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Egyptian journalist: Turkey terrified that Egypt can recognize Armenian Genocide

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Turkey is terrified that Egypt can recognize the Armenian Genocide, Alaa El Din, visiting Egyptian journalist for cultural and diplomatic affairs, Egyption journalisttold a news conference in Yerevan.

“When Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan announced that what took place in Egypt was not a revolution but a coup, Egypt hinted that it can recognize the Armenian Genocide. Currently, it is also the wish of the Egyptian people. Erdogan calmed down after that. However, before this statement was made, the Egyptians did not know about the Armenian Genocide. Now there is a general view in the Egyptian public that the Armenian Genocide should be recognized at the state level. This will also be a step against Turkey,” the journalist said.

Egyptian journalist, international studies expert Hazem El-Mallah noted that there are friendly ties between Armenia and Egypt and the Egyptian people now know about the Armenian Genocide.

“I think pressures should increase for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” the Egyptian journalist said.

Source: Panorama.am

Expert’s Final Words on Turkey’s Legal Responsibility for Genocide

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BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

With the approaching Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, there has been growing public interest in taking legal action against Turkey in international courts.

harurt121One of the leading experts in this field was Dr. Yuri Barseghov, Professor of International Law, who wrote scores of pioneering books and articles on Armenian claims. Shortly before his death in 2008, Prof. Barseghov of Moscow outlined the basis for legal action against Turkey in an article titled: “Ways and Means of Assigning Responsibility for the Armenian Genocide.”

Dr. Barseghov maintained that in 1920, “the Ottoman Empire admitted its responsibility for committing this crime” by signing the Treaty of Sevres, which unfortunately was not ratified due to the reluctance of the Allied Powers to pressure Turkey. Since then, despite the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by dozens of countries and international organizations, Prof. Barseghov believed that such acknowledgments “will not solve the problem of [Turkish] responsibility.”

Prof. Barseghov contended that “since Turkey stubbornly continues to refuse recognizing that it committed this crime, it is still necessary to solve the question of responsibility for the Armenian Genocide through competent international bodies by making such decisions mandatory for both parties [Armenia and Turkey].”

Dr. Barseghov did not believe that the United Nations is a practical vehicle for the resolution of the Armenian Genocide issue, since it is a highly politicized body. “Decisions of the General Assembly are not mandatory,” while the major powers, such as the United States and Great Britain, enjoy the privilege of veto power in the Security Council blocking any action against Turkey.

The problem of initiating litigation under the statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is that both Armenia and Turkey have to agree in advance to abide by the decisions of the Court. Neither country has so far “recognized the obligatory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice.” Since Turkey most probably would not agree to submit itself to such jurisdiction, Dr. Barseghov suggested that the Republic of Armenia as a sovereign state take advantage of “the unique opportunity” of filing a unilateral case against Turkey on its responsibility for the Armenian Genocide, “under Article IX of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

Dr. Barseghov expressed regret that no response was received from the Armenian government after the Armenian Institute of International Law and Political Science of the Union of Armenians of Russia – which he directed – several years ago submitted a study on this subject to Pres. Robert Kocharian and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.

Dr. Barseghov explained that “in order to start a case by this judicial procedure [Article IX], the Government of Armenia has to formulate its position on the questions of interpretation, application or implementation of the Convention on this basis on the question of responsibility of the Turkish state for the committed crime.”

Prof. Barseghov warned Armenian officials that “there exists a provision in International Law which is confirmed by the International Court of Justice in other cases: if a state has the opportunity to submit a dispute but does not take such action, it would mean that the state accepts the existing situation.”

Dr. Barseghov allayed possible Armenian concerns that the ICJ may object to filing such a case due to questions regarding the retroactivity of the Genocide Convention. He expressed his firm belief that the Convention applies to the Armenian Genocide even though it preceded the Convention. He noted that the ICJ in its Advisory Opinion of 1951 stated: “the principles inherited by the Convention on Genocide, unlike the treaty obligations established in it, were already part of common international law by the time these awful crimes were committed.”

