Author: Hakobian Adrine

Volume 5, Number 17
Friday, April 29, 2005

BIGOTRY MONITOR

A Weekly Human Rights Newsletter on Antisemitism, Xenophobia, and
Religious Persecution in the Former Communist World and Western Europe

EDITOR: CHARLES FENYVESI
(News and Editorial Policy within the sole discretion of the editor)

Published by UCSJ: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union
___________________________________________________________

ARMENIAN CHURCH DEFACED WITH GRAFFITI ON ARMENIANS AND JEWS. For the
second time within a year, an Armenian church in Lviv, Ukraine was
daubed with anti-Armenian and antisemitic slogans, according to an April
26 report by the Jewish.ru news web site. The graffiti, stating that
“Armenians are the second Kikes — get out of Lviv,” was accompanied by
a swastika. A similar incident in September 2004 remains unsolved by
local police.

_____________________________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2005. UCSJ. All rights reserved.

Bigotry Monitor welcomes use of its contents without prior approval on
the condition that full attribution is given to “Bigotry Monitor —
UCSJ’s weekly newsletter”. We would also like to see a copy of the
publication.

Send letters to the editor to: [email protected]

All issues available at

Pope: Roots of Europe Cannot be Alienated

By Cihan News Agency
Thursday 28, 2005

Pope Benedict XVI, who chose his name after being inspired by
Benedict XV, said during his first that Europe cannot be alienated
from its Christian roots during his first public address in Saint
Peter Square.

“Benedict XV had ruled the church during the chaotic period of World
War I had a unique and brave idea of peace. I will try to provide
harmony and peace among the people and follow in his footsteps,” The
Pope then clarified his choice of this name. The life of Benedict XV
reawakened Christianity in Europe and it is significant in the sense
that he too is named Benedict, the Pope added. Benedict XV who
inspired hisname was known as the pope who sent a letter to Sultan
Murad V in 1915 after allegations regarding atrocities against the
Armenians on Ottoman territory and then when on to continue to
exchange letters with the founder of te Turkish Republic Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk in the years that followed.

Le Télégramme
27 avril 2005

Génocide arménien : cérémonie du souvenir

Une cérémonie en mémoire du million et demi de victimes du
génocide arménien se tenait dimanche matin, au cimetière, en
présence de Roger Hékinian, né à Marseille de parents rescapés
du génocide et renanais depuis 30 ans.

Son épouse, Virginia, entourée de ses enfants, d’amis et d’élus
renanais dont le maire, Bernard Foricher, a appelé à la
reconnaissance de cette tragédie et à la recherche de la vérité
sur cette douloureuse page de l’Histoire.

Après une présentation, par Pierre Paillier, du contexte historique
du 24 avril 1915, date de début du génocide, au cours duquel les
deux tiers des Arméniens de l’empire ottoman ont été exterminés,
le maire a pris la parole pour expliquer l’origine étymologique du
mot et lire un texte du chanteur Charles Aznavour, également
d’origine arménienne.

Une page d’histoire niée

Virginia Hékinian est alors intervenue et a rappelé, dans son
discours, la « nécessité d’une reconnaissance de ce massacre,
organisé par un pays contre une ethnie ». Reconnue par les
historiens et officiellement par 13 pays, dont la France depuis le 30
janvier 2001, cette page d’histoire est encore niée par la Turquie
et ses dirigeants.

A la suite de cette commémoration, une minute de silence a été
dédiée aux « victimes contraintes de rester dans l’ombre de
l’Histoire pendant 90 ans ».

GRAPHIQUE: Photo, Legende: Roger Hékinian, né à Marseille de
parents rescapés du génocide arménien, est renanais depuis 30 ans.

