Armenian Genocide Commemorations List and related articles

[Yervant1]

DETROIT AREA ARMENIANS MARK 100 YEARS SINCE GENOCIDE

14:53, 30 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Armenian Americans in southeastern Michigan are marking the 100th
anniversary of the massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman
Turkey.

In the small town where Richard Norsigian's father was born more than
a century ago, there were 84 people with the same surname.

But not long afterward, only a handful of those Norsigians remained
as the Turkish government began exterminating Armenians or exiling
them to other parts of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, he told
the Detroit News.

"After the genocide, there were only eight," Norsigian said.

"Fortunately, my father was sent to the United States when he was 16.

But his entire family in Armenia was either killed or taken."

Norsigian is one of the thousands of Metro Detroiters with ties to
Armenia who are preparing to mark the 100th anniversary of the start
of the Armenian genocide in Turkey on April 24.

Experts estimate 1.5 million people died in the genocide, which began
April 24, 1915, and continued for eight years.

Armenian community leaders and groups in Metro Detroit have organized
events -- including discussions with Armenian filmmakers, Armenian
classical music concerts and a special church service -- to honor
those who lost their lives in the holocaust.

"Armenians have been holding memorials for many, many years," said
Ara Sanjian, an associate professor of history and director of the
Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. "But
because it's the 100th anniversary, they are on a much grander scale
all over the world, including Metro Detroit."

The only Armenian research center attached to an American university,
the center was established to document the Armenian genocide and
current Armenian issues.

It's estimated more than 447,000 people in the United States are of
Armenian descent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 17,000
make their home in Michigan and nearly 11,000 live in Metro Detroit,
according to the census bureau.

Metro Detroit's Armenian community is the fourth-largest Armenian
population in the U.S., behind those in Los Angeles, New York and
Boston. Most of Metro Detroit's Armenian community is concentrated
in Oakland County.

Despite the passing of a century, the mass killing still resonates
with descendants of the victims.

"The fact that 100 years later you still have to explain and prove
that what happened to your ancestors was a premeditated crime on a
massive scale really incurs a lot of pain for all Armenians," Sanjian
said. "It's also painful for Armenians that those who used violence
have gotten away with it."

Armenians are optimistic Turkey will take responsibility for the
genocide someday, Sanjian said. The attitudes of many individual
Turks about it have changed over the past 20 years, he said.

However, a bigger concern is whether or not Armenians will be able
to hold on to their identity.

"Our group identity, our unique culture is under threat because of
assimilation under the conditions of exile," he said. "Ultimately,
Armenians -- outside the Republic of Armenia -- consist of small
groups that are scattered all around the world."

In Metro Detroit, a number of Armenian community groups and churches
have planned special events to honor the genocide's victims.

The culmination is a special church service on April 24 at St. Mary's
Antiochian Orthodox Basilica in Livonia.

Clergy from various faiths will participate, including Archbishop
Allen Vigneron, head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit.

"It's a commemoration to the memory of the victims," said Norsigian,
who is co-chair of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of
Greater Detroit. "It's also to raise awareness about the genocide."

Robert Kachadourian, a member of the committee, agreed.

"It's an awareness that should be promulgated so the Armenian genocide
is never forgotten," he said.

Like Norsigian, Kachadourian's father survived the genocide, but
most of his family was killed. His father wrote about his experience,
Kachadourian said.

"He was 12 years old when it happened and he lost 55 members of his
family," said Kachadourian, a media consultant and local TV show host.

"After that, he was in servitude -- I call it slavery -- for nine
years before finally escaping and making his way to Dearborn."

The Armenian genocide also had a profound impact on Hayg Oshagan and
his family.

"My grandfather was one of Armenia's leading writers and he was
supposed to be rounded up," said Oshagan, a Wayne State University
professor and a leader in Metro Detroit's Armenian community. "He
escaped because someone, we don't know who, warned him the day before."

"All of us have these stories about how our families made their
way out of death," he said. "The events for the anniversary are an
affirmation of our survival. Even though we're spread across the world,
we are here and we'll continue to be here."

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/30/detroit-area-armenians-mark-100-years-since-genocide/

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2015/03/28/armenian-genocide-th-anniversary-commemoration-detroit/70618638/

[Yervant1]

ARMENIA SHOULD REMIND GERMANY ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION PROVISIONS

12:50, 30 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian Genocide issue is
intended to be discussed at the Germany's Bundestag on April 24. The
Professor of the Department of the Armenian History of the Yerevan
State University, the researcher of the German archives on the
Armenian Genocide Ashot Hayruni considers the initiative to be very
important, emphasizing that a significant number of the MPs at the
German Parliament is for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Responding to the question of Armenpress, Ashot Hayruni stated that
Armenia should pay a considerable attention to the implementation of
the provisions of the Armenian Genocide resolution, adopted by the
Germany's Bundestag in 2005. "In this regard Armenia should develop
an Armenian Genocide condemnation work strategy and remind Germany
all the time that after the adoption of the resolution 10 years have
passed and no provision of it has been implemented. The Armenian side
should take this resolution as a base for the implementation of the
works, so that the Armenian Genocide is fully recognized in Germany",
- said Hayruni.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/799677/armenia-should-remind-germany-about-armenian-genocide-resolution-provisions.html

[Yervant1]

STORY BEHIND THE MEDIEVAL ARMENIAN CROSS THAT'S NOW IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

16:45 * 30.03.15

It's hard to imagine a time when St. Peter's Square didn't exist. But
long before Bernini's columns stood high and long before the Vatican's
dome became a hallmark of Rome, pilgrims still visited the area, to
pray before the remains of St. Peter, Rome Reports says in a broadcast.

Among the pilgrims were thousands of Armenians who traveled to the
Eternal City to pay their respects. In fact, there was even a welcoming
home for Armenian visitors.

MIKAYEL MINASYAN Armenian Ambassador to the Holy See

"The priest who was responsible for managing this home, placed a cross
made out of stone at the entrance. It was a cross with a traditional
Armenian design."

Now the Vatican Museums has that very cross as part of its permanent
exhibit. Even though the welcoming home closed its doors and
everything seemed to disappear, that cross re-emerged hundreds of
years later. Armenian's president Serzh Sargsyan was there for its
unveiling, back in September 2014.

MIKAYEL MINASYAN

"In addition to the writing in Armenian, there was also a phrase in
Latin that read, 'This cross has been consecrated."

Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official
religion. Often its people were persecuted because of it. So, this
piece is about much more than mere devotion. It's about Christianity,
history, faith and perseverance.

On April 12th, when Pope Francis celebrates a Mass to mark 100 years
since the Armenian genocide, part of the journey will come full circle.

MIKAYEL MINASYAN

"This cross was placed in an area where Armenians would stop and
pray before the tomb of St. Peter. Now, the Cross is back in Rome,
in the Vatican Museums. On April 12th, Armenians will be here again,
to honor the martydrom of victims from the Armenian genocide."

The stone dates back to 1246 and its displayed in the Pope Urban VII
Gallery, just a short distance from the Sistine Chapel.

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/03/30/vat/1632296

[Yervant1]

PARIS, CALIFORNIA, MEXICO TO HOST EXHIBITIONS COMMEMORATING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

17:21 * 30.03.15

Large exhibitions commemorating the Armenian Genocide will take place
in Paris, France, California, USA, and Mexico.

Exhibits - belongings of victims and survivors of the Armenian
Genocide, pictures and other things - will be displayed at the
exhibition, Hayk Demoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute, told reporters on Monday.

The Paris Municipality will host a temporary exhibition dedicated to
the Armenian Genocide Centennial, on April 29.

The "Armenia 1915: Paris hosts the collection of the Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute of Yerevan" exhibition will run April 29 to July 4.

"We are grateful to the Paris municipality for affording us such a
unique opportunity to present a special collection in the heart of
Europe. Europeans will be able to see the exhibition for two months.

