Author: Andres-Papazian

THE ARMENIA GENOCIDE 1915/16. SELECTED DOCUMENTS FROM THE POLITICAL ARCHIVES OF THE GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTRY. WOLFGANG & SIGRID GUST (ED.)

Our book is dealing in depth with the Armenian Genocide during World
War I. It is a compilation of official documents from the German
Foreign Ministry at the time when Germany was the most important ally
of Turkey. At that time, German consuls were present in most parts of
eastern Turkey (except Van), where the majority of Armenians suffered
and perished. German diplomats and informants collected eyewitness
reports and other material and were able to send all these documents
to the German Embassy in Constantinople. As they could use ciphered
telegrams which were not accessible even by the Austrian ally, and
certainly not by the American diplomats, all documents were send
without any censorship.

Therefore, these reports from the German consuls and their informants
give an authentic picture of the deportation and killings of Armenian
people in an intensity only comparable to the American documentation.

But there is one major difference: the German reports were transferred
in real time, whereas most of the American reports were written years
later. Another important difference is that the German diplomats were
much closer to the Turkish officials than the Americans, due to their
political and military partnership.

The reports of the German ambassadors in Constantinople included two
aspects. Firstly, they reported directly to Berlin what they had
heard from their consuls and informants. Secondly, they collected
and forwarded documents in which the interference of the major
Turkish politicians (particularly Talaat, Enver, Djemal and Halil)
with German acting and thinking was evident.

The documents from inside the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin
demonstrate the German policy concerning Turkey and the so called
“Armenian question”: whereas most of the German consuls and their
eyewitnesses very much expressed sympathy for the Armenians, the
higher ranking Germans in Berlin were executing German “Realpolitik”
in quite another sense. To give one example: After the German Christian
community was worried by reports from Turkey, chancellor Bethmann
Hollweg promised solidarity with the Christians and therefore also
with the Armenians. In reality, he was close to the Turkish ally. In
response to a telegram from the German Ambassador Wolff-Metternich
asking for less consideration for Turkey but more moral help for the
Armenians, Bethmann Hollweg wrote: “Our only aim is to keep Turkey
on our side until the end of the war, no matter whether as a result
Armenians do perish or not.”

In 1919, the German Johannes Lepsius, a well known friend of the
Armenians, published a part of these documents, but most of them
were manipulated by the German Foreign Ministry. The purpose of this
manipulation was to conceal the German co-responsibility due to the
ongoing conference in Paris. It is unknown if those manipulations
happened with the consent of Lepsius but probably they did not.

Lepsius only got copies from the Ministry which he did not compare
to the originals.

Our book is subdivided into four parts.

Part 1 compiles documents as testimony of the genocide. For most of
the consuls and their informants there was no doubt that all actions
were aimed at a complete annihilation of the Armenian people.

Part 2 gives a summary about German affirmations, hesitations and
political actions at the German Embassy in Constantinople.

Part 3 deals with actions of important German officers against the
Armenian people, including even German orders for deportations.

Finally, part 4 informs about the German political activities in Berlin
and Constantinople, culminating in the conclusion that Germany has a
clear co-responsibility for the Armenian genocide. This is based on the
fact that the Germans finally accepted the deportation of all Armenians
(except for those of Constantinople), including women and children,
although knowing from the reports of their consuls that this would mean
a death-warrant for most of them. While testimonies of the genocide
are known from other sources, our documents of German co-responsibility
are completely new and have never been published before.

The book will have approximately 800 pages in the original German
version (ten percent less in the English version due to translation),
consisting of about 650 pages for 240 documents (including 80 published
by Lepsius but mostly in a falsified version), an introduction of
100 pages and other elements (preface, index, glossary etc.). If we
manage to finance proofreading, typesetting, layout and printing,
we could sell the book for Euro 50 each, allowing a high circulation
with 2000 copies for Germany and 3000 English copies.

The Zoryan Institute paid 70,000 US$ for film-copies, a reader-printer
and for the translation of about 300 documents.

Therefore, the Institute will be mentioned as sponsor on the cover
of the English version. Our financial requirements to finish the
two books will be about Euro 10,000 for the remaining translations
(introduction, prefaces, index etc) and about Euro 25,000 for
proofreading, typesetting, layout and printing of each version, which
makes a total of Euro 60,000. In return, this sponsor of this sum
will be entitled to design the cover layout of the original German
version as well as pages inside both versions.

The cover layout designed by a former Art-Director of the German
Publisher Rowohlt could be send to you if you want.

