anniversary Archives

European People’s Party approves resolution on 100th anniversary of Armenian Genocide

March 3, 2015 By administrator

European People’s Party (EPP)

The European People’s Party (EPP) has approved a resolution on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenia’s Minister of Science and Education Armen Ashotyan left the following message on his Facebook page.

“I am extremely happy and proud. The European People’s Party has approved today a resolution on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. I congratulate all of us on the support of Europe’s largest political family on the way to historical justice.”

Today marks the 27th anniversary of the Sumgait Pogroms of Armenians by Azerbaijani forces

February 27, 2015 By administrator

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27th anniversary of the Sumgait massacre

WASHINGTON, DC – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) was joined by fellow Committee colleague Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Representatives Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Katherine Clark (D-MA) in commemorating the 26th anniversary of the Azerbaijani pogroms against the Armenian population of the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait, and condemning the ongoing violence and intimidation fostered by the government of President Ilham Aliyev, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“Twenty-six years ago, violent mobs surrounded the sea-side village in Sumgait, Soviet Azerbaijan and terrorized its inhabitants through a violent and brutal pogrom. In the following days, these roving bands systematically targeted ethnic Armenians on the streets and in their homes, viciously attacking and killing hundreds,” stated Chairman Royce. “On this tragic anniversary, when we mourn the loss of those innocent lives, we are mindful of the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and recurrent incidents of inciting rhetoric by Azeri political leaders and continued military clashes along the border. It is critical that Azerbaijan’s leaders refrain from provocative statements and commit to fruitful negotiations for a lasting peace in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) Brad Sherman (D-CA) Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Katherine Clark (D-MA

Rep. Sherman explained the imperative of commemorating the pogroms in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku, stating, “If we hope to stop future massacres, we must acknowledge these horrific events and ensure they do not happen again.” Rep. Sherman went on to note, that “Recognizing the ethnic-cleansing of the Armenians from Azerbaijan is an important step. However, we need to do more–we need to demonstrate to Azerbaijan that the United States is committed to peace and to the protection of Artsakh from coercion.”

Rep. Cardenas noted that “the failure to act by the Azerbaijani authorities and our failure to compel action has resulted in a tidal wave of animosity towards the Armenians, which manifests itself in several ways. Azerbaijani forces east of Karabakh continue to disregard the ceasefire established after the Karabakh war in 1994. Ramil Safarov, who decapitated an Armenian Lieutenant while he slept during a NATO-sponsored training program in 2004, returned home as a hero and was held up as ‘an example of patriotism for the Azerbaijani youth’ by the Commissioner for Human Rights of Azerbaijan, Elmira Suleymanova. All the while, Ilham Aliyev continues his brazen rhetoric; consistently declaring Armenians as the national enemy in an effort to unite the Azeri public.”

Rep. Eshoo explained that “without our recognition and our forceful condemnation, the cycle of violence will continue. Even today, Christians and other minority groups are being driven from Syria by extremists, and the once large and diverse ethnic mosaic there is all but eradicated. Without our attention and action by the world community, there will be no end in sight.”

Rep. Clark noted that “like the persecution of too many peoples before it, the lessons of Sumgait must not be forgotten. As diverse families of the Commonwealth, and as Americans, we have a moral obligation to promote tolerance and justice, and we have a duty to recognise the atrocities that have kept us from our common goal.”
The complete statements by the Representatives are provided below.

Turkish police clash with Kurds on anniversary of leader’s capture

February 15, 2015 By administrator

Photo: DIHA

DIYARBAKIR-AMED, Turkey’s Kurdish region,— Thousands of Kurds rallied in towns across Turkish Kurdistan in the southeast of the country on Sunday and some clashed with riot police in calling for the release of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan on the 16th anniversary of his capture.

Ocalan, leader of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), is viewed by nationalist Turks as responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people in the group’s 30-year armed struggle with the Turkish army. Report eKurd

But for many of Turkey’s estimated 22.5 million Kurds, the 67-year-old represents their bitter struggle for greater cultural and political rights.
Ocalan may call an end to the PKK’s armed struggle by March, some people close to the process say. But some also say that unrest in the southeast suggests the PKK is flexing its muscles as it looks to stamp its authority on the mainly Kurdish region.

