Haigazian University
Mira Yardemian, Public Relations Director
P.O.Box: 11-1748
Riad El Solh 1107 2090
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: 01-349230/1
01-353010/1/2
Katia Peltekian lectures on: British Prime Minister William Gladstone and
the Armenian Massacres of the Late 19th Century
On Thursday the 12th of April 2007, at the Cultural Hour organized by
Haigazian University, Ms. Katia Peltekian, of the English department at the
University, presented an illustrated lecture on the British Prime Minister
Gladstone and the Armenian Massacres of the Late 19th Century.
In her opening speech, Dr. Arda Ekmekji, Dean of the faculty of Arts and
Sciences, noted that the month of April witnesses two sad spots in the
collective memory of our local community; one is the Armenian Genocide
during the First World War, and the other is the start of the Lebanese civil
war back in 1975. Ekmekji pointed out that Armenians cannot forget and
forgive the massacres, as long as it is not acknowledged by the
international community.
Guest lecturer, Katia Peltekian highlighted on a part of the Armenian
history, towards the end of the 19th century, when massacres were committed
by Ottoman Turkey, in Eastern Anatolia and Constantinople.
Peltekian demonstrated clippings of newspapers during the late 19th century,
like the Halifax Herald, Washington Post, and the New York Times, which
mention massacres of the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in Erzroum and
Constantinople.
Peltkian explained how Armenians living in the British Empire at that time,
presented religious artifacts to British statesmen in recognition of their
efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Armenians.
Prime Minister William E. Gladstone was honored then for defending the
Armenian cause in the Parliament and at gatherings in different cities
around Great Britain. Peltekian noted that Gladstone was well-known for his
speeches, and activist movements.
Gladstone”s last public speech was in Liverpool, on September 24, 1896,
where he emphasized the deliberate policy of the Turkish government to
exterminate the Armenian nation.
Armenians honored him with a chalice and stained-glass window, offered to
St. Dieniol church in Wales, where Gladstone used to attend mass.