Barely more than a 100 years ago, Turkey executed what is considered by historians the first major genocide of the 20th century: the murder of hundreds of thousands of Armenians – perhaps as many as 1,500,000 – and the driving of hundreds of thousands of other Armenians into the desert, where many perished either at the hands of Turkish zealots or by starvation in the desert.
This week, as winter approaches, hundreds of thousands of Syrian and Turkish Kurds have already been driven from their homes by Turkey, with the approval of the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, into some of the very same deserts that became the grave sites of so many Armenians barely a century ago.
“I am afraid, my friends, that the ugly chapters of genocides and the deep-rooted history of persecution in the Middle East will last longer if we ignore the facts,” activist Widad Akreyi has written. “If we keep silent, we will probably witness another genocide at a future date, and the price we may pay for neglecting our duty to act may prove to be too high.”
That future date is upon us.
Today, in spite of agreement on a negotiated “pause” – falsely described as a “cease-fire” by Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and contradicted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – attacks from Turkish and Turkish-backed militias on Syrian Kurds, American allies whom Trump has abandoned, continue.
A negotiated “pause,” which was implemented without consultation or approval from the Kurds.
It appears that Russian forces have occupied positions previously held by American forces, that Kurds are so desperate that they seeking protection from Syrian President Bashar Hafez al-Assad, he who is responsible for the killing of more than 500,000 Syrians in an eight-year-long civil war, and that Iranian aid to the Syrian regime continues unabated.
Reports continue to appear that American forces, shamed and humiliated by their commander in chief’s servile capitulation to Erdogan, had to blow up their own ammunition depots and vital assets as they rapidly withdrew in the face of the Turkish advance against America’s staunchest allies in the Middle East – the Kurds.
Trump, through negotiations led by Pence and Secretary of Sate Mike Pompeo, not only agreed to let Turkey ethnically cleanse all Kurds from their own lands in Syria – Kurds who lost over 11,000 fighters as they fought alongside Americans in our battle against ISIS – but also agreed not to sanction them for doing so.
“What we have done to the Kurds will stand as a bloodstain in the annals of American history,” Sen. Mitt Romney charged.
“This is a big win for Iran and Assad,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said. “A big win for ISIS.”
A bigger win for Vladimir Putin – a green light for despots everywhere.
It didn’t have to come to this.
Servile in his capitulation to dictators, monarchs and autocrats, from Helsinki to Singapore, Riyadh to Ankara, Trump has routinely ignored the oppressed and dispossessed while embracing their oppressors.
Since Jan. 20, 2017, as I write, Donald Trump – for 1,001 days and nights – has attacked, lied, deceived, blasphemed and abused the Constitution of the United States.
Unlike Scheherazade in her One Thousand and One Nights, Trump has not “a thousand books of histories relating to antique races and departed rulers … (not) … perused the works of the poets and knew them by heart … (not) studied philosophy and the sciences, arts and accomplishments …(and not) pleasant and polite, wise and witty, well read and well bred.” (Richard Burton translation)
Since Jan. 20, 2017, the Republican Party – together with its conservative, libertarian and evangelical cohorts – has collaborated with a ruler who knows no books, no history – a ruler not pleasant and polite, wise and witty, well read and well bred.
They have collaborated and empowered an anti-democratic, ignorant, racist, narcissistic, kleptocrat to shred the shared vision of our Founding Fathers in great part to fulfill their own greed and delusions while ignoring the apparent fact that Trump lacked the character, temperament, experience and vision to lead this country.
Thus, while I am appreciative of their support of the Kurds I am not moved by the too-little, too-late sentiments of sycophants like Graham, Romney, Mitch McConnell and others decrying Trump’s support of Erdogan.
For 1,001 days, those sycophants enabled Trump and his ignorance, and the Kurds are paying the price for their greed, avarice and fear.
Successive Turkish governments, including that of Erdogan, have refused to acknowledge or take responsibility for the genocide and crimes against humanity they perpetrated against the Armenian people a century ago.
