Author: Kalantarian Kevo

DISSECTING KESSAB: WHAT IS (AND ISN’T) HAPPENING IN THE HISTORICAL ARMENIAN TOWN

ianyan Magazine
April 2 2014

Posted by Liana Aghajanian

The heartbreaking news came quickly – the ethnic Armenian town of
Kessab in Syria, one of immense historic significance to Armenians
had been taken over by hardline Islamists as residents were forced
to flee. Rebels advanced to Bashar Al Assad’s hometown province, but
there was more disturbing news – the Turkish air force shot down a
regime war plane trying to bombard the rebel advancement by al Nusra
Front, al Qaeda’s offshoot in Syria, reported the Wall Street Journal.

The civil war that had plagued the Middle Eastern country for three
years had finally caught up to the border. Since it began, over 140,000
civilians have lost their lives, 4 million refugees have emptied the
country now enveloped by rubble and death.

The mayors of various villages in the area told CivilNet that the
city had been destroyed and was now “gone.”

But the tragedy of Kessab has also fallen to another tragedy of sorts –
one of the digital world, where misinformation, unverified sources and
fake photos have been used to create hysteria and have unfortunately
gone viral, under the hashtag “SaveKessab.”

Eager to participate and help spread the word, the worldwide Armenian
Diaspora has employed the hashtag, furiously tweeting, changing their
FB profile photos and urging others to sign petitions to help stop
“history repeating itself,” referencing the 1.5 million Armenians who
perished in the Ottoman-era slaughter known as the Armenian Genocide.

Kim Kardashian, Cher and even random celebrities like Blink 182â~@²s
Travis Barker got involved in the “SaveKessab” movement, too, which
elevated the hashtag to their large worldwide audiences.

But in the process, the hashtag became a tool for spreading
misinformation, as Armenia-based journalist Gegham Vardanyan summarized
in his post on the topic, both in English and Armenian:

Those disseminating this type of false information are often ordinary
users who simply want to use social media to show their patriotism
or to help resolve the Kessab Armenians’ problem however way they can.

The problem is that information from Kessab, as such, is very scarce.

There is practically no first-hand information. And when there’s no
information, it’s quite easy to replace it with misinformation.

Here is a primer on what is happening in Kessab, why it’s so important
and how to separate fact from fiction.

An important note: Clarifying these facts does not undermine the story:
The Syrian Civil War has reached an important, historical Armenian
populated city. Kessab has been left in ruins. The entire population
has had to flee as refugees in their own country. But along the way,
issues have arisen that need to be addressed. Journalism is based
in facts and verified information from first-hand sources. There
is a reason why news stations independently verify reports, and
fact-checkers are employed at magazines. Things need to check out,
and check out again before being disseminated to the public. Not
doing so is irresponsible, harmful and frankly, not journalism.

Clarification makes stories stronger. Here is an attempt to do
just that:

What is Kessab?

Kessab is an Armenian populated town that sits near the border
of Turkey, in the province of Latakia. There are several Armenian
churches in the city, and according to various reports about 2,000
residents live in the town. In the 19th century, Kessab’s population
numbered around 6,000 with more than 20 schools.

Kessab was made famous by Franz Werfel’s novel, “The Forty Days of
Musa Dagh,” based on true events surrounding World War I, the Armenian
Genocide and the Armenians’ resistance efforts against deportation.

A report on meeting Millennium Development goals sponsored by the
Canadian International Development Agency mentions an innovative soap
factory in Kessab, with products made using local laurel oil. The
factory provided income for 20 families, “with a further 150 benefiting
from the market for the berries they collect and process.”

Diasporan descendants often visit the town, many of whom had relatives
still living there. One diasporan writes eloquently about going to
Kessab to celebrate her grandmother’s 100th birthday.

Why is it so important?

Kessab was the last surviving city in the historical Armenian kingdom
of Cilicia, which was formed during the Middle Ages by Armenian
refugees who were fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. It extended
from what is now southeastern modern day Turkey to Cyprus and Syria.

According to Kessabtsiner.com, “The region of Antioch was emptied
of its Armenian, Greek and Syriac inhabitants, due to intense
persecution. In an attempt to avoid persecution, the Armenians of
the flat lands of Antioch took refuge in more mountainous regions,
such as Kessab and Mousa Dag.”

