Gagrule.net

Gagrule.net News, Views, Interviews worldwide

Armenian Genocide Finally Gets Its Due With the Film ‘The Promise’ – The Nation

By

the-promise-filmBy Pietro A. Shakarian
Every year, on April 24, a solemn procession of men, women, and children commences in Yerevan, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Armenia. A sea of sad Armenian faces makes its way up to the hill of Tsitsernakaberd to the Armenian Genocide Memorial. It is here that every year the victims of one of the 20th century’s greatest crimes are quietly honored.
An ancient Christian country located just south of Russia and east of Turkey, Armenia has seen much suffering in its long history. However, of all the tragedies experienced by this small yet resilient nation, none compares to the enormity of the Armenian genocide of 1915. The genocide was committed by the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Possessed by a fanatical nationalism, the ruling Young Turk government accused its Christian Armenian subjects of sympathizing with the hated Russian enemy. What followed was the planned, systematic, and ruthless mass murder of as many as 1.5 million Armenian civilians.
“Of all the sufferers of the war,” wrote American diplomat Lewis Einstein inThe Nation in 1920, “none have endured more than the Armenians, victims less of its horrors than of the Turkish Government’s diabolical policy of murder.” To this day, Turkey continues to deny the historical reality of the genocide, despite overwhelming scholarly evidence. After over 100 years, the denial of this horrific crime has left the Armenian people in state of incomplete mourning.
Terry George’s forthcoming film The Promise captures the magnitude of this history in a way that no prior film on the genocide has done before. With its sweeping cinematography, powerful acting, and all-encompassing story, it is a truly epic work that effectively and humanely conveys the story of the tragedy.
BRINGING THE TRAGEDY TO THE SCREEN

Given Turkey’s continued stance of denial, making a film about the genocide has never been an easy task. Efforts to produce such a film in Hollywood were consistently blocked by the Turkish government. The most infamous instance of this was in the 1930s, when Ankara pressured MGM into abandoning plans for producing an adaptation of the novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, by Austrian-Jewish writer Franz Werfel. The novel was based on real events in which a small community of Armenians living in the mountains of Turkey’s present-day Hatay Province (on the Syrian border) defended themselves against deportation by Ottoman authorities.

 

Due to Werfel’s Jewish background, the novel was banned in Hitler’s Third Reich and subject to mass book burnings. The book eventually came to the attention of MGM’s Irving Thalberg, who bought the rights and decided to have it produced as a film. Pre-production began in 1934. Clark Gable was to be the star. However, due to pressure from the Turkish government (including anti-Semitic threats by Ankara against MGM as a “Jewish studio”), Louis B. Mayer canceled the project.

“There are numerous reasons why a film like that has not been made by Hollywood over the past century,” said Eric Esrailian, a UCLA doctor who played a major role in the production of The Promise. “It is not as though people have avoided spending money producing other films for all these years. All elements—from studios to producers to actors to crew—have felt pressure or intimidation in one form or another.”
There were indeed films produced about the genocide. The earliest of these,Ravished Armenia (1919), starred a survivor of the genocide, Aurora Mardiganian, and was produced by MGM at a time when Turkey did not have the clout to stop such productions. The box office proceeds went to the aid of Armenian orphans through the Near East Relief. Unfortunately, the film was eventually lost and only recently turned up as a fragmentary copy in post-Soviet Armenia.
The films that followed, such as Henrik Malyan’s Nahapet (1977), Atom Egoyan’s Ararat (2002), Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s Lark Farm (2007), and Fatih Akin’s The Cut (2014), were unable to reach a mass American audience. Distributed by Warner Bros., Elia Kazan’s America America (1963) vividly depicted the persecution of Armenians and Greeks under Ottoman rule. However, its main focus was the protagonist’s quest to emigrate to the United States.
Given this history, Armenian-American philanthropist Kirk Kerkorianbelieved that the time had come .for a Hollywood film on the genocide. Kerkorian, who passed away in 2015, first conceived of the idea in 2010, but it acquired momentum in 2012 when Kerkorian set up Survival Pictures. He entrusted his close friend Eric Esrailian to the task of bringing the story of the genocide to a general American audience, and enlisted veteran producers Mike Medavoy and William Horberg.

“We wanted to carefully find the right people—committed people with sincere intentions in their hearts—to come together,” said Esrailian. “Thankfully, we were successful, and the result has been everything we hoped for. In addition, we also grew together as a family of people, both in front of and behind the camera. The entire project is thanks to the courage and dedication of Kirk Kerkorian, and people around the world will be thanking him for generations to come.”