Today, as we witness the unfolding of genocide and ethnic cleansing in those very same lands, it comes as no surprise to me that Donald Trump, Turkey’s enabler, shows no awareness, no regrets, no remorse, over the forces of evil he has unleashed.
In 2015, when the lifeless body of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi – a Syrian Kurdish boy who, with his father, was trying to escape al-Assad’s butchery – washed up on the shores of the Mediterranean the world reacted, rightly, in revulsion.
In 2019, when President Trump called his capitulation to President Erdogan (whom he will soon welcome in the White House) a “Great Day for Civilization,” I reacted with revulsion.
Such a “civilization” is not anything I want to be part of.
(Robert Azzi, a photographer and writer who lives in Exeter, can be reached at [email protected]. His columns are archived at .)
U.S. Congressional Visit to HALO in Nagorno Karabakh
from HALO Trust
HALO is honoured to have welcomed three members of the United States (U.S.) House of Representatives to The HALO Trust’s programme in Nagorno Karabakh this month in a historic visit.
Representatives Frank Pallone (NJ – 6), Jackie Speier (CA – 14), and Judy Chu (CA – 27) all visited HALO’s field office in Stepanakert. During their visit, the Representatives were briefed by HALO staff about the status of the demining programme and the importance of U.S. support to making the land safe for the people of Nagorno Karabakh. National staff then provided a demonstration of how HALO clears landmines in the communities where we work.
Since 2000, HALO has been clearing landmines and explosive debris from Nagorno Karabakh, making more than 33,000 acres of land safe for communities. Over 130,000 people, 85 per cent of the territory’s population, have benefitted from HALO’s activities. The programme has been supported generously by private donors and USAID.
Their visit came after the U.S. Congress sent two letters, one from the House of Representatives and one from the Senate, to USAID in August urging the Agency to continue its support for HALO’s work in the territory.
At the conclusion of their briefing, each Representative stated that they would engage USAID to ensure funding for this programme is continued. HALO is grateful for the amazing support of its Congressional champions and thanks each Representative for supporting this life-saving programme.
“HALO’s landmine clearance program in Nagorno Karabakh is a lifeline for many communities. Over 80% of the region’s population has benefited from cleared landmines. I will continue to engage USAID to ensure the continuation of HALO’s life-saving program.”
Judy Chu, U.S. Representative for California’s 27th Congressional District
“Landmines in Nagorno Karabakh have devastated far too many families. We must finish our humanitarian work we started in eradicating this very real threat to life and limb. I will continue to fight for the necessary funding for demining so that the HALO Trust can finish this vital work. America must make good on our promise to ensure the job is completed.”
Jackie Speier, U.S. Representative for California’s 14th Congressional District
“Ridding Nagorno Karabakh of landmines breaks down barriers between communities and helps to pave the way for growth and prosperity. I will continue to work with my colleagues on the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues to ensure the U.S. fulfills our commitment to demine the territory. Doing so will help ensure no parent has to live in fear of losing their child to these deadly devices.”
Frank Pallone, U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District
Pianist Tigran Hamasyan Draws Deeply From His Armenian Roots
Tigran Hamasyan | Credit: Footprint Music
For some, music is more than a calling — it’s an innate talent mixed with a fiery passion for self-_expression_. That is what I hear when I listen to the music of pianist Tigran Hamasyan. His unique and exquisite sound, which fuses Armenian folk music and improvisational jazz, with touches of classical Baroque, heavy metal, hip-hop and electronica, seems to emerge from a very deep, sacred place. He will be performing both as a solo pianist and with vocalist Areni Agbabian, a longtime collaborator, at SFJAZZ on Saturday, Oct. 24, as part of the celebration of ECM Records’ 50th anniversary.