In “The Armenians: From Kings and Priests to Merchants and Commissars,”
Razmik Panossian highlights the importance of Kessab:

Even the Armenian born generation felt very strongly about Kessab-
without ever seeing it. There was much pride in the (most uneventful)
history of the village. It was a strange type of longing for a
diasporan community – albeit a very old one – as a ‘homeland,’ while
living in the real ‘fatherland.’ The important dimensions of this
regional identity is how it is connected to nationalism.

The ancient Armenian town of Kessab in Syria/ Creative Commons

What is happening in Kessab?

On Saturday, March 22, the Syrian war advanced to Kessab, and the
town was thrown under siege. One of the village mayors of Kessab told
CivilNet in a telephone conversation that “rockets from the Turkish
border were launched at the village and that the leaders made a
decision to evacuate the Armenian population to avoid human losses.”

The residents were evacuated to Latakia, with no time to take
anything with them. They are being sheltered and fed as Kessab has
been overrun by rebels and they cannot return. They also cite the
city being destroyed. They report no casualties, although Armenian
member of parliament Tevan Poghosyan, who visited the residents on a
personal trip reports that there were initially 20 people who remained
unaccounted for, with seven who have been recovered.

The U.S. State Department announced that it was “deeply troubled”
by the violence in Kessab, but as the Armenian National Committee of
America points out, “stopped short of criticizing Turkey’s role.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Armenian-Syrians are blaming
Turkey for the advances in Kessab as “Ankara has long turned a blind
eye to rebels crossing their borers and weapons flow.”

Why are Armenians so upset about it?

In the last 100 years, this is the third time that the Armenian
community has been forced to flee their homes in Kessab. In 1909,
Turkish armed forces entered and pillaged the city. Almost 200
deaths were reported. In 1915, during the Ottoman-era slaughter of
1.5 million Armenians known as the Armenian Genocide, the entire
population of Kessab was deported, thousands were killed and only a
fraction survived to make their way back to the historical city again.

The events that have recently taken place have rattled the Armenian
Diaspora, who has long fought for recognition of a genocide which
Turkey denies. It has opened unhealed wounds and brought memories back
of dark and defining times in Armenian history, which is made all the
more shocking and emotional with reports of Turkish involvement. What
is happening in Syria cannot be categorically referred to as
“genocide,” but because of the emotional toll and trauma, what is
happening now is easily being associated with the events of 1915.

The Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East has
distributed a letter which describes the residents of Kessab as being
“caught between two fighting forces,” though it also stresses that
the land is being held by rebels “backed by Turkey and helped by its
military forces.”

Since the start of the Syrian war, minorities like Armenians have been
caught in the crossfires. Over 6,000 Syrian-Armenian have escaped along
with the millions of ethnic Syrians that have fled out of the country,
many of them forced into an unexpected repatriation back to Armenia.

The Wall Street Journal reports that many Syrian-Armenians support
President Bashar al Assad’s forces – an alliance which is a “safer
bet to protect their interests” because Assad’s Alawite roots also
make him a religious minority.

What kind of misinformation has spread through social media about
the Kessab Crisis?

â~@¢ Reports of Civilian Casualties:

Armenian diaspora newspaper Asbarez was the first to report 80 deaths
in the scramble out of Kessab, but that information has to date,
not been confirmed. CivilNet cites no civilian deaths, although
mentions there are missing persons. TIME quotes a rebel videographer
who narrated a video tour of the city’s churches:

“Islam, he declared proudly, teaches respect for all religions,
including Christianity. “The jihadist brothers do not harm anyone.

This is our religion and this is our Islam.”

The BBC has the only first-hand published interview with a
Syrian-Armenian farmer who is actually a resident of Kessab. He
relayed in a radio interview that trucks carrying armed militants
began coming from the Turkish side and attacking Syrian government
police posts. “We heard lots of explosions near the villages close
to the Turkish border.” He mentions no civilian deaths but does say
about 50 elderly people stayed behind and when he tried to contact
neighbors, the phones were answered by people who did not speak local
Arabic. Epress has the transcript if you can’t listen to the audio.