All the best wishes.

Sincerely yours,

Wolfgang Gust

Wolfgang Gust

September 2004

From: A. Papazian

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief

===============================================
Tuesday 1 May 2012
TURKEY: SELECTIVE PROGRESS ON CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION

Two recent Turkish military court decisions concerning conscientious
objection claims have shown recognition of the right to conscientious
objection to military service as a human right but a selective application.
These come amid contradictory Turkish government responses to Council of
Europe pressure backing European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments
requiring Turkey to bring its laws into line with international human
rights standards. The military court judgments should be read carefully, as
they show the limits of the right to conscientious objection currently
recognised in Turkey, Forum 18 News Service notes. In particular, the
courts suggest that ECtHR judgments on conscientious objection uphold the
right to conscientious objection only of objectors who are members of
groups that object to military service on intellectual, religious or
political grounds. The courts also use selective theological judgments to
back this, and appear to question the right to change one’s convictions in
relation to conscientious objection. The need for a comprehensive legal
framework remains urgent. As Muslim conscientious objector Muhammed Serdar
Delice stated, “regardless of one’s religion, conscientious objection is
everyone’s right”.

TURKEY: SELECTIVE PROGRESS ON CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION

By Mine Yildirim, Åbo Akademi University

From: A. Papazian

HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT SEEKS TO END ETHNIC PREJUDICES

Today’s Zaman
May 1 2012
Turkey

We are inside a 125-year-old school building in Karaköy. Walking
through narrow halls with high ceilings, one can hear a piano and
the voices of teachers in the classrooms. I peek through a small
glass window in a classroom door where students are looking at the
blackboard. We enter an empty classroom and sit. I turn on my voice
recorder to capture the thoughts of students from the Mumtaz Soysal
Social Science High School in Bahcelievler and students of the
Karaköy Private Getronagan High School concerning their project,
“AniÅ~_abur/aÅ~_ure,” concerning people of different backgrounds
living together.

Rumeysa Å~^ahbaz, who came up with the idea for the project, says for
most people in society it is easy to empathize with others because
every single person in Turkey has a similar background, having had
to endure similar pains in the past.

She first thought of starting a project when it occurred to her that
most issues that intellectuals and activists frequently talk about
need to be translated into the language of ordinary people. She shared
this idea with a classmate, Hane Bolluk. Later, the two talked to
teachers and through research found the 127-year-old Armenian high
school Getronagan High in Karaköy.

Bolluk continues: “Our teachers were very supportive and promised to
find other students who might be interested. When we first started,
there were six of us, all of us wearing headscarves. When we first
went to Getronagan, people were surprised, asking us if we were
researching colleges. We tried to explain what we wanted to do but
were unable to. But when the teachers left the room, there was no
stopping us, and we talked for five hours straight. When we were done,
I asked if they would be willing to sign the brothers’ law protocol
[a document to indicate the sides’ appreciation for their desire to
work together]. Arden [Akbıyık] looked up and said, ‘We don’t need
to sign any protocol, we are already siblings’.”

The Armenian students were curious, asking the reason for the project.

“We are doing this project to understand ourselves. I need to
understand the elements that make me the person I am to understand
myself, as a person with a Turkish identity. The Turkish identity
feeds on many other cultures in Anatolia: Circassians, Kurds, the
Laz, Greeks, Armenians and others. These are the cultures that live
together with me on this land.”

Over the past year, as part of the project, the students of the two
high schools have been involved in many activities, visiting mosques,
churches and each other’s homes and schools and walking around Beyoglu
together. Ertugrul CavuÅ~_oglu, a student in the project, says:
“I had never thought about this issue before. To me, an Armenian was
like someone living in the Philippines. I had no idea. It turns out
we were always walking the same streets. My awareness has increased.”

On May 5, the students will give a presentation on their project.

Armenian and Turkish students will give speeches concerning the
practice of living together, and academics, such as Ferthat Kentel and
Atilla Yayla, will speak. Linda Serkizyan, who met Bolluk and Å~^ahbaz
at an exhibition, will deliver the opening remarks. Serkizyan says:
“I remember I was going to prep classes in fifth grade when a fellow
student found out that I am Armenian and asked me: ‘You are supposed
to have a tail. Where is it?’ I was shocked. He probably lived two
streets from me, but had no idea. I am very happy to be a part of
this project.”

Ahsen Nur Balkan, another participant in the project, says she had
no idea that there were so many Armenians in Ä°stanbul. “We do live
together, and we know each other, but we act like we shouldn’t know
each other,” she noted.