Two of the pianist’s 11 albums were recorded on ECM: Luys i Luso (2015), an exploration of Armenian sacred music featuring the Yerevan State Chamber Choir, and Atmosphères (2016), a collaboration with three Norwegian musicians. “I have two groundbreaking albums on ECM,” said Hamasyan by telephone from Los Angeles. “These projects were very important to me, and I spent years preparing them. I grew up listening to records on ECM, so it is an honor to be part of this label.”
His upcoming show, however, will feature material from two of his most recent solo recordings — An Ancient Observer (2017) and For Gyumri (2018). This two-record project comprises original compositions written over the last few years that are “musical observations about the world we live in now, and the weight of history we carry with us.”
Born in Gyumri, Armenia, the 32-year-old virtuoso was exposed at a very young age to rock music by his father, and jazz by his uncle. Considered a prodigy, at only three, he began playing and singing songs by groups like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Queen, while also being influenced by the sounds of jazz icons like Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. He credits his uncle with watching over him and making sure that he focused on practicing hard to perfect his craft, rather than succumbing to the fantasies of potential stardom.
Tigran Hamasyan | Credit: Footprint Music
When Hamasyan was around 10, the family moved to Armenia’s capital city, Yerevan, and the talented pianist got exposed to classic jazz and bebop. In 1998 he performed at the city’s first international jazz festival and began winning prestigious jazz piano competitions. He also discovered the rich music of his native country. “I was playing bebop and listening to classic rock records, and I actually didn’t like Armenian music when I was a kid,” explained Hamasyan.” But when he heard Dis, a record released in 1976 by Norwegian jazz composer and saxophonist Jan Garbarek, he discovered something completely new.
“I heard that music, and I realized that they were improvising, but it’s wasn’t necessarily bebop vocabulary that they were using,” said the pianist. Using modes and melodies more based in what he described as folk music, the record inspired him to explore the rich musical heritage of his own country, which significantly changed the shape of his own musical journey.
Hamasyan composes most of his own music, which juxtaposes complex, explosive rhythmic passages with evocative and often melancholy melodic lines that he often doubles by singing — a voice floating above, with a mystical, ethereal sound. “I love singing melodies,” said Hamasyan, adding that he believes melodies are the basis for most kinds of music. But he doesn’t like to use any lyrics. “I want people to have their own story, their own version, or their own dream about the song.”
The prolific composer also likes to have a theme for each of his albums. “Every project for me is a story, or a concept I like delving into,” he stated. “And that also shapes the format and the personnel for my albums.” Many of his recordings include collaborations with other musicians from a wide variety of genres, while others are solo piano creations. His latest release is the stunning soundtrack to the 2019 film, They Say Nothing Stays the Same.
“For me, the most important thing is to always develop, get my projects out, and write all the time,” said Hamasyan. “Then, whenever the record company wants me to release an album, I decide what is important for me to say as an artist right now, and that takes shape on the record.” He is currently working on a new album due out next spring.
When asked if he believes that music is a sacred or spiritual journey for him, he replied, “Music should be all about spirituality and an inner experience, something that is not from the material world. For me, the greatest music always spiritually elevates oneself.”
Lord Darzi named chairman of Aurora Prize selection panel
“Our selection committee is comprised of a select group of outstanding humanitarians, human rights activists and former heads of state.
“Aurora greatly benefits from their experience and knowledge.
“Aurora celebrates the champions, those who risk their lives helping others in a time of crises, at a time of war, at a time of all the major challenges facing us on earth.
“These amazing people, celebrated by the Aurora Prize, don’t do what they do for recognition. They risk their lives helping others because that’s the way they are.”
Other members of the committee include Nobel laureates Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi and Leymah Gbowee, and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson.
In July, former health minister Lord Darzi resigned the Labour whip, saying that as an Armenian descendant of a survivor of the Armenian genocide, he has zero-tolerance for anti-Semitism.
PA
2019 Aurora Prize awarded to Yezidi activist Mirza Dinnayi
ERBIL, Kurdistan region—The fourth annual Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was awarded to Mirza Dinnayi in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on . Dinnayi is the Co-Founder and Director of Luftbrücke Irak (Air Bridge Iraq), an organization committed to helping survivors of ISIS atrocities.
