Armenian Genocide Commemorations List and related articles

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GEOFFREY ROBERTSON DISCUSSES THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON THE CHARLIE ROSE SHOW (VIDEO)

10:54, 18 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

International jurist, human rights lawyer, and academic Geoffrey
Robertson QC discusses the facts of the Armenian Genocide, condemns
President Obama's reticence to properly acknowledge that crime and
urges Turkey to end its international campaign of denial in this
powerful interview with Ethan Bronner on the Charlie Rose Show (first
aired on March 16, 2015), reports the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).

His latest book is An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Remembers the
Armenians? In recent years, he has been particularly prominent in
the defense of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. He has also represented
author Salman Rushdie, and prosecuted General Augusto Pinochet. In
2008, he was appointed by United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon as a "distinguished jurist" member of the UN's Justice Council,
which nominates and supervises UN judges. His memoir, The Justice Game,
has sold over 150,000 copies.

>From March 13th to 15th, Mr. Robertson was in New York City
headlining the "Responsibility 2015: Armenian Genocide Centennial
Conference, a three day spotlight on the state of Armenian Genocide
scholarship, genocide education, building solidarity, individual
and group reparations, genocide denial, transitional justice, gender
and mass violence, Islamized Armenians, and the Armenian Genocide in
policy circles.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/18/geoffrey-robertson-discusses-the-armenian-genocide-on-the-charlie-rose-show-video/

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EURONEST PA CO-CHAIR SAYS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IMPORTANT

YEREVAN, March 18. / ARKA /. Euronest Parliamentary Assembly co-chair
Heidi Hautala described a resolution adopted yesterday by the Euronest
Parliamentary Assembly on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide as
a very important decision, when speaking to reporters in Yerevan
today on the sidelines of the Euronest PA session. The resolution
was endorsed by 33 votes, 4 votes were against.

"Personally, I attach great importance to this resolution. Before
the start of the plenary session of the Euronest PA, we visited the
Genocide Memorial in Tsitsernakaberd, and adopted this important
decision,' said Hautala.

Prior to the vote a German MP Kurt Fleckenstein said that "it is
impossible to build a good future, without recognizing the fact
of genocide."

One of those who voted against was an MP from Ukraine Sergey Alekseev,
who said their position in this matter does not coincide with the
Armenian, as Armenia does not support their position on Russian
aggression against Ukraine and refuses to recognize the Holodomor.

Hautala said the fourth ordinary session of the Euronest PA
was successful, having adopted a number of important resolutions
concerning the expansion of cooperation with the countries embraced
by EU's Eastern Partnership program.

Euronest PA session was held in Yerevan on 17-18 March. The agenda
included four main reports by the standing committees of the National
Assembly of Armenia on cooperation issues in 2014-2020 under the
European Neighborhood and Eastern Partnership programs.-0-

http://arka.am/en/news/politics/euronest_pa_co_chair_says_armenian_genocide_resolution_important_/#sthash.g0vPdtwg.dpuf

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http://www.dailystar.com.lb/images/logo.png

The Daily Star

BEIRUT: The Turkish ambassador to Lebanon was temporarily trapped inside a movie theater Wednesday, after Armenian protesters staged demonstrations outside it.

Roughly 60 protesters from the Armenian Tashnag party screamed slogans, such as “Genocide,” “Truth will triumph” and “We remember,” and held banners reading "Recognize the crime of the century," referring to Turkey’s mass killings of Armenians a century ago.

Security forces blocked the entrance of ABC Ashrafieh's Grand Cinema to prevent moviegoers from clashing with the protesters.

Ambassador Suleiman Inan Oz Yildiz had been watching the film "Son Mektup," a Turkish love story set during the Battle of Gallipoli that recounts the story of the Ottoman Empire’s first pilot, Salih Ekrem.

A protester, who requested to remain anonymous, told The Daily Star that the protests stemmed from the perception that Turkey is trying to sway public attention away from the anniversary of the Armenian genocide by focusing on the Battle of Gallipoli.

The Gallipoli Campaign of 1915-16, also known as the Battle of Gallipoli or the Dardanelles Campaign, was an unsuccessful attempt by the Allied Powers to control the sea route from Europe to Russiaduring World War I. The year the battle commenced, 1915, coincides with what is considered the beginning of Turkey’s discrimination against its Armenian population.

As the Armenian community prepares to commemorate the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, Istanbul has called on 100 heads of state to participate in a Turkish celebration on April 24 to commemorate the Battle of Gallipoli, read a statement released by the Armenian party's student union.

The Gallipoli commemoration, which will take place on the same day that the Armenian state will commemorate the centennial of the genocide, serves to divert public opinion away from the genocide, it added.

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http://asbarez.com/App/Asbarez/images/asbarez_01_460x101.jpg

Wednesday, March 18th, 2015

 

‘1915′ Movie Trailer, Poster Released

 

http://asbarez.com/App/Asbarez/eng/2015/03/PoqLHmOj02GtUvQBroarXqApY_SLtOzpXn4Jc_Woc4.jpg

'1915' movie poster

LOS ANGELES–In honor of the 100th anniversary of the forgotten genocide that ravaged the Armenian population of Ottoman Turkey, Bloodvine Media, in conjunction with Strongman and mTuckman Media, plans to release “1915” in theaters on April 17 and on demand April 22, 2015.

 

The psychological thriller is directed by Armenians Garin Hovannisian (author of Family of Shadows) and Alec Mouhibian, and features a who’s who of Armenian cast and crew, including executive producer Raffi K. Hovannisian (Armenia’s first foreign minister), Grammy Award winning composer Serj Tankian (from the band System of a Down, soon to go on a tour dedicated to the Genocide), and actors Simon Abkarian (Casino Royale) and Angela Sarafyan (Twilight). The filmmakers will also join tens of thousands of Armenians on a march for justice on April 24 in Los Angeles to bring attention to the first genocide of modern history – which has been denied by the government of Turkey for an entire century. In Yerevan, a historic premiere is being planned at the Moscow Theatre for April 25.

 

“2015 marks not only the hundredth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, but also the close of an entire century of forgotten genocides,” said Garin Hovannisian. “‘1915’ is about denial – how we try to escape history, how history continues to haunt us. It is also about the need to face the ghosts of our own pasts.”

Exactly 100 years after the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey, a mysterious director (Simon Abkarian) is staging a play at the Los Angeles Theatre to honor the victims of that tragedy – a horrifying crime forgotten and denied for an entire century. But as protesters surround his theatre, and a series of strange accidents spread panic among his producer (Jim Piddock) and actors (Angela Sarafyan, Sam Page, Nikolai Kinski), it appears that the director’s mission is profoundly dangerous, and the ghosts of the past are everywhere.

“1915” is directed and written by Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian, produced by Terry Leonard, Garin Hovannisian, and Alec Mouhibian, executive produced by Raffi K. Hovannisian, with original music by Serj Tankian (from the band System of a Down), cinematography by Leigh Lisbão Underwood, production design by Michael Fitzgerald, costume design by Lauren Oppelt, and editing by Dan Dobi and Paul Forte. The film stars Simon Abkarian, Angela Sarafyan, Sam Page, Nikolai Kinski, Debra Christofferson, and Jim Piddock. For more information, please join the 10,000 strong followers of the film on Facebook at www.facebook.com/1915themovie. You can pre-order the movie at www.1915themovie.com and instantly receive the haunting musical composition “1915 – The End Begins” from the original score by Grammy Award winning composer Serj Tankian.

The movie has been produced in partnership with the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) and the RVVZ / IDeA Foundation.

Release and Premiere
“1915” will open in select theaters across Southern California on April 17, in New York City on April 22, and in Yerevan, Armenia, on April 25. (The film will also be available on demand on April 22 across all platforms.) For a full list of theaters showing “1915,” see below or visit www.1915themovie.com.

In addition to its traditional release, “1915” has partnered with the innovative distribution company Tugg to bring screenings on-demand in cities and towns all over America. To see if “1915” is screening in your area, or to host a screening at a theater, community center, or campus near you, visit www.tugg.com/titles/1915.

