Author: Arsine Chaltikian

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN NKR IN NORMAL COURSE: ZORAN PUZICH
STEPANAKERT, June 20. /ARKA/. The parliamentary elections in Nagorno
Karabakh were held in their normal course, without any serious
violations. Democratic elections are more obvious in the unrecognized
country, Zoran Puzich, a member of the Croatian Human Rights
Committee, told ARKA.
According to him, the voters’ activity demonstrates the people’s
desire to participate in building up their future. All the different
political parties demonstrated the understanding of the importance of
elections, he said. Democracy is not only elections. Democratic
standards need to be consolidated, especially in relations with
refugees. Croatia has experience in overcoming the aftermath of
interethnic war. It is very difficult, but peace and democracy are
impossible without it, Puzich said.
In her turn, Chairperson of the Czech Association of Refugees Marina
Sargsyan pointed out that nobody forced Karabakh voters to vote
against their will. She also pointed out voters’ activity, saying
that the observers did not record any serious violations. P.T. -0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
EU-ARMENIA COOPERATION COMMITTEE SITS IN YEREVAN
20.06.2005 03:52
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 6-th sitting of the EU-Armenia Cooperation Committee
started in Yerevan today. The agenda contains economic issues for most part.
The sitting is co-chaired by RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development
Karen Chshmaritian and Hugues Mingarelli, European Commission Director for
Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Deputy Minister of Trade and
Economic Development Tigran Davtyan stated that discussions will focus on
Armenia’s participation in Wider Europe: New Neighbors EU program. `Armenia
was included in the program two months ago. Presently we should hold
negotiations in bilateral format, work out a political line till end of the
year and start its implementation next year’, he noted. Besides the
neighborhood policy the agenda contains issues referring to the
trade-economic cooperation, creation of business atmosphere, energy
problems, investment cooperation as well as political situation in Armenia,
struggle against corruption and cooperation with international
organizations, FRE/RL reported.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARF LEADER ACCUSES KARABAKH AUTHORITIES OF PUSHING IT OUT TOWARDS OPPOSITION
Armenpress
YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS: A top member of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) announced today about breathing a new
life into a consultative body which was set up several years ago but
has been inert.
Hrant Margarian, representative of the ARF Bureau, said the Ruling
Coalition Council that comprises heads of three members of the
governing coalition-ARF, Republican Party and Orinats Yerkir as well
as president Kocharian, would be discussing urgent problems in a more
coordinated way.
Margarian agreed with parliament chairman Arthur Baghdasarian that
there are now four poles of power, which have different positions on a
set of issues, but described the discrepancy as “normal,” saying also
that differences should be solved in a healthy climate. Margarian said
his party is against revolutionary changes, which ‘are aimed to topple
the ruling regime.” “When there are no reasons to spark a revolution,
no revolution takes place no matter what kind of efforts are exercised,
but when there are such reasons, nothing can stop it,” Margarian said.
Margarian also warned that the ARF would have to take adequate measures
if the June 19 parliamentary elections in Nagorno-Karabakh were rigged.
Margarian accused the current Karabakh authorities of “pushing the
ARF out towards the opposition.” “Karabakh is not the place where we
would like to be in opposition, but it experiences a set of economic
and social problems and we are not satisfied with the policy of
authorities to resolve them,” he said.
A statement issued by ARF and Movement 88 earlier this week accused
“some puppets of the incumbent authorities of plotting to secure
parliamentary seats for pro-government candidates with the aim of
maintaining the atmosphere of connivance, lawlessness, corruption
and bribery as long as possible.” It also accused them of abusing
power, using levers of power and riches illegally earned through
misappropriation and embezzlement, ignoring human and moral values
and inspiring fear and terror to achieve their goals by using dirty
tricks, breaking the law and giving bribes.”
Margarian said also the ARF would not take a step that would jeopardize
the stability in Karabakh. “The June 19 elections should be looked
upon as a step that could raise the international image of Karabakh,”
he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH LEADERS OF COALITION PARTIES
YEREVAN, June 15. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharyan held a meeting
with the leaders of the political parties forming Armenia’s ruling
coalition. The RA presidential press service reports that the meeting
participants discussed a package of constitutional amendments.
