Author: Emil Karabekian

Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

This week, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is expected to plead guilty to the charge of making secret payments to buy the silence of boys he had sexually abused when he was a high school wrestling coach. This plea deal with federal prosecutors would seal his court records, thus hiding from the public the details of the evidence against him.

Ever since 2005 when former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds exposed corruption at the highest levels of the US government, concerned citizens have been waiting impatiently for law enforcement officials to look into her shocking revelations.

Given the regrettably long silence by Washington and the mainstream US media, I believe it is time to expose once again the scandalous cover up of the claims that Turkish groups had bribed Speaker Hastert.

Philip Giraldi, former CIA officer and Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, published in The American Conservative last week the sinister details of foreign governments blackmailing Speaker Hastert.

Edmonds was fired from her FBI position after revealing to her superiors the penetration of US government entities by Turkish agents “who were seeking to influence U.S. foreign policy while sometimes engaging in illegal activity,” according to Giraldi. “The scope of the corruption allegedly involved bribery of senior government officials and congressmen, arranging for export licenses to countries that were embargoed, and the exposure of classified information,” Giraldi wrote.

In a 2009 deposition, Edmonds explained that Hastert was “one of the primary U.S. persons involved in operations and activities that are not legal, and they’re not for the interest of the United States but for the interest of foreign governments and foreign entities.” She described Hastert’s wrongdoing as: “The acceptance of large sums of bribery in forms of cash or laundered cash and laundering it to make it look legal for his campaigns, and also for his personal use, in order to do certain favors and call certain — call for certain actions, make certain things happen for foreign entities and foreign governments’ interests, Turkish government’s interest and Turkish business entities’ interests.”

During the deposition, Edmonds was asked: “Did you have reason to believe that Mr. Hastert, for example, killed one of the Armenian genocide resolutions in exchange for money from these Turkish organizations?” She responded: “Yes, I do…. Correct… and not only taking money, but other activities, too, including being blackmailed for various reasons.” After retiring from the House of Representatives, Hastert worked for the Washington firm of Dickstein Shapiro as a registered lobbyist for Turkey.

Edmonds also revealed during her deposition that Hastert “used the townhouse [in Chicago] that was not his residence for certain not very morally accepted activities. Now, whether that was being used as blackmail I don’t know, but the fact that foreign entities knew about this, in fact, they sometimes participated in some of those not maybe morally well activities in that particular townhouse that was supposed to be an office, not a house, residence, at certain hours, certain days, evenings of the week. So I can’t say if that was used as blackmail or not, but certain activities they would share. They were known.”

Edmonds told congressional investigators that on FBI phone recordings Turkish individuals boasted of their secret relationship with Hastert. “They discussed giving him tens of thousands of dollars in clandestine payments in exchange for political favors and information. Many of the transcripts involved a suspect at the city’s Turkish Consulate, as well as several members of the American-Turkish Council and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, business entities that some FBI agents believed served as occasional covers for organized crime. Some calls appeared to be referring to drug shipments and other possible crimes,” Giraldi wrote.

“Edmonds noted that the phone taps contained repeated references to Hastert’s volte face [change of position] in the fall of 2000 over the campaign to have Congress designate the killings of Armenians in Turkey between 1915 and 1923 a genocide. In August 2000, Speaker Hastert declared that he would support the resolution and send it to the full House for a vote. The resolution, vehemently opposed by the Turks, did indeed pass in the International Relations Committee by a large majority. Then, on October 19, shortly before a full House vote, Hastert withdrew it…. A senior official at the Turkish Consulate indicated in one recorded conversation that the “price for convincing Hastert to withdraw the genocide resolution would be at least $500,000,” Giraldi reported in his article.

Fifteen years later, the American public is still waiting for the US government to investigate the serious allegations of Turkish bribery and blackmail of Speaker Hastert!

A former BBC journalist – Jacky Sutton, 50, was found dead in a toilet at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport under mysterious circumstances, according to a report published on the BBC website.

She was the acting Iraq director for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) and had been travelling to Irbil, northern Iraq.

Ms Sutton arrived at Ataturk Airport on a flight from London on Saturday and had a two-hour wait for a connecting flight, which she apparently missed, the BBC reports.