 

Read more here

Haytoug Preview: The Psychological Impact of the Armenian Genocide

By

Artwork by Annie Magdesyan

Artwork by Annie Magdesyan

Didn’t your genocide happen a century ago?

Why do Armenians still care when it was so long ago?

Why can’t you just get over it and move on?

BY SARINE BOYADJIAN

Throughout my life, I have been at the receiving end of many variations of such questions. As a minority, as a child of the Armenian Diaspora, as a descendant of genocide survivors, how do I respond? In my youth, I assumed that educating “odars” about the Armenian genocide would suffice. However, this strategy would often backfire, as I would be confronted with the obvious: I was describing an event that occurred one hundred years ago. An event that I am far removed from, both geographically and generationally. Yet, I continue to be deeply impacted by the events of the Armenian Genocide. How does one explain the amalgamation of emotions – grief and joy, pride and despair, hopelessness and perseverance – we have inherited? How does one describe the physical pain felt deep in the heart, upon learning of the barbaric tortures, rapes, and murders of one’s ancestors? Finally, how does one describe that desperate and frantic need for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915?

The exposure to trauma by the survivors of genocide does not end with them alone, but is passed down to their children and subsequent generations. This legacy of trauma from the Armenian genocide continues to haunt our generation, and will continue to impact the lives of future generations of Armenians. This phenomenon is often referred to as the intergenerational transmission of trauma. The adverse consequences of the traumatic events endured by the victimized group, including symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, can carry on for several generations [1]. The traumatic past may be communicated to following generations through empathic connectivity fostered through rituals. The emotional exchange that occurs during ritual observances, including religious observances, cultivates strong empathy and a shared knowledge of the trauma history [2]. The Armenian community is rich with such rituals and traditions, and with each event, we consciously or subconsciously pay tribute to the 1.5 million lives lost. We celebrate weddings, but somehow, our beautiful and elaborate weddings become slightly more joyful when the unity is between two Armenians. Our children are baptized and are proudly proclaimed Christians. Each joyous ritual carries a significant subtext: keep the memory of your ancestors’ alive, fight the “jermag chart,” perpetuate our people, remain Armenian for we are few…. but we sure are mighty.

Trauma may also be transmitted through survivor narratives; even when one is not directly related to a survivor, but is merely a member of the survivor group. However, silence too, plays a significant role in the transmission of trauma. A lack of open discussion about the traumatic experience is a form of communication that functions in an intricate manner. One’s innate imperative to warn succeeding generations of impending danger is compromised by the warning itself, as the warning itself has a potential to harm due to its terrifying nature [3]. For example, a genocide survivor may choose not speak of the experienced trauma in order to shield subsequent generations from the horrors associated with the events, but communicates trauma through actions and behaviors. While many Armenians have collected detailed accounts of their grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ experiences during the Armenian Genocide, including stories of escape from persecution and death, many are left with questions. When asked about their knowledge of their grandparents’ experiences, many third generation survivors of the genocide proclaim that this topic was not openly discussed in the home. In fact, many grandchildren of survivors maintain that they learned about the Armenian genocide within the safe confines of Armenian schools or Armenian organizations. The past generations’ silence permeates one’s subconscious as an evident and undeniable indication of a poignant and mournful past.

Furthermore, descendants of genocide survivors may continue to experience the anguish related to the collective victimization. The transmission of trauma from one generation to the next promotes the group’s sense of re-victimization (and ultimately, re-traumatization), especially when the historical trauma is transmitted to subsequent generations as a social construct representing the unjust and cruel intentions of the perpetrating group [4]. The intentions of the Young Turks is indisputable; in their efforts to wipe out an entire race, the Young Turks, led by the malevolent triumvirate, deemed the Armenians as subhuman and stripped them of their basic human rights. The dehumanizing tactics utilized by these perpetrators infused sentiments of shame, guilt, anger, sadness, and fear within the psyche of each survivor. These sentiments continue to be stirred within the collective psyche of our generation.