The collection includes about 150 exhibits, which contain unique
information on each human tragedy. A collection of the Armenian
Genocide survivor Aurora Mardiganian has a unique place in the exhibits
presented by the AGMI, the originals of which will be displayed for the
first time namely during Paris exhibition. The exhibition involves the
posters of the silent film "Auction of Souls" where Aurora Mardiganian
played herself, as well as photos, personal belongings, releases and
other unique items. The film was screened at Salle Gaveau hall of
Paris in 1919," Mr Demoyan said.

The expenses associated with the translation and publication of
exhibition related four books were covered by ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE
bank.

The Jewish Cultural Center of California will host the exhibition on
April 8-10, and the Museo Memoria y Tolerancia in Mexico will host
it on April 16.

"But we also plan to hold exhibitions in New York and Washington. A
large exhibition entitled 'The Armenian Genocide and Russia's
reaction' will take place in Moscow, on April 20-23. I should note
that exhibitions have been held in dozens of halls throughout Russia,"
Mr Demoyan said.

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/03/30/exhibition-in-Turkey/1632119

[Yervant1]

POPE FRANCIS SET TO RILE TURKEY BY RECALLING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

19:21, 30 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

One week after Easter Sunday, Pope Francis is scheduled to celebrate
a service in the Armenian Catholic rite to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of a mass killing of Armenians by Turks in the early 20th
century that the pontiff defined two years ago as the "first genocide
of the modern era," cruxnow.com reports.

In a time of mounting anti-Christian violence in various corners of
the Middle East, the pope's act is likely to take on more than merely
historical interest.

The April 12 papal liturgy is part of a broader campaign by Armenians
to keep the memory of their suffering alive, which will feature the
ringing of bells in Armenian churches around the world on April 23
at 19:15 (7:15 p.m.), the hour chosen to symbolically recall the year
1915. Bells will sound everywhere but Turkey, where the small number
of churches still in operation will remain silent.

Francis has long been aware of the calamity that befell Turkey's
Armenian minority, having led an ecumenical service of remembrance
in Buenos Aires in 2006.

"Today we come to pray for this people to whom human rights still don't
apply," then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio said on that occasion. He
called for "the end of the empire's silence," referring to the Ottomans
and their successors in today's Turkey, saying that acknowledging
what had happened would "bring peace to the Armenian people."

Scholars believe that 1 million to 1.5 million Armenians died as
a result of efforts to drive Armenians and other minorities from
their homelands in present-day Turkey after World War I. It's
often acknowledged as the first genocide of the 20th century, and
a forerunner to later atrocities such as those committed by Nazi
Germany and Cambodia's Khmer Rouge.

Many observers also see echoes of the Armenian genocide in today's
ISIS campaign to proclaim itself a "caliphate" and to drive Christians
and other minority groups out of territory under its control.

The pontiff's April 12 commemoration is likely to stir diplomatic
controversy, since Turkey officially insists that what happened
a century ago was the result of civil war and unrest, and that the
Armenian death toll has been inflated. Turkey also asserts that large
numbers of Turks, Kurds, and Arabs died in the same period.

The sensitivity can be glimpsed from the fact that during his three-day
visit to Turkey last November, Pope Francis never publicly mentioned
the Armenian genocide. When asked about the omission by a reporter,
he said only that he hoped for "small gestures" of reconciliation
such as opening the Turkish/Armenian border.

Only 22 countries, including Russia, Germany, Argentina, France,
Italy, Venezuela, and the Vatican, officially recognize the massacres
as genocide. Turkey objects vigorously whenever public figures use
the term, including delivering an official note of protest two years
ago when Francis called the killings a "genocide."

Italian journalist Marco Tosatti, who has written extensively on the
persecution of Armenians under the Turks, says this isn't just a debate
among historians, but a matter of Turkey "owning up to its own past."

Tosatti said that for most of its more than 600-year history,
the Ottoman Empire prided itself on being multi-ethnic and
multi-religious. When it began to crumble in the early 20th century,
however, the architects of the new Turkey were nationalists who decided
that minority groups "needed to be gone ... because they signified
a problem to the idea of a nation with one ethnicity and one religion."

Greeks, Bulgarians and Armenians in Turkey all found themselves under
mounting pressure. On the night of April 24, 1915, more than 200
leaders in the Armenian community in what's known today as Istanbul
were arrested and most were executed, beginning a systemic killing
and forced relocation that would last until 1923.

The Jesuit-run magazine Civilta Cattolica, which enjoys semi-official
Vatican status, recently published statistics showing that of the
98,800 Catholic Armenian faithful living in Turkey when the killings
began, only 33,900 survived. Of 156 churches and chapels, only 20 stood
at the end, and of 110 missions, only 10 were still active by 1923.

One of the reasons it's difficult for modern Turkey to recognize
the genocide, Tosatti said, is the fact that the new Turkish state,
created in 1923, has Armenian blood in its founding stones.

"The new Turkish republic has at its base this original sin, with
which it can't settle the score," he said.

Another factor in explaining Turkey's reticence, he said, is the fact
that in the Middle East, a nation that apologizes puts itself in a
position of weakness.

"But even for many inside [Turkey], it's not possible to keep hiding
what is evident," Tosatti said. "There are documents, including a diary
of [one of the founders of Turkey], detailing the number of deaths."

The Vatican's remembrance of the genocide comes 12 days before the
actual centennial. Holding the ceremony in advance will allow all
Armenian communities to participate in the Mass celebrated by Francis
on the Sunday of the Divine Mercy.

The Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX, together with the
Armenian bishops, plan to attend. Patriarch Karekin II of the Apostolic
Armenian Church and Catholicos Aram I, head of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia, are also expected to attend.

Before his election to the papacy, Francis had referred to the Armenian
genocide in a series of conversations he had with his Argentinian
friend Rabbi Abraham Skorka, compiled in the 2010 book "On Heaven
and Earth."

The future pope said the world "washed its hands" while the mass
killings were occurring.

"The Ottoman Empire was strong, and the world was at war and looking
the other way," he said.

It's a position he has maintained as pope. In June 2013, the pontiff
welcomed Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Patriarch of the Catholic Armenian
Church, to the Vatican in a private audience that included the daughter
of a genocide survivor.

Francis took her hands in his and told her, "Yours was the first
genocide of the 20th century."

Soon after, Turkey's foreign minister defined the pope's statement as
"completely unacceptable," which forced the Vatican spokesman to say
that the remarks were in no way a formal or public declaration, and
therefore didn't constitute a public assertion by the pope recognizing
the genocide.

Pope Francis' words, however, are in line with his immediate
predecessors, who also addressed the systematic annihilation of
Armenians.

In Nov. 2000, Pope John Paul II and Armenian Patriarch Karekin II
signed a joint statement that said: "The Armenian genocide, which
began the century, was a prologue to horrors that would follow."

When Pope John Paul II traveled to Armenia the following year, he
avoided using the word "genocide," instead employing the expression
"Metz Yeghèrn" (Great Evil), used by the Armenians as a synonym of
the genocide.

At the end of his visit, however, John Paul II and Karekin II signed
a new statement in which they condemned the extermination of 1 1/2
million Armenian Christians "in what is generally referred to as the
first genocide of the twentieth century."

On March 2006, when Benedict XVI received the Armenian Patriarch of
Cilicia, he talked about a "terrible persecution that is written in
history with the sadly evocative name of Metz Yeghèrn, the great evil."

Some 80 years before that, in September of 1915, Pope Benedict XV was
the only sovereign to publicly intervene in favor of the Armenians. He
sent a letter to Sultan Mohammed V in which he highlighted the
seriousness of the massacres and asked, in vain, for them to stop.

According to the Vatican's files, other letters would follow with
the same results.

"We're told of entire populations of villages and cities being forced
to abandon their homes and moved with untold hardship and suffering
to distant concentration camps," the 1915 letter says. "We exhort to
your magnanimous generosity to have pity and intervene in favor of
this people."

