Author: Kanayan Tamar

TiempoSur Diario Digital, Argentina
10 abril 2015

A 100 años del genocidio armenio, desde Río Gallegos luchan por su
reconocimiento y justicia

10/04/201508:53

Alejandro Avakian, de la comunidad armenia local, resaltó la
importancia de que Turquía termine con su negación y repare lo hecho.
Destacó el acompañamiento de las instituciones, tanto de la Cámara de
Diputados como del Concejo Deliberante, quienes se adhirieron a los
actos de memoria y reclamo. El 24 de abril, la comunidad realizará una
muestra fotográfica exhibiendo el genocidio.

n este 2015, la nación Armenia, tanto en la Diáspora como en la Actual
República de Armenia, conmemora el centenario de la Gran Tragedia, que
provocó su dispersión mundial y donde se perdieron 1.500.000 vidas,
hecho histórico conocido como Genocidio Armenio, perpetrado entre 1915
y 1919.

Quienes sobrevivieron se dispersaron por el mundo en calidad de
refugiados, y muchos de ellos se apostaron en Argentina. En Río
Gallegos, desde hace seis años se originó una comunidad menor de diez
familias y algunas localidades cercanas, como es Santa Cruz y El
Calafate.

Al respecto, Alejandro Avakian, miembro de la comunidad armenia
riogalleguense y del Consejo Nacional Armenio, manifestó: “Un primero
de abril comenzamos a tener reuniones con la intención de conocer a
las familias armenias aquí”, teniendo como primer objetivo que el
Concejo Deliberante nombrará una calle con el nombre de Armenia, “lo
cual se concretó luego de juntar firmas y presentar el proyecto”.

Memoria y justicia-Pero este año es especial, ya que se cumplen 100
años del hecho, por lo tanto “hemos decidido llevar actividades que
tienen que ver con el recuerdo y la demanda de justicia” señaló,
añadiendo que “este ha sido un genocidio oculto y silenciado por los
poderes mundiales, y sobre todo por el estado que lo perpetuó,
Turquía, con muchas décadas de negación”.

Al ser consultado sobre la importancia para la comunidad, de obtener
el reconocimiento, Avakian expresó: “Para nosotros es significativo
porque ejerce presión sobre Turquía”, y “básicamente pretendemos que
se encuentre sola frente a su negación del pasado, ya que el genocidio
merece el reconocimiento y una reparación en sus diversas fases”,
asentó.

En esta línea, comentó que desde el punto de vista institucional, del
Concejo Deliberante, Legislatura, la UNPA, el INADI, siempre han
brindado apoyo en sus actividades.

Afirmación social e institucional- Argentina reconoció el hecho en
cuestión por medio de la Ley Nacional 26.199 del 2007, y estableciendo
el 24 de abril de cada año como “Día de la acción por la Tolerancia y
el Respeto entre los Pueblos”.

Y Santa Cruz continuó con esta línea, ya que se adhirió a dicha Ley a
través de la Ley Provincial 2.984, y posteriormente el municipio de
esta ciudad capital lo hizo en 2010 por medio de una ordenanza.

Pero esto no fue todo, ya que en el día de ayer, “la Cámara de
Diputados Provincial sancionó por unanimidad la declaración de
reconocimiento y adhesión por el Centenario del Genocidio Armenio”, y
“se declaró de interés la muestra fotográfica”, mientras que en el
Concejo Deliberante “se nos asignó un espacio público con el nombre de
´Plaza del Genocidio contra el pueblo Armenio´, lo cual da una pauta
del apego hacia lo que buscamos”, manifestó.

Finalmente, Avakian invitó a toda la comunidad a la inauguración de la
muestra fotográfica histórica que se desarrollará el día 24 abril a
las 18:00 en el Complejo Cultura, en conjunto con el INADI,
extendiéndose hasta el 6 de mayo, ya que luego será presentada en el
interior de Santa Cruz.

