, and within Turkey itself,
regarding this painful history,' Obama said. `Together, the Turkish
and Armenian people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common
history and recognize their common humanity.'
The current and previous U.S. administrations have strongly encouraged
and even sponsored Turkish-Armenian contacts at various levels. The
U.S. State Department was, for example, behind the establishment in
2001 of the non-governmental Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation
Commission (TARC).
TARC called for the unconditional normalization of Turkish-Armenian
relations before being disbanded in 2004. It is also famous for
commissioning a study on the events of 1915 from the New York-based
International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).
In a 2003 report, the ICTJ concluded that the Armenian massacres
`include all of the elements of the crime of genocide' as defined by a
1948 United Nations convention. Former U.S. President George W. Bush
repeatedly cited the ICTJ study in his April 24 statements.
U.S. -- President Barack Obama (L) greets Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC,
12Apr2010
Obama on Saturday also paid tribute to the `remarkable spirit' of the
Armenian people. `The indomitable spirit of the Armenian people is a
lasting triumph over those who set out to destroy them,' he
said. `Many Armenians came to the United States as survivors of the
horrors of 1915. Over the generations Americans of Armenian descent
have richened our communities, spurred our economy, and strengthened
our democracy.'
These words will hardly placate influential Armenian-American advocacy
groups that had strongly backed Obama's presidential bid and now
deplore his reluctance to use the word `genocide.' They have also
criticized the Obama administration for opposing a congressional draft
resolution affirming the Armenian genocide.
The Turkish government scrambled to halt further progress of the
resolution after it was approved by U.S. House Foreign Affairs
committee on March 4. Turkish leaders also warned Obama against
uttering the politically sensitive word in his April 24 message. Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested after meeting Obama in
Washington last week that the U.S. president will heed the warning.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian seemed resigned to that as he
addressed the nation Thursday on the future of the Turkish-Armenian
normalization process. But he implied that Obama's failure to term the
1915 massacres a genocide will not halt the decades-long Armenian
campaign for genocide recognition.
`Our struggle for the international recognition of the Genocide
continues,' said Sarkisian. `If some circles in Turkey attempt to use
our candor to our detriment, to manipulate the process to avoid the
reality of the 24th of April, they should know all too well that the
24th of April is the day that symbolizes the Armenian Genocide, but in
no way shall it mark the time boundary of its international
recognition.'
Obama Again Avoids `G-Word' In Armenian Remembrance Message
24.04.2010
Emil Danielyan
Backtracking on a campaign pledge, U.S. President Barack Obama on
Saturday again declined to describe the 1915 massacres of Armenians in
Ottoman Turkey as genocide as he honored the victims of `one of the
worst atrocities of the 20th century.' (UPDATED)
As was the case in April 2009, Obama used instead the Armenian phrase
Meds Yeghern, or Great Calamity, to mark the 95th anniversary of the
start of the mass killings and deportations. `In that dark moment of
history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their
death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire,' he said. `Today is a
day to reflect upon and draw lessons from these terrible events.'
`The Meds Yeghern is a devastating chapter in the history of the
Armenian people, and we must keep its memory alive in honor of those
who were murdered and so that we do not repeat the grave mistakes of
the past,' he added.
Obama at the same time again made clear that he stands by his
statements on the subject issued during the 2008 U.S. presidential
race. `I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in
1915, and my view of that history has not changed,' he said.
In a January 2008 statement to the Armenian community in the United
States, Obama, then a presidential candidate, called the Armenian
genocide `a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body
of historical evidence.' `America deserves a leader who speaks
truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds forcefully to all
genocides. I intend to be that president,' he said at the time.
Obama backpedaled on that pledge after taking office, anxious not to
antagonize Turkey, a key U.S. ally. In his April 2009 statement on
Armenian Remembrance Day, Obama implicitly cited the need not to
undermine the U.S.-backed rapprochement between Armenia and
Turkey. The process culminated in the signing of Turkish-Armenian
normalization agreements in Zurich last October.
