Author: Kalantarian Kevo

IRAN
Un Monument dédié au génocide arménien inauguré à Téhéran

Un monument dédié aux victimes du génocide arménien a été érigé dans
la cour de l’Eglise catholique Saint-Grégoire l’Illuminateur de
Téhéran.

Comme le rapporte Alik le quotidien arménien d’Iran le monument a été
consacré par le patriarche Nerses Petros XIX. Dans son discours après
la consécration, le Patriarche a déclaré que l’existence d’un monument
dédié au génocide arménien à côté de l’église rappellera aux héritiers
des victimes du génocide arménien une fois de plus leurs racines
Arméniennes et les valeurs découlant de ces racines, ainsi que la
nécessité de préserver l’identité nationale et d’obtenir les droits
qui ont été volés aux Arméniens.

Le patriarche a également mentionné que le Pape François sera présent
lors d’une Divine Liturgie dédiée au 100e anniversaire au génocide
arménien au Vatican le 12 Avril 2015.

dimanche 25 janvier 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

Former vice premier Armen Gevorgyan’s salary amounts to 50,000 USD

15:02 / 24.01.2015

As it has been reported former vice premier Armen Gevorgyan has become
the CEO of the IDeA Foundation established by Russia-based Armenian
tycoon Ruben Vardanyan and his spouse Veronika Zonabend.

Many were surprised with the decision of Gevorgyan to leave the post
of the minister as he was considered one of the best working members
of the government.

But there is nothing to be surprised at. Yesterday Nyut.am source said
that currently Armen Gevorgyan’s salary amounts 50,000 USD. Which
minister would not have leave the post for such salary?

Nyut.am

Armenia army efficient enough to repel attacks – Karabakh war hero

14:08 * 24.01.15

Azerbaijan’s attempts to stir up panic in the Armenia’s Armed Forces
aren’t likely to succeed, as the Armenian army is vigilant and
efficient enough to repel any attack, says a veteran hero of the
Nagorno-Karabakh war,

“Our army is capable of halting and pushing back any attack plotted by
the adversary. The Azerbaijanis are training special battalions to
target us. But Armenia is now undertaking large-scale operations, and
so we should wish them success to finish all that with maximum few
losses,” Major-General Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan told reporters on
Saturday.

The legendary war hero said he is confident that the experienced
heroes of the Armenian army will to all their best to secure safety
and peace.

Asked to comment on the past days’ border tensiond, the major-general
attributed all that to the symbolic
nature of 2015, which marks the Armenian Genocide centennial.
“Tensions on the border will gradually increase this year as we are
marking the Genocide’s 100 anniversary,” he said, blaming Turks for
inciting the Azerbaijani aggression.

Nagorno-Karabakh president attends requiem mass commemorating the
Avetisyan family in Shoushi

15:15 * 25.01.15

On 25 January Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan accompanied by
the authorities of the republic attended Shoushi’s Ghazanchetsots
Cathedral of Christ the Holy Savior and attended the requiem mass
commemorating the Avetisyan family, who had become victims of the
horrific tragedy in Gyumri on 12 January 2015, and the soldiers
perished while defending the borders of the Motherland during the
current year.

THE ARMENIAN DELEGATION AT PACE SHOULD PRESENT CORRESPONDING FACTS
AGAINST THE LIE

Friday, 23 January 2015 19:52

As we know, since October 27, 2014, a trial over Azerbaijani
subversives Dilham Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev had been held in
Stepanakert, which ended in late December with sentencing. Let’s
remember that in July, on the instructions of the security services of
Azerbaijan, they penetrated into the territory of the NKR Karvachar
region to commit sabotage-reconnaissance and espionage actions, but
were captured by the Karabakh special forces.

The third member of the subversive group – H. Hasanov –
resisted during the detention and was killed. The members of the group
committed a series of heinous crimes, killing two citizens of the NKR,
including a seventeen-year-old boy, and wounding a few men. Based on
solid facts and evidence, as well as the confessions of the accused,
the fault of the group members in committing thecrimes was fully
proved. It is important to note that the trial was extremely open and
transparent and was conducted in compliance with judicial procedures,
ensuring the legal protection for the defendants, each of which was
provided with a lawyer. According to the decision of the NKR Court of
First Instance, Dilham Askerov was sentenced to life imprisonment, and
Shahbaz Guliyev – to 22 years in prison.