Granted by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, Dinnayi “embodies the power of compassion, of personal commitment and a burning desire to save lives,” according to Vartan Gregorian, co-founder of the Aurora Prize and member of the selection committee.
The Yezidi activist, who fled to Germany in 1994, has become a prominent figure in the community, aiding survivors of the genocide started in August 2014 and spearheading a program to bring survivors, including Sakharov Prize recipient Lamiya Bashar, to Germany. He also worked as an adviser to Iraqi Former President Jalal Talabani on minority rights, and met the first group of Yezidi survivors to escape ISIS.
As the 2019 Aurora Prize Laureate, Dinnayi will receive a $1,000,000 grant which he has donated to charity. The beneficiaries of this year’s prize money, Luftbrucke Irak, SEED Foundation and the Shai Fund all work with survivors of the genocide, in which more than 6,000 were kidnapped and 300,000 displaced.
Working on behalf of the Yezidi community, Mirza Dinnayi has dedicated his whole life to saving Iraqi victims of terror, evacuating women and children from territories controlled by ISIS and providing those tortured and violated with rehabilitation and support.
Tom Catena, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Chair and 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate, praised Dinnayi as an “outstanding human being” who never wavered while facing “an unspeakable evil.” Injured in a helicopter crash while delivering aid to Yezidis stranded on Mount Sinjar in August 2014, the incident catalyzed his desire to aid his community.
In an article published by The Independent in August 2019, Dinnayi lamented the lack of domestic support available for female survivors, especially in terms of mental health. “There is a striking disparity between how local and international communities focus on property assimilating genocide survivors,” he wrote. ‘We must empower survivors of the Yazidi genocide to successfully rebuild themselves and their communities so that their generation is not forgotten and lost.”
Home to a sizeable Yazidi community who are the country’s largest minority group, Dinnayi referenced Armenia’s Yezidi connections in his acceptance speech, and expressed appreciation for the country’s recognition of his people’s plight. He also spoke of the silence surrounding their historic persecution: “As a survivor of the Yezidi genocide, I should tell you 73 genocides have passed and nobody heard.” His grandfather escaped fled the Armenian genocide to Iraq. “Three million people were killed at that time. Nobody spoke about that.”
The 2019 Aurora Prize Ceremony was part of the Aurora Forum, held in Armenia on October 14–21, 2019 which convenes leaders and change-makers from across the world to share knowledge, perspective and ideas.
Armenian NSS statement: CC head Tovmasyan did not answer NSS staff calls
Reps. Schiff and Bilirakis’ call for passage of Armenian Genocide Resolution
Dedication of Tujunga intersection to Armenian American author sparks controversy
The dedication Saturday of an intersection in Tujunga to Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Saroyan, who wrote extensively about the Armenian immigrant experience in California, has sparked controversy between some who in the community claim it will overshadow the corner’s existing historical significance and others who believe the opposition is grounded in discrimination.
After the Los Angeles City Council voted earlier this month to designate William Saroyan Square with a plaque at the crossing of Commerce Avenue and Valmont Street, the local neighborhood council shot back with a statement calling the placement inappropriate. The dedication is set for 4 p.m. Saturday.
The designated area is adjacent to Bolton Hall, a historic stone building erected in 1913 that was originally used as a community center for a local utopian community. It has since been used as an American Legion hall, a public library, Tujunga City Hall and a jail and is now a local history museum.
“It’s the location, that is what people are opposed to,” said Liliana Sanchez, president of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council. “It’s the historical significance of that intersection. No signage should be placed there.”
It is also an intersection that has hosted several Armenian cultural events, according to Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who spearheaded the initiative.
Saturday’s dedication ceremony was scheduled to coincide with the annual Sunland-Tujunga Armenian Cultural Festival, which is held along Commerce Avenue.
