Author: Kajoyan Gevork

TANER AKCAM – LE CRIME DES JEUNES TURCS CONTRE L’HUMANITE

Publie le : 01-06-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
livre cette information traduite par Georges Festa et publiee sur le
site Armenian Trends – Mes Armenies le 25 mai 2012.

Armenian Trends – Mes Armenies

© Princeton University Press, 2012

The Young Turks’ Crime Against Humanity : the Armenian Genocide and
Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire [Le crime des Jeunes-Turcs
contre l’humanite : genocide armenien et epuration ethnique dans
l’empire ottoman]

par le docteur Taner Akcam

Massis Post, 05.04.2012

WATERTOWN, Massachusetts – Le professeur Taner Akcam [a evoque] de
nouvelles perspectives sur le genocide armenien d’après son dernier
ouvrage, dimanche 15 avril 2012, a 14 heures au Musee-bibliothèque
Armenien d’Amerique (ALMA) a Watertown, Massachusetts (Etats-Unis).

Ce livre, The Young Turks’ Crime Against Humanity : the Armenian
Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire, vient de paraître
aux Presses de l’universite de Princeton. Le docteur Akcam y fait
etat de preuves nouvelles, provenant de plus de 600 documents secrets
ottomans, lesquels demontrent, avec une precision inegalee jusqu’ici,
que le genocide armenien resulta d’une entreprise officielle visant
a mettre en ~uvre une ingenierie et une assimilation demographique,
afin de debarrasser l’empire turc de ses sujets chretiens.

Ces documents jusque la inaccessibles, extraits des profondeurs de
la machine bureaucratique de la Turquie ottomane, allies aux qualites
d’expertise et d’analyse de l’A., montrent comment un empire declinant
recourut au genocide et a l’epuration ethnique.

Bien que la deportation et le massacre des Armeniens furent condamnes
a travers le monde en 1915, en tant que ” crime contre l’humanite et
la civilisation “, le gouvernement ottoman lanca une politique de
deni, poursuivie a ce jour par la republique de Turquie. Le cas de
” l’histoire officielle ” de la Turquie repose sur des documents
extraits des archives imperiales ottomanes, dont l’accès etait,
recemment encore, des plus restreint. Ce sont precisement ces sources
qu’utilise maintenant Akcam pour renverser le discours officiel.

Les documents presentes ici attestent d’une politique de turcisation
a la fin de l’empire ottoman, dont l’objectif ne fut rien moins qu’une
mutation demographique radicale de l’Anatolie. A cette fin, près d’un
tiers des 15 millions d’habitants de l’Anatolie fut deplace, deporte,
expulse ou massacre, detruisant la diversite ethno-religieuse d’un
ancien carrefour culturel entre Orient et Occident, et ouvrant la
voie a la republique de Turquie.

En mettant au jour le rôle central joue par l’ingenierie et
l’assimilation demographique dans le genocide armenien, ce livre va
changer de manière fondamentale la facon de comprendre ce crime et
montre que la destruction physique ne constitue pas le seul aspect
du processus genocidaire.

site de l’ALMA :

site des Presses de l’universite de Princeton :

Source :

genocide-and-ethnic-cleansing-in-the-ottoman-empire/ Traduction :
© Georges Festa – 05.2012.

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Armenian Trends – Mes Armenies

HILLARY CLINTON AU DANEMARK, DEBUT D’UNE TOURNEE SCANDINAVE
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 1er juin 2012

La chef de la diplomatie americaine Hillary Clinton est arrivee tard
mercredi a Copenhague, première etape d’une tournee en Scandinavie,
puis dans le Caucase et en Turquie.

Après le Danemark, Mme Cinton se rendra en Norvège puis en Suède. Elle
entend profiter de cette tournee pour remercier les pays scandinaves
pour leur soutien sur des dossiers comme l’Afghanistan ou la Libye
et doit egalement evoquer le conflit en cours en Syrie, a souligne
un haut responsable du departement d’Etat aux journalistes suivant
la tournee. “A chaque fois, les pays scandinaves sont a nos côtes”,
a releve ce responsable.

Après la Scandinavie, Mme Clinton sera dans le Caucase du 4 au 7 juin,
où elle rencontrera notamment le president armenien Serge Sarkissian
et son homologue azerbaïdjanais Ilham Aliev. Elle se rendra ensuite
en Georgie, puis en Turquie où elle co-presidera a Istanbul le forum
ministeriel de lutte contre le terrorisme.

BAKU, TWO YEARS LATER: SAME DICTATOR, NO DEMOCRACY IN SIGHT
By Elmar Chakhtakhtinski

May 31, 2012

An Open Letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy (AZAD)

Dear Secretary Clinton,

On June 6th you will be visiting Baku and meeting with the leader of
Azerbaijan’s ruling regime, Mr. Ilham Aliyev. It is understandable that
sometimes the US need to work with even the most corrupt dictatorships
on the pressing matters of national interest. However, I respectfully
suggest that a visit by the top US diplomat should have been preceded
at least by some positive steps from the Azerbaijani leadership on
democracy and human rights, such as the release of all political
prisoners, for example.

In the past, Mr. Aliyev and his government have given you, other
world leaders and the Azerbaijani people many promises. But each
time, emboldened by the respect and acceptance they received at the
international stage, they ignored their obligations and continued on
the path towards totalitarianism and corruption.

During your last trip to Baku in July 2010, you stressed the importance
of democratic development and respect for human rights.

Within the two years since your last meeting with Mr. Aliyev, his
regime did nothing to improve its record on these issues. Below are
some of the developments that happened in Azerbaijan during that time:

– The parliamentary elections held within few months after your trip
in 2010 were marred by wholesale fraud, as was every other election
under the Aliyev regime. A new parliament was formed without a single
representative from the political opposition. Currently, there is
not a single branch of government in Azerbaijan at any level that
can claim to be formed by free expression of people’s will.

– Media reports emerged with documented evidence that links the ruling
Aliyev family to large-scale corruption involving secretive ownership
through offshore companies of the country’s largest banks, phone
operators, industrial complexes, gold mines and other enterprises.

Neither Mr. Aliyev nor any of his officials have ever refuted these
allegations or explained where all this wealth comes from. This might
have been sufficient for the indictment and prosecution of Mr. Aliyev
in any civilized country which, unlike Azerbaijan, is governed by laws.

– A US Congress sponsored Radio Liberty reporter Khadija Ismayilova,
whose investigative work revealed many of the corruption facts about
the ruling family, was attacked with sexual blackmail and personal
threats coupled with an aggressive dirty PR campaign against her in
the pro-government press.

– Journalist Rafig Tagi, who had been critical of both the religious
extremism and the Azerbaijani leadership, was murdered. The authorities
were quick to point fingers to Iran and its agents, but no one has
been charged with the crime yet. This eerily reminded a 2005 murder of
journalist Elmar Huseynov, the most vocal regime critic at the time,
whose killers have also evaded justice.

– The number of political prisoners has increased. The two bloggers,
personally mentioned by you and President Obama to Mr. Aliyev in
2010, had been released but many others were thrown behind the
bars. From an opposition leader Arif Hajili, one of the people who
signed Azerbaijan’s Declaration of Independence from Soviet Empire, to
young Harvard graduate and parliamentary candidate Bakhtiyar Hajiyev,
to local human rights defender in Goychay province Vidadi Iskenderov –
there is a long list of people jailed for speaking out their minds,
professing their beliefs and demanding their rights.

– The regime continued to ban protest rallies in the central parts
of Baku and other cities, with police and government organized thugs
brutally attacking peaceful demonstrators.

I could also cite the inhumane demolitions of private homes, non-stop
persecution of political dissidents and independent media on all
fronts, pervasive corruption at all levels, and many other daily
violations of basic rights and freedoms of Azerbaijani citizens. All
these facts are well documented by major international organizations
and the US State Department’s own Annual Human Rights Reports.

One thing stands clear from this record: the ruling Azerbaijani regime
has convincingly demonstrated by its past and present actions that
it has no intentions of ever loosening its repressive policies and
conducting the long promised reforms. The twenty years of Aliyev
dynasty in Azerbaijan had been plenty enough for holding at least
one free and fair election, for allowing at least one independent
TV and radio broadcast station, for not having the ruling family
own the nation’s biggest companies, for not having journalists and
dissidents murdered, blackmailed, beaten and jailed. These are not
the elements of a mature democracy which might take decades to build:
they are the very minimal steps necessary for any progress towards
open and accountable governance.

Dear Madam Secretary,

The Aliyev regime often uses Azerbaijan’s energy resources and
geo-strategic location as leverage, hoping that in return for energy
and security cooperation the United States and other world powers
will accept its legitimacy. But the recent history, including the
events of Arab Spring, revealed the potential dangers of bloodshed
and upheaval awaiting such unelected, oppressive governments, with
all the ensuing uncertainty it brings for the United States and its
allies in the region.