The consequences of the Armenian Genocide are visible within the Armenian community. Armenians have adapted to centuries of oppression and opposition, and this adaptation has developed into a significant aspect of the Armenian Ethnic identity. When a group of people are shamed through dehumanization, they develop a strong desire for revenge [5]. Therefore, Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide continues to perpetuate psychological victimization and persecution. When a generation is unable to restore equality, it becomes the legacy of subsequent generations. Armenians continue to be re-victimized by the Turkish denial of the facts surrounding events that conspired in April of 1915. Consequently, we seek vindication for our ancestors, and our individual and collective histories. The Sisyphean fate of the Armenians, the ongoing struggle for recognition and justice, appears to be embedded in our DNA.

Why can’t we just get over the genocide? Because we are born with a metaphorical scar. The psychological impact of the genocide subsists within our generation, and manifests itself in ways we are unable to explain, or even understand. We continue to reiterate historical facts, but often overlook the psychological implications of this massive trauma. The denial of the Armenian genocide does not only rebuff historical facts, but rejects our ancestors’ persecution and suffering at the hands of the Turks. Consequently, our inherited trauma is also discounted. Why can’t we just give up and move on? Because fortunately, we have also inherited our ancestors’ strength, resilience, and determination.

Yehuda, R. (2002). Review: Post-traumatic stress disorder. New England Medical Journal, 346, 108-114.

Jacobs, J. (2011). The cross-generational transmission of trauma: Ritual and emotion among survivors of the holocaust. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 40, 342-361.

Giladi, L. & Bell, T.S. (2013). Protective factors for intergeneration transmission of trauma among second and third generation holocaust survivors. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Practice, Research, and Policy, 5, 384-391.

Casoni, D., & Brunet, L. (2002). The psychodynamics of terrorism, Canadian Journal of Psychoanalysis, 10, 1, 5-24.

Volka, V.D., Ast, G., & Greer, W. (2002). The Third Reich in the Unconscious: Transgenerational Transmission and its Consequences. New York: Brunner Routledge.

***

Haytoug is published by the Armenian Youth Federation Western US and distributed free of charge within the community. The opinions expressed in Haytoug are not solely and necessarily the opinions of the Armenian Youth Federation. Haytoug encourages all Armenian youth to express their thoughts in this publication. Financial contributions may be made to the following address:

104 N. Belmont St. Suite 313

Glendale CA, 91206

If you would like to contribute to Haytoug, please submit your articles to haytoug@ayfwest.org. You can also submit your material directly on our website at: www.haytoug.org/contribute.

Paris: Report to Friday debate on the criminalization of Holocaust denial

By

paris-criminalization-genocideThe debates on the law “citizenship and freedom” dragged yesterday in the Senate and the chairman decided at half past midnight Friday to postpone consideration of the end of Articles 37 and Article 38, which a paragraph, Article “38b” refers to the criminalization of Holocaust denial.
Chance or coincidence? Mr. Larcher Senate President received yesterday at 19:30 Mr. İsmail Kahraman, his counterpart from the “Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey.” This interview was followed by dinner in the Senate with the friendship group France-Turkey. Mourad Papazian and Ara Toranian, co-chairs of CCAF attended for their discussions in the aisles of the Senate.
Thursday, October 13, 2016,
Ara © armenews.com

Hillary Clinton, the Queen of Flip-Floppery, on Genocide

By

clinton-turkey-1

Few people can honestly dispute that Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton (HRC) is the Queen of Flip-Floppery and that her flip-flop record is lengthy:

The North American Free Trade Agreement, Trans-Pacific Partnership, Cuban embargo, Keystone oil pipeline, sanctuary cities, same-sex marriage, charter schools, and more.

But HRC’s flip-flops on the most extreme form of mass murder — genocide — may be the most disturbing.   In her case, it’s the proven genocide of 1.5 million Christian Armenians (as well as Hellenics and Assyrians) committed by Ottoman Turkey from 1915–23.

Evolution of a Flip-Flopper

HRC probably learned genocide flip-floppery as First Lady (1993-2001) to her husband President Bill Clinton.

Breaking his promise to call the Armenian murders “genocide,” President Clinton dubbed them simply “deportations and massacres.” In 2000, and encouraged by Israel’s Shimon Peres, the President got then House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R- IL) — now a convicted child molester— to cancel what would have been a winning vote on an Armenian genocide resolution.

As a US Senator from New York (2001–9), however, HRC did cosponsor Armenian genocide resolutions, though they didn’t come up for a vote.  She also cosigned letters to President George W. Bush in 2005 and 2006 asking him to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. 