It would seem that the situation is very clear, the
criminals got the deserved punishment, and an end could be put in this
particular story. But apparently, it is too early to put an end, and
here’s why. Actually, from the moment the saboteurs were taken captive
Azerbaijan, in its usual hysterical manner, initiated a propaganda and
disinformation campaign, aiming mainly to rehabilitate the criminals,
to present them to the world as innocent hostages, and ultimately to
achieve their extradition to the homeland. And this is despite the
obvious truth that it was the defendants that killed really innocent
victims, which was proven at the trial and confirmed by the defendants
themselves. In such a situation, common sense and human morality
suggest that Azerbaijan should, as they say, to be silent in a rag, as
all the arguments, I mean the evidence, is absolutely against it. But,
as we know, the criminal authorities of this country have long lost
all the human features, having turned into moral monsters, for which
the killing of innocent people and outright lies have become a norm of
state behavior.

This is confirmed also by the fact that the noted
propaganda campaign involved the state structures of Azerbaijan,
including the President himself, which try to internationalize the
issue and bring it to the international arena. Thus, recently, head of
the Azerbaijani delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe Samad Seyidov has stated that “the sentence against
the Azerbaijani hostages will be also discussed” at the winter session
of this European organization. According to him, the PACE
member-states will be required (!!!) to protest against the trial. “As
always, we will put forward our claims based on specific facts. But,
the main thing is that the international organization regard this
issue not from the position of double standards, but by justice”.

We believe there is no need to say what is “justice” in
the Azerbaijani understanding. This is its complete lack. Now, as for
the “specific facts” mentioned by Seyidov. Does he intend to submit to
the MEPs the testimony of the saboteurs published by the mass media
about how they penetrated into the NKR territory with weapons and spy
equipment, how they collected information about the military sphere,
how they killed the 17-year-old boy? Surely not, because, agree, this
kind of actions do not fit into the image of peaceful hostages, which
official Baku persistently tries to shape from thesubversive-killers.
And, of course, at the PACE session Seyidov, trying to prove the
unprovable, willnot utter a word about it and will pour a hefty dose
of blatant lie on the PACE members.

But, the Armenian delegation should not remain silent at
the PACE session. Having quite a lot of convincing facts on hand, it
should do everything to turn the process of discussion of this issue
into a kind of trial against the Azerbaijani authorities, who have
committed the graviest crimes against civilians and are committing yet
another grave crime – deception of the authoritative European
organization and the international community as a whole. We think that
the PACEsession will give the Armenian delegation quite a good
opportunity to present the real picture of what happened and,
consequently, the true face of the Azerbaijani authorities, as well as
todemonstrate to the MEPs the obvious superiority of the NKR over
Azerbaijan in terms of the development of democracy, adherence to the
norms and principles of a civilized society. And first of all, the
moral superiority. This was proved also by the abovementioned
transparent and unbiassedtrial over the Azerbaijani subversives
conducted in full compliance with the procedural canons of
administration of justice inherent to a democratic state, which cannot
be said about Azerbaijan, where Armenian hostages are brutally killed
without any trial. We’d like the sentence over the Azerbaijani
subversives to be followed by another sentence (now international)
finally passed against the criminal leadership of Azerbaijan, which
has long cynically violated the universal norms of a civilized
society. Then it will be possible to put the final end.

Leonid MARTIROSSIAN
Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper

Sundance 2015 review: Tangerine – juicy LA sex trade tale literally iPhone’d in

4/5stars

Three smartphones were the tech used to capture this lively yuletide
story of a pimp, a meth-head and two transgender prostitutes in
modern-day Los Angeles

Room with a view … Tangerine

Sunday 25 January 2015 14.11 GMT

Of all the many accomplishments of Sean Baker’s Tangerine, the most
arresting is the fact it was shot using just three iPhone 5s phones,
meaning permits weren’t required. That means Tangerine shows a side of
Los Angles rarely captured on film – or, well, whatever the thing is
inside an iPhone 5s that records video.

We meet transgender prostitute Sin-Dee (Kiki Kitanna Rodriguez) on
Christmas Eve as she hunts across the city looking for her pimp
boyfriend (James Ransone) and the meth addict (Mickey O’Hagan) that he
has been sleeping with. She’s followed by fellow sex worker Alexandra
(Mya Taylor) and their stories intersect with Razmik (Karren
Karagulian), an Armenian cab driver with a crush on Sin-Dee and
others.

