PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of New York
69-23 47th Avenue
Woodside, NY 11377
Contact: Doug Geogerian
Tel: 718-651-1530
Fax: 718-651-3637
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: anca.org
New York Area Armenians Gather for 92nd Commemoration of Armenian
Genocide
Armenian communities of the Greater Metropolitan New York area
gathered at the Surrogate Court House in New York City, just north of
City Hall, on April 20th for the 92nd commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide. Organized by the Armenian National Committee of New York,
community leaders arranged a program, which dwelt on the religious,
cultural and political dimensions of the Holocaust committed by the
Young Turk government against the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian
inhabitants.
The Holy Martyr’s Armenian Day School choir began the program inside
the central hall of the august, 19th century legal chamber, singing
the national anthems of the United States and the Republic of Armenia.
Later in the evening, the choir returned to pay tribute to the 32
victims murdered by a gunman at Virginia Polytechnic Institute earlier
in the week on April 16.
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian gave the invocation, in which he also paid
tribute to those who lost their lives on Virginia Tech’s campus. The
Bishop spoke of the courageousness and righteousness of the Istanbul
based Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who earlier in the year was
murdered by the Turkish ultra-nationalist, Ogun Samast. Experts
account for Dink’s assassination to an increasingly tolerated, if not
encouraged, environment of vigilantism against citizens who dare to
speak of the Armenian Genocide and other taboo topics of Turkish
society.
Speaking on behalf of Councilwoman Melinda Katz, a stalwart supporter
of the local Armenian community, Michael Cohen read a proclamation
from the New York City Council. Karine Birazian, Master of Ceremonies
for the program, read similar proclamations from the New York City
mayor’s office as well as from the governor’s office.
Armenian Ambassador to the United Nations Armen Martirossian addressed
the audience about international developments regarding the Armenian
Genocide, which remains a vital issue for many foreign policy and
national security matters. `Last year, the Turkish government
proposed to convene a joint commission of historians to determine what
happened to the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire. Not only is this
totally unnecessary, since the fact of the Armenian Genocide is
unanimously acknowledge by historians, but completely absurd since the
topic in question is so taboo in Turkey, merely discussing it can lead
to prosecution on the grounds of engaging in `anti-Tukrishness.”
Martirossyan also discussed the recent controversy at the United
Nations (UN), where the Turkish delegation has placed enormous
pressure on the International Secretariat to block an exhibit marking
the thirteenth anniversary of the Rawandan genocide. Turkey’s sole
concern is one sentence in the exhibit, which refers to the Armenian
Genocide. The Ambassador discussed the struggle, which ensued to keep
the exhibit with the important historical reference, resulting in a
New York Times editorial condemning Turkey for its egregious behavior.
Following the Ambassador’s talk was a tribute to Hrant Dink,
facilitated by Dr. Hrand Markarian. Dr. Markarian’s slide
presentation gave a biographical sketch of Dink as well as a review of
his accomplishments as an Armenian community leader and human rights
activist in Turkey. Included was a film, shot months before Dink was
assassinated, in which the late-journalist spoke of the increasingly
dangerous circumstances he was finding himself as someone who spoke
openly about the Armenian Genocide. The interview was Carla
Garabedian conducted the interview while she was making the movie
Screemers.
ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian gave the keynote address, in which he
emphasized the significance of the Armenian American community’s
growing political voice in Washington, D.C. `There are over 190
members in the House of Representatives and over 30 U.S. Senators,
who have co-sponsored Armenian Genocide legislation. This is the
result of Armenian Americans exercising their democratic rights for
the sake of gaining justice, not just an apology, over the crime
committed against our ancestors,’ said Hachikian.
Hachikian also hailed the blocking of Richard Hoagland’s nomination as
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia as an enormous victory. Hoagland was slated
to replace U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, who was forced into
retirement over his pubic affirmation of the Armenian Genocide.
Hoagland subsequently during the confirmation process expressed doubt
about whether the events of 1915 qualified as genocide, causing a
political maelstrom, resulting in U.S. Senator Robert Mendendez
placing a hold on Hoagland’s nomination.
Sossi Essajanian of the Armenian Youth Federation addressed the
audience about the long-term consequences of the mass killing and
total dispossession of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenians, resulting in
`an atmosphere of intolerance, marginalization and dehumanization’ as
evinced by the world’s indifference to the current genocide in Sudan.
`Let us turn the legacy of the Genocide on its head,’ said Essajanian.
`’This atmosphere of intolerance is what we must struggle against.”
MC Karine Birazian shared the poignant and mournful news of the
imminent passing of her grandmother, a survivor of the Armenian
Genocide. Birazian closed by saying that, `although I cannot be by
her this evening, I can only hope that she will soon embrace for the
first time her 14 siblings she never got to meet. I can only help but
wonder: will the last genocide survivor live to see recognition?’