An 2.8 magnitude n earthquake shook Armenia’s north-eastern region Gegharkunik on Saturday morning.
The Emergency Ministry’s Seismic Protection Center recorded the jolts at 10:15 Yerevan time (GMT 6:15).
The earthquake was centered 27km east off the town Sevan at the depth of 10 km.
Founding editor of HyeTert dies in Turkey
The founding editor-in-chief of the Istanbul-based Armenian newspaper HyeTert has died in Turkey, the Turkish-language publication Luys reports.
A prominent Turkish-Armenian intellectual, Murat Berberoglu was best known for his articles on the Armenian Genocide, Armenian history and culture, and the big heritage left behind by the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. He also initiated a range of project which were later published in Turkish.
Armenia sends another consignment of humanitarian aid to Syria
YEREVAN. – Following an agreement between the defense ministries of Armenia and Russia, and upon instruction by the President of Armenia, another consignment of humanitarian aid, which is intended for the residents who have suffered from the Syrian conflict, on Friday was sent to Syria, on behalf of Armenia.
The objective of this assistance is to enhance the resilience of the people and Armenian community of Syria.
This consignment of humanitarian aid—which comprises about 20 tons of food, food items, clothing, and sleeping bags—was sent to Syria from Erebuni Airport in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan, and on board a Russian Air Force plane.
“To the brotherly people of Syria, with warm wishes for peace from Armenia,” is written on this humanitarian cargo.
OSMANLIDAN GÜNÜMÜZE BASKILANAN PATRİKHANELER
ZEYNEP TOZDUMANBu yazimi 16.02.2017 günü kaybettigimiz ve bu calismada yararlandigim kaynakcanin sahibi olan sevgili Murat Bebiroglu“na ithaf ediyorum. Ermeni halkinin basi sagolsun.
Son 2 yıldır ülke de yaşatılan savaş ve korku imparatorluğu olanca hızıyla devam ediyor. Savaşların, baskıların, sürgünlerin, işten atılmaların, tutuklamaların gölgesinde bir referanduma gidiyoruz.
Mezopotamya“da 56 Kürt Belediye Başkanının tutuklanması ve hükümetin bu Belediyelere kayyum ataması yetmemiş olsa gerek ki AGOS gazetesinden öğrendigimiz bir habere göre şimdi de patrikhanelere kayyum atanacak. AGOS gazetesinin bu haberinden sonra Ermeni Patrikhanesinde bir türlü sular durulmadi.
Ülke olarak 16 Nisan 2017 günü yapilacak referanduma hazırlandığımız bu günler de, daha önceden yaptığım; hep acı gündemlerden dolayı ötelediğim bu çalışmayı hem Süryanice, hem Türkçe olarak siz okurlarımla paylaşmak istiyorum.
Osmanlıdan günümüze bu ülkenin kadim halkları, hep ikinci sınıf yurttaş muamelesiyle; etnik, dini, kültürel katliamlarla, zorla islamlaştırma, cinsiyet, emval-i metruke ve toprakları işgal edilerek bu gün demografik olarak yok denecek kadar az sayıda kalmışlardır.
Yine Osmanlıdan günümüze, yasal düzenlemelerle iyileştirmeler yapılsa da tekçilik (Tek bayrak, tek din, tek dil) ve Hristiyan din adamlarının ellerindeki imkanların,daraltılması yüzünden, azınlıklar bu yasal haklardan yararlanamamıştır.
Osmanlı Devleti’nin kuruluşundan XIX. Yüzyılda Tanzimat ve Islahat Fermanları’nın yayınlanmasına kadar bütün gayrimüslimler, zımmi statüsünde varlıklarını sürdürdüler. II. Mahmut döneminde başlayan Islahat hareketleri Tanzimat ve Islahat Fermanları’nın yolunu açtı.
1831 yılında İstanbul’da yapılan nüfus sayımı ile Suriçi’nde 45.000 Müslüman, 30.000 Ermeni ve 20.000 Rum yetişkin erkeğin yaşadığı saptanmıştır. İlk defa Hristiyan mahalleri dahil her mahallede kahya ve muhtarlar seçildi.