From: A. Papazian

ARAKSYA KARAPETYAN – THE STORY BEHIND FOX’S NEW FACE

Easy Reader

May 1 2012

When Araksya Karapetyan returned to Armenia in 2006 – 16 years after
she’d immigrated to Palos Verdes with her family as a seven-year-old –
she didn’t want to be a tourist.

Karapetyan had just graduated from Syracuse University with a degree
in broadcast journalism and international relations, so she picked
up her camcorder, stuffed it with tapes and was off to explore.

Her family had left Armenia in 1990, just before the collapse of the
Soviet Union and after the 1988 earthquake that devastated much of
the country’s northern regions, killing thousands and leaving even
more homeless.

On her trip, Karapetyan noticed earthquake victims still living in
trailers provided to them after their homes were destroyed.

“They had interesting stories and it felt like those were the people
(who) people walk by and don’t pay much attention to,” she said. She
spent her days interviewing sunflower seed vendors and visiting
orphanages, psychiatric wards and elderly homes.

“I go home sometimes and I’m like, okay I know I didn’t cure cancer
today…but maybe I brought light to an issue…or I gave someone a
chance to have a voice when they have no voice.”

Hearing their stories ignited her passion for journalism. When she
returned to California that summer, she simultaneously took on two
internships at KABC-TV in Glendale and KFI Radio, and a job at Torrance
Citi Cable 3. She’d wake up at midnight to work the overnight shift
at KABC, after which she’d head over to KFI in Burbank, and finish
her day in Torrance a couple times a week. “I’m very extreme with
what I do,” she laughed.

Her husband, Amir Yousefi, noted Karapetyan’s determination. “They
ask her to come in to work for nine hours she goes in for 13 hours,”
he said. “She knows what she wants.”

And her mentors noticed. “She really stuck out,” said KFI reporter
Steve Gregory. “She’s by far my most impressive intern and I’ve been
doing this for 30 years.”

Upon meeting her, Gregory recalled asking her: Do you want to be a
TV star or do you want to be respected? “She said she wanted to be
respected,” Gregory said. “She was very eager, she was like a sponge.

She wanted to learn everything.” Gregory took her everywhere from
red carpet events to a Santa Clarita detention center.

The 29-year-old was recently hired as a fill-in news anchor and general
assignment reporter for FOX 11 news. Karapetyan gleaned experience
from her two previous jobs in smaller markets – she spent two years
at a local television station in Idaho Falls and another two at a
CBS affiliate in Portland.

Her career in news was foreshadowed early on. As a kid, she’d pretend
to be a news anchor with Scarlett Davis, her first friend in America.

One evening, the two were sitting on the living room carpet among a
stack of National Geographic magazines, while Karapetyan’s family was
watching the news. “She handed me one and she said, ‘Ok, pick out an
article and we’re going to pretend like were news anchors like the
lady on TV now,'” Davis recalled.

Growing up, Karapetyan was a performer, said her mother, Gayane
Tumanyan. “Whenever there were people gathered together, she’d
find something and make it look like a microphone and start talking
reciting, singing, dancing,” Tumanyan said, with a laugh.

She credits her work ethic to summers spent working at Malaga Cove
Ranch Market, a grocery store owned by her uncle. Her grandfather, at
84 years old, still goes to work there everyday. “There was no cutting
corners. If I didn’t do it, my grandpa would have to do it,” she said.

“I wasn’t looking to get out of there, clock in, clock out. If I was
sick, I was still showing up to work…That’s really what shaped me.”

As a reporter in the small town of Idaho Falls, Karapetyan described
herself as a “one-man band.” “I had to shoot, edit and be the
reporter. On weekends I would produce, sometimes report on a story
and anchor all in one day,” she recalled. “It was hard work. It was
a lot, especially when you’re not getting paid very much.”

She looked at the experience as graduate school, a training ground
on which she could hone in her skills. On occasion, she’d imagine
pulling over on the icy road and plugging a hole in her tire so she
wouldn’t have to continue her assignment. But she never did. “If you
don’t care, then you’re not going to do justice to the people there
or the story,” she said.

For one particularly memorable story, she headed to Mexico with KFI’s
Gregory to report on an amusement park at which park-goers simulate
the border-crossing experience. Would-be immigrants gathered on a
dark campground – rife with border patrol officers chasing them,
demanding for papers – to act out what it would be like.