Obama's latest message contains no explicit references to the
normalization process that has stalled because of Ankara's refusal to
unconditionally normalize ties with Yerevan. It only voices support
for continued historical dialogue between Armenian and Turkish
societies.
`I salute the Turks who saved Armenians in 1915 and am encouraged by
the dialogue among Turks and Armenians, and within Turkey itself,
regarding this painful history,' Obama said. `Together, the Turkish
and Armenian people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common
history and recognize their common humanity.'
The current and previous U.S. administrations have strongly encouraged
and even sponsored Turkish-Armenian contacts at various levels. The
U.S. State Department was, for example, behind the establishment in
2001 of the non-governmental Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation
Commission (TARC).
TARC called for the unconditional normalization of Turkish-Armenian
relations before being disbanded in 2004. It is also famous for
commissioning a study on the events of 1915 from the New York-based
International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).
In a 2003 report, the ICTJ concluded that the Armenian massacres
`include all of the elements of the crime of genocide' as defined by a
1948 United Nations convention. Former U.S. President George W. Bush
repeatedly cited the ICTJ study in his April 24 statements.
U.S. -- President Barack Obama (L) greets Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC,
12Apr2010
Obama on Saturday also paid tribute to the `remarkable spirit' of the
Armenian people. `The indomitable spirit of the Armenian people is a
lasting triumph over those who set out to destroy them,' he
said. `Many Armenians came to the United States as survivors of the
horrors of 1915. Over the generations Americans of Armenian descent
have richened our communities, spurred our economy, and strengthened
our democracy.'
These words will hardly placate influential Armenian-American advocacy
groups that had strongly backed Obama's presidential bid and now
deplore his reluctance to use the word `genocide.' They have also
criticized the Obama administration for opposing a congressional draft
resolution affirming the Armenian genocide.
The Turkish government scrambled to halt further progress of the
resolution after it was approved by U.S. House Foreign Affairs
committee on March 4. Turkish leaders also warned Obama against
uttering the politically sensitive word in his April 24 message. Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested after meeting Obama in
Washington last week that the U.S. president will heed the warning.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian seemed resigned to that as he
addressed the nation Thursday on the future of the Turkish-Armenian
normalization process. But he implied that Obama's failure to term the
1915 massacres a genocide will not halt the decades-long Armenian
campaign for genocide recognition.
`Our struggle for the international recognition of the Genocide
continues,' said Sarkisian. `If some circles in Turkey attempt to use
our candor to our detriment, to manipulate the process to avoid the
reality of the 24th of April, they should know all too well that the
24th of April is the day that symbolizes the Armenian Genocide, but in
no way shall it mark the time boundary of its international
recognition.'
TODAY MOST GENOCIDE RESEARCHERS ARE TURKS: DEMOYAN
Tert.am
23.04.10
Most of the researchers of the Armenian Genocide abroad are Turkish
nationals, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk
Demoyan said at a press conference today.
According to Demoyan a lot of students defend their theses on the
topic of the Armenian Genocide in different universities across the
world while there is not a single Armenian student among them.
"And they are future scientists, and that is a well-planned strategy,"
said he, adding that all the heads of the chairs that are related to
the genocide issue this way or another are also Turks.
In his words there is no new generation of scientists to substitute
the elder ones.
"There is a serious threat: in a 15-20 years' time the Armenian
Genocide may become only a historical reality," concluded Demoyan.
Tert.am
23.04.10
Most of the researchers of the Armenian Genocide abroad are Turkish
nationals, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk
Demoyan said at a press conference today.
According to Demoyan a lot of students defend their theses on the
topic of the Armenian Genocide in different universities across the
world while there is not a single Armenian student among them.
"And they are future scientists, and that is a well-planned strategy,"
said he, adding that all the heads of the chairs that are related to
the genocide issue this way or another are also Turks.