Tevan Poghosyan, an Armenian Member of Parliament who visited Latakia
last week on a personal trip reports no civilian casualties after
speaking to the mayor and residents.

â~@¢ The Spread of False Photos

This graphic image was widely distributed but is not related to news
events out of Kessab. According to the Daily Mail it is the Islamic
State in Iraq and the Levant shooting members of Ghurabaa al-Sham
brigade, a moderate Islamist group in the head in 2013.

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant shooting members of Ghurabaa
al-Sham brigade, a moderate Islamist group in the head in 2013.

1. A Save Kessab Facebook page disseminated photos of Christian church
in ruins on their page. “Hate Crimes, and the world is silent,” they
wrote, insinuating that the desecration took place in Kessab. The
photos actually turned out to be from St. Mary’s Greek Catholic Church
in Yabrud, Syria.

2. This article from a “former Muslim Brotherhood Member Now Peace
Activist” references the “brutal massacre” in Kessab and was using
a gruesome image of armed gunmen standing over the severed heads of
several men in a grassy field. The image was actually from a 2012
video, showing armed Taliban militants standing over the heads of
Pakistani ‘soldiers.’

3. This layered image was widely spread on Twitter and Instagram. The
graphic photo of the woman with a crucifix down her throat is a still
shot from the horror film “Inner Depravity,” the child behind held
up is an image of Fatima Meghlaj, 2, decapitated when a bomb fell on
her house in Idlib in Sept. 2012. The other image of a decapitated
man is from Syria and completely unrelated to Kessab.

â~@¢ The Misuse of the Word “Genocide” and more.

Here is the textbook definition of what genocide means: the deliberate
and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or
cultural group.

The country of Syria is caught in a bloody, ongoing war that has
unfortunately advanced to an Armenian stronghold. Tragically, Kessab
has been caught in the middle of it, too. This is not a systematic
attempt to wipe out Armenians. This is the byproduct of a war that
has killed over 140,000 victims.

Furthermore, as Sako Arian on Hetq, Armenia’s investigative journalism
outlet, points out, Turkey’s involvement in aiding rebels is not new:

The fact that Turkey is assisting the rebels in Syria isn’t a recent
development. The Turkish Air Force has not only shot down Syrian planes
but has installed Patriot type missile systems on its southern border.

These are the facts.

What is sad is that we Armenians have again fallen in the old trap
of enemy hating creating by Turkey itself. Statements and posts of
pain, sorrow and lament appear everywhere. In the midst of all these
emotional outbursts, no one is thinking of real exit strategies.

So what do we take away from all of this? The facts are that something
very terrible happened in Kessab – but something very terrible has
been happening in Syria for years, and everyone – regardless of ethnic
background or religion- is a victim. For an Armenian diaspora spread
across the world partly due to the first what is widely acknowledged
as the first modern genocide, this stirs deep, painful memories. This
is especially compounded by Turkey’s continuous, almost 100 year
denial of this pain and the historical significance Kessab holds
for Armenians. However, pointing out facts and separating them from
fiction is not just important, it is crucial. It is also very difficult
during a time when getting information out of a particular country
is near impossible. But highly emotionally charged hysteria prompted
by incorrect news and photos is harmful. Before you post something,
double check to make sure where it’s coming from. Before you share
a photo, ask yourself what the origin of it might be. It’s pretty
simple: Google Images allows you to backtrack the source of a photo
by uploading it using the little camera icon. Use it. Think like a
journalist, not a bystander, and question everything.

WEST ARMS MILITANTS FIGHTING IN SYRIA – KADYROV

Interfax, Russia
April 1 2014

GROZNY. April 1

The United States and Western countries train and arm terrorists
fighting in Syria, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said.

“Blood of innocent civilians was shed in Syria yet again. Around 100
people died in the town of Kesab as a result of an attack by militants,
who, as the Syrian authorities emphasize, came from Turkey.

These were Armenians, native residents of Syria,” Kadyrov posted on
his Instagram account.

“According to the official information, al-Qaeda militants from the
so-called Front al-Nusra and Islamic Front groups participated in
the attack on Kesab,” Kadyrov said. “I say with responsibility based
on knowledge of the situation that these terrorists have nothing in
common with Islam! They are not Muslims!” he said.