ARMENIA’S DRAFT MADE AT HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL LEVEL, MILLENNIUM
CHALLENGES CORPORATION’S EXECUTIVES NOTE

WASHINGTON, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 26, the Armenian
Ambassador to the USA Tatul Margarian met with the executive director
of the Millennium Challenges Corporation Paul Applegarth and the
senior staff of the corporation. According to the RA MFA Press and
Information Department, the Ambassador underlined the necessity to
complete the development of the draft submitted by Armenia within the
framework of the Millenium Challenges Program, to approve and
implement it in the shortest possible time. The corporation management
in its turn noted with satisfaction that Armenia’s draft has been
developed at a highly professional level and as a whole meets the
corporation’s standards. It can serve as a basis to carry out a joint
work between the Millennium Challenges Corporation and the RA
government. The work will start next week when an expert group arrives
in Armenia in order to discuss the draft.

Turkish Press
April 27 2005

Press Scan:

RESPONSE FROM ARMENIA

CUMHURIYET- President Robert Kocharian of Armenia conditionally
backed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s proposal to set
up a joint commission to investigate allegations of so-called
Armenian genocide. Kocharian said that the proposal would work only
if better relations were first established between Turkey and
Armenia. Earlier, Prime Minister Erdogan suggested opening up the
countries’ state archives for experts from both countries to resolve
the issue.

Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] continues to question captured Azeri
soldiers

Arminfo
26 Apr 05

YEREVAN

The appropriate services of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] are
continuing to question three Azerbaijani servicemen who have crossed
the contact line, NKR Foreign Minister Arman Melikyan has told an
Arminfo correspondent.

“The prisoners are being kept in normal conditions, representatives of
the International Committee of the Red Cross have been provided with
access to them,” the minister said.

PRESS RELEASE

The Greater Boston Committee to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide
P.O. Box 35538
Boston, MA 02135
Contact: David Davidian
Tel: 857-373-9059
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

April 26, 2005

OVER 750 ATTEND PROGRAM AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY’S MORSE AUDITORIUM GIVEN
BY THE GREATER BOSTON COMMITTEE TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE,
IN COOPERATION WITH THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY ARMENIAN STUDENTS
ASSOCIATION ON APRIL 21, 2005

BOSTON – They came from the cities and suburbs, from France and Iran
and Armenia — students, survivors, descendants, and friends of all
persuasions — to Boston University’s Morse Auditorium, the venue for
Greater Boston’s commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Turkish
genocide of the Armenians, held on April 21.

This was an unprecedented event for the Boston community. Boston
University’s President Dr. Aram Chobanian greeted the gathering and
shared with the audience his and his wife Jasmin’s own family survival
stories. He then lit a single candle as the room went dark to the
strains of Kim Kashkashian’s Kroonk filling the somber
night. Quotations from Samantha Power ‘s “A Problem from Hell: America
and the Age of Genocide” and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof
provided contemporary transitions between sections of the 75 minute
program.

An original documentary created for this event explained the social,
economic, and political conditions in Ottoman Turkey preceding the
extermination of the Armenians, explaining how the savage murder of
the Armenian people was part of a premeditated plan to ethnically
cleanse any non-Turkifiable minority in Anatolia. It showed painfully
and clearly how today’s Republic of Turkey was built on the bones of
millions of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.

The core of the program centered on three video taped survivor stories
from Van, Bandirma, and Marash. John Kasparian of Worcester, Armineh
Dedekian of Watertown, and Peter Bilezikian of Newton, gave
compelling, personal accounts of their expulsion, death march,
survival, and escape to freedom. Interspersed among their testimonies
were four deeply moving live accounts from descendants between the
ages of 10 to 45, sharing their family survival stories. They took the
audience from Moush to Van then Tiflis and Soviet Plant 31, from
Adapazar to Der Zor, Bandirma to Aleppo, Kharpert to Constantinople,
as Arthur Martirosyan of Watertown, Taline Bilazarian of Andover,
Katrina Menzigian of Arlington, and George and Kathryn Margaret
Aghjayan of West Boylston related their histories.

Just as emotions reached a crescendo, an up-beat clip projected the
enthusiastic sights and sounds of Armenians world-wide proclaiming, “I
am Armenian” from 5 continents from Australia to Canada. Christopher
Babayan of Tufts University led the audience to declare, “tonight,
everyone who stands for human rights and against genocide is an
Armenian.” The audience joined in singing Sardarabad as scenes from
Yerevan together with interactive shots of the audience itself flashed
across the screen. Cambridge poet Diana Der Hovanessian wrote a
poignant poem for the occasion, which concludes with the words,

By now they thought the last survivors and their children would be in
graves. They didn’t count on our children’s children being even
angrier and more outraged.

