The Armenians in Turkey’s eastern town of Mush (historical Western Armenia) have teamed up to create a compatriot’s union in an effort to preserve the national culture and identity.

The president of the newly-launched organization, Taron-Mush, on Monday gave a press conference in Yerevan, to share their plans and vision as an attempt to consolidate Islamized Armenians. He said that the idea was difficult to realize in Mush, a town widely known for its religious fanatics.
“Our apprentices are now Islamized Armenians who, despite having changed their religion, recognize their ethnic background, which is the most important thing. It is a very commendable fact. I heard from a Kurd one day that Mush and the surrounding regions have around 40,000 Armenians, of whom 90% have Armenian mothers and 10% – [Armenian] fathers. That’s the situation in Mush,” Gevorg Chalesh said.
He added that he has arrived in Armenia with a team of compatriots to participate in the Pan-Armenian Games. “We immediately formed a team to come and take part [in the games]. It’s a pity though we suffered a defeat,” he added.
Speaking of the difficulties and challenges on the way of setting up an organization of the kind in Turkey, Aslan Hayetsi, another leading figure of the union, admitted that there are quite a lot of risks in terms of angering the Turks. But he said the community should be resolute and fight to ensure that their children learn Armenian. “Everybody there knows we are an Armenians, and so we lead just an ordinary life,” he said
Simon Taronyan, a representative of western Armenian organizations also attending the news conference, said he thinks it is time for the Armenians around the world to finally forget about all religious issues to recognize compatriots based on ethnic origins.
“It doesn’t matter at all if one is a Muslim, Christian or someone with no belief; the important thing is that he or she is or considers himself or herself an Armenian. There are Armenians everywhere – hidden or non-hidden – so we must be able to organize our communities and establish culture. The ethnic origins and the nation’s issue should be in the first place, not just the religion. Currently, we are trying to keep the center in Mush to put an end to those cowardly times,” he added.

All the speakers agreed that they now need school text-books in Western Armenian – especially on history – and said a support by the Armenian government would be to the point to assist in their efforts.

Source: tert.am

incite ethnic hatred

On February 20, the Turkish Association for Human Rights issued a statement in response to anti-Armenian demonstration planned for February 22 in Istanbul, operating under the banner “demonstrations condemning the Khojaly genocide and the Armenian Terror.” The Association of Human Rights sent a petition to the governor of Istanbul before the event, which has already caused a rise in anti-Armenian sentiments with graffiti saying: “You are all Armenians, all bastards, “spray painted on the walls of a church in Istanbul.

Here are some excerpts from the statement:

Khojaly: An excuse to incite ethnic hatred against Armenians in Turkey

February 19, 2015, the Association of Human Rights presented the governor of Istanbul a petition warning officials that “demonstrations condemning the Khojaly genocide and the Armenian Terror”, to be held in Kadıköy, Istanbul, February 22, were intended to incite ethnic hatred from the time they have been pre-announced.

The events are organized by the reformist Youth Association of Azerbaijan, with the support of the Turkish youth branches Homes and platform Turanian Movement.

As our petition to the governorate reported by activists of the Movement Platform Turanian publish public screens, including graffiti, banners and posters in central locations in Istanbul. In the statement they distribute in stores and that we attach to this petition, they incite violence marking the militants fighting against racism as “terrorists”. People who somehow remain “unidentified” write racist graffiti, such as “you’re either Turkish or Bastards” or “You are all Armenians, All bastards” on the walls of the church of Kadıköy in more put flags representing the ultra-nationalist symbol (mythical wolf).

The protesters chanted “You are all Armenians, You are all bastards” during the protests for Khojali on Taksim Square February 26, 2012.

The demonstrators chanted: “You are all Armenians, you are all bastards”, during the Khojali events in Taksim Square on February 26, 2012.

Khojaly is a pretext for the real purpose of inciting ethnic hatred and hostility against Armenians in Turkey, as observed globally over the Khojaly events to Taksim Square February 26, 2012. Before the eyes of the Minister of Interior, the same place where he was giving a speech, protesters held banners where you could read: “You are all Armenians, you are all bastards,” while shouting slogans hate against Armenians.

The corrupt and shady cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey therefore comes forward: The organizers are able to threaten their regimes for February 22 because they have no doubt that the officials of the Republic of Turkey go their providing an endless tolerance.

In the petition, we presented the case, we reminded the governor that racism displayed both during demonstrations in 2012 and during the preparation phase of the demonstrations of February 22 for “Condemn Armenian terrorism” constitutes a crime Under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code for “public humiliation or incitement to hatred and enmity.” We also stressed that incitement to racist violence violates Article 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights Rights, which prohibits discrimination.

We asked the Governor’s Office take preventive measures against slogans, writings, banners, and incentive threats to ethnic hatred or enmity; that in cases where they occur, all the mechanisms of judicial procedures are activated immediately after the protests, and that the state fulfills its responsibilities with greater efficiency.

(…)

The so-called NGOs of the state of Azerbaijan, where opposition journalists are left rotting in prison and honest public intellectuals are left with threats to life via a lynching, we ask: What are you in Turkey? What business brings you to Istanbul? No one believes you weep for those killed in Khojaly; It is not in their memory as you fight. You come to Turkey to support the anti-Armenian and threaten Armenians in Turkey, which has no connection with Khojaly.

A word to the hate mongers in Turkey, which joined forces with anti-Armenian Azerbaijani: Stop your lies. Khojaly is not about you. this was never Khojaly interest. Your true intention is to intimidate the Armenians of Turkey and all non-Turkish, non-Muslim peoples and exacerbate their precarious existence.

The words, “Long live Turkey racist,” spray painted on a church wall in Kadikoy. (Photo: Murad Mihci / Nor Zartonk)

The very existence of human rights is justified by the cause of resistance and struggle against the atrocities and persecutions in Turkey and in the world. However, it will remain once the defenders of human rights to fight against those who exploit the horrors and pain of the victims for their own purposes exercise of racist violence across borders.

We, human rights defenders, invite all to unite as one body against racism, racial violence, discrimination and hatred, to show that you are alone in your projects, to isolate yourself in society, and put you in front of the public conscience.

We remind officials, once again, they will be held accountable for the public display of ethnic hatred, bloody cases are still too fresh in our memory.

Human Rights Association, Istanbul Branch

Committee against Racism and Discrimination

Monday, February 23, 2015,

Armenians in Turkey’s Mush launch ethnic union

Turkey: “Khojaly an excuse to incite ethnic hatred”