Her station couldn’t afford to send her abroad, so she paid her own
way. She’d promised her news director she’d find a local connection –
why would this story be relevant to the Idaho Falls community? So
she navigated through the Hispanic community, eventually finding
an immigrant who’d crossed the border illegally from Mexico who was
willing to share his story.

“I found that connection then went off to Mexico,” Karapetyan said,
with a bright smile. While she traveled with Gregory, the two were
reporting separately. Again, Karapetyan was a one-man band. “Sometimes
I wanted to be in the shot to do standup, so I would hand the camera
to someone, give them a quick lesson: this is what you do, follow me
when I go this way, pan and zoom.”

After collecting 10 hours of footage, she headed home to edit. The
story earned her a regional Edward Murrow award for best hard news
feature in 2008.

Still, Karapetyan is continually looking to improve. “I watch my work
every single day, I watch it to see how I did it and how I could’ve
done it better,” she said. “No matter where you are or how far up you
get, that’s the only way you’ll keep growing and getting better. There
should never be a point where you are satisfied with your work.”

A main factor in choosing to pursue a job opportunity in Los Angeles
was to be near her family. She wanted her grandparents to be able to
turn on the television and see her reporting the news, live. “They
made a lot of sacrifices to come to this country,” she said. “I know
it’s very difficult when you’re established in another country, you
have a position, you’re respected, you’ve built your whole life there.

Then you come to a whole new country, you start all over…It was
important for me to be able to be here for them so that they could
know that it was worth it.”

The family has remained tight-knit – Karapetyan said it’s like
Thanksgiving every night, as her grandma often cooks for the whole
extended family. Karapetyan’s family and friends call her Nana. “I
see her in the morning, then I see her on TV, I can’t really imagine
that it’s the same person. It’s Nana, it’s the same Nana on TV,”
her mother said, adding that Karapetyan often gets called into work
at or before 4 a.m.

At Fox, Karapetyan wants to continue to cover stories that are
memorable and have an impact. “Sometimes I think we get caught up
with the flashy stuff, the drive-by shooting, the car chase or the
fire,” she said. “I think that sometimes the real good stories kind
of get lost.”

Karapetyan’s family and friends note that she’s always wanted to make
a difference. “I go home sometimes and I’m like, ok I know I didn’t
cure cancer today, I know I didn’t invent some invention that’s
going to change the world in any way,” Karapetyan said. “But maybe
I brought light to an issue that otherwise wouldn’t have, or I gave
someone a chance to have a voice when they have no voice. That’s the
most fulfilling thing.”

From: A. Papazian

La Nouvelle République du Centre Ouest
jeudi 26 avril 2012
86N Edition

Un hommage aux victimes du génocide arménien

Arméniens et Mélusins autour du « khatchkar » de la place du Bail.

Chaque année, le week-end le plus proche du 24 avril, date
anniversaire du génocide de 1915, les représentants de la communauté
arménienne régionale se retrouvent à Lusignan, aux côtés des élus
locaux, pour procéder au dépôt d’une gerbe au pied du mémorial érigé,
place du Bail. Les liens historiques de la cité mélusine avec
l’Arménie expliquent cette cérémonie voulue par l’association ARARAT
(Association Régionale Arménienne Rencontre, Amitié et Tradition). La
stèle locale, en pierre ocre d’Arménie, est la réplique d’un «
khatchkar », principal type des monuments commémoratifs de l’Arménie
médiévale.

Cette pierre verticale sculptée, de forme rectangulaire, ornée d’une
représentation de la croix arménienne, croix spécifique dont les coins
sont évasés et fleuris, symbole de l’Arbre de Vie, installée, il y a
quatre ans, par les services municipaux. René Gibault, maire de
Lusignan, l’a rappelé : « Le génocide de 1915 ne doit pas être oublié,
les événements vécus par les Arméniens à cette époque, des peuples les
vivent, hélas, encore de nos jours dans une quasi impunité pour les
coupables ». Le responsable de l’association ARARAT a surtout voulu
souligner l’intégration parfaite de ses concitoyens arméniens dont les
descendants, devenus Français, ont combattu pour la liberté durant la
seconde guerre mondiale. Après le moment de recueillement devant le
mémorial, l’assemblée a pu poursuivre ses échanges autour du verre de
l’amitié, et se donner rendez-vous en 2013.

From: A. Papazian

L’Express, France
25 Avril 2012

1915 L’honneur des “Justes”

Dans l’Empire ottoman, certains se sont opposés au génocide des
Arméniens. Leur action sort aujourd’hui de l’oubli et pourrait
contribuer à faire évoluer la société. Pour que soit enfin reconnu un
événement occulté par la mémoire collective.