Born in Fresno in 1908, the Armenian American novelist, playwright and short story writer won the Pulitzer in 1940 for his play “The Time of Your Life,” and in 1940 won an Academy Award for the film adaption of his novel “The Human Comedy.”
“I consider myself an Armenian writer,” Saroyan once said. “The words I use are in English, the surroundings I write about are American, but the soul, which makes me write, is Armenian.”
Southern California is home to the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia. More than 200,000 people of Armenian descent live in Los Angeles County, with the largest concentration in the Glendale, Burbank, Sunland and Tujunga areas, according to U.S. census data.
Rodriguez, who represents the Tujunga area along with neighborhoods including La Tuna Canyon, Sylmar, Pacoima and North Hills, said she was disappointed by the opposition to the Saroyan dedication.
“It’s unfortunate that more people aren’t taking this opportunity to embrace the diversity of our community,” she said.
One longtime resident, Robin Jodi, said she opposed the dedication because Saroyan does not have a connection to the area. It was a sentiment echoed by others in their written public comments.
But Rodriguez and others noted that Bolton Hall was named after an Ireland-born author and activist who also had no connection to the immediate area.
“[Saroyan] is a true Californian, the son of immigrants and an inspiration to us all,” Vic Aghakhanian, another longtime resident, wrote in a public comment. “I believe it is time for our community to embrace multiculturalism and appreciation of our diversity.”
Jodi defended her stance.
“It’s a welcoming community. It’s a diverse community,” she said, but Saroyan “never visited here. He has nothing to do with here.”
A similar debate unfolded in Glendale last year, when the City Council voted to change the name of a two-block portion of Maryland Avenue downtown to Artsakh Street, after the Republic of Artsakh, a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Some opponents of the name change said the contested area had nothing to do with Glendale’s history. Several business owners argued that the renaming could hurt them economically.
Supporters argued that it was long overdue for Glendale to have a street named to honor the city’s large Armenian American community.
Sanchez and Jodi both said they felt community input about the Saroyan dedication was limited.
“We weren’t given a voice,” Sanchez said.
Members of the public were invited to submit written comments after the motion was introduced on Sept. 11, Rodriguez said. Residents were also allowed to speak when the item was considered during a public works meeting on Sept. 18.
It’s the same procedure Rodriguez said she has followed for the three other dedications she’s initiated within her district. Sanchez said she took issue with the fact that additional oral comments were not permitted during the regular L.A. City Council meeting when the dedication was approved unanimously.
By the time the motion was voted on, about 240 public comments had been submitted — more than for any other issue the council has worked on during Rodriguez’s two-year tenure, as far as she can remember.
The majority were in support of the dedication, she said. “Among all the issues that I’m working on, homelessness and everything else, [additional community meetings] would be excessive,” Rodriguez said.
Seidman writes for Times Community News
Armenia’s NSS releases a statement over necessity to interrogate Hrayr Tovmasyan’s family members
Armenia’s National Security Service released a statement relating to Hrayr Tovmasyan, explaining the necessity of summoning the CC chairman’s father and daughters to the establishment.
In the statement the NSS reported that while preparing the necessary materials the investigators tried to establish contacts with the Constitutional Court chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan but the later did not answer the phone calls and did not establish contacts after which notifications were sent to him.
Yesterday the NSS released another press release, informing about the actions carried out with the family members of the CC chairman.
The NSS reported that the need to get explanations from Hrayr Tovmasyan’s family members was agreed with the necessity to clarify information about the declaration of property beloning to an official and his family members.
William Saroyan Square in Tujunga to be dedicated Saturday to Armenian-American author
The city of Los Angeles is dedicating the intersection of Commerce Avenue and Valmont Street in Tujunga as William Saroyan Square on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, in honor of the Armenian-American author. The dedication coincides with the fourth annual Sunland-Tujunga Armenian Arts and Cultural Festival, which is held along Commerce Avenue. (Google Street View)