By Harut Sassounian The California Courier editor
The Armenian Genocide is discussed in the Turkish parliament rarely, and fewer still there are calls for its recognition.
On 14 January 2016, two of the three Armenian members recently elected to the Turkish Parliament have simply dared to raise the issue of the Armenian Genocide in their speeches in the Assembly.
Selina Dogan, representing the opposition party Kemalist CHP (Republican People’s Party), had made the following statement in Parliament: “Since this issue concerns not only Armenians but also Turkey, and therefore it should involve the Turkish parliament and not the other parliaments. Otherwise, every April 24 will continue to make statements always the same and we will promptly quickly cast it on our minds; I am convinced that none of us has any interest in doing so. I must remind you that during a public event in 2015 in Erzurum, the Prime Minister made it clear that deportation is a crime against humanity. “
Garo Paylan, representing the Kurdish opposition party HDP, then mounted the rostrum and also spoke of the Armenian Genocide. “One hundred years the Armenian people have been uprooted and destroyed by order of the state. My family – my grandfather and his family – has suffered also during these events. My grandfather lost both parents and became thereby orphan. I am a descendant of a generation of orphans and survivors of the sword, that live on these lands. My race was massacred. “
While Paylan spoke, several members of parliament shouted to express their disapproval. Baki Shimshek, member of the ultra-nationalist opposition party MHP, shouted in a threatening tone: “We are here in the Turkish National Assembly. Nobody can say that genocide was committed. Such behavior is unacceptable! “.
Despite the unusual nature of this debate is not the first time that statements on the Armenian Genocide were made in the Turkish parliament.
3 Armenian MPs: Selina Dogan, Markar Yesayan, Garo Paylan
In November 2014, Sebahat Tuncel HDP party proposed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide. Tuncel Erdogan asked insistently come before parliament to recognize the genocide and other massacres and ask forgiveness. The text of the resolution also asked Erdogan publicly reiterated his apology on one of the sites of the massacres, and he declares April 24 day official mourning. In addition, parliament should undertake to establish a Truth Commission that would make public all the public archives documents relating to the massacres. Finally, the proposed resolution addressed the issue of moral and material compensation for the descendants of victims. As expected, the resolution Tuncel was quickly removed to never see the day.
As I reported it a year ago, the proposed Tuncel was not the first resolution submitted to the Turkish parliament for recognition of the Armenian Genocide. On 4 November 1918, the new Ottoman Turkish parliament discussed at length the crimes committed by the Turkish government Young, after the presentation of a motion stating: “A population of a million people guilty of nothing except their belonging to the Armenian nation were massacred and exterminated, including women and children. “ In response, Interior Minister Fethi Okyar said: “The government’s intention is to repair all the injustices until now, within our means, to make possible the return home of those who were exiled, and to compensate them for their material losses as much as it can. “
As a result of this motion, a parliamentary commission of inquiry was created to gather all documents relating to the actions of those responsible for what was called “deportations and massacres of Armenians”. The proofs were delivered to the Turkish Military Tribunal and those who were found guilty were hanged or sentenced to long prison terms.
In addition to this parliamentary motion, we must remember the words of Kemal Ataturk, the first president of the Republic of Turkey, quoted in the Los Angeles examinator of August 1, 1926 to have said: “These survivors of the former party Youth Turkish expected accountable for the death of millions of our Christian subjects, brutally driven from their homes and massacred en masse “.
Together, the motion of the 1918 parliament, convictions by the Turkish Military Tribunals and the words of President Kemal Ataturk on the responsibility of the Turkish government of the time, characterize the genocide and make Turkey the first state to have recognized the Armenian Genocide!
Therefore, rather than wanting Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Armenians should reclaim their lands as his interior minister Fethi Okyar promised 98 years ago!
Gilbert Béguian translation for Armenews
Fethi Okyar was military attaché in Paris at the age of 29, from 1909 to 1911
Jean Eckian © armenews.com