April 23, 2014 | 02:19
Famous American-Armenian rock musician Serj Tankian has send an open letter to the Turkish people, and told the story of his forebears who survived the Armenian Genocide.
In the beginning of the letter, which Agos Armenian weekly ofIstanbul published, Tankian wrote that he was born in Beirut, Lebanon, but all four of his grandparents had come from modern day Turkey.
“My grandfather Stepan hailed from Efkere in Kayseri, while my grandmother Varsenig came from Tokat.
“My other grandparents were from Dortiol and Ourfa. None of them left on their own free will.
“They were all survivors of the horrible Genocide committed by the Ittihad government during the last days of the Ottoman Empire,” Tankian wrote.
Describing the sad story of his forebears, Serj Tankian stressed that, “These are not some stories in the archives of Turkey or other nations. These are the true stories of my family.”
Towards end of his open letter, the Armenian musician thanked, “all of the amazing people I’ve met from Turkey who have shared their stories with me while on tour and online and have given me hope of a rapprochement based on truth and justice.”
“My wish, Dear People of Turkey, is for you to truly find yourself,” Serj Tankian wrote in closing.