Final draft amendments to Armenia’s Constitution are to be submitted
to the Venetian Commission before June 20. A discussion of the draft
is to be held with the participation of the Commission’s task group
and of Armenia’s representatives on June 23-24. P.T. -0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Middle East Online, UK
June 3 2005
Young Kurds dream of independence
Kurdish dream of independence spurs militant youth in Iraq’s northern
mountains.
By Abdel Hamid Zebari – LIJWA, Iraq
On the sidelines of a Kurdish congress in this northeastern Iraqi
village, young Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants from the region
and Europe are bound together by the dream of an independent state.
“I will only get married when my people are free,” said Sara Haldan,
expressing the burning hope of these people who adhere to what has
been labelled a terrorist group by the United States, European Union
and Turkey.
“I decided to join the fighters at the age of 15 after I saw Turks
drag my friend to her death behind an army vehicle. I decided then
to abandon my family and join the guerrillas to fight injustice,”
Haldan said.
This young Turkish Kurd has not seen her family in years for fear of
being recognized and arrested by Turkish authorities.
Kurds, who have sought independence since poet Ahmad Khani first
called for a Kurdish state to fend for its people in 1695, share a
common history, culture and language across four countries – Iran,
Iraq, Syria and Turkey.
For the meeting in this village 500 kilometers (300 miles) northeast
of Baghdad, the young militants broke out their traditional shalwar
pants, multicoloured shirts and wide belts.
PKK flags, red and yellow with a red star, flapped in the wind.
Narin, 22, came from Syria and took advantage of a journalist’s
presence to denounce problems faced by Kurdish women.
“Kurdish men fight for their freedom, while Kurdish women fight for
their freedom and their rights,” she said. “We should never give up
the armed struggle before we regain all our rights.”
Others who have gathered in Iraq’s northern mountains agree.
“When my family emigrated from Turkey to France I was 12 years old. I
lived there for eight years before the party called me back to join
fighters in northern Iraq,” said 23-year-old Jankiz.
He now trains Kurdish fighters and insists he “wants to remain in
this natural, human landscape until my dream of a state in these
mountains is fulfilled”.
An Indo-European people descended in large part from the Medes and
Scythian tribes, Kurds are mainly Sunni Muslims who have settled
across nearly a half-million square kilometers (200,000 square miles).
Their total number vary according to official or Kurdish sources,
from 25 to 35 million people, with between 13 and 19 million living
in Turkey.
Iran is home to six to eight million Kurds, Iraq has four to five
million and Syria around 1.5 million.
Large Kurdish communities also exist in the former Soviet republics of
Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as in European countries like Germany.
The PKK waged a bloody campaign for Kurdish self-rule in southeastern
Turkey between 1984 and 1999 in a conflict that has claimed some
37,000 lives.
Around 5,000 militants are believed to be based in Turkey and the
mountains of northern Iraq.
On Wednesday, the party said it was ready to declare a ceasefire and
offered to begin peace talks with Ankara.
PKK official Murad Karayilan said the group was now seeking a “Kurdish
democratic federation.”
In Iraq, Kurds represent 15 to 20 percent of the population and were
severely persecuted by the regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein.
They have now become a political force, with Jalal Talabani becoming
in April the first Kurd to assume the nation’s presidency.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RURAL COMMUNITY IN SYUNIK JEOPARDIZED BY METALLURGICAL PLANTS
Armenpress
KAPAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS: The population of Syunik rural community in
south-eastern province of the same name incurs huge damages caused by
the tailing pits of the Zangezur and Kapan metallurgical plants. Their
health, their cattle, their land and their orchards are under constant
threat because of regular breakdowns at the pits, resulting in the
flow of industrial wastes into canals polluting irrigation water.
The government has released 1.5 million drams for elimination of the
aftereffects, the plant pays compensations but due to new breakdowns
the community continues to sustain new damages. The community’s
population suffers also from a lime-pit near their village.
The Zangezur and Kapan plants and adjacent mines are located near the
town of Kajaran in the southeastern Syunik region. The mountainous
area has Armenia’s largest deposits of copper and molybdenum ores.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UC-Davis students remember Armenians at vigil
By Joanna Tung, The California Aggie; SOURCE: UC-Davis
University Wire
April 25, 2005 Monday
DAVIS, Calif. — With a new bill signed into law by California
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday, April 24 now marks the official
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide that took place between 1915
and 1923.