1844’de yapılan nüfus sayımı ise sadece İstanbul’da yaşayan erkekleri değil, bütün Osmanlı ülkesini kapsayacak şekilde (kadın- erkek ) yapılmıştır. 1844 genel nüfus sayımına göre Osmanlı Devletinin (Asya, Avrupa, Afrika) toplam nüfusu 35.350.000’dir. Osmanlı Devleti’nde Müslümanlar, toplam nüfus içinde bağlı eyaletler dahil %58.13’lük bir orana sahiptir. (1)
1885 yılında, İstanbul’daki toplam kamu görevlerinin %95.4’ü Müslümanların, %4,6’sı ise gayrımüslim milletlerin elinde bulunuyordu. 37 yıl süren Tanzimat döneminde (1839- 1876) ve günümüzde kamuda çalışan gayrı müslim sayısı yok denecek kadar azdır.
Bu dönemde Batılı devletlerin Osmanlı Devleti’nin iç işlerine gayrimüslim halklarla ilgili ilk önemli müdahalesi olmuştur.
İlk kez Hristiyan ve Yahudilerin farklı giyinme mecburiyeti, Sultan II. Mahmut döneminde kaldırıldı.
3 Kasım 1839 tarihinde Tanzimat Fermanı ilanıyla ilk kez, Müslüman olanlar ve olmayanların can, ırz, mal, konut dokunulmazlığının sağlanacağını ve tüm Osmanlı tebeanın dini inanışlarına bakılmadan bazı konularda (kişi hakları, vergi ve ceza gibi) aynı haklara ve ve güvenceye sahip oldukları açıklanıyordu. Gayrimüslimler için özellikle kıyafet mecburiyeti, ev yüksekliği gibi yasaklar kaldırıldı, seyahat serbestisi getirildi.
Müslüman halk, asırlardır kendisinden aşağı gördüğü gayrimüslimlerle eşit sayılmayı hiçbir zaman kabul etmediği gibi Hristiyanlar ve Hristiyan din adamları da bu fermandan hoşlanmadılar.
Devletin gözünde Rumlar ilk sırada, Yahudiler son sıradaydı. Özellikle Rumlar, diğer gayrimüslimlerle eşit tutulmayı hazmedemedi, hele Hristiyan gruplar kendilerinin Yahudilerle eşit sayılmasını kesin olarak reddettiler.
Asırlardan beri askerlik yapmayan Hristiyanlar, askerlik yapmak istememesi hem müslüman hem Hristiyanlar için büyük bir sorun teşkil ediyordu.
Batılı devletler, Hristiyanlara yeni haklar tanınmasını, Hristiyanların askerlikte miralaylığa, devlet memuriyetinde birinci sınıf memurluğa kadar terfi edilmesini, kilise onarım ve yapımına izin verilmesini, mezhep değiştirme yasağının kaldırılmasını ve bunun yasal hale getirilmesi için Osmanlı’ya kurdukları baskılar sonucu 18 Şubat 1856 tarihinde Islahat Fermanı yayımlandı.
Bu ferman da gayrimüslimler için çıkarılmıştır. Temel amacı Müslüman ve gayrimüslimlerin eşitliği içindir. Patrikler hayat boyu görev yapmak üzere seçilecek, ancak bundan böyle Dünyevi işlere karışmayacaktı. Islahat Fermanında gayrımüslimler için kırıcı, utandırıcı ve aşağılayıcı sözler kullanılması yasaklanmıştır. Örneğin;’Gavura, gavur denmeyecektir!’.
Gayrimüslimler her memuriyete ve askeri okullara alınacaktır. Islahat Fermanında, Hukuk ve usul yönünden pek çok yenilik getirilmiştir. Bu ferman tutucu Müslümanlar tarafından bir utanç belgesi olarak görülüp, Tanzimat Fermanından daha fazla tepki çekti.
15 Temmuz 1858 Cuma günü, Suriye ve Lübnan’da Cidde olayları sonucu Süryani/Maruni katliamı yapıldı. Bu topraklarda, Müslüman halklara karşı her katliam, nedense Cuma günleri yapılmaktadır. Gayrimüslim halklar, Müslüman halkların baskıları ve katliamları yüzünden kendilerine tanınan hakları bazen kullanmaya bile cesaret edemedi; bazen de yeteri kadar kullanamadı.