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/30/pope-francis-set-to-rile-turkey-by-recalling-the-armenian-genocide/

[Yervant1]

JERUSALEM'S ARMENIANS MARK GENOCIDE IN ANCESTRAL HOMELAND A CENTURY AGO

20:17, 30 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

By Judith Sudilovsky
The Boston Pilot

John Ourfali, 77, remembers how as a child he saw an elderly family
friend break down and cry whenever he met with Ourfali's parents,
unable to speak about what had happened to him and his family in the
dark days of what today is known as the Armenian Genocide.

"He used to cry a lot and couldn't talk about it so we never knew
what happened to his family," said Ourfali, an Armenian Catholic
whose original family name is Khatcherian.

Ourfali's father came to Jerusalem as an orphan just before 1915. He
was among those who escaped the massacre at the hands of Turkish
nationalists that left 1.5 million Armenians dead between 1915 and
1923. His mother's family escaped the bloodshed only because her
father had served in the Turkish army, making their way to Jordan
and then to Jerusalem.

Millions of Christians were displaced and about 500,000 Assyrian,
Syrian, Chaldean and Greek Christians perished as Turkish nationalists
established new borders to the east while ridding the area of Christian
non-Turks.

Armenia is considered the first country to have accepted Christianity
as its state religion in 301 A.D. It has had four independent royal
dynasties at different times since the 12th century B.C. In 1991,
Armenia gained independence from Russia, which annexed the country
into the Soviet Union in 1920.

On April 12, Pope Francis will celebrate a Mass commemorating the
100-year anniversary. In February, he declared a 10th-century Armenian
monk, St. Gregory of Narek, a doctor of the church. The Vatican also
planned to release thousands of documents pertaining to the Armenian
genocide from its archives.

Turkey denies charges of genocide -- defined as a deliberate intent
to destroy a nation or people -- and maintains that those who died
were victims of civil unrest and war in the Ottoman Empire at the time.

On the traditional date of commemoration, April 24, Armenian
communities in Jerusalem and around the world will hold local memorial
ceremonies and Masses. Catholicos Karekin II of Etchmiadzin, patriarch
of the Armenian Apostolic Church also is expected to recognize the
victims April 23.

Although it is called the first genocide of the 20th century, the
Armenian Genocide has yet to receive universal recognition. Some
governments, such as Belgium, France, Cyprus, Canada and Russia,
have adopted resolutions affirming events. Armenians believe that
political interests -- namely the need for a NATO military base in
Turkey -- prevent others, including the United States, from recognizing
the genocide.

Because of the massacre, Armenians dispersed throughout the Middle
East, the U.S., Canada, Australia and parts of Europe and many families
lost touch, said Msgr. Georges Dankaye, patriarchal administrator of
the Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Amman.

Despite the challenges, he said, strong faith allowed Armenians to
build anew where they resettled. He acknowledged that events of a
century ago are not far from the thoughts of Armenians today.

"The victims of the genocide were able to live because of their faith
in Jesus. They refused to live as non-Christians. On the contrary,
the first things they built in their new homes were schools and
(church parishes). My faith helps me overcome the genocide of the
past," said Msgr. Dankaye, whose own family emigrated from Armenia
to Syria before the genocide.

About 100 Catholic Armenian families and a larger number of Orthodox
Armenians live in Jerusalem. Many are in the Armenian Quarter of the
Old City.

Ourfali and others long to know more about their past.

"We feel like our history has been lost to us," Ourfali said. "Human
beings did this. God did not do this. God does not push people to do
this. It is the devil."

As an Armenian, he said he is especially sensitive to the massacres
of innocent people in neighboring Syria and Iraq because of their
beliefs and culture.

"Why should it still be happening? Things change, but not that much,"
he said.

Ourfali explained that as refugees, his grandparents and parents
struggled to make a new life in Jerusalem, and he is proud that he was
able to send his three sons to college. However, two sons decided to
take jobs in the U.S., and their Jerusalem residency was taken away
by Israel. Now they can only visit on tourist visas, he said.

Sitting in his small souvenir shop in the Christian Quarter of the Old
City, Michel Behnam, an Assyrian Christian, looked back on his family's
escape from Armenia as they sought refuge in Syria among the Kurds.

Behnam's grandmother committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner
by Turkish soldiers, leaving a 6-month-old son -- Behnam's father. It
was Beham's great-grandmother who eventually fled to Syria with
the toddler.

"After 100 years, the situation (in Syria) is exactly the same,"
Behnam said, citing kidnappings by Islamic State militants and refugees
crossing into Turkey. "Unfortunately history repeats itself.

Genocides don't happen in one day."

Armenian artist Vic Lepejian has worked for a year on a 10-foot
by five-foot mural made of traditional painted ceramic tile to
commemorate the genocide. The work depicts some of the well-known
Armenian churches that were destroyed, Armenian heroes, teachers and
fighters, streams of refugees leaving their homeland and the heads
of beheaded Armenians speared on poles.

His father escaped the massacre with his family as a toddler,
surviving at times on grasses and wild plants, Lepejian said. His
mother's wealthier family managed to escape with gold coins sewn into
the children's blankets.

"They burned us in churches and still we prayed," said Lepejian.

"Of course (the genocide) has affected every Armenian. We are
refugees," he continued. "The genocide in Darfur, the genocide in
Serbia have been recognized. The Armenian Genocide was the first.

Where is the justice?"

Msgr. Dankaye said that had the world taken note of the massacre
a century ago the Holocaust might not have happened. The genocide,
he said, remains an open wound.

What Armenians are seeking, the priest said, is recognition of the
crime committed against them.

http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=173499

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/30/jerusalems-armenians-mark-genocide-in-ancestral-homeland-a-century-ago/

[Yervant1]

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

Tuesday, March 31st, 2015

 

Historic Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial to Be Unveiled April 18

 

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

An artist's rendering of the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Monument

PASADENA, Calif.—On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Pasadena will unveil an inspirational memorial to the first Genocide of the 20th Century. The Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial appropriately memorializes the loss of 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The public is invited to join the solemn unveiling that will include music, poetry and a cultural experience from the proud and thriving Armenian American Community in Pasadena. The event will culminate with the official unveiling of the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial in Pasadena’s Memorial Park.

 

The memorial is the culmination of three years of work of the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee, a non-profit set up to raise private funds to build and maintain the Memorial. The Memorial completes the vision of Catherine Menard, a Pasadena Art Center College of Design graduate who won the highly competitive responsibility of designing the Pasadena Memorial. The Memorial features a 16 foot tripod that forever captures the image of the structures used by the Turks to hang artists and leaders 100 years ago. It also features the strength and hope personified by the Armenian people by a tear drop falling into the eternity symbol prized by Armenians throughout the world.

The Memorial was unanimously approved by the Pasadena City Council and is currently finishing construction under the supervision of Sinanian Construction of Tarzana.

“Our ancestors can never be replaced. Beginning on April 18th their descendants will have a powerful and solemn place to properly remember them and to celebrate the survival and successes of Armenian American’s in Pasadena and throughout California. I am proud and humbled to be part of the project,” commented Robert Kalunian, Board Co-Chair.

Kalunian and former Pasadena Police Chief Melekian are the Board’s Co-Chairs. In addition, the Pasadena Genocide Memorial Committee is composed of retired Federal Court Judge Dikran Tevrizian, Levon Filian, Gary Jerjerian, Avo Kechichian, Sandra Siraganian, Shoghig Yepremian, Sgt. Greg Afsharian, David George Gevorkyan, and retired State Assemblymember Anthony Portantino. Filian and Jerjerian are Co-chairing the April 18 event.

The public is invited on April 18 at 3 p.m. The Memorial is located in Pasadena Memorial Park on the North East corner of Walnut Street and Raymond Avenue. Anyone wishing to make a donation to help complete the memorial can make contributions payable to The Community Foundation of the Verdugos/PAGMC and mail contributions to 111 E Broadway, #200, Glendale, CA 91205. The PAGMC is a non-profit, 501© (3), and contributions are tax deductible.