,-desde-r%C3%ADo-gallegos-luchan-por-su-reconocimiento-y-justicia

Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 11 2015

Turkey embarks on restoration efforts of Armenian churches

11 April 2015

Ankara has embarked on a series of restoration projects on Armenian
churches in Turkey, amid criticism that the country’s remaining
Armenian cultural and historical heritage not destroyed during World
War I has been left to ruin.

The restorations are part of the government’s bid to show that it is
improving the rights of Turkey’s Armenian community. For some
observers, the past year’s intensified restoration efforts of about a
dozen churches throughout the country are no doubt related to the
upcoming 100th commemoration of the World War I killings of Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire.

The government’s efforts to reconcile with Turkey’s small Armenian
community dates back a few years, with the reopening of the Akdamar
(Akhtamar) Church near the southeastern city of Van. The 10th-century
Church of the Holy Cross on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van was reopened
in 2007 as a museum.

Ankara spent 2 million Turkish Liras on extensive restorations of the
church, and in 2010 a religious ceremony was held there for the first
time in 95 years.

In addition, the word `Armenian’ could not be found anywhere on the
church’s original information signboard, but it was renewed last year
in order to emphasize that the church was a part of Armenian heritage
in Anatolia.

Similar changes are expected to be made during the renewal of other
signboards where `Armenian’ has been omitted.

Today, the Armenian community in Turkey, which numbers around 70,000,
is almost entirely concentrated in Istanbul.

In a historic first, the Turkish government last year offered
condolences for the mass killings of Armenians in 1915, which then
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an said had `inhumane consequences,’
expressing hope that those who had died were now at peace.

11 April 2015

DUTCH PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZES ASSYRIAN, GREEK AND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Assyrian International News Agency
April 10 2015

Posted 2015-04-10 08:46 GMT

Joel Voordewind, member of the Dutch Parliament.The Hague (AINA) —
The Dutch Parliament passed a binding resolution yesterday recognizing
the genocide of Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians by Ottoman Turks during
World War One. The resolution, tabled by MP Joel Voordewind from the
Christian Union party, enjoyed wide support from the various parties,
including Christian Union, People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy,
Christian Democratic Appeal, Reformed Political Party and Labor
Party. The resolution was strongly opposed by two Turkish members of
the Parliament but passed by a strong majority vote.

“The aim of this motion is to recognize the Armenian as well as the
Assyrian genocide,” said Joel Voordewind, “and to bring the Turkish
government closer to Armenia. This is an important signal from the
Dutch Parliament to the Turkish government to acknowledge its past
actions. I hope in the end this will bring both countries to a better
understanding and reconciliation with each other.”

Armenia recognized the Assyrian Genocide on March 24 (AINA 2015-03-24.

In 2007 the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS)
recognized the Assyrian and Greek genocides (AINA 2007-12-15). In
2010 Sweden recognized the Assyrian, Greek and Armenian Genocide
(AINA 2010-03-12).

The genocide of Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians was committed by
Ottoman Turks during World War One, between 1915 and 1923. The genocide
claimed the lives of 750,000 Assyrians (75%), 500,000 Greeks and 1.5
million Armenians.

While the Armenian genocide is widely known and recognized, the
Assyrian and Greek genocides are lesser known. But these genocides
cannot be separated from the Armenian genocide, as they were
perpetrated at the same time and by the same policy. The genocide
of the Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians is one and the same. It was
a genocide against Christians.

Assyrians have worked with Greeks and Armenians to pressure Turkey
to recognize the genocide of World War One.

To date, Assyrians have erected genocide monuments in 9 cities around
the world (story).

Here is the text of the resolution in Dutch:

34 000-V Vaststelling van de begrotingsstaten van het Ministerie van
Buitenlandse Zaken (V) voor het jaar 2015

Nr. Gewijzigde Motie Van Het Lid Voordewind C.S.

