Paros Foundation Statement, 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the peaceful protest

April 24, 2018 By administrator

Paros Foundation Statement

As Armenians come together today around the world to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, our thoughts and prayers not only remember the 1.5 million Armenians who perished at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government, but turn to our compatriots living in this remarkable time in Armenia.

Scores of fearless people, facing uncertain consequences, took to the streets leading a well-organized, peaceful protest aimed at preventing a power-grab by Serzh Sargsyan, who had pledged not to pursue the office of Prime Minister following Armenia’s change to a parliamentary form of government. Calls for acts of peaceful civil disobedience initiated by young people and then joined by tens of thousands of citizens from all walks of life culminated in Sargsyan’s resignation. Throughout these tense days, both citizens and Armenia’s police exercised incredible restraint. The protestors, police and Sargsyan himself should celebrate the fact that Armenia is maturing and its growing pains were not met with loss of life, but rather a peaceful transition.

In the coming days, what the future holds for our homeland and its citizens is unknown. On behalf of The Paros Foundation, we join in the spirit of positive change and collaboration to build a bright future for Armenia’s children. We support our brothers and sisters in Hayastan on their path to long-term nation building over short-term personal gain. We, at Paros remain committed to mobilize Diasporan support for the implementation of valuable projects and the progressive leadership necessary to ensure their long-term success.

By remembering our past, we will build a homeland together that is safe, secure and prosperous, and one that our ancestors would be proud to call “Mer Hayrenik.”

Western Armenian Language Get Its Own ISO Code

February 6, 2018 By administrator

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

LISBON—The Armenian Communities department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation enthusiastically welcomed a decision of SIL International to issue Western Armenian its own ISO code: HYW.

This decision has a direct bearing on the revitalization of Western Armenian. It allows this branch of the language to be uniquely identified in information systems and databases, enabling software engineers to develop electronic tools specific to Western Armenian.

For example, the creation of Wikipedia, online translation services and dictionaries in Western Armenian will be greatly facilitated, not to mention the research undertaken by linguists, ethnographers and other experts.

The ISO code confers, moreover, international recognition to Western Armenian as a distinct language branch which is important to advocate for online services and programmes provided by corporations in the field of information technologies.

“We are so pleased to see our collaboration with Wikimedia Armenia bear such an important result,” said Razmik Panossian, the Director of the Armenian Communities department at the Foundation. “We worked on the submission process together, and received invaluable support from international experts and prominent intellectuals, resulting in a very strong application.”

The code was made available for use on January 23.

Hrant Dink Foundation to Organize Western Armenian Summer Language Program

April 23, 2016 By administrator

67542 Hrant Dink Foundation’s Armenian Language and Culture Summer Program will be held in Istanbul between July 11th and August 12th of 2016.

The Summer Program offers Language Courses of Western Armenian, in three proficiency levels. The course will last 5 weeks, 3 hours every weekday morning, totaling to 75 hours of coursework. The language courses being based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, participants will acquire the following skills:

Level One: A participant at this level is a starter and will learn the alphabet, to use daily expressions and to understand sentences with basic structures.
Level Two: A participant at this level has the skills of Level One, and will learn to understand the context of a given text and to express themselves in areas of interest orally.
Level Three: A participant at this level has the skills of Level One and Two, and will learn to understand and express written and oral content fluently.

Armenian Culture Courses will be held in the afternoons, from Monday to Thursday. The courses will focus on topics such as Armenian history, culture, literature, arts, Armenian community of Istanbul, Armenian politics and current affairs, in addition to workshops and activities of music, dance, cooking, cinema, cultural trips, visits and discussions.

The Language and Culture courses can be taken as complimentary or as stand-alone courses. While it is advised that applicants follow both courses, they are free to choose only one.

Cost: The tuition fee will depend on the participant’s choice of courses. The participation fee for the full program (both language and culture courses) is €350, whereas for a single course it is €200. A limited number of scholarships will be available for students based on availability of funds and places. All the travel, visa and accommodation expenses will be covered by the applicant. The Hrant Dink Foundation is ready to give assistance on the accommodation options.

Registration deadline is June 1, 2016. As the places are limited, early registration is encouraged from the following link: Registration Form

For questions please contact the Hrant Dink Foundation at:
Hermine Sayan: E-Mail: info@hrantdink.org Phone: +90 212 2403361

Hrant Dink Foundation 2015 calendar has been published

December 29, 2014 By administrator

Hrant Dink Foundation’s calendar for 2015 has been published. 1915 calendar dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the dispersed pattern of death in the world survive the journey, tells the story of the forced change of religion.