Running for president against Obama in 2008, Senator Clinton assured human rights advocates that “the horrible events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians constitute a clear case of genocide.”  And “Congress and the President” should recognize the Armenian genocide because of “our common morality and our nation’s credibility.” 

But HRC totally flip-flopped when she became President Obama’s Secretary of State (2009–13). She refused to utter the G-word with regard to Armenians.  And she opposed Congressional resolutions on the Armenian genocide.  Hillary Clinton believed that kowtowing to Turkey — a major human rights violator who was still persecuting Kurds and its remaining Christians — was more important than denouncing genocide.

Touring the Caucasus in 2010, Secretary Clinton visited Armenia’s Genocide Memorial, as many foreign diplomats do.  The US Embassy emphasized, however, that her visit was strictly “private,” not official – again, to appease Turkey.

At a January 2012 State Department “Town Hall,” a staffer asked HRC about the Armenian genocide.  It has “always been viewed,” decreed the Queen of Flip-Floppery, “as a matter of historical debate.” Her Majesty’s royal wand had magically transmuted what four years earlier was “a clear case of genocide” into an issue that is “always debatable.”   

Sixty US House members from both parties immediately blasted Her Royal Flip-Floppery for “mischaracterizing the Armenian genocide.” Cross-examined a month later by a House committee, Queen Hillary was unrepentant.  She had conveniently forgotten all about America’s “morality and credibility,” perhaps because she herself is deficient in those qualities.

Turkish Foreign Agents and Cash

Political expediency and US State Department cowardice certainly played roles in HRC’s genocide flip-flops.  But she may also have been influenced by paid, registered foreign agents for Turkey, such as David Mercer, who regularly try to block Armenian genocide acknowledgment.

A former finance official with the Democratic National Committee, Mercer was subcontracted by another Turkish foreign agent, the DLA Piper lobbying firm.  Mercer and DLA executives have contributed generously to HRC campaigns. 

Two months after becoming Sec. of State in 2009, according to recently released emails, and just before her visit to Turkey, Mercer contacted two top HRC operatives: Huma Abedin and Capricia Penavic Marshall. There’s speculation that Mercer wanted HRC to assure Turkey’s leaders that she opposes Armenian genocide recognition.

Followers of the powerful Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen have also donated heavily to HRC’s campaign and the Clinton Foundation.

Incidentally, David Mercer failed to report his political contact with Abedin and Marshall as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). 

Another Flip-Flop and Beyond

In yet another flip-flop, an aide to HRC told Newsweek last year that she “has a record of expressing her own view that this was a [Armenian] genocide.”   And yet Her Majesty is not embarrassed by any of this.

In 2015, HRC belatedly labelled as “genocide” the mass murders that ISIS has been committing against Christians, Yazidis, and others in Syria.  As president would she flip-flop on the ISIS genocide too?

Two Columbia University studies, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and others say that Turkey has directly aided ISIS and other jihadists for years.  That makes Turkey complicit in the ISIS genocide. 

So, just as they caved in to Turkey on the Armenian genocide, Queen Hillary and Bill Clinton could, as co-presidents, relabel the ISIS as non-genocidal simply to spare Turkey any responsibility.

If we also recall that Pres. Bill Clinton refused to label as “genocide” the 1994 Rwandan mass murders, it’s clear that genocide denial or diminishment goes far beyond the Armenian case.

And it’s not just about the Clintons.   A number of other elected and appointed US officials, including UN Ambassador Samantha Power, have been similarly unprincipled on the Armenian and other genocides.  Neither is it about America’s becoming the “world’s policeman.”

When the Queen of Flip-Floppery said it’s about America’s “common morality and our nation’s credibility,” she was correct, though she obviously didn’t mean it.

No, it’s also about campaign contributions and payoffs, playing word games to please bullies and bluffers such as Turkey, and deceiving the American people.

It’s something to think about as we cast our votes. 

The author is a freelance journalist.  Many of his articles are archived at Armeniapedia.org.

Libya: Tribe demands country’s parliament to follow Armenians’ example lawsuit against Turkey

By

genocide-by-turkA tribe in Libya demanded from the speaker of the country’s parliament to file a lawsuit against Turkey to the court of international tribunals, and for committing genocide against the elders and sheikhs of this tribe, 199 years ago, according to Akhbar Libya.

The representatives of this tribe demand from the Libyan parliament to follow the example of the Armenians, and file a complaint against Turkey for the genocide it committed in the 19th century, and which killed thousands of members of this tribe.