Interviewed as the audience exited Morse Auditorium, David Davidian,
creator of the event and director of the Genocide Archive Project in
Belmont, said, “The enormity of this crime against humanity is very
personal for each Armenian. We worked together to make this evening
something more than a standard set of speeches or an academic
exercise. We wanted to bring these stories to a new generation of well
educated and creative people to carry on down the Road to Redemption
until we are no longer faced with denial.”

The evening concluded with a candlelight march across Commonwealth
Avenue to a symbolic sharing of bread and wine at Boston University’s
School of Management, where two video booths were provided to those
who wished to relate their own family stories. A recording of the
event is available for sale on DVD at

Contactmusic.com, UK
April 26 2005

DEAN CAIN MARCHES IN ARMENIAN PROTEST

Actor DEAN CAIN joined hundreds of Armenian-Americans marching in the
streets of Hollywood on Sunday (24APR05) to mark the 90th anniversary
of the mass killings of Armenians by Turks.

Wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with the words “We’ve Had Enough”
and hoisting signs saying “Truth Always Prevails” the crowd marched
down Hollywood Boulevard in Little Armenia while leaders released
doves into the sky.

Many expressed their desire to have the killings recognised by Turkey
and the rest of the world as a genocide.

Cain, 38, says, “People were talking about losing two-thirds of their
family, or their entire extended family. So it’s really inspired me
to learn a lot more about it.”

The Armenian government says up to 1.5 million Armenians died over
several years as part of a campaign to force them out of Turkey.

Turkey does not deny that many Armenians died, but says most deaths
were part of the general unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman
Empire.

KGO, CA
April 25 2005

Bay Area Armenians Recall ‘Forgotten Genocide’

ABC7
Apr. 25 (ABC7) – The Bay Area’s Armenian community is bringing
attention to a very dark period in history.

Hundreds gathered on Mount Davidson in San Francisco Sunday for the
90th anniversary of what’s often called the forgotten genocide. From
1915 to 1923, as many as a million-and-a-half Armenians were killed
by the Ottoman Turks.

California has the largest Armenian-American population in the
country.

State Senator Jackie Speier introduced a resolution making April 24
the official day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide.

Watch this report:

Turkish Press
April 25 2005

Press Review

Milliyet:
NOT SAYING `GENOCIDE,’ BUSH PRAISES PROPOSAL FOR JOINT PROBE INTO
ARMENIAN `CALAMITY’

In his annual April 24 speech on the Armenian issue, US President
George W. Bush followed tradition and again did not use the word
`genocide’ to describe what happened in 1915, but he did praise
Turkey’s call for a joint probe into the events. `We remember the
forced exile and mass killings of as many as 1.5 million Armenians
during the last days of the Ottoman Empire,’ said Bush yesterday.
`This terrible event is what many Armenian people have come to call
the `Great Calamity.’ I join my fellow Americans and Armenian people
around the world in expressing my deepest condolences for this
horrible loss of life. Today, as we commemorate the 90th anniversary
of this human tragedy and reflect on the suffering of the Armenian
people, we also look toward a promising future for an independent
Armenian state. … We call on the government of Armenia to advance
democratic freedoms that will further advance the aspirations of the
Armenian people. We remain committed to a lasting and peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.’ Bush further stated,
`We also seek a deeper partnership with Armenia that includes
security cooperation and is rooted in the shared values of democratic
and market economic freedoms. I applaud individuals in Armenia and
Turkey who have sought to examine the historical events of the early
20th century with honesty and sensitivity. We look to a future of
freedom, peace, and prosperity in Armenia and Turkey and hope that
[Turkish] Prime Minister Erdogan’s recent proposal for a joint
Turkish-Armenian commission can help advance these processes. … On
this solemn day of remembrance, I send my best wishes and expressions
of solidarity to Armenian people around the world.’ In related news,
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared April 24 as a day
of remembrance for the so-called genocide. /Milliyet/