“Local media are reporting that she didn’t have enough money to purchase a replacement ticket and then she was found dead in the toilets a couple of hours later,” he added.

“What exactly happened though is not known.”

The London-based IWPR supports local journalism in countries affected by conflict and crisis.

Its previous Iraq director Ammar Al Shahbander was killed in a car bomb attack in Baghdad on 2 May and a memorial service was held for him in London last week, according to the IWPR website. Ms Sutton had been in London attending the service.

Ms Sutton worked for the BBC World Service between 1998 and 2000, reporting from Africa, the Middle East and London.

She also served in senior roles at the United Nations.

Armenia has sent out invitations to the heads of a number of international parliamentary structures to observe the referendum on Constitutional amendments scheduled for December 6 with a view of holding the referendum in an open and transparent manner in compliance with democratic standards.

Armenian  Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan in the name of the RA National Assembly has sent invitations to the Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matvienko, the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, the OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva and the PACE President Anne Brasseur.

The CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament, the OSCE PA and PACE have been invited to observe the referendum.

Kalpana Sunder, freelance travel writer, blogger and photographer based in Chennai, India, has shared her impressions from a recent visit to Armenia in an article published by . The full article is provided below: 

Did you know that Armenia is the world’s oldest Christian nation? And that Cher, who was born Cherilyn Sarkisian is half-Armenian? Armenia is usually not the first country that will come into your mind when you’re deciding on your next travel destination. It’s a mountainous landlocked country- with beauteous landscapes and a buzzing, vibrant capital city. I just came back from there, and here are ten reasons why I loved the country and why you must head there soon.

The fact that it feels very young

I went to Armenia expecting to step back in time: I had read about Armenia’s ancient monasteries, learned about the country’s place in history;. I wasn’t prepared for the capital city, Yerevan’s dazzlingly modern Kentron district, where everyone from teenagers to the elderly dresses with incredible style, and gorgeous cafes and restaurants are busy even during working hours. For a city that’s over 1,700 years old, Yerevan feels very young.

That it has the most incredible monasteries

Armenian monasteries are just the prettiest! I visited many of them and every single one was more beautiful than the previous. Dark and stark, with no decorations but a candle or two lighting up the interiors, they have a truly spiritual atmosphere of centuries of prayer. The sparse walls once held a series of religious murals and paintings destroyed by invaders. Usually their location is breathtaking too – at the shore of Lake Sevan, in gorges, on a promontory or a cliff or cut into the rock like Geghard.

That its national icon is a show stopper

Ararat. The magnificent mountain that is on every image of the country- till the last day it remained shrouded in mist. It is known as the place where Noah’s ark came to rest and is considered the home of Gods in Armenian mythology. Ararat symbolizes the Armenian national identity, it can be found on most of the souvenirs, paintings sold at the flea market, and in the country’s coat of arms and the passport stamps. On the last day I peered outside my hotel window in Yerevan, and was rewarded by the sight of the snow covered mountain! I was incredibly lucky .. But the tragic part of the story is that Mount Ararat, the symbol of Armenia, is actually located in Turkey, 32kms from the border. So near, yet so far away…

It’s amazing café culture

It was one of the first things I noticed in Yerevan during my visit and it gives the city a more European than an Asian ambience. The city is literally full of cafes! Every park, every square, most of the streets have them and no matter what time of the day, they were always packed with people. Armenians like their coffee to be thick and murky, and sitting in a café ( and people watching) will not ruin your budget as Armenian prices are friendly.

That it has so much contemporary art

Yerevan is studded with contemporary art… The main attraction is the Cascade complex, that serves as the Cafesjian Museum of Art – a place full of really interesting contemporary art by international artists, from the collection of the founder. Lots of art pieces are located either in the park leading to the Cascade, in the stairs of the complex or inside, where the escalator is (entrance on the left side). The city is also full of various monuments of famous Armenians or other random art installations. The Green by the Monument has a full circus show with elephant statues and a clapboard house! My favourite was the ‘Three Glassinators’ by Andrew Carson on the terrace of the Cascades- a whimsical assortment of glass pieces rotating in the breeze.