Paris mayor visits Armenian Genocide Memorial

By

paris-mayor-genocideYEREVAN. – Mayor Anne Hidalgo of Paris on Saturday paid a visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial, in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan.

The mayor of the French capital city paid tribute to the innocent victims of this tragedy, and placed flowers at the Eternal Flame.

Hidalgo, who arrived in Yerevan on Friday evening, also toured the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and signed its honorary guestbook.

“Truth, recollection of history shapes the future of humanity. With respects, Anne Hidalgo,” she wrote on the guestbook.

In addition, Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Director Hayk Demoyan presented a letter of thanks to the guest of honor, and for organizing an Armenian Genocide Centennial exhibition last year in Paris.

At the end of her visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial, Anne Hidalgo planted a fir at the Memory Alley of the memorial.

Germany’s Armenian Genocide Row ‘Final’ says Bundestag Vice President

By

germany-genocide-finalYEREVAN (Armenpress)—During his visit to Yerevan on October 5, Vice President of the German Bundestag Johannes Singhammer said the adoption of the Armenian Genocide recognition resolution by Bundestag was the correct decision.

“Yes, we have decided to submit the resolution on the Genocide in the German Parliament and after long discussions we adopted it. I think it was a step towards the truth, and the truth is a step forward towards the peace; in other words, this was a step aimed at achieving peace. A hundred years have already passed: I think time has come for doing that. We will be able to go to the future if we remember the past. It is a necessity,” he said.

Regarding the negative Turkish reaction over the adoption of the resolution especially after recent developments Singhammer said, “Our decision in the German Parliament is final and we will not change it.”

Singhammer and the German delegation visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial on October 5 to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims where they laid flowers.

The delegation was accompanied by German Ambassador to Armenia Matthias Kies

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received on Wednesday the delegation of the German Bundestag.

Nalbandian noted that the frequent visits of German lawmakers to Armenia are a testament to the importance of parliamentary diplomacy.

The Foreign Minister availed himself of the opportunity to express gratitude for the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide by the German Bundestag, and for the principled stance of German MPs on the issue.

Singhammer presented the goals of German MPs’ visit to Armenia and the results of the meetings.

Nalbandian briefed the guests on Armenia-EU relations, the ongoing negotiations on a new legal framework and referred to Armenia’s approaches towards the situation in the Middle East, the issues of minorities in the region, the struggle against terrorism and other regional processes.

He also presented the efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards elimination of consequences of Azerbaijan’s April aggression and settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Turkish Embassy tries to thwart Armenian Genocide Commemoration Ceremony in Manila but failed

By

turkey-failed-attempt

Another Turkish Embassy failed attempt

The Turkish Embassy in Manila tried to hinder the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Ceremony.

Upon the initiative of the Armenian Embassy in Vietnam, a Holy Liturgy commemorating the Armenian Genocide victims was served in Santuario de San Antonio Parish in the capital of Philippines, Manila, on Tuesday.

The liturgy was attended by the Philippines parliament senators, representatives of Manila city administration, Mayor of Tagum city, heads of the diplomatic missions accredited in the country and the Armenian-Philippines friendship group members.

After the liturgy, a memorial evening was held in Astoria Hotel, Manila, during which the Armenian Ambassador to Philippines, Raisa Vardanyan, and renowned businessman Jeffrey Nug delivered speeches.

Prior to the aforementioned liturgy, the Turkish Consul to Manila took actions to thwart it. The latter contacted the leader of the parish and told him that the liturgy was a political campaign organized by Armenians, which “should be banned to avoid further political consequences.”

According to the MFA information, the Turkish Embassy also sent a note of protest to the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs.

Nevertheless, the liturgy was held, being followed by an event during which the participants were briefed on the Armenian history and Genocide.

Author of German Bundestag Genocide Bill to be Honored by ANCA-WR

By

Cem Ozdemir on the Bundestag floor wearing Armenian Genocide Centennial Forget-me-Not lapel pin (AFP photo)

Cem Ozdemir on the Bundestag floor wearing Armenian Genocide Centennial Forget-me-Not lapel pin (AFP photo)

LOS ANGELES—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region announced that Cem Ozdemir, a member of the German Parliament–Bundestag–who is of Turkic descent, and the German Bundestag collectively will be honored with the 2016 ANCA-WR Freedom Award for their courage in resisting pressure from the Turkish government to introduce and pass a resolution formally recognizing the Armenian Genocide as well as Germany’s complicity in this crime against humanity.

