By Harut Sassounian

Parnag Shishigyan is a heroic Zeytountsi who retrieved hundreds of Armenian orphans from Arab families in the Syrian desert after the Armenian Genocide. His name is not known to most Armenians. Therefore it is worthwhile to focus attention on his life and his good deeds. He is buried in the little town of Hovdashad, a few miles outside of Yerevan.

Last month, Zarmik Sargsyan from Yerevan posted on her Facebook page a very moving tribute to Parnag Shishigyan after visiting his grave. The only reference to his unique accomplishment is a booklet published 30 years ago by Hagop Jghlyan whose family he had rescued. The book was aptly titled, “A Life Left in the Shadows.” Sargsyan attempted to take Shishigyan’s life out of the shadows and present him to the public at large.

From April 10 to May 18, 1915, the heroic town of Zeytoun in Cilicia was depopulated. The men were herded into the infamous Ottoman Turkish “Labor Battalions.” On the road to Deir Zor, Syria, 14-year-old Parnag, ignoring the snakes and scorpions around him, spent days cuddling the corpse of his mother who was killed by the sword of a Turkish soldier. He was rescued by a Bedouin Arab from the Shammar tribe, who, after digging a grave in the sand for Parnag’s mother with his dagger, placed the young boy on his horse and took him to his home.

Young Parnag who already knew Armenian, German and Turkish, soon also learned Arabic. Besides herding sheep and camels, Parnag, renamed Ahmet El Jezza, taught the tribesmen how to write in Arabic. He became very popular in the region because of his diligence, humility, and serious demeanor.

Soon, in the course of herding sheep, Parnag came across in the desert many Armenian children adopted by local Arabs. He reminded them of their Armenian heritage and began to write down their names and places of residence in a notebook.

In 1924, 23-year-old “Ahmet”, as a trusted and literate young man, was asked to deliver a herd of sheep bought by wealthy Arabs from Aleppo. Once in Aleppo, he was surprised to see Armenian signs on store fronts and people speaking in Armenian. He was offered a job and a place to stay by local Armenians, but he turned down the offers, saying he had a family in the desert and could not abandon them. He then showed to an Armenian shoemaker his notebook listing the names and places of Armenian children living in the desert with Arab families. He had promised himself to gather these Armenian children, help them marry each other and find their relatives, if still alive. It was a very difficult task. Most of the children, having lived with Arab families for several years, did not remember their heritage and did not know that there were other Armenians still in existence. But Parnag persisted despite the obstacles.

The shoemaker Panos, President of the Rescue Committee of Armenian orphans from Arab and Kurdish tribes, was stunned. During the last few months, the Committee had barely rescued a couple of children, and now Panos was seeing an entire notebook full of Armenian names.

After returning to his tribe, Parnag kept sending list after list of Armenian children to Aleppo. The Rescue Committee would then go to the desert, pay off the tribesmen and take the Armenian children to Aleppo or Beirut.

Eventually, the Syrian government allocated two villages in the desert to Armenians. Parnag got married to an Armenian woman by the name of Wadha who later changed her name to Siranoush. Respecting their adoptive Arab parents, they agreed to have the marriage ceremony performed by a Muslim Sheikh. The couple planned to have an Armenian wedding later on. Parnag’s four Arab “brothers” were not happy that he was leaving them to go and settle in the new Armenian village of Tel El-Brak. They divided the family belongings into five. Parnag took with him 100 sheep, five camels, a horse, a rifle, and household items.

Parnag brought the hundreds of Arabized Armenians to his village, gave them Armenian names and arranged their marriages. He organized the young men of the village to collect the bones of Armenian martyrs from Deir Zor, Raqqa, around the Euphrates and Khabour rivers and the tragic cave of Sheddedeh. Parnag held a memorial ceremony for the souls of the deceased!

The two Armenian villages in the desert soon prospered. They formed a sports organization and a music band. In 1947, when Parnag became aware of the mass migration back to Soviet Armenia he decided to return to the homeland! He left all his possessions behind except for one thing, his Arabian horse, which he donated to a horse ranch after arriving in Armenia.

Parnag’s family settled in Hovdashad, a village near Echmiadzin where he worked as a farmer. His wife, Siranoush, had five more children in Armenia. Even though Parnag had retrieved hundreds of Armenian children, he always thought of the hundreds of other children who were not, including his wife, Siranoush’s sister.

