Human Rights Association Istanbul Branch

[Maral]

HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION ISTANBUL BRANCH

 

Publiι le : 24-04-2006

 

 

Today, 24th of April, is worldwide recognised as the date signifying the

Armenian Genocide. Only in Turkey it indicates a taboo. The Turkish state

mobilises all its resources to deny the meaning of this date. .

 

At diplomatic platforms Turkish officials and their advocates claim that they

recognise the “big tragedy” and they only object to its being named as a

“Genocide”. That’s not true. At every occasion in Turkey not only the

Armenian Genocide, but also the great agony of the Armenian people is denied

and attempts are made to justify the genocide.

 

It was only last month that during a Symposium on the Armenian-Turkish

relations the denialist official theses were voiced one after another,

offending the Armenians in Turkey and elsewhere and insulting the memory of

their grandparents. Lies were told in the name of “science”., like “Armenians

have always sold their masters”, “deportation was a means of crisis

management”, “death toll of deportation is comparable to the death toll of

flu epidemic in England that time”, “there is no other people as noble as the

Turkish nation in the world, it is impossible for them to commit a genocide”,

and many more, humiliating a people who was one of the most advanced in

science, art, literature, and in all other aspects.

 

Denial is an constituant part of the genocide itself and results in the

continuation of the genocide. Denial of genocide is a human rights violation

in itself. It deprives individuals the right to mourn for their ancestors,

for the ethnic cleansing of a nation, the annihilation of people of all ages,

all professions, all social sections, women, men, children, babies,

grandparents alike just because they were Armenians regardless of their

political background or conviction. Perhaps the most important of all, it is

the refusal of making a solemn, formal commitment and say “NEVER AGAIN”.

 

Turkey has made hardly any progress in the field of co-existence, democracy,

human rights and putting an end to militarism since the time of the Union and

Progress Committee. Annihilation and denial had been and continues today to

be the only means to solve the problem. Villages evacuated and put on fire

and forced displacements are still the manifestation of the same habit of

“social engineering”. There has always been bloodshed in the homeland of

Armenians after 1915. Unsolved murders, disappearances under custody, rapes

and arrests en masse during the 1990’s were no surprise, given the ongoing

state tradition lacking any culture of repentance for past crimes against

humanity.

 

Similarly the removal of a public prosecutor and banning him from profession

just for taking the courage to mention an accusation against the military, a

very recent incident, is the manifestation of an old habit of punishing

anybody who dares to voice any objection to the army. And today’s ongoing

military build up of some 250,000 troops in the southeast of Turkey is the

proof of a mindset who is unable to develop any solution to the Kurdish

question other than armed suppresion.

 

Turkey will not be able to take even one step forward without putting an end

to the continuity of the Progress and Union manner of ruling. No human rights

violation can be stopped in Turkey and there will be no hope of breaking the

vicious circle of Kurdish uprisings and their bloody suppression unless the

Turkish state agree to create an environment where public homage is paid to

genocide victims, where the sufferings of their grandchildren is shared and

the genocide is recognised.

 

Today we, as the human rights defenders, would like to address all Armenians

in Turkey and elsewhere in the world and tell them “we want to share the pain

in your hearts and bow down before the memory of your lost ones. They are

also our losses. Our struggle for human rights in Turkey, is at the same time

our mourning for our common losses and a homage paid to the genocide

victims”.