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PRESS RELEASE
May 27, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT AGAINST TURKISH GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN
ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CONFERENCE
“The sad reality, Mr. Speaker, is that when it comes to facing the
judgment of history about the Armenian genocide, Turkey, rather
than acknowledging the truth, has instead chosen to trample on the
rights of its citizens and still maintain lies.”
— Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
WASHINGTON, DC Members of Congress this week expressed outrage and
disappointment at the Turkish Government’s recent decision to block
a planned academic conference on the Armenian Genocide, reported
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The event, organized by scholars from Turkey’s Bilgi, Bogazici and
Sabanci Universities, was scheduled to take place May 25-27th at
Bosphorus University.
In remarks of the House floor yesterday, Congressional Armenian
Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) commented that the
government’s forced cancellation of the conference “further affirms
the speculation that the image that the Turkish Government has
attempted to create for itself is nothing more than a desperate
attempt to create a facade. Contrary to what Turkish Prime Minister
Erdogan and other Turkish officials would have us believe, the
Government of Turkey is not democratic, is not committed to
creating a democracy, is not making an effort to create better
relations with Armenia and is definitely not ready to join the
European Union.”
Rep. Pallone went on to explain that the U.S. “cannot sit by and
allow any nation that we consider an ally and a nation that is
desperately seeking admission into the European Union to behave in
such a manner. To bring this development into perspective, consider
that according to current law in Turkey, dozens of U.S. Senators
and hundreds of Congressmen would be punished simply for having
voted for Armenian Genocide resolutions, spoken about the lessons
of this crime against humanity or commemorated the victims of the
atrocity. So, too, would the American academic establishment, human
rights groups, the mainstream media and just about everyone else
aside from the Turkish Embassy and its paid lobbyists here in
Washington, D.C.”
Fellow Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg questioned the
Turkish Government’s commitment to democracy and free speech. “An
important test of whether a country is a healthy democracy is
whether someone can go out into a town square and speak their
opinions freely. When the Turkish government cancels an academic
conference like this and calls the participants traitors, it
becomes very clear that they have not made a sufficient commitment
to protecting free speech. These actions seriously undermine
Turkey’s credibility,” stated Rep. Knollenberg.
California Democrat Adam Schiff, author of the 2004 “Schiff
Amendment” on the Armenian Genocide, concurred. “The decision to
hold a conference at Bogazici University to discuss the Armenian
Genocide held out promise that Turkey would begin confronting all
aspects of its Ottoman past. Cancellation of the conference, and
the Justice Minister’s inflammatory accusation of ‘treason,’ shows
that Turkey’s intellectual freedom and academic independence has
taken one step forward and two giant steps back. How much longer
will it take modern Turkey to recognize the facts of a genocide now
90 years old,” asked Rep. Schiff.
Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), who spearheaded a successful effort
in 1996 to cut foreign aid to Turkey due to its ongoing denial of
the Armenian Genocide, stated: “Turkish government pressure on
historians from Bilgi, Bogazici and Sabanci Universities to cancel
the Armenian Genocide conference is yet another indication of the
Turkish government’s repression of freedom of speech and lack of
respect for academic freedom. The action exposes as a hollow
gesture Prime Minister Erdogan’s call for a dialogue between
Turkish and Armenian historians. The Turkish government’s labeling
of Turkish academics as ‘traitors’ simply for discussing the
Genocide amongst themselves underscores the need for those of us
here, in the United States, to call on Ankara to end its campaign
of genocide denial.”
Urging Turkey to end its ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide,
Michigan Republican Thaddeus McCotter argued, “Only honesty can
begin to ease the ache of this evil perpetrated upon the Armenian
people, and to further guard against a recrudescence of genocide
anywhere in our world. Thus, any delay in acknowledging and
apologizing for their nation’s abhorrent historical crime only
serves to embolden other proponents of genocide, and to implicate
this generation of Turks in the sins of the past.”
Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ) took direct aim at statements by Turkish
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, who dubbed conference organizers as
“traitors.” “I condemn the recent action taken by the Turkish
government to censor academic debate about the Armenian Genocide.
Democracy and truth were thrown out the window when Turkish Justice
Minister Cemil Cicek accused historians at three prestigious
Turkish universities of treason when they attempted to debate the
issue of the Armenian Genocide. Turkey does not deserve to be
granted membership in the European Union if they continue to shut
down educated discussion about this issue.”
The Conference, titled “Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of the
Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy,” was
jointly organized by the Comparative Literature Department of
Bilgi University, the History Department of Bogazici University and
the History Program at Sabanci University. Originally set to take
place May 25th-27th at Bosphorus University, the schedule was to
include over 30 papers by Turkish scholars from Turkey and abroad.
In the days leading up to the conference, Turkish Government
officials spoke stridently against the conference and its
organizers. Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, in a speech
before the Turkish Parliament on Tuesday, went so far as to accuse
the academics of “treason.” The Minister described the conference
as a “a stab in the back to the Turkish nation.” Cicek expressed
regret that, as Justice Minister, he could not personally prosecute
the organizers and participants.