When the film starts with a rollicking soundtrack on the sun-blistered
streets ofLos Angeles, it’s like nothing you’ve seen before. The
colours and the sun are so bright and dazzling they blot out the grit
everywhere but in the people stalking the sidewalks. Using mostly
first time actors, Baker achieves both highly stylized shooting and
authenticity simultaneously. Everyone is moving, moving, moving trying
to accomplish some goal. “There is nothing out here but the hustle,”
Alexandra tells us. If anything, that is the moral of the movie.

But as the sun goes down, the action slows and the cinematography and
music follow pace. There is still plenty of drama, but the film
becomes a bit more conventional and even sags in places.

On the whole, though, it is real and visceral, maintaining a pace
almost too hectic to sustain. After a borderline unbelievable
showdown, where all the stories converge in a fluorescent-lit Donut
Time, Tangerine ends pretty much where it began, with Sin-Dee and
Alexandra unsure what to do with themselves, as if there is no point.
But getting to see lives like these – not just transgender hookers,
but cab drives, drug addicts, beat cops, fast food workers, and the
people who are struggling on the fringes of society – creates the kind
of movie that we don’t see very often. The iPhone 5s becomes nothing
more than a style choice, one that is daring but entirely
inconsequential to the bigger picture.

‘HRANT’S FRIENDS’ CALLS FOR JUSTICE IN TRIAL INTO DINK’S MURDER

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
Jan 23 2015

ISTANBUL – 23.01.2015 18:35:56

Large numbers of people from a group called Hrant’s Friends, which
includes lawmakers and activists held a demonstration in front of
Ä°stanbul Courthouse on Friday and called for a fair trial into
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink who was murdered in 2007.

The group unfurled placards and shouted slogans. A press statement
was made before the trial began. Speaking on behalf of the group,
journalist Aydın Engin stated that murder of Dink was used as a
politic tool by the government and today the murder is associated with
“parallel state”.

“We know Dink was murdered with collaboration of provocateurs with
police, soldier and National Intelligence Organization (MÄ°T). They
[government] cannot attribute the trial neither to the parallel
state nor to another state,” said Engin. He added that the government
should fulfill its responsibility to enable trail of the convicted
in a fair way.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710 or (973) 943-8697
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

** TOP STORY January 22, 2015
————————————————————
Genocide Orphan
Detail of a photo of Armenian Genocide refugees, United States Library
of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

** An Orphan’s Story
————————————————————
He was a child of war: born to a kingdom under siege. His high-born
parents died at the point of an Arab invader’s sword, and little Vahan
was taken into custody, brought in bondage to Damascus, and instructed
in the tenets of an alien religion. Life in the emir’s court was all
he would know as he matured.

But some faint ember of his earlier life remained in his heart. A
generation passed, and with it the regime of his captors; and the
now-adult Vahan seized a fleeting opportunity to return to the land of
his birth: the province of Goghtn in the ancient Armenian stronghold
of Vaspourakan. He entered Goghtn as a prince, to rule in the name of
the conquerors. Yet once immersed in the folkways of his people, it
was Vahan himself who was conquered. He took a wife, embraced the
Christian faith anew, and settled into tranquil Armenian life.

This was all too much for his Arab overlords, of course. Vahan was
forced to flee Goghtn, and spent endless fugitive days moving from
town to town, barely a step away from his pursuers. Eventually, he was
seized by the Muslim constable of Armenia and spirited away to
Syria-where he was reunited, in martyrdom, with his parents and his
Lord.

Though Vahan lived and died in the 8th century A.D., what happened to
him 13 centuries ago in Goghtn (a region in present-day Nakhichevan)
still resonates with Armenians-perhaps more deeply than ever in this
100th year of remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. In time, Vahan of
Goghtn was recognized as a saint of the Armenian Church; today marks
his feast day. As we honor his memory, let us also give thought to all
the other children of war-those of 100 years ago, and those, sadly,
among us today.

** Scripture of the Week
————————————————————

Is 61:10-62:9
2 Tm 2:15-26
Jn 6:15-21

** Prayer of the Week
————————————————————

In faith I confess and bow down to you, Father and Son and Holy
Spirit, uncreated and immortal nature, creator of angels, of men, and
of all things. Have mercy upon your creatures, and upon me, great
sinner that I am. Amen.

** Upcoming Saints & Feasts
————————————————————

22 January: St. Vahan of Goghtn

24 January: 150 Fathers of the Holy Council of Constantinople
(A.D. 381)

25 January: Barekendan of the Fast of Catechumens

** CHURCH NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
————————————————————
Gallipoli
A soldier stands over skulls of victims of the Armenian Genocide from
the Armenian village of Sheyxalan in 1915.

