Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)
24 April Committee for recognition and commemoration of the Armenian
genocide of 1915
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31704490209
Email: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: M. Hakhverdian
PRESS RELEASE
Commemoration of Armenian Genocide on 24 April 2008 in The Netherlands
By Inge Drost
ASSEN – 24 April 2008 – Several hundred Armenians gathered together in the
city of Assen for the annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide that
took place 93 years ago in the Ottoman Empire. The commemoration was
organised by the 24 April Committee of the Federation of the Armenian
Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON).
Prior to this commemoration, earlier this week a petition was submitted to
the Parliament by a FAON delegation. In addition to the petition, a copy of
recently published Dutch translation of the book `The First Holocaust’ by
British journalist and writer, the Middle East correspondent of The
Independent Robert Fisk was also handed over to the Parliamentary Commission
of European Affairs. This book is about the Armenian Genocide. The copy was
signed especially for this occasion by the author.
The commemoration began by a quiet march towards the Armenian Genocide
Memorial, where during a ceremony wreaths were laid at the Genocide monument
on behalf of, among others, the newly established Armenian Consulate in The
Hague, the FAON and the Gladzor Armenian Student Association.
During the Commemorative meeting in the auditorium, Nicolai Romashuk Jr.
played duduk music and Nicolai Romashuk Sr. recited a poem. Moreover,
`Twenty Voices’ from and `Holy Mountain’ by System Of A
Down were presented. Speeches were delivered by, among others, Mr. Arshak
Manoukian, the Armenian Consul in The Netherlands, Mr. Noubar Sipan,
chairman of the 24 April Committee of FAON, Mr. Dariush Madjlessi, an
Iranian human rights activist. Two other invited speakers, Ms. Esme Wiegman,
Member of Parliament and Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, had not been able to
attend the ceremony due to unforeseen circumstances. Their speeches were
instead read.
Mato Hakhverdian, chairman of the FAON, opened the commemorative meeting. He
cited the words of Robert Fisk, that the Armenian Genocide is `one of those
historical tragedies that by elapse of time gets more and more
significance’. This is mainly because the consequent generations of
Armenians have kept the memory of the victims alive. This is in spite of the
fact that Turkey has tried with huge financial and political means to erase
the reality from human memory, such as by changing the written language,
which makes the access to old literature difficult for the new generations
and by renaming the geographical places. He pointed out that this subject is
handled in a TV documentary `The land of our grandparents’, a road movie,
scheduled for broadcasting the same evening by Dutch National TV. It is our
duty to keep alive the memory of the Genocide and to hope for recognition
and reconciliation. It is our dream to see Armenia thus being prosperous and
living in peace and harmony. We believe that with our best efforts this
dream will be realised in the the future.
Consul Manoukian expressed his gratitude to the Netherlands for accepting
the Armenian refugees during the Armenian Genocide. He mentioned that the
Armenian Genocide was not only a criminal act against the Armenians, but
also a crime against humanity. Therefore other countries call continuously
upon Turkey to account for this act. He emphasised that Armenia is ready to
establish relations with Turkey without any precondition and to consider
together the black pages of the past. The aspiration of Armenia to reach
stability and to live in peace is only possible if the conflict about the
past has been solved.
The Chairman of the 24 April Committee Noubar Sipan concluded that the
events of 1915 cannot be erased from the collective memory, but still, after
93 years, it is forbidden in Turkey to read about these black pages of the
history. But there are also white spots, according to Sipan, namely the
courageous Turks and Kurds, who saved the lives of their Armenian friends
and neighbours endangering their own lives. They deserve also to be
remembered. He mentioned that the first commemoration took place in Istanbul
on 24 April 1919, the only case of public remembrance in Turkey. Later it
became a taboo, `the tears turned inwards.’ At present, with Article 301 in
force, the numerous persecutions on the basis of this article have led to
self-censure. We are still hoping that things will change, because a small
group in Turkey has chosen to look for truth. In this context, a group of
intellectuals will meet today in one the universities of Istanbul to discuss
`what happened on 24 April 1915.’ Sipan expects that thanks to such
initiatives, the truth will no longer remain hidden and he is thankful for
these courageous people.
In her message of solidarity, Ms. Esme Wiegman, who is the spokeswoman for
the Christian Union parliamentary faction in the European Affairs
Commission, had stated that even after 93 years, the Genocide is a real
topical issue: `It is something that is on the agenda every day, through
silence and denial. The death of Hrant Dink showed how could, speaking about
Genocide, could mercilessly be punished’. Ms. Wiegman, who had attended in
January this year the commemorative ceremony of the first anniversary of the
assassination of Hrant Dink in Assen, stated that it is good that today we
speak about the Armenian Genocide and we are commemorating it in loud voices
and that `we can remember it in a moment of silence, but that is another
silence than the silence of denial.’
A very strong expression of solidarity with the Armenian people came from
Mr. D. Madjlessi, an Iranian human rights activist, former chairman of the
Dutch-Iranian People’s Front (Jebhe-Mellie-Iran). He pleaded in his speech
that Turkey, just as Germany and South Africa have done in the past, `should
come clean with her sordid past’ and that without such admittance of guilt
Turkey cannot be a part of Europe. He considered the Armenian Genocide not
an issue of the Armenians only, but also of all Iranians and in fact of the
whole world. He considers that it is his duty to struggle side by side with
the Armenians against denial and declared in the clearest terms: `I, too, am
an Armenian’.
The example of admittance of guilt by Germany was also emphasised by Rabbi
A. Soetendorp. He referred to a reconciliation conference in Germany last
year, where he had appealed for appeasement between the Jews and Germans and
where a spontaneous response had come from thousands of young people from
the audience in the form of a peace song. `For the first time, I felt myself
at home in Germany, and I realised then the great significance of the
kneeling down of Willy Brandt before the monument of the Ghetto of Warsaw in
1970′. In this context, Rabbi Soetendorp expressed hope `that a process of
recognition would commence in Turkey as well’.
Ms. Inge Drost of 24 April Committee concluded the dignified commemoration
function with a summary. Persistence and duty to commemorate, but not
hatred, was present in the speeches, she mentioned. Although, all speakers
severely condemned the Genocide and its denial, their words were still
characterised by expressions of hope, reconciliation and solidarity among
people. First of all, it was emphasised that there had been courageous Turks
and Kurds who at the risk of endangering their own life had given shelter to
their Armenian neighbours and friends, just as mentioned also by Rabbi
Soetendorp that he had remained alive thanks to a brave German woman.
Secondly, there were warm words of solidarity between nations in general and
with the Armenian people in particular.
Finally it is to be mentioned that a TV coverage of the commemoration is
broadcasted by TV Drente that you can watch at the websites of tvDrenthe
( 484-98bd-7f9c0000bf01.aspx?NewsID=22
620) and You Tube (;fea ture=user).