Author: Antranik Varosian

Armenpress: Artsakh salutes EP resolution demanding release of Armenian POWs

Antranik Varosian

Artsakh salutes EP resolution demanding release of Armenian POWs

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 21:10,

YEREVAN, MAY 21, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh issued a statement on the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on May 20, which demands the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians taken hostage during and after the 44-day war. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh, the statement runs as follows,

‘’We welcome the adoption of the resolution of the European Parliament (EP) on 20th of May following the urgent debate where inter alia the European Parliament demands the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners, both military and civilian, captured during and after the war unleashed against the people of Artsakh by the Azerbaijani-Turkish tandem. We commend the efforts of the overwhelming majority of EP members to address this issue of humanitarian emergency by keeping constant pressure on Azerbaijan to ensure that Azerbaijan respects its own international obligations, particularly, with regard to ECHR and Geneva Conventions. This resolution is a significant contribution to the collective efforts of the international community to return the Armenian prisoners back home.

We also note with satisfaction that the resolution attaches great importance to the security of Artsakh and the protection of its cultural heritage in territories currently under Azerbaijani occupation. It is commendable that the European Parliament insists that Equal Rights and Self-Determination of Peoples are imperative principles for determining the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

We also welcome the resolution adopted on May 19th by the European Parliament on May 19 calling on the EU and its Member States to add the “racist right-wing extremist” ‘Grey Wolves’ movement to their terrorist list, to ban their associations and organisations in EU countries. The resolution is a crucial step toward fighting extremism and racism in the region. It will also be a clear and important message to rogue states that the international community stands up to their genocidal policies’’.

Armenpress: ‘Trudeau government must speak up to defend territorial integrity of Armenia’ – MP Michael Chong

Antranik Varosian

‘Trudeau government must speak up to defend territorial integrity of Armenia’ – MP Michael Chong

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 10:18,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Member of Parliament of Canada Michael Chong has expressed his concerns over the ongoing developments on Armenia’s borders.

“Concerned about reports of Azerbaijani troops crossing into Armenia. Having approved arms exports that upset the balance of power in Nagorno Karabakh war, the Trudeau government must speak up to defend the territorial integrity of Armenia”, Mr. Chong said on Twitter.

On May 12 in the morning the Azerbaijani armed forces crossed Armenia’s state border in the territory of Sev Lake in Syunik province and advanced up to 3,5 kilometers, trying to surround the Lake. Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this action is intolerable for Armenia, as it is an encroachment on the sovereign territory of Armenia.

So far, neither the Armenian nor the Azerbaijani side have used any weapon. The number of Azerbaijani soldiers in the territory of Armenia is about 250.





Armenia independent MP: No document should be given to Azerbaijan until all POWs have returned

Antranik Varosian
News.am, Armenia
14:23, 12.05.2021

YEREVAN. – There are always expectations; but whether or not there will be a returning of the captives is another question. Independent MP Sofya Hovsepyan on Wednesday told this to reporters at the National Assembly of Armenia, when asked whether after Russian FM Sergey Lavrov’s recent visit to the region there can be expectations that the issue of Armenian captives in Azerbaijan will be resolved quickly.

“In fact, there was talk there of providing maps of [Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)] minefields, which Azerbaijan has long wanted to achieve. But as always, it wants to have them, but to do nothing in return. But our side concedes everything in turn, without making any demands, or makes, [but] which are not comprehensively applied. The Azerbaijani side violates the arrangements every time (…); that is, we should not pin high hopes on the outcome of those talks, and we should be very harsh so as not to provide the maps and then receive the prisoners of war, but no documents should be given to them until the entire bunch of the [Armenian] prisoners of war returns,” Hovsepyan said.

She added that a clear demand must be presented that all the points in the trilateral statement that was signed must be implemented—and in a very short time. “Its guarantor is the Russian side which, it seems, should not fail, and should not have demands from us because we have fulfilled virtually all the demands—and more (…). The international community must make a clear assessment of all this and show its attitude to Azerbaijan. In fact, it turns out that Azerbaijan makes use of international funding, but when there is a clear demand from international organizations, it ignores them,” added the Armenian lawmaker.