Ter vervanging van die gedrukt onder nr. 59 Voorgesteld

De Kamer,

gehoord de beraadslaging,

constaterende dat de motie Rouvoet c.s. (21 501-20, nr. 270) aangaande
het bespreekbaar maken van de erkenning van de Armeense genocide in de
dialoog met Turkije (Voor de volledigheid gaat het hier ook over de
Assyriers, de Pontische Grieken en Arameeers die ook het slachtoffer
zijn geworden van deze genocide) in 2004 Kamerbreed is aangenomen;

van mening, dat het van groot belang is dat Turkije en Armenie tot
een gezamenlijk vergelijk over hun geschiedenis komen;

van mening, dat acceptatie van wederzijds inzicht ten aanzien van de
gebeurtenissen van 1915 noodzakelijk is om in de betrekkingen tussen
beide landen een stap vooruit te zetten;

spreekt de wens uit, dat aankomende herdenkingsbijeenkomsten van 100
jaar Armeense genocide, in Nederland en elders, bijdragen aan respect
en acceptatie tussen betrokken gemeenschappen;

verzoekt de regering, in het verlengde van de aangenomen motie-Rouvoet
c.s., bilateraal en in EU-verband, de Turkse regering op te blijven
roepen de toenadering tot Armenie een nieuwe impuls te geven en met
de Armeense regering te streven naar verzoening;

en gaat over tot de orde van de dag.

Voordewind Omtzigt Ten Broeke Servaes Sjoerdsma Van Bommel Van Ojik
Van der Staaij Bontes Thieme Klein

HRANT BAGRATYAN: USAID PROGRAMS MAY BE SUSPENDED IN ARMENIA (VIDEO)

20:47 | April 10,2015 | Politics

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) may suspend its
activities in Armenia.

“If this happens, it will be a huge blow to the Armenian government
and opposition,” says Hrant Bagratyan, a senior representative of
the Armenian National Congress (HAK).

It was Hrant Bagratyan who during his tenure in office as Armenian
Prime Minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding with USAID. The
former PM says during these years USAID has done tremendous work in
Armenia, especially in the legislative field.

Thanks to USAID, many officials in the Armenian government today know
meaning of the terms ‘purchasing,’ ‘procurement,’ ‘state purchases,’
they learnt how to write and enact laws.

“I guess that some congressmen spoke against implementing programs of
this major international organization [USAID] in Armenia, saying that
despite their efforts Armenia is taking the path to Asia and Eurasia,”
says Mr Bagratyan.

The absence of USAID will especially be felt by the opposition. Budget
offices that were first opened in Armenia in the CIS area will become
meaningless.

“These offices allow an opposition representative in Armenia to follow
on a screen the budget execution, including revenue and expenditure
outcomes, without moving from his seat,” says the former PM. “Belarus,
Kazakhstan and Russia do not have such offices but Armenia has.

However, they need methodological help and assistance in order to
develop fully.”

Mr Bagratyan says USAID helps Armenia avoid numerous mistakes committed
by other countries. The former PM urges the US Congress not to close
the USAID Office in Armenia.

Since 1992, USAID has provided a broad range of development programs in
Armenia, shifting from an initial humanitarian emphasis to assistance
for economic, political and social transition. For nearly two
decades, USAID has been a leading donor agency in Armenia, managing
approximately two-thirds of the total U.S. assistance program. The
Mission has strategic objectives in five principal areas: private
sector growth, energy sector, democracy and governance, health and
social sectors, peace and security/cross-border activities. The USAID
Mission to Armenia works with the Armenian public, the Government of
Armenia, non-governmental organizations and businesses, as well as
with other donors.

GazetteNET, NH
April 10 2015

Rev. Andrea Ayvazian: Armenian genocide: the truth that won’t stay told

By REV. ANDREA AYVAZIAN
Friday, April 10, 2015

NORTHAMPTON — As soon as the calendar turned from 2014 to 2015, I knew
that my April column would be devoted to the 100th anniversary of the
start of the genocide of the Armenian people — and I began to dread
what that would involve. I knew I would be forced, once again, to look
deeply into the horrors that were inflicted on my ancestors and I knew
this would again prove traumatic.

I imagined that I would spread my files and clippings on the genocide
across the living room floor in order to choose facts and quotes to
include in this piece, and that is exactly what I have done. I
imagined that I would sit on the thick Oriental rug that covers our
living room floor and weep, and that is exactly what has happened.