A European Preview of “1915” will take place at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin, Germany, on April 5, headlining the prestigious theater’s groundbreaking six-week artistic commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. “1915” will then have its United States premiere at the historic Egyptian Theatre on April 13, in an event co-presented by the American Cinematheque and the Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art (AFFMA). The highly-anticipated Armenia premiere will take place at Yerevan’s Moscow Theatre on April 25.

Traditional Release Theaters

Opening April 17
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills (CA)
Laemmle’s Town Center, Encino (CA)
Laemmle’s Playhouse, Pasadena (CA)
MGN Five Star Cinema, Glendale (CA)
Regency South Coast Village, Santa Ana (CA)

Opening April 22
Quad Cinema, New York (NY)

Opening April/May
United Artists Sierra Vista 6, Clovis / Fresno (CA)

Opening April 25
Moscow Cinema, Yerevan, Armenia
Cinema Star, Yerevan, Armenia

https://youtu.be/gyo-G3dhMRM

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106 YEAR OLD ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SURVIVOR KNAR YEMENIDJIAN: I REMEMBER, I DEMAND

March 18, 2015

Knar Yemenidjian (Born 1909, Kayseri) is one of the last Armenian
Genocide survivors in Canada. Knar Yemenidjian has 2 sons, 3
grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Click here to watch her video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTZU5NrnBfE

http://www.horizonweekly.ca/news/details/64011

 

https://youtu.be/FTZU5NrnBfE

[Yervant1]

CLASH AT ABC ASHRAFIEH AS ARMENIANS PROTEST TURKISH FILM

NaharNet, Lebanon
March 18 2015

by Naharnet Newsdesk

A fistfight erupted Wednesday at the ABC mall in Ashrafieh after a
number of young Lebanese Armenian men tried to stop the showing of
the Turkish film Son Mektup at a Grand Cinemas movie theater.

Despite the objections, the show went on as scheduled, in the presence
of the Turkish ambassador, MTV reported.

The protest was organized by the Tashnag Party, the biggest Armenian
party in Lebanon, which described its move as a "peaceful rally."

"The sit-in escalated into a stampede and a brawl between the
protesters and those who came to watch the movie," LBCI television
said.

"Security forces arrived and locked down the mall for around an hour
before managing to disperse the protesters," it added.

MTV said customers were allowed to reenter the mall after the demo
was dispersed.

The Tashnag Party meanwhile issued a statement describing the film
as a "new Turkish absurdity" and an attempt to "underestimate the
minds of the Lebanese."

The film's plot tells the story of a young Turkish air officer who
falls in love with a nurse during the 1915 Gallipoli Campaign.

Turkey on Wednesday marked 100 years since the start of the Gallipoli
Campaign by the Allies in World War I, an event seen now as a glorious
victory by Ottoman forces and a crucial moment in the formation of
the modern Turkish state.

On March 18, 1915, joint British-French naval forces sought to force
their way through the Dardanelles Straits separating Europe from Asia
in a bid to take Istanbul, then known as Constantinople.

However the attack was repelled by fierce Ottoman resistance, forcing
the Allies to stage a land campaign in April that the Ottoman forces
would also defeat in a months-long battle.

Although the Ottoman Empire, allied with Berlin, was on the losing
side in World War I and subsequently collapsed, the Gallipoli Campaign
is regarded by Turks as a seminal moment in their history.

Critics have accused Turkey of cynically shifting the date to
overshadow ceremonies expected in Armenia and across the world to
remember the 100th anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians by
Ottoman forces in World War I.

Turkey has always rejected pressure to accept that the killings
were a genocide and shows no sign of changing its position in the
anniversary year.

"Here we are in Beirut today witnessing a new Turkish opportunist bid
through the showing of a propaganda film in Lebanese movie theaters,"
the Tashnag Party said in a statement.

The film "narrates a bloody and oppressive phase of the Ottoman
history," Tashnag added.

It also slammed the employees of the "ominous Turkish embassy and
those who work in its 'black rooms'."

"The step might seem innocent on the surface but its core and
objectives are full of inherent Turkish malevolence."

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/172113-clash-at-abc-ashrafieh-as-armenians-protest-turkish-film

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TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Porterville Recorder, CA
March 18 2015

Michael Carley / A Different Drum Recorderonline.com

When one thinks of the word genocide, what often comes to mind is the
Nazi holocaust of World War II during which Germany killed millions.

Communists, gays and minorities of all stripes were among the targets,
but Jews in particular suffered with an estimated six million of
their number killed, a substantial portion of the European Jewish
population of the time.

But, the word genocide was actually coined by Raphael Lemkin, a Jewish
attorney from Poland, with regard to a different historical event,
one not discussed as widely, the Armenian genocide.

The Armenian genocide wasn't simply one event. Persecution began long
before the main attacks in 1915. As Armenians began to organize for
improvement of their lot in the late 19th century, they fell victim
to persecution by authorities of the Ottoman empire. Massacres of
Armenians took place as early as 1894, taking the lives of thousands.

Further persecution took place, including more massacres, over the
next twenty years. In what would become a prelude to Nazi propaganda,
the Ottomans began a campaign in 1914 arguing that Armenians were a
threat to their society. But the genocide began in full in April 1915,
a century ago next month.

Among other events, the Ottomans arrested about 250 intellectuals
and began the mass deportation of thousands. Others were sent on what
would later be called a "death march" through the desert toward Syria
where many perished. Property was confiscated, extermination camps
were established, some temporary, others contained mass graves. Many
were drowned.

Again presaging the Nazis, many were killed through medical
experimentation, including overdoses of various drugs, including
morphine.

Estimates of those killed vary substantially, but the numbers are
likely between one and one and a half million Armenians.

Some Americans did speak out against the genocide, including former
president Theodore Roosevelt, populist Williams Jennings Bryan,
Rabbi Steven Wise and feminist Alice Stone Blackwell.

The Republic of Turkey is the successor state to the Ottoman Empire and
it staunchly opposes using the term genocide. Nonetheless, the Armenian
Diaspora has consistently pushed for recognition of it, as they should.

To date, 22 countries have adopted resolutions acknowledging the
Armenian genocide as have 42 of the 50 US states.

Numerous congressional resolutions have been put forward to formally
recognize the Armenian genocide, only to fail due to lobbying by
the Turkish government. Relationships with a key ally have taken
precedence over historical accuracy.

President George W. Bush and his state department opposed recognition
during his tenure in office. While campaigning for president,
candidate Obama promised to recognize the genocide if elected,
but reversed course once in office, adhering to the same policy of
his predecessors, his administration opposing several congressional
attempts. The same goes for potential candidate Hillary Clinton who
lobbied against recognition during her tenure as Secretary of State.

As the century date approaches next month, it would be a good time
to do the right thing and simply acknowledge history as it happened.

If we're looking for silver linings, one only has to turn to our
neighbors to see the positive impact Armenian immigrants have had on
American society.

Armenian immigration began well before the 1915 events, with a wave
coming through the early massacres and the genocide period and another
wave coming from the 1960s onward, largely Soviet Armenians who had
not fully integrated into Soviet society.

The most recent American Community Survey (formerly the Census long
form) estimates that there are nearly half a million Armenian-Americans
in the US, though some estimates place the number far higher. The
highest concentration has been in the Los Angeles area, comprising
more than 40 percent of the national total.

Going back even further, some of the earliest Armenian immigrants
came here to the Central Valley, many of them settling in the Fresno
area as early as 1874. A number of them became Valley farmers and in
the early years, discrimination against Armenians was common.

Best known of these was William Saroyan. Born in Fresno in 1908,
Saroyan was the celebrated writer of short stories such as The Daring
Young Man on the Flying Trapeze and many others. Saroyan won the
Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1940 and an Academy Award in 1943 for
the film adaptation of his novel The Human Comedy.

You can see cultural events at the Saroyan Theatre, near the Fresno
Convention Center. One you might consider would be tonight's town hall
event, From the Ottoman Empire To Today: The Time for Reconciliation.

