Genocide Archives

Armenian Genocide workshop slated for Sept. 14-17 in Germany

September 7, 2017 by administrator

A workshop on the Armenian Genocide will be held at the University of Potsdam in Germany on September 14-17.

Four institutions – the University of Michigan (the United States), Lepsiushaus Potsdam (Potsdam, Germany), the USC Institute of Armenian Studies (Los Angeles, U.S.) and the Sabancı University (Istanbul, Turkey) – will participate in the 4-day event.

Titled “Workshop on Turkish-Armenian Scholarships (WATS) 2017 – European Approaches to the Armenian Genocide”, the event seeks to shed light on the murder of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1915-1923.

Some three dozen countries, hundreds of regional government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the Armenian Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.

‘Every Armenian is a proof’: Turkish journalist probes into exclusive archive on Genocide survivors

August 18, 2017 by administrator

An editor for CNN Turk, who earlier published an exclusive record on Genocide survivors, has continued his searches to find the Zarmanyan family’s descendants after the news story appeared in the headlines of Tert.am.

Serdar Korucu, who conducts probes into Armenian archives to collect Armenian language telegrams, recently received an email from an Armenian family in Marseiile informing him of their connection to Archbishop Grigor Zarmanyan (the man mentioned in the records).

According to document bearing the Armenian Patriarchate’s stamp, Zarmanyan, who was the community’s religious leader at the time, died in the vicinities of Mosul, Iraq in 1916 after facing exile upon the Turkish authorities’ demand.

In a French language document reporting Zarmanyan’s death, the patriarch mentioned his wife and two daughters’ names, adding that all the three were still alive.

“To be frank, I don’t even know if there is any document the Turkish authorities can unconditionally adopt and not reject given that certain people in Europe are still able to find explanations denying the Holocaust committed at the heart of Europe just 25 years after the Armenian Genocide. The important thing for me, however, was to follow [assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist] Hrant Dink’s principle saying that ‘every Armenian is a proof’. This particular family[’s story] stands as such an example. What happened to them, and where did they go after the Genocide, and how was their life arranged later? Now I am hopeful that by establishing connections with this family, I will be able to bring more details to light,” he said in comments to Tert.am.

State senator backs Armenian group’s call for Glendale mall to allow billboard advertising documentary on genocide

August 12, 2017 by administrator

Americana at Brand in Glendale. (Ann Johansson / For The Times)

By Jeff Landa,

After the Americana at Brand rejected billboard space for a film about genocide, state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) has joined a local Armenian group in asking mall officials to reverse their decision.

Last week, the Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America requested that the Americana reconsider its denial of billboard space for “Architects of Denial,” a documentary that examines genocides, including the Armenian genocide, through survivor accounts.

In a statement on Thursday, Portantino said he supported the committee’s request.

“I thought to myself that Hollywood has long-celebrated thought-provoking and hard-edged filmmaking that stimulates conversations about historical events,” Portantino said. “It seems like labeling art as ‘too political’ was an odd reason to deny the appropriate free expression of a historical documentary.”

Jackie Levy — executive vice president of operations for Caruso, which owns and operates the Americana — invited the film’s producers to discuss further the proposed film advertisement.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-genocide-ad-20170812-story.html

Turkish lawmakers banned to say “Armenian Genocide”

July 28, 2017 by administrator

YEREVAN. – Turkish parliament has approved a package of internal regulations, one of them banning lawmakers from saying Armenian Genocide in the parliament, editor of the Armenian department of Agos newspaper Pakrat Estukyan said.

The real goal of this law is to limit the speech of lawmakers that are not pleasant for the authorities,

“The ruling party and leadership are worried about speeches of certain lawmakers, for example Garo Paylan,” he said, adding this is the reason that ruling party together with nationalist party pushed the draft bill.

Estukyan believes new regulations are especially targeted against the lawmakers from Democratic People’s Party.

The amendments were supported by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), while the opposition voted against. The amendments suggest imposing fines on lawmakers who will insult “the history of the Turkish nation”. The phrases “Armenian Genocide”, “Kurdistan” will be banned.

The editor also recalled that the oath of Turkish MP, famous Kurdish human rights defender Leyla Zana has been denied and she can be deprived of a parliamentary seat. The reason is that while taking the oath Zana said she would be faithful to the Turkish nations (using plural), not Turkish nation

Armenian Genocide Reparations: An Absolute Must

July 26, 2017 by administrator

By Vart Ajemian,

I found the article “Before We Talk about Genocide Reparations, There Is Another Accounting Due” by Henry Theriault an intellectually challenging read that raised several questions in my mind.