Année après année, le tabou sur les massacres d’Arméniens perpétrés
sur ordre des Jeunes-Turcs au pouvoir en 1915, se lève en Turquie. De
nombreuses publications ont paru sur le sujet. Des intellectuels ont
lancé une campagne en faveur d’une demande de “pardon” aux Arméniens.
Et, le 24 avril, jour anniversaire du début du génocide de 1915, fait
désormais l’objet de commémorations en plein coeur d’Istanbul.

Certes, le pays est encore loin d’un véritable questionnement sur son
histoire. La majorité de la population ignore toujours ce qui s’est
réellement passé à l’époque et préfère croire, selon l’expression
consacrée, que ses “ancêtres n’ont pu commettre un tel crime”. De
nombreux boulevards, places et écoles portent encore le nom de
responsables des massacres. Et la politique officielle d’Ankara
persiste dans le déni.

Dès 1915, pourtant, dans l’Empire ottoman, des voix s’étaient élevées
pour dénoncer ce crime contre l’humanité. Des dizaines de hauts
fonctionnaires, d’élus, de chefs religieux et de tribus, et un nombre
d’anonymes que l’on ne peut évaluer s’étaient opposés aux ordres et
refusé de déporter ou de massacrer les Arméniens. Au risque de perdre
leur poste ou, pour certains, leur vie. Celal Bey, gouverneur de
Konya, fut démis de ses fonctions parce qu’il avait empêché le départ
des convois de déportés ; Hüseyin Nesimi, sous-préfet de Lice (sud-est
du pays), fut assassiné par des soldats dépêchés par le préfet de
Diyarbakir car il avait refusé de faire exécuter ses administrés ;
Mustafa Aga, maire de Malatya (Anatolie), fut tué par son propre fils,
qui n’avait pas supporté que son père vienne en aide aux “mécréants”.

“Briser l’enfermement encouragé par l’Etat”
Tombée dans l’oubli, l’histoire de ces “Justes” pourrait, cependant,
jouer un rôle crucial pour la société turque dans sa confrontation
avec sa propre histoire. “Un des obstacles majeurs pour les Turcs est
la difficulté d’admettre que leurs grands-parents aient pu commettre
ces atrocités, explique Rober Koptas, rédacteur en chef d’Agos,
hebdomadaire publié en arménien et en turc. Derrière le mot
“génocide”, ils entendent une accusation collective les visant tous,
alors ils se retranchent derrière une position défensive. Rappeler
l’histoire des Justes, c’est briser l’enfermement encouragé par
l’Etat. Les simples citoyens pourront ainsi voir que les responsables
du génocide appartiennent à une époque et à une idéologie précises. Au
lieu de vénérer les coupables, chacun pourra s’approprier des figures
positives.”

Fondé par Hrant Dink, journaliste arménien de Turquie assassiné en
2007 par un ultranationaliste, Agos publie régulièrement des articles
sur les Justes. “Hrant Dink a été un des premiers à chercher un
nouveau langage afin qu’un plus grand nombre de ses concitoyens
puissent comprendre ce qui s’est passé en 1915, souligne Rober Koptas.
L’histoire des Justes permet de l’établir.” Sans pour autant effacer
les responsabilités ni soulager les consciences. “Parler des
survivants ne minimise pas la catastrophe. estime Betül Tanbay, de la
Fondation Hrant-Dink. Mais ces histoires permettent de mieux la
comprendre.” Créée après l’assassinat du journaliste, la fondation
soutient de-puis 2010 les recherches universi-taires sur les Justes.
Et prend posi- tion. “Les noms de responsables du génocide, comme
Talaat Pacha, ne doivent plus apparaître sur les boulevards”, juge
Betül Tanbay.

Journaliste à Radikal, Oral Calislar est un des rares chroniqueurs à
consacrer ses colonnes à ce sujet. “Nous avons été élevés dans
l’illusion d’une histoire nationale sans tache, dit-il. Nous
comprenons maintenant que c’était un mensonge.” Pour lui, la Turquie
est sur la bonne voie : “30 000 pétitionnaires pour la “demande de
pardon”, c’est une révolution, ici.”