In the Hovdashad cemetery, there is a statue of Parnag in Arabic attire. The house that Parnag built in 1956 in that village is now like a museum, where his clothes and his photos are displayed. Facebook writer Zarmik Sargsyan recalls that Parnag’s great-grandson Hagop was married in Los Angeles on April 17, 1997, in the presence of his seven siblings. It is ironic that the descendants of the man, who had sacrificed so much to rescue Armenians and moved to the homeland, now live far away from Armenia, in Los Angeles!

Armenians both in Armenia and the Diaspora should visit the village of Hovdashad and Parnag’s grave to pay tribute to the man who retrieved hundreds of Armenian orphans and returned them to their heritage.

By Harut Sassounian

A major controversy erupted in Turkey last week after a pro-Erdogan Turkish Islamist magazine “Gercek Hayat” (Real Life) claimed that the controversial Turkish Imam Fethullah Gulen had written a letter on May 6, 1965 acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. The letter is included in a special 176-page edition of the magazine which belongs to the editorial group of the pro-government newspaper “Yeni Safak,” owned by the family of the Turkish president’s son-in-law.

Gercek Hayat’s article also accused of collaborating with Gulen, the Chief Rabbi of Istanbul Isahak Kahleva, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, former Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Shnorhk Kaloustian, the CIA, NATO, Zionists, Hillary Clinton, Pope John Paul II, and former Turkish leaders Ismet Inonu, Bulent Ecevit and Suleyman Demirel.

Gulen escaped to the United States in 1999. Later on, he and President Erdogan became antagonists after a lengthy collaboration during which Erdogan had used Gulen’s contacts and resources to come to power. In 2016, after the attempted coup d’état in Turkey, Erdogan accused Gulen of being the mastermind of the coup. Erdogan jailed and fired tens of thousands of Gulen’s followers. Since then Erdogan has made repeated requests to the U.S. Government to have Gulen extradited to Turkey, where he faces certain death. The United States rejected Erdogan’s requests. Even those accused of associating with Gulen, who were living outside of Turkey, were kidnapped by Erdogan’s secret agents and brought back to Turkey to face harsh charges. 

Under these circumstances, when a pro-Erdogan magazine accused the leaders of religious minorities and others in Turkey of associating with Gulen, they became rightly concerned about their physical well-being and possible attacks on their religious and cultural institutions.

Regarding Gulen’s letter, published by the Turkish magazine, addressed to the former Armenian Patriarch, it has been published several times before by the Turkish media.

Here are excerpts of Gulen’s May 6, 1965 letter: “I have known Armenian families and individuals during my childhood and working positions. I will not stop cursing the Great Genocide committed against Armenians in 1915. I know that among the people killed and massacred were many highly respected individuals, for whose memory I bow with respect. I curse with great grief the massacre of the sons of the Great Prophet Christ by ignorant individuals who call themselves Muslims.”

The Turkish magazine reported that in response Shnorhk Patriarch thanked Gulen, stating that the country needs preachers like him: “We believe that the fraternal ties will remain intact in our sacred country where there are valuable and fair-minded preachers like you.”

Gulen’s purported 1965 letter is typed on a paper that appears yellowish, making it look authentic. In 2013, while in the U.S., Gulen issued another statement which said: “The Ittihadists committed the wrong policy. It is up to us to correct the wrong policy of the Ittihadists. That is why we should be in a very good dialog with Armenians and other nations. For the sake of a dialog, we should use every opportunity in the best possible way.”

The good news is that the religious leaders of minority communities in Turkey had the courage to harshly criticize the Turkish magazine. The Armenian Patriarchate issued a statement in which it “regretted the false accusations against Shnorhk Patriarch. Such writings under the umbrella of freedom of the press cause pain to us and can lead to horrible consequences. These falsehoods are worrisome to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey and the Armenian community. Racist manifestations, as elsewhere, also seen in this country, make it impossible to escape from their consequences…. Such baseless mud-slinging is unacceptable to us. We believe that the relevant authorities will stop this injustice and hope that the rules will be enforced, taking the necessary steps against the authors.”