In remembrance of the genocide, which resulted in the deaths of 1.5
million Armenians, the Armenian Student Association at the University
of California at Davis held a candlelight vigil Friday evening.
Michael Armstrong, an executive member of ASA, was one of the speakers
at the event who reviewed the atrocities of the genocide and conveyed
an urgency to prevent such an event from being repeated in the future.
“I stand here as a UC-Davis student, but in the context of this day,
I am here as representative of one person in my family who was able
to survive,” Armstrong said. “In my heart and in my veins runs the
blood of a nation martyred.”
Other speakers at the vigil included Associate Executive Vice
Chancellor Rahim Reed, Associated Students of UCD President Caliph
Assagai, ASA President Aileen Babajanian and ASA executive member
Garo Manjikian.
Friday’s event marked the conclusion of the annual Genocide Awareness
Week, which included documentary and movie screenings, a genocide forum
and a March for Humanity to the Capitol in support of the state bill.
In previous years, the ASA focused its efforts solely on the Armenian
Genocide, but this year’s events also touched on mass persecutions
that affected other groups, Manjikian said.
While the Armenian genocide devastated the Armenian nation, the
systematic elimination of particular groups of people is not limited
to one culture alone, as history has shown in the Holocaust and the
Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, to name a few.
For this reason, the ASA emphasized cultural awareness and respect,
stressing the importance of understanding these historical crimes
against humanity to prevent future intolerance and destruction,
Manjikian said.
Although 90 years have passed since the genocide, ASA students believe
much more can be done to educate the public about the Armenian genocide
to attain future peace and harmony among various cultures.
After the ceremony, vigil participant and former Turkish missionary
Melissa McKeand addressed the lack of both religious and cultural
tolerance that contributes to the ongoing cruelty facing Armenians
today.
“People desperately need to develop a greater tolerance for each other,
not only for culture, but for religion too,” McKeand said.
ASA members announced that for the first time, the week’s participants
included scholars from outside the Davis, Calif., community, thus
creating a greater sense of unity among several universities and
their diverse student bodies.
As the week came to a close, Manjikian said the ASA hoped to spark
a spirit of open-mindedness, universal acceptance and harmony among
people.
“I’m definitely happy the bill passed …. It’s going to raise more
awareness about the genocide,” he said. “We’re still waiting for
federal government to recognize the genocide.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The celebration of the 90th anniversery of the Armenian Genocide in Sharjah
Azad-Hye, Dubai
May 1 2005
The Armenian Youth Foundation prepared and presented an English
speaking play named ANI on the 28th of April 2005 in “Ohannessian
Varjaran” (Weekly school of Armenians in Sharjah).
The teenagers who have been working for 6 months presented the story
of half an Armenian girl – NAIRI – who wanted to visit Moush in honor
of her grandfather, who was originally from there and survived the
genocide.
In a flash back to the 1915 we can see the teenagers’ theatrical
abilities both in playing the role of a lover – mother – victim and
crazy persons all done in high touch of responsibility and integrity.
There was no place for fake imotions as if we were in front of
professionals. It was a remarkable work specially using the english
language to make the armenian cause open to all nationalities.
At the end the song “menk kitch enk sagayn mez hy en asoom” by
Barouyr Sevag was sang both in English and Armenian.
Good job
Liza Saghdejian
Sharjah Miyorya Ohannessian Varjaran
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russian TV suspended in Azerbaijan over Armenian president’s interview
Space TV, Baku
23 Apr 05
The rebroadcasting of Russia TV in Azerbaijan will be suspended for
half an hour at 2125 Baku time [1625 gmt] today. This decision was
taken by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and
the National TV and Radio Council.
The ministry press service said that the reason for the suspension was
an interview planned by the channel with Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan on the so-called genocide of Armenians.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

California Courier Online, April 21, 2005
1 – Commentary
Some Surprises Turks Did Not Expect
In Anticipating Armenian Tsunami
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
2 – Authors Kherdian and Hogrogian
To Discuss Books at CSUF, May 2
3 – CSUF Professor’s Book Details
History of Armenians in Canada
4 – Deadline for ARPA2005 Film
Festival Entries is June 30
5 – L.A. Triple X Hosts Annual
Golf Tournament at Brookside
6 – ‘Brave’ Pastor Aghabaloglu
Visits AMAA Headquarters
7 – Republican State Senators Unanimously
Endorse Poochigian for Attorney General
8 – UCLA Students Pass Resolution Banning
Sale of Turkish Goods on Campus
*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Some Surprises Turks Did Not Expect
In Anticipating Armenian Tsunami
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
At the time of writing this column, the Armenian Tsunami, much anticipated
by the Turks in advance of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
is still a few days away.
The Turks correctly anticipated the Tsunami, but miscalculated two things.
First, the Turks themselves contributed greatly to this Tsunami, by
unintentionally publicizing the Armenian Genocide through their
“pre-emptive” activities. Second, the Turks did not realize that it was
going to be an international Tsunami, rather than one limited to Armenians.
We have seen reports of various events that have already taken place in
advance of April 24, and announcements of other activities being planned
later this week around the globe. These events are too numerous to mention
here.
For example, the City Council of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, passed
a resolution on March 30, naming a central square of the city, “The Square
of the Armenian People’s Genocide.” A monument dedicated to the memory of
the victims of the Armenian Genocide will be erected in that square. In
addition, the legislatures, governors and mayors of various states and
cities throughout the United States and several other countries issued
proclamations and resolutions on the Armenian Genocide.
Incidentally, Uruguay was the first country to officially recognize the
Armenian Genocide. The country’s Senate and House and Representatives
adopted such a resolution on April 20, 1965. Last year, on March 26, the
President of Uruguay signed a law designating April 24 as a “Day of
Recognition for the Armenian Martyrs.”
Amazingly, the normally astute Turkish diplomatic corps do not seem to know
how many countries have already recognized the Armenian Genocide. Last
week, I was both saddened and amused, seeing in the Turkish press a picture
of all 550 members of the Turkish Parliament signing a joint letter of
complaint to
the legislatures of 11 countries for having recognized the Armenian
Genocide. This miserable spectacle reminded me of those horrible days when
the Fuhrer would give an order and everyone in sight would salute him in
blind obedience, by proclaiming: Hail, Hitler! I also recalled the days of
another brutal dictator, Stalin, holding a session of the Supreme Soviet in
the Kremlin, with all of its members approving his decrees, by yelling
“Da,” in unison.
Seeing 550 members of the Turkish Parliament blindly sign a letter full of
lies about the Armenian Genocide made me wonder how the Turkish leaders
hope to ever join the European Union, when they just showed the world that
their country is no better that Hitler’s Germany or Stalin’s “Evil Empire.”
I probably need to send the Turkish leaders a copy of my new book that was
just published this week. It lists the names and the statements of the all
17 countries, not 11, that have recognized the Genocide so far. This book
is sponsored by the “90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
Commemorative Committee of California” (composed of 26 Armenian
organizations and political parties) as well as the “Armenian Genocide
Commemoration Committee – Lebanon.” The book is titled: The Armenian
Genocide: The World
Speaks Out, 1915-2005, Documents and Declarations. Copies of this book are
being handed out to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and
the Senate, as well as the legislatures of several states. It is the only
book of its kind that contains the texts (translated into English) of the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the legislatures of all 17
countries, as well as reports by international organizations and statements
by government officials and prominent individuals.
One of the unexpected items washed up by the “Tsunami” is a full-page ad in
the April 25 issue of the influential “U.S. News and World Report” magazine
which is read by millions of people around the world every week. That issue
is already available for sale in most bookstores and newsstands. The text,
linking the Armenian Genocide to various other genocides, was prepared by
the Zoryan Institute among others, including this writer. The ad was made
possible by a special gift from a generous donor “in memory of millions of
voices silenced by genocide.” The ad provides a web link for further
information on genocide. I encourage everyone to buy one or more copies of
this issue for yourself, your family and friends.
Finally, the Fox TV station in the Los Angeles area (Channel 11) will
devote a few minutes of its 10 to 11 p.m. news program on April 23 to the
Armenian Genocide. It will air live footage of the April 24 procession of
hundreds of thousands of Armenians placing flowers at the Armenian Genocide
Monument in Yerevan. At the invitation of Fox TV, live commentary will be
provided by this writer.
**************************************************************************
2 – Authors Kherdian and Hogrogian
To Discuss Books at CSUF, May 2
FRESNO – The acclaimed husband and wife team of author David Kherdian and
author/illustrator Nonny Hogrogian will discuss and read from their new
books at 7:30 p.m. on May 2, in the Industrial Technology Building, Room
101 (corner of Barstow and Campus Drive) on the Fresno State campus.