And touching upon the security issues at the border villages of Armenia’s Syunik Province, Sofya Hovsepyan said: “We are obligated to address these issues and ensure security. (…) and [now] there is no safe area in Armenia at all. (…). It would be right for them [the incumbent Armenian authorities] to just keep quiet and act, not to spread false information. Virtually no action has been taken in that regard.”

Georgian PM honors memory of Armenian Genocide victims

Antranik Varosian

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 18:38,

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. The Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili together with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Avinyan visited Tsitsernakaberd on May 12, laid flowers and paid tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims, as well as watered the tree he had planted earlier at the ”Memory Park”, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of Tigran Avinyan.

Earlier today, Avinyan had met Irakli Garibashvili at Zvartnots airport.

Photos by Tatev Duryan


Azerbaijan accused of war crimes after execution of Armenian prisoners

Antranik Varosian
The Morning Star, UK
May 5 2021

AZERBAIJAN has been accused of war crimes after lawyers claimed that 19 Armenian prisoners of war had been tortured and executed today.

Artak Zeynalyan and Siranush Sahakyan, who represent the captives at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), said that they had filed a case there calling for Azerbaijan to be held accountable.

The Armenian soldiers were taken as prisoners last year during the six-week war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, a landlocked majority-Armenian territory inside Azerbaijan.

The bitter conflict saw accusations of war crimes, such as the beheading of civilians by Azeri troops. Amnesty International condemned the use of banned cluster bombs used on civilian targets, including in the regional capital Stepanakert.

A Russian-brokered peace deal led to anger in Armenia and mass protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who they felt ceded too much Armenian territory.

He stood down last month and called snap elections which analysts expect him to win, but with a reduced majority, possibly requiring a coalition to form a cabinet.

“During the Second Artsakh War, which was started on September 27, 2020, as well as after the signing of the tripartite agreement on November 9, 2020, Armenian civilians and servicemen continued to be taken prisoner by Azerbaijan,” a statement from the lawyers said.

“Nineteen of those prisoners of war, who have appeared in captivity, have been tortured and killed by the Azerbaijani servicemen, which is a war crime.”

Meanwhile two Syrian nationals, Muhrab al-Shkheri and Yusef al-Haji, have been sentenced to life imprisonment in Armenia on international terrorism charges for their role in the conflict.

The mercenaries were part of a number from the Free Syrian Army that were shipped in by Turkey to fight alongside Azeri troops.

They were accused of actions aimed at killing or seriously injuring civilians who were not involved in the hostilities.

Ankara recruited the jihadists from the battlefield of Syria, where they had been fighting alongside Turkish troops in the illegal invasion and occupation of Afrin, part of the Kurdish enclave known as Rojava.

Turkey has been accused of deploying jihadists in a number of arenas including Libya, where the militia helped swing its civil war in favour of the Government of National Accord.

The government of Azerbaijan was contacted for comment.

 

Armenpress: France concerned over opening of ”trophy park” in Baku, which is against reconciliation desire

Antranik Varosian

France concerned over opening of ”trophy park” in Baku, which is against reconciliation desire

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 18:01, 6 May, 2021

YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. France is concerned over the opening of the ”trophy park” by Azerbaijan in Baku, where Armenian military equipment taken as trophy and wax mannequins depicting Armenian soldiers are exhibited, a diplomatic source of ARMENPRESS at the Foreign Ministry of France said.  

 ‘’As a Minsk Group Co-chair country, France is committed to the establishment of sustainable peace and prosperity in the region. France is concerned over the public exhibition during the opening of the park on dedicated to the military victory in the last war of Nagorno Karabakh. This deadly conflict has caused much grief and disaster in many families both in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and that opening ceremony goes against the reconciliation desire which in numerous occasions has been supported also by the Azerbaijani authorities’’, the diplomatic source said.

France will continue working together with the other Co-chairs for reaching the goals defined by the April 13 statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs. ‘’This is the demand of the President and Minister of the Republic’’, the source at the French Foreign Ministry said.

The April 13 statement runs as follows,

‘’ The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) released the following statement today:

The Co-Chairs note with satisfaction the consolidation of the ceasefire, and are closely monitoring the implementation of the agreement reached by the parties on 9 November 2020.  The Co-Chairs welcome the significant achievements with regard to the return of the remains of the deceased, and the ongoing progress with regard to the resettlement of those displaced by the conflict, provision of humanitarian assistance and adequate living conditions, as well as constructive discussions aimed at unblocking transportation and communication lines throughout the region.

