Armenian National Committee of America – Utah
Contact: Sarkis Bekearian ~ [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
May 27, 2009
UTAH REP. JIM MATHESON PLEDGES SUPPORT
FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Salt Lake City’s U.S. Representative Jim
Matheson (D-UT-2) has pledged his support for Armenian Genocide
legislation (H.Res.252), a move consistent with his longstanding
support for human rights and genocide prevention measures.
Confirmation of Rep. Matheson’s support came during a Tuesday, May
26, 2009 meeting between Aaron Scherb, Rep. Matheson’s Foreign
Affairs Legislative Aide, and local grassroots activists, including
ANCA Utah Chairman Sarkis Bekearian, Armenian Relief Society
representative Raffi Shahinian, University of Utah Armenian
"Hyrenik" Youth Organization (AHYO) President Zaven Sargsian, and
AHYO member Natalie Torosyan.
The AHYO is active in University of Utah campus life, where it
promotes awareness of and appreciation for Armenian cultural,
historical and contemporary issues, through education, social,
recreational and cultural involvement.
"We are very pleased that Congressman Matheson has decided to
become a co-sponsor of H.Res.252. His outstanding record of
supporting the Armenian American community and human rights issues
in Utah is an inspiration for us all. We are very proud to have
him as our Representative," said Bekearian.
Since his election to the U.S. House in 2000, Matheson has shown
strong support for the Armenian American community concerns –
cosponsoring the Armenian Genocide Resolution since the 109th
Congress. His support over the years has been welcomed by the
increasingly vibrant local ANCA presence, which works to educate,
motivate and activate the local community to be more engaged with
Utah’s Congressional delegation.
Rep. Matheson’s support comes as Salt Lake City’s Armenian
community battles renewed genocide denial efforts at the University
of Utah. Recently the Turkish Coalition of America and the
University announced a new joint program, "The Origins of Modern
Ethnic Cleansing: The Collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the
Emergence of Nation States in the Balkans and Caucasus." This
program is set to receive "insight and guidance" from a
"Partnership Board" which includes, among others, Turkish
Parliamentarian Sukru Elekdag, an active genocide denier who
frequently travels to the U.S. to lobby against reaffirmation of
the Armenian Genocide. This sort of effort to manipulate U.S.
academia is a common Turkish Government tactic to promote genocide
denial. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s David
Holthouse "Academia is one of two major American fronts in Turkey’s
campaign to kill the memory of the Armenian genocide. The other is
Congress."