His philosophy background, vast experience, and involvement in issues related to genocide, and unique thought process and reasoning have resulted in a distinct approach and conclusions. I had to read the article several times to comprehend his argument. And even though I felt I agreed with some of the points he made, I cannot agree with his conclusion (or what I understood it to be).

Dr. Theriault says he believes and clearly states that reparations are just. But he strongly expresses his opinion that it is not the right time for action to be pursued because any compensation would be misused: “Political elites will enrich themselves instead of using it for what is desperately needed by the general population.”

His main argument is that the system and government in Armenia are full of rampant corruption and so they cannot be trusted. He makes a strong indictment by his statement that “the large-scale theft of assets through corruption, privatization and commu-capitalist exploitation of labor is a significant factor in the economic vulnerability and desperation of the Republic today.”

His analysis suggests that the situation is desperate. Admittedly, the points he makes are valid. My intent is not to argue against or question his analysis. However, I still hope and pray that the untenable current situation will change for the better. It has to. What is the alternative? The new government has announced major reforms and changes to governance. Hopefully, they will be implemented. Change is never easy, and it takes time.

Those thoughts led me to think about the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC), announced in Sept. 2016. I feel, as many Armenians do, that reparations are an absolute must. And even though we have a very late start compared with the Jews and Israel (regarding Holocaust reparations from Germany), our cause is equally and clearly as just. Whatever the Turks do or say, the historical facts cannot be erased, altered, or denied.

Therefore, I contacted Kate Nahapetian, Executive Director of the ALC, to get some feedback on questions I had about developments since the ALC’s formation.

I sent Kate the following questions, which she kindly and most graciously answered. Her answers are reproduced verbatim.

***

V.A.: What was the response to requests for contributions/funding? Is the funding adequate to start the work needed?

K.N.: The initial funding for the creation of the Armenian Center for Justice and Human Rights came from the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Endowment Fund, which continues to support the ALC. Following the initial grant, we have received additional donations from individuals. Like so many nonprofits, funding is tight, so we welcome any donations big or small. Seeking reparations in the face of a powerful and intransigent foe such as the Turkish Government is a monumental task. It is not inconceivable, however. There are many examples of previous historical atrocities which were addressed decades later and after previous failed attempts. We currently have one staff member, but rely on many volunteers.

V.A.: Have we started to put together a legal team?

K.N.: The ALC has an international board with attorneys and experts on the Armenian Genocide in the US, Armenia, Canada, Austria, Australia, and Lebanon. We have collaborated with and have partnerships with law schools. We have partnered with some of the best law schools in the United States, including the University of Southern California Human Rights Clinic, which is drafting a report on the legal basis for Armenian Genocide reparations, and the George Washington University Law School, with which we cosponsored a talk by Harvard Post-Doctoral Fellow Umit Kurt, highlighting the injustice of Turkish laws used to plunder Armenian wealth during the genocide. We are in continuing communications with international lawyers from Argentina to Germany, in addition to lawyers with successful track records pursuing property claims against Turkey in both Turkish and European courts.

In addition, we have a team of lawyers and law students who have been examining issues surrounding the Treaty of Sevres, the Kars Treaty, and Turkish property laws.

V.A.: Is progress being made on legal actions to be taken?

K.N.: We have developed some potential cases and continue to work with international lawyers and clinics to develop innovative strategies for redress.

In addition to the mass murder and destruction of Armenian lives and cultural heritage on lands the Armenians inhabited for thousands of years, the Armenian Genocide was an evil enterprise of industrial, government-sponsored property theft.

The ALC seeks to catalogue the [property] deeds that still exist today. The records exist in Turkey’s land registry, which are virtually impossible to access. When Turkey considered allowing public access to these records as part of its bid to join the European Union, the military quickly intervened and stated that maintaining the secrecy of these records was a matter of national interest. Reports continue that even parties with deeds in hand are prevented from accessing Turkish land records, which would confirm family ownership.

Many individuals across the globe have deeds of family properties in their possession. By collecting all these individual records in one place, the ALC hopes to both learn of potential claims, which can be pursued for reparations, in addition to being a clearinghouse for this information for potential future negotiations.

The ALC’s website (https://armenianlegal.org/) has a link where people can provide documentation of their properties (https://armenianlegal.org/document-preservation-form/), whether it is a deed, sales contract, photograph, or family testimony. The key information we need are the names of the property owners, the town where the property is located, a description of the property, and, if possible, its exact location.

The more documentation we have collected in one place, the stronger our chances of recovery will become. As a community, we are empowered when we collect this information in one place.

***

I am most thankful to Kate for her responses and updates on the work accomplished by the ALC.