The Co-Chairs remind the sides that additional efforts are required to resolve remaining areas of concern and to create an atmosphere of mutual trust conducive to long-lasting peace.  These include issues related to, inter alia:  the return of all POWs and other detainees in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law, the exchange of all data necessary to conduct effective demining of conflict regions; the lifting of restrictions on access to Nagorno-Karabakh, including for representatives of international humanitarian organizations; the preservation and protection of religious and cultural heritage; and the fostering of direct contacts and co-operation between communities affected by the conflict as well as other people-to-people confidence building measures.

Having in mind the terms of their OSCE mandate and the aspirations of all the people of the region for a stable, peaceful, and prosperous future, the Co-Chairs stress that special attention should be paid to the achievement of a final comprehensive and sustainable settlement on the basis of the elements and principles well-known to the sides.

In this respect, the Co-Chairs call on the parties to resume high-level political dialogue under the auspices of the Co-Chairs at the earliest opportunity.  They reiterate their proposal to organize direct bilateral consultations under their auspices, in order for the sides to review and agree jointly upon a structured agenda, reflecting their priorities, without preconditions.

The Co-Chairs also express their strong support for the continuing activities and possible expansion of the mission of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chair-in-Office (PRCiO) and call on the sides to provide full access and support to its efforts. The Co-Chairs underscore their readiness to resume working visits to the region, including Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, to carry out their assessment and mediation roles. In this regard, the Co-Chairs remind the sides of the requirement to provide unimpeded access and maximum flexibility of movement with regard to the Co-Chairs’ travel itineraries, in accordance with their mandate and previous practice’’.




Armenian Judoka Released from Azerbaijan

Antranik Varosian
May 7 2021


In the past armed conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, among those taken prisoners was a young Armenian judoka, the 19-year-old Robert Vardanyan. Following a call for help from the Armenian Judo Federation, President Marius Vizer, reacted promptly and without hesitation.
The International Judo Federation is happy to announce that the young judoka has now returned home his family safely, due to the generosity of His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan.
We would like to express our deep gratitude to President of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev – and the Azerbaijan judo family.
Once again, Judo proved to be an incredible tool against war and conflict situations, and the release of the young judoka is proof of the power and high moral values that our sport is carrying, surpassing any conflict and animosity. The solidarity and the unity of the International Judo Family has no borders, and we are all united by the common goal of mutual aid and prosperity.

Authorities trying to silence opposition figures through courts – Artur Vanetsyan

Antranik Varosian
Panorama, Armenia
May 7 2021

“Authorities have recently started actions aimed at silencing the opposition representatives through courts,” Armenia’s former Chief of the National Security Service, the leader of ‘Homeland’ party Artur Vanetsyan has said. 

Venstayn commented on the charges brought against Ruben Vardazaryan, the Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a state body overseeing the country’s judiciary. To remind, following the criminal prosecution, Vardazaryan’s powers were terminated  as chairman of SJC and a court judge, pending the investigation into a criminal case. 

“Mr Vardazaryan’s guilt, as I see, was that he tried to exercise his constitutional rights and capacities and the authorities didn’t like that. As you know, the authorities have recently started actions to silence all members of the opposition through courts,” said Vanetsyan. 

US acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide: Its implications

Antranik Varosian
JNS – Jewish News Syndicate
May 6 2021

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Alan Baker
It is incumbent upon the international community and the United Nations to respond with commensurate measures to Iran’s genocidal threats against Israel.

(May 6, 2021 / Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) The recent formal recognition by President Biden of the genocide of the Armenian people at the hands of the Ottoman Turks in the early 20th century is not merely a pro forma gesture to the Armenian people. It is of vast historical significance. It corrects a century-old historic anomaly by acknowledging a reality that, due to political pressure from Turkey, has been deliberately overlooked.

The U.S. declaration

On April 24, President Biden, in an official statement commemorating Armenian Remembrance Day, expressed the United States’ formal acknowledgment and recognition of the Armenian genocide by Ottoman-era Turks during the years 1915-1923.

The atrocities by the Ottoman authorities included the arrest of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders and the systematic deportation and massacre of one-and-a-half million Armenians in different parts of Turkey.

Rejecting the U.S. declaration, the Turkish foreign ministry stated:

“We reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the president of the U.S. regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups on April 24 … This statement of the U.S. … will never be accepted in the conscience of the Turkish people, and will open a deep wound that undermines our mutual friendship and trust.”

The consistent Turkish rejection of the allegations of genocide appears to run counter to considerable historical evidence pointing to the large-scale massacres that took place. A joint declaration by Britain, France and Russia, dated May 24, 1915, accused the Turkish government of responsibility for crimes against the Armenians:

“For about a month, the Kurd and Turkish populations of Armenia have been massacring Armenians with the connivance and often assistance of Ottoman authorities. … Inhabitants of about one hundred villages were all murdered. In that city, the Armenian quarter is besieged by Kurds. At the same time, in Constantinople Ottoman Government ill-treats inoffensive Armenian population.

“In view of those new crimes of Turkey against humanity and civilization, the Allied governments announce publicly to the Sublime-Porte that they will hold personally responsible [for] these crimes all members of the Ottoman government and those of their agents who are implicated in such massacres.”

The Turkish denial

The Turkish rejection of the U.S. declaration is consistent with the standard policy of denial of successive Turkish regimes. This despite eyewitness accounts, official archives, photographic evidence, diplomats’ reports and the testimony of survivors.

Turkey has even attempted to disrupt academic conferences and public discussions dealing with the Armenian Genocide. A notable example was the attempt by Turkish officials to force the cancellation of a conference in Tel Aviv in 1982 at which the Armenian Genocide was to be discussed. Such demands were amplified with threats to the safety of Jews in Turkey. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council reported similar threats over plans to include references to the Armenian Genocide within the interpretive framework of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.

While there seems to have been a general consensus in the international community regarding the reality of the genocide, many countries (including Israel) have refrained from formally acknowledging it. The reasons for this reluctance vary, from bilateral relations and commercial interests to Turkey’s status in the international community and the considerable political pressure employed by the Turkish government.

Israel and the Armenian Genocide

Israel’s position has been influenced by many moral, humanitarian and political factors.

In 2001, Israel’s then-foreign minister (and later president) Shimon Peres, basing himself on the uniqueness of the Holocaust, refrained from drawing a parallel with the Armenian situation, claiming that “what the Armenians went through is a tragedy, but not a genocide.”

In 2011, when the subject was discussed in Israel’s Knesset, Speaker Reuven Rivlin (currently president) expressed his intention to convene an annual parliamentary session to mark the Armenian Genocide. Speaking to an Israel-based Armenian action committee, Rivlin said, “It is my duty as a Jew and Israeli to recognize the tragedies of other peoples.”

While the issue was referred to the Knesset’s Education Committee for more extensive deliberation, such recognition never materialized. Ultimately, because of Israel’s commercial, security, tourism and aviation interests with Turkey, as well as its relationship with Azerbaijan (Israel’s leading supplier of oil), then-foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman made it clear in 2015 that Israel did not intend to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Implications of the U.S. declaration

The U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide portends a significant paradigm change in the way attempted genocides, large-scale atrocities and systematic murder and repression are likely to be perceived within the international community in general, and by major powers specifically.

Recent occurrences of such atrocities include:

• The 2015 attempted genocide of the Iraqi Kurds, committed by Islamic State (ISIS), Iraqi government forces and Iran, as well as the systematic attempt by ISIS to exterminate the Yazidis, Assyrian Christians and Shi’ites in Iraq since 2014.

• The ongoing attempted genocide by Myanmar of the Muslim Rohingya people that commenced in 2017.

•The repression of the Turkic Muslim Uyghurs in China since 2016.

• The attempted genocide and ethnic cleansing by South Sudan’s president against the Nuer tribal ethnic group in South Sudan since 2018, as well as ethnic massacres and killings by Arab militias of minority, non-Muslim groups in Darfur.

• The attempted genocide, displacement of millions, and ethnic cleansing of Christian militias by Muslim leadership in the Central African Republic.

• The mass killing of Yemenis by the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2017.

• The ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria by radical Islamists.

Threats by Iran to annihilate Israel

The same moral and historical logic that brought the U.S. administration to finally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide might be expected to lead to similar acknowledgment of Iran’s oft-voiced genocidal intentions with regard to Israel:

• In 2005, Iranian President Ahmadinejad, in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, called Israel a “tumor” and echoed the words of the former Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, by saying that Israel should be wiped off the map.

• In a 2006 speech during an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders in Malaysia, Ahmadinejad said, “the main solution to the Middle East crisis is for the elimination of the Zionist regime.”

• In 2008, marking Israel’s 60th Independence Day, Ahmadinejad declared: “Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken. Today, the reason for the Zionist regime’s existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation.”

• In June 2008, the Iranian presidency issued a statement calling to “wipe Israel off the map”: “O dear Imam [Khomeini]! You said the Zionist regime is a usurper and illegitimate regime, and a cancerous tumor that should be wiped off the map. I should say that your illuminating remark and cause are going to come true today. The Zionist regime has lost its existence philosophy … the Zionist regime faces a complete dead end, and under God’s grace, your wish will soon be materialized, and the corrupt element will be wiped off the map.”

• In 2014, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on social media that: “This barbaric, wolf-like and infanticidal regime of Israel, which spares no crime has no cure but to be annihilated.”

A 9-point table, published on Twitter, outlining why and how Israel should be eliminated: “The only means of bringing Israeli crimes to an end is the elimination of this regime. … The only means of confronting a regime that commits crimes beyond one’s thought and imagination is a resolute and armed confrontation.”

• In January 2019, the head of Iran‘s air force, Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, called to eliminate Israel from the Earth: “The young people in the air force are fully ready and impatient to confront the Zionist regime and eliminate it from the Earth.”

The 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide determined in its third article that incitement to genocide is a crime under international law.  Iran is plainly violating this basic provision of international law.

It is incumbent upon the international community and the United Nations, in particular, to respond with commensurate measures. The silence of the international community can and will continue to be interpreted by Teheran as a form of acquiescence to Iran’s declarations.

Conclusion

The above panoply of threats, when complemented by Iran’s intentions and ongoing efforts to acquire nuclear capability and weaponry, must surely be taken into consideration by the U.S. administration, as well as by the European countries, as a central factor in any resumed negotiation with Iran.

There cannot exist a double standard that acknowledges and condemns past occurrences of genocide, while out of the same “political correctness” that was demonstrated vis-à-vis Turkey, and “out of fear of offending Iran,” overlooks, ignores, downgrades and sidelines genuine, ongoing threats by the Iranian leadership to destroy the State of Israel.

Alan Baker is director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center and the head of the Global Law Forum. He participated in the negotiation and drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, as well as agreements and peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. He served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry and as Israel’s ambassador to Canada.

This article was first published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Turkish MP Threatens Armenian MP with Murder

Antranik Varosian
Jihad Watch
May 5 2021

MAY 5, 2021 11:00 AM BY UZAY BULUT

As human rights advocates across the world commemorated on April 24 the 106th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey, a Turkish nationalist MP was threatening an Armenian MP with murder.

On April 27, Umit Ozdag, an independent member of Turkey’s parliament and a professor of political science, retweeted a statement by Garo Paylan, who is an Armenian MP from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

Ozdag referred to Talat Pasha (1874-1921), one of the primary architects of the Armenian Genocide, which resulted in the systematic extermination of around 1.5 million Armenians. He wrote on his Twitter account, threatening Paylan:

Imprudent, provocative guy. If you are not so pleased, go to hell. Talat Pasha did not drive out the patriotic Armenians, but those who shot them from behind like you do. When the time comes, you too will and must have a Talat Pasha experience.

At least 12,300 people “liked” Ozdag’s tweet as of May 2.

Talat Pasha was the Minister of the Interior of the Ottoman Empire and one of the authorities who assumed primary responsibility for the planning and implementation of the Armenian Genocide. Ozdag’s threatening tweet was in response to this statement by Paylan:

106 years later, we are [still] walking the streets named after Talat Pasha, the architect of the genocide. We teach our children in schools called Talat Pasha.

[Imagine] what kind of a Germany it would be if there were streets named after Hitler in Germany today and if children there studied at schools named after Hitler. That’s the Turkey we are living in today.

