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FIRST FLOAT FOR TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE IN PASADENA UNVEILED

Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:23:58 +0000

FIRST FLOAT FOR TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE IN PASADENA UNVEILED

July 1, 2014 - 15:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The American Armenian Rose Float Association (AARFA)
unveiled their first float for the 126th Tournament of Roses Parade
at a fundraising event in Pasadena late last month.

The January 1, 2015, parade has the theme "Inspiring Stories," and
the association jumped on the chance to be a part of it and show the
inspiring people and stories from the American Armenian community,
Pasadena Star-News reported.

"(The float) represents our culture," said Arthur Kokozian, AARFA
director.

To be built by Phoenix Decorating Company, the float will
feature themes and images representing the Armenian culture and
the contributions Armenians have made in the world, including the
United States.

"(The float shows) how we've given back to society, how we enrich it.

Whether it be the architecture or carpet weaving, the inventions, it
is meant to show the positive attributes we've brought to society,"
added Kokozian.

The colorful float features the head of an Armenian woman wearing a
headdress in the center under a bush of Armenian plums, also known as
apricots, and a tree of pomegranates, a symbol of Armenia. Bushels
of grapes, representing the discovery of the world's earliest
known wine-making facility found in Armenia, are also featured. An
old carpet-weaving machine and a carpet leans against a structure
representing the Armenian architectural style going back 4,500 years.

On the opposite side of the float are two men playing the duduk, a
woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. The round eternity sign,
white storks and the Armenian alphabet is also found throughout
the design.

"The design is beautiful," said Kokozian. "(Each association member)
had an input and we had historians make sure of the authenticity of
each item."

The float entry also coincides with the 100th anniversary of an
Armenian American, Movses Pashgian, chosen as the Grand Marshal in
the 1915 Rose Parade.

Prominent American Armenians with inspiring stories will also ride
on the float during the parade, including Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan,
a United States federal judge for the Northern District of Illinois.

"We're looking forward to doing this every year and showing the
community how American Armenians have given back to the country that
opened its arms to us," said Kokozian. "Anywhere (Armenians) are or
have been, we've succeeded."

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/180383/
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/lifestyle/20140630/american-armenian-float-to-debut-in-2015-rose-parade

Armenian Church Kolkata Announcement of Celebration

Mon, 19 May 2008 16:19:32 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

Events to Celebrate the 300th anniversary

Of the laying of the foundation stone of the Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, Kolkata

The Committee of Armenian Church in Kolkata is delighted to announce the celebration of the historic 300th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Holy Church of Nazareth in 1707, between the 8th November and 15th November 2008, in Kolkata.

Included in the events is the re-consecration of the equally historic St. Mary’s Church in Chennai (formerly Madras), the birthplace of Armenian newspaper journalism, which has recently been renovated.

The Committee of the Armenian Church takes this opportunity to extend an invitation to all those who are interested to participate in these events to join in this special and unique occasion.

A diverse range of events will take place throughout the week, which will include a thanksgiving service at the Holy Nazareth church, visit to the historic and renowned Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy, a cultural seminar featuring distinguished Armenian speakers and historians, tours to the two other Armenian churches in Kolkata as well as visits to the Armenian churches in Chinsurah and Saidabad.

It is expected that His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of all Armenians will grace the occasion with his presence and blessings.

It is also expected that as many members of the community, local, national and international will attend all or some aspects of the events.

Anyone wishing to participate should email the Pastor of the Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, the Very Rev. Fr. Oshagan Gulgulian at the Armenian Church manager@armeniancollege.in, the Wardens of the Armenian Church at armenianchurch@sify.com, or the event assistant liz@chater-genealogy.com, as soon as possible to register their interest. You can also register your desire to attend at www.chater-genealogy.com.

The sooner you communicate with one of the above the sooner we can assist you with the details of your visit to India.

We look forward to seeing you in Kolkata

Haik H. Sookias Jr.

Chairman

Armenian Church Committee

19th May 2008

Fresno School to Hold 25th Annual Banquet

Sun, 17 Feb 2002 12:53:00 +0000

Fresno School to Hold 25th Annual Banquet

FRESNO—The Armenian Community School of Fresno will hold its 25th Annual Banquet on Saturday, February 23 at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church Social Hall.

The festivities start at 6 p.m. with full (hors d'oeuvres) "mezza" and continue at 7 p.m. with a barbecue steak or chicken dinner. The rest of the evening promises to be fast paced with raffles, door prizes, silent auctions, music provided by DJ Ara and dancing. In addition, the Armenian School students will perform a few songs in Armenian.

The master of ceremonies for the evening is MaryAlice Kaloostian, District Director for State Senator Chuck Poochigian. MaryAlice has great wit and is a top notch M.C. The surprise of the evening is who will be the guest of honor this year. You'll have to come to the banquet to find out.

This year is especially exciting because the school has relocated to a new site, the former St. Theresa School at 1444 N. Wilson. The new school site is a modern facility with large classrooms and a large play-area.

The teachers and students are really enthusiastic about the new location. Principal Seth Atamian said that the move was the best thing that has happened to the school. "Now we have a top-notch facility to go along with our top-notch education," he said.

Tickets for the banquet are $30 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under and for all Armenian Community School students and alumni.

Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling the Armenian Community School of Fresno at (559) 233-1800 during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The deadline for ticket purchase is Thursday, February 21st. For further information you can call Bryan Bedrosian at (559) 269-6089.

System Of A Down Talks About Armenian Genocide

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 16:43:22 +0000

SERJ TANKIAN OF SYSTEM OF A DOWN TALKS ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MOVIE93X.COM, MNNov 15 2006Screamers, the movie about Americas struggles to recognize theArmenian Genocide, stars the members of System Of A Down, and its

finally hitting select silver screens. The movie started screeningon Wednesday night as part of the AFI Film Festival, and it will opento the public for a limited showing on December 8 in Los Angeles.Another showing is set for mid-January in New York City.

Serj Tankian, whose grandfather tells his tales of the atrocities hesuffered as part of the Armenian Genocide during World War 1 in thefilm Screamers, explained why the film's message is so important.

Garo Paylan~ Act Against Hate Speech in Turkey

Tue, 14 Jul 2015 08:04:02 +0000

http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/garopaylan.jpg

Garo Paylan addresses reporters on recent incidences of hate speech in Turkey (Source: CNN Turk)

ANKARA (Hurriyet Daily News)—Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul deputy Garo Paylan has urged prosecutors in Turkey to take action against recent incidences of hate speech that have gone unpunished, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“Each hate speech crime going unpunished pushes people targeted by hate speech to the ‘dove’s skittishness’ and lays the ground for hate crimes,” Paylan said at a press conference at the Turkish parliament.

“Dove’s skittishness” is a phrase coined by slain Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in his last article published in the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Dink founded, Agos, expressing his feelings of being terrorized just days before he was killed on January 19, 2007.

“The recent discourses aiming to create hatred and enmity against the Armenian community in Kars and Ankara and LGBTI individuals in Ankara constitute a clear and imminent threat against the right to life,” Paylan said, also referring to recent attacks against Korean tourists in Istanbul mistaken by Turkish ultranationalists for Chinese nationals.

“It is obvious that ‘poisoned’ phrases and discourses have prepared the ground for murders in Turkey’s recent history,” Paylan said, listing a number of incidents including the killing of Father Andrea Santoro in February 2006, who was murdered while he prayed in his church in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, as well as the killings at the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya in April 2007, where three missionaries were tied up and tortured before having their throats slit.

Paylan also referred to four recent incidents, including statements made by Tolga Adiguzel, the head of a local branch of the far-right “Idealist Hearths”, which has close links with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Adiguzel indicated that his group would “hunt for Armenians” in Kars after world-renowned pianist Tigran Hamasyan performed a concert at the nearby ruins of Ani, on the border with Armenia.

“What should we do now? Should we start a hunt for Armenians in the streets of Kars?” Adiguzel asked reporters on June 24, three days after the Hamasyan concert.

Paylan said he would file a complaint against Adiguzel while also calling on prosecutors to take action against other incidences of hate speech.

On July 2, Adana Mayor Huseyin Sozlu targeted three new Armenian members of parliament, who were elected on June 7, by referring to the late Turkish-Armenian brothel owner Matild Manukyan.

“Manukyan’s nephew living in Adana must be happy. The children of their three aunts have also entered parliament from the AKP [Justice and Development Party], the CHP [Republican People’s Party] and the HDP [Peoples’ Democratic Party].”

“No matter how proud they are now, it will never be enough,” Sozlu wrote on his Twitter account.

Along with Paylan (HDP), two other Turkish citizens of Armenian origin were elected to parliament in the June 7 general elections: Markar Esayan (AKP) and Selina Dogan (CHP).

Armenian Genocide Denial Reported to the Dutch Police

Sun, 29 Jun 2014 15:11:04 +0000

Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands FAON
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31704490209
E-mail: info@faon.nl
Website: www.faon.nl
Contact: M. Hakhverdian

Press Release

Armenian Genocide Denial Reported to the Dutch Police

The Hague, 27 June 2014 The Joint Armenian Organisations, namely the
Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) and Dutch
Armenian Committee for Justice and Democracy (Hay Tad), have today reported
the organisers, speakers and participants of a Turkish rally on 1 June 2014
in Almelo to the police. The rally was intended to be a demonstration
against the Genocide memorial recently erected on the private grounds of the
Armenian Church in Almelo, however, it turned into anti-Armenian chanting
and denial of the Armenian Genocide. Roughly 3000 protestors gathered in
Almelo from cities all over the Netherlands.

According to the Joint Armenian Organisations, the participants of the rally
are guilty of group defamation, discrimination, and incitement to hatred of
the Armenian people, meaning that Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the
Netherlands was violated.

Written questions about the demonstration were submitted by Members of the
Dutch Parliament Mr. Pieter Omtzigt (CDA Christian Democratic Appeal), Mr.
Harry Van Bommel (SP Socialist Party), Mr. Joel Voordewind (CU Christian
Union), Mr. Kees van der Staaij (SGP Reformed Political Party) and Mr.
Raymond de Roon (PVV Party for Freedom) to the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and Minister of Security
and Justice.

The questions included concerns about the organisation of the rally, which,
according to pamphlets distributed on the day, was in part organised by
Diyanet, ³The Presidency of Religious Affairs² of Turkey, which also offered
free transportation by bus to the demonstration.

There is an international consensus on the Armenian Genocide in academia.
The Dutch parliament unanimously recognised the Armenian Genocide in 2004
(Motion by Mr. Rouvoet).

AYF CALLS ON COMMUNITY TO PROTEST TURKEY'S MURDEROUS POLICIES

Fri, 18 Dec 2015 16:14:38 +0000

AYF CALLS ON COMMUNITY TO PROTEST TURKEY'S MURDEROUS POLICIES

15 hours ago 17/12/15

A protest will take place on Saturday at the Turkish Consulate General
of Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES-On Saturday December 19, Kurds, Armenians, and
all defenders of human rights will come together to protest
the assassination of Tahir Elci, and support the struggle for
self-determination and peace that he represented.

The protest, organized by the Rojava Solidarity Committee of Los
Angeles and the Armenian Youth Federation, will also demand justice
for assassinations on Armenian community members such as Hrant Dink
and Sevag Balikci, as well as other victims of Turkish State violence
on minorities who struggle for freedom.

Elci was the president of the Diyarbakir Bar Association and one
of the most prominent Kurdish lawyers and human rights defenders in
Turkey. He was shot dead with a single bullet to the back of his head
on November 28th, 2015. Tahir Elci died as he finished delivering a
speech calling for an end to the ongoing state violence against the
Kurdish towns. The bullet that killed him came from the direction of
Turkish police who had started a gun battle with unknown men.

Elci was under threat from the AKP's government (the AKP is the ruling
party in Turkey) because on October 14th he went on television and
declared that "the PKK is not a terrorist organization." For this
he was arrested and charged with spreading 'terrorist' propaganda, a
crime that is punishable with a seven-and-a-half year prison sentence.

Tahir Elci was released pending his trial but was placed under judicial
supervision. During this time he was subject to many death threats
for his statement.

Elci is not alone in his fate - every day now Kurds are being murdered
by the AKP across the country's southeast. Cities are being placed
under siege by the military, power and electricity cut off, snipers
shooting randomly from minarets, helicopters dropping bombs on houses,
tanks blockading all the roads - a situation of total war against the
Kurdish people. These assaults come from the same ideology and state
structure that years ago on the same land carried out the Armenian
and Assyrian Genocides, and from the same guns that more recently
murdered the Armenian journalist and human rights defender Hrant Dink.