Four months after deadly riots provoked by Kurdish anger at Ankara’s reluctance to help defend their kin in Syria, fresh unrest broke out in the town of Cizre near the Syrian and Iraqi frontiers between security forces, PKK supporters and Kurdish Islamists. At least six people were killed during the riots last month.

Those involved in talks remain tight-lipped on details, fearful of undermining prospects for a final deal. Kurds have been pushing for Ocalan’s release, an amnesty for fighters and steps towards autonomy.

“The Kurdistan freedom struggle will from now on aim for the freedom of leader Apo (Abdullah Ocalan). We will step up the struggle for a free Kurdistan,” PKK-linked political umbrella group KCK said in a statement on Sunday.

Ankara’s hopes of a complete end to the PKK as an armed group have been frustrated by the role it has carved out for itself fighting in Syria and Iraq against Islamic State.

On Saturday night and Sunday, demonstrators and police fought in streets in Sirnak and Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast.

Shops kept their shutters lowered in a sign of protest and thousands took to the streets holding up recent photographs of their jailed leader. Police detained 17 protesters in Sirnak.

“Long live leader Ocalan,” protesters chanted.

Experts say Ocalan has a high symbolic value for most Kurds in Turkey and worldwide, a lot of Kurds in Turkey openly sympathise with PKK rebels.

For Kurds, Ocalan represents their bitter struggle for greater cultural and political rights.

The Turkish government launched talks with Ocalan in 2012. The PKK, which is designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, subsequently declared a ceasefire and began withdrawing from Turkey to camps in northern Iraq where they are based.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday the peace process had reached a critical stage and that he expected “a beautiful spring” if the arms were silenced.

“Arms should totally leave Turkey’s agenda. Then, beautiful steps will be taken and the country will go through an atmosphere of spring,” he said.

Since it was established in 1984 the PKK has been fighting the Turkish state, which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state, but now limited its demands to to establish an autonomous Kurdish region and more cultural rights for ethnic Kurds, but have long been denied basic political and cultural rights, its goal to political autonomy.

Holocaust Museum spotlights 100th anniversary of #Armeniangenocide

February 11, 2015 By administrator

By Mike Isaacs

(Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education… (Illinois Holocaust Museum)

Some 100 years later, the black-and-white photo, grainy and archaic as it may be, remains ghastly and gruesome, documentation of grand inhumanity still difficult to digest today.

The remains of a woman and two young children lay lifeless, starved to death and apparent victims of the Armenian genocide that dates back to 1915. report chicagotribune

Tragically, other global genocide — whether the Holocaust waged by Nazi Germany against the Jews or barbarity more recent and current —- have produced their own photos documenting systematic, brutal murder, efforts to eliminate a demographic of human beings.

In marking the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide with a symposium Feb. 8 at Skokie’s Illinois Holocaust Museum, a panelist concluded that every genocide is unique and yet every genocide is the same.

“The magnitude of them could be different, the causes of them could be different, but there tends to be common elements that you see persistently through most of them,” said Shant Mardirossian, chairman of the Near East Foundation.

One of the most basic is dehumanization of a group of people. Eventually targeted for persecution, those people become regarded as less than human beings so attempts to eliminate them take on a warped and skewed sense of morality.

Pan-Armenian Declaration on 100th anniversary of Armenian Genocide adopted

January 30, 2015 By administrator

Following the session of the State Commission on Coordination of the events for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, President Serzh Sargsyan, in company with the commission members and the participants of the enlarged session, on Thursday visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Victims of the Mets Eghern and paid tribute to the memories of the innocent victims. Later on, the members of the state commission familiarized with the preparatory works of the new exhibition to be held at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, the presidential press service reported.

At the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex there also took place the promulgation ceremony of the Pan-Armenian Declaration on the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The declaration was adopted unanimously at the session of the State Commission on Coordination of the events for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. President Serzh Sargsyan read the document and pursuant to the resolution of the State Commission on Coordination of the events for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, deposited the original copy of the declaration with the Armenian-Genocide Museum-Institute. The Armenian President noted that one copy of the declaration will be sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and one will be deposited in the National Archives of the Republic of Armenia.