[Yervant1]

AGREEMENT ON CRIMINALISING DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

March 31, 2015

By Elias Hazou

LAWMAKERS on Monday agreed to amend current legislation criminalising
the denial of genocide if the genocide in question has been recognised
by the House.

The matter is fundamentally about the Armenian genocide, and resurfaced
last week due to the upcoming visit to Cyprus of the speaker of
the Armenian National Assembly to mark the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian genocide.

As it stands, the law states that denial of crimes against humanity
and genocide is a criminal offence only where the crime in question
has been recognised by irrevocable decision of an international court.

Cyprus is among 22 countries that have recognised the Armenian
genocide. However, because the International Criminal Court has not
recognised it, thus far denial of the genocide was not a criminal
offence here.

House Speaker Yiannakis Omirou was keen to add a clause to the
legislation, making genocide denial a criminal offence whether it
has been recognised by an international court or by a resolution of
the Cyprus parliament.

Following debate at the House legal affairs committee on Monday,
the parties took on board Omirou's legislative proposal, but with
a modification - denial of genocide will constitute a criminal
offence only where the House resolution recognising that genocide
was unanimous.

Omirou had wanted the law amended before or during the visit here by
Galust Sahakyan, speaker of the Armenian National Assembly.

Sources from the ruling DISY party told the Mail that the House may
hold an extraordinary session of the plenum on Thursday morning,
before the scheduled plenary, to pass the legal amendment.

Sahakyan, due on the island on Wednesday, is on Thursday afternoon
scheduled to address the House of Representatives.

While on an official trip to Armenia last November, Omirou appears to
have promised his Armenian counterpart that Cyprus would criminalise
the denial of the Armenian genocide, as other countries - Switzerland,
Slovakia, Greece - have done.

The same DISY sources dismissed the notion, as reported by daily
Simerini, that Omirou and the presidency were at odds over amending
the law.

The only reservations the president had was that the government was
not consulted on the matter, which pertains to foreign policy.

The sources also refuted media reports that DISY MPs had argued in
committee against criminalising denial because it might anger the
Turkish Cypriots and Turkey, particularly at this juncture when peace
talks may resume.

Cyprus was the first European country (and the second worldwide,
after Uruguay) to officially recognise the Armenian genocide. On
April 24, 1975, Resolution 36 was voted unanimously by the House
of Representatives.

Given that decision was unanimous, the criminalisation amendment now
being proposed should automatically apply to the Armenian genocide.

In turn that suggests that criminalising denial of that event was
never a point of contention among MPs - except perhaps for the fact
that DISY was making the point of principle that such decisions
must be unanimous, in this way giving the government of the day -
via the ruling party's votes in the House - leverage in foreign
policy-related matters.

Under the law, the denial or "flagrant downgrading" of recognised
war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, provided the crime
has been recognised by an international court, is punishable by up
to five years imprisonment and/or a fine of EURO 10,000.

The governments of Turkey and Azerbaijan deny the Armenian genocide.

International organisations officially recognising the Armenian
Genocide include the European Parliament, the Council of Europe,
and the World Council of Churches.

The Armenian genocide was the Ottoman government's systematic
extermination of its minority Armenian subjects from their historic
homeland within the territory constituting the present-day Republic
of Turkey.

It is estimated that 1.5 million Armenians perished between 1915
and 1923.

http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/03/31/agreement-on-criminalising-denial-of-armenian-genocide/

[Yervant1]

'FOR YOU, ARMENIA': OPEN-AIR CONCERT IN BUENOS AIRES MARKS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL
10:42 * 30.03.15

An open-air concert "For you, Armenia" dedicated to the Armenian
Genocide centennial took place in Buenos Aires.

Maestro Santiago Chotsourian directed the concert, which was attended
by thousands of citizens.

"This is one more means of protest and demand for remembering the
past," says Karlos Manougian, PR Executive, Armenian Center in
Argentina.

According to Mr Manougian, Argentine has a 120,000-strong Armenian
community. The Armenians remember their fathers who fell victim to
the crime against humanity.

The national youth choir directed by Nestor Zadoffy participated in
the concert.

Among the performers were Alla Avetisyan (soprano), Marcelo Kevorkian
(tenor), Emanuel Groh (tenor), Lourdes Flugel (soprano) and Gagyc
Gasparian (duduk).

They performed compositions by Alan Hovhannes, Arno Babajanyan, Aram
Khachatryan, Alberto Ginastera, Astor Piazzolla, Alberto Spinetta
Charles Aznavour, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giuseppe Verdi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJY2oCLLK-w

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/03/30/ayres/1631630

Edited April 1, 2015 by Yervant1

[Yervant1]

ARGENTINA'S CORDOBA AND SANTA FE OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE APRIL 24TH AS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF VICTIMS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

March 30, 2015

The parliaments of Cordoba and Santa Fe have unanimously passed bills
on proclaiming April 24 th as the Day of Solidarity between Nations and
Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide. As "Armenpress"
reports, citing PrensaArmenia.com.ar, Law 26199 of Cordoba and Law
9585 of Santa Fe (administrative center of the State of Santa Fe)
emphasize that the laws are being passed to commemorate the Centennial
of the Armenian Genocide.

It is also emphasized that with this, the two cities of Argentina are
paying their tribute to the innocent victims and attaching importance
to solidarity and mutual respect between nations. In 2006, the Senate
of Argentina recognized the Armenian Genocide. On January 15, 2006,
Argentina passed a law on condemning the first crime committed against
humanity in the early 20 th century.

http://www.horizonweekly.ca/news/details/64725

[Yervant1]

GENOCIDE FACT BECOMES KNOWN TO ENTIRE WORLD NOTWITHSTANDING TURKEY'S DENIAL POLICY: DANIEL FEIERSTEIN

11:27, 31 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 31 MARCH, ARMENPRESS: In July for several days, Yerevan will
become a gathering place of the world famous Genocide experts. More
than 300 representatives of the scientific world from different
continents will come to participate in the conference of the
International Association of Genocide Scholars. Armenpress presents an
exclusive interview with the President of the International Association
of Genocide Scholars Daniel Feierstein.

- What kind of expectations do you have with the upcoming 13th
Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars?

- All the IAGS Conferences used to be enriching due the wide spectrum
of disciplines and cultures among the IAGS members. However, this
Conference will be particularly significative due to the importance
of the centennial of the Genocide committed by the Ittihadist Turkey
against the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks. The origins of the
IAGS in 1994 were directly concerned with the recognition of the
genocide against those groups, in a moment in which the theories
of the uniqueness of the Nazi genocide were still strong. So,
many scholars of the IAGS have that recognition in our hearts as
one of the origins of the comparative genocide studies and most
of the first IAGS´s resolutions were directly concerned with the
clear recognition that the annihilation of Armenians, Assyrians and
Greeks had a genocidal dimension. That´s why the possibility to meet
for the first time in Yerevan, commemorating the annihilation of the
Armenians and contributing with the memorialization and the fight for
justice and against the oblivion makes this Conference very special
in its consequences.

- How and why had been made a decision to run the upcoming 13th
Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars
in Armenia?

- The IAGS issues Call for Proposals for its next Conferences,
usually a couple of years before. As usual, we have received many good
proposals but no one had doubts when we have received the proposal
by the Armenian Genocide Museum to host the 2015 Conference in Yerevan.

The significance of being in Yerevan in the moment of the Centennial
of the genocide was too strong for the Committee which took the
decission. On the other hand, the proposal prepared by the Museum
was quite good and it will guarantee an outstanding and enriching
Conference, probably one of the most important in the whole history
of the IAGS.

- What kind of actions are needed in international recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, taking in to account the
fact that 100 years after the crime it had not achieved the proper
appraisal from the international society. The last fact promotes the
repetition of such crimes?