I urge you to use this opportunity to make it clear that America
stands behind its principles and that democracy will not be
perpetually sidelined by other considerations. By publicly demanding
free elections, release of all political prisoners, and respect for
basic rights and freedoms, the United States leadership would show
that it considers the people of Azerbaijan, not just its government,
as friends and allies and this friendship is based on shared vision
of liberty, justice and peaceful development, not only on temporal
energy and security interests.

Sincerely yours,

Elmar Chakhtakhtinski, Chairman Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy
(AZAD)

ARIEL COHEN: U.S SECRETARY OF STATE TO ENGAGE IN INTENSE GEOPOLITICAL DISCUSSIONS IN CAUCASUS

Trend
May 31 2012
Azerbaijan

U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will engage in intense
geopolitical discussions in the Caucasus and Turkey during her
visit, the leading expert of the Heritage Foundation for Russian and
Eurasian Studies and International Energy Policy, member of Trend
Expert Council, Ariel Cohen said.

“Clinton will be meeting all three Caucasus presidents, which
opens an opportunity to give a push for the Nagorno-Karabakh talks,
stalled after almost two decades of Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani
territory,” he told Trend today. “U.S Secretary of State should also
reiterate US support for Georgia territorial integrity and call to
end the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Azerbaijan on June
6, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said.

During her visit, the Secretary of State is scheduled to meet with
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the country’s Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov, Abdullayev said.

He said during Clinton’s visit it is planned to discuss the situation
in the region, strategic partnerships, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
as well as energy cooperation.

“Unfortunately, it is unlikely that Armenia and Azerbaijan would
listen to Clinton’s calls for an equitable resolution, which should
include liberation of the occupied Azerbaijan lands,” he said. “After
all, years of mediation by the Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev,
who developed excellent relations with both Baku and Yerevan, have
not resulted in a breakthrough.”

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

“Another priority for the Secretary of State’s visit to Baku,
Azerbaijan, should be expression of support for the Caspian state and
its president due to incessant Iranian terror activities and plotting,”
he added.

“Just recently, the media disclosed a US government report which
revealed a massive Iranian-directed campaign to murder American and
Israeli diplomats, their family members and others in the capital
Baku,” he stressed.

“In Baku, Clinton, nevertheless should develop and discuss a program of
anti-terrorism assistance to Azerbaijan, which includes train-and-equip
package for the Azerbaijani security services and special forces,”
he added.

“Clinton should also acknowledge that the recent host of the popular
Eurovision song contest, Azerbaijan demonstrates levels of inter-ethnic
and inter-religious tolerance unknown in the broader Muslim world, let
alone the neighboring Iran,” he said. “At the same time, Secretary
of State should reiterate American support for good governance,
democratization, human rights and transparency in Azerbaijan, as it
enjoys unprecedented oil and gas revenues.”

AZERBAIJAN MAY SUE ARMENIA IN INT’L COURT

Trend
May 31 2012
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan may sue Armenia in an international court for economic
losses as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands.

“Many institutions and agricultural facilities were completely
destroyed at Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia, director of
the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences, MP Ayten Mustafayeva
told media today. “Armenia must pay a compensation for damages to
Azerbaijan.”

She said that Azerbaijan and the society must work in this direction,”
she said. “There are similar examples in the world. Proceeding from
the international standards, Azerbaijan may raise this issue and
voice it in the international court.”

There is no doubt that Armenia will bear liability under international
law, she said.

“We will begin working in this direction,” she said. “This testifies
to the fact that we think of our future generations.”

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

SPECIAL ENVOY: RUSSIA IS SIGNIFICANT IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT AS MEDIATOR

Trend
May 31 2012
Azerbaijan

Russia is significant in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement
as a mediator, the Russian President’s Special Envoy on Relations
with the CIS and head of the Federal Agency “Rossotrudnichestvo”
Konstantin Kosachev said today.

“Russia does not have its own interests, which would predetermine a
particular approach or a particular tendency to some variant of the
conflict settlement,” Kosachev told media in Baku today.

He said that a solution which will satisfy both parties is an
acceptable solution to the conflict settlement for Russia.

“We promote and will promote this in the future,” he said. “This
process is in the development. This development is not negative. We
hope that the progress will not make waiting for a long time.”

He said that he discussed the topic of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
with the Azerbaijani leadership from this point of view.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

KIM KARDASHIAN APOLOGISES TO INDIA OVER CURRY COMMENTS…

Mr Paparazzi

May 31 2012

Having practically sparked off a full-scale international crisis,
Kim Kardashian has had to apologise to the people of India for saying
she hates their cuisine.