Pan-Armenian Declaration on the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide

The State Commission on the Coordination of Events Dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, in consultation with its regional committees in the Diaspora,

-expressing the united will of the Armenian people,

-based on the Declaration of Independence of Armenia of 23 August 1990 and the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia,

-recalling the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948, whereby recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

-guided by the respective principles and provisions of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 96(1) of 11 December 1946, the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 9 December 1948, the United Nations Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity of 26 November 1968, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 16 December 1966 as well as all the other international documents on human rights,

-taking into consideration that while adopting the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the United Nations specifically underlined the importance of international cooperation in the struggle against that criminal offence,

-emphasizing the inadmissibility of impunity of the constituent elements of the crime of genocide and the non-applicability of statutory limitation thereto,

-condemning the genocidal acts against the Armenian people, planned and continuously perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire and various regimes of Turkey in 1894-1923, dispossession of the homeland, the massacres and ethnic cleansing aimed at the extermination of the Armenian population, the destruction of the Armenian heritage, as well as the denial of the Genocide, all attempts to avoid responsibility, to consign to oblivion the committed crimes and their consequences or to justify them, as a continuation of this crime and encouragement to commit new genocides,

– also considering the 1919-1921 verdicts of the courts-martial of the Ottoman Empire on that grave crime perpetrated “against the law and humanity’’ as a legal assessment of the fact,

– appreciating the joint declaration of the Allied Powers on May 24, 1915, for the first time in history defining the most heinous crime perpetrated against the Armenian people as a “crime against humanity and civilization” and emphasizing the necessity of holding Ottoman authorities responsible, as well as the role and significance of the Sevres Peace Treaty of 10 August 1920 and US President Woodrow Wilson’s Arbitral Award of 22 November 1920 in overcoming the consequences of the Armenian Genocide:

1. Commemorates one-and-a-half million innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide and bows in gratitude before those martyred and surviving heroes who struggled for their lives and human dignity.

2. Reiterates the commitment of Armenia and the Armenian people to continue the international struggle for the prevention of genocides, the restoration of the rights of people subjected to genocide and the establishment of historical justice.

3. Expresses gratitude to those states and international, religious and non-governmental organizations that had political courage to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide as a heinous crime against humanity and even today continue to undertake legal measures to that end, also preventing the dangerous manifestations of denialism.

4. Expresses gratitude to those nations, institutions and individuals, who often endangering their lives, provided multifaceted humanitarian assistance and rescued many Armenians facing the threat of total annihilation, created safe and peaceful conditions for the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, thus promoting orphan care and the international Armenophile movement.

5. Appeals to UN member states, international organizations, all people of good will, regardless of their ethnic origin and religious affiliation, to unite their efforts aimed at restoring historical justice and paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

6. Expresses the united will of Armenia and the Armenian people to achieve worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the elimination of the consequences of the Genocide, preparing to this end a file of legal claims as a point of departure in the process of restoring individual, communal and pan-Armenian rights and legitimate interests.

7. Condemns the illegal blockade of the Republic of Armenia imposed by the Republic of Turkey, its anti-Armenian stance in international fora and the imposition of preconditions in the normalization of interstate relations, considering this a consequence of the continued impunity of the Armenian Genocide, Meds Yeghern.

8. Calls upon the Republic of Turkey to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire, and to face its own history and memory through commemorating the victims of that heinous crime against humanity and renouncing the policy of falsification, denialsm and banalizations of this indisputable fact.

Supports those segments of Turkish civil society whose representatives nowadays dare to speak out against the official position of the authorities.

9. Expresses the hope that recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey will serve as a starting point for the historical reconciliation of the Armenian and Turkish peoples.

10. Proudly notes that during the last century the Armenian people, having survived the Genocide,

– Demonstrated an unbending will and national self-consciousness and restored its sovereign statehood, lost centuries ago,

– Preserved and developed national values, achieved the renaissance of their national culture, science and education, bringing its unique contribution to the development of world heritage,

– established a powerful and effective network of religious and secular institutions in the Armenian Diaspora, thus contributing to the preservation of their Armenian identity in Armenian communities worldwide, the shaping of a respected and esteemed image of the Armenian, and the protection of the legitimate rights of the Armenian people,

– united and restored the national gene pool that was facing extermination as a result of the Genocide, through a pan-Armenian cooperation and extensive repatriation program,

– made its valuable contribution to international peace and security during the First and the Second World Wars and won glorious victories in the heroic battle of Sardarapat and the Artsakh war.