“How can they be called Muslims, if they destroy Islamic relics,
including the Uwais al-Qarni relic?” the Chechen leader said.

“These terrorists are raised, armed, and nursed by the West, and
trained by special services of NATO countries. They are carrying out
the task of causing Syria to collapse and weakening Islamic countries,”
Kadyrov said.

“Where is the democracy of Europe and the U.S.? Why are they silent?

Why do they allocate hundreds of millions dollars, weapons and special
means to bandits opposed to the legitimate Syrian authorities who
are killing women, the elderly and children? How many more thousands
of Syrians have to die so that NATO countries will stop supporting
terrorists?” Kadyrov said.

“Amid this background daily statements and threats to introduce
sanctions regarding Russia, which supported the results of the Crimean
referendum and managed to prevent bloodshed on the peninsula, look
simply blasphemous,” he said.

“The West does not recognize democracy and people’s will, if this
will is not in the interest of the U.S., NATO and the European Union,”
Kadyrov said.

Kadyrov said he offered his condolences to the families of those
killed in Kesab and other Syrian cities.

It has been reported that several days ago militants fighting against
the Syrian army shot at villages near Kesab at the Syrian-Turkish
border, where Armenians mostly reside.

RUSSIAN FM OFFICIAL URGES UNSC MEET ON KASSAB ATTACK

ALALAM, Iran
April 1, 2014 Tuesday

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has called for an
emergency Security Council meeting to discuss the crimes committed
by armed insurgent groups against the residents of Syrian Kassab city
in Lattakia countryside, near the border with Turkey. Russian Deputy
Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has called for an emergency Security
Council meeting to discuss the crimes committed by armed insurgent
groups against the residents of Syrian Kassab city in Lattakia
countryside, near the border with Turkey. “An investigation should
be conducted into the shooting on the Armenian residents of Kassab
city by the gunmen,” Gatilov wrote on his Twitter page, as quoted by
Russia Today website. “It’s necessary that the Security Council discuss
that as soon as possible,” he added. Foreign-backed militant groups
launched a major assault against Kassab city in northern Syria with
apparent support and artillery coverage from Turkish military forces.

Following the deadly assault by the insurgents on Kassab, Syrian
officials launched a protest with the UN, insisting that the
government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan’s had
facilitated the entry of the armed militants into the Lattakia northern
countryside. MB/MB

CHRISTIANS FLEE SYRIA’S KESSAB, ARMENIA ACCUSES TURKEY

ALALAM, Iran
April 1, 2014 Tuesday

The Syrian army is trying to retake the Christian majority town of
Kessab reportedly seized by al-Qaeda-linked forces. The attack made
hundreds of ethnic Armenians flee and caused international outcry
with Armenia blaming Turkey for supporting extremists. Kessab –
located in Syria’s Latakia province, near the border with Turkey –
fell to militants sparking a fierce battle in the media as conflicting
reports are coming in about the events in the town which is home to
over 2,000 ethnic Armenians.

Reportedly, on March 21, foreign backed extremist groups affiliated
with al-Qaeda crossed into Syria from Turkey and seized the town after
clashes with Syrian government troops and local self-defense squads.

According to the Armenian side, the militants were supported by
Turkish forces. Ankara denied the allegations as “totally unfounded
and untrue”. The relations between Armenia and Turkey have long been
strained over Ankara’s refusal to recognize Armenian genocide after
WWI. With the help of local self-defense forces and the Syrian army the
majority of ethnic Armenians managed to flee Kessab and are currently
resided on the territory of an Armenian church in the coastal city
of Latakia, Arman Saakyan, Armenian MP from the Republican Party
said. The residents of the town managed to escape in the very last
moment before “their homes were attacked,” Bugus Kazaryan, the chair
of the Armenian Community Council in Latakia told RT. He said around
850 families from Kessab – “not only Armenians, but also residents of
other nationalities” – have currently taken shelter in Latakia. They
fled the town in order to let the Syrian Army “destroy the terrorists
who only came to Syria to kill, they’ve got no other goals,” Kazaryan
said. “The bombardment started early morning.