Michael Carley is a resident of Porterville.

http://www.recorderonline.com/opinion/columnists/time-to-acknowledge-armenian-genocide/article_6c5507cc-cd89-11e4-9a8c-17ee148788c0.html

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ARMENIAN COMMUNITY UNVEILS KEY EVENTS

Buenos Aires Herald, Argentina
March 18 2015

Leaders of the Armenian community in Argentina yesterday announced
a number of activities to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary
of the Armenian genocide on April 24. Events will include a mass at
the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral and an open-air concert of
composer Santiago Chotsourian. Organizers also unveiled the official
image of these events -- a violet flower with the slogan "don't forget
about me."

http://buenosairesherald.com/article/184613/armenian-community-unveils-key-events

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A LESSON TO BE LEARNED BY ALL FROM THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

The Oakland Press, MI
March 18 2015

By Robert Kachadourian, Special to Digital First Media

The Armenian Genocide Centennial is compelling evidence that humanity
hasn't learned very much in the previous millennia of its existence.

The genocide in the Middle East we currently see so vividly portrayed
in our living rooms perpetrated by evil incarnate, unfortunately
isn't a new manifestation.

The last century has been called the bloodiest in the history of
mankind. The Armenian Genocide was the beginning of those events --
and was a precursor to those devastating occurrences that followed.

The Centennial Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide this year marks
the carnage that resulted in slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians.

Another 500,000 were orphaned.

The Armenian Genocide took place because of man's inhumanity to man,
indifference and the world's very short collective memory.

Most of us read history in a vacuum and really think we aren't affected
by events that take place thousands of miles away. We also feel events
that occurred years ago are far removed from us.

As we are already midway in the second decade of the 21st century,
the events that affect us aren't "over there". The world has come
into our living rooms through the communications explosion that has
jettisoned us into the age of super telecommunications. Cyberspace
has turned outer space into an obtainable dimension.

The Armenian Genocide was a wake-up call no one woke up to! The Jewish
Holocaust wouldn't have occurred if the Armenian Genocide had been
recognized as an event that needed world attention.

When Hitler in 1939 was commenting about the carnage he was to lead
the world to as he prepared for World War II, he was asked about his
policies of extermination.

His answer was, "Who today remembers what happened to the Armenians"?.

The die was cast.

Indeed no one really remembered enough to do anything about it.

However, there were many future Nazis who were soldiers in the German
Army in Ottoman Turkey during WWI who knew.

Rudolph Hoess, the commandant of Auschwitz, and many of Hitler's
henchmen, saw what happened to the Armenians. It was genocide in
its totality.

Based on the lack of ultimate concern by any entity who could make
a difference, 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered, half a million
were orphaned and the remnant were scattered to the four corners of
the world.

What's our response today? Genocide still continues. Sometimes it's
called ethnic cleansing. The results are the same.

The epic motion picture story of "Schinder's List" captures the
appropriate response. This award-winning masterpiece is the saga of
what one individual did to save many hundreds from the Holocaust.

Oskar Schindler was an entrepreneur in occupied Poland who saw that the
Jewish laborers he was using would eventually be sent to death camps.

He constantly created a list stating that he needed these people for
the war effort. Thus, his response when he saw the need was responsible
for saving several thousand lives.

"Schindler's List" gave the appropriate response of "Never Again".

It's screenplay was written by Steve Zaillian. Zaillian stated he
drew upon the experience of his own Armenian background to compose
such an outstanding drama depiction of the Holocaust.

The irony is that a person writing about the Holocaust drew from his
grandparents experience in the Armenian Genocide. Was a thread of
commonality there?

After 100 years, there's a message here. People collectively at
sometime, some how and some where must say unequivocally "Never Again"

So far we have failed. Current events are a stark reminder of this.

Therefore, as you view programs, events and general references to
the Genocide made in our area for this Centennial Year Commemoration,
remember not to forget.

Indeed the "Forget Me Not" flower is the symbol of all the ceremonies.

That says it all.

The "Forget Me Not" flower in reality must be thought of as having two
parts. The first part states that we should never forget the Genocide.

The second portion should elicit the response "Never Again".

Genocide, Holocaust and other like manifestations must be eradicated
from civilization's vocabulary. Indeed there can be no civilized
society if the barbarous acts referenced are present whatsoever.

The Armenian Genocide began 100 years ago. May it be said us that
a century later marked the beginning of the end of such useless
atrocities. In the meantime, "Forget Me Not". That's a beginning.

Robert Kachadourian of Bloomfield Hills is an area resident media
consultant. He hosts 'FYI' which can be viewed in southeast Michigan.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/opinion/20150318/a-lesson-to-be-learned-by-all-from-the-armenian-genocide

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RECOGNIZING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

New York Observer
March 18 2015

By The Editors | 03/18/15 11:18am

In 1944, as the Nazi slaughter of Europe's Jews continued unabated,
a Jewish refugee from Poland, Raphael Lemkin, coined a new word:
genocide. He defined this new word as the destruction of "the life
of national groups ... the disintegration of ... culture, language,
national feelings, religion ... and even the lives of the individuals
belonging to such groups."

The ongoing slaughter in Europe had a profound effect on his thinking.

But so did another horror, this one nearly forgotten by the time he
wrote--the mass killing of Armenians in 1915.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of one of the 20th century's grim
milestones, the murder of 1.5 million civilians in Armenia, carried out
by the Ottoman Turks over several years. The predominately Christian
community of Armenia had suffered discrimination and worse during
centuries of Ottoman rule, but with the outbreak of war in 1914,
the Turkish government came to regard the Armenians as a potential
fifth column for its enemies, Britain, France and Russia.

Beginning in April 1915, Armenians were rounded up, deported, marched
into the Syrian Desert and resettled in concentration camps. Their
property was confiscated and they were murdered by the hundreds of
thousands. Children were poisoned and their deaths ruled the result
of natural causes.

A conference in New York next month will attempt to raise greater
awareness of the crimes committed against the Armenians a century ago.

The speakers and panelists have their work cut out for them, because
Turkish authorities have sought to suppress greater awareness of
these unfathomable events.

But as the organizers of the conference, entitled "Responsibility
2015," know well, it is important--it is imperative--to call evil by
its proper name. Lemkin certainly understood that. The question is
whether we have his courage and his conviction.

The perpetrators of genocide, then and now, hope that Lemkin's sense
of outrage has gone out of fashion, replaced by fear and an almost
pathological unwillingness to recognize reality. Certainly nobody can
study the fate of the Armenians during World War I and not conclude
that a great crime--genocide--was committed by the Ottoman Empire.

The speakers who will come to New York beginning April 24 hope to call
the perpetrators to account for the deaths of 1.5 million a century
ago. But, sadly, even as they speak, bloodthirsty terrorists in Syria,
Iraq, Nigeria and Libya proudly carry out genocide as a matter of
policy. The world looks on. The crimes go unpunished. The criminals
boast of the blood they have shed.

We have much to learn.

http://observer.com/2015/03/recognizing-the-armenian-genocide/

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OBAMA ADMINISTRATION INSULTS MEMORY OF ARMENIAN HOLOCAUST

Front Page Magazine
March 18 2015

March 18, 2015 by Stephen Brown

Next month, Armenians worldwide will mark the centennial of the
Armenian Holocaust that saw 1.5 million of their people perish
barbarically at the hands of the Ottoman Turks in a jihad that is
continuing today under the Islamic State. This destruction of the
Armenians in Anatolia, where they had lived for several thousand years,
was also the event that gave Hitler reason to believe he could get
away with exterminating Jews, Poles and Gypsies.

"Who still remembers today the annihilation of the Armenians?" the
Nazi leader reportedly said.

The trauma of 1915 left deep scars on the Armenian psyche, similar
to those the Nazi Holocaust made on that of the world's Jews. As
a result, one would think the Obama administration would show an
increased sensitivity regarding the killing of Armenians, especially
by Muslim enemies, and more especially in view of the approaching
Armenian Holocaust's centenary in April. But only last month,
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Victoria Nuland urged Armenian authorities to make "a humanitarian
gesture" and release two Azeri terrorists who had crossed the border
from Azerbaijan and murdered two people, one a 17-year-old. A third
Armenian, a woman, was badly wounded.