Turkish, English, Armenian prepared 2015 calendar, the 1915 Genocide to look at different aspects, died of remembrance, outgoing, and the rest are to understand, not to forget to live the rest of art, history for a fair future and present talk, get the occasion to share he prepared.

53 text and include a different topic every week in 64 calendar which takes place visually. Hrant Dink Foundation, located in preparing stories in the press release calendar, which says:

“One night the arrested death sent the leading intellectuals of the Armenian community will re-read rooting struggling and the stories of those who have been forced to forget the language changed his religion to be able to continue living in their own homes scattered to the four corners survival succeed in the world of death journey they were removed. In this story, the, now forced migration conscientiously opposed to Avoid statesmen, now face those involved in breaking years of silence, now a book or a movie, it will be the root learned after kah identity fifty accompanied with pursuing. ”

Calendar also public holidays, as well as Muslims, Alevis, Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Musevei of, EZiD and Kurds are also included festivals and special days.

Turkey Mass Graves Foundation established

December 18, 2014 By administrator

Civilized Gideon

Various human rights organizations operating in Turkey decided to take joint action, HRA under the leadership of ‘Mass Graves Foundation’ builds. Studies will be conducted to reveal the mass graves, the 1915 Armenian Genocide, which occurred after 1925 will be allocated to the period as the Kurds and Kurdish rebellions happened in the war.

Turkey’s recent history, but also a history of massacres. Thousands of people are still under the ground. Who they are, when they are unknown even murdered. After increasingly violent Kurdish 1915 genocide and war in the 1990s, where the bones come under excavation is performed. Calls are being made, is going to the door of the prosecution, but the state still have not any concrete step in this regard. Unable to get results from the prosecutor’s investigation.

Mass graves fact, for many years in the agenda of human rights organizations. In particular, the Human Rights Association Diyarbakır Branch, has long been trying to identify the location of mass graves. Association was prepared in a map of the location of detection. According to a report released on Tuesday, December 16, 348 mass graves have the body of 4 thousand 201 people. According to the reports, does not include the figures for the 1915 Genocide.

Forces of human rights organizations

Various human rights organizations operating in Turkey, is conducting studies related to the mass graves. Work more effectively act together to make the decision of the field of human rights organizations, led by HRA ‘Mass Graves Foundation’ builds. The studies for the establishment of the Foundation, largely completed. Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, Truth and Memory Center of the human rights organizations, among them, are supporting this project.

IHD Diyarbakir Branch Raci seer, noting that recently established the foundation said: “Trying to HRA very limited possibilities. Either a material we still have difficulty in terms of human resources. For a while, we just work on the applications made to us. Mass graves work, a work that requires more material and human resources. Therefore, there is a necessity that can receive scientific support work done by setting up a separate foundation. “

Seer, of the work to be done to reveal the mass graves, the 1915 Armenian Genocide, which occurred after 1925 Kurds and Kurdish rebellions to do is divided into periods expressed as happened in the war.

HRA has identified 348 mass graves

IHD Diyarbakir Branch, according to the mass graves report update, opened in Turkey and has opened including 348 bodies in a mass grave of 4 thousand 201 people. According to the report, that the density of the mass graves provinces, Diyarbakir, Siirt, Bitlis, Hakkari and Bingol. Prepared ‘Mass Grave Map’, which is predominantly Kurdish war involves periods of. The report made so far in the campaign, despite appeals and criminal complaint noted that the state take any concrete steps.

DNA banks are created

HRA, in its report, relating to the loss to the prosecutor urged to take action. The HRA also military and civilian officials to reveal documents in hand, asked that document and the opening of the tomb after a work to be done by determining the identity of the missing information and the DNA bank to be established. The report, “Turkey is now in mass graves in the region must face the fact. This tomb should take action as soon as the authorities of the opening “was given in the statements.

Facts and Research Commission in the HRA report where the call establishment, has drawn attention to the international standards: “The opening of the search for missing and grave, Minnesota Autopsy Protocol and must be conducted in accordance with international standards on how to open the tomb. The tomb of the destruction of finds from lost business machines opened in a sloppy manner, or should prevent the loss. “

48 mass graves in Siirt

Siirt, one of the densely inhabited center of the Armenians before 1915. 7 thousand 500 people in Siirt, 32 thousand Armenians lived in 1914 4. Three churches and two educational institutions of Siirt, not only Armenians, Assyrians was also an important settlements. If the massacre of the Armenians, continues to maintain its freshness in memory. Batches where they massacred the Armenians, know almost everyone in the city.