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate also condemned the Turkish magazine calling the published information “completely false and biased…. The publication of these claims cause distress among Christians, Jews and Muslims and are particularly serious and irresponsible, because they undermine the unity of our people…. Such information is extremely dangerous and could be the cause of dangerous acts of racism and intolerance. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew feels very bitter and resentful for the accusations that have been made against him, despite his efforts for the good of our country.”

The Jewish community in Istanbul also criticized the Turkish magazine: “We condemn the discrimination and provocation caused by these publications, with baseless accusations against our Chief Rabbi. These hate publications are damaging Turkey. For our part, we hope for an immediate restoration of the truth against these publications of hate — through correct information and legal means — as they influence our Turkey, of which we are an integral part.”

Meanwhile, the Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament, Garo Paylan, referred the controversy to the Parliament by writing to the Vice President of the country, Fuat Oktay: “Can’t the expressions of hatred used periodically by the news media close to the Turkish President result in crimes based on hatred?”

I would like to conclude with three key points:

1) Fethullah Gulen was the ally of Erdogan before the latter asserted his dictatorial powers. The publications close to Erdogan, rather than blaming the leaders of minority religions and others, should first of all blame Erdogan for his long years of association with Gulen!

2) If Gulen’s letter is authentic, he has done nothing wrong. He has simply acknowledged the truth about the Armenian Genocide. Erdogan is the one to be blamed for lying about the Armenian Genocide!

3) The minority communities in Turkey are terrified by the article in the Turkish magazine because they know that there are plenty of extremists in Turkey who will resort to horrible acts of violence against Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Jews and Kurds. Their fear is justified. These minority community leaders should be commended for boldly speaking out against the threatening article in the Turkish magazine.

HDPE Diyarbakır Armenian MP highlighted the Garo Shares in Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent scandals statement. In one of his last speeches, Erdogan used the words, “Although the numbers have decreased very much in our country, we still do not allow the sword-lefted terrorists who continue to exist to seek action.”

In response to this statement by Erdogan, Paylan made the following statements:

  In his hateful speech last night, Erdogan again used the term “sword leftover”.

“Sword leftover” was invented for orphans like my grandmother who survived the Armenian Genocide.

Every time we hear it, our expression flies.

Unscrupulous expression …

By Harut Sassounian,

Libya’s Interim Government recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2020, for the second year in a row. On April 19, 2019 the provisional government had issued a similar recognition.

While this recognition may surprise many people because there is hardly a single Armenian living in Libya, there are, however, geopolitical reasons for taking such an action. Ever since the toppling and killing in 2012 of Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, the country has been in constant turmoil with various military factions fighting each other to rule Libya.

The officially recognized government of Libya is limited around coastal Tripoli and Misrata, while most of the Libyan territory is occupied by the Interim Government led by military leader Khalifa Haftar. The internal civil war has been considerably expanded by the interference of external powers in Libya’s domestic affairs. Turkey and Qatar have supported the Central Government with Islamic fighters and military hardware, while the Interim Government has been endorsed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The countries on the opposing sides in Libya are also involved in diplomatic clashes and mass media wars. Last month Saudi Arabia announced that it was blocking access to Turkish news agencies and websites. In return, Turkey blocked Saudi and Emirati news outlets. Furthermore, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supports the Muslim Brotherhood, while Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE are opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt and Turkey have been feuding ever since the pro-Muslim Brotherhood President of Egypt Mohammed Morsi, supported by Turkey, was toppled in 2013. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE have asked their citizens to boycott Turkish products and travel to Turkey.

These various regional and internal feuds have prompted the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Libyan Interim Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on April 24, 2020. Here is the text of the announcement translated into English:

“We recall today the genocide of the Armenian population by Turkey which falls on April 24 of each year. The State of Libya commemorates this anniversary in implementation of Government Decision No. 238 of 2019, which approved this day as a national day to revive it.

“Turkey’s criminal actions against the Armenian people by burning, deliberate killing, forced deportation, and other ugly acts contrary to all divine laws is a crime against humanity and it must be recognized and granted an official apology to the Armenian people and compensate them for the pains that these massacres have caused which cannot be forgotten from the memory of Armenians and the whole world. As we condemn this crime devoid of any element of humanity, we again call upon the countries of the world to recognize this heinous crime.