"Such humanitarian gestures have been shown to reduce tensions
and build trust between the sides. So that's what she (Nuland) was
referring to," said a state department spokeswoman later at a press
briefing, in explaining the assistant secretary's controversial
remarks.

Nuland was in Azerbaijan, the second stop of her tour of the Caucuses
Mountains, when she made the "humanitarian gesture" comment, having
previously visited Georgia. In Azerbaijan, Nuland also said she
would take up the matter of releasing the two imprisoned Azeris when
she visited Armenia, her next and last stop. Armenia and Azerbaijan
are both former Soviet republics in the southern Caucuses Mountains,
who now face each other over a closed, hostile border. Armed clashes
occur there now almost daily and deaths have occurred. The military
confrontation between the two Caucasian nations has recently become
so heated, it is feared armed conflict could break out.

The cause of the enmity between Christian Armenia and Azerbaijan, a
Turkic-speaking, Muslim-majority country, was an undeclared war fought
from 1988 to 1994 over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave inside
of Azerbaijan that sought secession and reunification with Armenia in
the dying days of the Soviet empire. The Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians,
perceiving themselves as victims of the Soviet Union's nationalities
policy, believed they were righting a historical wrong. In 1921, the
Bolsheviks had first awarded the enclave to Armenia but later reversed
that decision, giving it to Azerbaijan, even though the population,
according to an early Soviet census, was 95 percent Armenian. Stalin
was reportedly responsible for this fateful, and disastrous, decision
reversal.

During the conflict, both sides engaged in ethnic cleansing. According
to authors Caroline Cox and John Eibner, Azeris cleared 40,000
Armenians out of Kirovabad, Azerbaijan's second-largest city, in 1988
in response to Nagorno-Karabakh's secession drive. Another Azeri pogrom
against Armenians, in which 32 were killed, preceded this in Sumgait,
followed by another in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital.

"The Armenians were not quick to retaliate to the Sumgait massacre,"
wrote Cox and Eibner in their 1993-published book Ethnic Cleansing In
Progress: War In Nagorno-Karabakh. "But Armenian restraint crumbled in
response to the Kirovabad pogrom and the anti-Armenian demonstrations
in Baku."

In the war itself, the outnumbered Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, with
assistance from neighboring Armenia, not only won their independence,
defeating the Azeri forces, they also conquered some adjoining
Azeri territory, which they still hold today. With the victory,
Nagorno-Karabakh renamed itself Artsakh (its ancient name when
an Armenian kingdom), and became an independent state, recognised
internationally, however, by few others. These diplomatic difficulties
have also prevented Artsakh from joining Armenia, although the two
are closely entwined.

Until now, Artsakh has refused to return the Azeri territory it
occupies until it can be guaranteed that it will not be used to stage
attacks on its land. In this respect, Nagorno-Karabakh has adopted
a position similar to Israel's regarding the Arab territories it
captured in 1967: it will trade land for peace.

Azerbaijan's ally, Turkey, which is located on Armenia's western
border, became so incensed when the Artsakh forces were winning that
it threatened to attack Armenia, although it was not officially a
combatant. Apparently, Turkey is not content with having murdered
1.5 million Armenians a hundred years ago and wants to continue this
homicidal tradition in this century. A Turkish military assault on
Armenia would be like Germany attacking Israel today.

However, a warning from the Kremlin that a Turkish attack on Armenia
would mean war with Russia caused Turkey to climb down, thus averting
a regional conflict. In the end, to save face, all Turkey could do
was seal its border with Armenia as well. This closure has lasted now
22 years, severely disrupting the Armenian economy. And incredibly,
while trying its best to strangle Armenia, Turkey has hypocritically
complained about Israel's blockade of Gaza.

So it is against this background of war, genocide, ethnic cleansing
and ancient hatreds that Nuland called upon Armenian authorities to
make a "humanitarian gesture" and release the murderers. The two
Azeri terrorists were found guilty in a Republic of Artsakh court
after an "open and transparent trial," and received prison sentences
of life and 22 years respectively. One of the charges that formed the
conviction was "murder committed by an organised group motivated by
ethnic hatred." Artsakh security forces killed a third Azeri terrorist
belonging to the group. None of the three, Azerbaijan claims, are
members of its military.

Although Artsakh is recognised by four American state governments,
the most recent being California in 2014, the federal government
continues to deny it diplomatic recognition. As a result, Nuland
did not talk with Artsakh authorities when in Armenia. Instead,
she met with the Armenian foreign minister and visited the Armenian
Holocaust memorial in Yerevan. But Nuland's talks with Armenian
officials concerning the two Azeri terrorists yielded no results.

This was to be expected. Armenians well remember the terrible injustice
and humiliation inflicted on them when the Hungarian government
released early from prison an Azeri military officer, Rami Safarov,
who had killed Armenian officer, Lt. Gurgen Markarian, in his sleep
with an axe in 2004 in Budapest. Both were attending a North Atlantic
Treaty Organization-sponsored event at the time. Safarov was released
after he had served only six years of a 30 year sentence for reasons
that have yet to be discerned, outraging both Armenians and Hungarians.

"With their joint actions the authorities of Hungary and Azerbaijan
have opened the door for the recurrence of such crimes," Armenia's
then president, Serge Sarkisian, stated prophetically. "With this
decision they send a clear message to the butchers. The slaughterers
hereafter are well aware of the impunity they can enjoy for murder
driven by ethnic or religious hatred."

Safarov returned home to Azerbaijan on a "special flight" and received
a hero's welcome. For his foul murder, the government rewarded him
with a pardon, eight years back pay, an apartment and a promotion of
two ranks, similar to honours Palestinians bestow on their terrorists
for killing Israelis. Also like the Palestinians, one Azeri member
of the national legislature called Safarov "a national hero." Which
shows the level of Azeri hatred and civilizational development when
an axe murderer is accorded this status.

The reason the Obama administration requested on Azerbaijan's
behalf that the two Azeri murderers be released was probably not
a humanitarian one, as it maintains. Like some Arab countries,
Azerbaijan is very oil rich, while Armenia has no oil. American
companies also have investments in the large Azeri oil industry.

Equally important, Azerbaijan serves as a hub for the Caspian
Sea-Central Asian energy pipelines. As well, both Israel and the
United States view Azerbaijan as an ally in the regional showdown with
Iran. So it is most likely that upholding these business and strategic
interests with Azerbaijan was the real reason behind Nuland's pushing
for the terrorists' release.

This situation resembles the controversial early release by Great
Britain of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a Libyan also known as the Lockerbie
Bomber, who was responsible for 259 deaths when a Pan Am flight was
destroyed by a terrorist bomb over Scotland in 1988. It was later
revealed that the British oil company, British Petroleum, had lobbied
for his release, which greatly helped it obtain a $900 million oil
exploration contract from Muamarr Gaddafi.

But Armenia is not Great Britain. The murder of Lt. Markarian in
Budapest and the two civilians in Artsakh are symbolic of the hatred
and homicidal fate the surrounding Turkic populations have in store
for the Armenian people, much like the Arabs have for Israel. Also
like Israel, Armenians cannot allow the lives of their people to be
sold cheaply. They have already suffered one holocaust. Granting
early release to the two Azeri terrorists would send a wrong, and
very dangerous, message, one that would likely be interpreted as
weakness in one of the world's rougher neighbourhoods where only
strength is respected.

Besides, some Armenians view Nuland's request as hypocritical. Would
the United States, for example, release Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to Russia as
"a humanitarian gesture" to better relations with an Islamic country
or with Putin, they ask? Or free early other imprisoned foreign
terrorists with American blood on their hands?

If the State Department truly wants "to reduce tensions and build
trust" in the region, it should first tell Azerbaijan and Turkey to
lift their blockades and open their borders with Armenia, ending the
crippling of the Armenian economy. This is the humanitarian gesture
it should be pursuing and not the release of two murderers.