** In the News
————————————————————
Monday’s edition of the British newspaper
The Independent contained an article touching on the worldwide
observance of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The wide-ranging piece covers the main facts of the Genocide,
considers some ironies of subsequent history, and even exposes some
`diplomatic mischief’ intended to distract attention from the
milestone.

To read the online version, click here
()
.

Hrant Dink
Hrant Dink (1954-2007).

** Remembering Hrant Dink
————————————————————
On January 19, 2007, the Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was
assassinated on the street outside his newspaper offices in
Istanbul. Dink’s prior writings on the Armenian Genocide had made him
a well known figure in Turkey, and had prompted his prosecution under
Turkey’s retrograde law forbidding anti-Turkish statements.

The murder of this brave and gentle man was later revealed to contain
elements of state persecution along with what we in this country would
call `hate crime.’ It became a cause célèbre for Armenians the world
over, but also for elements of Turkish society longing for a more open
public discourse. At Hrant Dink’s funeral, more than 100,000 people,
Armenians side-by-side with ethnic Turks, jammed the streets of
Istanbul carrying placards reading, `We are all Hrant Dink.’

Even after eight years, the demoralizing horror of that terrible
January day still lingers; and the astonishing spectacle of the
subsequent weeks is likewise unforgettable. Today we again offer
prayers for the repose of Hrant Dink’s spirit, for the consolation of
his loved ones, and for the light of Divine truth, which even the
deepest darkness cannot extinguish.

To read an essay written on the first anniversary of Hrant Dink’s
murder, click here
()
.

** DIOCESAN NEWS
————————————————————
Armenian Genocide Cintennial

** Resources for the Genocide Centennial
————————————————————
With the 100th year of remembrance of the Armenian Genocide advancing
rapidly, the Eastern Diocese has created a special section on its
website for downloadable resources. Parishes, community groups, and
anyone else can obtain materials to help them inform local press and
reach out to their surrounding communities. This week, a downloadable
map of “Historic Armenia Through the Ages” was added to the
offerings-these can be accessed by clicking here
()
.

In the meantime, the Armenian-American community is building towards a
national observance in Washington, DC, in May 2015. Special events are
scheduled for May 7 to 9-including an ecumenical prayer service at the
National Cathedral, a Pontifical Divine Liturgy, a memorial concert,
and an awards banquet honoring those who helped the survivors. His
Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, and His Holiness Aram I, the Catholicos of the Great House
of Cilicia, both will journey to the United States to lead the
Washington commemoration. They will be joined by Armenians from across
the U.S., under the auspices of the Eastern and Western Dioceses, and
the Eastern and Western Prelacies. Click here
()
to learn more about the May events in the nation’s capital.

The Eastern Diocese’s Annual Diocesan Assembly and Clergy Conference
will convene in Washington that same week; details on the 2015
Assembly will be forthcoming.

People in the New York metro region should also reserve the dates of
April 24, 25, and 26 for commemoration events in New York City. These
will include liturgical celebrations and the annual Times Square
program sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Knights and Daughters of Vartan.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Diocesan Primate, has appointed George
and Lorraine Marootian as Diocesan liaisons to the Genocide
commemorative committees. They will be working with established
committees at the national, regional, and local levels, and have begun
reaching out to our parish communities. Contact them via e-mail at
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

Never Forget 1915

** Support the Genocide Awareness Campaign
————————————————————
The Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America (Eastern Region)
is planning a creative national campaign spanning public relations,
social media, and print and broadcast outlets to raise awareness about
the Armenian Genocide in this milestone year.

The committee is raising funds to finance the national
campaign. Please consider supporting this ambitious outreach
effort. Click here
()
to make a donation.

In addition, the Centennial Committee (Eastern Region) has launched a
new website- will soon offer a listing of events
organized nationwide in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. They
are asking all local committees to share their contact information to
assist in this effort.

Prayer Service

** Virginia Churches Approve Genocide Resolution
————————————————————
Last fall, the Virginia Council of Churches approved a resolution
calling for the commemoration of the 100th year of remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide by its member churches.

Rev. Dr. Jonathon Barton, executive director of the Virginia Council
of Churches, was instrumental in spearheading the
resolution. Fr. Barton has close ties with the St. James Armenian
Church of Richmond, VA, and is an honorary member of the Armenian
Genocide Centennial Committee in Virginia.

The resolution was presented at the Virginia Council of Churches
annual meeting last November by Bedros Bandazian and Sona Pomfret of
St. James Armenian Church.

It reads, in part: `The Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of
Central Virginia and the people of Saint James Armenian Orthodox
Church-a member of the Virginia Council of Churches-represent an
ancient Christian tradition, remain devoted brothers and sisters in
Christ, and strive to inform Virginians of all faiths about the
Armenian Genocide.’ The resolution also calls on Virginia churches to
participate in an ecumenical service on Saturday, April 18, organized
by the local Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee.

Click here
()
to read more.

FAR
Children take part in a theater therapy session at the FAR Children’s
Center in Yerevan.

** FAR Launches Daycare Service in Yerevan
————————————————————
The Fund for Armenian Relief’s Children’s Center recently launched a
new Daycare Service in Yerevan, Armenia, which provides at-risk
teenagers with after-school psychological support.

The sessions are held two to three times a week, and are designed to
mitigate the risks of dropping out, bullying, crime, and
suicide. Young people ages 11 to 16 attend the Daycare Service
sessions at the recommendation of school officials. The new initiative
has already reached 43 at-risk students from six schools in Yerevan’s
Zeytun neighborhood.

Click here
()
to read more on FAR’s blog.

** PARISH NEWS
————————————————————
St. Sarkis Church, Charlotte, NC
Fr. Samuel Rith-Najarian administers Holy Communion.

** A New Priest’s First Badarak
————————————————————
On Sunday, January 18, the newly ordained Rev. Fr. Samuel
Rith-Najarian celebrated his first Divine Liturgy at St. Sarkis Church
of Charlotte, NC.

The former Dn. Benjamin Rith-Najarian was ordained to the holy
priesthood at St. Sarkis Church on December 7 by Diocesan Primate
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, and spent his 40-day period of seclusion
at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary.

Also taking part in last Sunday’s badarak were the Very
Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, Rev. Fr. Mampre Kouzouian, and Very
Rev. Fr. John Meno of the Syrian Orthodox Church, who is a close
friend of the Charlotte parish. Dn. Yervant Kutchukian, who served as
the godfather of Fr. Samuel’s ordination, assisted on the altar.

Fr. Rith-Najarian will serve as the pastor of St. Sarkis Church. Click
here
()
to view photos of his antranig badarak.

Deacon Gevork Gevorkian
Fr. Odabashian (center) dedicates Dn. Gevorkian’s books.

** New Books Dedicated in Providence
————————————————————
The Very Rev. Fr. Simeon Odabashian, Diocesan Vicar, visited
Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of Providence, RI, on Sunday, January 18,
where he celebrated the Divine Liturgy and dedicated two new books
authored by a local parishioner.

The kinetson ceremony, in which wine is symbolically poured over newly
published tomes, was performed by Fr. Odabashian following
services. Dn. Gevork Gevorkian’s books-Examination of the Christian
Rejection of Cremation and St. John Chrysostom: How to Forgive the
Offense?-were recently published by Holy Etchmiadzin.

The first book, written in Western Armenian, explains the Christian
practice of burial and the belief that the body will rise together
with the soul. The book will serve as a guide for pastors advising the
faithful during times of bereavement.

In How to Forgive the Offense?, available in English and Russian,
Dn. Gevorkian compiled the homilies of the great church father
St. John Chrysostom on the Christian practice of
forgiveness. Dn. Gevorkian’s volume presents these historic works in
an accessible and applicable way. The book is dedicated to the Very
Rev. Fr. Shnork Kasparian, of blessed memory.

Armenian Church in Austin
Dn. Narek Garabedian with parishioners in Austin.

** Austin Parish Learns About Christmas in Jerusalem
————————————————————
On Saturday, January 17, the mission parish of Austin, TX, welcomed
St. Nersess seminarian Dn. Narek Garabedian. Dn. Garabedian performed
the mid-day service and gave a presentation on Christmas in the Holy
Land (which is observed on January 18 and 19).

Dn. Garabedian, who spent four years studying in Jerusalem, gave the
community a first-hand look at how the Armenian Patriarchate of
Jerusalem observes the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord
Jesus Christ. He later presented the parishioners with wooden crosses
that had been blessed in Jerusalem.

Click here
()
to view photos.