Elci was part of a strong movement to end that murderous racist and
nationalist state ideology, and to silence those guns. He relentlessly
represented victims and their families against the Turkish state in
cases of political murders, extrajudicial killings, and burning down of
villages. On December 28, 2011, Turkish warplanes bombed and killed 34
Kurds in Roboski, of whom 17 were children. Elci was one of the lawyers
representing the Roboski victims' families. Most recently, after years
of fighting, he won the case of the 38 people who were massacred in
Å~^Ä±rnak in 1994. Thanks to him, many cases of forced disappearances,
bombings, and torture that had been delayed or ended with impunity were
reopened. Elci did not just work for the rights of Kurdish people -
he fought for the freedom of all oppressed peoples, recently working
for justice with the family of Sevag BalÄ±kcÄ±, an Armenian soldier
in Turkey's military who was murdered in a hate crime on April 24,
2011, the day Armenians demand justice for the Armenian Genocide.

We are coming together to honor his memory and to support the movement
that carries on his work, struggling for freedom for all ethnicities,
genders, sexualities, and religions in Turkey and the Middle East.

Below are a list of demands:

"We demand a fair and independent investigation of the death of
Tahir Elci.

We demand a fair and independent investigation of the death of Hrant
Dink, Sevag Balikci, and all other minority hate crimes in Turkey.

We call on the Turkish government to stop carrying out these massacres
of minorities - lift the sieges on Kurdish cities, stop the bombing
of guerilla camps, and stop supporting terror groups in Syria.

We call on the US government to stop its support of the Turkish
government - ban all arms sales to the AKP government, lift the ban
on the PKK, and suspend Turkey from NATO."

http://asbarez.com/143257/ayf-calls-on-community-to-protest-turkeys-murderous-policies/

The Cornerstones of Armenian Identity or Who Is An Armenian"

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:40:35 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

"Ararat Foundation"

"Ararat " Center for Strategic Research, Yerevan

3115 Foothill Blvd., M-173

La Crescenta, CA 91214

Tel: 818-303-5566

e-mail: contact@araratfoundation.org

Armen Ayvazyan to speak on “The Cornerstones of Armenian Identity or Who Is An Armenian" - Lecture & Public Discussion.

You are cordially invited to a lecture and a public discussion on " The Cornerstones of Armenian Identity or Who Is An Armenian " by Armen Ayvazyan, doctor of political science and history, senior researcher in the Matenadaran, adjunct assistant professor of political science at the American University of Armenia and director of " Ararat " Center for Strategic Research in Yerevan.

“In the current most complex period of development of Armenia and the Armenians, the problem of the Armenian identity represents not only an academic interest but has a serious practical significance. There are some irrefutable realities which we must see and accept exactly as they stand. A strong national identity is a strategic asset in the process of building and strengthening a nation-state. The dilution of national identity hinders the consolidation of individual and society around national goals and objectives. ”Armen Ayvazyan

This very special event will take place on Sunday, June 1, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St., Glendale, CA. The event is open to the public and admission is free.

* “ The Cornerstones of Armenian Identity or Who Is An Armenian “, a newly 29-page publication in Armenian, English and Russian will be presented to the public.

Shirak ADL youth club's eco-tour in Harichavank

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 16:10:04 +0000

Shirak ADL youth club's eco-tour in Harichavank

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Members of ADL "Panos Terlemezian" youth club of Shirak carried out an eco-tour to Harichavank on August 16. The goal of the eco-tour was to clean the territory of the monastery complex from garbage, organize active rest, communicate with each other, visit the Harichavank spiritual seminary.

After getting acquainted with the new members of ADL youth club, the participants examined the Harich monastery and its history, in which the club member Martun Hovhannisyan, being a local resident, helped a lot. He knew the monastery construction history very well.

Harichavank is an ancient medieval Armenian monastery, and the oldest building was built in the 7th century: it's St. Grigor Church.

ADL young members cleaned the monastery territory from garbage. The photo and video material was also prepared, particularly a poster with the following message: "KEEP THE AREA OF HARICHAVANK CLEAN", addressed to the population. Because of the road length and the scattered garbage it is possible not to notice the poster but if one looks carefully, he can see the large amounts of garbage, causing great damage to the nature. Besides, it is unpleasant to see the area of the monastery complex in garbage, when a large number of tourists visit it daily.

Liana, one of the youth club members, photographed the whole eco-tour.

So, the club's mission was complete, and we came back home with unforgettable impressions.

Author: ADL “Panos Terlemezian” youth club member Liana Stepanyan / Nersisyan

Translation: Lusine Melkonyan

28.08.2018

Garo Paylan Being Investigated for ‘Insulting Turkishness

Thu, 17 May 2018 23:54:12 +0000

ANKARA (A.W.)—Ankara’s public prosecutor has launched a bid to strip Armenian Member of Turkish Parliament Garo Paylan’s parliamentary immunity after the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party of Turkey (HDP) Vice Co-chair was accused of insulting “Turkishness” and the Republic of Turkey.

According to Paylan’s office, the investigation has been launched against the Istanbul parliamentarian “for violating Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code” by Ankara’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

“Article 301, which is an article of the Turkish Penal Code making it illegal to ‘denigrate Turkishness, the Turkish Republic, the foundation and the institutions of the State,’ has been interpreted by the ECHR [European Court of Human Rights] as ‘a permanent threat to freedom of expression,’ and considered incompatible with the principle of the state of law,” read a part of Paylan’s statement.

Paylan’s office said that the investigation was launched after comments Paylan made in an interview about genocides taking place in Turkey today. According to several sources, “concerned citizens” had complained about Paylan’s 2017 interview with our Canadian sister publication, the Horizon Weekly.

“If crimes are still taking place today, then old crimes cannot be recognized,” Paylan had said in the interview. “Each day, our [HDP] co-chairs and deputies are being killed, imprisoned, just like they were in 1915. First, we have to put a stop to the recent crimes, then maybe if we turn to democratization and have peace, only then Turkey can come to recognize the Armenian Genocide,” Paylan had noted.

The notorious Article 301 has been used in cases against Orhan Pamuk, a famed Turkish novelist and Nobel Laureate, and countless journalists and writers, including Hrant Dink, who was murdered in 2007.

“It, known as the ‘murderer article,’ has been served for demonization and singling the target person out,” read a part of Paylan’s statement released earlier today.

After much criticism, Article 301 was amended in 2008 to require approval from the Minister of Justice to launch investigations.

Paylan is a founding member of the HDP and is a deputy representing the third district in Istanbul. Paylan is also a member of Turkey’s Armenian community and has long been an activist on human rights and Kurdish and Armenian issues.

Prior to being elected to Turkey’s parliament in 2015, Paylan served on the central committee of HDP and also served on the management of Armenian schools in Istanbul. He has long promoted bilingual education and minority rights in Turkey and has been actively engaged in raising awareness on discrimination toward minorities, the rights of the Armenian community in Turkey, Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, and especially the Hrant Dink murder case. Paylan is from a family originally from Malatya.

Three weeks after his first election into Turkey’s Parliament on the HDP list, Paylan spoke to the Armenian Weekly about his path to parliament and the challenges of being an Armenian in Turkey’s political scene.

https://armenianweekly.com/2018/05/17/garo-paylan-being-investigated-for-insulting-turkishness-under-turkeys-notorious-article-301/

Garo Paylan at the HDP Parliamentary office in Ankara (Photo: Rupen Janbazian)

Members of Congress Welcome Artsakh President

Wed, 21 Mar 2018 16:37:15 +0000

Members of Congress Welcome Artsakh President to Capitol Hill on Historic Visit

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Artsakh President Bako Sahakian addresses members of Congress on Capitol Hill on Wedneday

ANCA Welcomes Artsakh President Bako Sahakian’s Powerful Message of Peace and Prosperity at U.S. Capitol, where the 30th Anniversary of the Artsakh Movement was marked

WASHINGTON—In a first-ever visit to the U.S. Capitol by an Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) head of state, President Bako Sahakian delivered a powerful pro-peace and prosperity message to the American people, thanking U.S. legislators for ongoing aid programs and encouraging continued U.S. leadership toward a durable, democratic resolution of outstanding Artsakh-Azerbaijan status and security issues, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“Our people are building an independent, sovereign, democratic state and civil society,” said President Sahakian. “We are committed to these ideas consciously. They have been inherited from generation to generation, constituting part and parcel of the Armenian civilization.”

Citing Artsakh’s democratic and economic progress over the past 25 years, President Sahakian noted “Representatives of numerous countries, including the United States, who periodically visit Artsakh, carry out observation missions in various elections also point to our achievements registered on this path. Artsakh people have earned the right to become a full member of the international community and to be integrated into the civilized world.”

http://asbarez.com/170963/members-of-congress-welcome-artsakh-president-to-capitol-hill-on-historic-visit/

:Lack of proper int’l reaction inspires Azerbaijan’s Aliyev

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 17:32:10 +0000

TICS 18:57 19/03/2018 ARMENIA Lack of proper int’l reaction inspires Azerbaijan’s Aliyev to claim larger Armenian territories – spokesman

The lack of an adequate reaction by the international community toward Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s territorial claims against Armenia has prompted more similar claims by the Azerbaijani leader, a spokesman for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter.

“As expected: lack of proper international reaction to the Azerbaijani president’s territorial claims towards Armenia inspired him to claim larger territories,” Tigran Balayan twitted, commenting on Aliyev’s remarks delivered at the nationwide festivities on the occasion of Nowruz.

In his speech, Aliyev said, “a large part of the territory of today’s Armenia is the historical Azerbaijani land”. Earlier Aliyev laid claims to Yerevan and Zangezur.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2018/03/19/Aliyev-claim-Armenian-territories/1921432

Lack of proper int’l reaction inspires Azerbaijan’s Aliyev to claim larger Armenian territories – spokesman

In his speech, Aliyev said, “a large part of the territory of today’s Armenia is the historical Azerbaijani land”. Earlier Aliyev laid claims to Yerevan and Zangezur.

Intent To Destroy ~ Genocide Documentary

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 17:28:33 +0000

https://news.am/eng/videos/13921.html

To debut on Starz on april 23

ANCA & US Armenians Should Sue The Daily Caller and Forbes

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 17:41:16 +0000

Commentary

ANCA & US Armenians Should Sue

The Daily Caller and Forbes Magazine

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

In recent years, scores of ‘hired pens’ have written derogatory commentaries about Armenia and Armenian-Americans. Many of these anti-Armenians commentators are paid by the governments of Azerbaijan or Turkey.

It is sad that some countries resort to such cheap tricks to repair their damaged reputation and disparage others. These countries have serious domestic problems widely known throughout the world without anyone getting paid to publicize them. The governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey have paid millions of dollars to public relations and lobbying firms in the United States and Europe trying to whitewash their tarnished images. Political leaders in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin and Moscow are not fooled by these tricks. They know well the extent of miserable conditions and human rights violations in these two Turkic countries.

Today, I feel obligated to respond to a particularly deceitful article that appeared on Feb. 5, 2018 in the Daily Caller which is “a conservative American news and opinion website based in Washington, D.C. It was founded by political pundit Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel, former adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney,” according to Wikipedia. Carlson left the website to focus on his Fox News television program “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

The Daily Caller’s article, written by Raoul Contreras, is titled: “Armenian Influence Presents a Case Study on the Foreign Agents Registration Act.” The writer quotes from earlier article published by Forbes Magazine on Nov. 27, 2017 which falsely claims that “the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is purported to be a ‘non government organization’, but is widely believed to have deep ties to Russian influence. The Committee betrays Armenia’s post-Soviet nation’s longstanding tradition as a proxy to its former motherland.” This sentence is a complete lie as ANCA does not represent the policies of Russia or any other country. It solely represents the views of a large segment of the Armenian-American community. The writer of the Forbes article is Mfonobong Nsehe, an Africa specialist, who knows very little about Armenia or ANCA.

Based on the falsehood published by Forbes, The Daily Caller claims that “ANCA represents views of the government of Armenia and, by proxy, the Russian government. Without registration, that may violate FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] and lobbying laws.”

Contreras highlights the fact that Armenia has signed a military treaty with Russia, but, fails to understand that Armenia has no choice but to enter into such a defensive pact. Should Armenia recklessly risk its existence when someday Azerbaijan and Turkey put into practice their hostile and threatening warnings? Contreras ignores the fact that Armenia also enjoys close economic, political and military relations with Western Europe and the United States.

The Daily Caller’s Contreras concocts another lie in referring to contributions made by Armenian-Americans to U.S. political candidates. He falsely calls them “questionable campaign contributions.” A small amount of political donations are given by ANC PAC (Political Action Committee) which is a separate entity from ANCA and perfectly legal. Furthermore, Contreras does not seem to know that ANCA is a 501©(4) IRS (Internal Revenue Service) entity that has the right to make political endorsements. Contreras wrongly calls the ANCA’s endorsements “potentially illegal.” They are not illegal under American law!

Contreras then brings up a long-settled issue -- the 2009 complaint by CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics) in Washington with the Justice Department, the IRS and the Congress, alleging that ANCA violated FARA by not registering as a “foreign agent.” This complaint was thoroughly reviewed and dismissed nine years ago! Contreras does not have the honesty to report that CREW’s complaint had been dismissed by the IRS!