The border openings would not only be a good start to solving the
other outstanding regional issues, it would also serve to lessen the
Armenian fear that their Muslim neighbours simply want to finish the
extermination project they started in 1915. It would also constitute
a very fitting gesture of friendship and reconciliation, especially
by Turkey, to Armenians worldwide on the centenary of the horrific
event that serves as the well-spring of so much of their pain.

But instead of a adopting a principled position that would help
lessen that pain, the Obama administration appears to have taken one
of unprincipled pragmatism.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/stephenbrown/obama-administration-insults-memory-of-armenian-holocaust/

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LA CITY COUNCIL APPROVES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL SQUARE

10:38, 19 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

LA City Councilmembers voted unanimously to approve a motion proposed
by Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell to name the "Little Armenia"
intersection of Hollywood Blvd and Western Ave 'Armenian Genocide
Memorial Square' and to erect memorial signs in the area, reported
the Armenian Council of America (ACA)

Councilmember O'Farrell spoke of the thousands of Armenian-Americans
who live in the "Little Armenia" District of Hollywood. He discussed
the Armenian Genocide commemoration march that takes place every
year, specifying that this year marks the centennial of the Armenian
Genocide - the first Genocide of the twentieth century. "I propose
that the intersection of this square will be a permanent reminder
of the plight of the Armenian people, honoring the grandparents and
great grandparents of the descendants of the Genocide," he added.

Echoing the sentiments of Councilmember O'Farrell, Councilmembers
Krekorian and Fuentes talked about the importance of reminding the
public of historic tragedies so that they never happen again.

Valery Mkrtumian, Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in
Los Angeles expressed his deep gratitude to the American people who
rescued more than 100,000 Armenian orphans. "Today we are really proud
of the valuable contribution of the Armenian people to the political
landscape of the United States." He thanked the City Council for
proposing an important measure in an area that is the heart of the
Armenian-American Diaspora.

Asking the Los Angeles City Council member to support the Armenian
Genocide Memorial Square, ACA Chairman Sevak Khatchadorian expressed
his sentiments regarding the motion; "While the Republic of Turkey
inexplicably and adamantly has denied the occurrence of Genocide,
and continues to do so a full century since, public recognition and
awareness such as the proposed Armenian Genocide Memorial Square have
helped Turkish citizens come to terms with the historical fact that
is the Armenian Genocide and confront their own government's policy
of denial.

"The Armenian Council of America, and Armenians throughout the world
thank Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell, Councilmember Paul Krekorian
and the Los Angeles City Council for continuously commemorating the
Armenian Genocide". continued Khatchadorian, "We support the Armenian
Genocide Memorial Square and ask the City Council to do the same"

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/19/la-city-council-approves-armenian-genocide-memorial-square/

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100 YEARS OF DENIAL - HUFFINGTON POST

11:00 * 19.03.15

By Stephan Pechdimaldji

Grandson to survivors of the Armenian Genocide and first generation
Armenian-American

Just one week before he prepared to attack Poland in the summer of
1939 and embark on his quixotic campaign to take over the world, Adolf
Hitler addressed his military commanders in Obersalzberg and referred
to the Armenian Genocide by concluding his speech by saying, "Who,
after all, speaks of the annihilation of the Armenians?" Hitler saw
what happened nearly twenty-five years earlier and thought he could
emulate what the Ottoman Turks did to ethnic Armenians living in
Asia Minor and use it as a blueprint for his own sadistic ambitions
without anyone noticing. Today we remember this dark period with
somber and reverence, and honor those who suffered during the Nazi's
reign of terror. Since then the world has tried to bleach out this
stain in history by learning from the past and vowing that this type
of crime must never happen again. The healing process began with
Germany taking responsibility for the actions of their predecessors
and trying to make amends with the victims of the Holocaust and their
families. Laws have even been codified that make it illegal to deny
that the Holocaust ever happened. Watchdog organizations like the
Anti-Defamation League were created to monitor anti-Semitism. But what
if none of this happened? Imagine a world where governments didn't
recognize the Holocaust and called for an historical commission to
study the facts surrounding the event to determine whether or not
a crime had been committed? This type of world does in fact exist
today for Armenian-Americans who continue to grapple with the United
State's refusal to recognize the Armenian Genocide and side with
Turkey's ongoing contention that genocide never took place.

The Armenian Genocide is an historical fact. To say otherwise is a
lie. As the first genocide of the 20th century, more than 1.5 million
Armenians were systematically killed through wholesale massacres and
deportations carried out by the Turks during World War I and the last
days of the Ottoman Empire. Eye-witness accounts including dispatches
from Henry Morgenthau, American ambassador to the Ottoman Empire,
photographs taken from German military media Armin T. Wegner and
articles from the New York Times all chronicle the mass slaughter
of Armenians during this period. Eerily similar to the Holocaust,
Armenians were uprooted from their homes as part of a "relocation"
effort to control the minority population. Instead, thousands were
sent to their deaths by mass burnings, death marches in the Syrian
Desert and primitive gas chambers where victims were forced into
caves and asphyxiated in one fell swoop by the toxic airs lit from
fires in front of the passage ways. Years later, Raphael Lemkin,
a law professor responsible for coining the word genocide in 1943
did so with the fate of the Armenians in mind. Given this body of
historical evidence, Turkey continues to deny any responsibility
in orchestrating genocide. Turkey claims that the killings were
not calculated and were an unfortunate result of war and that the
deportations were justified because Armenians posed a threat due to
their sympathetic feelings towards the Russians.

This issue is further complicated by Turkey's ongoing campaign to
pressure and influence U.S. foreign policy. Sensitive to not offend
Turkey for geopolitical purposes, the U.S. has yet to hold Turkey
responsible for these atrocities. For years, the U.S. claimed that
it was not in our foreign interests to do so because Turkey was a
NATO ally and strategically valuable due to its close proximity to
the Soviet Union. When the Cold War ended, the argument turned to
Turkey's importance as a free and democratic society in a sea of
Islamic fundamentalists. Countries like Yemen, Iraq and Iran could
learn from Turkey's example, the line of reasoning would go. This flies
in the face of our core values. How can the leader of the free world,
a champion of equality and universal civil liberties be complicit in
such an egregious violation of basic human rights?

Sadly, this issue has become a political football in our country where
politicians like President George W. Bush and Barack Obama looking for
votes and money promise to recognize the Armenian Genocide and then bow
to pressure once in office. Political expediency should play no role
in this debate when the facts overwhelmingly support what many scholars
and students of history recognize as the 20th century's first genocide.

I grew up hearing stories of how my grandparents survived the Armenian
Genocide. Of how my grandfather hid in a haystack for more than forty
days while his father and brother were taken away, never to be seen
or heard from again. Of his harrowing escape from the tiny village of
Yozgat to Aleppo, Syria, where many survivors gathered and of how he
worked as a welder to make enough money to eventually settle in Egypt.

These stories had a profound impact on me and I could never fully
comprehend what it must have been like to go through such a tumultuous
ordeal. And as a child I remember going to Times Square every April
24th -- the official day of remembrance -- to commemorate the Armenian
Genocide and listen to civic leaders and politicians excoriate Turkey
and pledge recognition.

Since then, I've written countless letters to news publications on
this topic and have urged friends, colleagues and even strangers
to take up this cause. Some say why does this matter? How is the
relevant to their daily lives or something that the government should
get involved with? This is significant because denial is often the
last phase of genocide. What's more, the U.S. can send a message
to despotic states like The Sudan that genocide on any grounds is
unacceptable and any attempt to obfuscate responsibility will be met
with staunch opposition. Much like the Holocaust, we owe recognition
of the Armenian Genocide to the victims and their families as well
as to the intrepid guardians of human rights both here and abroad.