We struggled to save our son. We were laying on the ground because
of the heavy bombing. We could take nothing from our home,” Kessab
resident Hrach Chegelian told RT. During the past several days a
number of reports have been circulating in media and online, claiming
violent atrocities by militants, manslaughter of Armenians in the
area. However, so far, there is no confirmed information that any of
Kessab’s civilians died due to fighting. NJF/NJF

‘ERDOGAN’S GOVERNMENT FACILITATED TERRORISTS’ ENTRY TO LATTAKIA’

Mar 31, 2014

Damascus, (SANA) Minister of Information Omran al-Zoubi said the
government of Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has regularly facilitated
the entry of the armed terrorist groups into Kassab area in Lattakia
countryside.

In an interview with the Syrian TV late Sunday, Minister al-Zoubi
considered Erdogan’s acts as a violation of international resolutions
calling for convicting all forms of terrorist acts.

He said Erdogan’s acts prove that Syrian leadership was right when it
said that Erdogan and his government are involved in international
terrorism, adding “the persons who entered Lattakia northern
countryside are neither opposition members nor Syrian citizens, they
are groups of armed and trained foreigners with certain purposes
and agendas.”

Minister al-Zoubi said the Syrian Army and Armed Forces have foiled
the attack of terrorists who are all of non-Syrian nationalities.

He stressed that no one can say that Syria has foiled the Geneva2
conference, highlighting that Syria has been calling, since the
beginning of the crisis, for a political course that leads to
solutions.

Al-Zoubi said the stance of Syrian state was rejected by the so-called
“coalition” and its backers because they were not seeking a political
solution but fragmenting the state and moving it to a direction that
serves the US and Israeli interests in the region.

Al-Zoubi added that some Arab and regional regimes such as Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and other states backing terrorism have gone
so far in their offense to Arabism, Islam and Syria, committing grave
mistakes in terms of evaluating the outcomes of their policies.

He continued to say that Saudi Arabia has become a factory for
producing universal terrorism and it cannot prevent terrorists from
turning back to its territories through taking numerous decisions.

Answering a question on Jordanian public political discourse on curbing
terrorist groups attempt to infiltrate into Jordan, al-Zoubi said
this discourse is mere press statements; the Jordanian government
should realize the danger of the terrorists training on its land on
the security of the Jordanian people.

He called upon the Jordanian government to coordinate with Syrian
leadership for curbing the borders.

On the Arab Summit in Kuwait, al-Zoubi said this meeting is below the
level of Arab summits because the Arab public opinion does not think
it could bring any outcomes that serve their interests, adding that
the Palestinian issue will remain the Arabs’ central issue.

On the General Elections Law, the Information Minister stressed
this Law has been established according to the highest national and
international standards legally, as it consists with Constitution
and will regulate the presidential elections in the upcoming stage.

“The presidential elections will be held on timeâ?¦the security
situation will not prevent itâ?¦we expect the participation in the
elections to be great,” al-Zoubi added.

English Bulletin

HUNDRED PROTEST TURKEY’S ROLE IN KESSAB ATTACKS

Monday, March 31st, 2014

Protesters in front of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles. March
28, 2014.

LOS ANGELES–On Friday, March 28, hundreds of activists gathered in
front of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles to protest Turkey’s role
in recent attacks against civilians in Kessab, Syria. The protest was
organized by the Armenian Youth Federation and the Kessab Educational
Association.

Civilians in Kessab were forced to flee their homes following attacks
by al-Qaeda-linked groups on March 21.Turkey reportedly allowed
hundreds of radical foreign fighters to cross its border and attack
the civilian population, which includes over 2,000 Christian Armenians
whose ancestors survived the Armenian Genocide. Armenian homes and
churches were systematically desecrated and looted by the invaders.

Some reports stated that injured extremists were returning to Turkey
for medical treatment.

Protesters urged President Obama to condemn Turkey’s actions and demand
that Turkey stop aiding the invaders immediately. The protest was
paired with a social media campaign to bring attention and awareness
to the atrocities taking place in Kessab facilitated by the Turkish
government.

Social media users addressed the Kessab crisis using the hashtag
#SaveKessab. The campaign began at 12 p.m. on Friday and continued
throughout the weekend. AYF regions across the world contributed via
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The social media campaign found success on Facebook, as the hashtag
continues to trend today. On Twitter, there are nearly 100,000 tweets
containing the hashtag, with an estimated reach of about 40 million
people. Some high-profile tweets by Kim and Khloe Kardashian, The
Game, Travis Barker, and Chris Martin also helped bring light to
the campaign.