In his words there is no new generation of scientists to substitute
the elder ones.
"There is a serious threat: in a 15-20 years' time the Armenian
Genocide may become only a historical reality," concluded Demoyan.
Wales remembers those who suffered in the Ottoman Empire of the early 20th century
"Wales remembers those who suffered in the Ottoman Empire of the early 20th century"
In an unprecedented gesture of solidarity, the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, sent the above message to the Armenians in Wales and their supporters in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.
They had gathered on 23 April 2010 to pray for their lost ancestors at the memorial in the Temple of Peace, Cardiff, on land generously donated by the Welsh people and with local funding from the Torosyan family.
This was special too as the new Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Very Rev Vahan Hovhanessian who had arrived within the last month, offered the requiem (hokehankisd) prayers in his first of many visits to Wales, assisted by Deacon Stepan Ovanessoff. The community was honoured with the presence of Canon Chancellor Patrick Thomas, St David's Cathedral, Church of Wales, Rev Dr Trystan Owain Hughes, Anglican Chaplain to Cardiff University representing the Archdeacon of Landaff as well as representatives of the Baptist Union of Wales.
There was true fellowship between the churches, including the exchange of gifts, and all the people to remember all victims of all genocides.
The Welsh have been early and staunch friends of the Armenians for which we are so grateful
Also attending were two strong supporters of the Armenians in their fight for recognition, Jenny Randerson of the Welsh Assembly and Stephen Thomas of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs.
The First Minister's message timed to be read out at the commemoration is a remarkable milestone in Wales: First Ministers have not reached out on this way ever before.
This have been a good year with the January Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in Cardiff including an Armenian priest, Der Shnork, saying prayers with the Armenian Genocide mentioned more than once in specific terms.
Work has already begun to consolidate this position and advance further in 2011: recognition requires year-long effort.
There was also an unexpected surprise that day.
The Primate and the organisers made a pilgrimage to a statue of the Virgin Mary of Penrhys, Rhonda where they were met by Sharon Rees, secretary and Christian worker of the church .
This statue has a remarkable history but the reason for the visit is that the United Reformed Church in this small village were the first to take the Armenians into their hearts.
This church devised a special service with its own liturgy in 1998 to commemorate the victims of the genocide.
This service will be researched and hopefully repeated in the presence of an Armenian and Welsh congregation.
Truly the Welsh churches have compassionate congregations.
Those in Penrhys deserve special praise of their support despite the community being in one of the most deprived areas in the UK.
The most active Welshman, Eilian Williams, was not present but represented by his daughter.
Eilian had decided to join the Human Rights Association of Turkey commemoration at the Istanbul station from where the Armenian intellectuals and leaders were sent to their death on 24 April 1915.
During the reception that followed, we received a message that over 100 persons had already gathered at the station despite the attentions of the authorities.
He then was to join the Turkish intellectuals at Taksim Square in an act of remembrance and atonement.
This demonstrates the calibre, humanity and integrity of the Welsh people and why they are such a bulwark for the Armenians.
We humbly salute their spirit.
Prayers at the Shrine of the Virgin Mary
Hokehankisd Prayers at the Temple of Peace Memorial
Private Prayers
Exchange of Gifts
Celtic Cross Gift from Canon Patrick Thomas
who sees a clear design connection with a frieze
he has seen in Artsakh
Armenian Genocide News
Obama Refuses to Recognize Armenian Genocide
By Asbarez
Apr 24th, 2010
WASHINGTON–President Obama, once again, refused to recognize the
Armenian genocide in his annual message on this the 95th anniversary
of the genocide. This marks the second year that he has broken his
campaign pledge to properly recognize the genocide.
Below is Obama’s statement:
****
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
April 24, 2010
Statement of President Barack Obama on Armenian Remembrance Day
On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that ninety-five
years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began. In
that dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or
marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.