Upcoming events

** Upcoming Parish Events
————————————————————

St. Leon Church | Fair Lawn, NJ
On Friday, January 23, St. Leon Church of Fair Lawn, NJ, will host a
presentation by Vahé Tachjian, Ph.D., on the `Houshamadyan Project,’
an attempt to reconstruct Ottoman Armenian life through archival
documents, photographs, and other materials. The talk will begin at
7:45 p.m. Admission is free. Click here
(`1922f489&e=3aa2e2c3e9&utm_source=Eastern+Diocese+E-Newsletter&utm_campaign=bdd960541c-September_4_20149_4_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3f0172fcf2-bdd960541c-159688434)
to view a flyer for information.

St. Mary Church | Livingston, NJ
The Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest New Jersey, in
collaboration with St. Mary Church of Livingston, NJ, is hosting an
exhibit in commemoration of the 100th year of remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide. The exhibit will open on Monday, January 26, with
the screening of a film about the Armenian Genocide. It will run
through April 30. Click here
()
for information.

St. Sarkis Church | Dallas, TX
The Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Dallas-Fort Worth will
host two events this month in commemoration of the 100th year of
remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.

On Sunday, January 25, filmmaker Bared Maronian will speak about his
latest project, a documentary titled “Women of 1915.’ A preview of the
film and a discussion will be held at St. Sarkis Church of Dallas, TX,
beginning at 1:15 p.m.

On Monday January 26, Bared Maronian will screen his documentary film
“Orphans of the Genocide.” The film will be shown at the Magnolia
Theatre (3699 McKinney Avenue in Dallas) beginning at 7 p.m. Admission
is free.

St. Gregory the Illuminator Church | Chicago, IL
St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Chicago, IL, will host its
annual `Armenian Winter Fest’ on Saturday, January 31, from 4 to 10
p.m. Enjoy Armenian food, raffles, and other activities. Click here
()
to view a flyer for information.

St. Mary Church | Hollywood, FL
St. Mary Church of Hollywood, FL, will host an `Armenian Food and
Music Fest’ on Saturday, January 31 (12 to 10 p.m.) and Sunday,
February 1 (12 to 7 p.m.). Enjoy homemade Armenian food and pastries,
live music, arts and crafts vendors, and activities for
children. Click here
()
to view a flyer.

Vendors and sponsors are welcome. Click here
()
to download a sponsorship form. For information, e-mail
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) , call (954) 450-5578, or
visit

** YOUTH NEWS
————————————————————
ACYOA Lent Retreat

** ACYOA Lenten Retreats
————————————————————
The ACYOA Central Council has scheduled three regional Lenten retreats
for ACYOA Seniors across the Eastern Diocese. The day-long
retreats-themed `Living the Gospel of Christ: Legacy of Our
Martyrs’-will include Bible study, small group discussions, and
presentations focusing on the upcoming canonization of the martyrs of
the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

The New England retreat
()
will be held on Saturday, February 28, at Holy Resurrection Church in
New Britain, CT; the Midwest retreat
()
is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, at St. Mesrob Church in Racine,
WI; and the New York-metro and Mid-Atlantic retreat
()
will go forward on Saturday, March 21, at the Church of the Holy
Martyrs in Bayside, NY.

For information, contact the staff of the Diocese’s Department of
Youth and Young Adult Ministries: Lorie Odabashian at
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) , or
(212) 686-0710, ext. 143; or Jennifer Morris at
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) ,
or (248) 686-0702.

** EVENTS
————————————————————
Concert at St. Vartan Cathedral

** An Evening at the Opera
————————————————————
St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral will host `An Evening at the Opera’ on
Friday, January 30, at 7:30 p.m.

Enjoy a program featuring Armenian and Western opera music, performed
by internationally-acclaimed artists Narine Ojakhyan and Yeghishe
Manucharyan. Lusine Badalyan will accompany on the piano.

Click here
()
to view a flyer for ticket information. St. Vartan Cathedral is
located at 630 Second Avenue (at 34th Street) in Manhattan.

Farah Siraj
Jordanian fusion artist Farah Siraj will perform during the dinner and
music program on February 14.

** Artist Farah Siraj to Perform at Diocesan Center
————————————————————
The recently formed St. Vartan Cathedral Community of New York City is
hosting an exciting evening of dinner and music featuring talented
Jordanian fusion artist Farah Siraj, on Saturday, February 14.

Join them in celebrating Poon Paregentan-the Armenian `Mardi Gras`-and
Valentine’s Day, from 7 to 11 p.m. in Haik and Alice Kavookjian
Auditorium (Second Avenue at 35th Street). Tickets are $50. Click on
the following links to view a flyer
()
and to purchase tickets
()
.