This needs to be pursued vigorously, with no hesitation. For it to be successful, and it must be successful, it needs the full active support of all Armenians worldwide, morally and financially. It is a formidable task, but it can be accomplished. We have to make it happen.

Source: http://armenianweekly.com/2017/07/24/armenian-genocide-reparations-an-absolute-must/

Terrorist State of Turkey’s parliament committee bans “genocide” “Kurdistan” word

July 22, 2017 by administrator

Turkish parliament’s constitutional committee adopted amendments on changes in regulations proposed by the ruling Justice and Development party.

Representatives of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party and Republican People’s Party slammed the bill which was finally adopted.

New regulations suggest using sanctions in case of insult or accusations against the history of the Turkish people and the common past of the people living in Turkey. In such a case, for example, deputies can be removed from meetings and deprived of 2/3 of their salaries. In this context, the words “genocide” and “Kurdistan” can be a reason for punishment.

Swedish lawmakers file genocide complaint against Erdogan

July 12, 2017 by administrator

Five Swedish lawmakers have filed a legal complaint accusing Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, Local.se reported quoting AFP.

It is said that the suit filed by MPs from the Left and Green parties relates to the conflict in Turkey’s Kurdish majority south-east.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim is also mentioned in the suit. According to the Swedish law adopted in 2014, the country’s courts can judge cases of alleged crimes against humanity regardless of where they have been committed or by whom.

If prosecutors decide to launch an investigation, Erdogan could risk an arrest warrant in Sweden, the lawmakers said.

The lawmakers also hope that their colleagues from other European countries would follow their lead.

Spanish city of Valencia recognizes Armenian Genocide

June 10, 2017 by administrator

On June 9, the local Self-government Council of Spain’s Valencia city passed a resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.

According to the Facebook post of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Coalició Compromís, València en Comú and Socialist party voted in favor of the resolution introduced by Armenian Union Ararat, thus condemning the first genocide of the 20th century and urging the Valencia parliament, Spanish government, as well as Turkey to follow their example.

Texas recognizes the Armenian Genocide

May 19, 2017 by administrator

texas recognize armenian genocide

The Texas House of Representatives unanimously passed House Resolution 191, titled “Recognizing the Armenian Genocide,” on May 19, thus making The Lone Star State the 46th state in the U.S. to officially classify and commemorate the 1915-1923 annihilation of Ottoman Turkey’s indigenous Armenian community as genocide.

“We are grateful to the Texas House of Representatives for standing on the right side of history by making their dynamic state the latest member of our Union to unequivocally and vociferously honor the memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide despite overwhelming Turkish opposition,” remarked Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) Chair Nora Hovsepian.

“This incredible victory, which achieves universal recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the Western Region’s 19 states, was possible because of the outstanding unity and activism demonstrated by the diverse Armenian community of Texas, the unflinching leadership of State Representative Scott Sanford and his fellow lawmakers, as well as the dedication and persistent work of our grassroots—ANCA-Houston and ANCA-Dallas—and staff. While many Texan-Armenians and community groups were instrumental in the passage of and building ground for HR191, I would like to specifically recognize the former ANCA-Dallas founding chair Lucia Nazarian for initiating Texas’ recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as well as Focused Advocacy President Brandon Todd Aghamalian and University of Texas Austin Professor and Armenian Church of Austin representative Mihran Aroian for their leadership in bringing the Armenian community together to make this important recognition a reality,” continued Hovsepian.

The resolution, which had more than 50 original bipartisan cosponsors and passed unanimously, declares, in part, that “During World War I, the crumbling Ottoman Empire began a systematic campaign to eradicate its Armenian population, which then numbered more than two million; and… as many as 1.5 million Armenians perished and today, only 3 million live in Armenia, a country that covers no more than 10 percent of the ancient Armenian homeland, while the Armenian diaspora numbers 8 to 10 million in countries around the world, including the United States,” concluding with the resolved clause “That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby recognize the Armenian Genocide.”

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Texas follows renewed activism in The Lone Star State, including the 2015 defeat of anti-Armenian resolutions as well as adoption of HR 1541, which recognized Texans’ contributions to the Near East Relief that saved 132,000 orphans of the Armenian Genocide. The latter humanitarian effort was recognized by ANCA-Dallas during its April 2, 2016 ‘Texas We Thank You’ Gala, at which Rep. Sanford received the ANCA-Dallas Advocate of Justice award for his long-time support for Armenian Genocide awareness.