Today is a day to reflect upon and draw lessons from these terrible
events. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in
1915, and my view of that history has not changed. It is in all of
our interest to see the achievement a full, frank and just
acknowledgment of the facts. The Meds Yeghern is a devastating
chapter in the history of the Armenian people, and we must keep its
memory alive in honor of those who were murdered and so that we do not
repeat the grave mistakes of the past. I salute the Turks who saved
Armenians in 1915 and am encouraged by the dialogue among Turks and
Armenians, and within Turkey itself, regarding this painful history.
Together, the Turkish and Armenian people will be stronger as they
acknowledge their common history and recognize their common humanity.
Even as we confront the inhumanity of 1915, we also are inspired by
the remarkable spirit of the Armenian people. While nothing can
bring back those who were killed in the Meds Yeghern, the
contributions that Armenians have made around the world over the last
ninety-five years stand as a testament to the strength, tenacity and
courage of the Armenian people. The indomitable spirit of the
Armenian people is a lasting triumph over those who set out to destroy
them. Many Armenians came to the United States as survivors of the
horrors of 1915. Over the generations Americans of Armenian descent
have richened our communities, spurred our economy, and strengthened
our democracy. The strong traditions and culture of Armenians also
became the foundation of a new republic which has become a part of the
community of nations, partnering with the world community to build a
better future.
Today, we pause with them and with Armenians everywhere to remember
the awful events of 1915 with deep admiration for their contributions
which transcend this dark past and give us hope for the future
By Asbarez
Apr 24th, 2010
WASHINGTON–President Obama, once again, refused to recognize the
Armenian genocide in his annual message on this the 95th anniversary
of the genocide. This marks the second year that he has broken his
campaign pledge to properly recognize the genocide.
Below is Obama’s statement:
****
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
April 24, 2010
Statement of President Barack Obama on Armenian Remembrance Day
On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that ninety-five
years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began. In
that dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or
marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.
Today is a day to reflect upon and draw lessons from these terrible
events. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in
1915, and my view of that history has not changed. It is in all of
our interest to see the achievement a full, frank and just
acknowledgment of the facts. The Meds Yeghern is a devastating
chapter in the history of the Armenian people, and we must keep its
memory alive in honor of those who were murdered and so that we do not
repeat the grave mistakes of the past. I salute the Turks who saved
Armenians in 1915 and am encouraged by the dialogue among Turks and
Armenians, and within Turkey itself, regarding this painful history.
Together, the Turkish and Armenian people will be stronger as they
acknowledge their common history and recognize their common humanity.
Even as we confront the inhumanity of 1915, we also are inspired by
the remarkable spirit of the Armenian people. While nothing can
bring back those who were killed in the Meds Yeghern, the
contributions that Armenians have made around the world over the last
ninety-five years stand as a testament to the strength, tenacity and
courage of the Armenian people. The indomitable spirit of the
Armenian people is a lasting triumph over those who set out to destroy
them. Many Armenians came to the United States as survivors of the
horrors of 1915. Over the generations Americans of Armenian descent
have richened our communities, spurred our economy, and strengthened
our democracy. The strong traditions and culture of Armenians also
became the foundation of a new republic which has become a part of the
community of nations, partnering with the world community to build a
better future.
Today, we pause with them and with Armenians everywhere to remember
the awful events of 1915 with deep admiration for their contributions
which transcend this dark past and give us hope for the future
GENOCIDE CONFERENCE IN ANKARA CANCELLED
Armenian Weekly Staff
Thu, Apr 22 2010
ANKARA, Turkey (A.W.)-A symposium on the Armenian Genocide titled "1915
Within Its Pre- and Post-Historical Periods: Denial and Confrontation,"
which was to be held in Ankara, was cancelled on April 21 after facing
political and bureaucratic hurdles.
Organized by the Ankara Freedom to Thought Initiative (AFTI), the
symposium was not only going to address history, but explore issues
like the confiscation of Armenian property and reparations.