While Turkey continues to uphold this policy of denial, there have
been folks likeOrhan Pamuk, a Turkish novelist and Nobel-prize
winning author, who made statements regarding the Armenian Genocide
who subsequently was charged with violating Article 301 of the Turkish
penal code that prohibits and bans insulting Turkey. And then there's
Hrant Dink, an editor of a Turkish-Armenian newspaper whose life
was cut short by an assassin's bullet for his views on Turkey's
denial of the Armenian Genocide. These actions do not reflect a
government that supports free speech and divergent points of view --
all vital components of a democratic society. Distorting historical
facts surrounding the Armenian Genocide is just another example of
Turkish subterfuge in trying to burnish its image with the West.

Admitting past mistakes is not uncommon for the United States. In
fact it's in our blood. Apologizing for the mistreatment of African
Americans for slavery and the internment of Japanese Americans into
camps during World War II are just some examples. President Clinton
even went so far to make amends for not doing enough to stop genocide
in Rwanda in the mid 1990s. And time and again we see the U.S. condemn
countries like Iran for denying the Holocaust, yet continue to turn
a blind eye to the Armenian Genocide. Why are Armenians any different?

Is an Armenian life no more valuable than a Jewish or Rwandan or
Cambodian? As we approach the 100th anniversary this April, the United
States still has time to set the record straight. Time will tell if
they decide to be on the right or wrong side of history.

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/03/19/genocide/1621807

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BBC RADIO 4 TO MARK THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

16:19, 19 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

A special edition of BBC RADIO 4 will be marking the 100th anniversary
of the Armenian genocide on Easter Sunday, April 5.

Presenter, Caroline Wyatt, will explore the story of how, in 1915,
hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forced to leave their homes
in the Ottoman Empire. Many were killed or died from starvation or
disease during the deportation.

The Armenian Apostolic Church plans to mark the centenary by canonizing
one and a half million victims of the genocide.

On Easter Day in 1870 the Holy Trinity Armenian Church of Manchester
opened its doors for the first time. The authors of the program visit
this community to reflect on the anniversary and its legacy.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/19/bbc-radio-4-to-mark-the-100th-anniversary-of-the-armenian-genocide/

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EU CAN MAKE TURKEY CHANGE ITS STANCE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: GIANNI PERRELLI

10:43, 19 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. Turkey can change its position on
Armenian Genocide issue only under the pressure of Europe. The
Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Journalism Department of L'Espresso
periodical Gianni Perrelli stated this in a conversation with
"Armenpress". This is his first visit to Armenia.

Among other things, Perrelli noted that the time of his visit to
our country ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
has not been chosen accidentally. "Majority of the Western countries
has forgotten the tragedy of the Armenians. By all means, there are
intellectuals and activists, who remember what happened, but there
is a huge difference in the level of awareness in comparison with
Holocaust," he underscored.

In addition, Gianni Perrelli noted: "We know that the Armenian Genocide
served as a model for Hitler for the realization of the Armenian
Genocide, but many people have forgotten about that. Armenia is small
country and the Armenians need strong lobbying around the world."

Perrelli's visit to our country mainly aims writing an article based
on the meetings with the eyewitness-survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

Article by Araks Kasyan
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/798277/eu-can-make-turkey-change-its-stance-on-armenian-genocide-gianni-perrelli.html

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PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PEOPLE'S PARTY TO VISIT ARMENIA ON APRIL 24

18:30, 19 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan participated in the summit of the
European People's Party (EPP) in Brussels today. Speaking at the
summit, President Sargsyan referred to Armenia's European agenda,
the ongoing reforms in Armenia, the as well as the symbolic year of
2015, when Armenian worldwide commemorate the 100th anniversary of
the Genocide.

He stressed the importance of international recognition and
condemnation of genocides as the only effective way for preventing
new crimes against humanity. Also, the President touched upon the
productive cooperation between the Republican Party of Armenia and
the European People's Party.

President Sargsyan availed himself of the opportunity to express
gratitude for the adoption of the Resolution on the "Armenian
Genocide and the European Values" by the Political Assembly of the
European People's Party, noting that with this step the EPP proved
its commitment to universal values and principles.

The Armenian President thanked EPP President Joseph Daul for accepting
the invitation to visit Yerevan on April 24 to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the Genocide with the Armenian people.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/19/president-of-the-european-peoples-party-to-visit-armenia-on-april-24/

[Yervant1]

100 years after the Armenian Genocide
KSEE TV (NBC) Fresno

http://www.yourcentralvalley.com/story/d/story/the-armenian-genocide/22756/aJxB2-L1NEiYsKn9etekfg


The valley is home to as many as 50,000 people of Armenian heritage.

Many with ancestors who came here a century or more ago to find a
better life, but what has happening in their home country of Armenia
that prompted this exodus.

Armenians were targeted for extermination by the Ottoman Turkish
Empire in the first genocide of the 20th century. There were mass
killings, families forced to walk for miles to their deaths and
children orphaned.

April 24th marks the 100th commemoration of the tragedy that
ultimately claimed one and a half million lives. After thousands of
lives were lost or shattered, after thousands of miles were claimed by
the Turkish government, it is still unwilling to acknowledge what had
been done.

One hundred years later, the tragedy is remembered. A monument is
under construction is a reminder that the horror in Armenia beginning
in 1915, should never happen again. Turkish historian and author
Tanner Akcam toured the monument site with two religious leaders:
Armenian Archbishop Vicken Aykazian and Rabbi Kennth Segel. Three
unique backgrounds, one common belief.

Twenty-two countries have recognized the Armenian genocide. In Greece,
Switzerland and Slovakia it's a crime to deny it. Forty-three of the
U.S. states, including California, recognize it, but the United States
as a whole, has not.

Turkey's Ottoman Empire was replaced in 1923. The new Turkish
government said the killings were a consequence of World War
I. Political ties binding the U.S. to Turkey have complicated the
issue. Solutions are difficult, but the focus now is remembering a
tragic time in world history that's impacted thousands of lives here
at home.

Our series "Valley Armenian Heritage 100 years" continues on
Wednesdays at six and eleven. We'll have a one hour special on April
22nd, right here on KSEE 24.

Stefani Booroojian, reporting.

[Yervant1]

http://www.horizonweekly.ca/upload_files/wysiwyg/Billboard.jpg

 

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIVE BILLBOARD ON DISPLAY IN TORONTO

March 19, 2015

A large size Armenian Genocide commemorative billboard is on display
in Toronto Canada near a Major Highway, adjacent to the Armenian
Community Centre of Toronto, 45 Hallcrown Place, Willowdale, Ontario.

Since the Armenian Genocide took place, millions of people have been
the target of genocide, torture, rape, dispossession, and murder.

These are only some of the genocides and mass atrocities that followed
the Armenian Genocide of 1915: the Holocaust (1933-1945); Cambodian
Genocide (1975-1979); ethnic cleansing in Bosnia (1992-1995); Rwandan
Genocide (1994); and Darfur Genocide (2003).

A century ago in the Ottoman Empire, genocide was carried out against
the Armenians, while reporters and foreign dignitaries, ambassadors
and consuls, alerted the leadership of their respective countries.

Henry Morgenthau Sr., the U.S. ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, sent
several appeals and protests to Ottoman officials as well as to the
State Department. In 1915, the New York Times published 150 articles,
one just about every other day, reporting on the ongoing atrocities.

http://www.horizonweekly.ca/news/details/64112

[Yervant1]

EVENT COMMEMORATES LIVES LOST IN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, HOLOCAUST

C&G Newspapers
March 19 2015

By Sherri Kolade

FARMINGTON HILLS -- Remembering the 1915 Armenian genocide and the
Holocaust is one of the first steps in recognizing those who have
lost their lives during both atrocities, Holocaust Memorial Center
Executive Director Stephen Goldman said.

"It is important to recognize because we strive to contextualize the
Holocaust among genocides, which are still going," Goldman said. "The
first and largest genocides of the 20th century were, of course,
the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust. It is only recently that the
Armenian community has lobbied long and hard to have their people's
destruction recognized. The country of Turkey does not recognize it
as a genocide."

The Holocaust and Armenian Genocide Cooperative event will commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide and the 70th anniversary
of the end of the Holocaust at 7 p.m. April 14 at the HMC.