- In my opinion, the most important element is to spread the
information among the civil population all over the world and to
allow the different societies to deal with the consequences of the
genocide, either in Turkey, in the diasporas and elsewhere. I am
convinced that, during the last decades, most of these objectives
were successful beyond the role of the different govts in Turkey. The
genocide committed by the Ittihadist State was denied for more than
70 years but during the last decades it became clear in almost the
whole world what happened and even if the current government in Turkey
continues denying the facts or pushing different States against that
recognition, most of the people know (inside and outside Turkey)
what happened to the Ottoman society between 1915 and 1917 and the
following years. I am not particularly confident in the political
recognitions by international bodies like Parliaments but it is more
important the deep and more fruitful work with the civil societies,
the works in schools, universities, in the streets of any country and
the different ways in working through the consequences of the different
genocidal experiences, the eternal fight for justice, truth and memory.

- 100 years ago Osmanian Turkey massacring Armenians and other
Christians for their nationality and belief. Then the same happened to
Jews. Today in Northern Iraq under the target are the Yezidis. Arising
from the previous question, how would you evaluate the actions of
the international society and global superpowers to prevent Yezidis'
Genocide.

- During the last century many populations (like the Yazidis nowadays)
have been victims of the games of geopolitics, sometimes direct
or indirect victims of the different types of intervention of the
"super-powers" in societies in which they ignore almost everything.

The ISIS was not a genuine product of the Islamic world but, as other
organizations like Al Qaeda or others, a creation of intelligence
services of the "super-powers" trying to overthrow or destabilize
secular Islamic governments (it was the case in Irak or Aghanistan in
the past and it is the case, for example, in Bangladesh nowadays with
groups like Jamaat al Islami). So, instead of asking for more and more
"military interventions" against "enemies" which change day-by-day
(the heroes used to be devils months after and no one remember what
the media said a year ago) my conviction is that the international
community should be more respectful and supportive of the own processes
in each region. The most destabilized regions in the Islamic world
nowadays are the places which suffered foreign military interventions
by the UN or the "super-powers" (Irak, Afghanistan, Libya) or places in
which the foreign intervention supported militarily different groups
trying to influence in a possible civil war (like in Sirya). So,
it is quite clear the these "interventions" have not produced any
kind of improvement for the civilian population.

On the contrary, the number of civilians killed multiplied by 3, 5
or 6 after the military interventions. In all of these countries the
situation worsened from a repressive regime to a total anarchy and
chaos, in which genocidal groups like ISIS or others could grow and
expand and different military gangs took control of different regions.

So, it is clear that reality is far more complex than the superficial
and banal pictures presented by the international media and that,
so, we need a deeper and more careful analysis before any decission
to drop bombs or send military equipment. To recover the humanitarian
character of international interventions instead of military actions,
the involvement with regional and national institutions and the
cooperation South-South have shown better results than "dropping
bombs" or creating "no-fly zones". The "super-powers" have been the
mega-killers during the XXth Century, so particularly the southerners
like me (I am Argentine) have no hopes at all they will be the ones to
protect the world from genocide. Maybe we should start the work among
us (the ones who suffered the violence) trying to develop smaller
but more effective ways to work together, asking the "super-powers
(or mega-killers)" to stop sending weapons to our regions instead of
asking them to send more.

Interview by Anahit Minasyan

Photo by www.lmneuquen.com.ar

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/799817/genocide-fact-becomes-known-to-entire-world-notwithstanding-turkey%E2%80%99s-denial-policy-daniel-feierstein.html

[Yervant1]

REDDIT COFOUNDER TO COMMEMORATE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS IN YEREVAN

12:07, 31 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 31 MARCH, ARMENPRESS.

The cofounder of the world famous social news website Reddit
of Armenian origin Alexis Ohanian will arrive in Armenia on the
Centennial day of the Armenian Genocide. He will be here with his
father and will wait for US recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenpress presents the exclusive interview of Alexis Ohanian, who
has great achievements in the field of technology.

- First of all, can you tell us a bit about you and the story of
your family?

- The families of my parents were orphaned when the Turkish government
cleansed the Armenian population in central Turkey during the Armenian
Genocide. My mother was one of the refugees that marched out -- many
died including her brother and sister -- through Turkey to Aleppo,
Syria. My father's parents were murdered, in his presence, when the
Turks stormed his town. A soldier on horseback was about to kill him
with a sword when his friend told him to stop, because he was too
young, and as only child, my father was then taken to an orphanage
in Turkey and left there. He first came to the US around 1920 and
later he found that my mother was living in Aleppo -- they had been
next-door neighbors and he brought her to the United States and they
married soon thereafter. They had 4 children, 3 girls and a boy. I had
one older sister and two younger sisters. I was the second child. If
I learned anything from my parents, it was to take care of yourself
and your own needs and your family needs and that the family was the
most important part of growing up.

- Once in Armenia you declared that your "best half" is Armenian. Did
the Armenian roots change anything in your life?

- I'm proud of being German, too (my other half) but I just kid about
this, because there are so few of us Armenians in the world and we
are so proud, as we should be. Going back to Armenia had a tremendous
impact on me.

- Your grandfather John Ohanyan called Turkey to recognize Armeinan
Genocide. It is interesting to know your opinion about it?

-I'll be in Armenia with my father on this April to hopefully see
that USA recognizes the Armenian Genocide at last. We actually taped
an episode of the reddit podcast all about Armenians and Genocide
that we will launch on April 23.

- Will you arrive to Armenia on April 24?

-I think I'll arrive on 22 April.

- Referring to your professional activities, I would like to know what
new initiative do you have? You are a cofounder of the Reddit social
networking and news website, which have achieved success. Which one
will be the next?

- Now I'm back at the reddit as executive chair and I'm excited for
all the things that we're working on. The big goal now is to grow
from one of the 10 largest websites in the USA.

- A few days ago you participated in "Innovate Armenia" forum, what
further plans do you have connected with Armenia?

- I'll be speaking at TUMO on April 25 for an event, which is organized
by my friend Raffi Krikorian.

- The Armenian Government announced the IT sector as a priority, and
the experts say that Armenia has big potential in that field. Do you
agree with that point and how do you see the future in that direction?

- Yes. That's what my Innovate Armenia speech was about and that's
what I have been saying for years to anyone who would listen to me.

Let's get our Armenian brothers and sisters writing code and familiar
with technology.

Interview by Ani Nazaryan

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/799823/reddit-cofounder-to-commemorate-armenian-genocide-victims-in-yerevan.html

[Yervant1]

PUTIN WILL ATTEND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIONS IN YEREVAN

13:58, 31 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the Armenian Genocide
commemoration events in Yerevan, Speaker of the Russian State Duma
Sergey Naryshkin said at a meeting with Armenian Parliament Speaker
Galust Sahakyan. A number of Russian lawmakers are also expected to
attend the events.

Naryshkin said the State Duma will adopt a document in the near
futureto express the position of the Russian side on these historic
events.

Sergey Nayshkin also attached importance to the conduct of events
in Armenia dedicated to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and
emphasized the role of the Armenian people in that great victory.

Galust Sahakyan voiced hope that the visit would boost the inter-state
relations between the two countries and promote the further
strengthening of inter-parliamentary cooperation. He noted that the
allied relationship and strategic partnership between Armenia and
Russia is based on the centuries-old friendship of the two brotherly
peoples, strong cultural and spiritual ties.

The Armenian Parliament Speaker highlighted Russia's constructive
role in the strengthening of regional security, particularly in the
settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.



http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/31/putin-will-attend-armenian-genocide-centennial-commemorations-in-yerevan/

[Yervant1]

DELEGATES OF 12 COUNTRIES OF FRANCOPHONIE WILL ADOPT RESOLUTION CONDEMNING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

14:50, 31 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 31 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The session of presidents of
the European regional sections of the Parliamentary Assembly of
Francophonie is held in Yerevan. The parliamentarians of 12 European
countries, such as France, Belgium, Poland, Italy, Monaco, Jersey,
Bulgaria, etc., were gathered in the National Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia, heading their countries' delegations of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Francophonie.