Councilmen Paul Krikorian (Los Angeles) and Jack Hadjinian (Montebello)
addressed the crowd at the protest and called for Turkey to stop
helping the al-Qaeda-linked forces. Garo Ghazourian, Alique Cherchian
and Alik Ourfalian delivered the AYF’s message.

The Armenian Youth Federation asks that all individuals posting about
Kessab with #SaveKessab ensure that they use correct and factual
information as to not discredit the campaign. Please make sure to
conduct research on the photos, videos and statements being used to
make sure that they are from the recent occurrences. Facts are what
has made this campaign persevere. Let us educate ourselves in order
to educate others.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most
influential Armenian-American youth organization in the United States,
working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural
awareness of Armenian-American youth.

WILL TURKEY FORCE NATO’S HAND IN SYRIA?

World Magazine
March 31 2014

Syria | Turkey’s role in attacks in northern Syria could force NATO intervention

By Mindy Belz
Posted March 31, 2014, 09:44 a.m.

BEIRUT–Rebels, with help from Turkish tanks and anti-aircraft fire,
are prevailing in a sustained attack in northwestern Syria that began
a week ago, Syrians in the area are reporting.

Armed jihadists, mostly foreigners fighting the government of
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, began “leaking” over the border
and invaded villages in Latakia province, according to eyewitnesses
and survivors of the attacks. The coastal province is home to Assad,
and many villages in the area are inhabited by Alawites, the Muslim
sect of the Assad family. Many villages in the area also are home to
Armenian Christians.

The assault began March 21 when fighters attacked Kasab, a
predominantly Armenian border town. That fighting left at least 80
dead and forced about 3,000 Christians to flee, seeking refuge in
nearby hills or the coastal city of Latakia. “In taking over control,
churches were desecrated, houses pillaged, and government buildings
destroyed,” one pastor told World Watch Monitor.

In Latakia, about 600 families are taking shelter in Armenian
churches. Local charity groups are providing food, mattresses,
blankets, and clothing–“since almost all of them have left without
their personal daily wear,” according to a Syrian Armenian doctor
(who is not named for security reasons).

During the attacks, Turkish tanks were stationed at the border in
support of opposition fighters, according to eyewitnesses. The Assad
regime responded to the assault with troops and airstrikes. On March
23, Turkish anti-aircraft fire hit a Syrian fighter jet, a MiG-21,
sent to protect military installations in the area and to thwart
rebel convoys. The jet went down but the pilot ejected.

“Turkey is hosting jihadis,” said a Syrian humanitarian worker who
lives in Damascus and received reports from the area. A Muslim who
supports the regime in the civil war, he asked not to be identified
for security reasons. “We feel this fight is not something related
to Syria, not something for our good,” he said.

The Syrian physician told me that displaced Armenians from Kasab
reported the jihadi fighters included Chechens, Tunisians, Turks,
and Arabs.

Turkey is a member of NATO and the United States has an air base
that’s home to the 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik, just 130 miles away
from the area of border fighting. Armed military conflict between
Turkey and Syria could severely escalate the Syrian war, forcing a
NATO intervention.

Turkey, along with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United States, and others
have staked positions against the Assad government and are supporting
varied rebel factions in the war. The attacks on Armenians mark
the first targeted assault on the long-established group of ethnic
Christians, many of whom took refuge in Syria during the Armenian
genocide in Turkey a century ago. With Turkey no safe haven, many
forced from Latakia Province are hoping to seek refuge in Armenia
itself. But they will need to cross into Turkey in order to get there.

Mindy Belz is reporting this week from the Middle East.

ARMENIAN-MONTREALERS CALL ON CANADA TO INTERVENE IN KESSAB

CBC News, Canada
March 31 2014

Armenian-inhabited village of Kessab in Syria attacked by rebel forces

When news came that the historic Armenian-inhabited village of Kessab
in Syria had been attacked by rebel forces and its people were forced
to flee, a shudder went through the global Armenian community.