11. Considers the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide an important milestone in the ongoing struggle for historical justice under the motto “I remember and demand”.

12. Calls upon the coming generations of Armenians to protect their sacred native heritage with patriotism, consciousness and intellect and resolutely struggle and serve for:

– a stronger Homeland, free and democratic Republic of Armenia,

– the progress and strengthening of independent Artsakh,

– the efficient unity of Armenians worldwide,

– the realization of the centuries-old sacrosanct goals of all Armenians.

Istanbul: Thousands march to mark 8th anniversary of slain journalist’s Hrant dink murder

January 19, 2015 By administrator

Thousands of people have started marching from Taksim Square to the headquarters of the Agos newspaper to commemorate slain Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, who was shot dead outside his newspaper’s office in Şişli on Jan. 19, 2007, on the eighth anniversary of his assassination. Report Today Zaman

The large-scale march kicked off at 1:30 p.m. on Monday in İstanbul’s Taksim Square and will end in front of the Agos newspaper, which is on Halaskargazi Street in the Şişli district.

Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-chairpersons Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ were also expected to attend the march.

Security forces have taken strict security measures in Taksim for the march.

Dozens of people, including Dink’s wife, Rakel Dink, and other members of the Dink family, gathered at the Balıklı Armenian Cemetery in the Zeytinburnu district of İstanbul on Sunday, one day before the eighth anniversary of Dink’s death. Carnations were laid on Dink’s grave.

Various journalists’ unions released statements on Monday to commemorate Dink.

Turkish Journalists Federation (TGF) Chairman Atilla Sertel said the case launched to find the perpetrators of Dink’s murder has not reached a conclusion that satisfies the public even though a long time has passed since the murder. Noting that justice has not yet been served despite eight years having passed since Dink was shot to death in the middle of the street, Sertel said they want the real perpetrators to be revealed and they want them to justly suffer the consequences of their deeds.

A woman looks out of a window near a banner marking the eighth anniversary of the killing of Hrant Dink in İstanbul. The banner reads: “We are here, my brother. 8th year” (Photo: Reuters)

The Turkish Journalists Association (TGD) stated in its commemoration message on Monday: “The murderers and the dark powers behind the Dink murder have not yet been punished, although years have passed. Hrant Dink, a journalist who was defending the unity and peaceful co-existence of communities in Turkey, and thus fighting against racism, was killed by a fascist mindset.”

In its commemoration message, the Turkish Journalists’ Society (TGC) highlighted that the real criminals behind the murder have not yet been revealed. It said the public conscience, which was damaged by the murder, can only be recovered after the real perpetrators are punished in a fair trial.

Dink was shot and killed by an ultra-nationalist teenager. The hit man, Ogün Samast, and 18 others were brought to trial. Since then, the lawyers for the Dink family and the co-plaintiffs in the case have presented evidence indicating that Samast did not act alone. Another suspect, Yasin Hayal, was given life in prison for inciting Samast to murder.

Beirut to host int’l conference on 100th anniv. of Armenian Genocide

January 19, 2015 By administrator

Haykazyan University of Beirut and the Lebanese central body for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will organize on Jan 31-Feb 1 an international conference “Armenian Genocide centennial: Consequences and assignments”, sponsored by the head of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in Middle East, Megerdich Karageozian.

Suren Manukyan (The demographic, cultural, geographical, economic and political consequences of the Armenian Genocide), Vladimir Vardanyan (The elimination of the consequences of the Armenian genocide by international law), Zaven Msryan (The international community resistance during and after the Armenian genocide), Saleh Zahreddin (Genocide abuse by states against Turkey), Arsen Avagyan (Armenia-Turkey relations from 1991-2014), Tatul Hakobyan (Armenia- Turkey non-governmental relations), Bulent Bilmez (The attitude of Turkey towards minorities (1923-2014), Hranush Kharatyan (The status of Armenians in Modern Turkey: Islamized Armenians) will deliver reports with the above-mentioned titles.