“It is today’s Turkish government, in its new situation, which commits crimes against the peoples of the world by its blatant interference in their internal affairs. Perhaps what it carried out yesterday by bombarding the city of Tarhuna [Libya] with missiles and drones, killing children, the elderly and women, destroying humanitarian convoys, food and medical aid, fuel tanks, bringing in mercenaries and supporting terrorists are other crimes added to a chain of Turkish crimes against people and confirms to the whole world the extent of Erdogan’s arrogance and his disregard for all international laws and norms.”

On April 19, 2019, the Libyan Interim Government had issued a similar statement through its Foreign Ministry which reads as follows:

“The Interim Government officially adopted a resolution in March recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

“On 24 April 1915, the Ottoman authorities rounded up, arrested, and deported from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to the region of Ankara, 235 to 270 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders, the majority of whom were eventually murdered. 

“This was followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly, and the infirm on death marches leading to the Syrian Desert. Driven forward by military escorts, the deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic robbery, rape, and massacre.

“The final death toll of the genocide is reported to be 1.5 million.”

It should not be surprising that the Libyan Interim Government has issued a statement on the Armenian Genocide because it serves its anti-Turkish political agenda. It would have been more surprising if such an announcement would be made contrary to its own interests.

All countries cater to their national interests. The Armenian government must also act in a similar manner. Libya is a good example. This is the second year in a row that its Interim Government has recognized the Armenian Genocide. What has been the reaction of the Armenian Government? We are not aware of any public comment to this effect. Wouldn’t it be proper for the Armenian Foreign Ministry to issue a statement welcoming the Libyan announcement? Someday the Interim Government may become the legally recognized government of Libya. Now is the time for Armenia to establish friendly relations with Libya. As Turkey has been isolating Armenia from its neighbors by its blockade and its anti-Armenian economic and diplomatic efforts, Armenia in response should join hands with supportive countries and isolate Turkey to whatever degree it can.

By establishing good relations with the Libyan Interim Government, Armenia would also be in a good position to affirm its relations with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and mend its non-existent relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am sure these countries would appreciate the friendly hand extended by the Government of Armenia.

Libya’s Interim Government Recognizes

The Armenian Genocide Once Again

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Libya’s Interim Government recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2020, for the second year in a row. On April 19, 2019 the provisional government had issued a similar recognition.

While this recognition may surprise many people because there is hardly a single Armenian living in Libya, there are, however, geopolitical reasons for taking such an action. Ever since the toppling and killing in 2012 of Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, the country has been in constant turmoil with various military factions fighting each other to rule Libya.

The officially recognized government of Libya is limited around coastal Tripoli and Misrata, while most of the Libyan territory is occupied by the Interim Government led by military leader Khalifa Haftar. The internal civil war has been considerably expanded by the interference of external powers in Libya’s domestic affairs. Turkey and Qatar have supported the Central Government with Islamic fighters and military hardware, while the Interim Government has been endorsed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The countries on the opposing sides in Libya are also involved in diplomatic clashes and mass media wars. Last month Saudi Arabia announced that it was blocking access to Turkish news agencies and websites. In return, Turkey blocked Saudi and Emirati news outlets. Furthermore, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supports the Muslim Brotherhood, while Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE are opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt and Turkey have been feuding ever since the pro-Muslim Brotherhood President of Egypt Mohammed Morsi, supported by Turkey, was toppled in 2013. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE have asked their citizens to boycott Turkish products and travel to Turkey.

These various regional and internal feuds have prompted the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Libyan Interim Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on April 24, 2020. Here is the text of the announcement translated into English:

“We recall today the genocide of the Armenian population by Turkey which falls on April 24 of each year. The State of Libya commemorates this anniversary in implementation of Government Decision No. 238 of 2019, which approved this day as a national day to revive it.

“Turkey’s criminal actions against the Armenian people by burning, deliberate killing, forced deportation, and other ugly acts contrary to all divine laws is a crime against humanity and it must be recognized and granted an official apology to the Armenian people and compensate them for the pains that these massacres have caused which cannot be forgotten from the memory of Armenians and the whole world. As we condemn this crime devoid of any element of humanity, we again call upon the countries of the world to recognize this heinous crime.