Kessab, normally a 2,000-person village on the border between Syria
and Turkey, was primarily settled by Armenians in the 14th and 15th
centuries.

Just over a week ago, insurgents with reported ties to al-Qaeda
pushed into the area with Turkey’s blessing, forcing Armenians from
their homes.

Online, the hashtag #SaveKessab is being used on social media platforms
to draw attention to the devastation the village and its people have
faced in the Syrian civil war.

In Montreal, Lalai Manjikian, an Armenian-Montrealer with family
in Kessab, said she fears for the town, which she described as a
“gorgeous, mountainous village” just a few kilometres from the
Mediterranean Sea.

“Like many Armenians throughout the world, I feel personally a deep
historic and ancestral connection to Kessab,” Manjikian told CBC
Daybreak host Mike Finnerty on Monday.

“The situation is dire. Our family members have fled Kessab and
they’ve taken refuge mainly in Latakia (a major port city in Syria),”
Manjikian said. “They now find themselves in complete limbo.”

Hagop Der Katchadourian, the chairman of the Armenian National
Committee International Council, said forces opposed to Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad have moved in and taken control of Kessab.

MOBILE USERS: Listen to CBC Daybreak interview here

He said major damage has been done to homes, many of which are
centuries-old, in Kessab and that churches in the small village had
been “desecrated” by anti-Assad rebel forces.

“It is definitely taken at this stage because those forces are still
roaming the streets,” Der Katchadourian said.

He said, however, that it is important to distinguish between
legitimate rebel forces fighting the Assad regime, and extremist
groups ransacking the area.

Both Der Katchadourian and Manjikian called on the Canadian government
to continue protecting minority groups in Syria, as well as to provide
humanitarian assistance to displaced Armenians.

Der Katchadourian also said the Canadian government and Prime Minister
Stephen Harper should tell Turkey that allowing cross-border attacks
is not acceptable.

“Turkey is a major regional power and as such it has full control of
its frontiers,” he said.

EMPLOYEES OF OPERA AND BALLET THEATRE COLLECT SIGNATURES TO DEMAND CHOREOGRAPHER’S RESIGNATION (VIDEO)

18:34 | March 31,2014 | Social

The chief choreographer of the Alexander Spendiaryan State Academic
Opera and Ballet Theatre has not gone to work for a week. Rudolf
Kharatyan says the reason is the tense atmosphere at the Theatre.

“There are some problems with the creative team, but I think that
everything will clear up soon,” said Hrach Grigoryan, Acting Head of
the Theatre.

While Rudolf Kharatyan is considering his return to the Theatre,
the management is discussing the reasons for the heated situation.

Kharatyan says he was eager to stage a classical and contemporary
ballet for the Armenian audience but our ballet dancers did not like
the idea.

“We cannot create art with our street posture. They think I want to
cut them off their roots. I just want to explain our youth that we
stay behind other countries,” said the choreographer. The dancers
do not like the methods of the demanding master either. “They do not
attend training for many days, naturally they cannot dance well without
training their bodies and muscles,” the specialist said adding that
the staff has started collecting signatures to demand his resignation.

Both Rudolf Kharatyan and Hrach Grigoryan believe that the situation
will change after the appointment of a new director. The election is
slated for April 4.

ARMENIAN DEMONSTRATOR KILLED IN KYIV IS REMEMBERED

March 31, 2014 | 16:03

Thousands of people gathered at Maidan of Ukrainian capital city Kyiv
on Sunday evening.

They had assembled to mark the 40th day of the “Heavenly Hundred,”
that is, the people who were killed during the EuroMaidan events that
occurred during the fall and winter of 2013-2014.

Representatives of the Armenian community of Ukraine and the Kyiv
residents also lit candles in memory of Serhiy Nigoyan.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Ukraine Andranik Manukyan, who attended the
remembrance event, noted that “The Armenian community is ready to
stand with the people of Ukraine until the end, [and] for Ukraine’s
freedom,” Aspekty.net reported.

On January 22, Ukrainian-Armenian demonstrator Serhiy Nigoyan had
died of gunshot wounds in Downtown Kyiv. One month later, another
Armenian, Georgiy Harutyunyan, likewise had died during the riots in
the Ukrainian capital city.