In an historic and unprecendented show of unity, every political party faction within the German Bundestag as well as the Federal President Joachim Gauck, the President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert, and Chancellor Angela Merkel all joined together in supporting a motion spearheaded since 2015 by Green Party Chairman Cem Ozdemir under the title: “In remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire 101 years ago.”

On June 2, after a delayed vote designed to first secure a deal between Germany and Turkey on the current refugee crisis, the resolution was almost unanimously passed with all 11 Bundestag members of Turkish descent voting in favor, and only one no vote and one abstention.

In presenting the resolution, Mr. Ozdemir stated on the floor, “There is never a good time to speak of something so inconceivably barbaric as genocide. After lengthy and laborious deliberations, we are voting today on a motion that speaks of genocide, clearly refers to German complicity and establishes that this complicity virtually binds Germany to work for the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia and for rapprochement between the two countries.”

Addressing concerns expressed by some that Germany should avoid angering Turkey while they are both dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis, Ozdemir went on to state, “Ladies and gentlemen, the fact that we were accessories in the past to this dreadful crime must not mean that we aid and abet those who deny it today. Coming to terms with the Shoah has been the foundation of our democratic Germany. It is therefore time for us to come to terms now with other crimes committed by predecessor states of the Federal Republic of Germany.”

Cem Ozdemir’s personal history made his mission even more significant. Born in Germany in 1965 to Turkish-Circassian parents who had immigrated from Turkey to Germany as so-called guest workers and calling himself a “secular Muslim,“ Ozdemir has always been a true champion of human rights.

An educator by profession, Mr. Ozdemir was elected to the German Parliament in 1994, becoming its first member of Turkish descent. He served two consecutive legislative terms from 1994 to 2002, during which he held the position of Speaker on Internal Affairs for the Green Parliamentary Group. In 2003, Mr. Ozdemir became a Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund in Washington DC and Brussels, during which he developed research on the ways that minority groups in the United States and Europe organize themselves politically.

From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Ozdemir was a member of the European Parliament, where he was Speaker on Foreign Affairs for his political group The Greens/European Free Alliance.

In 2011, Mr. Ozdemir was named as one of 100 Global Thinkers by the prestigious Foreign Policy journal. He is a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and sits on the advisory board of the American Jewish Committee’s Berlin office.

Mr. Ozdemir is the author of two books on multicultural Germany. In 2008, he published a book titled Turkey: Politics, Religion, Culture. He regularly writes commentaries and articles for German, Turkish and international media.

In 2015, Mr. Ozdemir traveled to Armenia on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide Centennial and formally declared recognition of the Genocide, calling upon Turkey to do the same. Shortly thereafter, he introduced a resolution in the German Bundestag not only to declare Germany’s formal recognition of the Genocide but also to acknowledge its own indirect involvement by failing to hold its Ottoman Turkish ally responsible as the atrocities were occurring.

During World War I, German Imperial Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg was quoted by Ozdemir, as stating ‘‘Our sole object is to keep Turkey on our side until the end of the war, no matter whether or not Armenians perish as a result.“ By 1918, although German military leaders knew that 90% of the entire population and 98% of the male population of Armenians had been killed in the eastern provinces with the clergy almost entirely exterminated, they did nothing to stop the atrocities.

Mr. Ozdemir drew the connection to modern times as well, by stating, “When we look at the region today, we see that Christians are once again being persecuted – in Iraq, in Syria and in Turkey too. Those displaced Armenians who survived the death marches arrived in places which are now in the middle of the Syrian war zone, such as Aleppo and Deir-el-Zor. After a number of years in which all of us in this House have had reason to rejoice at the restoration of churches in Turkey, churches are now being expropriated and closed down again. What is perhaps the bitterest pill is that, while ‘You Armenian‘ has always been used as a term of abuse in Turkey, today it is more widely used than ever. Even I am addressed as ‘You Armenian.‘ I do not regard it as an insult to be called an Armenian.“

Bundestag President Norbert Lammert, a Christian Democrat from Merkel’s ruling party, labeled the Ottoman Turkish treatment of its ancient Christian Armenian minority as genocide last year on the occasion of the Centennial. At that time, he stated that Germans know well that working through past events is the only way to achieve reconciliation and cooperation, a lesson learned by Germany’s own chapters of dark history. When the resolution was presented on the floor of the Bundestag by Cem Ozdemir, President Lammert started the debate by stating that while “the current Turkish government is not responsible for what happened 100 years ago, it does have responsibility for what becomes of this in present times.“ One after another, Members of Parliament from various political factions took the floor to express support for Armenian Genocide recognition based on Germany’s own historical lessons of taking responsibility for the Holocaust and the need to acknowledge Germany as an accomplice to the crime of genocide by its ally, Ottoman Turkey.