Confirmed participants included Ragip Zarakolu (publisher), Recep
Marasli (author of The Armenian National Democratic Movement and 1915
Genocide), Sait Cetinoglu (activist and writer), David Gaunt (genocide
scholar, author of Massacres, Resistance, Protectors: Muslim-Christian
Relations in Eastern Anatolia During World War I), Henry Theriault
(professor of philosophy, Worcester State University), Baskin Oran
(author, professor of political science at Ankara University; one of
the initiators of the apology campaign of Turkish intellectuals),
and Khatchig Mouradian (doctoral student in Holocaust and genocide
studies, Clark University; editor, the Armenian Weekly).
Theriault and Mouradian were scheduled to speak about Genocide
recognition and reparations.
Armenian Weekly Staff
Thu, Apr 22 2010
ANKARA, Turkey (A.W.)-A symposium on the Armenian Genocide titled "1915
Within Its Pre- and Post-Historical Periods: Denial and Confrontation,"
which was to be held in Ankara, was cancelled on April 21 after facing
political and bureaucratic hurdles.
Organized by the Ankara Freedom to Thought Initiative (AFTI), the
symposium was not only going to address history, but explore issues
like the confiscation of Armenian property and reparations.
Confirmed participants included Ragip Zarakolu (publisher), Recep
Marasli (author of The Armenian National Democratic Movement and 1915
Genocide), Sait Cetinoglu (activist and writer), David Gaunt (genocide
scholar, author of Massacres, Resistance, Protectors: Muslim-Christian
Relations in Eastern Anatolia During World War I), Henry Theriault
(professor of philosophy, Worcester State University), Baskin Oran
(author, professor of political science at Ankara University; one of
the initiators of the apology campaign of Turkish intellectuals),
and Khatchig Mouradian (doctoral student in Holocaust and genocide
studies, Clark University; editor, the Armenian Weekly).
Theriault and Mouradian were scheduled to speak about Genocide
recognition and reparations.
FORMER IAGS PRESIDENT'S LETTER TO TATE GALLERY ON
GENOCIDE DENIAL
Armenian Weekly Staff
Thu, Apr 22 2010
Below is a letter the former president of the International Association
of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) sent to the director and the curator of
the Tate Gallery, noting that "is beneath the dignity of the Tate
Gallery to succumb to the pressure of genocide deniers for any reason."
***
Sir Nicholas Serota, Director, The Tate Gallery Mr. Matthew Gale,
Curator, The Tate Gallery
Dear Sir Nicholas Serota and Mr. Gale,
It has come to my attention that the Tate Gallery has responded to
massive pressure from the Turkish denialist lobby and has posted
a disclaimer about the use of the term "genocide" in the materials
accompanying the Tate's excellent Arshile Gorky exhibit.
As the immediate past President of the International Association of
Genocide Scholars (the major body of genocide scholars in the world),
founding President of Genocide Watch, and Professor of Genocide Studies
and Prevention at George Mason University, I must request that the
disclaimer be immediately removed from the exhibit. It contains
statements that are untrue. It is beneath the dignity of the Tate
Gallery to succumb to the pressure of genocide deniers for any reason.
The term genocide is not only "emotive," as you have noted, but
more importantly, it is a scholarly and legal term and it applies
fully to the Turkish mass killing of the Armenians. Britain's own
internationally respected Queen's Council, Sir Geoffrey Robinson
stated in a report of October 2009 that from an international legal
perspective, "the treatment of the Armenians in 1915 answers to the
description of genocide."
Contrary to the statement in your disclaimer, the British government
has never stated that it has "found no pre-meditation and that,
therefore, the wartime events of 1915 do not constitute a 'genocide'
in the legal definition." In fact the House of Lords in 1915, using
evidence from a report written by Lord Bryce and the great historian
Arnold Toynbee, accused the Ottoman Empire of "making government
by massacre part of their political system," and of "systematically
exterminating a whole race out of their domain."