Hristiyan halklar açısından diğer bir sorun da, gayrimüslim din adamları, medeni kanunla yetkilerin ellerinden alınmasına, dünyevi işlerden tamamen uzaklaştırılmalarına, mali kaynakların yok olmasına tepki göstererek fermana karşı çıktılar.
Bu fermanlar hayata geçirilemediği gibi ne müdahaleler sona erdi, ne de fermanın gerekleri yerine getirildi. Ermeni Patrikhanesinde Patrik seçimi, Fatih Sultan Mehmet’den bu yana yaklaşık 500 yıl boyunca Osmanlının istemediği hiçbir patrik seçilmedi. Bu anlamda patrik, bağımsız ve özgür değildir.
SÜRYANİ KADİM PATRİKHANE NİZAMNAMESİ ( 1914 )
1860, Ermeni milleti Nizamnamesi ile başlayan süreç , 1863’de resmen kabulü ile Ermeni Protestanları, Katogigosluğu, Rumları, Musevileri, Türk Ortodoksları, 1914’de Süryanileri kapsayacak kadar genişletildi.
Kadim Süryani halkının Kilise merkezi, Osmanlı’nın ve genç cumhuriyetin baskıları yüzünden, Antakya’dan Malatya’ya, sonra Diyarbakır üzerinden Mardin Deyrül Zafaran’a taşınmıştır. 1932’de Deyrül Zafaran’dan Suriye’nin Humus kentine, oradan da 1959’da Şam’a taşınmıştır. Halen Şam’dadır.
Süryani Kilisesi patrik tarafından idare edilmektedir. Patriğin ünvanı, Antakya ve Bütün Doğu’nun Elçisel Kürsüsü Patriği ve bütün dünyadaki Süryani Ortodoks Kilisesi’nin reisidir.
Süryani Kilisesi, Ermeni Kilisesi gibi apostolik ve Doğu Ortodoksu bir kilisedir. 4. Konsili tanımayan bütün kiliseler gibi Süryani Kilisesi de batılılar tarafından monofizit olarak tanınır. Fatih Sultan Mehmet’in, İstanbul’u 1453“de fethinden sonra Ermeni episkoposluğu patriklik haline getirildi. Rum ve Yahudilerin dışında kalan ve 4. Konsil kararlarını kabul etmeyen bütün gayri müslimler, Ermeni Patrikliği’ne bağlandı.
Bu nedenle de Ortodoks Apostolik Süryani Kilisesi 1914 yılında, ayrı patriklik olana kadar Ermeni Patrikliği’ne bağlı kaldı. Süryaniler 1914“e kadar hep Ermeni kilisesi icinde sayildilar. Süryanilerin arasında az sayıda da olsa Katolik ve Protestan da vardır.
Batı cephesinde küçük asya felaketinin sürdüğü bu yıllarda, çoğunlukla İstanbul, Mardin, Diyarbakır, Siirt, Adıyaman’da yaşayan Süryani halkı,1914 patrikhane nizamnamesi ile bir şekilde korunmak istedi.
Süryani Kadim Ortodoks Kilisesi, 18 Mart 1914 tarih, 79 numara ile Adliye ve Mezahip Nezaretine başvurarak, Osmanlı bürokrasindeki yerini tescil ettirmek için 64 maddeden oluşan bir nizamname hazırladı. Bu nizamname, üç nüsha halinde çoğaltılıp, birinci nüsha Adliye ve Mezahip Bakanlığı’na sunulmak üzere yerel hükümet temsilcisine, İkinci nüsha patriğe, üçüncü nüsha ise İstanbul’daki patrik vekiline verilmiştir.
