Genocide News

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Jewish Students Condemn French Parliamentarians

 

June 7, Azg - According to "Paris Updated" website, the Union of Jewish Students of France strongly condemned the French parliamentarians for their May 18 decision to postpone the discussion of the draft law that punishes the genocide denials by criminal prosecution. "The excuse for the probable consequences of Turkey's political and economic sanctions hurts the memory of the 1,5 million of Armenians massacred in the Armenian Genocide in 1915," stated the representatives of the union at the press conference. They added that "registering the truth and moral duty are no primary issues for the country's political leaders."

The French branches of other Jewish organizations, particularly, "Crifi" and "Bney Briti" demanded that the Armenian Genocide and the genocide in Rwanda should be acknowledged as crimes equal to Holocaust.

"Certainly, this is a very complicated issue, as it concerns the relations of Turkey with France and Israel. But we will remain by the side of the Armenian people until the full recognition of the Armenian Genocide," the "Bney Briti" representatives stated.

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Majority Of Welsh Deputies In British Parliament Recognize Armenian Genocide

June 6, Azg: The majority of British parliamentarians representing Wales signed a resolution recognizing the genocides of Armenians and Assyrians. "This is a historic day for Wales. There is no doubt that Wales has recognized the Armenian Genocide and the Assyrian Genocide. We will continue our protest against the Great Britain's policy of denial that carries on not to harm economic interests in Turkey. Our primary goal is to put the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the agenda. This issue should not be placed under taboo in the EU-Turkey talks. We claim that Turkey has to return Armenian lands in order to gain access to the EU," PanArmenian.net quoted the representative of Wales-Armenia Union as saying.

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Turkey Speaking of Freedom of Speech without Recognizing Genocide Ironic

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian addressed the Strasbourg session of the CE Committee of Ministers May 19. Touching upon the outcomes of the fifth year of Armenia's Council of Europe membership, Oskanian noted the advancement of reforms aimed at boosting democracy in the country. He especially underscored the repeal of death penalty and adoption of amendments to the Constitution in compliance with European standards.

 

Minister Oskanian addressed the Council in French and spoke about democratic processes, democratic reforms and in that context, he raised three issues: Armenian Genocide, destruction of an Armenian cemetery in Nakhichevan and the Karabakh issue.

 

"First, even as there is a momentum over the world toward adopting democratic processes which assure the development of free societies where freedom of expression is an essential component of life, the Turkish government has become more and more aggressive in denying the Armenian Genocide abroad and criminalizing its discussion at home," Oskanian said. "As a result, there is a natural response to such denial in some of our member countries, to attempt to legislate against all denialist efforts. The irony is that the Turkish government considers this a travesty of freedom of speech and expression, without recognizing the Genocide. At the same time they sustain their own right to punish their own citizens, who use the term," the Minister emphasized, reports the Armenian MFA Press Service.

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Israeli Government Does Not Recognize Armenian Genocide Owing to Political Reasons

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The people and society of Israel recognize the Armenian Genocide . However, the question is not raised at the level of the Government, Executive Director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide, Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Genocide, Psychology Professor Israel Charny stated in a conversation with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words, at the state level only former Minister of Culture of Israel Yossi Sarid recognized the Armenian Genocide.

 

«There are three people in our state, who openly speak of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. These are Professor Yair Auron, Yossi Sarid and I. All others keep silent due to political considerations. Israel is in an Islamic circle and most importantly it depends on Turkey in water supplies. Proceeding from this the Israeli Government is silent on the events in 1915. Though Israeli chief rabbi Yona Metzger visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan and in fact recognized the tragedy in 1915 as a genocide, which is a good precedent. The chief rabbi has much influence, but he does not represent the Israeli Government," Charny underscored.

 

The Israeli scholar also remarked that for a crime committed it is not important when it was committed and against whom. «Genocide is a genocide: whether it is 1915, Holocaust, annihilation of Gypsy population in Hitler Germany, Darfur, Rwanda. I always ask: why people recognize Holocaust and keep silent on the Armenian Genocide?» he said.

 

As of addressing the International Criminal Tribunal, Charny believes «it is a game.» In his opinion, only Europe is able to make Turkey recognize the Genocide. «If Turks really want accession to the EU, they should recognize the Armenian Genocide. This is one of compulsory conditions,» Executive Director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide underscored.

Circle.Am

[Takoush]

Charney believes it is a game. Of course it's a game; it's called the Turkish malicious "anbadgar" game of purposely concealing facts. And the sad part is that Europe and the Americas have played the Turks' game for 91 years.

 

I said it before and I'll say it again {it's Europe's fault in most part not Turkey's}, that is in plain English; if Europe weren't malicious themselves they wouldn't allow Turkey to be one.