Prof. Barseghov pointed out that arguments supporting the Convention’s retroactivity were put forward by the ICJ which has “twice given competent, exhaustive explanations on the fundamental basic questions of the applicability of the Convention including also its retroactivity.” Based on these rulings, Prof. Barseghov concluded: “the Convention applies also to crimes committed in the past whose consequences have not been eliminated.”

As announced during a recent conference in Yerevan, the Armenian government has formed a task force to prepare the legal file for a case to be brought against Turkey in international courts. The expert advice of Prof. Barseghov and other specialists should ensure that the lawsuit is properly prepared and presented to obtain long overdue justice for Armenian Genocide victims.

Arrest warrant issued for key suspect in restarted Dink case

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ISTANBUL

One of the most controversial cases of recent Turkish history, murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, restarts. Dink family denies to attend trials of n_54593_4‘crime coalition’s game’ as court issues an arrest warrant for the key suspect Erhan Tuncel An Istanbul court has issued an arrest warrant for Erhan Tuncel, a former police informant and suspect in the resumed murder case of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink.

Tuncel had been released with the first verdict, which has now been overturned. Dink’s family protested the trial and refused to attend, saying “they are not a part of this game.”

“As the Dink family, we will no more be tools to the state mechanisms that have been mocking us and we will not attend the hearings of the retrial,” Dink’s family said in a letter published on the website of the Armenian-Turkish daily Agos.

“The crime coalition that is called the state recommitted the murder in every hearing, every day while it presented itself as if seeking justice. That coalition is the crime gang itself that planned the murder and then covered it up.”

Tuncel is a key suspect

Tuncel is seen as a key in linking the murder to the state institutions as members of the Police Department in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, the suspects’ hometown, have been accused of failing to relay intelligence provided by Tuncel to the Trabzon Gendarmerie Command in a report prepared by Turkey’s State Supervisory Council (DDK).

Dink, the renowned editor-in-chief of Agos, was shot in front of his office in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007, after being repeatedly prosecuted for “insulting Turkishness.”

The triggerman, Ogün Samast, who was 17 years old at the time of the murder, and Yasin Hayal, who was charged with being the instigator of the assassination, were convicted of the murder.

However, a high criminal court dismissed charges related to “armed terrorist organization.” The Supreme Court of Appeals verdict defined the acts of all suspects in the case under “an organization formed to commit crime” according to the Turkish Penal Code Article 220. Hayal yesterday denied that he was involved in any criminal organization involved in the murder.

Around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the Istanbul court where eight defendants were being retried after an appeals court deemed they were part of a criminal conspiracy. Crowds accused authorities of covering up a conspiracy by nationalist elements in the state apparatus.

The crowd chanted “the murderer state will give account” and “we are all Hrant, we are all Armenians,” holding up banners in Turkish, Armenian and Kurdish. They see Dink as the victim of a shadowy “deep state” network of nationalist militants accused of killings of prominent liberals and Kurdish nationalists.

“This show must end, the real perpetrators must be brought to justice,” Gulten Kaya, the widow of well-known Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya, told reporters outside the court.

Dink’s family and his supporters reject the premise of the retrial that the defendants were part of a criminal conspiracy and argue that the state was involved in what amounted to a terrorist conspiracy.

The case was adjourned to December 3.

New Dink murder trial begins in Turkey

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September 17, 2013 | 15:36

agos gazetesi hrant dinkISTANBUL. – The Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court on Tuesday began the trial into the killing of Hrant Dink after a decision by the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the Istanbul court’s first ruling on the murder.

Several MPs from main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and pro-Kurdish “Peace and Democracy Party” (BDP), public activists, and human rights advocates also attended the first session of the trial, reports OdaTV website of Turkey.

During the session, the prosecution motioned the court to arrest Erhan Tuncel, a prompter of Dink’s murder, who was released after the issuance of the initial ruling on the murder case.

The court granted the prosecution’s request and, subsequently, the court was adjourned.