With my face in my hands, I have cried because every article, essay,
poem, family account and photograph is so painful that it is
impossible to approach this task with anything but the heaviest heart
and deepest sorrow.

It was on April 24, 1915, while the world’s attention was focused on
World War I (then in its second year), that the massacre of the
Armenian people by the Young Turks began. That evening, armed men
rounded up 300 Armenian political leaders, educators, writers, clergy
and dignitaries in Constantinople (present day Istanbul) and took them
from their homes to be tortured and then hung or shot on the edge of
the city.

Shortly thereafter, Armenian men throughout the country were arrested,
tied together with ropes in small groups, taken to the outskirts of
their towns and shot or bayoneted by death squads.

Armenian women, children and the elderly were ordered to pack their
belongings and leave their homes under the pretext that they were
being relocated to a non-military zone for their own safety. In
reality, they were being marched toward the Syrian desert to die.
Along the way, woman and girls were abused and raped. Most dropped
dead by the roadside from exhaustion and starvation. In the end, 1.5
million of the Ottoman Empire’s 2.1 million Armenians were killed or
died on death marches to the desert.

The Turkish government has never acknowledged its role in the slaughter.

Eyewitnesses, including German liaison officers, American missionaries
and U.S. diplomats, attested to the atrocities. The U.S. ambassador to
Turkey, Henry Morgenthau, reported to Washington: “When the Turkish
authorities gave the order for these deportations, they were giving
the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this well, and in
their conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to
conceal the fact.”

The killing of the Armenian people has been called the 20th century’s
first calculated effort to destroy an entire ethnic group. Scholars
agree that it was the massacre of the Armenian people that led
academics to coin and utilize the term “genocide.” Growing up, I heard
the stories of the massacres from my father, who was a survivor. My
father’s maternal grandfather was fatally shot at his pulpit while
delivering a sermon. My father’s mother and her sisters, in hiding,
watched from an attic window as a pogrom devastated their village.
Eventually, in 1921, my paternal grandparents, my father and his
brother escaped in the night, fled to Paris and boarded a
trans-Atlantic ship bound for Ellis Island in America.

Throughout his life, my father wrote about, gave interviews and drew
attention to the genocide in every way he possibly could. My father
was tireless in his efforts. His hope was that during this lifetime,
he would witness the Turkish government stop denying and admit to the
atrocities of the Armenian genocide. This was his greatest hope.

My father faithfully recounted his family’s history, crying as he told
the stories, wrote op-ed pieces, served on panels, gave speeches and
spoke out publicly year after year. He died at age 90, crushed that
the genocide was still consistently and forcefully denied by the
Turkish government.

In a guest editorial in this paper before his death, my father wrote,
“For over four generations, the voices of Armenian survivors have
asked for recognition of their genocide, for acknowledgement of their
martyrs, and for correction of their history under the rule of Ottoman
Turkey.” For my father, for my grandparents, for Armenians all over
the world, I will not stop writing about and weeping about the
genocide.

Like countless other Armenians who retell the stories, lift the names
of those who were lost, correct the historical record and insist that
the truth be known, we give voice to those who suffered and were
killed. We feel it is our calling and our responsibility to remember,
recount, recall and honor the dead.

April 24 is called “Armenian Martyrs’ Day.” It is a sad and sacred day
in the Armenian community. Just as we have done locally for 15 years,
Armenians and their supporters will gather to mark this day together.
You are invited to stand with us to witness to the truth of the
genocide on Martyrs’ Day in front of Memorial Hall in downtown
Northampton at 5 p.m. It is a painful day for the Armenian community,
our hearts are broken and our tears flow. We need our allies to join
us, to be part of the truth-telling, to witness to our struggle and
pain, and to lift the proud Armenian flag in sorrow and in memory.

The Rev. Andrea Ayvazian, pastor of the Haydenville Congregational
Church, writes a monthly column on faith, culture and politics. She
can be reached at [email protected].

KIRCHEN BITTEN OSTERREICH, VOLKERMORD AN DEN ARMENIERN ANZUERKENNEN

Mit dem Ersuchen, dass die Republik Osterreich den Volkermord am
armenischen Volk anerkennen und “damit dem Beispiel vieler anderer
Staaten folgen moge”, hat sich der Vorstand des Okumenischen
Rates der Kirchen in Osterreich (ORKO) in gleichlaufenden
Briefen an Bundesprasident Heinz Fischer, Nationalratsprasidentin
Doris Bures, Bundeskanzler Werner Faymann, Vizekanzler Reinhold
Mitterlehner und Außenminister Sebastian Kurz gewandt. Die Briefe
wurden vom Vorsitzenden des ORKO, dem evangelisch-methodistischen
Superintendenten Lothar Poll, und seinen beiden Stellvertretern, dem
katholischen Diozesanbischof von Innsbruck, Manfred Scheuer, und dem
evangelisch-lutherischen Bischof Michael Bunker, unterzeichnet. Anlass
ist das am 24. April bevorstehende 100-Jahr-Gedenken des Beginns
des Volkermords an den Armeniern “und anderen christlichen Gruppen”
im Osmanischen Reich.

Die Anerkennung dieses ersten Volkermords zu Beginn des 20.

Jahrhunderts sei von osterreichischer Seite “langst uberfallig”, betont
der ORKO-Vorstand und erinnert daran, dass der Osterreicher Franz
Werfel dieser Tragodie mit seinem Roman “Die 40 Tage des Musa Dagh”
ein bleibendes Denkmal gesetzt habe. Zudem verweist der ORKO-Vorstand
auf die Stellungnahme der Vollversammlung des Weltkirchenrats von 1983:
“Das Schweigen der Weltoffentlichkeit und bewusste Bemuhungen, selbst
historisch erwiesene Tatsachen abzuleugnen, stellen fur das armenische
Volk, die armenischen Kirchen und viele andere eine standige Quelle
des Schmerzes und der Verzweiflung dar”.

Eine offizielle Anerkennung des Volkermords, wie sie von vielen
Staaten und Institutionen auf europaischer wie weltweiter Ebene
bereits erfolgt ist, konnte ein Zeichen der Wiedergutmachung und
Versohnung bedeuten, so der ORKO-Vorstand: “Dies gilt umso mehr,
als es in der Turkei von heute auf zivilgesellschaftlicher Basis
deutliche Anzeichen der Bereitschaft gibt, das schreiende Unrecht
der Ereignisse nach dem 24. April 1915 anzuerkennen und zu bedauern”.

Die Kirchen in Osterreich werden am bevorstehenden 24. April gemeinsam
mit Kardinal Christoph Schonborn im Wiener Stephansdom bei einem
okumenischen Gottesdienst der Opfer des armenischen Volkermords,
der Opfer der Christen der syrischen Tradition und der Opfer der
griechischen Christen des Pontus und Ioniens gedenken, kundigt
der ORKO-Vorstand in dem Brief an die fuhrenden Reprasentanten der
Republik an. Abschließend heißt es in dem Schreiben: “Wir verbinden
dieses Gedenken mit dem innigen Wunsch, dass sich solche Vorgange
nie mehr – wo auch immer – ereignen mogen”. (ende)

CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FELLOW TO DELIVER VARDANANTS DAY LECTURE AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

States News Service
April 9, 2015 Thursday

WASHINGTON

The following information was released by the Library of Congress:

Susan B. Harper will deliver the 19th Annual Vardanants Day Armenian
Lecture at the Library of Congress at noon on Thursday, May 7, in
the Northeast Pavilion of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building
located at 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. Titled “American
Humanitarianism in the Armenian Crucible, 1915-1923,” Harper’s lecture
will feature historical photographs from the Library’s collection as
well as those of other institutions.

Harper is a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace where she is researching the history of American
philanthropy in the Near East. Harper was previously senior officer
at The Pew Charitable Trusts, executive director of the Templeton
Prize for Progress in Religion and lecturer in History, Literature and
Expository Writing at Harvard University. She received a bachelor’s
degree from Yale University and a master’s degree and doctoral
degree from Balliol College, Oxford University, where she was a
Rhodes Scholar.

Harper’s publications include “In the Shadow of the Mahatma,”
a critical biography of V.S. Azariah of Dornakal, the first South
Asian bishop of the Anglican Church. Her lecture on Mary Graffam,
an American missionary in late Ottoman Turkey, was published in the
proceedings of a conference held at the Library of Congress in 2000.

To complement the lecture, selected items from the Library’s
collections will be on display from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Friday,
May 8 in the Jefferson Building’s Northeast Pavilion (Room 220). They
will include Armenian language materials, prints and photographs,
manuscripts and maps.

The Vardanants Day lecture series is sponsored by the Near East Section
of the African and Middle Eastern Division. It is named after the
Armenian holiday that commemorates the battle of Avarayr (451 A.D.),
which was waged by the Armenian General Vardan Mamikonian and his
compatriots against invading Persian troops, who were attempting to
reimpose Zoroastrianism on the Christian state. As a religious holiday,
it celebrates the Armenians’ triumph over forces of assimilation.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest
federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination
and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by
providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections,
publications, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich
resources can be accessed through its website at

The Local. Italy
April 11 2015

Pope on tightrope with Armenian mass

Pope Francis will mark the 100th anniversary of the mass killings of
Armenians with a special ceremony on Sunday. But he risks ruffling
feathers regarding his use, or non-use, of the word “genocide”.

The 78-year old is walking a diplomatic tightrope, pressured to use
the term publicly to describe the Ottoman Turk murders, but wary of
alienating a potentially key ally in the fight against radical Islam.

While many historians describe the cull as the 20th century’s first
genocide, the accusation is hotly denied by Turkey.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed between 1915
and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart, and have long sought
to win international recognition of the massacres as genocide.

But Turkey rejects the claims, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000
Armenians and as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose
up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian
troops.

Francis and Armenian patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni will
celebrate a mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica, which will include
elements of the Armenian Catholic rite and be attended by the
country’s president Serzh Sargsyan.

The Vatican is holding the mass in time for those in attendance to
return home for the official April 24 commemoration.

Using the word would not be a papal first: John Paul II used it in a
joint statement signed with the Armenian patriarch in 2000, which said
“the Armenian genocide, which began the century, was a prologue to
horrors that would follow”.

But it would be the first time the killings have been described as
such during a mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica.

‘Annihilation of their brothers’

Before becoming pope, Jorge Bergoglio used the word several times in
events marking the mass murders, calling on Turkey to recognise the
killings as such, according to religious news agency I.Media.

As pope Francis is said to only have used it in at one private
audience in 2013 — but even that sparked an outraged reaction from
Turkey.

During a meeting with a visiting Armenian delegation this week the
pontiff deplored those “who were capable of systematically planning
the annihilation of their brothers” — but stopped short of using the
word genocide.

He called for “concrete gestures of peace and reconciliation between
two nations that are still unable to come to a reasonable consensus on
this sad event,” saying both sides should be driven by the “love of
truth and justice”.

In 2014, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then premier, offered
condolences for the mass killings for the first time, but the country
still blames unrest and famine for many of the deaths.

Over 20 nations, including Italy, France and Russia, recognise the
killings as genocide.

Religious observers say Francis, who stressed the importance of
remembering “the martyrdom and persecution” of the Armenians, may make
parallels in his homily to the rise in the persecution of Christians
around the world.

Those murdered a century ago were mainly Christian and although the
killings were not driven by religious motives, the pontiff has already
drawn comparisons with modern Christians refugees fleeing Islamic
militants.

Los Andes (Argentina)
10 abril 2015

A 100 años del genocidio armenio

El genocidio de un pueblo. Más de 1.500.000 armenios fueron
exterminados. El 24 de abril de 2015 se cumplen 100 años de la masacre
planeada y ejecutada por el Imperio Otomano.