“It is today’s Turkish government, in its new situation, which commits crimes against the peoples of the world by its blatant interference in their internal affairs. Perhaps what it carried out yesterday by bombarding the city of Tarhuna [Libya] with missiles and drones, killing children, the elderly and women, destroying humanitarian convoys, food and medical aid, fuel tanks, bringing in mercenaries and supporting terrorists are other crimes added to a chain of Turkish crimes against people and confirms to the whole world the extent of Erdogan’s arrogance and his disregard for all international laws and norms.”

On April 19, 2019, the Libyan Interim Government had issued a similar statement through its Foreign Ministry which reads as follows:

“The Interim Government officially adopted a resolution in March recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

“On 24 April 1915, the Ottoman authorities rounded up, arrested, and deported from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to the region of Ankara, 235 to 270 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders, the majority of whom were eventually murdered. 

“This was followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly, and the infirm on death marches leading to the Syrian Desert. Driven forward by military escorts, the deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic robbery, rape, and massacre.

“The final death toll of the genocide is reported to be 1.5 million.”

It should not be surprising that the Libyan Interim Government has issued a statement on the Armenian Genocide because it serves its anti-Turkish political agenda. It would have been more surprising if such an announcement would be made contrary to its own interests.

All countries cater to their national interests. The Armenian government must also act in a similar manner. Libya is a good example. This is the second year in a row that its Interim Government has recognized the Armenian Genocide. What has been the reaction of the Armenian Government? We are not aware of any public comment to this effect. Wouldn’t it be proper for the Armenian Foreign Ministry to issue a statement welcoming the Libyan announcement? Someday the Interim Government may become the legally recognized government of Libya. Now is the time for Armenia to establish friendly relations with Libya. As Turkey has been isolating Armenia from its neighbors by its blockade and its anti-Armenian economic and diplomatic efforts, Armenia in response should join hands with supportive countries and isolate Turkey to whatever degree it can.

By establishing good relations with the Libyan Interim Government, Armenia would also be in a good position to affirm its relations with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and mend its non-existent relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am sure these countries would appreciate the friendly hand extended by the Government of Armenia.

An extended article by Lithuanian historian Zigmas Vitkus about the Armenian Genocide and the cosntruction of Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex has been published in the website of Lithuania’s National Radio and TV. ARMENPRESS presents the article.Lithuanian National Radio and Television has published  

In the 1930s, the Armenian Genocide, organized by the political elite of the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1917, had already been forgotten by Europeans. Apparently, it was not in vain, that Nazi führer Adolf Hitler, on the eve of the invasion of Poland to justify the violence against the locals, cynically and rhetorically asked his generals: “Who now remembers the Armenians?”

Today, however, 105 years later, the memory of those events is still alive, and the fact of Genocide is recognized by respectable states, including Lithuania. During the Soviet era, this painful story was sought to be pushed out of public memory. In the spring of 1965, it returned with incredible force…

Search for a Scapegoat

In the late 19th century, Armenians were the largest non-Muslim community in Turkish Anatolia (also known as Asia Minor). In many respects, their position in the Ottoman Empire was reminiscent of the situation of the Jews in Europe.

Not having their own state (Armenians lost their statehood in 1375 when they were conquered by the Egyptian sultanate), marginalized economically and politically, isolated in a religious sense, the nation was still able to find niches that ensured high social status: crafts, trade, industry and agriculture. The Armenians stood out from the rest of the empire residents with an education that provided them with considerable opportunities in the liberal professions and local politics.

Historians agree that the massacre of Armenians organized by the Ottoman Empire’s political elite was carried out due to a number of key factors: the fundamental vulnerability of Armenians within the country, which allowed them to be turned into scapegoats in the event of any state crisis of military failure; World War I, largely unsuccessful to Turkey and the decline of the empire throughout the 19th century, which provoked radical and paranoid governmental reactions to the activities of the Armenian community (they were accused of infidelity). Already in 1894–1896, between 80,000 and 300,000 Turkish Armenians were killed during world-shocking pogroms. It was a prelude to even greater massacres.

The Genocide, which, considering its scale, organization, and consequences, some historians call the first modern Genocide of the 20th century, began in 1915, April 24. That day, several hundred prominent and influential Armenians were arrested in the major cities of the Ottoman Empire.