Contreras goes on to recount ANCA’s success in blocking the Senate confirmation of Matthew Bryza as Ambassador to Azerbaijan. This is a great accomplishment and ANCA is rightly proud of it.

Finally, Contreras quotes from a Washington Post editorial of 2010 which claims that ANCA’s “lobbying has made reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey, and between Armenia and Azerbaijan, more difficult -- thus helping perpetuate Armenia’s impoverishment and overdependence on Russia.” It is laughable when non-Armenians like Contreras, U.S. publications, and hostile nations like Azerbaijan and Turkey, tell Armenians what is in their best interest. Armenians know much better than anyone else what is in their interest. They don’t need a lecture from anyone!

Rather than suggesting that ANCA should register as a foreign agent, Contreras himself should do so for propagating the interests of Azerbaijan and Turkey in the United States!

ANCA and Armenian-Americans should consider suing Contreras, The Daily Caller and Forbes for anti-Armenian defamation. The Daily Caller noted at the end of its article that “the views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.” Forbes published a similar note at the end of its article. Publishing lies is defamatory and nothing to do with the writer’s opinion. These two publications must be held responsible for disseminating falsehoods.

Ethnic Armenian founding members of new Turkish political party under

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 20:51:56 +0000

Armenpress News Agency, Armenia
November 13, 2017 Monday

Ethnic Armenian founding members of new Turkish political party under
media spotlight

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. A new Turkish political party,
called Iyi partisi – meaning Good Party, the founder of which is
former defense minister Meral Aksener, is seriously contending for
entering the parliament in the upcoming elections. Many have withdrawn
from the Nationalist Movement party to join the ranks of this new
party.

Turkish media have recently focused on the fact that two Armenians are
among the founding members of the party.

One of them is Elmas Kirakos, member of the founding council of the
party. In an interview to a local media, he said: “I go to church, I
know my God. I am Armenian and I will never hide my identity. I am a
citizen of Turkey, however my ethnicity is Armenians”.

Turkish media have focused particularly on the Armenian origin of the
other founding member, mentioning that his ethnicity has been
attempted to be hidden. According to Turkish media, Taylan Yildiz, the
co-chair of the party, has Armenian ethnicity. Yildiz has worked for
Google and is known as the “genius son” of Google.

Meral Aksener is expected to the main rival of president Erdogan
during the upcoming elections.

A VOYAGE TO ANTARCTICA

Sun, 05 Nov 2017 21:18:14 +0000

https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2017/antarctica-voyage/index.html?utm_source=Al+Jazeera+English+Newsletter+%7C+Weekly&utm_campaign=8f34e506e2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_08_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e427298a68-8f34e506e2-223215157#11

Very interesting trip , worth to watch.

U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS SET TO CONSIDER H.R. 4347, THE

Wed, 25 Jun 2014 14:30:22 +0000

U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS SET TO CONSIDER H.R. 4347, THE TURKEY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, ON 26 JUNE

Tuesday, June 24, 13:01

With just days to Thursday's vote by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs
Committee on the Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act (H.R.

4347), the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has set
Tuesday, June 24th as a day for Congressional calls and social media
activism in support of this bipartisan religious freedom measure,
ANCA reports. Call to Action in support of H.R. 4347

"This Tuesday, please call, post, tweet, and share your support for
Turkey's return of stolen Armenian, Greek, Syriac and other Christian
churches," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Let your
legislators know you expect them to work for the passage of H.R.4347,
and then take two minutes to tell your friends and family that
you're taking a stand for the bipartisan Turkey Christian Churches
Accountability Act."

The ANCA is asking all supporters of religious freedom to contact their
legislators to support H.R.4347, and then to find creative ways to use
the hashtag #ReturnChurches in their Facebook, Twitter and other social
media posts. A sample phone script and relevant contact information
for legislators is available at http://www.anca.org/returnchurches.

The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, under the leadership of
Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), is set to consider H.R. 4347, the Turkey
Christian Churches Accountability Act, on Thursday, June 26th at 9:00
am EST. The freedom of faith initiative is stridently opposed by the
Turkish Government.

Introduced this March of this year by Chairman Royce along with the
panel's Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), H.R. 4347 would require
that the U.S. Department of State formally report to Congress on an
annual basis about the status of Turkey's return of stolen Christian
churches and properties in Turkey and occupied Cyprus. H.R. 4347
builds on a measure (H.Res.306), spearheaded by Chairman Royce and then
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA),
which was overwhelmingly adopted by the House of Representatives on
December 13, 2011. That resolution set the groundwork for H.R.4347
by calling upon the government of Turkey to honor its international
obligations to return confiscated Christian church properties and to
fully respect the rights of Christians to practice their faiths.

On Dec 13 2011, U.S. House passed H.Res. 306: Urging the Republic of
Turkey to safeguard its Christian heritage and to return confiscated
church properties. In summer of 2011, the U.S. House Committee on
Foreign Affairs paased the resolution with 43 votes "for" and 1 vote
"against." In March 2014, a similar resolution (H.Res 180) was passed
under pressure of the Greek lobby.

http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=0F02CE20-FB7E-11E3-BF6F0EB7C0D21663

ARMENIAN-CANADIAN CONSERVATIVE ASSOCIATION LAUNCHED

Thu, 27 Nov 2014 16:57:30 +0000

ARMENIAN-CANADIAN CONSERVATIVE ASSOCIATION LAUNCHED

November 26, 2014 - 12:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian-Canadian Conservative Association
(ACCA) was launched last weekend with attendees including
Minister Jason Kenney, Costas Menegakis the federal Parliamentary
Secretary, five Members of Parliament, two candidates for the
next parliamentary elections, civil society organizations, ethnic
community representatives, and various representatives of local
Armenian community organizations.

After welcoming the guests and ACCA members, master of the ceremonies
and member of the board Diran Tutunjian made a brief introduction of
the Association's purpose and philosophy.

He said: "The Armenian-Canadian Conservative Association is a
pan-Armenian association established to work with all Canadians to
build a stronger Canada, and to make sure our values and our goals,
such as equality, justice, freedom of speech, thought, and religion
are reflected in our relationships with one another."

Hon. Kenney, in turn, talked about the current concerns of Canadians,
next year's federal elections, economic prosperity, the steadfast stand
of the government about the challenges Canadians and the civilized
world face vis-a-vis religious extremism, the fate of Middle East
minorities, and his admiration of the Canadian-Armenian community.

He emphasized that the Canadian-Armenian community and the Conservative
Party many priorities such as strong family values, a firm belief in
the rule of law, in democracy, free enterprise, free speech, tolerance,
and humanism. Thus cooperation between both sides to uphold and promote
these cherished values and the traditions is a natural development,
said Hon. Kenney. He also praised the Canadian-Armenian community's
strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. He touched upon the
long history of the Armenian people and its resilience to survive
under harsh conditions.

Hon. Kenney also talked about his recent trip to Armenia, his
impressions of the country and its people, and his visit to Khor Virab
where the founder of the Armenian Church, St. Gregory the Illuminator,
was imprisoned in the 4th century because of his Christian faith.

Finally, Minister Kenney talked about his co-sponsorship of the
Armenian Genocide recognition resolution in the House of Commons
in 2004 and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's principled stand and
moral fortitude in making Armenian Genocide recognition Canadian
government policy.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/185211/

From Peace to Hit-Piece: Turkey's New Lobbying Strategy Against Ar

Sat, 27 Feb 2016 18:20:42 +0000

PRESS RELEASE
Date: February 26, 2016

ARMENIAN AGENDA
Name: Taniel Koushakjian
Telephone: (202) 393-3434
Email: aaapress@gmail.com
Web: www.armenianagenda.com

From Peace to Hit-Piece: Turkey's New Lobbying Strategy Against
Armenian Americans

By Taniel Koushakjian
Armenian Agenda Editor

Hit Piece

On February 22, the Turkish Institute of Progress retained Mercury Public
Affairs, LLC to lobby on its behalf in Washington, D.C. According to the
filing, Mercury will lobby specifically on `Turkish-US relations.' Two days
later, Mercury's Vice Chairman, Adam Ereli, a former U.S. Ambassador and
Deputy Spokesperson at the State Department, penned a hit-piece on Armenia
entitled `Putin's Newest Satellite State,' on Forbes' opinion page.
However, Forbes neglects to mention the fact that Ereli's firm is under
contract with the anti-Armenian lobby group. It is not yet clear whether or
not Ereli disclosed to Forbes his business relationship behind the story.

It appears that either the Turkish lobby planted this story with the full
knowledge and support of Forbes, or that Mercury's connection with Forbes
was used as a pawn in the Turkish lobby's anti-Armenian campaign.

This is not the first time a high-priced Washington lobbyist has used the
stroke of the pen to attack Armenian Americans. In 2014, Brenda Shaffer
wrote a piece in the New York Times opinion page entitled `Russia's next
land grab.' The title sounds familiar. The story's byline for Shaffer
states that she `is a professor of political science at the University of
Haifa and a visiting researcher at Georgetown.' However, Shaffer did not
disclose her role as a paid consultant to Azerbaijan's state-run oil
company SOCAR. After the Times realized they had been duped, the editor's
rightly appended the story with the following statement: `This Op-Ed, about
tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, did not disclose that the writer
has been an adviser to Azerbaijan's state-run oil company. Like other Op-Ed
contributors, the writer, Brenda Shaffer, signed a contract obliging her to
disclose conflicts of interest, actual or potential. Had editors been aware
of her ties to the company, they would have insisted on disclosure.'

Peace?

The Turkish Institute of Progress (TIP), a New York based Turkish lobby
group is the latest player trying to prop up Turkey by putting down
Armenian Americans. The group was established months prior the centennial
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to `provide a forum for dialogue in
pursuit of peace and cooperation between Turkey and the international
community,' according to its website.

Instead of outright opposing Armenian Genocide recognition efforts by
American human rights activists, the Turkish lobby's genocide denial
strategy shifted its approach to the issue on the centennial anniversary.
TIP's other hired public relations firm, Levick, tried to get a counter
genocide resolution introduced that `focused on the next 100 years' by Rep.
Curt Clawson (R-FL) who had been recruited to introduce the bill by
Clawson's predecessor, Congressman Connie Mack (R-FL), now a lobbyist for
Levick.

A pushback from Clawson's own constituency thwarted the TIP's efforts, and
the resolution, H. Res. 226, was instead introduced by Rep. Jeff Sessions
(R-TX). The bill currently has two cosponsors.

I am personally aware of the Turkish government's coordinated anti-Armenian
effort with TIP, Levick, and now Mercury, as I was in Clawson's district on
April 12, 2015. I was invited to give a presentation on the Armenian
Genocide at the Holocaust Museum and Education Center of Southwest Florida
in Naples. Upon my arrival to the Holocaust Museum, I was shown an
intimidating letter by Ozgur Kivanc Altan, Consul General of the Republic
of Turkey in Miami addressed to the Holocaust Museum demanding that they
cancel my presentation.

>From Peace to Hit-Piece

The Turkish lobby's strategy of genocide denial cloaked as peace has now
turned to attacking the Republic of Armenia itself in order to mask
Azerbaijan's $4 billion dollar arms purchase from Russia, not to mention
Azerbaijan's gross abuse of human rights, corruption scandals, jailing of
journalists, and drift away from democracy and towards authoritarian rule.

Mr. Ereli's anti-Armenian hit-piece in Forbes should be appended, as the New
York Times did, so that its readership is fully aware of his firm's
financial benefit from the published story. Their readers deserve no less.

Tracing family roots: First Armenian Genealogy conference planned for

Sun, 21 Feb 2016 18:06:55 +0000

Tracing family roots: First Armenian Genealogy conference planned for April

13:39, 20 Feb 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan

An Armenian Genealogy Conference will take place April 9-10 in
Watertown. The conference, which grew out of the Armenian Genealogy
group on Facebook, will feature several speakers on various topics
regarding Armenian genealogy, history, geography, and presentations on
different organizations and initiatives, the Armenian Weekly reports.

George Aghjayan, a retired actuary and one of the conference
organizers, noted that the study of Armenian genealogy has grown
substantially over the last decade, and that organizing a conference
was a necessary step. `Advances in technology have allowed access to
information previously thought unattainable,' said Aghjayan, who hopes
the conference will become an annual event.

Aghjayan has been working with Tracy Rivest Keeney and Mark Arslan to
organize the conference, which is co-sponsored by the National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), Project Save
Armenian Photograph Archives, Inc., Houshamadyan, the Armenian Museum
of America (AMA), and Hamazkayin Boston. During the weekend,
participants'both beginner and advanced'will learn how to carry out
genealogical research specific to Armenians and will take part in
workshops, during which experienced volunteers will help answer
questions, teach how to get started, and how to go beyond existing
research.