To note, on January 17, 2012 the Turkish court found Yasin Hayal guilty of planning and organizing the murder of Hrant Dink—founder and chief editor of Istanbul’s Agos Armenian bilingual weekly, who was gunned down in 2007 in front of his office building—, and sentenced him to life in prison. Erhan Tuncel, on the other hand, was found not guilty of prompting Dink’s murder, and, instead, he was sentenced to ten years and six months for an explosion in a McDonald’s restaurant. But taking into account that Tuncel was already incarcerated for that amount of time, the court ruled his release. The court also found the nineteen other defendants not guilty of being members of a terrorist organization.

When the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned in May the Istanbul court’s first ruling on the murder, the case was sent to the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court.

Hrant Dink Foundation award goes to Turkey’s Saturday Mothers

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ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

Hanım Tosun, İkbal Eren and Emine Ocak, who were among the pioneers of the demonstrations, received the prize during the ceremony on behalf of all Saturday n_54514_4Mothers on Sept. 15. DHA photo

Turkey’s “Saturday mothers,” who have gathered every Saturday in Istanbul for nearly 15 years to draw attention to their missing family members, received the fifth International Hrant Dink Award on Sept. 15, which is named in honor of assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

Serbian human rights activist Natasa Kandic, known for her documentation of her country’s war crimes, was also awarded by this year’s jury.

The Saturday Mothers have become familiar faces to those passing down İstiklal Avenue on Saturday mornings, as they have gathered for more than 400 consecutive weeks at Galatasaray Square with pictures of family members who went missing after being detained by security forces or who died in unsolved murders, especially in the dark days of the 1990s.

Every week, two or three relatives read a message or a poem for their loved ones, while anybody who wishes can take part in the demonstrations by holding a picture of one of the missing.

Hanım Tosun, İkbal Eren and Emine Ocak, who were among the pioneers of the demonstrations, received the prize during the ceremony on behalf of all Saturday Mothers. The three expressed hope that similar deaths or disappearances will not occur again.

For her part, Kandic said she was proud to receive such a meaningful prize in the memory of Dink. “Without empathy, there can be no peace, with our past and with others. The only condition of peace is empathy,” she said.

This year’s jury included past laureates such as sociologist İsmail Beşikçi and Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho, as well as British historian Timothy Garton Ash.

Costa-Gavras, a French filmmaker of Greek origin who came last year to support demonstrations against the demolition of the iconic Emek Movie Theater, was also part of this year’s jury.

September/16/2013

ZEYNEP TOZDUMAN – IZMIR, TURKEY The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is still going on she Exposes Turkish crime against Humanity

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BU ÜLKEDE EN BÜYÜK KIYAMET

Zeynep_Tozduman2By: ZEYNEP TOZDUMAN – IZMIR, TURKEY          ( Exposes Turkish crime against Humanity)

Translation in Both Turkish and English

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, içindeki canavarı ehlileştirmeyip, insanlık suçu işlemektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is not to domesticate the monsters in ourselves and to commit crimes against humanity.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, yüzyıl önce hatta daha öncesi  biz seyirci kaldığımız için koptu/kopmaya da devam ediyor.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is still going on, as we just watched it happening without intervention 100 years ago.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1842- 1844’de Hakkâri’de Botan miri Kürt Bedirhan tarafından 10.000 Nasturi’nin katliama uğramasıdır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is the massacre of 10,000 Nestorians in Hakkari committed by Kurdish Mir Badr Khan.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1894- 1896 Hamidiye alaylarının 200.000 İnsanı katledip, zorla Müslümanlaştırıldığında sessiz kalmaktır.

The biggest crime in this country was committed by Hamidiye Regiments in 1894-1896 by massacring 200,000 people and forcing them to convert into Islam.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1909 da Jön Türklerin iktidara geçer geçmez, Adana/Kilikya’da 30.000 Ermeni katledilirken görmemezlikten gelmektir.

The biggest crime in this country was to close eyes to the massacre of 30,000 Armenians in Adana/Cilicia that happened right after Jeunes Turcs took power.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1914’ün ikinci yarısında Ege’de 250.000 Rum’u sürgün ederek mallarını talan etmektir.

The biggest crime in this country was the deportation of 250,000 Greeks and the confiscation of their properties during the scond half of 1914.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1915 de İttihat ve Terakki tarafından yaklaşık 1,5 Milyon insanı (Ermeni -Süryani-Pontus Rum ) salt Türk ve Müslüman olmadığı için öldürmektir.

The biggest crime in this country was that Union and Progress Party motivated to kill 1,5 million people (Armenian-Assyrian-Pontic Greek) just because they were not Turkish and Muslim.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1922’de İzmir’de İTC çetelerinin Ermeni ve Rum kilise, manastır ve gayrı menkullerini yakıp, kadim Rum halkını denize döktükten sonra bunu her 9 Eylül’de törenlerle kutlamaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is that the massacre, confiscation and arsonry that happened during 1922 against Armenian and Greek monasteries, churches and properties and that the deportation of ever present autochtonus Greeks are celebrated every year on September  9th.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, kan ve gözyaşıyla kurulan cumhuriyetin, 1924’de Hakkâri’de yaklaşık 20.000 Süryani/Nasturi’yi katletmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is the massacre of 20,000 Assyrians and Nestorians in Hakkari in 1924 by the republic that was formed with blood and tears.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, ilkokullarda her sabah Türk olmayan kadim halklara ( Ermeni, Süryani, Kürt, Rum, Pomak, Laz, Boşnak, Arap v.s. ) ’Ne mutlu Türküm diyene’ andını zorla okutup, körpecik beyinleri ırkçılıkla zehirlemektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to posion young minds at elementary schools with racism every morning by forcing them to shout “ How happy is the one who says “I am a Turk”” even though these kids belong to autochtonous people of Anatalia (such as Armenains, Assyrians, Kurds, Greeks, Pomaks, Lazs, Arabs, etc.).

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1930’da Ağrı/Zilan’da Ermeni-Süryani-Rumların işini bitirdikten sonra 15.000 Kürt’ü katletmektir.

The biggest crime in this country was to annihilate 15,000 Kurds in Agiri/Zilan in 1930 right after  being “done”  with Armenains, Assyrians and Greeks.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1934’de ’Türkçe konuş vatandaş’ kampanyasıyla Türk olmayan unsurlara, Türkçeyi ana dil olarak dayatmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to force Turkish as the native language for non-Turks via the campaign of “Citizen, speak Turkish!”.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1934 de Trakya bölgesinde yaşayan 13- 15000 civarındaki Yahudileri baskılarla, şiddet ve tecavüz-talan kültürü ile zorla göç ettirip, mallarına el koymaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to force 15,000 Jews of Thrace in 1934 leave the country and confiscate their properties via a campaign of oppression, violence and plunder-rape culture.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1937-1938’de ise Dersim’de, 30.000 Kızılbaş Kürdü, salt Alevi olduğu için imha etmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is is to kill 30,000 Qizilbash Kurds in 1937-1938 in Dersim just because they were Alawites.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, Çorum, Maraş, Sivas, Gazi, Armutlu’da, Aleviler katledilirken üç maymunu oynamaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to play three monkeys while Alawites were being exterminated in Çorum, Maraş, Sivas, Gazi, Armutlu.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1942-  1944’de bu ülkenin kadim halklarına ekonomik genosit uygulayıp, sermayeyi millileştirmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to implement an economic genocide against the ever present peoples of this land and confiscate their properties between 1942-1944.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1955’de 5-6 Eylül olayları ile son kalan Hıristiyanların mallarına el koyup, sermayeyi tamamen Türkleştirmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to consifcate the remaining Christians’ properties during the September 5th and 6th incidents in 1955 to Turkify the national capital.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1974 Kıbrıs savaşı sırasında bu ülkenin son kalan Hıristiyan halklarını korkutup, kaçırmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to intimidate the remaining Christians of this country during the 1974 Cyprus war and force them to leave their land.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1980’de Faşist darbe yapıp, başta Diyarbakır, Metris, Bayrampaşa, Pozantı cezaevleri olmak üzere, cezaevlerini;  işkencehaneye ve tecavüzhaneye dönüştürmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to make a fascist coup d’état in 1980 and turn prisons into torture and rape houses, especially the ones in Diyarbekir, Metris, Bayrampasa and Pozanti.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, tek tipçi, fırsat eşitliği olmayan, anti demokratik darbe anayasalarıyla hala ülkeyi yönetmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to still rule the country with an anti-democratic and uniformist constitution that does not promote equality of opportunities.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1980’den günümüze değin faili meçhul cinayetler işlemektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to commit unresolved political killings since 1980.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, Van depreminde Van halkına biber gazı, polis dayağı ve kar-kışta yurttaşlarını aç-çıplak bırakıp, yardım elini uzatmamaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to have the police forces beat Van residents, attack them with pepper gas, leave them hungry and homeless in the middle of a snowy winter after an earthquake hit them.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, Roboski’de 34 masum insanı katledip hesap vermemektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to kill 34 innocent civilians at Roboski and not to be held accountable.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, Rojava’da çoluk-çocuk- kadın demeden Suriye’ nin içişlerine karışıp, El Kaide’ye bağlı çetelere destek verip, kimyasal silahlarla Kürt katliamı yapmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to support al-Qaida affiliated terrorists and meddle into the internal affairs of Syria  and to massacre Kurds with chemical weapons without discriminating between kids, men or women.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, Suriye/Laskiye’de Arap Alevilerini katletmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to massacre the Arab Alawites of Latakia.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 1915 Soykırımından sağ kalan son Hıristiyanları, İslami terör örgütleri tarafından Suriye’de etnik ve dini temizlik yapmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to be a part of  the crime of Islamist terrorists who are doing ethnic cleansing against the survivors and remnants of 1915 Christian genocide in Syria.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, bu ülkenin kadim halklarına sürekli küfürle hitabet etmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to address autochtonous people of this country with cuss words.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, ülkede ve dışarıda savaş çığırtkanlığı yapanlara dur dememektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is not to say STOP to war mongers inside and outside the country.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, 2013 Taksim/ Gezi direnişinden günümüze değin süregelen direnişlerde, orantısız güç kullanmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to apply disproportionate power against the 2013 Taksim/Gezi protesters.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, insanlık suçu işleyenlerin ödüllendirilip, halen yargılamamaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to award the ones that commit crimes against humanity and not put them through judicial process.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, zalimin zulmüne karşı, mazlum halklara katliam yapanlar karşısında, susmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to keep quiet against the oppression of the oppressor and the massacres done against victim peoples.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, geçmişimizle birey ve ülke olarak hala yüzleşememektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is not to be able to face our past as individuals and as a country.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, Her gün yediğimiz lokmanın biraz daha azaltılıp, sadaka kültürüne alıştırılmasıdır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to lose some piece of our bread every day and to be forced into begging culture.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, İslam adına cihat edenlerin Ortadoğu’yu kana bulamasıdır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to have the ones that do Jihad in the name of Islam create a bloodbath in the Middle East.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, imha, sürgün ve inkâr etmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to exterminate or to send to exile and then to deny.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, Sömürgeci militarizmin ‘’topraksız ulus sorunu olmaz’’ düşüncesiyle bu ülkenin en kadim halklarını topraksızlaştırmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is that colonial militarism rendered all autochtonous nations landless thinking that a “ landles nation won’t cause problems”.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, yüzyıllardır kandan kına yakanlara karşı dilsiz olmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to be losing our tongue against the ones that use blood as henna ornaments.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, etnik, dinsel, cinsel, coğrafik, demografik Soykırım yapıldığında bu suça ortak olmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to be a part of the crime when an ethnical, sexual, geographical, demographical genocide is committed.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, TC’nin desteğiyle orta doğuda insanlar katledilirken vicdanları körleştirmek, vicdan yasası yerine cüzdan yasasını görünür kılmaktır.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to render people blind while Middle Eastern people are being massacred with the support of the Republic of Turkey and instead to apply the law of wallet/money.

Bu ülkede en büyük kıyamet, gözlerimizin önünde her gün gencecik fidanlar vurulurken, kuzuların sessizliğine bürünmektir.

The biggest apocalypse we witnessed in this country is to keep quiet like lambs while young people are being killed every day in front of our eyes.

Ve bu ülkede hala kıyamet (!) kopmadıysa bu, kötü insanların şerrinden değil; barıştan, özgürlükten, insanca yaşamdan yana olan ve hala güzel yarınları birlikte örmenin inancını, yitirmeyenlerin verdiği mücadeledendir.

And if the apocalypse (!) has not happened yet in this country, it is not because of the evil committed by bad people; it is because of the struggleof  pro-peace, pro-freedom, pro-humanism people that still did not lose the hope and belief to build a bright future together.

Bindik bir kıyamete,  gidiyoruz yüzyıldır hep birlikte…!

We are sitting on an apocalypse and we are all going through it for hundred years all together.

BY: ZEYNEP TOZDUMAN – IZMIR, TURKEY 


Memorial to Armenian, Assyrian genocide victims unveiled in Diyarbakir

By

September 13, 2013 – 14:10 AMT

169937 The Sur Municipality of Diyarbakir held the official inauguration of the Monument of Common Conscience on September 12, with mayor Abdullah Demirbaş apologizing in the name of Kurds for the Armenian and Assyrian “massacre and deportations,” The Armenian Weekly said.

“We Kurds, in the name of our ancestors, apologize for the massacres and deportations of the Armenians and Assyrians in 1915,” Demirbaş declared in his opening speech. “We will continue our struggle to secure atonement and compensation for them.”

The mayor called upon the Turkish authorities to issue an apology and do whatever needed to atone for the genocide. “We invite them to take steps in this direction,” he said.

The inscription on the monument at the Anzele Park, near a recently restored historic fountain, reads, in six languages including Armenian: We share the pain so that it is not repeated.

“This memorial is dedicated to all peoples and religious groups who were subjected to massacres in these lands,” Demirbaş said. “The Monument of Common Conscience was erected to remember and demand accountability for all the massacres that took place since 1915.”

Demirbaş noted that the monument remembers all the Armenians, Assyrians, Jews, Yezidis, Alevis who were subjected to massacres, as well as all the Sunni who “stood against the system.” Representatives of the Armenian, Assyrian, Alevi, and Sunni communities also spoke at the opening event. Diyarbakir Armenian writer Mgrditch Margosyan welcomed the opening of the memorial, noting that he awaits the steps that would follow.

Zahit Çiftkuran, head of the Diyarbakir association of the clergy, recounted the story of a man who, while walking by a restaurant, notices the following sign: “You eat, your grandchildren pay the bill.” Enthused by the promise of free lunch, the man goes in and orders food. Soon, they bring him an expensive bill. “But I was not supposed to pay! Where did this bill come from?” the man asks. The owner of the restaurant responds: “This is not your bill. It is your grandfather’s!”

Çiftkuran concluded, “Today, we have to pay for what our grandparents have done.”

Hellenic Caucus Co-Chairs Seek Adoption of Genocide Bill

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hellenicReps. Bilirakis and Maloney Join Bipartisan Legislative Group of H.Res.227 Co-Sponsors

WASHINGTON—In yet another demonstration of the enduring and increasingly energized Armenian-Hellenic partnership, U.S. Representatives Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, are backing the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution (H.Res.227), reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“We join Armenian Americans across the country and with all of our Hellenic American coalition partners in thanking Congressman Bilirakis and Congresswoman Maloney for their leadership in support of a truthful and just international resolution of Turkey’s crime of genocide against Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and other Christian nations,” said Aram Hamparian, ANCA Executive Director.

“Greeks, Armenians, and all our fellow U.S. citizens who seek to advance American ideals look forward to the day when our White House will, at long last, end its complicity in Ankara’s genocide denials and begin the process of moving the Turkish society and state toward the acceptance of their full moral and material responsibilities for this crime.”

Representatives Maloney and Bilirakis join as cosponsors with a broad range of senior Congressional leaders, including many serving on key foreign policy and appropriations panels, who have already lent their support to this groundbreaking human rights measure. The bipartisan resolution seeks improved Armenian-Turkish ties based upon Turkey’s acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide and a just international resolution of this still unpunished crime.

Introduced and spearheaded by Congressmen David Valadao (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Michael Grimm (R-NY) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) in May of this year, the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution reflects and reinforces previous U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide as a crime of genocide, citing the U.S. Government’s May 28, 1951 written statement to the International Court of Justice regarding the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, President Ronald Reagan’s April 22, 1981 Proclamation and Congressional adoption of Armenian Genocide legislation in 1975 and 1984. H.Res.227 calls on “the President to work toward equitable, constructive, stable, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.”

The resolution specifically references that “the Republic of Turkey, rather than acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past, has escalated its international campaign of Armenian Genocide denial, maintained its blockade of Armenia, and increased its pressure on the small but growing Turkish civil society movement acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and seeking justice for this systematic campaign of destruction of millions of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Pontians, Syriacs, and other Christians upon their biblical-era homelands.”

Armenian and Hellenic Americans across the country are reaching out to their U.S. Representatives to educate and advocate in support of H.Res.227. To send a free ANCA Webmail, visit: www.anca.org/justice.

For a full listing of H.Res.227 cosponsors, visit: www.anca.org/justice

For information about Armenian and Hellenic American cooperation on U.S.-Turkey trade issues, visit here.

International Hrant Dink Award to be presented Sept 15

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September 12, 2013 – 14:50 AMT

169909The International Hrant Dink Award will be presented for the fifth time on Hrant Dink’s birthday, September 15.

Every year, the award is presented to two people, groups or institutions from inside and outside Turkey, who work for a world free of discrimination, racism, and violence, take personal risks for their ideals, use the language of peace, and by doing so, inspire and encourage others.

With this award, the Foundation aims to remind to all those who struggle for these ideals that their voices are heard, their work is visible and that they are not alone, and also to encourage everyone to fight for their ideals.

The Jury of the International Hrant Dink Award 2013 consists of Tim Garton Ash, İsmail Beşikçi, Lydia Cacho, Rakel Dink, Costa Gavras, Nilüfer Göle, Alexander Iskendaryan, Etyen Mahçupyan and International MEMORIAL Society.

The award ceremony will take place in Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar Convention & Exhibition Centre. Hayko Cepkin and Bogazici Jazz Choir will take to the stage, and the awardees of 2013 will be announced. The ceremony will be presented by Olgun Simsek.

Alper Görmüş, Amira Hass, the Conscientious Objection Movement of Turkey, Baltasar Garzón, Ahmet Altan, Lydia Cacho, İsmail Beşikçi and International MEMORIAL Society are the former laureates of the International Hrant Dink Award.

The ceremony will be broadcasted live in Turkish and English on www.hrantdink.org and www.hrantdinkaward.org. The details of the night will also be available on pages ‘Uluslararası Hrant Dink Ödülü / International Hrant Dink Award’ and ‘Hrant Dink Vakfı / Hrant Dink Foundation on Facebook and ‘HrantDinkVakfi’ and ‘HrantDinkAward’ accounts on Twitter in 3 languages, being Turkish, English and Armenian.

Millions Watch Popular Egyptian Talk Show on the Armenian Genocide (Video) هل تعترف مصر بمذابح تركيا ضد الأرمن ؟ .. في الصورة الكاملة

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Al-Soura al-Kamila (The Complete Picture) is a popular talk show produced in Egypt

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

Ever since Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi was removed from office, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been harshly critical of the new Egypt_Talk_Showgovernment, strongly advocating his fellow Islamist Morsi’s return to power.

Given Erdogan’s unwelcome meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs, millions of Egyptians have expressed anger and resentment against Turkey and its prime minister. Egyptian newspapers have been replete with anti-Turkish reports and commentaries. Dozens of articles have been published condemning Turkish denials of the Armenian Genocide and urging Egypt’s new leaders to recognize it. There have also been calls for erecting a monument for the Armenian Genocide in Cairo and demands that Turkey pay restitution for the Armenian victims. In an unprecedented move, attorney Muhammad Saad Khairallah, head of the Institute of the Popular Front in Egypt, filed a lawsuit accusing Turkey of committing genocide against Armenians.

On Sept. 4, Khairallah and Dr. Ayman Salama, Professor of International Law at Cairo University, appeared on Lilian Daoud’s highly popular talk show, Al-Soura al-Kamila (The Complete Picture) on ONtv, watched by millions in Egypt and throughout the Arab world. Participating in the show by phone were Resul Tosun, former Turkish Parliament member from Erdogan’s Islamist AK Party, and Harut Sassounian, Publisher of The California Courier. The 36-minute TV program was conducted in Arabic, a language I have rarely used since childhood.
 

هل تعترف مصر بمذابح تركيا ضد الأرمن ؟ .. في الصورة الكاملة

Prof. Salama informed the audience that the Turkish Military Tribunal in 1919 indicted the criminals responsible for the Armenian Genocide. Seventeen Turkish officials were found guilty, and three were hanged. Dr. Salama indicated that France, Great Britain and Russia had issued a joint Declaration in 1915, warning that they would hold Turkish leaders responsible for massacring Armenians and committing “crimes against humanity and civilization.”

Attorney Khairallah insisted that raising the Armenian Genocide issue in Egypt is long overdue and does not have any political undertones. He hoped that his lawsuit will force Egypt, “the largest Sunni country in the Middle East,” to serve as an example for other Arab countries to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Khairallah announced that his lawsuit will be considered by the Egyptian Court on November 5. He hoped that the Court would make a historic decision regarding this critical “human rights issue.”
When the hostess of the TV show asked for my opinion on the Egyptian lawsuit, I expressed my great satisfaction, hoping for a positive verdict on the eve of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, and looking forward to its recognition by the Egyptian government.

I also commented that Erdogan had anointed himself as the new Sultan of the Middle East, and sole defender of all Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians. However, Erdogan’s misrepresentation was finally exposed when the Arab world realized that he was simply trying to dominate the region, pursuing Turkey’s self-interest rather than that of Arabs and Muslims.

Former Turkish parliament member Resul Tosun, joining the show by phone, quickly antagonized the viewers by claiming that “the current Egyptian government that came to power after the military coup is not legitimate, therefore, the filed lawsuit cannot be considered legitimate.” Tosun then went on to parrot his Turkish bosses’ baseless denials of the Armenian Genocide.

Prof. Salama, incensed by Tosun’s remarks, called Erdogan “the successor of the Ottoman butchers who committed the Armenian Genocide.”

The TV hostess then asked for my reaction to Tosun’s perverted views on the Armenian Genocide. I reminded the viewers that Kemal Ataturk, in an interview published in the ‘Los Angeles Examiner’ on August 1, 1926, had demanded that the Young Turks be “made to account for the lives of millions of our Christian subjects who were ruthlessly driven en masse and massacred.” I also recalled that the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, leader of the globally preeminent center of Islamic studies in Cairo, had issued a Fatwa (religious decree) in 1909 chastising Turkish officials for massacring 30,000 Armenians in Adana, Cilicia.

At the end of the show, attorney Khairallah announced that public rallies will be held shortly to demonstrate that his group’s lawsuit emanates from a popular demand – Egyptians asking their government “to recognize that Armenians were massacred at the hands of Turkish criminals.”

So far, Lebanon is the only Arab country to have recognized the Armenian Genocide. If Egypt follows suit, can Syria and the rest of the Arab world be far behind?

You can see the talk show here.