Hrant Dink Foundation Publications published ‘Sound of Silence’ from the book, Eruhl an Armenian, he says the following about 1915: “My father used to say, ‘I will say to you infidel, they do not enjoy their say but the sound in the other. You kill, eat the beatings, raise your voice, come home to. Removing a lot of the breaks in the sound. ‘ This consciousness, my father gave me. So I grew up eating a beaten. While seven or eight years, big men were beating me to the ground holding my ears, ‘is Gâvur, unbreakable bones are solid, they were. Us there is a gap (Tehtameterxanê) had. From there they took our people, was on top of the bones, they took me to the cliff. ‘Grandfather of bones there, we will take you there, “he had threatened. (…)”

Butchers Creek massacre common place

After 1915, the city began to rapidly Kurdicized. One of the important centers of the Kurdish political movement in Siirt, on the grounds that killed more than 300 people in 1989, known as the PKK militants were thrown into the creek newal town butcher. Newal town is known also as one of the places where the Armenian Genocide happened.

Human Rights Association (IHD) Siirt Branch, opened the mass grave in the town newal, I want the user to determine the identity of those killed. The HRA has prepared a report on the mass graves they discovered in Siirt. According to HRA report, where at least 822 people in Siirt 48 graves have been identified cases. Not result from any of the applications were made about the graves. Only in 1989 the prosecutor’s order in excavations in newal of the town, has been reached 8 person’s body. However, the excavations made by the prosecutor’s office launched an investigation and behind fate is unknown. Identification are not even made.

Bones in the abyss

HRA report contained the following information is given about the Kasaba’yl newal on: “Our country and our province in particular have stayed in the dark and to expose one of the places where the events took place that are waiting to Qeseba newal. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their life, humanity had recalled the mass killing with great sorrow and shame of the family and the fact that mass graves were formed. Newal to qesebesi were brought to a place where hundreds of Armenians and Kurds buried collectively. “

HRA Siirt Branch Zana Yavuz, so far not received the results of any application made and saying that the bones of the Armenians massacred in some places in the city, Agosta found the following assessments: “Siirt Armenians and Assyrians were the city. After 1915 turned into a Kurdish city. Everyone knows the city. Tehtameterxanê and newal that the killings of Armenians also knew everyone in town. There are still bones in the rocky cliffs of Tehtameterxanê. “

Yiannakis Omirou : Cyprus and Armenia should create common front against Ankara

November 19, 2014 By administrator

YEREVAN. – Mutual assistance between Armenia and Cyprus stands on a solid foundation, head of the Parliament of Cyprus Yiannakis Omirou said speaking at the National Assembly of Armenia.

He invited the head of the Armenian parliament Galust Sahakyan to visit Cyprus in the near future.

“The presence of the Armenian community in Cyprus is an additional guarantee of the development of and strengthening of our relations creating a wide range of cooperation in politics, economy, military, education and culture,” he said.

On behalf of the House of Representatives and the people of Cyprus, Omirou expressed his gratitude for the principled and consistent policy of Armenia in the name of freedom and the reunification of Cyprus and its people.

“We are aware of the price that you paid for this support, for which we thank you,” he emphasized.

Speaking about Turkey’s occupation of Cyprus, he noted that despite international condemnation, Ankara’s violations are becoming more open and destabilize the entire region.

“At the same time, government and military leaders of Turkey openly threatened to use military force, if the Republic of Cyprus continues to implement its sovereign rights,” he added.

The official added that such behavior of Turkey is familiar to Armenians. Yiannakis Omirou is convinced that the refusal to ratify the protocols is a manifestation of the same policy.

“Despite the difficulties caused by Ankara, Cyprus and Armenia should intensify bilateral relations, to join efforts in international organizations and take advantage of Cyprus and the Armenian Diaspora, creating a common front against the policies of Turkey. On behalf of the members of the House of Representatives and myself I express my willingness to work in this direction.

Perhaps, Armenia and Cyprus are not strong states, but our commitment is justified. We have lived and prospered and in more severe conditions. Armenian and Cypriot nations are fighting for freedom and justice, and their will is unshakable”.