`The recent proliferation and acceptance of social media has allowed a
level of collaboration on genealogical and historical research never
before possible,' Arslan told the Weekly. He noted that the Armenian
Genealogy Facebook group has brought together people from the Armenian
Diaspora worldwide, as well as the Republic of Armenia'individuals who
share a passionate interest in learning more about their Armenian
families and heritage. `The collective knowledge of our online
community is amazing, everyone brings their own special talents to
uncover genealogical treasures from the primary records online and in
archives, as well as shares their own family anecdotes, memories, and
experiences,' he said.

The conference will take place at the Armenian Museum of America

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.armradio.am_en_2016_02_20_tracing-2Dfamily-2Droots-2Dfirst-2Darmenian-2Dgenealogy-2Dconference-2Dplanned-2Dfor-2Dapril_&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=aC3UhNLHxJ2wgpIZC5gdlAY8RhPe_c1trJmBxZeXwRs&s=7eEZR99hCrtWB77k6hYfokb7JRP63yvDh2gQkYqGkyk&e=

CARSON CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ATATURK STATUE IN CITY'S INTERNATI

Wed, 04 Mar 2015 17:06:02 +0000

CARSON CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ATATURK STATUE IN CITY'S INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE GARDEN

By MassisPost
Updated: March 3, 2015

CARSON, CA - The Los Angeles Turkish Association has lobbied the
City of Carson, to erect a statue of controversial Turkish dictator,
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the city's International Sculpture Garden.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed installation
of the Ataturk monument on Wednesday, March 4th.

This project, which has so far garnered the approval of the City's
Landscape and Monument Sub-Committee, was first proposed in 2012 by
Los Angeles Turkish Association as a "Turkish Cultural project."

Ataturk is considered the founding father of the Republic of Turkey
after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. He is known to have been
responsible for continuing the deportations and ethnic cleansing of
Armenians from Cilicia and Greeks from Anatolia until 1923. His tactics
of silencing political dissent within Turkey, were also violent and
often targeted at religious minorities such as Armenians, Assyrians,
Kurds, Alawis and Greeks.

The monument's Website, which is soliciting 150 thousand dollars
for its construction and maintenance, urges constituents to help
commemorate Ataturk "among the world leaders who advanced the cause
for liberation, freedom, and democracy." Yet historians note, it
is due to Ataturk's authoritarian rule, that Turkey was a one-party
state or under military rule for the majority of the 20th century,
and has yet to establish itself as a county where basic democratic
values and freedoms are respected.

The installation of this monument also comes at a very sensitive time
for the Armenian-American community, which is focused on commemorating
the Centennial commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk was a leading figure in Turkish society to perpetuate genocide
denial - the current Turkish State's position towards the horrors
committed by their predecessors.

Community members within the City of Carson have expressed their
desire to make their voices heard and object to the blatant disregard
to historical truth that is being put forth in support of the statue.

Council meeting will take place at 701 East Carson Street, starting
at 5 pm., in City Hall's Helen Kawogoe Chambers. Members of the
City Council are; Mayor Jim Dear, who can be contacted via email at
dear@carson.ca.us or by phone at (310) 952-1700 ext.1000, Mayor Pro
Tem Elito M. Santarina, Councilmember Lula Davis-Holmes, Councilmember
Albert Robles, City Treasurer Karen Avilla, and City Clerk Donesia
Gause will also be present at the meeting.

http://massispost.com/2015/03/carson-city-council-to-consider-ataturk-statue-in-citys-international-sculpture-garden/

TURKISH JOURNALIST URGES TO RELENTLESSLY EXTERMINATE KURDS

Wed, 09 Sep 2015 19:06:05 +0000

The savage shows it's ugly truth again! Turks will never change.

TURKISH JOURNALIST URGES TO RELENTLESSLY EXTERMINATE KURDS
00:04, 09.09.2015
Region:Turkey
Theme: Politics

Correspondent of Turkey's Anadolu agency Mustafa Uygun has urged on
his Facebook page to brutally exterminate the Kurds. Uygun's post
greatly resonated with Turkey.

He wrote: "Our last responsibility before the dead is not to carry
his coffin but shed blood. These mountains must turn purple with blood.

Our last responsibility must be slaughter, regardless of who they are:
young or old men, pregnant woman or a child."

Interestingly enough, the comment gained "likes" and also received
words of praise.

http://news.am/eng/news/285202.html

Armenian-Populated Districts of Istanbul Attacked

Thu, 10 Sep 2015 19:27:07 +0000

http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Turkey_nationalist_rally.jpg

Supporters of ultra-nationalist groups shout slogans during a protest against recent Kurdish militant attacks on Turkish security forces, in Istanbul, Turkey, September 8, 2015. (Source: REUTERS/Yagiz Karahan)

ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)—The situation was tense last night in the Armenian-populated districts of Istanbul, Arevelk.am reports citing its sources in Turkey, as Turkish nationalist groups attacked the Sisli, Kurtulus, and Besitktas neighborhoods, in an apparent retaliation against the recent wave of violence that has gripped Turkey.

“We must turn these districts into Armenian and Kurdish cemeteries,” the groups reportedly chanted.

The violence is said to be a backlash against recent clashes between Turkish army and police forces, and the Kurdish Worker’s Party (PKK) in the country’s east and southeast.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople released a statement condemning the ongoing violence and terrorist attacks across Turkey, urging groups to withhold from making statements targeted at the Armenian community of Turkey.

According to Anadolu news agency, the Patriarchate said that it prays for an end to the violence threatening the unity and integrity of Turkey, and the establishment of long-term peace.

The Patriarchate also expressed its concern over the targeting of the Armenian community in Turkish media.

“From time to time expressions of some writers targeting our community and identifying it with that terrorist group deeply insult the Armenian citizens who have always been committed to this country and possess civic consciousness. Using unjust expressions referring to the Armenian citizens considering themselves a part of Turkey is an attitude not fitting in the frames of goodness. We are convinced that the majority of our nation does not agree to these alienating expressions,” the statement reads.

In its statement the Patriarchate also strongly condemned all terrorist acts in the country, and expressed its condolences to the families of those killed in the recent spike in violence across Turkey.

Asbarez

Monsanto Protection Act this Thursday H.R. 1599

Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:12:38 +0000

Monsanto Protection Act this Thursday H.R. 1599

http://thedailypaul.com/images/small-icon.gif By HawaiianDude on

Wed, 07/22/2015 - 04:21

News - Current Events

Monsanto Protection Act this Thursday H.R. 1599

Monsanto’s Dream Bill (our nightmare) will be up for a vote this Thursday in the House.

This bill allows Monsanto and all food producers to Never Ever have to disclose if there are any GMO’s in their food and never require labeling. It allows all GMO Products to be labeled Natural.

This bill overrides all local and State Government regulations relating to GMO labeling such as the recent Vermont Law requiring GMO labeling.

It is doubly bad in that it forever holds harmless Monsanto such that any cross contamination or labeling from the farm or the actual seed never has to be disclosed and forever takes away anyone’s right to sue Monsanto for any contamination or lack of labeling on any product from farm to consumer.

Monsanto has plowed a lot of money into congress and this bill is expected to pass easily under the radar, nobody knows about it.

You can’t let someone else take up this battle for you. You will have to call congress from your local area codes and tell them you are paying attention, which is the only way this one will be stopped.

Congress Contact Us page - https://www.congress.gov/contact-us (link is external)

SUNNYVALE-LOS ALTOS: BOY SCOUT WANTS TO HELP REBUILD VILLAGE SCHOOL IN

Fri, 22 May 2015 16:07:43 +0000

SUNNYVALE-LOS ALTOS: BOY SCOUT WANTS TO HELP REBUILD VILLAGE SCHOOL IN ARMENIA

San Jose Mercury News (California)
May 20, 2015 Wednesday

By Kristi Myllenbeck

A struggling school attended by children in a small village in Armenia
will receive some much-needed aid from a local Boy Scout.

Alex Suppiah, 12, has chosen to focus his Eagle Scout project on
helping to rebuild the school in an Armenian village called Akhpradzor.

Alex, a Los Altos resident who is in the seventh grade at Summit
Denali Middle School in Sunnyvale, is a member of Boy Scout troop 75.

His plan is to visit the tiny village of 400 people in July, but
he first needs to gather volunteers and raise $8,000 for materials,
supplies and textbooks for the school.

So far, Alex has raised approximately $4,000 in two months through
various fundraisers and with help from family and friends.

When asked why he chose this project, Alex replied, "I think it's
because this place really needs the things that they want. Here,
nowadays, people can pretty much get whatever they want, but over
there they're pretty isolated and can't get anything."

The village is snowed in six months out of the year, leaving the only
road that leads in and out of it shut down.

Seventy-five of the 400 people who live in the village are students
but the school lacks educational materials, play equipment and even
bathrooms. It does not have a functional library.

What Alex hopes to do if he raises enough money is build a wooden
outhouse, assemble a playground and rebuild an existing fence.

Through Summit Denali, Alex heard about a nonprofit organization
called Hidden Road Initiative, which according to its website aims
"to connect roads and bridge issues between the people of Armenia
and the rest of the world."

At the time, Alex was looking for an Eagle Scout project that satisfied
three specific goals: helping a community that needs things instead
of wants things, helping children and making a long-term impact.

"I never really expected to go to Armenia so I was just looking for
a project, and then I met the founder of this nonprofit called Hidden
Road Initiative," he said. "I decided that I would help this village
out. I felt that it was a good project for what I wanted to do."

At age 12, Alex is considerably younger than the average Eagle Scout
candidate. Brent Gregory, Alex's scoutmaster of two years, said that
Alex is not an average Boy Scout.

"From the day he started, Alex has been interested in gaining the
skills and experience to advance quickly," Gregory said. "On his first
day in the troop, he asked for permission to pursue five merit badges
while most scouts start on one or two after about a year."

So it makes sense that Alex's Eagle Scout project would go above and
beyond, too.

"Alex decided to tackle an Eagle Project that is more difficult than
most," Gregory said. "Alex is an exceptional young man, so I'm not
surprised to see him go after an exceptional project."

Alex has support from his family, but his mother, Leela Suppiah,
said he chose the project all on his own.

"I think it's incredible that Alex wants to do this," she said. "For
us, we would support him no matter what project he chose, but having
him select on his own is pretty cool."

To donate to Alex Suppiah's cause, visit hiddenroadinitiative.com or
fnd.us/c/0zUh9 .

http://www.mercurynews.com/sunnyvale/ci_28158030/sunnyvale-los-altos-boy-scout-wants-help-rebuild?source=rss

TEXAS REJECTS PRO-AZERBAIJANI RESOLUTION

Fri, 08 May 2015 19:33:49 +0000

TEXAS REJECTS PRO-AZERBAIJANI RESOLUTION

8 hours ago
08/05/15

Texas State legislature rejected a pro-Azerbaijani resolution

AUSTIN-Texas State Representative Dwayne Bohab on Thursday pulled
from consideration a misleading resolution (HR2309) "Commemorating
the 25th Anniversary of the Black January events in Azerbaijan" he
introduced late April filled with factually inaccurate historical
information with respect to the events that led to the country's
independence as well as its policies regarding people's right to
self-determination and independence, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America - Western Region.

"The power of our grassroots' in Texas against the persistent,
yet failed, efforts backed by the Azerbaijani lobby to shamefully
introduce legislation that blatantly misrepresents facts is a real
testament to our community's and organization's resolve to pursue
truth and justice for our Cause," remarked ANCA-WR Executive Director
Elen Asatryan. "We were particularly pleased to see Representative
Bohac's quick response and reconsideration to ultimately withdraw
the resolution after gaining better understanding of the facts about
Azerbaijan and the region," added Asatryan.

Jeff Stokes, Legislative Director for State Representative Dwayne
Bohac informed Asbarez that Bohac's office had received numerous
requests from constituents to introduce a measure such as HR2309.

"When we realized it was a mistake, we placed it on permanent hold,"
said Stokes, who explained that per Texas law once a hold is placed
on a piece of legislation, no further action is taken on the matter.

The decision to place a permanent hold on HR2309 came just 16 hours
after ANCA WR worked with local community leaders and activists
to alert Bohac about the facts surrounding the events that led to
Azerbaijan's independence, the corrupt and authoritarian regime of
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the country's gross human
rights violations, coverage of which has increased in the American
press most recently in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times,
under the headlines, "A Thuggish Regime Challenges the U.S." and
"The Two Faces of Azerbaijan's Mr. Aliyev" respectively.

More specifically, late Monday evening ANCA WR Executive Director
Elen Asatryan submitted a written statement to Bohac opposing the
resolution on behalf of the regional, Dallas and Houston chapters
noting, "The resolution gives the impression that Azerbaijan was
invaded in retaliation for its independence movement. However, the
truth is that troops were sent to Azerbaijan in order to protect the
nearly half million Christian Armenians who were being subjected to
violent pogroms and massacres throughout the nation in a campaign
of ethnic cleansing. Azerbaijan's hostility was its response to
the calls for independence by the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR),
which was an autonomous region at the time, thereby demonstrating
its repressive policies, which are contrary to the claims made in
the language of the resolution."