The government crackdown on the conference is the most recent
chapter in the Turkish government’s 90-year campaign of genocide
denial. This effort has intensified in recent years. In 2003,
Education Minister Hikmet Cetin issued a decree making student
participation in a nation-wide essay contest denying the Armenian
Genocide compulsory. The most recent revisions to the Turkish
Penal Code criminalize references to the Armenian Genocide and the
removal of troops from Turkish occupied northern Cyprus.
The complete text of Rep. Pallone’s May 26th statement on the House
floor is provided below.
#####
Statement by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone
(D-NJ) in Opposition to the Cancellation of the Genocide Conference
in Turkey
Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon to voice my outrage and great
disappointment about a recent development in Turkey. A conference
set to begin yesterday in Bogazici University, of Turkish scholars
and academics, entitled “Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of
the Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy,”
was indefinitely postponed by the university organizers.
According to Agence France-Presse, Turkish Justice Minister Cemil
Cicek yesterday accused conference organizers of committing
treason, saying, “We must put an end to this cycle of treason and
insults, of spreading propaganda against the Turkish nation by
people who belong to it.” In addition, Turkish officials have
demanded copies of all papers submitted to the conference.
The development further affirms the speculation that the image that
the Turkish Government has attempted to create for itself is
nothing more than a desperate attempt to create a facade. Contrary
to what Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and other Turkish officials
would have us believe, the Government of Turkey is not democratic,
is not committed to creating a democracy, is not making an effort
to create better relations with Armenia and is definitely not ready
to join the European Union.
Over the last year, we have witnessed the Government of Turkey
attempt to move towards democratization. However, the manner in
which they have chosen to do so is an insult to any truly
democratic government. Their attempts have included the adoption of
a penal code that, in reality, represents a dramatic display of the
Turkish government’s campaign to deny the Armenian genocide.
Furthermore, this new criminal code further hindered improved
relations between the Republic of Armenia and Turkey.
Section 306 of this penal code punishes individual Turkish citizens
or groups that confirm the fact of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman
Turkey or call for the end of the Turkish occupation of Northern
Cyprus, with up to 10 years in prison. Far from coming to terms
with the genocide or reaching out to Armenia, Turkey, in adopting
Section 306 of its new penal code, hardened its anti-Armenian
stance and undermined hopes for reduction of tension in the region.
This sets the stage for possible legal action against conference
planners and participants. The Turkish Government has refused to
support rescinding this prohibition against free speech, despite
international criticism.
Mr. Speaker, with the cancellation of this conference, we find that
the Government of Turkey will go to any length to avoid facing its
bloody past. In just 2 weeks, Turkey’s prime minister will be in
the United States for an official visit, proclaiming that his
nation is a democracy ready for full membership in the European
Community and asking for U.S. support. The sad reality, Mr.
Speaker, is that when it comes to facing the judgment of history
about the Armenian genocide, Turkey, rather than acknowledging the
truth, has instead chosen to trample on the rights of its citizens
and still maintain lies.
Hrant Dink, editor of the Armenian weekly Agos in Turkey stated,
“This decision strengthens the hand of those outside Turkey who say
Turkey has not changed, it is not democratic enough to discuss the
Armenian issue, it shows there is a difference between what the
government says and its intentions.”
Numerous European countries, including Poland, France and Greece,
have passed Armenian genocide resolutions and have continuously
urged Turkey to admit its crime. Just this week, French President
Jacques Chirac urged Turkey to recognize the genocide and said
failure to do so could harm Ankara’s drive to join the European
Union.
We cannot sit by and allow any nation that we consider an ally and
a nation that is desperately seeking admission into the European
Union to behave in such a manner. To bring this development into
perspective, consider that according to current law in Turkey,
dozens of U.S. Senators and hundreds of Congressmen would be
punished simply for having voted for Armenian Genocide resolutions,
spoken about the lessons of this crime against humanity or
commemorated the victims of the atrocity. So, too, would the
American academic establishment, human rights groups, the
mainstream media and just about everyone else aside from the
Turkish Embassy and its paid lobbyists here in Washington, D.C.
Only by being prepared to admit mistakes and make amends can the
Turkish Government truly be considered a nation governed by the
values of democracy. This recent event reveals the vulnerable side
of Turkey, one that is still hiding from its history and is
incapable of learning from its mistakes so as to ensure that they
will not be repeated in the future.
Mr. Speaker, the United States prides itself on being the world’s
leader in spreading democracy and liberty. As an effective leader,
it is our duty to recognize that Turkey is not yet a democratic
state and it will take a sincere effort on the part of Turkey to
make a transition from a government that currently advocates
censorship and lack of freedom of speech to one that embraces the
principles of democracy in its true meaning.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress