PRESS RELEASE
MacCarley & Rosen, PLC
Mark MacCarley
818-241-5800
[email protected]
Sep tember 24, 2008
Lawsuit filed Against US National Archives To Obtain Documentation
On Armenian Genocide
Los Angeles, Calif.–A civil action against the National Archives and
Records Administration of the United States was filed yesterday seeking
documents as they relate to the Armenian Genocide (1914 to 1925). (Vartkes
Yeghiayan v. National Archives and Records Administration of the United
States of America, Case No. CV08-16248, U.S. District Court, Central
District of Calif., Sept. 23, 2008).
"Repeated efforts have been made to procure these documents, but the
National Archives has been non-responsive," says Mark MacCarley, partner
with Glendale, Calif.-based MacCarley & Rosen who is representing plaintiff
Vartkes Yeghiayan. "Its actions are in violation of the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA)."
The initial request by Yeghiayan occurred in April 2006. "The National
Archives acknowledged receipt of the request, but has not provided the
information despite repeated inquires from my client," says MacCarley. "The
National Archives, without explanation, has exceeded the generally
applicable 20-day deadline for processing FOIA requests. We simply want the
requested documentation."
Yeghiayan is an attorney who has successfully litigated lawsuits in State
and Federal courts against U.S. and foreign businesses for Armenian Genocide
asset restitution. More than 1.5 million Armenians were killed during the
genocide with millions more deported from the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey).
Yeghiayan filed the FOIA request because he believes documents are being
held by the U.S. government that would identify countries having either
direct complicity in the Armenian Genocide or profited by the Ottoman Turks
actions against Armenians.
"This lawsuit is on behalf of Armenian-Americans who are seeking
documentation and information that could shed light on what happened to
their loved ones during the Armenian Genocide," says Yeghiayan.
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For a copy of the complaint, please contact Diane Rumbaugh:
[email protected]
Diane Rumbaugh
Rumbaugh Public Relations
2166 Flintridge Court
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
805-493-2877
805-493-4064 (fax)
[email protected]