Asatryan continued on to state, "Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has
the dubious honor of being selected as the most corrupt person by the
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The NGO's
finding is based on extensive reports and well-documented evidence
that the Aliyev family has been systematically grabbing shares of
the most profitable businesses in Azerbaijan for many years.

Earlier this week, the Committee to Protect Journalists concluded that
Azerbaijan is the fifth most censored and repressive country in the
world, out of nearly 200 countries in the world. In its report the
CPJ concluded that the 'main sources of information in Azerbaijan
are broadcasters which are owned and controlled by the state or its
proxies.' The report also noted that independent media outlets are
subjected to harassment and prosecution by officials, and that at
least ten journalists and bloggers are currently in Azerbaijani jails
on fabricated charges."

"This being a top priority, our local chapter and I specifically
reached out to Representative Dwayne Bohac's office yesterday to
convey our disappointment and opposition to the resolution. Today
when I called back to see if we made any headway, I was pleased to
hear that the office had already pulled the resolution. This truly
shows that each and every one of us can truly make a difference by
just making our voice heard," stated ANCA Dallas Chair Lucia Nazarian.

"Thank you to the Dallas community members for your efforts in
shedding light and bringing the truth to the forefront of our Texas
legislators," added Nazarian.

"I am pleased to see that the anti-Armenian resolution was withdrawn
and appreciate the diligence of the Houston Armenian community and
proud of their dedication for the Armenian Cause, " remarked ANCA
Houston Chair Vrouir Frankian.

Read the text of HR2309.

Read the full text of the ANCA WR written statement.

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.

CALIFORNIA BILL SEEKS MAJOR DIVESTMENT FROM TURKEY

Thu, 23 Apr 2015 13:58:41 +0000

CALIFORNIA BILL SEEKS MAJOR DIVESTMENT FROM TURKEY

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
http://asbarez.com/134329/california-bill-seeks-major-divestment-from-turkey/

California State Assemblymen Adrin Nazarian, Katcho Achadjian, and
Scott Wilk

SACRAMENTO--On Wednesday, the California State Assebly Public
Employment, Retirement, and Social Security (PERSS) Committee voted
to adobt Assembly Bill 1410, which calls for the divestment of the
State of California's investments in the Turkish government. The bill
was co-authored by Assemblymen Adrin Nazarian, Katcho Achadjian,
and Scott Wilk. It passed in committee by a vote of six in favor,
one abstention, and none opposed.

If AB 1410 is passed on the State Assembly floor, ratified in the
State Senate and signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, it would
provide that California divest a major part of its holding in Turkish
government bonds and other Turkish government investment instruments.

The bill targets approximately half a billion dollars in funds that
have been invested by the California Public Employees' Retirement
System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers' Retirement System
(CalSTRS).

Alongside the Return the Churches Resolution, which was introduced
in last year's Congress, this bill is perhaps the most far-reaching
legislation related to the Armenian Genocide introduced within the
United States to date.

Earlier this week, Assemblymen Nazarian and Achadjian co-authored an
op-ed in the Sacramento Bee, in which they called for U.S. recognition
of the Armenian Genocide and highlighted AB 1410.

Komitas Vardapet's Divine Liturgy

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:51:44 +0000

Armenian Arts presents the first ever of its kind,

Komitas Vardapet's Divine Liturgy.

Given its complex melodic structure, emotional range, immediacy, and

compositional wholeness, the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church is the

finest example of Armenian spiritual music.

The present recording was realized using one of the oldest Armenian musical

instruments, the duduk.

The most emotional of Armenian instruments, the duduk stands apart for

having a timbre that comes closest to the human voice.

A quartet of duduks has been used for this recording, the first ever of its

kind, in a faithful instrumental rendition of the Divine Liturgy.

Winds of Passion are:

Ruben Harutyunyan, 1st Duduk

Vardan Harutyunyan, 2nd Duduk

Grigor Harutyunyan, 3rd Duduk

Gevorg Karapetian, Bass Duduk

Conducted by Komitas Keshishian

Conceived and produced by Stepan Partamian

Runing Time: 63:24

Price: $30 (Compact Disc & 36 page book)

Come see "Winds of Passion" perform a very short program and be the first to

own an autographed copy of the Divine Liturgy performed by a duduk quintet.

Sunday January 15th at 6:30 PM

Glendale Public Library

222 East Harvard Street, Glendale

For more information contact Stepan Partamian at 818 244-2468

FACEBOOK DOESN'T ENFORCE ITS OWN STANDARDS ON HATE SPEECH

Thu, 12 Feb 2015 16:21:09 +0000

FACEBOOK DOESN'T ENFORCE ITS OWN STANDARDS ON HATE SPEECH

Triple Pundit
Feb 11 2015

Gina-Marie Cheeseman | Wednesday February 11th, 2015

Hate speech and the Internet can go hand-in-hand, including on
Facebook. It recently came to my attention that Facebook does not
enforce its own standards regarding hate speech. While scrolling
through posts on my Facebook feed, I came across a post about an
anti-Armenian group. The name of the said group was "F-k Armenia." The
posts in the group were very derogatory of Armenia and Armenians.

Using "F-k Armenia" as a search term turned up about 10 other groups
with that name.

There is a context to the proliferation of anti-Armenian Facebook
groups that many may not know. This year on April 24, Armenians
worldwide will mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the
Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Turkish government. About 1.5
million Armenians, or 3 out of every 4 Armenians living under the
Ottoman Turkish empire, were murdered. To this day the Turkish
government refuses to recognize the genocide and continues its
campaign of denial, even going to the extreme of stating that Armenians
murdered Turks.

There are over 11,000 members of the Facebook group "I am a Descendant
of a Survivor of the Armenian Genocide," and judging by the comments
on the post regarding the anti-Armenian page, many, including me,
reported the anti-Armenian group. What we received back from Facebook
was the following message:

"Thank you for taking the time to report something that you feel may
violate our Community Standards. Reports like yours are an important
part of making Facebook a safe and welcoming environment. We reviewed
the Page you reported for containing hate speech or symbols and found
it doesn't violate our Community Standards."

Looking at the hate speech section of Facebook's Community Standards,
it becomes apparent that the anti-Armenian groups are considered hate
speech by those very standards:

"Facebook does not permit hate speech, but distinguishes between
serious and humorous speech. While we encourage you to challenge ideas,
institutions, events, and practices, we do not permit individuals
or groups to attack others based on their race, ethnicity, national
origin, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability or
medical condition."

Anti-Armenian groups are not the only racist groups on Facebook. There
are also groups called "F-k Mexico" and "F-k Azerbaijan." I reported
every hate group I came across and received the same message that I
posted above.

Only one page was removed by Facebook, and that is the initial
anti-Armenian page I learned about. Many others also reported it.

Clearly, it takes a good amount of pressure for Facebook to take down
racist sites and adhere to its own standards.

http://www.triplepundit.com/2015/02/facebook-doesnt-enforce-standards-hate-speech/

THE TERM "EASTERN ANATOLIA" DOESN'T EXIST: TURKOLOGIST

Wed, 11 Feb 2015 16:38:43 +0000

THE TERM "EASTERN ANATOLIA" DOESN'T EXIST: TURKOLOGIST

17:38, 10 February, 2015

YEREVAN, 10 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. Associate professor of the Faculty
of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University, Turkologist Lusine
Sahakyan says Armenians should be very active on the Internet and
be able to give adequate responses to the false propaganda spread by
circles of Turkologists. According to her, Turkish bloggers are working
very actively on distorting Armenian toponyms and presenting Armenian
words as words of Turkish origin on the Internet. In an interview with
"Armenpress", Lusine Sahakyan mentioned that there are especially
several blogs and websites that the Turks have created ahead of the
100thanniversary of the Armenian Genocide and where they engage in
heated debates over Armenian words and falsify Armenian history.

In addition, Sahakyan emphasized that Armenia needs to address
Western countries and the media to stop using the term "Eastern
Anatolia". "Eastern Anatolia doesn't exist. It's an artificial word.

It's absurd. Translated, it means "east of the east". Armenia has a
lot of work to do in this regard so that not only the real history
is presented, but also the real toponyms are not distorted," Lusine
Sahakyan said.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/793530/the-term-%E2%80%9Ceastern-anatolia%E2%80%9D-doesn%E2%80%99t-exist-turkologist.html

Colorado Senate Kills Pro-Baku Resolution In Presence of Azeri Consul

Fri, 30 Jan 2015 17:35:51 +0000

Colorado Senate Kills Pro-Baku Resolution In Presence of Azeri Consul General

Thursday, January 29th, 2015

Community thanks Colorado for withdrawing pro-Azerbaijani bill

DENVER, Colo.- Only moments before a scheduled vote on Thursday, the
Colorado State Senate pulled from consideration a controversial
measure (Resolution SJR 15-006) which would have, in the presence of a
visiting Azerbaijani diplomat, praised "the strategic partnership
between the United States of America and the Republic of Azerbaijan,"
reported the Armenian National Committee of America - Western Region
(ANCA-WR).

Sources from the State Capitol report the co-sponsor of the
resolution, Senator Larry Crowder, agreed to withdraw the resolution
from Thursday's vote schedule. The resolution has been rescheduled for
a vote on May 15, 2015; the Legislature however adjourns on May 7,
2015 thus effectively signaling its defeat.

Prior to withdrawing the resolution from a vote, however, Senator
Crowder took the floor and, in a move that confused many Colorado
citizens, acknowledged the presence of Nasimi Aghayev the Consul
General of Azerbaijan, paying tribute to a regime in Azerbaijan that
is widely criticized as a leading violator of human rights. Aghayev
surely expected to return to his office in Los Angeles boasting of a
legislative victory in Colorado. No such opportunity was even
afforded.

ANCA WR Community Development Coordinator Simon Maghakyan and
Armenians of Colorado President Sona Hadeshian

"The speed and power of our grassroots' mobilization in Colorado
against the continued, albeit unsuccessful, attempts from the
Azerbaijani lobby to shamefully introduce legislation that blatantly
misrepresents facts is a real testament to our community's and
organization's resolve to pursue truth and justice for our Cause,"
remarked ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan. "We are pleased
that Colorado joins Hawaii, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee and
Wyoming in affirming that it too is not for sale to the oil-rich and
corrupt regime of Ilham Aliyev's Azerbaijan. We were particularly
gratified to see Senator Crowder reconsider and ultimately withdraw
the resolution after gaining a fuller understanding of the facts about
Azerbaijan's domestic abuses and foreign aggression," added Asatryan.

In the days leading up to today's vote, ANCA-WR worked with local
community leaders and activists to alert state legislators about the
corrupt and authoritarian regime of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
and the country's gross human rights violations, coverage of which has
increased in the American press most recently in the Wall Street
Journal and The New York Times, under the headlines, "A Thuggish
Regime Challenges the U.S." and "The Two Faces of Azerbaijan's Mr.
Aliyev" respectively.

More specifically, on Monday, January 26 ANCA WR Executive Director
Elen Asatryan submitted a written statement to the Colorado State
Senate voicing strong opposition to SJR15-006, noting the proposed
resolution's blatant misrepresentation of the truth with respect to
the Republic of Azerbaijan, U.S.- Azeri relations and the status of
Nagorno-Karabakh. On Wednesday January 28th, ANCA-WR also issued an
action alert, through which Coloradans were actively writing to and
calling State Senator Larry Crowder and key state legislators urging
that they VOTE NO on SJR15-006.

Upon learning of the resolution, which includes an incorrect citation
that the United States recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as part of
Azerbaijan, the President of Armenians of Colorado, Sona Hedeshian,
along with many others quickly reached out to their elected officials
urging them to reconsider the vote. "We deeply appreciate that our
elected officials took the time to hear our concerns. Hopefully, we
will not find ourselves in similar situations in the future," stated
Hadeshian.

Dr. Ken Touryan, a resident of Denver, Colorado, thanked Colorado
Senator Kevin Lundberg and the Republican leadership for carefully
reviewing the inaccuracies of the proposed resolution and deciding to
effectively withdraw it.

"I was shocked that our Colorado state legislature would even consider
honoring a dictatorship that threatens Armenia on a daily basis. The
defeated resolution would have contradicted Colorado's staunch support
for Armenian issues going back to WWI, including a 1921 joint
unanimous resolution on assisting the survivors of the Armenian
Genocide and providing support for the Armenian Republic," stated an
active member of the Colorado Armenian community, Kim Christianian.

"We are grateful for the collective efforts of the ANCA-WR and for the
concerned citizens of Colorado who worked with their elected
representatives to help prevent the adoption of an erroneous motion in
the Colorado State Legislature," expressed Mr. Robert Avetisyan,
Representative of the Nagorno KarabakhRepublic (NKR) in the United
States. "Unfortunately, legislatures across the U.S, are often
misguided by biased and one-sided information about Artsakh, which
distorts the historical facts and current realities. It is very
important that Armenians and all supporters of truth continue sharing
objective information regarding the NKR," he added.