The Head of the Armenian delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Francophonie, Republican MP Margarit Yesayan in a conversation with
"Armenpress" informed, that at the end of session a resolution will
be adopted, which condemns the Armenian Genocide. "We have reached an
agreement, that today we will adopt the resolution on the recognition
and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide.

I hope that this resolution will be adopted by the end of the session,
with which the genocide is condemned and demanded from Turkey to
face its own history. By this resolution we express our hope, that
the recognition of the Genocide by Turkey brings a result in the
development of Armenian-Turkish relations. Beside this, we condemn
the other genocides in the background of the Armenian Genocide,
so that they are never repeated again," the MP underscored.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/799862/delegates-of-12-countries-of-francophonie-will-adopt-resolution-condemning-armenian-genocide.html

[Yervant1]

SWEDISH CITY OF SODERTALJE TO HOST ARMENIAN GENOCIDE EXHIBITION

16:53, 31 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The City Hall of the Swedish city of Sodertalje will host an exhibition
dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The exhibition aims to raise awareness of the historical events that
led to the genocide.

The exhibition is a product of cooperation between Sodertalje and
the interested public groups, including the Armenian Associations,
the National Assyrian Association, Chaldean Federation of Sweden,
Pontian Greeks compound and Syriac Federation.

The exhibition will run from April 15 to May 15. The event will be
inaugurated by Sodertalje Mayor Boel Godner, Mayor.

The event will feature a speech by Turkish publicist and writer Ragip
Zarakolu and short lectures by famous experts in the field. This will
be followed by a panel discussion with guest speakers.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/31/swedish-city-of-sodertalje-to-host-armenian-genocide-exhibition/

[Yervant1]

FILM ABOUT ARMENIA TO BE BROADCAST ON GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN TELEVISION CHANNELS IN APRIL

17:34, 31 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 31 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. German filmmaker and playwright
Christian Papke's documentary film "Armenia: Long Road of Shadows"
will be broadcast on German and Austrian television channels in April.

In an interview with "Armenpress", the director of the 45-minute film
mentioned that he had received an offer from the National Television
of Germany to produce a film about Armenia. "I spent a long time in
Armenia. I have read a lot about your country, but I'm not certain
if I have been able to know it completely," the director mentioned,
adding that he was most impressed with the Khor Virap Monastery.

When asked what his impressions of modern-day Armenia were, the
German filmmaker/playwright mentioned: "You Armenians are living in
very difficult times. The country is taking its first steps after
being deprived of sovereignty for many years and finally gaining
independence. In some sense, Armenia is like a teenager enjoying
life and discovering herself, but who is also inexperienced and makes
mistakes. This is my impression," Papke emphasized.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/799905/film-about-armenia-to-be-broadcast-on-german-and-austrian-television-channels-in-april.html

[Yervant1]

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILLBOARDS IN MONTREAL METROS

March 31, 2015

Armenian Genocide Billboards were placed in Montreal metro stations
starting today, along with electronic screens in subway cars. Support
this initiative and similar projects, please donate by visiting
www.fightgenocide.ca

http://www.horizonweekly.ca/news/details/64798

[Yervant1]

THE YOUNG TURKS AND ATATURK ILLEGITIMATELY POSSESSED THE HOMELAND OF THE ARMENIANS: GERMAN ECONOMIST

20:15, 31 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 31 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. In its April issue, Canada's famous
Ottawa Magazine has published an interview with famous German
economist, President of the Institute for Economic Research of Germany
Hans Sinn. In the interview with Steven Dale, Sinn has touched upon the
consequences of the Armenian Genocide and the opportunities to confront
the growing barbarity through peace. As "Armenpress" reports, Sinn
mentioned that the Young Turks and Ataturk illegitimately possessed
the homeland of the Armenians and Kurds by initially planning and
perpetrating the massacres and the deportations of the Armenians
and Kurds. The Armenians and Kurds had paid the price before Ataturk
was able to save the Ottoman Empire, the legal successor of which is
modern-day Turkey.

Sinn stressed the fact that the Armenian Genocide is an issue
concerning all mankind and not only the Turks and Armenians.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/799933/the-young-turks-and-ataturk-illegitimately-possessed-the-homeland-ofthe-armenians-german-economist.html

[Yervant1]

MORE THAN 200 GERMAN ACTORS WILL READ FRANZ WERFEL'S "40 DAYS OF MUSA DAGH" IN NUREMBERG

21:09, 31 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

More than 200 German actors will read Franz Werfel's "40 Days of Musa
Dagh" at the Nuremberg State Theatre, German film director Christian
Papke told reporters in Yerevan.

"We have planned to organize a 40-hour ongoing reading of that novel
by 200 actors. It is good that the world is awakening again," he said.

"Events commemorating the Armenian Genocide victims will be held
across Germany this year," the director said.

He added that a concert by a renowned Armenian opera singer will
conclude the commemorations.

The German director said he doesn't think that the society is now
aware of the tragedy, adding that proper work needs to be done to
fill that information gap.

"An informed society and its position are the most important, because
in democratic societies it is the public dictating its opinion to the
political elite," Christian Papke said as he presented his country's
position on the Armenian Genocide.

Papke is the author of an Armenian Genocide film shot within the
framework of the "Talking about Borders" project. The documentary
"Armenia: Long Road of Shadows" will premiere in Germany on April 22,
and will be screened in Austria on April 23.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/31/more-than-200-german-actors-will-read-franz-werfels-40-days-of-musa-dagh-in-nuremberg/

[Yervant1]

FEAR AMONG TURKEY'S ARMENIANS, AMID ANGER AT GERMANY OVER ATROCITIES

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Germany
March 31, 2015 Tuesday 12:05 PM EST

By Can Merey, dpa

They were sent on death marches into the desert, beaten to death or
shot: 100 years ago, Turkey's atrocities against the Armenians began.

Some descendants of the survivors are now living in Turkey in fear,
but they are also angry - and want Germany to apologize for its role.

Diyarbakir, Turkey (dpa) - Hardly any of his ancestors survived the
massacre of the Armenians during the Ottoman Empire a century ago.

Gafur Turkay's grandfather was one of the lucky few.

The grandson, now 50 years old, sits in the courtyard of St Giragos
Armenian Church in the south-east Turkish city of Diyarbakir, now a
Kurdish stronghold, in the spring sunshine.

When asked what life is like for the descendants of the massacre's
survivors, he says: "If you consider that the word 'Armenian' is
still used as an insult, you can imagine how hard it is."

Turkay alludes to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said during
his election campaign in August that although he is a Turk, he was
often called a Georgian as an insult, or "even uglier things" like
an Armenian.

Turkay harbours a barely concealed grudge, aimed also at Germany.

He is the chairman of the local foundation for the church, which is
the largest Armenian place of worship in the Middle East, but which
was a ruin until it was restored in 2010 with donations from Armenians
in Turkey and in the diaspora.

St Giragos Church, which German soldiers used as a barracks during
World War I, is shining with renewed splendour, although there are
very few services held there as the Armenian community in Diyarbakir
numbers a mere handful of believers.

On the most important religious days, a priest flies in from Istanbul,
where there are an estimated 60,000 Armenians, making it the largest
community in Turkey.

Diyarbakir was an Armenian stronghold until the expulsions during
World War I. "At the beginning of the 20th century, 60 per cent of
the population was Christian," Turkay says.

"Three groups survived the genocide: children, pretty girls and master
craftsmen." Turkay's grandfather belonged to the first group.

Nearly all the survivors converted to Islam either because they were
forced to or because they hoped it would offer them protection.

The grandfather was raised as a Muslim by a Kurdish family, and even
Turkay's father went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Turkay was himself
raised as a Muslim, but he says he always knew of his Armenian
background.

Five years ago, he returned to his roots, and was even baptized.

An increasing number of Turkish Armenians are acknowledging their
background, but very few are brave enough to turn their backs on Islam.