Pour autant, ces avancées ne concernent qu’une partie infime de la
population. “C’est un processus de longue haleine, autant creuser un
puits avec une aiguille”, résume Rober Koptas. “Il n’est pas facile de
dire la vérité si vous avez menti pendant quatre-vingt-dix ans,
renchérit Taner Akçam. Surtout si vos héros nationaux risquent d’être
accusés d’assassinat ou de vol. Le premier obstacle à la
reconnaissance du génocide est la continuité entre les élites
ottomanes et celles qui ont fondé la République.” Taner Akçam fut un
des premiers historiens turcs à travailler sur le génocide et à oser
cette qualification. Ses travaux publiés dans les années 1990 ont
contribué à desserrer cet étau. Pour lui, les gouvernements successifs
ont entretenu à dessein les peurs en évoquant d’éventuelles demandes
d’indemnités au cas où la Turquie reconnaîtrait officiellement le
génocide. “Il faut trouver un discours qui s’adresse à la conscience
et au coeur des gens, croit-il. L’histoire des “Justes” peut y
contribuer.”

Si les efforts des intellectuels et des ONG, qu’accompagne la
démocratisation du pays, ont ouvert le débat, le tournant a été
l’assassinat de Hrant Dink. Célèbre chroniqueur du quotidien Milliyet,
Hasan Cemal fait partie de ceux dont les positions ont été
bouleversées par ce meurtre. “Avec l’assassinat de Hrant, j’ai vu tous
les autres assassins de l’Histoire”, résume-t-il. Lui, le petit-fils
de Cemal Pacha, un des membres du triumvirat au pouvoir lors du
génocide, est allé, en septembre 2008, déposer des fleurs au mémorial
du génocide à Erevan. Depuis, il enchaîne les conférences dans le
monde entier et déclare partager la douleur des Arméniens. Ce qui lui
vaut d’être qualifié de “traître” en Turquie. “La névrose qui fut
fatale à Hrant est le produit de cette Histoire que l’on n’a pas pu
regarder en face, affirme-t-il. C’est le même état d’esprit qui a
permis le massacre de Kurdes, d’Alevis ou de Grecs dans le passé.
C’est l’origine de tous nos problèmes d’aujourd’hui.”

L’ouverture du débat sur le génocide ne risque-t-elle pas d’être
menacée par les atermoiements d’un gouvernement tenté par l’exaltation
du nationalisme à l’approche du 100e anniversaire du génocide, en 2015
? “Une fois le djinn sorti du flacon, il ne peut plus y rentrer,
affirme Rober Koptas. Nous continuerons à ouvrir une faille dans le
mur et à l’élargir avec patience. Cela vaut la peine, surtout quand je
vois les nouvelles générations, plus prêtes à entendre une autre
version de l’histoire.” Burcin Gercek

Lecture humaine
Qui sont les survivants ? C’est à cette douloureuse question que
Laurence Ritter et Max Sivaslian, deux excellents arpenteurs du champ
historique, consacrent un livre poignant. Partis, au fin fond de la
Turquie, à la recherche de ces rescapés du génocide que l’on a forcés
à se convertir à l’islam en 1915, ils ont remonté le cours tumultueux
des existences humaines pour faire parler des fragments de mémoire –
qui en disent long. Des rencontres stupéfiantes, des destins
inimaginables et un silence séculaire enfin brisé. Un précieux
recueil, préfacé par un intellectuel turc, qui ouvre tous les coeurs à
la vérité. C. m.

Ceux QUI ONT DÉSOBÉI
B. G.
On les appelle, en turc, les “Consciencieux”. Depuis quelques années,
le terme désigne ceux qui se sont opposés au génocide arménien par
sens éthique ou conviction religieuse. Leur histoire se différencie
des protections intéressées, accordées à des femmes pour leur beauté
et à des enfants adoptés pour servir de main-d’oeuvre ou juste
monnayés. A la différence de ces “faux sauvetages”, leurs actes
impliquent une désobéissance, d’autant plus admirable que désespérée.
“Ma situation à Konya ressemblait à celle d’un homme qui se tient au
bord d’une rivière sans avoir aucun moyen de sauver ceux qui sont
emportés par l’eau, écrit dans ses Mémoires Celal Bey, gouverneur de
Konya, qui refusa d’appliquer les ordres de déportation. […] J’ai
sauvé ceux que je pouvais attraper avec mes mains et mes ongles. Les
autres sont partis sans possibilité de retour.” Il a désobéi par
humanisme et patriotisme : “Réunis, nos ennemis du monde entier
n’auraient pas pu nous faire autant de mal.”

D’autres “Justes”, comme de rares chefs de tribus kurdes, ont caché
leurs voisins arméniens ou les ont aidés à fuir vers la Russie. Les
habitants de Dersim auraient ainsi contribué à ce que 20 000 personnes
soient épargnées. Au total, Hrant Dink estimait à 300 000 le nombre de
personnes sauvées par ces actions.

From: A. Papazian

L’Orient-Le Jour, Liban
27 avril 2012

24 avril 1915 : on s’en souvient…

Par Hilda DADOURIAN

Elle nous revient chaque année, cette date ancrée dans nos mémoires,
ravivant la plaie cruelle qui ensanglante nos c`urs, le c`ur d’un
peuple arménien meurtri dans sa dignité. Elle revient inlassablement
dans nos pensées en nous envoyant l’écho des lamentations et des rles
qui s’élevèrent vers un ciel lourd et pesant en ce mois d’avril
maléfique, au seuil du siècle passé. Plus d’un million et demi de
femmes, d’hommes et d’enfants furent déportés, torturés, affamés,
jetés sur le chemin de l’exode, laissant derrière eux leurs terres et
leurs biens usurpés alors qu’ils vivaient en parfaite harmonie avec
leurs concitoyens turcs. Pourquoi ce destin tragique ? Ont-ils eu le
tort d’être arméniens ? Aujourd’hui, nier ce génocide signifierait
méconnaître tout autre génocide commis à l’encontre d’un peuple
innocent, et qui se répète encore aux quatre coins de la planète,
souvent sous une forme « moderne », fauchant à coups de bombes des
milliers de destins. Où sont les conventions des droits de l’homme ?
Et bien que le génocide arménien soit reconnu par plusieurs pays
d’Europe et du Moyen-Orient, nous attendons pareil geste de la part du
gouvernement actuel d’Ankara afin de paver la voie à l’entente entre
les deux peuples.

‘en_souvient….html

From: A. Papazian

Ouest-France
29 avril 2012

Un chapelet de génocides

L’homme est bon, parfois Saint et souvent Juste. Mais l’homme est
aussi un loup pour l’homme. Aujourd’hui dernier dimanche d’avril,
comme chaque année depuis 1954, se déroule la journée nationale du
souvenir de la déportation. Une journée pour se souvenir de l’horreur.
Et dire : plus jamais ça. Coïncidence du calendrier, ce dimanche est
cette année le 29 avril, jour dédié par les Nations Unies aux victimes
de la guerre chimique. Utilisées depuis 1915, les armes chimiques
n’ont été interdites que par la Convention du 29 avril 1997, bien
après la toute première résolution des Nations Unies qui appelle à
éliminer les armes atomiques comme toutes les armes de destruction
massive…

Alors aujourd’hui, entrons dans le musée des horreurs de l’humanité,
faisons oeuvre de mémoire en l’honneur de tous les humains victimes de
la haine érigée en système. Car notre histoire est un chapelet de
déportations, destructions massives, génocides : dès l’aube du XXe
siècle, en 1904, les Hereros ont été exterminés par les Allemands en
plein coeur d’Afrique. Puis les Arméniens l’ont été par l’Empire
Ottoman en 1915. Sept millions d’Ukrainiens sont morts de famine entre
1931 et 1933 sous la férule diabolique de Staline. Cette extermination
par la faim nous a légué le triste mot d’holodomor. Le même Staline a
ensuite ordonné la déportation des Tchétchènes en 1944. Le communisme
nous a alors augmenté le vocabulaire avec le Goulag soviétique et le
Laogaï chinois.

Trente millions de Chinois ont été affamés par Mao et son Grand Bond
en avant ! Six millions de Juifs et une foule de Tsiganes ont été
victimes de la solution finale nazie en Allemagne, en Pologne et en
France jusqu’en 1945 : la Shoah est devenue le symbole de l’humanité
victime de la barbarie, ses images sont gravées dans nos consciences.
La leçon n’a pourtant pas servi car Pol Pot et ses Khmers rouges ont
massacré 1,7 million de Cambodgiens entre 1975 et 1979 au nom d’une
idéologie perverse de l’uniformisation. Les Kurdes ont été éliminés
par Saddam Hussein entre 1988 et 1989 lors de l’opération Anfal.