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.

http://asbarez.com/131318/colorado-senate-kills-pro-baku-resolution-in-presence-of-azeri-consul-general/

LAWSUIT AGAINST THE TEACHING OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN FRANCE

Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:28:26 +0000

LAWSUIT AGAINST THE TEACHING OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN FRANCE

FRANCE

Info Collectif VAN - www.collectifvan.org - According to the
Armenian newspaper of Istanbul, Marmara, citing Turkish sources,
the Turks will soon initiate a trial in France to ban the teaching
of the Armenian Genocide in French schools . It should be noted that
the legal costs of the proceedings initiated by the Turkish family,
amounting to almost 25 000 dollars. These costs will be covered by
the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Istanbul. Note
ACVN: 2015 centennial year of the Armenian Genocide, will be the year
"par excellence", obnoxious attacks by two deniers States: Turkey
and Azerbaijan. It will be interesting to follow this case and the
position of France if she let dictate educational programs by the State
denial brought by Ankara and all Turkish institutions? For the record,
the Turkish school programs teach at primary school, hate Armenians,
"traitors" and "genocide charge against Turkish and Azeri Turks"
... This racist and revisionist program obviously does not mind those
who initiate or finance trial in France against the teaching of the
Armenian Genocide. Collectif VAN invite you to read the translation
of the Armenian article in Marmara, Istanbul Armenian newspaper.

Marmara

Armenian newspaper of Istanbul

Soon a trial on the Armenian genocide will be brought to France

The Turkish businessmen put their financial contribution to the
commitment of the trial

According to local media, the Turks will soon initiate a trial in
France about the Armenian genocide.

A Turkish family whose child educated in a French school, decided
to file a lawsuit to file a complaint against the allegations on the
Armenian Genocide in textbooks.

The family name is strictly limited, but it turned out that all court
costs and attorney should be borne by the members of the Board of
Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Istanbul.

In 2003, under the patronage of the office, he was created a committee
of the "so-called Armenian genocide" including former president, member
of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, Mustafa Balkuv,
put in the agenda of an emergency meeting the legal process of the
case of the ban on the teaching of the Armenian Genocide in schools
[in France].

He noted that the legal costs of the proceedings initiated by the
Turkish family, amounting to almost 25 000 dollars. Speaking to
members of the Board, he asked them to provide financial support in
this matter. According to him, much of the necessary sum has already
met and the rest should be harvested soon.

The "Committee of the so-called Armenian genocide", founded in 2003
within the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, organized several meetings
and encounters against Armenian allegations abroad. Mustafa Balkuv
recalled qu'Emine tchet, who had filed a lawsuit in France a few
years ago, also received financial support (support material).

"We must continue to fight against the allegations of the so-called
genocide," concluded Balkuv.

Translation Collectif VAN - January 5, 2015 - 2:15 p.m. -
www.collectifvan.org

Wednesday, January 14, 2015, Stephane © armenews.com
http://www.armenews.com/article.php3?id_article=106743

SYSTEM OF A DOWN TO PLAY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TRIBUTE SHOWS IN EUROPE

Wed, 26 Nov 2014 17:02:39 +0000

SYSTEM OF A DOWN TO PLAY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TRIBUTE SHOWS IN EUROPE

Under The Gun Review
Nov 24 2014

Years ago, the announcement of a System Of A Down reunion launched
excitement and rumors of new music from the Armenian metal band.

Unfortunately, fans would later receive confirmation that a new album
was in fact not in the works.

Despite this, listeners around the world have clung tight to the
band's announcements, hoping that something great would still come
from the reformation of the group. Today, some of those fans are
going to feel quite lucky.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, System Of
A Down have booked several European dates in 2015 including their first
ever show in their home country- a free performance in Yerevan's public
square. Additional shows in Moscow, London, Cologne, and Amsterdam
have also been announced as part of the 'Wake Up The Souls Tour.'

You can check out a tour annoucement video from the band below,
as well as a full list of dates. Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov 28.

Wake Up The Souls Tour Dates:

4/10 - Wembley Arena - London, ENG 4/13 - Lanxess Arena - Cologne,
GER 4/14 - La Halle Tony Garnier - Lyon, FRA 4/16 - Forest National -
Brussels, BEL 4/17 - Ziggo Dome - Amsterdam, NET 4/20 - Olympisky -
Moscow, RUS 4/23 - Republic Square - Yerevan, ARM

http://www.underthegunreview.net/2014/11/24/system-of-a-down-to-play-armenian-genocide-tribute-shows-in-europe/

LOS ANGELES COUNCILMAN PAUL KREKORIAN ACCEPTING ART SUBMISSIONS TO COM

Fri, 26 Dec 2014 17:24:54 +0000

LOS ANGELES COUNCILMAN PAUL KREKORIAN ACCEPTING ART SUBMISSIONS TO COMMEMORATE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Westside Today
Dec 24 2014

December 24, 2014 10:34 am

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian said Tuesday his office
is accepting submissions for an art contest commemorating the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

The contest "is a way to honor the history of the genocide and to
highlight the promise of our future," Krekorian said.

"I hope artists and students who care about human rights will
participate and help commemorate the Armenian people's resilience,"
he said.

An estimated 1.5 million to 2 million Armenians were killed during
the Armenian genocide, which occurred from 1915 and 1923, in an area
now known as Turkey, Krekorian's office said.

Submissions are due Feb. 15. The winning artwork will be displayed
on a city bus for one month.

Drawings, paintings, digital art and photography are eligible, but
not sculptures or large format work, Krekorian said.

Artwork can be mailed to Krekorian's office at 200 N. Spring
St., Room 435, Los Angeles, CA 90012; or emailed to
Councilmember.Krekorian@lacity.org .

Complete submission guidelines are at http://cd2.lacity.org

http://westsidetoday.com/2014/12/24/los-angeles-councilman-paul-krekorian-accepting-art-submissions-to-commemorate-armenian-genocide/

NO TO VACATION IN TURKEY: YOUNG PEOPLE START CAMPAIGN IN ARMENIA (VIDE

Tue, 23 Dec 2014 14:18:48 +0000

NO TO VACATION IN TURKEY: YOUNG PEOPLE START CAMPAIGN IN ARMENIA (VIDEO)

19:10 | December 22,2014 | Social

A group of young people today held a campaign in Armenia urging
passers-by to avoid spending their vacations in Turkey. The group
was carrying a poster that read ""No to Vacation in Turkey."

The campaign was organized by the Non-state Universities Student
Center NGO in cooperation with the Youth Fund of Armenia and was
dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

"At first sight it seems that the campaign is meaningless but imagine
how much money Armenians spend in Turkey during the holiday season,"
said Republican MP Karen Avagyan.

http://en.a1plus.am/1203029.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it9ZHrkL4E4

USC STUDENT GIVES ARMENIANS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR

Thu, 27 Nov 2014 17:45:29 +0000

USC STUDENT GIVES ARMENIANS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR

USA Today
Nov 26 2014

By: Madison Mills

As the holiday season approaches, many students are splitting time
between preparing for finals and preparing to gain the freshman
15 during Thanksgiving dinner. But Tomik Vertanous, a junior at
the University of Southern California, is devoting his holiday to
organizing mass shipments of medical supplies from the United States
to rural villages in Armenia.

Vertanous -- who is studying political science and healthcare
administration -- is the founder of Hyer United, a non-profit
organization made up of all college students. The organization ships
expired medical supplies to Armenia where these medical items are
often sparse or nonexistent.

"Genocide in Armenia crippled them...what drove my desire [to get
involved] was seeing the situation that people lived in, how humble
they were, and learning the amount of work that went into liberalizing
that piece of land and seeing how its fallen apart," he says.

These materials have to be shipped out just before the height of winter
hits, or else the roads in Armenia will be too icy for shipment trucks
to drive on.

"We're trying to teach them that through these supplies they need to
rebuild the area so they can pay for these supplies on their own one
day," Vertanous says, recalling his hope for his homeland to rebuild
its economy.

Sriram Dasu, an associate professor and healthcare expert, says that
medical materials deemed expired in the United States are often still
usable, especially in nations without access to these supplies.

"There is nothing available in some of these towns...In the absence
of anything, something that has gone just beyond the expiration date
is perfectly fine," says Dasu.

He also explains that most hospitals in the United States have a
surplus of materials because it is very hard to gauge how many people
will come in and need certain items within a given time period.

"It's in the interest of the patient," says Dasu. "When you show up
at the hospital, the last thing you want to be told is that they're
out of what you need."

Vertanous says rural villages are so far from hospitals that these
supplies can be used to keep people alive during the long journey to
urban areas where they can be treated at medical facilities.

"One kid broke his head, and rather than bleeding out the doctors had
the equipment to stop the bleeding. So if it wasn't for the supplies
we sent, he would have bled out," says Vertanous.

But Hyer United doesn't just ship medical supplies.

"We send out gifts a few times a year to the little kids...and the
joy in these kids faces...they're really happy and thankful and its
really nice to see that from someone who has nothing," says Vertanous.

Vertanous hopes to inspire others in the United States to focus on
how they can give those struggling to survive in other countries the
gift of life this holiday season.

"People always need help, and people always could help," he says. "You
gain momentum and a sense of worth in yourself. Because everyone has
an extra five bucks and that goes a long way."

http://college.usatoday.com/2014/11/26/usc-student-gives-armenians-something-to-be-thankful-for-this-year/

Azerbaijan Sabotages Canadian Websites

Mon, 24 Nov 2014 18:43:24 +0000

Azerbaijan Sabotages Canadian Websites

November 19, 2014

The websites of several Armenian-Canadian organizations were hacked
on Nov. 16 and Azerbaijani propaganda was placed on the sites, reports
the Armenian National Committee of Canada. Among the sites attacked
were the "Horizon" weekly and the ANCC website. The latter has called
on Canadian, provincial and regional governments to strongly condemn
such heinous and racist acts.

"We need the Canadian governmental actors to publicly condemn these
acts as they are becoming more and more frequent. This is not the
first time that Armenian-Canadian websites have been violated by Azeri
and Turkish hackers," said Dr. Girair Basmajian, president of the
ANCC. "Other similar violent incidents took place in 2008, where
members of Armenian youth organizations were threatened with sword and
blood by Turkish and Turkic ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves."

The ANCC said the latest attack is "all the more troubling as it took
place only days after the Nov. 12 brutal shooting of an unarmed
helicopter in Nagorno Karabakh Republic, killing all three Armenians
on board. "This is yet another example of Azerbaijan violating the
peace treaty of 1994," added Dr. Basmajian.

"On the eve of the Centennial of the Genocide of the Armenians, it is
appalling that more violence is being directed against Armenians. We
seem to be witnessing an escalation of violence here on Canadian soil
as well," said the president of ANCC.

The ANCC also pointed out that after "last spring's dangerous action
by Ottawa police in allowing provocative Turkish protestors to
confront and disrupt the Armenian community's annual Genocide
commemoration events by celebrating and dancing with loud music, we
are particularly concerned that Canada be proactive in not tolerating
or encouraging confrontation. Armenian Genocide deniers should not be
given permission by Ottawa Police to silence a peaceful commemoration
event."

As a country advocating peace and human rights Canada should step up,
take action and prevent any escalation of violence, said the ANCC.

http://www.keghart.com/ANCC-Azerbaijan-Sabotage

AUSTRALIAN HISTORY CHANNEL TO AIR A DOCUMENTARY ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:55:09 +0000

AUSTRALIAN HISTORY CHANNEL TO AIR A DOCUMENTARY ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

by Tatevik Shahunyan

ARMINFO
Monday, November 17, 14:22

The Australian History Channel will be airing a documentary on the
Armenian Genocide, Armenian National Committee of Australia reported.

The film says, in particular, that more than a million Armenians
perished between 1915 and 1916 became victims of a policy of
deportation and massacres in Ottoman Turkey. Nevertheless, Turkey
goes on denying the fact of the genocide, the authors of the film said.

Throughout the film, reports and texts of Western diplomats in the
Ottoman Empire at the time of the facts remarkably enlighten us on
the methods used and the axes of deportations. These stories are
combined with testimonies of genocide survivors still alive today.

LA 2 DC The Race for Recognition

Mon, 03 Nov 2014 19:20:54 +0000

The Race for Recognition
Stop World Genocide &
Recognize The Armenian Genocide

Our Mission
We believe that an extraordinary and newsworthy event has the power to shake the world into awareness.

In 2015 it will be the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and yet genocides are still affecting countless lives and communities. Some massacres have gained worldwide notoriety but many have been swept aside leaving survivors to suffer in silence.

More info Stop By At http://www.la2dc.org

NEW CAMPAIGN ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION ON INTERNET WITH NEW HAS

Thu, 09 Oct 2014 16:02:46 +0000

NEW CAMPAIGN ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION ON INTERNET WITH NEW HASHTAG OF #2015RTAG

17:38, 8 October, 2014

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS: A new initiative has launched in
the internet, the purpose of which is to make the Armenian Genocide
recognizable in the global sense. People of different countries
participate in the initiative, irrespective of the nationality,
gender and age.