The lecture is part of the Armenian Studies Program Spring 2005 Lecture
Series and is co-sponsored by the Armenian Students Organization.
Between them, David Kherdian and Nonny Hogrogian have written, edited, or
illustrated over one hundred books. Their work has encompassed the Armenian
Genocide, life in America as first-generation Armenians, children’s books,
memoirs in verse and prose, folklore, and the mystical teachings of
Gurdjieff.
David Kherdian will read from one of his latest books, The Song of the
Stork, a spirited translation of an important collection of poems first
compiled and published by the Mekhitarist priest and scholar Levond Alishan
in Venice in 1850. Kherdian writes of these songs/poems that “their
humility and troubled faith draws a response from that place in us that is
reserved for the essential and true “from our own unspoiled reservoir of
spirit, that understands what has been lost and can yet be regained.” The
book features illustrations by Nonny Hogrogian.
This will be followed by a selection from some earlier books of poetry and
memoirs, concluding with readings from his new book, Letters to My Father,
which is a meditation on the elusive bond between fathers and sons. In this
suite of 60 poems, Kherdian evokes his Armenian father through plainspoken
recollections of poignant details: a heavy gray coat, the way he combed his
eyebrows, his signature X.
Kherdian is well known as the author of the Newberry Award Winner The Road
>>From Home: The Story of An Armenian Girl, which detailed his mother’s
experiences in surviving the Armenian Genocide. Read by students and
adults alike, it has contributed greatly to increasing awareness of the
Genocide.
He has been widely recognized as one of the most important and distinctive
voices in Armenian-American poetry for nearly four decades. The title poem
to his collection On the Death of My Father was praised by William Saroyan
as “one of the best lyric poems in American poetry.” Kherdian has also
memorably chronicled his youth growing up in Racine, Wisconsin, and his
experiences as an Armenian American in such works as Homage to Adana, I
Remember Root River, The Dividing River/The Meeting Shore, and My Racine,
among many others.
Nonny Hogrogian’s newest book, Finding My Name, is a memoir of her first
thirteen years growing up in the Bronx, New York. It explores both her
efforts to find herself as a budding artist and the joys and difficulties
of growing up as an Armenian-American torn between two cultures.
Hogrogian has twice won children’s literature’s highest honor, the
Caldecott Medal, for her books Always Room for One More and One Fine Day.
Her illustrations to Virginia Tashjian’s Armenian folktale collections Once
There Was and Was Not and Three Apples Fell from Heaven and her husband’s
retelling of the Armenian tale The Golden Bracelet are beloved by several
generations of Armenian children.
Following the authors’ talk and a question-and-answer period, they will be
available to sign copies of not only their new titles but also selected
older titles as well.
Copies of Kherdian’s books will be on sale after the talk.
Relaxed parking will be available in Lots Q, K, and L after 7:00 PM the
night of the lecture. For more information on the presentation, contact the
Armenian Studies Program at 278-2669.
*****************************************************************
3 – CSUF Professor’s Book Details
History of Armenians in Canada
FRESNO – A Fresno State professor’s book looking at Armenians in Canada was
published this month and coincides with the 90th anniversary of the
beginning of the Armenian genocide that killed 1.5 million people.
Dr. Isabel Kaprielian-Churchill, a professor of history at California State
University, Fresno wrote `Like Our Mountains: A History of Armenians in
Canada,’ which was published by McGill-Queen’s University Press. The book
recounts the sweeping social history of the Armenian-Canadian experience
that links the Old World with the New against a far-flung diaspora.
The genocide of Armenians in Turkey began in 1915. More than seventy-five
thousand Armenians have found refuge in Canada and Kaprielian-Churchill’s
narrative is the first comprehensive account of their experience from the
late 19th century to the devastating earthquake in 1988.
`Like Our Mountains’ relates the history of the Canadian Armenian community
from its founding, settlements and economic adjustments, to its social,
religious, political and cultural life, transformations
over generations, and relationship with other communities in Canadian
society. The book examines the cities settled by Armenian immigrants:
Brantford before 1914, St. Catharines after World War I, Hamilton
after World War II, and Toronto and Montreal from the 1960s to 1988.