Süryani Nizamnamesi; kilise hiyerarşisini tanzimi için Adliye ve Mezahip Bakanlığı’ndan Diyarbakır Valiliği’ne de oluşuma izin verilmesi için İstanbul Patrik Vekili Serepiskopos Boglis, Mardin Episkoposu Cercis, Musul Episkoposu İlyas, Diyarbakır Episkoposu Toma, ve cemaatten oluşan bir heyet oluşturuldu. (3)
Sözü edilen Süryani nizamnamesi, Islahat Fermanının getirdiği yenilik ve gayrımüslim Hristiyan vatandaşları kapsayan, zamanın şartlarına uygun olarak hazırlanan, resmi bir yazıyla Mardin Kaymakamlığı’ndan, patrikhane makamına belgenin bir sureti hükümetin onayı ile gönderilmiştir.
Mardin Kaymankamlığı’ndan gelen resmi yazı üzerine, Mor Arşnasya, Toma Kasir Efendi’nin başkanlığında toplanan üyelerin, Karma Meclis’ce verilen görevi, en iyi şekilde yapacaklarını beyan ve taahhüt etmelerinden sonra, Patrikhane Nizamnamesi Hanna Sırrı Efendi’nin başkanlığında madde madde incelenerek oy birliğiyle kabul edilmiş ve imza ile tasdik edilmiştir.
Süryani Patrikhane Nizamnamesi’nden bir yıl sonra 1915’de,başlangıçta Ermeni halkı için çıkarılan tehcir kararı, tüm Hristiyan halkları kapsayarak genişletilmiştir. özellikle doğu ve güneydoğu Anadolu bölgesinde yaşayan Süryani halkı için sonun başlangıcı olmuştur.
1915’de yaşananlar sonucu yukarı mezopotamyada, Mardin, Diyarbakır , Batman, Elazığ, Hakkari, Adıyaman, Siirt, Cizre, İdil, Silopi, Bitlis’de Süryani halkına ait olan bir çok tarihi eser, kilise, manastır ve emval-i metrukelerin bir çoğuna el koyularak camiye, okula, eve, ahıra, kamu binasına dönüştürüldü. Cumhuriyetin kuruluşundan sonra 1924’de Hakkari’de, Nasturi katliamı ile devam eden 1928’de Süryani medreselerin kapatılmasıyla dini olarak Süryaniler hep baskılandılar.
1934’de Türkçe konuş kampanyaları ile de Süryani halkının dili de baskılandı, okullarda Türkçe, sokakta ise yaşadıkları yörenin dilleriyle, güney kısımda yaşayanlar Türkçe- Arapça, kuzeyde yaşayanlar Kürtçe- Arapça- Türkçe konuşarak çok dilli oldular ama bir çoğu neredeyse kendi ana dillerini kaybettiler. Katliamlar, asimilasyonlar sonucu Süryaniler, yaşadıkları coğrafya itibarıyla çok dilli, çok kültürlü, çok dinli bir coğrafyanın dilsiz çocukları haline getirildi. Hala ana dilde Eğitimin yasak olduğu, 1924 lozan haklarından yararlandırılmayan tek halktır Süryaniler.
Osmanlıdan beri katliamlarla, yok edemedikleri kadim halkları ve inançları, bu ülkede sürekli asimile ederek varlığını; ötekinin yokluğuyla inşaa eden bir ulus işte böyle yaratıldı.
Katliamlarla, baskılarla, asimilasyonlarla; dili, dini, kültürü özgür olmayan halkların yaşadığı topraklarda, baskın ulus da hiçbir zaman özgür olamaz.
ZEYNEP TOZDUMAN
Kaynakça :
1)- Osmanlı Devleti’nde Gayrimüslim Nizamnameleri, Murat Bebiroğlu
1-a)Tanzimat’dan II.Meşrutiyet’e Ermeni Nizamnameleri, Murat Bebiroğlu
2)- Bilal Eryılmaz, A.g.e,s.79,80
3)- Bu Nizamnamenin Osmanlıca metni Mardin Kırklar Kilisesi’nde bulunmaktadır. ‘Türkiye’de din imtiyazları’, M.Emil Elöve, 1953 Ankara Hukuk Fakültesi Dergisi C.X.s. 245- 260
Fresno: “The Curious Case of Armenian Genocide Perpetrator Ahmed Faik Bey” Lecture by Dr. Ümit Kurt,
Dr. Ümit Kurt
Tuesday, March 7 • 7:30PM
“The Curious Case of Armenian Genocide Perpetrator Ahmed Faik Bey”
University Business Center, Room 191, A. Peters Auditorium, Fresno State.