Zohrab Information Center

** Zohrab Center Announces Spring Schedule
————————————————————
The Diocese’s Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center will open its
spring season of lectures on Thursday, February 5, with a talk by
Dr. Vartan Matiossian titled `Code Name Haiko: Discovering the Last
Unknown Participants in Talaat Pasha’s Liquidation.’ The event will be
held at the Diocesan Center in New York, beginning at 7 p.m. Admission
is free.

Other Zohrab Center events planned for the spring include talks on
Armenian art, a guide to the Armenian Church’s Holy Week ceremonies,
and various book presentations. Click here
()
to visit the Zohrab Center blog for a complete schedule.

“THE ARMENIANS WANT AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT THE 1915 MASSACRE WAS A CRIME”

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

Armenian genocide
Point of view

Geoffrey Robertson

In 1915 Britain was determined to expose the Armenian genocide,
so why have we since downgraded it to a ‘tragedy’?

Armenians mark the anniversary of the massacre of their people,
in 2014.

Armenians mark the anniversary of the massacre of their people,
in 2014. Photograph: Karen Minasyan/Getty Images

Friday 23 January 2015 14.00 GMT

Just before the invasion of Poland, Adolf Hitler urged his generals
to show no mercy towards its people – there would be no retribution,
because “after all, who now remembers the annihilation of the
Armenians?” As the centenary of the Armenian genocide approaches
– it began on 24 April 1915, with the rounding up and subsequent
“disappearance” of intellectuals and community leaders
in Constantinople – remembrance of the destruction of more than half
of the Armenian people is more important than ever.

Although, as Hitler recognised in 1939 (and it is still the case
today), the crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Turks
by killing the major part of this ancient Christian race has never
been requited, or, in the case of Turkey, been the subject of apology
or reparation.

The “Young Turks” who ran the Ottoman government did not
use gas ovens, but they did massacre the men, and sent the women,
children and elders on death marches through the desert to places
we only hear of now because they are overrun by Isis. They died en
route in their hundreds of thousands from starvation or attack, and
many survivors died of typhus in concentration camps at the end of
the line. The government ordered these forced deportations in 1915,
and then passed laws to seize their lands and homes and churches on
the pretext that they had been “abandoned”.

The destruction of more than 1 million Armenians was declared
a “crime against humanity” by Britain, France and
Russia in 1915, and these allies formally promised punishment
for what a US inquiry at the end of the war described as “a
colossal crime – the wholesale attempt on a race”. But the
Treaty of Sèvres, designed to punish the Young Turks for this
“colossal crime” – now called “genocide”
– was never implemented. Modern Turkey reportedly funds a massive
genocide denial campaign, claiming that the death marches were
merely “relocations” required by military necessity and
that the massacres (the Euphrates was so packed with bodies that
it altered its course) were the work of a few “unruly’
officials. In Turkey, today, you can go to jail – and some do –
for affirming that there was a genocide in 1915; this counts as the
crime of “insulting Turkishness” under Section 301 of
its criminal code.

Conversely, in some European countries, it counts as a crime to
deny the Armenian genocide. The parliaments of many democracies
– France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, Greece and
Canada, for example, recognise it explicitly, as do 43 states of
the US. The problem is that Turkey – “neuralgic” on
the subject (the word used privately by the British Foreign Office
to describe its attitude) – has threatened reprisals and is too
important geopolitically to provoke by affirming the genocide, lest
it carry out threats to close its airbases to Nato and its borders
to refugees. Thus Barack Obama, who roundly condemned the Armenian
genocide in 2008 and promised to do so when elected president, dares
not utter the “g” word. Instead, he calls it Meds Yeghern
(Armenian for “the great crime”) and asserts that his
opinion has not changed, although you must Google his 2008 campaign
speech to discover his opinion that it was genocide.

As for Britain, the story is even stranger. No nation, in 1915, was
more determined to expose and punish what it termed a “crime
against humanity”. The evidence of the atrocities collected
in Arnold Toynbee’s Blue Book, although published by the
government for propaganda purposes, has withstood all attempts
to discredit it. Winston Churchill condemned the “infamous
general massacre and deportation of Armenians … in one
administrative Holocaust”, and Britain even attempted to put
some of the perpetrators on trial in Malta, only to find that there
was no international criminal law at the time to punish government
officials for killing their own people. However, in recent years, the
FCO has briefed ministers to call the events a “tragedy”
but to deny genocide because “the evidence is not sufficiently
unequivocal” – an oxymoronic term (something is either
unequivocal or it is not).