Soon, most of them were killed. Armenian men, who served in the Turkish army, were demobilized and began to be systematically killed even earlier. The deportation of the rest to concentration camps in the Syrian desert began in May. Along the way, they had been awaited by armed criminals, deliberately released from prisons by the government, as well as by incited Kurdish and Turkish peasants through whose lands the road was stretched. Those, who were not killed, died of starvation and disease.

It is estimated that between 1915–1917 there were killed from 600 thousand up to 1.5 million Armenians. Whatever the exact number, at the end of the First World War, 90 percent of Armenians who had lived in Turkey until then, disappeared. Moreover, in the late 1920s, Turkey invaded the newly established independent Republic of Armenia and occupied most of its territory. The massacre continued during this invasion.

Completely weakened after the war, Armenia could no longer withstand Bolshevik Russia, whose army entered Yerevan and occupied a part of Armenia, which was not yet occupied by the Turks. In October 1921, part of the Armenian lands, including the territory with the central symbol of the nation’s identity, Mount Ararat, were finally assigned to Turkey by the Treaty of Kars signed between the Bolsheviks in Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The silent topic of the Soviet era

The question of the Armenian Genocide in Soviet Russia (since 1922 – in the Soviet Union) remained untouched in public and existed only in the memory of families. According to German historian Susanne Buckley-Zistel, the Stalinist regime had already implemented, in her words, a strategy of “deliberately chosen amnesia” that avoided complicated discourses that could strengthen Armenian national feelings and “stay on the path of socialism”, ostensibly, without looking at the past. In addition, it evaded the antagonism between Turkey and Armenia, which was to the detriment of the regime. Turkey and the Soviet Union under Stalin (and later) tried to coexist “amicably” and had even signed a nonaggression pact.

Armenians that were returned from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, the Balkans, and other countries to Soviet Armenia in the 1950s (Stalinist regime organized a special action for it in 1945-1949) did not gain a voice, although the regime made some concessions for them. Suppose, the new settlements were allowed to be given the old Anatolian place names, including those areas where the Genocide took place. Of course, it did little to change, as the articulation of the Armenian Genocide in public sphere (if such existed in the Soviet state at all) continued to be repressed. Up until 1965, when forced silence accumulated and turned into unprecedented demonstrations.

Spring of 1965 in Yerevan

In 1965, the huge Armenian diaspora prepared to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Genocide. As this date approached, the construction of monuments in memory of the victims of the Genocide began in various countries, lived by Armenians. The traditional Armenian stone sculpture was also erected in 1965 in Armenia, on a plot belonging to the Armenian Catholicos in Echmiadzin, near St. Cathedral of Our Lady (by the way, it is the oldest cathedral in the country, built on the foundations of a 4th century church). It was dedicated to the “victims of the 1915 Genocide” listing the ten largest sites of mass murder on the monument. However, it was a small and informal memorial in a “private” area.

Armenian SSR authorities were not going to silence the anniversary (there were too many witnesses of the Genocide in the country) and even prepared some “measures”, but decided to hold the main event behind closed doors and broadcast live to the crowd through the speakers everything, that was happening inside (the event was scheduled at the Yerevan Opera House). The acceleration of Nikita Khrushchev’s warming period, which allowed people to breathe at least a little bit more freely, was still being felt, and tens of thousands of Armenians in 1965, April 24 even before the official event, gathered for an informal demonstration on Lenin Square in Yerevan. It was probably the first national rally of this scale, not only in Armenia, but also in the entire Soviet Union.

At the statue of Lenin, the crowd was shouting “[our] lands! [our] lands!”, demanding the release of students arrested by the government a year ago for forming an informal group to fight for the preservation of the Armenian language. The crowd then spilled across the city, urging people to join, and gathered again in the Opera Square in the evening. The above-mentioned official commemoration event, which was attended by the political and intellectual elite of the Armenian SSR, took place in the building of the Opera House. Demonstrators tried to get inside and hand the petition to the authorities. One would say that they tried to break in physically, but at the same time symbolically as well. Their aim was to show that the memory of Genocide is not just a privilege of the government.