The Khachkars or cross stones

I loved the Armenian Khachkars or cross stones with intricate patterns of leaves, grapes, pomegranates and saintly figures. The word “khachkar” is formed by two Armenian roots: “khach” (cross) and “kar” (stone). The cross is the most familiar symbol of Christianity, but nowhere is this iconography as culture-entrenched as it is in Armenia. Wherever you go, thousands of khachkars, or cross-stones are found in the world’s oldest Christian nation, providing a rare glimpse into spiritual expression. Today Khachkars are on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

That it has an incredible variety of fresh and dried fruits and fresh, organic food

Wherever I went there were women selling garlands of dried fruits called Churchkela, or sweet Sujuk which are walnuts soaked in thickened grape syrup and dried on a string. They hung like curtains everywhere alongside paper thin fruit lavash, and baskets of apricots, dates, almonds and figs. In fact the apricot is called the Armenian apple. They say that in the first century BC, Roman general Lucullus took several apricot saplings from Armenia to Rome. The Romans planted those saplings in their city and called the fruit the “Armenian plum” and it spread to Europe from there. We drank glasses of Kompot– clear fruit juice made by boiling fruits like peaches, apricots and strawberries in water without additives. We saw bottles of fresh juices and jams and preserves. Fruit country, truly! Our tables were laid with fresh crunchy salads, sautéed greens and vegetables , herbal teas, and sweets. Paper thin lavash bread baked in underground ovens was a staple and grilled meats called khorovats as well as charred potato found their place on the menus. I also loved their creamy, thick yoghurt called Matzoon.
.
For a small country, it has an incredible variety of landscapes

It is a mountainous country and travelling around can show you how much the landscape varies – the north is full of green hills while the south feels more deserted. We drove through miles of deserted roads and canyons in the Caucasus Mountains, to the Garni pagan Temple, and the Geghard monastery, carved out of rock faces. Another day we drove to turquoise Lake Sevan, one of the highest freshwater lakes, surrounded by mountains, which the Armenians call the Armenian Sea. You can climb up to the Sevanayak Monastery and get a panoramic sweep of the Lake and also see ancient cross stones or khachkars. We also visited the monastery of Khor Virap surrounded by wheat fields and vineyards against the backdrop of stunning Mount Ararat. Armenia even has its own little Switzerland called Dilijan National Park! That’s on my list for next time…

If music be the food of love, play on!

Almost everywhere, there was music- from traditional duduk flutes played by boys in flea markets to street entertainers and musical fountains at Republic Square. Armenia has a long musical tradition developed by Komitas , a priest, in the late 19th century. My guide Tatevik Martini, blessed with a divine voice, sang a religious song inside the pagan temple of Garni and that will always remain my most precious memory of the trip. Even while travelling on ski lifts, each cable station had speakers with music!

That it has some of the friendliest people in the world who are so proud of their country!

What I found amazing was that everyone came up and spoke to me- wanted to know if I was Indian and then told me what they liked about
my country. Children and adults were most willing to be photographed and fruit sellers were ever willing to give me a free tasting before I bought anything. Almost always they asked me if I enjoyed Armenia. I always gave them a sincere thumbs up!

On 30 September, President Serzh Sargsyan took part in a reception held by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation at the United States Congress in honor of the RA president. Apart from foundation representatives, the reception was attended about two dozen congressmen, e.g. Ed Royce, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congressmen Adam Schiff, Brad Sherman, Jackie Speier, Robert Dold, Jim Costain-Dave Trott, David Valadao, Judy Chu, and by some influential representatives of the Armenian community. During the congressional reception, the RA president made an address at the end of which the foundation members handed over the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation Medal to Morgenthau’s grandson Robert Morgenthau. The congressmen and the other guests welcomed the RA president and stressed that as friends of Armenia and the Armenian people, they will thenceforth continue to stand beside Armenia to help deal with its vital problems and contribute to the development, strengthening and well-being of Armenia.

Remarks by the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
at the Congressional Luncheon

Eminencies,
Honorable Chairman Royce,
Distinguished Members of the Congress,
Distinguished Messrs. Eurnekian and Tenenbaum,

It is a great honor for me to be here today. This gathering is paying tribute not only to the victims, survivors, and their descendants, but also to the entire Armenian people. This is equally an expression of respect for all nations that have ever gone through the ordeal which is genocide.