The reality star made the comments on her TV show in the US last
night, and took to her official site a short time later following
a Twitter backlash to say sorry for offending anyone, and also to
explain herself. In her statement she said her sentiments on Indian
cuisine were in no way a reflection of her feelings about the country:

“I said that I thought Indian food was disgusting. In NO way was
this intended as an insult to the Indian people or their culture”
said Kim digging herself into a deeper hole.

She then added that food from her own Armenian background leaves her
equally disgusted.

“This is just my own personal taste. There are definitely some Armenian
foods that I personally find disgusting, but that doesn’t reflect my
opinions on other Armenian people or my culture.”

So there you have it; Kim Kardashian is not a racist just unadventurous
with her food.

REVERED JERUSALEM CHURCH AT JESUS CRUCIFIXION SITE COMES ALIVE IN CENTURIES-OLD NIGHT CEREMONY

Newser

May 31 2012

By DANIELA BERRETTA | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Revered Jerusalem church comes alive at night

After the last tourists leave the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in
Jerusalem’s Old City at nightfall, a little-known but centuries-old
tradition unfolds at one of Christianity’s holiest sites.

Clerics from the three largest denominations represented in the church
_ Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic _ gather each night
for special prayers reserved for the men who take care of the site
where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

Starting at midnight, clerics and monks sing and pray for hours,
their chants echoing through the cavernous chambers of the Holy
Sepulcher’s darkest rooms.

“The door of the church is closed, no pilgrims, no tourists, it’s
very quiet,” said Father Isidoros Fakitsas, the superior of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate at the church. “It’s amazing to feel the liturgy
with no people, only the monks.”

Isidoros said he has attended the services for 21 years.

The preparations require a rigid routine. Before the first prayers of
the new day, the Christian shrine needs to be cleaned, and maintenance
work has to be done.

The clerics sweep the floors, replace oil lamps and clean candle
holders, after thousands of pilgrims visited throughout the previous
day. Occasionally a small number of devoted pilgrims help them with the
cleanup and are permitted to stay and pray inside the church all night.

The early morning mass is a tradition associated with monastic life,
said Father Eugenio Alliata, professor of Christian Archaeology at
the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem. “Mostly monks and
religious people want to pray not only all the day, but also all the
night, or part of the day or part of the night. It is part of the
desire to pray without ceasing because prayers to God must be given
all the time, day and night,” Alliata said.

Father Fergus Clarke, the guardian for the Franciscan community inside
the Holy Sepulcher, said the night prayers require a certain amount
of personal sacrifice, but also bring greater spiritual fulfillment.

“That’s a wonderful vocation … to be able to do something like that,
to know that while people are sleeping, others are praying,” he said.

The night liturgies inside the Holy Sepulcher are regulated by a
consolidated tradition: The Greek-Orthodox start to celebrate mass
inside Jesus’ Tomb at 12:30 a.m., before handing over to the Armenians
and then the Franciscans. The Greek Orthodox liturgy at the tomb is
the longest, lasting for about three and a half hours; the Armenians
then take over for an hour and a half and the Franciscans for another
half hour.

The night service is subject to some variations. On the feast of
Saint Matthias on the morning of May 14, for example, Catholics lead
a procession to Jesus’ tomb during the Greek Orthodox liturgy.

Sounds collided with one another that night. The celestial voices of
Armenian priests rose from their wing of the Church as the sound of
a Franciscan pipe organ came from the opposite direction.

Competing for attention is nothing new in the ancient church. The three
main denominations that share the church jealously guard their turf,
and an air of mistrust lingers as each group makes sure no one else
crosses into their space.

While the Tomb of Jesus and the main passages of the Holy Sepulcher
are considered common spaces, the three main religious communities
each own a part of the church: The Chapel of Saint Helen, near the
place where Jesus’ cross is said to have been found, belongs to the
Armenians; the Greek-Orthodox Church has ownership over the largest
part of the church, including the Altar of the Calvary, where Jesus’s
cross was raised; the Franciscans own the Chapel of the Crucifixion
where Jesus was crucified, along with the northern part of the Church,
where according to tradition Jesus appeared to his mother.

The church was first built by Roman Emperor Constantine in 325,
at the site where the tomb of Jesus was believed to have been found.

Constantine’s structure was destroyed in 1009 by Muslim Caliph
al-Hakim. A 12th century restoration by the Crusaders gave the Holy
Sepulcher its current appearance.