HR 191 was introduced by Rep. Sanford on jan. 26, followed by a public hearing in the International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs committee on April 24, during which ANCA-WR Chief Legislative Consultant Haig Baghdassarian joined a large group of Armenian Americans as well as representatives from the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission and Houston’s Holocaust Museum in testifying in support of HR 191. Following the testimony, ANCA-WR called its online activists in Texas to action, as a result of which hundreds of letters were emailed to state legislators. Many more phone calls were made through joint efforts of the Armenian community in a strong demonstration of unity and grassroots activism.

Texas’ passage of HR 191 follows the Wyoming Governor’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide in April, thus completing universal recognition in the ANCA-WR, which consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

“The houses of those who hide Armenians will be burned and they will be executed”

May 13, 2017 by administrator

Armenian Transliteration of the First Telegram of Mahmut Kamil Pasha
Second telegram ,

The historian Taner Akçam reveals another important document. In the telegrams sent by the Commander of the Third Army Mahmut Kamil Pasha to the regions from which the Armenians had been deported, it was indicated that the houses of those who hide Armenians would be burnt.

The historian Taner Akçam reveals a new document of prime importance after the telegram of Behaettin Shakir which can be regarded as the document of the Genocide of the Armenians. The telegram sent by the Commander of the Third Army Mahmut Kamil Pasha to the regions from which the Armenians had been deported is terrible. Mahmut Kamil Pasha wrote there that the houses of those who hide Armenians would be burned. We are still wondering how long the authorities will remain silent after the publication of all these documents. We have the microfilm of the original version of the telegram of the Commander of the III Army Mahmut Kamil Pasha written on letterhead from the Ministry of the Interior. At the foot of the telegram, there is the seal of the ministry: “in conformity with the original text”. In this letter, Mahmut Kamil Pasha informed that the houses of those who hide Armenians would be burned and that they themselves would be executed in front of their house, that the soldiers or officials who had done so would be immediately dismissed and tried in a military commission.

Here is the modern Turkish version of the telegram dated 24 July 1915: “It is understood that Muslims hide Armenians in some villages and towns whose residents have been deported. The houses of their proprietors, who hide and protect Armenians contrary to the orders of the government, shall be burned, and they shall be executed before their house. Make sure there are no Armenians who have not been deported and inform us of your diligence. Armenians who have converted to Islam will also be deported. If there are members of the armed forces protecting [the Armenians], they will be denounced to the competent ministry, and immediately dismissed to be tried later. If they are part of the administrative authorities, they will also be dismissed and referred to a military commission. “

Like the telegram of Behaettin Shakir of July 4, 1915, this telegram is also part of the file of trials of the Union and Progress Committee, which took place in Istanbul in 1921-22. In the indictment of the leaders of the CUP, this telegram is quoted many times and it was indicated that this document is referenced “section 13, document 1” [tertib 13 vesika1]

Armenian Transliteration of the First Telegram of Mahmut Kamil Pasha

Second telegram

Ahmut KamilPacha wrote another telegram on the same issue. On August 1, 1915, he sent a second order to the regions to explain the one issued on July 24. In his second telegram he wrote that the execution order does not apply to “those who house women or children who were officially assigned [to Muslim houses] by the government.” He noted that the punishment “applies to those, whoever they are, who hide Armenians without informing the government” and that these persons will be executed.

This order reveals a fact: in the villages and towns, many Muslims hid Armenians from their homes and the government wanted to prevent them. This was the aim of the fire threats of houses and execution.

All these documents revealed during the trials of the Istanbul CUP are still kept confidential and secret in the secret coffers of the state! As these documents have not been visible for years, they have been described as “invalid in the absence of originals”. For years, a strange alliance has reigned. The state hid the documents and some authors defended the thesis that “insofar as there is no original document, they can not be considered as evidence”.

The American historian Guenter Lewy was at the head of the promoters of this assertion. In his book published in 2004, he wrote: “Since the originals of these documents can not be found, we have no right to consider this claim as reliable in the light of the sciences of history.” In 2005, shortly after the publication of his book, he was invited to Turkey and received a reward. The person who bestowed this distinction was Bulent Arinç, president of the Turkish Assembly at the time.

The comedy of “the blind man guiding another blind” must now end. The documents of which Behaettin Shakir and Mahmut Kamil Pasha are the authors are only the beginning. We have plenty of original documents from the Istanbul trials. More than a hundred telegrams obtained by a commission of inquiry in November 1918: telegrams sent from the regions, procedures for the investigation of certain suspects, as in the case of the governor of Yozgat Kamil, testimonies of Ottoman soldiers and officials of the administration, Reports of police commissioners … all documents that will be made available in a short time. I hope that the government will put an end to this senseless game that has been played for over a hundred years and that serves no purpose other than to harm us. Truth has the unfortunate habit of revealing itself one day or another. Hiding, denying, makes no sense. The time has come to do in front of the history of Turkey; It is more than time. Once this confrontation has begun, many problems of democracy and human rights will emerge.