“Cem Ozdemir and the German Bundestag are well-deserving of our highest praise for their courage in shepherding the Armenian Genocide resolution through successful passage even in the face of unimaginable pressure from their past and current ally, the denialist Turkish government. Their honesty and transparency in accepting responsibility for their own predecessors’ complicity in this unpunished crime is truly commendable as it empowers the truth and facilitates justice. It is our sincere hope and expectation that U.S. executives and lawmakers will take the example of their German counterparts by acknowledging the noteworthy American role in rescuing hundreds of thousands of Armenian Genocide survivors rather than allowing a foreign Turkish government to dictate the policies of the United States with empty threats of retaliation for speaking the truth and demanding accountability to the victims and their descendants, just as Germany has done for the survivors of the Holocaust and now of the Genocide,” stated ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq.

After passage of the June 2, 2016 resolution, Turkey predictably declared the vote null and void and recalled its ambassador, expressing anger over Germany’s action. However, it even went one step further by refusing German lawmakers access to German NATO soldiers stationed at the Incirlik Air Base near the Syrian border unless the German government distanced itself from the Bundestag’s Armenian Genocide resolution.

The German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier did not take kindly to this Turkish threat and flatly rejected Ankara’s demand, adding that if Turkey continues denying German lawmakers access to the airbase, German troops dispatched there to fight ISIS will be withdrawn. In recent weeks, this crisis was alleviated when Turkey finally granted permission to the German representatives to visit their soldiers after Steinmeier stated the obvious that the resolution passed in the Bundestag was by definition not legally binding.

In the past, despite Turkish threats against other NATO allies such as France who recognized the Armenian Genocide, the strain on bilateral relations was only temporary just as it was with Germany.

Since taking this most courageous action, Cem Ozdemir and his Turkish-German colleagues in Parliament have received death threats requiring police protection as well as threats from the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who claimed that the 11 Bundestag lawmakers of Turkish descent who voted for the resolution are probably not even true Turks, suggesting that they should have their blood tested to be sure. Yet, despite these threats, Mr. Ozdemir’s perspective was to promote democratic principles which are currently lacking in Turkey by proclaiming: “I am grateful to the President of the Bundestag for referring to the fact that Members of the Bundestag must not be subjected to threats on account of their opinions. But I find it difficult to speak of this here, ladies and gentlemen, because I know that, when I leave the Bundestag after this sitting, I shall not be arrested, that on my way home my immunity is unlikely to be lifted and I shall not be beaten up or killed. The same does not apply to our counterparts in Turkey. It does not apply to those in Turkey who are calling for the examination of these crimes. That is why our solidarity is with those people. They truly have reason to be afraid. They are paying a high price.”

Cem Ozdemir has expressed his deep gratitude to the ANCA-WR for being the recipient of the Freedom Award and will accept it via video presentation at the Banquet.

In the last month, the organization also announced that it will honor California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson with the Man of the Year Award, Varoujan Koundkajian posthumously with the Legacy Award, Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian with the Legislator of the Year Award, and Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr and the Kerr family with the Humanitarian Award.

The 2016 ANCA WR Annual Gala Banquet will be held on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The main event will begin at 4:30p.m. with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction. A three-course dinner will follow at 6:00 p.m. with a powerful program and presentation of the awards.