"Some are ashamed," Turkay says. "They grew up as Muslims." Added
to the fact that Armenians have been "murdered and repressed" for a
hundred years it is not surprising that "they are really afraid."

In 2004, just one single married couple in Diyarbakir admitted to
the fact that they were Armenian. Today there are between 300 and
400 people who are willing to do so, according to the Kurdish former
mayor of Diyarbakir old city, Abdullah Demirbas.

The majority have remained Muslim, he says, adding that the real figure
for the number of people with Armenian roots must be much, much higher.

Ergun Ayik, the chairman of the Armenian Church Foundation living
in Istanbul, said that only 10 or 20 people had been baptized in
Diyarbakir, but he said that the reconstruction of the local church
had encouraged people to acknowledge their Armenian roots.

"But many remain Muslim. They have families, they have a life. It is
very difficult for them," Ayik says.

Armenians in Turkey are still very cautious about revealing their
background to their fellow citizens, Ayik says. "If it is not
necessary, we don't say it."

Demirbas, who is a candidate in June's parliamentary elections for
the pro-Kurdish party HDP, supported the reconstruction of the church
when he was mayor.

His work for the Armenians and other minorities caused him a lot of
trouble with the Turkish state, which to this day does not recognize
any genocide against the Armenians, nor does Germany, Demirbas says.

"For me, it was genocide and a crime against humanity," he says. "I
have personally apologized for it."

Turkay thinks the issue of classifying the atrocities of a century ago,
when Armenians say 1.5 million people were killed, is unreasonable.

"We shouldn't even be discussing it," he says, visibly angered. "Even
my grandmother said that the cows in the field know it was genocide."

The Germans, whose empire was allied with the Ottomans in World War I,
are just as responsible for it as the Turks, he says.

"The Germans bear the responsibility for every drop of Armenian blood,"
Turkay says. "In my opinion, the Armenians have the right to hate the
Germans for the next 100 years. If they hadn't supported the Ottoman
Empire, it would all not have happened."

Ayik puts it a little more diplomatically, saying that he does not
care if the German government recognizes the massacre of his people
as genocide. "An apology would be enough."

[Yervant1]

VERMONT LEGISLATURE UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL RESOLUTION

12:04, 01 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Vermont legislature strengthened the standing of the Green Mountain
State as a leader in the genocide prevention movement by unanimously
adopting a concurrent resolution (H.C.R. 86) commemorating the Armenian
Genocide Centennial and hosting a day-long series of events honoring
the victims of this crime against humanity, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America - Eastern Region (ANCA-ER).

The legislation was spearheaded on the House side by Representative
Joan G. Lenes, who is a descendant of an Assyrian Genocide survivor,
and Representative Adam Greshin. Lead Senate supporters of the
resolution included Senators Dick Sears, Philip Baruth and Diane
Snelling with 14 of 30 Senators cosponsoring the measure.

"It was a wonderful day of people sharing a common past - not
forgetting that, yet still learning and looking forward so that we are
a better people," noted Rep. Lenes following passage of the resolution.

Prior to its reading in the General Assembly, Vermont's own Lokum
Band - Jeff Davis, Peter Bingham, and Charlie Jones - played several
Armenian musical pieces as part of the devotional exercises, garnering
a standing ovation from legislators. Later, Rep. Lenes introduced
the Armenian community members in attendance and invited one and all
to a noon presentation about the Armenian Genocide by authors Chris
Bohjalian and Dana Walrath.

"I was so proud to be a Vermonter today -- and I was so proud of the
Vermont legislature," said Bohjalian, whose internationally acclaimed
novel on the Armenian Genocide - "The Sandcastle Girls" - was a
New York Times best seller. "By recognizing the Armenian Genocide,
legislators gave voice to those voices that were forever stilled
in Der-el-Zor and Ras-el-Ain and the Dudan Crevasse. Today Vermont
helped spread the truth of what occurred a century ago on the Anatolian
plains and the Syrian desert, and helped quiet the voice of denial."

"Today Vermont legislators chose social justice over political
exigency," said Walrath, who recently published "Like Water on Stone,"
a verse novel about the genocide that is based on her grandmother's
history. "Shame, pride, and oil are not good enough reasons to deny
the Armenian genocide. Their detailed resolution honors those who
suffered and those who have worked tirelessly to erase genocide from
this earth. This resolution can serve as a model for other states. I
am proud to be a citizen of Vermont, a small state with a big heart."

Following the presentation, ANC Vermont activist Nareg Aghjayan joined
with local community leaders in hosting a reception with Armenian
delicacies for the over 100 legislators and supporters in attendance
at the commemoration.

"The few yet mighty members of the Armenian American community in the
Green Mountain State, collectively thank the Vermont General Assembly
in unanimously passing Resolution H.C.R. 86 commemorating the Armenian
Genocide Centennial," said Aghjayan. "On behalf of ANC-Vermont and
its entire grassroots family, we warmly welcome the continued support
of Vermonters on this crucial human rights issue."

ANCA Eastern Region Chairman Steve Mesrobian concurred. "We applaud
the leadership of Representatives Lenes and Greshin and Senators Sears
Baruth and Snelling in ensuring the unanimous passage of this historic
resolution by the Vermont Legislature. We would particularly like
to thank Chris Bohjalian and Dana Walrath for educating generations
about the Armenian Genocide through their presentations today and
their literary works read across the U.S. and the world. The people of
Vermont have spoken on this important topic through their Legislative
body and we call on the United States government to follow suit in
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, particularly at this important
juncture of our nation's history," explained Mesrobian.

The State of Vermont first recognized the Armenian Genocide when
Governor James Douglas proclaimed April 24, 2004, as "Armenian
Martyrs Day" in Vermont. Forty-three U.S. states have recognized the
Armenian Genocide, with additional states considering legislation in
the upcoming months.

The full text of H.C.R. 86 follows:

Montpelier, Vermont

Concurrent House Resolution

H.C.R. 86

House concurrent resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of
the start of the Armenian Genocide

Offered by: Representatives Lenes of Shelburne and Greshin of Warren

Offered by: Senators Sears, Baruth, Balint, Benning, Campion,
Collamore, Cummings, Flory, McCormack, Mullin, Pollina, Snelling,
White, and Zuckerman

Whereas, from 1915 to 1923, the government of the Ottoman Empire
persecuted and executed systematically an estimated 1.5 million
Armenians, and

Whereas, this brutal mistreatment became known as the Armenian
Genocide and, by 1923, it had resulted in the elimination of the
Armenian population in Asia Minor and historic West Armenia, and

Whereas, the Armenian Genocide began on the night of April 24, 1915,
when the Turkish government arrested more than 200 Armenian community
leaders in Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire's capital city, and

Whereas, most of the prominent public figures of the Armenian community
were summarily executed, and

Whereas, large numbers of Armenian civilians were forcibly deported
to the Syrian desert, and many died either en route, at the hands of
government-aligned gangs, or from dehydration and starvation in the
desert, and

Whereas, in May 1915, the Allied Powers of France, Great Britain,
and Russia issued a joint statement charging the government
in Constantinople with committing crimes "against humanity and
civilization," the first time a government-to-government charge of
this type was issued, and

Whereas, it is estimated that, by 1918, the Ottoman Empire's brutal
treatment of Armenians had resulted in the deaths of one million
persons and made hundreds of thousands of others homeless and stateless
refugees, and

Whereas, Raphael Lemkin, the initial drafter of the United Nations
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
and the originator of the term "genocide," recognized the Armenian
Genocide as the type of crime the United Nations should prevent
through the establishment of international standards, and

Whereas, historians cite the Armenian Genocide as a forerunner of
later human massacres, including the Holocaust, the Cambodian Killing
Fields, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur, and

Whereas, on April 24, 2004, Governor James Douglas issued a
proclamation recognizing the Armenian Genocide on the 89th anniversary
of its initiation, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:

That the General Assembly commemorates the 100th anniversary of the
start of the Armenian Genocide, and be it further

Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of
this resolution to the Armenian National Committee of Vermont.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/04/01/vermont-legislature-unanimously-adopts-armenian-genocide-centennial-resolution/

[Yervant1]

IT'S HIGH TIME NORWAY AND OTHER COUNTRIES RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: EXPERT ON NANSEN

11:44, 1 April, 2015

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS: The Norwegian historian and expert on
Nansen Carl Emil Vogt is strictly distressed by the position of his
country on the Armenian Genocide. Armenpress presents an exclusive
interview with Carl Emil Vogt, the biographer of the great humanist
Fridtjof Nansen, where he touches upon the position of Norway on the
Armenian Genocide, the heritage, left by Nansen and the necessity of
international recognition on the Armenian Genocide centennial.