How were these documents brought together?

In view of the Istanbul trials of 1921-22 a commission of inquiry was set up in November 1918. The commission visited the regions and collected documents concerning the deportations and massacres of Armenians in 1915-17. The court having begun work and new facts revealed, he regularly addressed the Ministry of the Interior to provide him with additional documents. As a follow-up to this request, the Department wrote to the regions asking them to submit to the Department the documents relating to these various subjects. On examination of documents in the court records, it can be concluded that some of the telegrams sent in 1915 were sent from many areas to Istanbul at the same time. For example, the province of Sivas sent copies of the telegrams of Mahmut Kamil Pasha dated 24 July and 1 August 1915 to Istanbul on 8 January 1919.

The Ministry sent these documents and telegrams from the regions to the court. For example, in a letter to the court martial on 2 April 1919, the Ministry of the Interior informed him that he had received 42 telegrams from Ankara and that these documents had been forwarded to the court.

The documents Mahmut Kamil Pasha and Behaettin Shakir are among those obtained during the investigations. In some of the indictments and decisions, many documents were cited in parallel to these two telegrams. To the extent that the accusations and decisions were published in the official gazette of the time, we were aware of these documents and not necessarily of their originals which had never been published so far.

The documents are in the archives of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem

An important part of the documents contained in the Istanbul case files was at one time at the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul. In 1922, the Patriarchate sent them to Marseilles. Subsequently, they were sent to Manchester and then to the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. This route can be traced back to Mahmut Kamil Pasha and Behaettin Shakir. On the top right corner of the documents is a seal and a number at the Ottoman header. The seal is that of the Armenian Diocese of Marseilles. It was written “Armenian Prelature of Marseille” in French around the stamp and [յոցաԱռ ջնորդարանաՄ րսելիարսելի], in Armenian at the center of the stamp. Since the archives of Jerusalem are not open to researchers, it is impossible to access these documents for the moment.

We found this document in the archives of the Catholic priest Krikor Guergueryan, who died in 1988. Detailed information about Guergueryan and his archives can be found in Naim Effendi’nin Hatirati ve Talat Pacha Telgrafla (Iletisim, 2016) Effendi and Telegrams of Talat Pasha. The manner in which Guergueryan obtained these documents is explained in the following.

How did Guergueryan get these documents?

Life is full of coincidences. Krikor Guergueryan, who lost his parents and six brothers and sisters and many members of his family in the Armenian Genocide, was from Sivas; He settled with his brother in Cairo. After his studies at the seminary in Rome, he decided to make a thesis on the assassination of the Armenian religious leaders and began to gather documents. In the 1940s, he met the Kurd (Nemrut) Mustafa Pasha in Cairo, one of the judges of Istanbul’s court-martial. In 1922, the Kurdish Mustafa Pasha fled to Cairo, fearing to be arrested, following the entry in Istanbul of the nationalists who had taken office in Ankara. Pacha gave Guergueryan an important piece of information: during the Istanbul trials, the Armenian Patriarchate had been admitted to the trial as a complainant, and legally, the right to have copies of the documents of the trial files had been recognized . Pasha also reported that these documents were in the archives of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Afterwards, Guergueryan went to Jerusalem and took photographs of the documents there. He shared what he had with many researchers. In 1983, the Armenian Assembly micro-photographed the entire archives of Guergueryan. These microfilms are theoretically available to researchers, but difficult to study due to the non-existence of a satisfactory catalog. Krikor Guergueryan died in 1988 and his nephew, Dr. Edmund Guergueryan, took charge of his archives. In April 2015, Dr. Edmund allowed me to see these archives, giving me the opportunity to access the majority of documents from the Istanbul trials. These documents will be available online as soon as possible.

After years of concealing the truth, destroying or hiding evidence, Turkey is at the end of the road. This insane policy of negation, which serves only to harm the country and prevents Turkey from becoming a civilized nation, must end. We hope that these documents that we have published will be used for the future. The elimination of Holocaust denial and the confrontation with historical truth will be the precursors of a good start for this country and its people.

1] In the course of our research, we discovered that a copy with reduced legibility of Behaettin Shakir’s telegram had been published by Vahakn Dadrian in Journal of Political and Military Sociology, Vol. 22, No. 1 Summer 1994 (s.69) .

Taner Akçam

May 3, 2017

Gilbert Béguian translation

Weekly Agos