This provides yet another opportunity to state that tolerance, alongside pluralism and equality in rights, is the source of ultimate values, though it may also be nefarious when the object of tolerance is vice, when the deplorable is tolerated. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel prize winner, said: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.”

In this respect the initiative to posthumously award the International Raoul Wallenberg Medal to Henry Morgenthau, Sr., is momentous and possesses a particular significance. I am delighted that his grandson, Mr. Robert Morgenthau, is here with us today.

Mr. Morgenthau,

Your grandfather was the first American to tell the world of the mass atrocities by the Young Turks against the Armenian people, qualifying them as a “campaign of race extermination”. Holding the office of the U.S. ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and having witnessed the nightmare first hand, he was to subsequently write in his Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story:“I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared with the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915. … For all I know this represents a new crime pursuing wholesale extermination.” Subsequently this new crime that Morgenthau detailed was to be qualified as Genocide by Raphael Lemkin.

They say that as long as memory stays alive, so does the truth. Quite a number of facts associated with the Armenian Genocide have passed to us through Henry Morgenthau’s memoir. To this day his account is one of the most important original sources documenting the premeditated nature of the savage and inhuman crimes by the Young Turks. It is appropriate to recall how one of the organizers of the Armenian Genocide, interior minister of the Ottoman Empire Talaat had reproved Ambassador Morgenthau: “Why are you so interested in the Armenians anyway? You are a Jew; these people are Christians… Why can’t you let us do with these Christians as we please?”

It was the same Morgenthau who conceptualized and advocated for the American Committee for Relief in the Near East. Hundreds of its workers in various countries, including Armenia, undertook to provide care for orphans, saving tens of thousands of parentless Armenian children from imminent death. Upon completion of diplomatic service, he continued humanitarian endeavors, providing assistance to Armenian, Assyrian and Greek exiles who had survived the mass slaughter and had been purged from their homeland. This remains one of the highlights of American humanism.

Henry Morgenthau’s name is indelible for every Armenian: as a champion putting truth above silence, who preferred the selfless and sometimes unsafe task of helping those who were in peril. It is not incidental that the memorial wall next to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, among other intellectuals and prominent figures who had raised their voice against the Armenian Genocide, contains an urn with soil from Morgenthau’s grave. In April this year the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute held a tribute, with the participation of his family, launching the publication of Morgenthau’s Story in the Armenian language. Moreover, the Armenian Postal service issued a stamp in his memory, and I too attended its official First Day cancellation ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Several months ago I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It is a most compelling and articulate testimonial to the crime of genocide. Museums on crimes perpetrated against humanity convey a clear message to current and future generations: never to forget the grim chapters of history. Still, we should not rely solely on museums and memorials. Remaining faithful to the dictum “We Remember,” we must do everything possible, and the impossible, to secure a safe future for those who come after us. Hence, propagating the mission of Henry Morgenthau and his successors acquires great importance for us not only with a view of preserving memory for the future generations of Armenians and Americans, but also in the context of humanitarian education on a global scale. We should converge our efforts to keep alive the memory of the victims of the crime of genocide, to build a world free of violence. The prevention of the crime of genocide and fighting its denial is an important pivot in this pursuit.

I reiterate my words of gratitude addressed to the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation for their efforts to safeguard universal memory. Eternalizing the memory of the Mets Yeghern, Shoah and other crimes of genocide, persistently presenting these horrendous episodes of human history, and sending through them important messages to the generations to come shall have a conclusive significance in keeping the world free of that crime.

I address words of gratitude to the U.S. Congress and to all Congressmen and Congresswomen present, who have spared no efforts over years towards the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Your role in the recognition and condemnation of our national tragedy is undeniable. I am certain that the work you have done shall culminate in its logical conclusion.

While being here, at the Capitol Hill, I would like to extend our words of gratitude to the people of the United States, and the U.S. Congress for the humanitarian assistance allocated to Nagorno Karabakh over the years. That assistance has been significant for the people of Artsakh both from the humanitarian and, first and foremost, moral perspective. It comes to testify, time and again, that the Nagorno Karabakh Republic has not been forgotten in its efforts to build independent and democratic state while countering the persistent provocations of Azerbaijan, which has chosen the path to perfect the tyranny. It is unambiguous that the Nagorno Karabakh people’s path toward freedom, toward determination to master its fate on its own, and toward building a democratic society i
s irrevocable. In this context, your continued support is indeed crucial.