Before closing the conference, the presentation of the volumes (in Arabic) “100 Arabian testimonies: The 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide” by Damascus University professor Nora Arisian and “Artsakh Diary: Green and Black” by journalist and expert at the ANI Center Tatul Hakobyan will be held.

Syrians in seyfo’s 100th Anniversary on the move “Assyrian Genocide”

January 16, 2015 By administrator

Civilized Gideon

Assyrian Genocide’s 100th anniversary, the Syriac community began working to bring genocide on the agenda of the international platform. They live for recognition of Assyrian Genocide and face to campaigns in all countries. Report Agos

Assyrian Genocide in Europe for the organization of work (Seyfo) Committee was established. Each country will also set up sub-committees to carry out the campaign. Syrians to tell the genocide they suffered in 1915. Sefyo Committee issued a letter regarding the genocide centennial. In a letter published, Assyrians, 1915, the Ottoman Empire and the local collaborators genocide inflicted on hand, as well as the first 500 thousand Assyrians were massacred thousands of people, including women and children were expressed forcibly converted to Islam. Syrians belonging to monasteries, churches destroyed and that many institutions, such as schools, all the wealth of possessions belonging to the Assyrians as was pointed out usurped.

Seyfo Committee, the world’s governments and leaders of governments, civil society vatansızlaştır on the ongoing genocide recognition by writing letters to the organization requesting the Syrians and will be asked to stop the extortion mentality.

Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate in the activities of the Assyrian Genocide 2015 the church decided to dedicated to those who lost their lives. 100th of the Assyrian Genocide victims of genocide throughout the Patriarchate year due to an organizing symposiums and exhibitions. The Patriarchate also decided to participate in the efficiency throughout the year held in Europe.

Anniversary of Dink’s Assassination to Be Marked at EU Parliament

December 30, 2014 By administrator

STRASBOURG—On Jan. 21, the 8th anniversary of the assassination of Turkish Armenian journalist and editor-in-chief of the bilingual Agos newspaper, Hrant Dink, will be commemorated at the European Parliament. report asbarez

Hrant Dink was assassinated on January 19, 2007, in broad daylight on a busy street in front of his newspaper’s office in Istanbul.

His assassination was the culmination of a decade-long campaign of harassment by the country’s authorities, by the military and by extremist groups. But it triggered an unprecedented surge of solidarity and pro-democracy activism in Turkey after more than 100,000 people attended his funeral.

Today, Dink has become an icon of the movement for civil liberties in Turkey and in Europe. His memory serves as a beacon for intellectuals, activists and the wider public to challenge prejudice and intolerant nationalism. Hrant Dink was an Armenian, in a country where Armenians have long lived in fear. He was a journalist, in a country that jails more journalists than any other country in the world. And as an advocate of peace, he was reviled by nationalists.

After his death, Dink’s family and friends established a foundation that has since continued and broadened his work in Turkey for civil liberties, for the rights of minorities and for peaceful relations with neighbors, particularly Armenia.

2015 will mark the 10th anniversary of the start of Turkey’s accession negotiations with the European Union and the centenary of the start of the Armenian Genocide. The commemoration on January 21 will provide an opportunity to invoke Hrant Dink’s intellectual and political legacy and to take stock of the situation of the movement for civil rights and tolerance in Turkey that his assassination spurred.

Centennial anniversary of Armenian genocide to be launched in Greece

December 8, 2014 By administrator

The launch of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman government, will be held in Greece on January 18.

The Central Committee of Greece for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide informed “Armenpress” that an event will be held on the same day in Athens. The Greek-Armenian community will announce the annual program for 2015 at the course of the upcoming event.

The fact of the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman government has been documented, recognized, and affirmed in the form of media and eyewitness reports, laws, resolutions, and statements by many states and international organizations.

The complete catalogue of all documents categorizing the 1915 wholesale massacre of the Armenian population in Ottoman Empire as a premeditated and thoroughly executed act of genocide, is extensive. Uruguay was the first country to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide in 1965.

The massacres of the Armenian people have been officially condemned and recognized as genocide in accordance with the international law by France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Greece, Slovakia, Cyprus, Lebanon, Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Canada, Vatican and Australia.

Source: Armenian News Agency