Free admission and free parking in Lots P6 or P5.
Parking code is required for free parking. With the support of the Leon S. Peters Foundation.
Dr. Ümit Kurt, a Research Fellow at Harvard University will present talk on “The Curious Case of Armenian Genocide Perpetrator Ahmed Faik Bey” on Tuesday, March 7 at 7:30pm in the University Business Center, Alice Peters Auditorium, Room 191, on the Fresno State campus.
The lecture is part of the Armenian Studies Program Spring 2017 Lecture Series, with the support of the Leon S. Peters Foundation.
Within the publications on the history of Armenian genocide, studies on the perpetrators received and continue to receive special attention. Seen from a wider perspective, it is rather important to make scholarly investigations and public debate regarding the executors of the Armenian Genocide. Even when the agents of Genocide were not explicitly mentioned, the consequences of their deeds remained all too visible to ignore them. Yet historians, that is to say those who defined it as their job to find out ‘what really happened,’ over an extended period of time left it to others to deal with the issue of perpetration.
This talk focuses on one major perpetrator, Ahmed Faik Erne (1879-1967), his background, deeds, activities and leading involvement in the 1915 Armenian deportation and genocide as well as his life story in the post-genocide period in modern Turkey.
Dr. Ümit Kurt completed his PhD. in the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program in the History Department of Clark University in 2016. His dissertation was entitled “Destruction of Aintab Armenians and Emergence of the New Wealthy Class: Plunder of Armenian Wealth in Aintab (1890s–1920s).” He is currently a research fellow at Harvard University.
No Journalist Safe in Turkey, German “Die Welt” journalist Deniz Yücel Arrested
A German correspondent for the daily “Die Welt” newspaper has been taken into custody in Turkey. He is the first German reporter to be held in a widespread crackdown on press freedom in Turkey.
A lawyer for Deniz Yücel said the 43-year-old journalist was being charged with membership in a terrorist organization, spreading propaganda and misuse of information.
The “Die Welt” correspondent had reported on emails that RedHack, a leftist hacker collective, had acquired from the private account of Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak. The minister is a son-in-law and close political ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Another six journalists – all working for Turkish news outlets – have been arrested in connection with the RedHack affair.
Since Fake coup last year, Turkish authorities have detained hundreds of people, including journalists, academics and suspected sympathizers of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Yücel, a dual citizen of Turkey and Germany, turned himself in to police on Tuesday. Under Turkey’s ongoing state of emergency, he can be held for up to 14 days before a judge must decide whether authorities can continue to keep him in custody.
Ulf Poschardt, the editor-in-chief of “Die Welt,” said in a statement that: “The Turkish government has repeatedly noted that Turkey is a state governed by the rule of law. This is why we believe that a fair process will result in him being declared innocent.”
Over 100 media workers jailed
German journalists’ union DJV said Yücel’s arrest showed that Erdogan was “trying to misuse the state of emergency to make disagreeable reporting impossible.” They called on the German government to interfere and to use diplomatic contacts to protect Yücel.
Reporters Without Borders Germany (RoG) said the case brought the prosecution of journalists to a new level. RoG director Christian Mihr said “[o]ther foreign correspondents have been expelled or not let into the country before,” but that detaining a foreign reporter on allegations similar to those faced by Turkish journalists was new.
Foreign reporters have so far enjoyed more liberties in Turkey than local journalists. But Turkish authorities reportedly choose to treat dual-citizen holder Yücel as a Turkish citizen, rather than a German.
According to newspaper “taz,” Yücel had previously been briefly jailed in June 2015 in Sanliurfa, a city in southern Turkey, after posing critical questions regarding refugees to the local governor.
There are currently some 120 media workers jailed in Turkey, according to the European Federation of Journalists. Ankara has rejected this figure and insists no one has been imprisoned for writing news articles.
mb, sms/msh (dpa, AFP, die Welt)
Turkey arrested more than 600 Kurd ahead of referendum
Turkey has arrested more than 600 people for alleged links to Kurdish militants ahead of a referendum on constitutional amendments that would give the president sweeping executive powers.
The state-run Anadolu agency reported that counter-terror police detained 86 people suspected of being connected to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group in dawn raids on Tuesday in several areas across the country, in addition to 544 detained a day earlier.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said in a statement issued prior to the arrests that Turkish authorities arrested more than 300 of its members and executives on Monday, bringing those held this year to about 1,200.
A dozen of its lawmakers and scores of Kurdish mayors from a sister party have been jailed pending trial, according to the statement.
The party’s executive committee said in the statement that “the basic goal of these operations… is to hold the referendum without the HDP.”
“We will never bow down faced with this persecution and pressure,” the party said, adding “What they are trying to prevent with the detentions and arrests is a ‘No’ (vote in the referendum).”
Turkey will hold a referendum in mid-April on replacing the current parliamentary system with the executive presidency long sought by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The vote will be held under a state of emergency following last July’s botched coup against the Erdogan government.
Turkish imam spy affair in Germany extends across Europe
(DW) A German investigation into Turkey’s religious officials collecting information on its enemies may be the tip of the iceberg. DW has obtained several documents revealing Turkish activities in Germany and European states.
German police on Wednesday raided the homes of four imams alleged to have spied on the opposition for the Turkish government. The police action is part of an investigation into what documents obtained by DW show to be a broader Turkish effort to collect information across Europe on supporters of the religious movement Ankara blames for last July’s failed coup attempt.
The raids targeted the homes of four Turkish imams affiliated with the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), Germany’s largest Islamic umbrella group with over 900 mosques tied to the Turkish government’s Directorate of Religion, or Diyanet.
The Federal Prosecutors Office (GBA) said in a statement no arrests were made in the raids in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Rhineland-Pfalz, which aimed to collect evidence into imams conducting alleged espionage against supporters of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for last July’s failed coup attempt.
The prosecutor’s office said the reason for the raids was related to a September order from Diyanet, a religious body tied to the Turkish prime ministry, for imams to pass information to diplomatic missions on Gulen supporters.
According to the documents obtained by DW, 13 imams and a “deputy coordinator” in the two states provided information to the Turkish religious attaché at the consulate in Cologne on at least 14 Gulen affiliated institutions and 45 people with alleged ties to the Gulen movement. NRW’s ministry of education has identified five people on the list as state-employed teachers.
A NRW interior ministry spokesman confirmed the documents from the Turkish consulate obtained by DW were the same as those in their possession. “It cannot be ruled out that further reports were drawn up from Germany and the neighboring countries,” he said.
In addition to naming people, the consular memos speak generally of those who “provide support or are sympathizers” of the Gulen movement, report on activity or name former institutions in their region.
German authorities have contacted those named on the lists and advised them against travel to Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has engaged in a massive post-coup purge.
Several of the imams have returned to Turkey, DW learned after making calls to some of the mosques, a factor likely to complicate the federal investigation.
Most of the Gulen-affiliated institutions are engaged in after-school tutoring for the socio-economically disadvantaged, inter-religious dialogue, cultural activities and projects to better integrate Turks in Germany. In NRW alone, the movement runs 63 associations and five private schools that get partial state support.
In the wake of the coup attempt, Turkey has called on all countries to clamp down on the Gulen movement, which it considers a terrorist organization. The issue has raised tensions between Turkey and some of its NATO allies, including Germany.
Both reports from Austria say Turkish state religious officials have taken active measures against the Gulenist activities and its attempts at “infiltration.” The Salzburg memo says ATIB and other religious officials “destroyed all books, audio materials, video CDs, poetry, brochures, newspapers and propaganda material” related to the Gulenists.
In Austria, religious official have “just like in the homeland assessed possible connections of the nefarious terror organization” and informed the Turkish government, the document reads.
Earlier this week, Austrian Greens Parliamentarian Peter Pilz announced he was in possession of religious attaché reports from Salzburg and Vienna. Pilz said he was working on publishing documents from 30 countries that revealed a “global spying network” at Turkish diplomatic missions.