Dear attendees,

Allow me to conclude in an optimistic key: if there is agony and genocide in this world, there also exist Wallenberg and Morgenthau, who have long become common name for us. Common name, since they stand for all humanitarians of this world, whether Christian or Muslim, female or male, kin or alien, jeopardizing their existence, saving Armenians and Assyrians, Greeks and Jews, Darfurians and others from the claws of death. Henry Morgenthau and Raoul Wallenberg, and those who carry their torch today can bring about change, help life triumph over death.

Thank you.

Teesri Duniya Theatre, in collaboration with the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Canada (AGCCC), will present Rahul Varma’s State of Denial from October 8-25 at Segal Centre Studio, reports.

This moving and unsettling play, directed by Liz Valdez, highlights the urgent need to counter denials of gendered violence, ethnic cleansing and racial rivalry. Continuing their mandate to encourage dialogue, the company will hold a talkback with invited guests after each matinee performance.

Set in contemporary Canada and Turkey of 1915, State of Denial links the Turkish-denied Armenian genocide of 1915 with the 1995 genocide in Rwanda, connecting them through the Canadian diaspora experience. When Odette, a Rwandan-born Canadian filmmaker, travels to Turkey to investigate stories of genocide and hidden identity, she interviews Sahana, an elderly and respected Muslim woman who has devoted her life to assisting Armenian survivors. On her deathbed, Sahana confesses a chilling secret that challenges a long-standing state of denial that Odette promises to make public at any personal cost.

Director Liz Valdez finds the work incredibly important in this era when we believe we are so aware and well-informed, yet there are devastating historical events that most people don’t know anything about.

For Mher Karakachian, Chairman of AGCCC, denial has been rightly considered as the last phase of the crime of genocide, “Survivors and scholars alike have repeatedly reminded us that that forgetting or denying such a monstrous crime kills the victims twice. State of Denial vividly portrays this tragic fact and in the most creative ways, brings the ongoing ploys of denialism under the spotlight. On the somber occasion of the centennial of the Armenian genocide, Varma’s play lights a beacon to confront the darkness that still looms in many corners of the globe.”

Liana Bdéwi is an Armenian actor who plays Sinam. She grew up learning about the genocide, “It’s been ingrained in me since I was a kid and is a topic that is still so sensitive, despite the 100 year anniversary this year. I’m excited to have the opportunity to represent my heritage and community in an impactful and artistic way.”

The Greek government and the UN refugee agency have brought in extra staff and ships to deal with some 25,000 stranded migrants on the island of Lesbos, the BBC reports.

A processing centre has been also set up on an abandoned football ground to help the migrants to get to Athens.

A Greek minister said on Monday Lesbos was “on the verge of an explosion”.

Meanwhile, hundreds of migrants broke through police lines on Hungary’s border with Serbia and started walking towards the capital, Budapest.

The migrants faced down pepper spray used by police as they broke out of a holding centre in a cornfield and marched down a motorway towards Budapest. They later agreed to be taken by bus to another reception centre.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will speak at the Chatham House on September 10, reads a statement on the official website of the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

Minister Nalbandian will discuss Armenia’s foreign policy priorities.

He will offer introductory remarks for approximately 20 minutes, followed by an hour for questions and discussion.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg – boasting a massive $41billion fortune – has topped a list revealing how the world’s richest young billionaires have generated their staggering wealth, the Daily Mail reports. 

Among those to feature in the world’s top 20 billionaires under the age of 35 are the brilliant young entrepreneurs responsible for start ups such as Snapchat, Airbnb and Facebook.

However, many others have inherited old money – companies, fortunes and vast real estate empires passed down from their parents, and in some cases, their grandparents.

Dwarfing the fortunes of all others on the list is Zuckerberg, 31, who founded Facebook in 2004, and is now worth an estimated $41.6bn.

His nearest competitor on the list is his 31-year-old co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who, like Zuckerberg, is self made, but has only earned a comparatively paltry $9.3bn.

In third place sits Huiyan Yang. Heir to her father’s massive mainland China real estate empire, she boasts a $5.9bn fortune and as a member of the governance board of Country Garden, is a fierce businesswoman in her own right.