They are photographed with "#2015RTAG. Recognize The Armenian Genocide"
writings and post their photos in the internet. Special groups have
been set up in the social networks, where users download their
photos. This way they call on Turkey and others states that have
not yet acknowledged the Armenian Genocide to recognize the greatest
crime committed against humanity in 1915.

As Armenpress reports, to make the initiative more massive, #2015RTAG
hashtag is applied, which has already been used on Twitter and
Facebook.

New campaign on Armenian Genocide recognition on internet with new
hashtag of #2015RTAG

TANER AKCAM CANCELS VISIT TO UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BECAUSE OF SALAITA

Tue, 07 Oct 2014 15:12:07 +0000

TANER AKCAM CANCELS VISIT TO UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BECAUSE OF SALAITA BOYCOTT

10/5/2014
http://hgmsblog.weebly.com/blog/taner-akcam-cancels-visit-to-university-of-illinois-because-of-salaita-boycott

Earlier this year, I invited Professor Taner Akcam to speak to
students and faculty at the University of Illinois about the Armenian
Genocide and the Turkish state's denial of that genocide. Professor
Akcam, the Robert Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian
Mugar Professor of Armenian Genocide Studies at the Strassler Center
for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University, is one of
the world's leading genocide scholars and one of the first Turkish
intellectuals to acknowledge and openly discuss the Armenian Genocide.

Last week he informed me that he is cancelling his visit to Illinois
to honor the boycott that has arisen in the wake of the university's
decision to revoke a job offer to Dr. Steven Salaita because of
comments Dr. Salaita made on twitter about the recent bombing of Gaza.

As Professor Akcam makes clear in the statement below, his personal
experience with censorship, imprisonment, harassment, and violence
makes it impossible for him to visit our campus until a just resolution
to the Salaita case is found. While I deeply regret that our students
and faculty will not have the opportunity to meet and hear from
Professor Akcam this fall, I understand and respect his decision. His
own story demonstrates all too clearly what happens when those in
power attempt to cut off debate about matters of public concern,
including controversial political conflicts. The recent controversy
on our own campus concerns the hot-button issue of Israel-Palestine,
but Professor Akcam's experience illustrates the all too real risks
to academic freedom and freedom of speech that can emerge in any
field of research once political expression is limited.

--Michael Rothberg, Director of the Initiative in Holocaust, Genocide,
and Memory Studies at the University of Illinois

I personally know the value of freedom of expression and I have paid a
heavy price for it in my life. I was thrown in prison in 1976 simply
because Turkish authorities did not like what I wrote and said about
democratic rights and the rights of Kurdish people. The government,
the judicial system and law enforcement authorities held tremendous
power in Turkey, while I was a mere citizen, a young student at the
time; next to them, I was a nobody and freedom of expression was just
some words written on paper.

Later, I became the target of a hate campaign here in the US organized
by extreme nationalists from Turkey because they did not like my
scholarly work on the Armenian Genocide. I was not only threatened with
death but I was also physically assaulted in New York in 2006 and had
to be protected by campus police. I was detained at the Canadian border
in February 2007 because those who did not like what I had to say on
the Armenian genocide vandalized my Wikipedia web-page and portrayed
me as an "enemy of Turkey and a terrorist." Letters have been sent
to universities to cancel my lectures when I have been invited to
speak and in some of those cases university officials were intimidated.

I was also on the hit-list of a covert organization in Turkey known as
"Ergenekon" which consists of some members of both the armed forces
and civil bureaucrats. These circles arranged the assassination of
my dear friend, the Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, in Istanbul in
January 2007 because they did not like what he said and wrote.

So, I know the value of freedom of speech and the weight of it resides
deep inside my flesh and bones.

It is indeed very sad for me to experience practices here in
American universities where certain power centers can hold sway
over an individual's right to express their opinion. This is doubly
saddening to me because when I was the target of attacks it was
American universities that came to my defense and who always had my
back. They ignored the threats and intimidation and were stalwart
defenders of freedom of speech. America is indeed that safe haven
for so many of us who have escaped persecution in our home countries.

For that reason, perhaps out of gratitude, we are willing to give
the benefit of the doubt when we see injustices played out here,
believing that the US has a just system of governance and law and,
even more importantly, a strong democratic moral center. But when
you learn that someone can lose a job opportunity simply because of
something they expressed about a political issue, you suddenly feel
quite naked, as if a warm cozy blanket had been pulled off you. Naked,
because you realize that the "powers that be" reside here too and you
are just as vulnerable as you were before when "they" could decide they
don't like what you have to say and make your life hell because of it.

The job offer to Professor Steven Salaita was withdrawn based solely
on his strongly worded expressions via Twitter on Gaza and Palestine.

Whether or not Professor Salaita's utterances were appropriate is not
the point here! Let's even accept that they are inappropriate! This
has nothing to do with my argument. His statements may have disturbed
a university president, someone with a sensitive temperament, but
then that president might be equally disturbed by the violence of
bombs falling on innocent children and the utterances of the cheerful
supporters of those bombs.

Persecution, intimidation, harassment and abuse of power against
those whose thoughts and views do not suit the "powers that be" is
nothing new. This has been a problem since the origins of humanity. We
should never let power be abused in this reckless way. The boundaries
of freedom of speech cannot be determined arbitrarily, but must be
determined by the rule of law, which is the product of the fight
of humanity against any kind of ideology and practice based on
discrimination, hate and racism!

I am canceling my lecture at the University of Illinois to show my
solidarity with Professor Steven Salaita and to protest the decision
of the Chancellor, the President, and the Board of Trustees of the
University.

CALL FOR PAPERS World War I and the Non-Turkish Minorities in the Otto

Thu, 11 Sep 2014 15:22:14 +0000

CALL FOR PAPERS

World War I and the Non-Turkish Minorities in the Ottoman Empire:

Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks

New York, NY, May 21 - 22, 2015

The Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center (Graduate Center, City University of New York), The Asia Minor and Pontos Hellenic Research Center, and the Zoryan Institute invite submissions of manuscript abstracts for an upcoming conference entitled World War I and the Non-Turkish Minorities in the Ottoman Empire: Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks.

In this conference, we want to encourage individual and comparative case studies related to the experience of Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks, as well as a broader approach to their treatment in the Ottoman Empire in the years leading up to and including World War I, and its aftermath. Suggested subjects include but are not limited to the following:

1. Pre-WWI military conflicts between Ottoman Turkey and its non-Muslim subjects.

2. Turkey’s objectives in entering WWI on the side of the Central Powers.

3. Religious and ethnic minorities in the Turkish military.

4. The role of the military in the Young Turk policy of demographic engineering.

5. The implementation of the civilian deportations and immigration from the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

6. Resistance and self-defense of Ottoman Turkey’s religious and ethnic minorities.

7. The role of the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary).

8. The role of the Allied Powers (France, Great Britain and Russia).

9. The response of the United States throughout the 20th century.

10. War as a cover for genocide.

11. The aftermath: The Paris Peace Conference, the Treaty of Sèvres, the Greco-Turkish War, the population exchange between Turkey and Greece, and the Treaty of Lausanne.

12. Denial of the Ottoman Genocides, 1914-2015.

Guidelines:

Authors are asked to submit a manuscript abstract of 1000 words or less, not counting references.

DEADLINE for SUBMISSION: November 15, 2014.

EMAIL: Abstracts must be submitted by email to info@hellenicresearchcenter.org

NOTIFICATION of ACCEPTANCE: January 15, 2014.

Upon selection for presentation at the conference, authors will be required to submit a manuscript of not more than 40 double-spaced typewritten pages, including tables, appendices, and footnotes. Manuscripts are to follow the Chicago Manual of Style format. All Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Greek, Kurdish, Persian, and/or Turkish words must be transliterated in conformity with the Middle East Studies Association's (MESA) style. The author is responsible for accuracy and consistency of transliteration and foreign word usage. Manuscripts must not have been published previously or be submitted simultaneously to any other conference or publication, and must be the original work of the author. After the conference, a selection of the papers will be compiled, edited and published as proceedings.

NOTE: Limited funding is available for travel and lodging. Participants whose papers are selected for publication will receive an honorarium.

zoryan@zoryaninstitute.org

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Zoryan Institute

255 Duncan Mills Road

Suite 310

Toronto, ON M3B 3H9

Canada

Turkish artist. "I wish all documents be opened"

Wed, 03 Sep 2014 14:39:14 +0000

Mr. artist looks like a subtle denier!

Turkish artist. "I wish all documents be opened"
September 2 2014

"I could not come to Armenia, the border there was a true border,"
tells a Turkish artist, Serdar Yilmaz, in the conversation with us,
referring to his many years ago wish. He was in a number of cities in
Western Armenia: Van, Kars, and so on, was amazed at the Armenian
culture, wanted to come to Armenia, too, but the border was closed. He
tells that now he has many friends in Istanbul, and wishes the
communication between the two nations be constant. I talked to him
prior to the event announcing the launching of "Exchange of Painters"
project. Recall that the project is implemented under the "Support to
Armenia - Turkey normalization process" by "Public Journalism Club"
(Armenia) and "Anadolu Kültür" (Turkey). Serdar Yilmaz, a painter,
also an associate professor, also professor of Marmara University in
Istanbul, said that he was informed about the project by "Anadolu
Kültür" organization, and he kindly agreed to participate. He has
selected 4 young university students to participate in the project. It
was important for him that they be of different universities, has
already got acquainted with them. With regard to the youth, he says,
"They do not have a good understanding of the Armenian-Turkish
relations. This project is very interesting to them, they are the new
generation, and would create something together. They have already
started working together, and they have gone to the museum together. I
think it is an excellent opportunity to communicate with each other on
cultures." I reminded the Turkish famous painter that next year is the
100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. "I am trying to explore
the history, and communicate with many others to understand the truth,
he said, while noting at the same time that he is an artist, and not a
specialist to full have the information about history. "I wish all
documents be opened, and everything be open, so that we see
everything. There are so many cultural values and buildings that are
Armenian, he says. He mentions that the issues coming from history
should be detected, he mentions that it is evident that hundred years
ago Armenians left their historical lands. "We know that this period
coincided with the World War I, it was a war and so on," he says and
thinks that the historical matters should be clarified. Turkish artist
believes that we need to communicate with each other in diversity of
events, sharing our thoughts. "We need communication, thus much would
be more transparent," says he.

Hripsime HOVHANNISYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2014/09/02/166743/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnK_f6cyzAY

Aznavour: You Don't Argue With Cutthroats

Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:00:09 +0000

Aznavour: You Don't Argue With Cutthroats

Lragir.am
Society - 25 August 2014, 16:06

Jean Eckian, Paris

This morning the famous singer Charles Aznavour spoke on French radio
Europe 1 about Christians massacred in the Middle East: We must
welcome these people to save them.

"Invite one into your home! Help them find an apartment!" he called.
<anything with cutthroats: let us do like them! You slaughter, we cut!
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth," he insisted.

- See more at: http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/society/view/32886#sthash.5bbYKWVE.dpuf

In Mosul Islamists downed Armenian church's cross and turned it in

Sat, 26 Jul 2014 16:47:31 +0000

These are not humans, animals not even single living cells!

In Mosul Islamists downed Armenian church's cross and turned it into
preaching center

13:56, 25 July, 2014

YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. In the northern regions of Iraq the Sunni
jihadist group that had proclaimed the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL), downed the Armenian church's cross and turned it into a
preaching center. As reports "Armenpress" the Turkish Media365 news site
informs about this.

It is noted that in the place of the cross the militants of the ISIL have
fixed the flag of their organization.

The site reports also that the ISIL militants issued a fatwa (religious
edict) under which about 4 million girls and women, aged 11 - 46, under
their control must be subjected to forced female circumcision. In the
cities of the "Islamic state" tobacco and hookah smoking is prohibited, all
the restaurants are closed, women are obliged to wear a headscarf.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/770667/in-mosul-islamists-downed-armenian-churchs-cross-and-turned-it-into-preaching-center.html

In Toronto, Armenian Genocide Curriculum Survives Turkish Challenge

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 19:57:40 +0000

In Toronto, Armenian Genocide Curriculum Survives Turkish ChallengeBy Tessa Manuello 15 hours ago

http://rudaw.net/ContentFiles/56952Image1.jpg

Commemoration of the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Canada, 2013. Photo courtesy of Armenian Community Center

MONTREAL, Canada — An effort by Canadian Turks to abolish curriculum on the Armenian genocide in Toronto schools has failed, with education officials telling Rudaw that the genocide will continue to be taught for years to come.

Canadian Turks earlier this year submitted over 2,200 signatures from an online petition calling for the Armenian genocide module to be removed from the Toronto District School Board’s educational curriculum.