On ne peut oublier non plus les 1,2 million de Tibétains victimes de
la Chine depuis l’invasion chinoise de 1950, ni les Azéris du
Haut-Karabagh déportés et massacrés par le gouvernement arménien, ni
le massacre du Darfour au Soudan, ni la mort de 100 000 Mayas tués par
l’armée du Guatemala, ni les 4,5 millions de Zaïrois massacrés pendant
la guerre du Congo des années 90… La liste semble sans fin : Tutsis
éliminés par les Hutus de l’extrémiste Habyarimana au Rwanda en 1994,
Bosniaques sacrifiés par milliers par des Serbes à Srebrenica en
1995…

Et avant tout cela, il y avait eu la traite négrière et l’esclavage :
la plus grande déportation de l’histoire de l’humanité que les
historiens comptent en centaines de millions de victimes.

Un instant de mémoire peut-il engager les enfants d’aujourd’hui à ne
pas ressembler aux monstres d’hier ? Ce moment d’émotion à l’évocation
des grandes oeuvres du mal ne peut que leur donner la détermination
d’écrire une meilleure histoire des hommes.

Hervé Bertho

From: A. Papazian

Karabakh resolution requires ‘political will’ in Armenia, Azerbaijan.

Mon 30 April 2012 10:33 GMT | 11:33 Local Time

Ekaterina Romanova

News.Az interviews Ekaterina Romanova, assistant professor at the
School of International Service, American University.
Do you agree with the view that the August 2008 war with Georgia
undermined Russia’s influence as a peacekeeper in the solution of
regional conflicts?

When it comes to assessing Russia’s role as a mediator or peace broker
in the South Caucasus, it has never been about Russia being neutral.
The Russian government has always made it clear that it treats the
South Caucasus as its sphere of influence and will protect its
interests in the region. It was a question of the trust which the
countries had in Russia’s authority. Georgia had lost that trust even
prior to the August war. Armenia and Azerbaijan still prefer to see a
role for Russia in the conflict resolution process (Armenia more so
than Azerbaijan, but there are other reasons than the 2008 war that
play into that).

How do you assess Russian peacemaking in the Karabakh conflict? Does
it seem effective?

The Nagorno-Karabakh peace process is too stalled to evaluate its effectiveness.

How will Russian mediation on Karabakh be influenced by Putin’s
presidency, given that the present Russian leader was very active in
attempts to reconcile Azerbaijan and Armenia?

To answer this question, one has to consider the extent to which the
actions of President Medvedev were independent/or personal decisions
or a reflection of the collaborative work of the Medvedev-Putin tandem
and the stance of the Russian government. Since Vladimir Putin never
left the government, his return to the presidency will not
significantly alter Russia’s position and involvement in the region
and in the peace process. It is important for the Russian government
to remain involved in the South Caucasus, including in the peace
processes with Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The EU has stated its intention to begin a role in resolving the
Karabakh conflict. What might be the result of an increased role for
Europe?

The EU has been more active in the conflict resolution processes in
the Caucasus in general for some time now and it would like to
continue this. It can put more pressure on the conflict parties to
consider a peaceful conflict resolution process. But external
pressures have limited effect, if there is no political will and
public support for peacebuilding in the countries. The EU can use its
leverage to encourage the countries’ governments to change their
rhetoric about the conflict and build up of enemy images, and to start
implementing confidence building measures through soft power
mechanisms and unofficial citizens’ diplomacy.

What might be the implications of the worsening situation over Iran
(even going so far as war in Iran) for the neighbouring South
Caucasus, which itself suffers from armed conflict?

There is potential for an overspill effect and destabilization of the
situation. The broader regional insecurity can have a significant
impact on the economic aspect, but the social one – population
displacement – should not be forgotten. No one will benefit from a
conflict in Iran and, hopefully, that dangerous scenario will be
avoided.

F.H.
News.Az

From: A. Papazian

A. Kaprielyan: Preliminary information says Azerbaijan transferred
Armenian captives to a 3rd country

15:20 30/04/2012 » Society

Reports were widely covered today that Azerbaijan had transferred to a
third country three Armenian captives.
Speaking to Panorama.am head of the working group of the Armenian
State Committee on Captives, Prisoners and Missing Persons Armen
Kaprielyan said although he heard such news, the Armenian side hasn’t
received any official information.

`It’s preliminary information, we haven’t yet received official
approval. Azerbaijan is supposed to officially inform the
International Committee of Red Cross, and the committee sends a letter
to Armenian government. We haven’t yet received such a letter,’ said
Mr. Kaprielyan.

Azerbaijan declared three army prisoners Ohan Harutyunyan, Gevorg
Tovmasyan and Karen Harutyunyan and a civilian family of five members
were captivated.

Source: Panorama.am

From: A. Papazian