British Foreign Ministers Arthur Balfour and Lord Curzon, and Prime
Minister David Lloyd George were instrumental in creating the tribunals
that convicted the Young Turk triumvirate - Talaat, Enver, and Jemal
- of "massacres of hundreds of thousands of their own subjects"
" which reduced the Armenian population "by well over a million."
The trials of these "crimes against humanity," as the British
government called them, proved the key charge of "pre-meditated mass
murder." The triumvirate was convicted and sentenced to death. Their
crimes precisely fit the modern definition of genocide.
So the statement in your disclaimer that "the British Government has
found no pre-meditation and that, therefore, the wartime events of
1915 do not constitute a 'genocide' in the legal definition" IS FALSE.
The disclaimer must be removed from the exhibit.
What strikes genocide scholars as most important to note is that the
Polish legal scholar Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide in large
part on the basis of the Turkish mass killing of the Armenians in
1915. Lemkin's determination to get the United Nations to adopt the
Genocide Convention was first shaped by the Armenian Genocide, as he
notes in his own memoir, and then was realized after the Holocaust.
Lemkin, who invented the term "genocide" was the first legal scholar
to use the term Armenian Genocide. Every scholarly book on genocide
has a section on the Armenian Genocide. The International Association
of Genocide Scholars has repeatedly and unanimously passed resolutions
affirming that the massacres of Armenians constituted "genocide."
I realize that the Tate Gallery has been put under pressure by
the Turkish government to post its disclaimer, and I respect the
difficulties this pressure presents for the Gallery. Nevertheless I
suggest that if you must post a statement by the Gallery, that you
revise your statement so it is in accord with the facts. Language
such as the following might accomplish your purpose:
"While the British government for various reasons has never officially
used the term genocide in its description of the mass killings of
Armenians in 1915, it is important to note that Raphael Lemkin, the
legal scholar who coined the term genocide did so in large part on the
basis of the Ottoman government's extermination of the Armenians in
1915. The International Association of Genocide Scholars, the largest
body of genocide scholars in the world, has repeatedly affirmed that
the scholarly record and the legal and archival evidence prove that
genocide is the accurate and necessary term to describe the mass
killings of the Armenians. It is for these reasons that we have
described the massacres as "widely held to be genocide."
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope to hear from you.
I would be happy to discuss this issue with you. My phone number is
1-703-448-0222, and my e-mail address is genocidewatch@aol.com.
Sincerely, Professor Gregory Stanton Immediate Past President,
International Association of Genocide Scholars Founding President,
Genocide Watch Professor of Genocide Studies and Prevention, George
Mason University, USA
Armenian Weekly Staff
Thu, Apr 22 2010
Below is a letter the former president of the International Association
of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) sent to the director and the curator of
the Tate Gallery, noting that "is beneath the dignity of the Tate
Gallery to succumb to the pressure of genocide deniers for any reason."
***
Sir Nicholas Serota, Director, The Tate Gallery Mr. Matthew Gale,
Curator, The Tate Gallery
Dear Sir Nicholas Serota and Mr. Gale,
It has come to my attention that the Tate Gallery has responded to
massive pressure from the Turkish denialist lobby and has posted
a disclaimer about the use of the term "genocide" in the materials
accompanying the Tate's excellent Arshile Gorky exhibit.
As the immediate past President of the International Association of
Genocide Scholars (the major body of genocide scholars in the world),
founding President of Genocide Watch, and Professor of Genocide Studies
and Prevention at George Mason University, I must request that the
disclaimer be immediately removed from the exhibit. It contains
statements that are untrue. It is beneath the dignity of the Tate
Gallery to succumb to the pressure of genocide deniers for any reason.
The term genocide is not only "emotive," as you have noted, but
more importantly, it is a scholarly and legal term and it applies
fully to the Turkish mass killing of the Armenians. Britain's own
internationally respected Queen's Council, Sir Geoffrey Robinson
stated in a report of October 2009 that from an international legal
perspective, "the treatment of the Armenians in 1915 answers to the
description of genocide."