- Dear Mr. Vogt, taking into account Fridtjof Nansen's activities
aimed to protect the violated rights of Armenian people which found
refuge in foreign countries due to Armenian Genocide, how would you
assess Norway's nowadays position on the Armenian Genocide?

- While for instance Norway's Scandinavian neighbor Sweden officially
recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Norway does not. The hesitance to
call the Genocide by its correct name has of course to do with Norway's
membership in NATO. Turkey is therefore an ally, and as the Turkish
government is very active in preventing the use of the word Genocide
globally, Norway avoids the term. I myself deliberately used the term
in the exhibition Transit at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo in 2011,
an exhibition to celebrate Fridtjof Nansen's 150th anniversary. The
Turkish ambassador to Norway protested formally to the Director of
the Nobel Institute. The protest was never answered.

While Sweden is not a NATO country, it is however true that several
NATO countries formally recognize the Genocide.

- Norway gave a birth to such a great humanist as Nansen. Don't
you think that Norway commits a sin before Nansen's memory denying
Armenian Genocide?

- It is true that Norway has taken up the position favored by many
countries that the term <> should not be used. I do think
this is a very deplorable and tragic mistake.

- You have done many researches on Nansen and his activities. What
events will you highlight regarding the Armenian refuges?

- Nansen was a true friend of the Armenian people. From very early on,
he was aware of the mass killings of Christians, Armenians and Greeks
in particular, in the Ottoman Empire. As the League of Nations' High
Commissioner for Refugees he saw the sufferings of the Armenians. But
it was really as head of an expert commission of the League of Nations
to Soviet Armenia in 1925 that Nansen became a dedicated friend of
the Armenian cause. He saw villages destroyed during the genocide and
was told horrible stories of what had happened. This made a great
impression on Nansen and changed him forever. For the rest of his
lifetime he fought the Armenian struggle.

- As a scholar how will you contribute to raising awareness about
the Armenian Genocide for future generations?

- When approached by people who wonders if they should use the term
"genocide", I encourage them to do so. I tell them that this is not
controversial, but a fact only denied by Turkish authorities. I use
the term whenever I have the opportunity. I will also try and promote
knowledge about the Armenian Genocide as a scholar.

- What is your call to Norwegian people, to Turkey and to international
community ahead of the 100th anniversary of the biggest crime against
humanity?

- It is about time that Norway and other countries officially recognize
the Armenian Genocide. It is already done by France, Canada, Sweden,
Poland, Lithuania and many other countries. Norway, Fridtjof Nansen's
country, should follow. Turkey should acknowledge historical facts
and stop persecuting people who only express their opinion on the
matter. Turkey should fully commit to basic human rights like the
freedom of expression.

- Are you planning to visit Armenia in future?

- I visited Armenia in 1999 and was impressed that Nansen's memory is
still alive among ordinary Armenians. Armenia is a beautiful country
with a rich and interesting culture, and I would love to go back. The
memory of the sight of the distant Mount Ararat from Yerevan is always
with me.

Interview by Araks Kasyan

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/799985/it%E2%80%99s-high-time-norway-and-other-countries-recognize-armenian-genocide-expert-on-nansen.html

[Yervant1]

YAIR AURON READS THE TESTIMONY OF DAVIT MELKONIAN

April 1, 2015 09:39
EXCLUSIVE

Yair Auron

Photo: Mediamax

Mediamax presents 100 Seconds project devoted to Armenian Genocide
Centennial. The project is based on testimonies of Genocide survivors
published by the National Archive of Armenia.

Yair Auron is an Israeli historian, scholar and expert specializing
on Holocaust and Genocide studies. Since 2005, he serves as the Head
of the Department of Sociology, Political Science and Communication
of The Open University of Israel and an Associate Professor.

For 100 seconds project Yair Auron reads an extract from Armenian
Genocide survivors Davit Melkonian's and Hmayak Matevosian's testimony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8k97WyLkOs

National Archives of Armenia Collection of Documents

Testimony of survivors Davit Melkonian and Hmayak Matevosian on the
massacre of the village of Khasgyugh in Mush district of Mush province

On Sunday morning, the village was suddenly besieged and strong
shooting started. Then they gathered all the men and announced that
they would be given releasing papers so that nobody would persecute
them anymore.

But the next day in the morning, they tied everybody to one other -
more than 700 men, murdered them one by one and threw them into the
large pit near the village.

Our women and little children were gathered on Thursday and taken to
the village of Yershter where they were told that they would be sent
to Germany as captives.

However, many of the women had a presentiment about the imminent
disaster and left their children on the streets of the village not
to see their death.

All those who were taken to the village were burnt alive. They also
made the Armenians gather the children from the streets and throw
them into pits.

Producers: Ara Tadevosyan Filming: Lena Gevorgyan, Mariam Loretsyan
Post Production: Tumo LLC

The source of Davit Melkonian's and Hmayak Matevosian' testimony:
National Archives of Armenia, Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turkey,
1915, Testimony of survivors, Collection of documents, Yerevan-2013.

VivaCell-MTS is the general partner of 100 seconds project.

http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/100seconds/13694#sthash.lq2Zcy2c.dpuf

[Yervant1]

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT TO BE UNVEILED IN ARIZONA

11:43, 02 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The third annual Scottsdale Community College Genocide Awareness
Week, held April 13-18, will feature a diverse lineup of speakers
and exhibits designed to call attention to the ongoing problem of
genocide around the world, Jewish News reports.

" 'Never forget' is essential," says John Liffiton, a professor
at SCC and one of the event organizers. "But what is really an
important aspect, and we have failed miserably at it, is 'never
again.' ... You've got to make sure that people are aware that this
is happening now."

This year's event has a special focus on the Armenian genocide;
April 24 will mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the mass
killing of at least 1 million Armenians by the Ottoman government.

Other genocides addressed during the event include the Navajo
relocation, the Kurdish genocide, and the murder of Ukrainians by
Joseph Stalin during the 1920s. The "Helène Berr, A Stolen Life"
exhibit is on display through May 15.

Saturday, April 18, will again be an educator day that draws teachers
from around the state looking to gain insight on how to teach the
Holocaust to their students. Liffiton says that in years past, about
130 educators attended, and he is hoping that number goes up this year.

After the close of Genocide Awareness Week, a memorial in honor of
all genocides will be dedicated in a public ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday,
April 24.

The full lineup of Genocide Awareness Week events can be found online
atscottsdalecc.edu/promo/genocide-awareness-week-2015. Events with
Jewish content include:

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/04/02/armenian-genocide-monument-to-be-unveiled-in-arizona/

http://www.jewishaz.com/community/genocide-awareness-week-returns/article_88f93984-d7ed-11e4-9fe6-5b44d0af27d0.html

[Yervant1]

13:10 02/04/2015 » POLITICS

Cypriot parliament adopts law criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial

The parliament of Cyprus has adopted a law criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide, Arsen Babayan, head of the Armenian National Assembly's press service, told Panorama.am.

The parliament of Cyprus on Thursday debated the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial.
A delegation of Armenian National Assembly, led by Speaker Galust Sahakyan, is in Cyprus on an official visit.

Similar laws have been adopted by parliaments of Greece, Switzerland and Slovakia.

Source: Panorama.am