Individuals interested in attending and sponsoring the Annual Gala Banquet are encouraged to purchase tickets online at www.ancawrgala.org or call (818) 839-1918. To obtain corporate sponsorship information visitwww.ancawr.org/gala/sponsorship or call (818) 500-1919. For up to the minute updates on the event follow ANCA Western Region on social media: facebook.com/ANCAWesternRegion, Twitter and Instagram: ANCA_WR

The ANCA-WR Gala Banquet represents the single largest annual gathering of Armenian American public policy leaders throughout the western United States, and is attended by over 1,000 prominent Members of Congress, state legislators and officials, community leaders, and many of the organization’s strongest activists and generous donors from California, Nevada, Arizona, and throughout the western United States.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

LEBANON: The Bird’s Nest: Site of a Genocide memorial in a seaside resort

By

bird-nestThere are more than a year, the Board of Directors of the orphanage the Bird’s Nest (Trchnotz Pooyn) announced in an interview with Voice of Van [Voice of Van] that projects move graves a cemetery of orphans had been permanently suspended. In his interview, Khedeshian Seta, president of the Board, said that His Holiness Catholicos Aram Premier had ordered the suspension of the project “to provide a more understandable explanation to the public and to create a calmer atmosphere more conducive to a broader consideration of the matter. “ This last interview was organized following a public protest and an online campaign that criticized the plan to develop a private resort on 2.5 hectares of land leased by the Nest. The campaign developed several justifications for this objection, stressing the need to exhume the remains of Genocide survivors new body and allocation of Nico Hall (a building of 1921) with its church Sainte Gayaneh in a restaurant. (*)

The decision to stop the destruction of the cemetery was important for two reasons.

First, regardless of the controversial nature of the proposed project, the danger of the destruction of graves was pushed back in time. Second, Caholicossat has shown its willingness to consult the public by opening an opportunity for dialogue between the various stakeholders.

Unfortunately, a year later, no effort was made to give an explanation on the decisions taken by the Governing Council, to organize a public meeting so that the project scope is clearly stated, and to hear the professionals were critical to the project. Instead, documents of the resort architecture folder called “The Diplomatic Club” [The Diplomatic Club circulated in public. In addition, a section of the proposed budget was published in an architectural site of the Internet [1].

Although the developers have not obtained the building permit [2] necessary for the progress of the project, they have recently emptied the church of St. Gayane, removing the altar and exposing the shell of the building. Deliberately placing illegally to Lebanese law, developers have started changing the destination of the building, ending its religious dimension and paving the way for future recreation.

In short, the desirable relationship of dialogue and transparency between the Church and the community have not been established. Moreover, efforts to achieve the proposed resort continues – silently. [3]

.

The Bird’s Nest, a testament to survival and humanitarian assistance

The collective Nid D’Oiseau, a group of people working for the conservation of the historic site of the Bird’s Nest, campaigned against the project exclusive resort “The Diplomatic Club”. The site is important for Armenians in general and for the Lebanese, who served as a refuge for survivors of the Armenian Genocide in Lebanon and giving a great example of humanitarian aid. Divert such a place loaded symbol – a tangible testimony Genocide – to turn it into a seaside leisure place would conflict with the history and legacy of the site.

The exhumation and removal of Genocide survivors body are unjustifiable

While in France, the bodies of 130,000 unidentified soldiers dead on the battlefield of Verdun during the First World War individually rest in the ossuary of Douaumont, the Armenian Church is planning to exhume the remains of thirty individual -Three Genocide survivors and move them in a mass grave. Ironically, the idea of mass grave associated with the massacres, a tragedy that thirty-three individuals escaped during the Genocide.

Policymakers need to recognize the JPEG - 88 kbsignificance and importance of mass graves, and the reason [4] of their displacement is unjustifiable.

In addition, the online campaign to stop the destruction of the cemetery has collected more than a thousand signatures in only two weeks. In addition, one of the families has officially filed a complaint against moving the remains of their great grandfather of where it finally rests. “What seems to be an insignificant burial is in fact a unique symbol of the vitality of our national memory, which must be kept in its original place and in its original form,” wrote Mr. Garo Armenian in his article “It’s the Orphans’ Cemetery, People!” [Moving! This is the cemetery Orphan]

Contrary to what the Board of Directors, which denies that a church was in the rented area, St. Gayane church served as a unique place of worship for the Armenian Byblos since the 1920s in fact certificates cadastral property report of its official registration as a church. [7] Moreover, Raffi Gergian book of architect and archaeologist, “The Armenian Churches of Lebanon” [The Lebanese Armenian churches], mentions the church Ste Gayaneh as the only Armenian Apostolic Church in Byblos. Built by Armenian orphans Nicol Hall, which today surrounds the St. Gayane church; is the only historic structure that remains today of the complex Bird’s Nest original. “Is there not a moral gap in the fact that it is the Church – an authority that should embody the ideal in that world that decides the conversion of such a place in restaurant” application architect and urban planner Diran Harmandayan.