Contrary to the statement in your disclaimer, the British government
has never stated that it has "found no pre-meditation and that,
therefore, the wartime events of 1915 do not constitute a 'genocide'
in the legal definition." In fact the House of Lords in 1915, using
evidence from a report written by Lord Bryce and the great historian
Arnold Toynbee, accused the Ottoman Empire of "making government
by massacre part of their political system," and of "systematically
exterminating a whole race out of their domain."
British Foreign Ministers Arthur Balfour and Lord Curzon, and Prime
Minister David Lloyd George were instrumental in creating the tribunals
that convicted the Young Turk triumvirate - Talaat, Enver, and Jemal
- of "massacres of hundreds of thousands of their own subjects"
" which reduced the Armenian population "by well over a million."
The trials of these "crimes against humanity," as the British
government called them, proved the key charge of "pre-meditated mass
murder." The triumvirate was convicted and sentenced to death. Their
crimes precisely fit the modern definition of genocide.
So the statement in your disclaimer that "the British Government has
found no pre-meditation and that, therefore, the wartime events of
1915 do not constitute a 'genocide' in the legal definition" IS FALSE.
The disclaimer must be removed from the exhibit.
What strikes genocide scholars as most important to note is that the
Polish legal scholar Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide in large
part on the basis of the Turkish mass killing of the Armenians in
1915. Lemkin's determination to get the United Nations to adopt the
Genocide Convention was first shaped by the Armenian Genocide, as he
notes in his own memoir, and then was realized after the Holocaust.
Lemkin, who invented the term "genocide" was the first legal scholar
to use the term Armenian Genocide. Every scholarly book on genocide
has a section on the Armenian Genocide. The International Association
of Genocide Scholars has repeatedly and unanimously passed resolutions
affirming that the massacres of Armenians constituted "genocide."
I realize that the Tate Gallery has been put under pressure by
the Turkish government to post its disclaimer, and I respect the
difficulties this pressure presents for the Gallery. Nevertheless I
suggest that if you must post a statement by the Gallery, that you
revise your statement so it is in accord with the facts. Language
such as the following might accomplish your purpose:
"While the British government for various reasons has never officially
used the term genocide in its description of the mass killings of
Armenians in 1915, it is important to note that Raphael Lemkin, the
legal scholar who coined the term genocide did so in large part on the
basis of the Ottoman government's extermination of the Armenians in
1915. The International Association of Genocide Scholars, the largest
body of genocide scholars in the world, has repeatedly affirmed that
the scholarly record and the legal and archival evidence prove that
genocide is the accurate and necessary term to describe the mass
killings of the Armenians. It is for these reasons that we have
described the massacres as "widely held to be genocide."
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope to hear from you.
I would be happy to discuss this issue with you. My phone number is
1-703-448-0222, and my e-mail address is genocidewatch@aol.com.
Sincerely, Professor Gregory Stanton Immediate Past President,
International Association of Genocide Scholars Founding President,
Genocide Watch Professor of Genocide Studies and Prevention, George
Mason University, USA
hurriyetdailynews.com
For the fear of God: A requiem for Armenians
MUSTAFA AKYOL
Friday, April 23, 2010
Ninety-five years ago, on this very day, a dark episode began in the crumbling
Ottoman Empire. Around 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders
were arrested in Istanbul and deported to Anatolia, never to return.
The real catastrophe began a month later. The Union and Progress government,
the Young Turk Party that overtook the empire with a military coup in 1913,
passed an Expulsion Law, giving itself the authority to deport anyone that is
deemed as a threat to national security.
Armenians were the real target. Soon, in almost every city and town in eastern
Anatolia, they were forced out of their homes and destined to the far and arid
Syria. In some places, they were transported by trains, but most were forced to
march for hundreds of kilometers, often without food and water. Many perished
on the road, out of famine, dehydration and disease. (The photos showing these
victims, especially the starving children and babies, are painful for anyone with
a conscious.) In other cases, there were massacres committed by the locals,
driven either by hatred or the lust to confiscate the victim's properties.