Scholars Khatchig Mouradian and Peter Hayes will discuss the role
of the camp and transit systems during the Armenian genocide and
the Holocaust. They will discuss the scope of each genocide and the
functions that contributed to their deadly efficiency, according to
the HMC's website.

Armenians settled in the Anatolian highlands, where some believe
Noah's Ark set down, as early as 7000 B.C. In 1915, leaders of the
Turkish government devised a plan to remove and massacre Armenians
living in the Ottoman Empire. There were believed to be about 2
million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire at the time of the massacre,
and by the early 1920s, when the massacres and deportations ended,
roughly 1.5 million of Turkey's Armenians were dead, with many others
forcibly removed from the country.

"Basically, if a great crime has taken place, just to water it down
(encourages) other people to think (people) can get away with huge
crimes," said Ara Sanjian, associate professor of history at the
University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Sanjian added that because a number of ethnic Armenians and ethnic
Jews live in the Farmington Hills area, the annual event has always
had a huge turnout. This year, even more people are expected to
descend upon the HMC because of the 100th anniversary.

Sanjian added that his grandparents were victims of the Armenian
genocide.

"Today, more Armenians live outside of Armenia than what is the First
Republic of Armenia," Sanjian said.

Goldman said there is a "great affinity" between the Armenians and
metro Detroit's large Chaldean population.

"The young Turks would often run to Iraq, and who are they going to
associate with? They, of course, are going to associate with other
Christians," he said. "It is not a huge community, but (there are)
very prominent names in the community."

The Holocaust and Armenian Genocide Cooperative event is sponsored by
The Armenian Resource Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn,
the Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies at Wayne State University,
and the Voice/Vision Holocaust' Survivor Oral History Archive.

For more information on the event, go to www.holocaustcenter.org.

Staff Writer Terry Oparka contributed to this report.

http://www.candgnews.com/news/event-commemorates-lives-lost-armenian-genocide-holocaust-82127
http://www.candgnews.com/news/event-commemorates-lives-lost-armenian-genocide-holocaust-82127

[Yervant1]

ARMENIANS ACROSS TEXAS PARTICIPATE IN PEACE MARCH AT STATE CAPITOL TO COMMEMORATE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL

Christian News Wire
March 19 2015

Contact: Mihran Aroian, 512-632-8738

AUSTIN, Texas, March 19, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- In recognition
of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, Armenians from
across Texas -- Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio -- will gather
on Saturday, April 18 for a Peace March and Rally from Congress Avenue
to the Texas State Capitol, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

The gathering includes a program at the south steps of the Capitol at
2:00 p.m. with holocaust and genocide guest speakers, state political
officials and several other religious communities. This marks the 100th
year commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, the world's first genocide
of the 20th century, in which 1.5 million Christian Armenian men, women
and children were systematically killed by the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

"The mission of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Texas is
to educate and raise awareness in Texas of the Armenian Genocide and,
100 years later, to stand against cultural genocide and persecution
the world over," says Mihran Aroian, chairman of the Armenian Genocide
Centennial Committee of Texas. "Most Armenians in Texas are descendants
of survivors of the Armenian genocide. Our mission here is to use this
historic event to speak out against genocide because hatred, prejudice
and ethnic annihilation have no role in a just and peaceful world."

April 18 Schedule of Events

12:00 p.m.: Prayer Gathering, First United Methodist Church Family
Life Center (FLC), 13th Street and Lavaca

1:00 p.m.: Peace March, FLC, south on Guadalupe, east on Fifth Street,
north to the Texas State Capitol on Congress Avenue

2:00 p.m.: Rally at Texas State Capitol, South Steps

4:00 p.m.: Memorial Dinner, FLC, for the 1.5 million Armenian genocide
victims, who will be canonized by the Holy See of the Armenian Church
on April 24

Please visit www.april241915.org for more information.

About Armenia and the Genocide Centennial: The year 2015 marks the
100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Located at the foothills of Mt. Ararat (where Noah's Ark rests),
Armenia was the first Nation to accept Christianity as its national
religion in 301 AD. The mission of the Armenian Genocide Centennial
Committee of Texas is to encourage meaningful and respectful dialogue
on the subject of the Armenian Genocide and to educate and raise
awareness.

http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/6763475737.html

[Yervant1]

ERMENI TO CONFRONT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AFTERMATH AT THE YALE REP

By MassisPost
Updated: March 19, 2015

NEW HEAVEN, CT -- This month, the Yale Dramatic Association will
present its Spring Ex Production, ERMENI, a play about an Armenian
American family in the aftermath of the Armenian genocide. Written by
Yale senior Eric Sirakian, directed by Yale senior Noam Shapiro and
produced by Yale sophomore Jill Carrera, the play will run at the Yale
Repertory Theatre March 26th-28th at 8 p.m. and March 28th at 2 p.m.

Featuring an all-student cast, ERMENI tells the story of Ani -- an
Armenian American college student -- who brings her Turkish boyfriend
Taner home to her family in October of 1970. An argument about history
turns into a family crisis as Ani's grandmother suffers a heart attack
and must be hospitalized. When Taner visits the hospitalized old woman
to make peace, their unexpected friendship sparks much more: a journey
into the past, and the revelation of a longburied family secret.

"Beyond its beautiful structure, characterization, and language,
ERMENI transcends a singular call to remember what happened to the
Armenian people" Shapiro said. "It is a call to our conscience. ERMENI
straddles past and the present as it speaks of distant actions that
still reverberate in our lives today."

With the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide on April 24th,
Sirakian's ERMENI poses questions about history, identity, and memory
at a salient moment for Armenian studies and culture. An additional
panel discussion about the centenary of the Armenian Genocide will
therefore take place at 5 p.m. on March 28th in the Yale Rep lobby.

Panelists will include University of Michigan professor of Sociology
Fatma Gocek and Yale professor of History Jay Winter, who will examine
the modern-day reverberations of the Armenian Genocide from differing
historical perspectives. The discussion is hosted by the Genocide
Studies Program at Yale.

"As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,"
Shapiro added, "We believe that Eric Sirakian's play will contribute
to a universal conversation about how to reconcile two narratives --
those of love and hate, friend and foe, me and you -- and, perhaps,
find a way to move forward."

Director Noam Shapiro is a double-major in history and theater
studies with a focus on 20th Century Europe and cultural memory. His
productions at Yale include "The Trojan Women," "The Crucible," "Circle
Mirror Transformation," and "Cabaret." Playwright Eric Sirakian is
also an actor, writer, and director, and a double-major in English
and theater studies. He has written "plays and the book for a musical
that will premiere at Yale in April. His playwriting mentors at Yale
include Sarah Ruhl and Donald Margulies.

"The actors and the creative team for ERMENI truly represent Yale at
its best," Sirakian said. "I feel so honored and blessed to mount
the first production of my play, which has been developed here at
Yale for the past year and a half, with their help."

The Dramat, an organization devoted to teaching students and producing
fine theatre, is one of the oldest undergraduate theatre organizations
in the country, and one of only a few that is entirely student-run.

The Dramat puts on seven productions each year, and over 250 students
work on these shows each year, learning from and teaching others in
areas ranging from financial management to production design.

http://massispost.com/2015/03/ermeni-to-confront-armenian-genocide-aftermath-at-the-yale-rep/

[Yervant1]

TURKEY JOURNALIST: COUNTRY'S AUTHORITIES DECEIVE OWN PEOPLE

10:33, 20.03.2015

Turkey deceives its people for years on end about the Armenian
Genocide issue. The Turkish authorities defraud in history classes
and lie in newspapers.

Turkish Bianet news agency journalist Elif Akgul told the aforesaid
to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Consequently, according to her, he Turkish authorities have committed
a crime not solely against Armenians, but their own people.

"The Turkish state deceives its own people. No one in the world
believes them," the journalist added.

In her words, the entire history of Turkey is based on lies.

"But independent scholars, [and] Turkey's historians are working on
the Armenian Genocide issue," Akgul noted.

She also stressed that the Turks likewise do not trust their own
government.

http://news.am/eng/news/257909.html

[Yervant1]

TURKEY FAILS. ARAB JOURNALIST CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

12:23, 20 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 20 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. "The Armenian Genocide is the greatest
human tragedy. We cannot say that it is the Armenian's issue, no, it's
an international problem, because the impunity of the international
community became a reason for the repetition of such crimes in the
future". These are the words of an Arab journalist Talal Khrayis,
who is currently in Armenia. Reporting for a number of authoritative
agencies, such as the French France 2 and Arab Assafir, he has
specialized in the field of the military journalism. In recent years
Khrayis has been carrying out active works especially in the regions
of Syria and Lebanon, witnessing the ongoing operations. Armenpress
had a talk with Khrayis, revealing the initial causes of his warmth
behavior towards Armenian people.

- How did you get acquainted with the Armenians and the Armenian issue?

- We lived in Lebanon. My family was great, my parents had 8 children,
we needed money and I had to leave school at the age 13 to find work.

I found a job in the "Zartonk" college, headed by Nazareth Nazaryan,
who is the author of the Atlas of the Armenian genocide. And I was
helping him during the preparation work of the Atlas book which
consists of over 1600 pages. Those images have remained in my memory.

These people loved me very much. They changed my life, suggested to
go Vahan Tekeyan's secondary School to study music and I agreed with
pleasure. My life began to change to better. One day, Nazareth said
that I call my dad, because he wanted to speak with him. I did not
know what he would say. When I told my father, he thought, that I have
done something wrong. But when he came to Nazareth, the latter said.

"Your son likes the work which he is doing with us. He does it with
a great pleasure, but he needs to go to school. He will work with us
in the morning, the afternoon will go to school, and we'll take care
of all the expenses". At that time there was Hovakimyan- Manukyan
Charitable Association in Lebanon, they paid my tuition costs, helped
me for the issue of my education, because I had already lost a few
years. Later, I moved to Bulgaria, where I was studying medicine,
and these costs were covered by the Armenians. My relations with the
Armenians and the Armenian issue start from here. I kept this in my
memory. The Armenian community helped me a lot to become human being
and educated.

- Turkey has been continuing denying the Armenian Genocide for
100 years. What should happen to Turkey, so that it reaches the
consciousness of recognizing the Armenian Genocide and compensating
for that?

- At this point Turkey is losing, as it loses ISIS. These terrible
scenes, which are shown by the media, are not real. Islamists lose
in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon border. Turkey is no longer strong, and
Europe has no confidence towards it. The Turkish government has a lot
of problems. If you ask if the Armenian Genocide will be recognized,
I say yes. I travel to Europe and I see that 2-3 years ago, no one
was talking about genocide, and now many journalists are coming
to Armenia. The governments are not strong in Europe, there is a
strong media. All the Media work in favor of the Armenian people. The
Armenian community also has become strong, because it sees that it has
a young state Armenia, for which it has to make certain steps. Turkey
fails and Armenia rises. Armenia is a peaceful country. Despite it has
lived a big tragedy, it continues to struggle peacefully and politely,
asking the world not to repeat the Genocide. (FULL VERSION IS AVAILABLE
IN ARMENIAN)

Interview by Araks Kasyan

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/798474/turkey-fails-arab-journalist-calls-on-international-community-to-recognize-armenian-genocide.html

[Yervant1]

COLLEGE OF ST. ELIZABETH IS HOSTING SERIES ON HOLOCAUST AND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

16:35, 20 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

In a continuing series, the College of St. Elizabeth's Center for
Holocaust and Genocide Education will sponsor several events in April
and May that are free and open to the public, all on the campus of
the college at 2 Convent Station Road, off Madison Avenue in the
Convent Station section of Morris Township. Some of the events will
provide professional development hours for teachers, the New Jersey
Hills reports.

* A day-long symposium, "Rescuers during the Holocaust: Acts of Courage
in Challenging Times," will be held Tuesday, April 21, for teachers,
students and the general public in the Dolan Performance Hall. The
event will begin at 8 a.m. with registration and breakfast and end at 3
p.m. The event is co-sponsored with the N.J. Commission on Holocaust
Education and the American Society for Yad Vashem and is free to
all. Advance registration is required at www.cse.edu/holocaustcenter.

The keynote speaker will be Suzanne Vromen, professor emeritus of
sociology at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., and author
of 2010's "Hidden Children of the Holocaust: Belgian Nuns and their
Daring Rescue of Young Jews from the Nazis."

The symposium's workshops will address Jewish and non-Jewish
rescuers, the New Jersey state mandate about Holocaust education,
global perspectives on Holocaust education, and how to use archival
documents in Holocaust education.

The 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide will be marked with
a program beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30, in the Dolan
Performance Hall. An introduction will be provided by Garabed "Chuck"
Haytaian, who was the Speaker of the state Assembly 1n 1991 when New
Jersey passed its law to mandate Holocaust and genocide education in
the schools. The event's co-sponsors are St. Mary's Armenian Church
in Livingston and the N.J. Commission on Holocaust Education.

Following remarks by College of St. Elizabeth President Helen J.

Streubert, the film "Aghet" will be shown, surveying the history of
Armenia with a focus on the Armenian genocide in 1915. Poetry and
music of Armenia and a selection of traditional Armenian foods will
be offered.

At 7:30 p.m. the college will premiere the film "Testimonies of
Armenian Genocide Survivors," introduced by Roy Stepanian, and followed
by a question-and-answer session with children and grandchildren of
survivors. The keynote speaker will be Herand M.

Markarian, whose topic will be "The Impact of the Armenian Genocide:
100 Years Later."

The event is free and open to the public. Teachers who attend
will receive curriculum materials for teaching about the Armenian
genocide as well as certificates for professional development
hours. For teachers, advance registration is required at
www.cse.edu/holocaustcenter.

>From 4 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7, a free teacher-training event,
"Echoes and Reflections," will be held in the college's Annunciation
Center. The session will prepare educators to teach students the
complex history of the Holocaust in ways that stimulate engagement,
critical thinking and personal understanding.

Participants will receive a teachers' resource guide, supplementary
multimedia assets and other supportive tools for educators. The
session will engage teachers with the multimedia curriculum "Echoes
and Reflections," developed jointly by Yad Vashem, Israel's official
Holocaust memorial, museum and education center; the University of
Southern California (USC) Shoah Foundation, and the Anti-Defamation
League.

The topics for discussion will include: Studying the Holocaust,
anti-Semitism, Nazi Germany, the Jewish Ghetto, the "Final Solution,"
Jewish resistance, rescuers and non-Jewish resistance, survivors
and liberators, perpetrators, collaborators and bystanders; and the
children of the Holocaust.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/20/college-of-st-elizabeth-is-hosting-series-on-holocaust-and-armenian-genocide/

http://www.newjerseyhills.com/florham_park_eagle/news/college-of-st-elizabeth-is-hosting-series-on-holocaust-and/article_4a5b01fc-5b09-5f9d-ad13-2bbba832f4c9.html

[Yervant1]

March 20, 2015

Hye Riders Will Ride From France to Armenia To Raise Awareness For the Armenian Genocide

Hye Riders Will Ride From France to Armenia To Raise Awareness For the Armenian Genocide -

http://www.horizonweekly.ca/upload_files/wysiwyg/Hye-Riders.jpg

The “Hye Riders” are a group of Armenian men who love to ride their motorcycles. They organize events, ride their bikes, and live proudly as Armenians.

To raise awareness about the Armenian genocide Hye Riders will ride from France to Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Georgia and will be in Armenia for the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

The Hye Riders ride twice a week. Most of the time, their rides are for charity and fundraising events. They also participate in Harley Davidson organized events to raise money, to donate gifts and toys to orphans in Los Angles.

Picture taken from Blessing of Hye Riders in St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church – Glendale, for their World Tour on Bike to commemorate The Centennial of Armenian Genocide.

http://www.horizonweekly.ca/upload_files/wysiwyg/Riders.jpg