The petition demanded that Canada’s largest school board remove any references to the Armenian genocide on the basis that it “unremittingly discredits one community’s narrative over the other” and “adversely affects the students with Turkish and Turkic heritages.”

The Armenian genocide has been taught since 2008 in a secondary school course called Genocide and Crimes again Humanity. The district told Rudaw that the class “is offered in some of our high schools where there is enough interest’’ and is “in line with not only the Canadian government but scholars who have looked into this specific issue.”

The Toronto District School Board “has no intention to have it removed in the years ahead,” a district spokesperson said.

Toronto is the largest and one of the most diverse school districts in Canada, serving approximately 232,000 students, including international students, in almost 600 schools.

The online petition was the latest attempt by Turkish Canadians to counter recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide. Turkey acknowledges that Armenians and other minorities were killed and deported during World War I but denies that they were genocidal acts. Twenty-one nations including Canada officially recognize the Armenian genocide, which is commemorated annually around the world on April 25.

Although the Canadian Parliament recognized the Armenian genocide in 2004, the recognition remains a major point of contention between Turks and Armenians in Canada. Upwards of 500 pro-Turkish protesters showed up at a rally to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in Ottawa in April, with police setting up barricades to separate the groups who were taunting one another.

The Federation of Turkish Canadian Associations, which championed the online petition and tried to stop the Armenian genocide curriculum from being introduced in 2008, also in April lobbied against a monument recognizing the Armenian genocide in Toronto.

The petition garnered 2,255 signatures from around the world. The Federation of Turkish Canadian Associations reports that there are 50,000 Canadians of Turkish origin.

Robert Kouyoumdjian, head of the political chapter at the Armenian National Committee of Canada, lobbied for the Toronto district’s Armenian genocide curriculum. Frank Chalk, director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, endorsed it.

The online petition was launched by Turkish parents of students attending Toronto schools who stated in the petition that they were “deeply concerned about the negative impact of the current curriculum module on ‘Armenian Genocide,’” claiming it “would often result in ridiculing, intimidating, and bullying of our innocent children while causing injury to them physically and psychologically.”

However, Jim Karygiannis, a former MP based in Toronto, told Rudaw there is no evidence of Turkish children having been intimidated at schools. He said teaching high school students about the Armenian and other genocides could help prevent future atrocities.

Some scholars argue that if the killing of approximately 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 had been recognized and justice served, subsequent genocides may not have occurred. Adolf Hitler referenced the Armenian genocide as Nazi Germany killed six million Jews and other minorities during World War II.

Many human rights advocates maintain that that recognizing the Armenian genocide could pave the way for other atrocities, such as the 1988 chemical attack that killed 5,000 people in Halabja, to receive international recognition.

Karygiannis also warned that removing references to the Armenian genocide from textbooks could call into question curricula from other genocides, such as the Holocaust, the Ukrainian famine and genocide from 1932-1933, the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and the 1980s Anfal genocidal campaign in Iraqi Kurdistan.

“You can’t change history, and history should not be altered. We should learn from history and move forward so we don’t make the mistakes again,” Karygiannis said.

A Kurdish attorney based in Toronto, Hadyat Nazami, wrote a letter to Change.org officials, expressing serious concerns about the petition, which he deemed hate speech. In his letter, Nazami described the Turks’ petition as “essentially demanding that books and school curriculum be censored, in line with the one century old official ideology of the Turkish state to deny Armenian genocide ever took place in that country.”

Nazami’s vocal opposition has led to discussions among scholars and NGOs about adequate measures to protect freedom of speech while paying respect to the sufferings of survivors.

PRIESTS ATTACKED AT ARMENIAN CHURCH IN TBILISI

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 15:04:07 +0000

PRIESTS ATTACKED AT ARMENIAN CHURCH IN TBILISI

Democracy & Freedom Watch
July 20 2014

by DFWatch staff | Jul 20, 2014

TBILISI, DFWatch-About 50 people physically attacked priests at an
Armenian Church in Tbilisi on Saturday.

The Armenian Orthodox Church says the attack was motivated by religious
and ethnic prejudice, but Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs
treats the incident as normal crime not related to discrimination.

According to the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church in
Georgia, July 19, there was an organized attack on Surb Etchmiadzin
Church in Tbilisi, motivated by ethnic and regions hatred.

The Church's statements says a provocation took place at about 16:00.

A woman was trying to drive her car out of the area adjacent to the
church, but was unsuccessful and started to express dissatisfaction
towards the cleric at the Armenian Church as if his car was blocking
the way for her own to car in the parking area.

At that moment, two 'aggressively disposed' men approached and helped
to get the car out. The cleric entered the administrative building
of Armenian Church.

Then there were young deacons in the yard, who heard that the men
were verbally insulting Armenians. They protested. A man left the car,
took a baton and a stone and again insulted and attempted to hit the
representatives of the Armenian Diocese.

Hearing a noise from outside, other clerics came out into the yard
in order to defuse the situation, when the man hit one of clerics on
his back. There was a short fight.

Two hours after the incident, the man returned with a group of about
50 men. Some of them were armed with cold weapons. They approached the
church and got into a scuffle with the clerics and employees of the
diocese, all the time verbally insulting Armenians. People attending
a Christening ceremony inside the church came out into the yard and
the men attacked them too.

"Women and children, shocked by what they had seen, hid in the church,"
the statement reads. "We must note that a group of nicely dressed
people were watching the incident."

As a result of the attack, clerics and employees of the Armenian
Diocese got physical injuries. One of the men tore a cross off one
priest and took it with him.

The Armenian Church calls on law enforcement bodies to thoroughly
investigate what happened on Saturday as a crime committed on ethnic
and religious grounds.

Nino Giorgobiani, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs,
told DF Watch that the quarrel took place on 'everyday grounds'
because the conflict started about the parking of car. She said an
investigation has been launched in the incident.

Levon Isakhanyan, head of the department of legal issues, relations
with state institutions and interreligious cooperation at the Armenian
Apostolic Church in Georgia, told DF Watch that Interior Ministry
launched an investigation for beating, which is incorrect. He said that
there is footage of the attack, which the diocese will publish soon.

The Armenian Church called on the media to avoid promoting
anti-Armenian attitudes in society and also called on Georgia's
Orthodox Church to publicly condemn any actions based on ethnic and
religious hatred and preach kindness and love.

"For many centuries, we have have been concerned with the internal
stability of Georgia and interethnic and interreligious relations,
and we call on the Georgian government to take all necessary measures
in order to avoid ethnic and religious separation of Georgian society."

http://dfwatch.net/priests-attacked-at-armenian-church-in-tbilisi-37301

Massive explosion in the courtyard of the Armenian Church in Zaporozhy

Thu, 24 Jul 2014 15:34:04 +0000

Massive explosion in the courtyard of the Armenian Church in Zaporozhye

14:50 23.07.2014

A massive explosion ripped through Zaporozhye, near the center of
extreme medicine and fifth city hospital, last night, Ukrinform
reports.

According to preliminary reports, the explosive device was left in the
courtyard of the Armenian Church.

"The explosion was of such power that plastic windows were smashed
even in the building of the city hospital," witnesses said.

No casualties were reported as a result of the accident.

Itar-Tass reports that the Police has detained two locals involved in
the organization of the explosion.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/07/23/massive-explosion-in-the-courtyard-of-the-armenian-church-in-zaporozhye/

Tennessee Panel Rejects Pro-Azerbaijan Measure

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 17:06:18 +0000

http://www.armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/cropped-armweeklyheader.png

Tennessee Panel Rejects Pro-Azerbaijan Measure

March 25, 2014

State Legislators Defeat Bill that Undermines the Right to Self-Determination of the People of Nagorno Karabakh

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A key committee of the Tennessee House of Representatives rejected, today, an anti-Armenian resolution initiated by pro-Azerbaijan forces, once again dealing a serious setback to Baku’s efforts to undermine the independence of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, reported Armenian National Committee of America – Eastern Region (ANCA-ER).

http://www.armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Richard-Flyod-300x225.jpg

ANC TN leader Bearj Barsoumian with TN State Government Committee Member Rep. Richard Floyd

HR 145 lead sponsor Representative Joe Towns (D) introduced a motion to move the resolution forward, but none of his committee colleagues offered a second in support. Committee Chairman Ryan Haynes declared the motion failed. Tennessee becomes the fourth state in less than two months to reject deeply flawed pro-Azerbaijan measures, joining Hawaii, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

“We welcome today’s decision by the Tennessee House of Representatives State Government Committee to stand strong against the Azerbaijani Government’s efforts to mislead state legislators about the good people of Nagorno Karabakh and their commitment to peace,” said Steve Mesrobian, ANCA Eastern Region Board member. “We are particularly proud of ANC Tennessee and Armenian American activists throughout the state, who spoke forcefully in support the rights of our brothers and sisters in Artsakh. We look forward to broadening our relationship with Tennessee legislators and find areas of cooperation on a broad range of Armenian American concerns. “

In the weeks leading up to committee consideration of the measure, ANC Tennessee leader Bearj Barsoumian rallied Armenian Americans throughout the state to oppose the resolution, with activists meeting with over a dozen state legislators, educating them about the Republics of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockade and aggression against the historically Christian states. In many cases, Tennessee Armenians traveled for over two hours from around the state to share their concerns with Tennessee House leaders, including Majority Leader Gerald McCormick ®, Minority Leader Craig FitzHugh (D-TN), State Government Committee Chairman Ryan A. Haynes ® and Vice-Chairwoman Sheila Butt ®, Committee members Johnny Shaw (D), Deborah Moody ®, Bob Ramsey ®, Billy Spivey ®, Richard Floyd ®, Mike Carter ®, and other legislators including Rep. Rick Womack ®. Several of the activists attending the meetings, including Erik Grigoryan, fled the 1990 Baku pogroms, and have found safe-haven in the state of Tennessee.

http://www.armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Bearj_Deborah_Moody-300x225.jpg

ANC Tennessee leader Bearj Barsoumian with TN State Government Committee member Rep. Deborah Moody

Tennessee ANC and community members also met with the lead sponsor of HR 145, Rep. Joe Towns (D), shared stories of the horrors of the Baku pogroms and urged him to reconsider his support for the bill. Rep. Towns refused, paving the way for a Committee defeat of the measure.

“Today’s vote was proof-positive that our democracy is not for sale, as our legislators joined with those in Hawaii, South Dakota, and Wyoming in standing up for truth and against Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev’s campaign to export anti-Armenian hatred to our shores,” said ANC Tennessee leader Bearj Barsoumian. “It was particularly inspiring to work with the broad range of Armenian American grassroots advocates here in The Volunteer State and across the country–all bound by a deep commitment to Artsakh freedom.”

Upon the January introduction of the measure, the ANCA-ER issued an action alert urging Tennessee advocates to speak out against HR 145. In the days leading up to the Committee vote, the ANCA-ER reached out to all members of the Tennessee House of Representatives cautioning them about any affiliation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s brutal dictatorship.

The ANCA-ER noted a disturbing pattern of activity, where “to win over U.S. legislators and clean up its image, last year alone, Azerbaijan spent huge sums of money flying former Obama Administration officials like David Plouffe, Jim Messina and Robert Gibbs and over 150 U.S. legislators–including some from Tennessee–on expensive junkets to its capital, Baku.”

http://www.armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Joe-Carr-300x265.jpg

ANC Tennessee leader Bearj Barsoumian with Rep. Joe Carr and activist Erik Grigoryan.

Tennessee news outlets, including Knoxnews.com and News Channel 5, reported extensively about these free trips to Azerbaijan, questioning the reasoning behind them.

The ANCA also shared research done by the ANCA Western Region Near East Relief Committee, which showed the important role Tennessee played in assisting survivors of the Armenian Genocide as part of a United States-wide humanitarian campaign. A fact sheet regarding Tennessee’s generosity of spirit is available here.

TURKISH GENOCIDE DENIER BANNED ENTRY TO ARMENIAN CHURCH

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 14:50:38 +0000

No dogs allowed!

TURKISH GENOCIDE DENIER BANNED ENTRY TO ARMENIAN CHURCH

11:23 * 30.06.14

Turks residing in Germany have refused to meet with a senior opposition
figure who is now on a visit to Cologne, Demokrathaber.net reported.

Kemal Kilicdaraoglu, who heads Republican People's Party (CHP), left
for Germany for negotiations to secure votes for their presidential
nominee. After visiting the Federation of Alevi Unions, Greek and
Assyrian churches, he expressed a desire to meet with the local
Armenians. But the prelacy rejected his request, citing his party's
stance on the Armenian Genocide issue.

"Kilicdaraoglu's request for visiting the Armenian church was rejected
by the religious prelacy. As long as Kilicdaraoglu and the Republican
People's Party leadership deny the fact of the Armenian Genocide,
it isn't appropriate to host them here," a prelacy representative
was quoted as saying.

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/06/30/turkish-opposition-politician-c/