Turquía no reconoce, hasta la actualidad, su responsabilidad. En este
crimen de lesa humanidad, casi todo un pueblo desaparece, aplicando
sobre él todas las formas más crueles que un ser humano pueda
imaginar, a fin de lograr el exterminio total de los armenios.
Turquía, con su constante rechazo, cubrió los hechos con un manto de
silencio y negación.

En ese pueblo vivían nuestros abuelos con sus cuatro hijos, hermanos,
sobrinos y demás familiares. Nuestros abuelos: Jacher Mouradian, quien
fue degollado; Selver Guleserian y su pequeña hija fueron fusiladas.
De esta familia numerosa sólo se salvaron tres personas: los hermanos
Flora, León y Mourad, que se reencontraron después de 10 años, por
milagro, en otro país.

Mourad, nuestro padre, era el más pequeño de los cuatro hermanos.
Sobrevivió por milagro de Dios. Pasó por todas las torturas de un
campo de concentración y todos los padecimientos que puede tener un
niño de 8 años, solo y perseguido.

En 1928 llegó a Buenos Aires, Argentina, y allí se reunió con
compatriotas y vivió varios años, para luego radicarse en Mendoza
definitivamente, dedicándose al comercio y formando una familia con
Felisa Ramírez, con quien tuvo tres hijos: Cruz Gabriel, Selva Marta y
Felisa. Falleció en 1970.

Esta nota es en homenaje a todos los armenios fallecidos del mundo,
que sufrieron la persecución y tortura en aquel año. Muchos de ellos
habitaron nuestra Argentina, que reconoció el genocidio.

Selva Marta Mouradian y familia
DNI 5.123.912

SYSTEM OF A DOWN TALK ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, POSSIBILITY OF NEW ALBUM + IRON MAIDEN

Loud Wire
April 10 2015

by Chad Childers April 10

Much like Forrest Gump opening a box of chocolates, artists taking
part in a Reddit AMA session are never quite sure what they’re going
to get. System of a Down’s Serj Tankian and John Dolmayan were the
latest to take part in the online question-and-answer session and
fielded questions both serious and silly along the way.

Given that the band were taking part in the session to promote their
“Souls” world tour shining a spotlight on their campaign to have the
Armenian Genocide recognized on its 100th anniversary, there were
quite a few questions dealing with that topic.

When one fan from Turkey spoke of the idea of his country not
recognizing the genocide for fear of reparations made and asked what
would bring justice to the tragedy, drummer John Dolmayan stated,
“More likeminded people like you who seek out the truth and embrace
it regardless of fear of consequence.” Tankian added, “I think you’ve
nailed it on the head with the government of Turkey being afraid of
reparations or restitutions so I guess when the cost of disinformation
and diplomacy becomes larger than that of estimated reparations, we
may see some movement. There is also the issue of how does the gov’t
explain away to the people of Turkey that they have been lied to all
these years? That is also an impediment in Genocide Recognition.”

Another poster asked at what point does the pursuit of having the
genocide recognized become an impediment that holds back the Armenian
people. Tankian responded, “The Genocide and our quest for justice has
now been engrained into the DNA of Armenian culture and has become the
most prevalent characteristic and bond among our people. No culture
wants to be victimized forever. But does that have to take over our
cultural treasures? Isn’t what we’re doing with System Of A Down the
perfect marriage of that? To present our cultural assets while fighting
for justice. One without the other is an irreversible loss I think.”

As for the inevitable question about when the band might release
new music, Tankian humorously responded, “When you’re not looking,”
which led to fans asking everyone to look away. But on a more serious
note, he later added, “We will be getting together to look at what
inspires us today. If that leads to an album, then great, if not,
then that’s fine too.”

The guys also discussed some of their side projects as well. Dolmayan
revealed that there could be a These Grey Men album this year and
he’s working on it as time allows. Meanwhile, Tankian discussed the
possibility of bringing Prometheus Bound to Broadway and staging
other productions around the world.

And finally, when one fan asked what it was like to be in the greatest
band on earth, Dolmayan responded, “I don’t know. Ask Iron Maiden.”

Visit System of a Down’s website to see where the “Souls” tour is
stopping and learn more about how you can help bring awareness to
the #wakeupthesouls campaign here.