Life inside the Holy Sepulcher is regulated by a complex maze of
norms that are often subject to different interpretations, said Father
Samuel Aghoyan, the Armenian Superior of the Holy Sepulcher. At times,
tensions have even spilled over into violence, with monks pushing
and punching each other.

“We keep almost awake at night here to see that things are done
properly, on time, that no one will trespass the other’s right by
doing things that he’s not supposed to do,” said Father Samuel. “So
we have to be careful and watch what we do or what they do.”

EDUARD ABAJYAN’S EXHIBITION OPENS IN ARMENIA’S CAPITAL

tert.am
31.05.12

The Artists’ Union of Armenia is hosting an exhibition of works by
painter Eduard Abajyan.

The photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan visited the exhibition.

The 113 drawings and paintings sum up the last ten years of Eduard
Abajyan’s creative activities.

Karen Aghamyan, Chairman of the Artists’ Union of Armenia, painters
and art critics said words of gratitude at the opening ceremony.

Photos by Gagik Shamshyan

HILLARY CLINTON HAS A FINGER IN EVERY PIE

The Voice of Russia
May 31 2012

On Thursday, the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton embarked on
a 7-day tour of seven countries. The broad agenda is really impressive.

During her voyage, Ms. Clinton will visit three countries of Northern
Europe, namely Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and four countries on
the south-eastern outskirts of Europe – three Transcaucasian states
(Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan), and will wind up her trip in Turkey
on June 7.

Probably as diverse as the selection of countries is the list of
topics for the discussion. They range from ecology (to be discussed
in Scandinavia) to Iran in Syria (everywhere), secession (in
Transcaucasia) and terrorism – on her final day of the trip, Ms.
Clinton will co-chair a counterterrorism forum in Istanbul.

What is probably more interesting is what topics of discussion have not
been announced. It is more than obvious that after Britain’s Supreme
Court ruled in favor of Julian Assange’s extradition to Sweden, Hillary
Clinton will raise the issue in her talks with Swedish authorities
and insist that Assange should be further extradited to the U.S. for
demonstrative punishment. It is worth remembering that in Sweden he
faces charges of harassment and attempted rape, which are very poorly
based and unlikely to lead to a serious punishment, the U.S. charges
him with terrorism which may result in life imprisonment or the death
penalty (and who cares for the First Amendment!).

But even the wide array of countries to be visited and topics to be
discussed has something in common. And that is the attempt to establish
and promote the U.S. omnipresence in key areas of global politics.

The tour to Scandinavia signifies the start of the race for the vast
mineral resources of the Arctic region. As due to the global warming
and advances in technology, the deepwater oil and gas reserves become
more and more accessible, all the littoral countries are claiming their
share of this pie. The problem is further complicated by the fact that
the maritime borders and exclusive economic zone boundaries were drawn
arbitrarily in times when no one was really thinking they mattered
much, and now this leads to sharp disputes between the sub-Arctic
countries. The U.S., having just a small portion of the shoreline
there, is obviously not satisfied with its present share and would
love to broaden it at the expense of neighbors.

The tour of all three Transcaucasian countries plays an important
symbolic role. While Hillary Clinton is hardly likely to help solve
the Nagorno-Karabakh stalemate, and definitely will not affect the
independent status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, her proclamations
on both issues will be purely aimed at bringing Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan closer to the mainstream of U.S. policy.

With Georgia and its today’s totally servile regime, the task is easy.

But with Armenia and Azerbaijan (both having excellent relations with
Russia), the task is more rewarding. By showing them a carrot, Ms.
Clinton will aim at not simply extending the U.S. presence in the
region, but also at diminishing the Russian influence.

But the long range goal in Ms. Hillary’s mind definitely lies outside
the countries she is visiting. And this is an attempt to build a
coalition and gain a foothold in the area adjacent to the region of
the U.S. utmost strategic interest of the latest decades. While Syria
and Iran remain the last islands of resistance to the mounting U.S.

pressure on the “Great Middle East”, it is worth trying to circumvent
those countries and getting access to them from an unexpected
direction.

If (the “if” is rather big, though) Ms. Hillary succeeds in, say,
forging a kind of anti-Iranian alliance with Armenia that would
really be a big deal. But that means that the carrot she has to
offer to Armenia must be really huge. And in light of the stalled
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, for which she does not seem to have a
handy solution, this seems highly unlikely.

Boris Volkhonsky, senior research fellow, Russian Institute for
Strategic Studies