The demonstration featured Armenian national songs and anti-Turkish slogans, photographs of victims, posters with the number 50, and images of Ararat. In addition, people demanded recognition of the Genocide and the erection of a national monument to commemorate the event. Also, to return Armenian lands from Turkey (handed over by the Soviets, as I mentioned, in 1921) and from neighboring Azerbaijan SSR. Thus, not only the foreign but also the domestic policy of the Soviet Union was questioned, and at the same time, the power of national self-consciousness was demonstrated. Understandably, the militia did not let people in. Then stones flew into the building. It was answered with a stream of water. The crowd, however, stormed in, and those, who were in the hall, withdrew through the emergency exit.

Why did the government not use more force back then? This can be judged by the material of the meeting of the Central Committee of the Armenian SSR Communist Party held after the demonstrations. The reaction was mitigated by the fact that the demonstrators did not question the Soviet system itself, and the government (with the chairman of the Communist Party Central Committee, Jakov Zarobian) thought similarly as the “ordinary people.”

At the meeting, he called for the Armenian national sentiments to be taken into account, actualized the rally in a “proper” ideological context according to Soviet rhetoric, spoke of the Genocide as a Turkish crime behind which German capitalists were standing, and so on. During the meeting, of course, obeisance was paid to the Soviet Union, as, allegedly, it was only thanks to it that such a commemoration could have taken place in general, however, the demonstration was not condemned in principle – only “hooliganism” and “nationalist and demagogic elements”.

The first monument to the victims of the Genocide in the Soviet Union?

One of the demands of the 1965 demonstrators was a call to the authorities to build a memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. In fact, this project had already started before the demonstrations. In addition to national sentiments (of which there were many), the supreme government of the Armenian SSR realized that the national monument was a good way for the state to control the public genocide commemoration process and in March granted permission to build an obelisk and announced a nationwide competition in the local press. However, the demonstrators did not care much about it … This time, Moscow (having maintained friendly relations with Turkey) was reassured that the monument will be dedicated to the Armenian martyrs of the First World War.

In the Soviet country, due to lack of funds, the implementation of any major architectural projects usually took longer, but in this case, the process of design and construction work proceeded surprisingly quickly and smoothly: the competition was announced in 1965 and the monument was completed at the end of 1967. This pace shows that it was also a priority project for the government. The memorial was built on Tsitsernakaberd (Swallow’s Castle) hill, rising above Yerevan. This mountain offers a view of Mount Ararat, the symbolic significance of which for Armenian culture and identity is difficult to overestimate – it is the Armenian Jerusalem, the Heavenly Jerusalem of all Christians in the world, which is longed for but at the same time remains inaccessible.

The authors of the monument, architects Arthur Tarkanian, Sashur Kalashian, and sculptor Hovhannes Khachaturian, designed a two-part monument: a round Shrine of Remembrance and a 44-meter-high Obelisk of the Revival, symbolizing the rebirth of the Armenian people. The obelisk consists of two compressed parts as if growing from each other: the smaller one represents the diaspora, the larger one – Armenia.

The round memorial hall is designed from twelve sloping basalt steles (symbolizing 12 lost Armenian provinces and the figures of mourners) arranged in a circle around the eternal fire. The hall is sunk to a depth of 1.5 meters, which is reminiscent of about 1.5 million Armenians killed during the genocide. Between 1988-1990, the traditional Armenian crosses (khachkars) were erected in the neighborhood of the memorial, commemorating Armenians who died and were killed during the conflict with Azerbaijan.

Unveiled on November 29, 1967, on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Armenian SSR, the memorial had no inscriptions, although everyone knew what this memorial space was for. In Soviet times, the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Genocide was never legalized in Armenia, but it actually existed. Like the monument to the victims of the Genocide. The Armenian SSR authorities also took part in the semi-official commemoration, officially honoring the “Armenians killed in World War I” in the official version, while thanking the Soviet Union for peace and security and condemning the imperialist ambitions.

At the same time, along with the memorial to the victims of the Genocide, a monumental sculpture by Ara Arutiunian “Mother Armenia” was unveiled in Yerevan Victory Park, an official symbol intended to unite Armenian people and express its self-image (the sculpture was erected on the same pedestal from which the figure of Stalin was removed five years ago then).

If the monument to the victims of the Genocide showed hope, then “Mother Armenia” (like “Mother of the Cross”) was more in line with the Soviet narrative and spoke of the victory that was (and still is) being commemorated on May 9. To this day, these memorials are axial symbols of Armenian memorial culture along with the other one- bestowed by nature – the Ararat Volcano․