Source: http://www.dw.com/en/turkish-imam-spy-affair-in-germany-extends-across-europe/a-37590672
Genocide reparation should be key effort in nationwide campaign – French-Armenian lawyer
The international recognition of the Armenian Genocide requires mutual efforts towards abandoning dogmatic thesis and focusing attention on the reparation issue, a French-Armenian lawyer said today as he addressed an international conference discussing the future of Armenia-Turkey relations.
Admitting that the issue is not among Turkey’s priorities today, Raffi (Philippe) Kalfayan, a legal expert at the Human Rights Research Center, University of Paris 2 Pantheon Assas, noted that a small “cell” in the Turkish society (including mainly lawyers and officials of Armenian descent) nonetheless raise the problem at times to keep it under spotlight.
The expert warned against adopting a united fixed strategy which he said may lead the sides into a deadlock. “That’s the Armenian Genocide recognition strategy, which may imply a political recognition. What we get in return is Turkey’s denial. That’s a serious battle which may take a long time and which leads nowhere but into a deadlock. Anyway, time is really important for the Armenian Cause, especially when it comes to reparation,” he added.
Khalafyan noted that international law has long ruled out the criminal liability element, with none of the perpetrators being alive to be incriminated individually.
“This is why the Armenian Genocide will remain just a historical fact. So the only way is to demand compensation for which the underlying principle should be unlawful actions prescribed by international law – rather than criminal liability,” he added.
The lawyer stressed particularly the importance of demanding civilian compensation (instead of focusing on Turkey’s violations).
He also called for distinguishing between collective and individual compensation, ruling out the possibility of collective demands. “The question is whether the Genocide issue will be actual in that case. Very probably, not. The responsibility issue will be raised in any case and established through a change in official history. It is important, after all, to mutually abandon the dogmatic theses to achieve a global and open cooperation, because Turkey is not the only side required to work towards writing a shared history,” Khalafyan said.
LA-bound Armenian Christians held up in travel ban’s wake
When President Donald Trump signed his executive order halting refugee admissions last month citing national security, he made it a point to say that religious minorities, especially Christians, would be given priority.
But some Christian refugees have been unable to enter the U.S. in the aftermath of the presidential order, even though the travel ban has been suspended for now by federal courts.
One family bound for Los Angeles is among the refugees held up in Iran, Southern California Public Radio reports.
George Haratoonian, a business owner who lives in Glendale and arrived himself as a refugee nearly three decades ago, was expecting his brother’s family to fly into Los Angeles on February 4. They were planning to live with him until they got settled.
But just as the president’s order took effect in late January, the family received disappointing news: their visas to Austria, the first leg of their journey, had been canceled. Haratoonian was with them in Tehran when they got the news.
“We had hoped that this thing was a rumor,” he said. It wasn’t.
The Haratoonians are Armenian Christians, a religious minority in Iran. The family was traveling to the U.S. through what is known as the Lautenberg program, which benefits religious minorities. The program was originally enacted in 1990 to assist refugees from the former Soviet Union. Today, the program mostly benefits Christian, Jewish, Baha’i and other religious minority refugees from Iran.
Under the program, refugees transit from Iran to Austria, then on to the United States. Because the U.S. has no embassy in Iran, they must complete their paperwork in Austria before they continue on to the U.S. In order to get to Austria, they receive what’s known as a “D visa” from the Austrian government.
An Austrian government official confirmed in an email to KPCC that the visas of Iranian refugees in the program were canceled “following a procedural modification on the part of the United States.” The action occurred just ahead of the ban taking place. Refugee agencies believe that the Austrian government anticipated a policy change and didn’t want refugees stuck in transit.
The U.S. State Department had no comment on the refugees’ status.
The president’s executive order issued on January 27 temporarily halted travel from seven predominantly Muslim nations and suspended refugee arrivals. The ban created chaos at airports around the country, including at Los Angeles International Airport. Those arriving from the affected countries were detained for hours and at least two people at LAX were put back on planes.
A federal district judge in the state of Washington placed a temporary stay on the president’s ban and the suspension was upheld by a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last week.
Administration officials are now weighing their options, which could include a revision of the travel ban to address legal issues and a request for the full Ninth Circuit to review the stay of the ban.