The ‘slaughter’
In total, at least 600,000 Armenians, and probably more, perished in 1915, in
one of history's most tragic ethnic cleansings. I, as a Muslim Turk, feel only pain
and remorse for those tortured souls, whose memory deserves remembrance
and respect. Yet, the same memory also leads me to ask why this great
catastrophe took place, and how my nation created it.
A combination of fear and nationalism, as I understand, was the driving force.
In 1915, the Ottomans were at war on three deadly fronts (with the British and the
French at Gallipoli and the Middle East, and with Russia on the East), and
Armenians were increasingly seen as in league with the enemy. The Ottoman
elite, and especially the Balkan-originated Young Turks, had seen how the Greeks
or Bulgarians ethnically cleansed great portions of their Muslim populations during
their national uprisings. Now they feared the same thing would happen in Anatolia,
with an independent Armenia emerging under Russian tutelage.
The “pre-emptive” logic of the Young Turks can be seen in the memoirs of Halil
Menteşe, a close friend of Talat Paşa, the mastermind of the whole tragedy. In the
summer of 1915, he visited Talat at his home, and found him miserable. “I got
telegrams from Tahsin [the governor of Erzurum] telling about the situation of the
Armenians,” Talat explained:
“I could not sleep all night. It is not something that the human heart can endure.
But if I did not do this to them, they would do it to us.”
I heard the same logic from my own grandmother as well, who always lived in
Yozgat, in which Armenians were mass-murdered in 1915. “There was a rumor
that the Armenians would ally with the Muscovite to kill all Muslims,” she once
said. “Then the elders stormed the Armenian church and found many guns and
ammunition. This, they thought, proved the rumors.”
What followed, my grandmother would sadly add, was the “kesim,” or “the slaughter,”
of the Armenians - who, alas, probably piled up those weapons out of fear as well.
In the Turkish mind, this if-we-did-not-do-this-to-them-they-would-do-it-to-us logic
was also reinforced by the mass atrocities that Armenian militias committed
against Muslims in 1916-17, when they had a chance for “revenge” due to the
Russian advance in the eastern front. Turks kept on remembering the horror
stories from that period, whereas most Armenians only remembered 1915.
We humans, after all, have a tendency to remember our own losses rather than
those of others.
The mufti vs the governor
But now, I believe, is the time to be fairer. For our part, I think we Turks have made
a terrible mistake for decades by totally overlooking the enormous suffering that the
Armenian people went through in 1915.
Yet in fact, there were exemplary figures who put justice over nationalism even then.
In Boğazlıyan, a district of Yozgat, the mufti of the town, Abdullahzade Mehmet Efendi,
had protested the governor who was a willing executioner. The Muslim cleric also
bore witness against the governor in the Ottoman military tribunal trial of 1919, stating,
“I fear the wrath of God.”
The same Muslim conscious can also be seen in the transcripts of the same tribunal,
at which the Unionists were tried for their crimes against Armenians. A passage tells
about how “the elders and leaders” of Çankırı, accompanied by their mufti, put a
request to the mayor of the city with the following words:
“The Armenians and their children from the neighboring vilayets [provinces] are being
driven like cattle to the mountain for slaughter. We do not want these types of things to
occur in our vilayets. We are afraid of the wrath of Allah.”
The same transcript adds, “these individuals had left with tears in their eyes, after
securing the assurances of the mayor that this type of act would not take place in their
vilayet.”
Those God-fearing individuals, I believe, were the best of my nation in 1915. And now
more of us are remembering their spirit, and even joining them in their tears.
Bill Handel has millions of listeners in Los Angeles.
Today, he discussed the Armenian Genocide and took the Turks (and Obama) to task.
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