Kaprielian-Churchill carried out exhaustive research in English, Armenian,
and French sources including interviews with survivors of the genocide,
archives, oral histories, diaries and memoirs and letters.
A professor of Armenian and Immigration History, Kaprielian-Churchill
specializes in the field of Armenian diasporan history.
**************************************************************************
4 – Deadline for ARPA
2005 Film Festival
Entries is June 30
LOS ANGELES – Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art will host the annual
Arpa International Film Festival October 3-6, 2005 at Arclight Cinemas in
Hollywood, California.
Arpa is now accepting films for competition in the following categories:
Feature Film, Short Film, Documentary and Animation. Entries must be
received no later than June 30, 2005.
Now in its 8th year, the festival has established itself as an
international resource for independent filmmakers. Last year’s festival
featured over 50 films from 20 different countries. The Arpa International
Film Festival is one of the most dynamic important niche festivals.
The Festival is dedicated to cultivating cultural understanding and global
empathy, creating a dynamic forum for international cinema with a special
focus on the work of filmmakers who explore the issues of Diaspora, exile,
and cross- and multi-culturalism. And it celebrates the ideals of
independent thought, artistic vision, cultural diversity and social
understanding.
Submission rules and entry form are available online at
or For additional information, contact the Arpa Foundation
for Film, Music and Art at [email protected] or call (323)
663-1882.
**************************************************************************
5 – L.A. Triple X Hosts Annual
Golf Tournament at Brookside
PASADENA – The Los Angeles Chapter of the Triple X Fraternity will host the
50th Annual Armenian Open Golf Tournament June 17 at the Brookside Country
Club in Pasadena.
Brookside has been the site of many Golden State and Nike professional
tournaments and is considered one of the outstanding golf courses in the
area.
For over 75 years, the Triple X has enjoyed a reputation as an organization
that has contributed to the Armenian community.
Since its inception in 1955m the golf tournament has raised over $200,000
that has been distributed to various Armenian charities locally and abroad.
After golf, players and their guests will be entertained at an awards
banquet that will include live Armenian music and a raffle with many
prizes. The highlight of the evening is the presentation of trophies to
players in various categories and all skill levels.
For more information on how to participate, call Tev Eminian (818)
366-7888, or Mike Kourtjian (818) 885-6500.
**************************************************************************
6 – ‘Brave’ Pastor Aghabaloglu
Visits AMAA Headquarters
PARAMUS, NJ – The Armenian Evangelical pastor who became an international
hero among the Armenians as a result of his appearance on Turkish
television, paid a visit to the headquarters of the Armenian Missionary
Association of America (AMAA) on April 12.
Rev. Krikor Aghabaloghlu was invited to participate in a five-hour show on
Turkish television to present “the Armenian point of view” in a discussion
of the Armenian Genocide. Rev. Aghabaloghlu is a well-known activist who
has already been jailed once for challenging the confiscation of his
church’s property by the Turkish government.
“We were doubly proud to have Krikor visit us,” said Andrew Torigian,
AMAA’s Executive Director, “First, of course, because he is one of our own,
but also because he had the courage to speak out about the truth of the
Armenian Genocide on Turkish television, something that is rarely done.”
At the AMAA offices, Rev. Aghabaloghlu was introduced to the headquarters
staff, and had discussion with both the Executive and the Administrative
Directors. He reported on the progress of the Armenian Evangelical work in
Turkey, which goes beyond the Armenian communities and reaches out to the
local community. Many non Armenian Christians now regularly participate in
the Sunday worship services
The outspoken and courageous Istanbul pastor was encouraged and supported
by the AMAA to attend the Bitinia Bible School of Istanbul, from which he
was graduated.. In September 1999, the Union of the Armenian Evangelical
Churches in the Near East granted him a license to preach and perform the
sacraments of Baptism and Communion in Armenian Evangelical Church of Gedik
Pasha. He was ordained as a pastor in December 2002 and continues to serve
as pastor and Chairman of the same Church.
On the program, much to the surprise of both Hulki Jevizoglu, the host of
the show, and his main guest, historian Mehmet Saray, Rev. Aghabaloghlu
made it clear that there is no doubt a genocide was committed against the
Armenians. It is reported that while the two Turks were in a state of
disbelief, Pastor Aghabaloghlu went on to state that all Turks in Anatolia
know the truth about the Armenian Genocide, although no one dared to talk
about the subject and that anyone who had the courage to speak about it,
is called a traitor, condemned by the media, taken to court, and sent to
jail.