Paylan was referring to the fact that many streets, schools and other venues across Turkey are named after the government and military authorities who planned or implemented the Armenian Genocide.

Paylan responded to Ozdag on his Twitter:

The remnant of the mentality that exterminated my people says “we will do it again.” You shot us and did we not die? We did, but those who survived have never left the struggle for justice. They won’t quit after me [I am gone] either. The conscientious majority of this country have not left the [struggle] to fascists like you, and they will not do that.

Falsely claiming that Paylan has ties with groups such as the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (or ASALA, which operated in the 1970s and 80s), and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Ozdag continued targeting Paylan with genocide denialist and racist slurs referring to Paylan’s blood:

A remnant of Dashnaks, an extension of ASALA, a supporter of the PKK. You killed hundreds of thousands of Turks, and shot our army from behind. The perpetrators were punished. Nobody touched the patriotic Armenians. But in your blood the Dashnak-ASALA-PKK virus is circulating. You are a ferocious enemy of the Turkish nation.

Turkey’s Human Rights Association (IHD) Co-Chair and lawyer Eren Keskin then called on prosecutors to open an investigation against Ozdag for his statements inciting violence:

We, as IHD’s Commission against Racism and Discrimination, will file a criminal complaint against Umit Ozdag. I wish a “true legist, prosecutor” would step up before we do, and open an investigation… Here is hoping.

As no public prosecutor has filed a complaint against Ozdag, Keskin took action and announced that the IHD filed a criminal complaint against Ozdag for “threatening” Paylan, “publicly provoking hatred and hostility” and “committing the crime of discrimination.”

However, it is very unlikely that Ozdag will be held accountable for his genocidal remarks, because his views are in line with those of the Turkish government. Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself said on April 26 that it was Armenians who committed massacres against “millions of defenceless civilians.”

“Millions of Turks and Kurds, all civilians, were massacred by Armenian gangs,” Erdogan falsely claimed. This allegation has been historically dismissed, but Erdogan continued the narrative. “Feeling unsatisfied, Armenian gangs did not refrain from massacring Greeks in the vicinity of Trabzon and Jewish citizens of the Ottoman State in Hakkari,” he added.

These words demonstrate the scope of the irrationality of historic revisionism in Turkey. The victims are rewritten as the perpetrators and the perpetrators are labeled as the victims. Left is right and right is left. Everything is upside down.

Historical facts, however, clearly demonstrate what happened during the genocide. Beside Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, and other non-Muslims (such as Yazidis in Ottoman Turkey and Jews in Palestine before the establishment of the modern State of Israel) were targeted. It was a systematic attempt first by the Ottoman authorities and then by Turkish nationalist leaders to wipe out non-Muslims — particularly the indigenous Christians — from their ancient homeland. Honest historians agree on these historical realities. The International Association of Genocide Scholars, for instance, reported in 2007:

The Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities of the Empire between 1914 and 1923 constituted a genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, and Pontian and Anatolian Greeks.

Yet 106 years after the genocide, the victims’ descendants are still targeted by the Turkish government, the political elites and the media. Armenians were the group exposed to the most hate speech by the Turkish media in 2019, according to the Hate Speech and Discrimination Media Discourse annual report by the Hrant Dink Association.

“Hate speech leads to hate crimes and our country lives in a climate of hate,” Paylan told the news site Gazete Duvar. “The whole political sphere ignores hate speech. Hate crimes are becoming commonplace. 106 years ago, genocide also took place in such an atmosphere of hate.” Paylan emphasized that crimes which have remained unpunished will be repeated.

He continued: “Özdağ takes this courage from the [existent] climate of hate. I am not afraid of it. If they kill, we will die, but we will never leave this country to the fascists. I engage in politics knowing this… Armenians are constantly subjected to hate crimes and hate speech in Turkey, including the 6-7 September pogrom in Istanbul [in 1955],” Paylan said. “My father was subjected to the same hate speech. And I am subjected to hate speech as a member of the third generation… We have been living the Talat Pasha experience for 106 years.”

Over a century after the genocide, Turkey not only aggressively denies the genocide, but also falsely portrays Armenians as the perpetrators and threatens them with more murders. Meanwhile, the “Free World” stands idly by.

Uzay Bulut is a Turkish journalist formerly based in Ankara.