The FCO certainly knew that this “genocide equivocation”
was dodgy: one internal memo obtained under the Freedom of Information
Act admits that “HMG is open to criticism in terms of the ethical
dimension. But given the importance of our relations (political,
strategic and commercial) with Turkey … the current line
is the only feasible option.” Ministers were also advised
to avoid attendance at any commemoration of the Armenian genocide,
and to avoid any mention of it at Holocaust Day memorials.

This position could not hold, especially after the International
Court of Justice declared the Bosnian Serbs guilty of genocide at
Srebrenica, for killing 8,000 men and deporting up to 25,000 women
and children. The claim that the evidence is “not sufficiently
unequivocal” was then abandoned by the FCO (although the Turkish
government website claims that this is still the UK’s position),
and the search began for a formula that could answer the question:
“Will HMG recognise the Armenian genocide?” without
answering the question.

Now, the FCO claims to empathise with the “suffering”
of the Armenian people in the “tragedy” of 1915, and
says it is not for governments to decide a “complex legal
question”. It has thus moved the “line” from
genocide equivocation to genocide avoidance – a move slightly in the
right direction. Last year there was even talk at the FCO of giving
to the Armenian Genocide Museum copies of some files in the National
Archives attesting to the Ottoman atrocities: this was turned down,
ostensibly because the photocopying costs of £431.20 could not be
afforded, but probably because the Turks would go ballistic.

The FCO files recently recorded ministerial approval for “more
active participation” in centenary events, but there has, as
yet, been no lifting of the ban on reference to the Armenian genocide
on Holocaust Memorial Day. The real test of this government’s
willingness to accept historical truth will be whether it sends
a senior minister – or any minister at all – to the genocide
commemoration in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, on 24 April.

Ministers will be present at Gallipoli for the centenary of the
ill-fated British-Anzac Dardanelles landing on 25 April, and it would
be simple for them to fly there from Yerevan, were it not for the
certainty that Turkey would deny them entry.

The Dardanelles landings were in fact the trigger for the commencement
of the genocide, and (together with Russian military activity
on Turkey’s eastern front) were used as an excuse for the
destruction of the Armenians, on the pretext that they might support
the allied invasion. But the evidence of the government’s
genocidal intent is overwhelming, coming as it does from appalled
German and Italian diplomats and neutral Americans, to whom the Young
Turk leaders admitted that they were going to eliminate “the
Armenian problem” by eliminating the Armenians.

There can never be justification for genocide. This was understood
by Raphael Lemkin, the Polish lawyer who coined the word and worked
tirelessly to have the annihilation of the Armenians recognised as
an international crime. In 1948 the UN’s Genocide Convention
achieved Lemkin’s objective. Its definition of the crime
includes the destruction of part of a racial or religious group by,
for example, inflicting on it life-threatening conditions (such as
death marches). Applied to 1915, this produces a verdict of guilt,
beyond reasonable doubt.

It was, of course, a century ago: does it still matter? A century
is just within living memory: last year a 103-year-old woman, once
a small child carried by her mother across burning sands, took tea
with Obama and the world’s most famous Armenian descendant
(Kim Kardashian!). The mental scars and psychological trauma for the
children and grandchildren of survivors throughout the diaspora will
continue until Turkey acknowledges the crime, and offers an apology.

International law may provide some assistance: there are assets
expropriated in 1915 that can still be traced, and many ruined churches
that can be restored and returned. Armenians want restoration of their
historic lands in eastern Turkey, which is asking too much (although
I have suggested that the majestic Mount Ararat, overlooking Yerevan,
might be handed over by Turkey as an act of reconciliation). But
what they want most is what they are plainly entitled to have:
an acknowledgment from Turkey, and for that matter from the UK,
that what happened to their people in 1915 was not a tragedy but a
crime. A crime against humanity – as Britain said in 1915, and should,
in 2015, repeat.

* Geoffrey Robertson’s An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Now
Remembers the Armenians? is published by Random House.

ZHOGHOVURD: PREPARATIONS FOR ARF-D GENERAL MEETING IN UNFRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE

08:49 * 23.01.15

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) is to
hold its general meeting in Dilijan.

According to the information at the newspaper’s disposal, the meeting
is scheduled for January 25 and 26.

Preparations for the meeting began on December 25, and representatives
of ARF-D structures from different countries are expected to take
part in the meeting.

Discussions are not taking place in a friendly atmosphere.

Representatives of ARF-D structures have voiced their discontent
at ARF-D Bureau member Hrant Margaryan’s policy. It may force him
to resign.