He kept on insisting that, as a clergyman, he has the obligation to tell
the truth, and refused to allow himself to be silenced.
Undeterred, Rev. Aghabaloghlu said that he knew the facts first-hand from
the experiences of his own family, and added that there is irrefutable
evidence for the Genocide in hundreds of books in many languages and that
everyone knew that the Armenians in Anatolia were the victims of Genocide.
Adding insult to the injury of the Turks, he asked rhetorically, “What did
happen to the Armenians inhabiting that region? Did they evaporate? Did
they decide to migrate en masse? Are there any Armenians left in
Anatolia?”
Rev. Aghabaloghlu was born in Arapkir in 1957. He studied in Arapkir and
Malatia and, in 1979, he was graduated from the University of Istanbul,
receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Education and majoring in the history of
Turkey. He is married to Maria Semerji. They have a son and a daughter.
***************************************************************************
7- Republican State Senators Unanimously
Endorse Poochigian for Attorney General
SACRAMENTO – The Poochigian for Attorney General campaign announced last
week that all of Senator Chuck Poochigian’s Republican colleagues in the
State Senate have endorsed him in his bid to be California’s next Attorney
General. This unified support of a candidate so early in the election
process is quite unique and is a testimony to the enormous respect
Poochigian (R-Fresno) has earned during his tenure in the California
Legislature.
“Few public officials serve their constituents and their state as well as
Chuck Poochigian,” said Senator Dick Ackerman (R-Tustin), Senator
Republican Leader. “He will make an excellent Attorney General and we, his
colleagues in the Senate, are pleased to offer our unanimous support to his
campaign.”
Poochigian thanked his fellow senators saying: “I’m honored to receive
such tremendous support from my colleagues. I look forward to continuing
to work on the important public safety and consumer issues that we’ve
focused on in the Senate after I’m elected as California’s next Attorney
General.”
In addition, three former members of the California State Senate have
endorsed Poochigian as well. They include former Senators Jim Brulte, Ross
Johnson, and Rico Oller.
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8 – UCLA Students Pass Resolution Banning
Sale of Turkish Goods on Campus
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA student government, the Undergraduate Student
Association Council (USAC) unanimously passed a resolution introduced by
the UCLA Armenian Student Association (ASA) Wednesday night in support of
an initiative to ban the sale of Turkish goods at UCLA until Turkey
addresses its human rights record.
The resolution, entitled “Fight to Protect Human Rights in Turkey” made
reference to numerous historical and current human rights violations which
Turkey has committed towards its people, especially minorities. “What makes
this so important is that it not only highlights the historical human
rights violations committed by the Turkish government, but also the crimes
the government commits against its citizens today,” asserted Shant
Taslakian, a fourth year Philosophy major and ASA member who researched
goods sold in the ASUCLA store in preparation for the council meeting.
Other ASA members, including Garen Kirakosian and Ani Garibyan had done
extensive research – starting in 2004 – before presenting their findings to
USAC. “The passage of this resolution is a great step toward justice
throughout the world. It is important that institutions of higher learning,
like UCLA, take the necessary steps to make it known that they will not
conduct business with governments that mistreat their people and attempt to
deny and revise history,” proclaimed Kirakosian, a third-year Political
Science student.
The resolution sends a clear and bold message to the government of Turkey
by the UCLA student body. “This was a great victory not only for the
Armenian community at UCLA, but for all those who believe in the protection
of human rights,” asserted Raffi Kassabian, president for the Armenian
Student Association at UCLA. “We have seen USAC pass resolutions similar to
this before whether it is with the divestment from South Africa during
Apartheid and divestment from Burma. It is important for the UCLA student
body to take a clear and consistent stance on such human rights abuses.”
The ASA must now present the resolution to the Campus Services Committee of
the ASUCLA, which consists of various students and economists, among
others. The committee must determine the economic impact the resolution
would have on the university, before they can implement it. “Going into
May’s meeting with a resolution that has been unanimously approved by USAC
is a huge step for the ASA. We will do our utmost to work with the services
committee in implementing the resolution,” mentioned Garibyan, a
fourth-year Political Science student.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress