Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARTAK SHAKARYAN: THOSE WHO ORDERED DINK’S MURDER LEFT UNPUNISHED

Panorama.am
18/01/2012

Those who ordered Hrant Dink’s assassination escaped the punishment
they deserved, Artak Shakaryan, expert of Turkish studies, said in
a news conference remarking on Istanbul court verdict.

Turkish court freed on Tuesday 18 suspects in Hrant Dink’s
assassination trial, sentenced Yasin Hayal’s to life imprisonment.

Another instigator Erhan Tuncel was acquitted of murder charges by
the same court. A juvenile court had sentenced Dink’s assassin, Ogun
Samast, to 22 years and 10 months in jail last July. He was 17 when
the killing took place.

Expert underlined that only the murderer and those having direct
connection with the assassination had been jailed, while whose who
ordered it were freed.

“Amnesty International has particularly declared that Turkey failed
this trial,” Artak Shakaryan said.

According to the expert the worst element in the judgment is that
the court hasn’t described the assassination as previously planned,
which means that Ogun Samast’s verdict may be revised.

HEAD OF SUPPOSEDLY ARMENIAN MAN WAS FOUND UNDER HOLLYWOOD SIGN

NEWS.am
January 18, 2012 | 13:15

A head of a man, who is supposedly of Armenian descent, was found in
a canyon under the famous HOLLYWOOD sign in Los Angeles.

The dogs found a human head in a plastic bag when two women were
hiking in a canyon. The man has not been identified yet, police is
holding investigation to find out whether there are additional body
parts in the area, Metronews.ru reports referring to Los Angeles Times.

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 12-19, 2012

HIGHLIGHTS:

CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF MEDIA ETHICS OBSERVATORY

“ASPAREZ” FIXED VIOLATIONS ON THE NEW YEAR TV AIR OF PUBLIC BROADCASTER

PLAINTIFF ABANDONS FINANCIAL CLAIMS VERSUS “HETQ” CORRESPONDENT

ADVOCATE SUGGESTS THE NEWSPAPER PAY COMPENSATION BY INSTALLMENT

“ARAVOT” FOUNDER DENIED TO PARTICIPATE AS A THIRD PARTY IN HEARINGS ON
VILLAGE ELDER’S SUITS

CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF MEDIA ETHICS OBSERVATORY

On December 24, 2011 at the meeting of the representatives of media and
journalistic associations, supporting the YPC initiative on establishing a
self-regulation system in Armenia, the new composition of the Media Ethics
Observatory (MEO) was elected. The meeting was convened within the seminar
“The Current State and Perspectives of Media Self-Regulation in Armenia”,
held on December 23-25, 2011 in Aghveran (see YPC Weekly Newsletter,
December 16-22, 2011).

At the meeting it was resolved to expand the composition of MEO up to 14
members (earlier they made 7). At the same time, seven of the 14 members
will attend a MEO session by a rotation principle (corresponding changes are
made to the MEO Regulations). As members of Media Ethics Observatory were
elected: Aram Abrahamian (Chief Editor of “Aravot” daily), Gegham
Baghdasarian (Chief Editor of “Analyticon” journal), Levon Barseghian (Board
Chairman of “Asparez” Journalists Club of Gyumri), Mesrop Harutyunian (media
expert), Ara Ghazarian (lawyer), Gegham Manukian (Director of the News and
Current Affairs Programs of “Yerkir Media” TV company), Ashot Melikian
(Chairman of Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression), Emmanuil Mkrtchian
(General Director of “ArmInfo” news agency), Mesrop Movsesian (Director of
“A1+” TV company), Gnel Nalbandian (Chief Editor of “ArmNews” TV company),
Boris Navasardian (President of Yerevan Press Club), Nouneh Sarkissian
(Managing Director of Internews Media Support NGO), Olga Safarian (lawyer),
Gegham Vardanian (producer of ).

As it has been reported, Media Ethics Observatory was formed on March 10,
2007 by heads of Armenian media, who supported the YPC initiative and signed
the Code of Conduct of Media Representatives and its addendum, the
Declaration on Election and Referendum Coverage Principles (see YPC Weekly
Newsletter, March 9-15, 2007). The MEO mission consists in considering the
complaints-appeals regarding the violation of the Code of Conduct and
rendering judgments on them. Currently the Code of Conduct and the
Declaration are signed by 45 entities, representing 48 media; the initiative
is supported by 9 journalistic associations.

Detailed information on the MEO is available at in
“Self-Regulation” section.

“ASPAREZ” FIXED VIOLATIONS ON THE NEW YEAR TV AIR OF PUBLIC BROADCASTER

On January 18, 2012 Levon Barseghian, the Board Chairman of “Asparez”
Journalists Club of Gyumri, sent a complaint to Grigor Amalian, Chairman of
the National Commission on Television and Radio (NCTR), notifying about the
excess of commercial advertising on the New Year air of the First Channel of
the Public Television of Armenia. The reason for addressing NCTR was the
monitoring results of the PTA First Channel, administered by “Asparez” on
December 30-31, 2011 and January 1-2, 2012. Listing the violations revealed
and attaching the tables on the study’s data, the Head of “Asparez”
requested NCTR considering the presented materials and informing about the
measures taken.

As it has been reported, during the previous New Year holidays (December 31,
2010 and January 1, 2011) “Asparez” had also monitored the air of PTA First
Channel, had registered similar violations of the permissible legislative
quota of advertising and had written to NCTR about this. In his reply,
Grigor Amalian noted that he had addressed the Council of the Public
Television and Radio company for explanations, and given their validity, he
re-addressed the explanations to “Asparez” (see YPC Weekly Newsletter,
February 18-24, 2011).

PLAINTIFF ABANDONS FINANCIAL CLAIMS VERSUS “HETQ” CORRESPONDENT

On January 13, 2012 Vanadzor court of general jurisdiction of Lori region
continued hearing the suit of Vano Eghiazarian, Elder of Lernapat village,
versus Adrineh Torosian, Vanadzor correspondent of “Hetq” online publication
(“Hetq” is involved in the case as a third party). As it has been reported,
the Village Elder contested the piece by Adrineh Torosian, “The Word “Graze”
in Address of Village Elder Worth 1 Mln” (published in “Hetq” on August 23,
2011), demanding to refute the information discrediting him, bring apologies
and compensate the moral damage of 1 million AMD (about $ 2,600), caused by
libel. The trial on the case started on November 14, 2011 (see details in
YPC Weekly Newsletter, November 11-17, 2011).

At the session of January 13 the plaintiff virtually abandoned his financial
claims versus the respondent: hence, he demands only 1 Luma (the smallest
Armenian currency) as compensation for moral damage, instead of 1 million
AMD.

The next court hearing will take place on February 14.

ADVOCATE SUGGESTS THE NEWSPAPER PAY COMPENSATION BY INSTALLMENT

On January 13, 2012 court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash
administrative districts of Yerevan started hearing the suit of advocate
Artur Grigorian versus “Hraparak” daily founder, “Hraparak Oratert” LLC. As
it has been reported, the reason for the suit became the readers’ comments
to “Hraparak” article, “Citizens, Are They Victims of Disloyal Advocates?”,
published on August 10, 2011 and stored on In the readers’
comments Artur Grigorian had counted six wordings that discredited his honor
and dignity, and evaluated the moral damage for each of them by 3 million
AMD. Thus, the overall amount of financial claims to the newspaper makes 18
mln AMD (about $ 47,000). The suit was taken into consideration on October
20, 2011; on November 8, 2011 an arrest was put on the “Hraparak” funds – to
secure the suit (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, November 4-10, 2011).

At the session of January 13 Artur Grigorian presented a supplement to the
suit in which he suggested the plaintiff pay him the compensation by equal
installments within several years in order not to undermine the financial
situation of the plaintiff.

The next court session will be on February 24.

“ARAVOT” FOUNDER DENIED TO PARTICIPATE AS A THIRD PARTY IN HEARINGS ON
VILLAGE ELDER’S SUITS

On January 10, 2012 founder of “Aravot” daily, “Aravot Oratert” LLC, sent a
letter to court of general jurisdiction of Lori region informing that it
refuses to participate as a third party in the hearings on the suits of Vano
Eghiazarian, Elder of Lernapat village. This mainly concerns the two suits
on the protection of honor, dignity and business reputation submitted by the
Elder versus his villagers Boris Ashrafian and Fahrad Voskanian in which the
“Aravot” founder appears as a third party. On August 19, 2011 “Aravot”
issued a piece “Who Slanders Whom?”, which reported about the August 18
protest action against the Elder, held by Lernapat villagers in Yerevan in
front of the RA Government. The piece also cited the villagers’ critical
expressions about their Elder, including the ones of Boris Ashrafian and
Fahrad Voskanian.

Both suits were taken into consideration by court of general jurisdiction of
Lori region, but assigned to different judges. Meanwhile, as the statement
of “Aravot” stresses, the daily has only one evidence – the record of the
interviews of the daily correspondent with the Village Elder, and with three
of his villagers during the protest action in front of the RA Government.
However, this circumstance was not taken into consideration by the court,
which had assigned the suits to different judges. Besides, the founder of
“Aravot” noted that as of today the Village Elder has not specified the
claims of the lawsuits.

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
[email protected]

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this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]

Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
0002, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 10) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 10) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site:

HRANT DINK: A JOURNALIST WHO DIED FOR HIS DREAM

Deutsche Welle
,,15670982,00.html
Jan 17 2012
Germany

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Hrant Dink was
shot dead outside his office in 2007Five years ago Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink was shot dead in Istanbul. He had had the
courage to address a taboo subject in Turkey: the massacre of Armenians
in 1915.

“I come from Turkey. I am an Armenian. I belong entirely to Anatolia.

I’ve never even contemplated leaving my country to shape my future
in the West,” Hrant Dink once wrote in one of his columns. He was
an Armenian journalist who dreamed of a democratic, free Turkey, in
which all religious and ethnic minorities would enjoy equal rights,
in which everyone would be allowed to express their opinions without
fear. This dream cost him his life.

Five years ago, on January 19, 2007, Hrant Dink was shot dead on a
street in Istanbul, directly in front of his newspaper’s offices. On
Tuesday, the verdict in the trial against those who allegedly
masterminded his killing is set to be handed out.

Back then, the whole country was in shock after the murder. People
asked themselves with mixed feelings: “Who? Why? What for?” The attack
hadn’t come completely out of the blue; in the months before his death,
Dink had received a number of death threats.

Reproached for offending Turkey

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Thousands of mourners turned out at Dink’s funeralIn 2005, Dink was
taken to court because of the views he’d expressed. He was accused
of offending Turkishness and was given a six-month suspended sentence.

More charges followed a year later, as well as new trials. In his
last article, which was published on the day he died, he wrote: “2007
will probably be a tough year for me. I feel like a dove, cautious,
timid and almost too awake, but I know that in this country they
don’t hurt doves.”

Demands to come to terms with history

His words were a thorn in the flesh for the right-wing nationalist
ruling powers – one of the main reasons why he was threatened. Dink
was an Armenian, who thought that people in Turkey should speak more
openly about what happened in 1915 and that Turkey should come to
terms with its own history, that’s to say with the history of the
Armenian people in Anatolia.

He wrote: “I know what my forefathers came up against. Some like to
call it a massacre, others genocide, expulsion or catastrophe … My
ancestors, in their Anatolian way, called it a ‘butcher’s shop.’ But I
call it ‘devastation.’ And I know that if such things hadn’t happened,
my country would be a much more livable, much more beautiful place.”

‘We are all Armenians – We are all Hrant Dink’

The Turkish public reacted with shock to Dink’s death. Over 100,000
people attended his funeral. They were all carrying black signs
that read: “We are all Armenians. We are all Hrant Dink.” The crowd
was silent.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Hrant Dink dreamed of a fairer TurkeyThe perpetrator was quickly
captured. He was a 17-year-old from Trabzon, a town in northern
Turkey. At his trial, he justified his crime as follows: “I read his
articles on the Internet, and what he said angered me, so I decided
to kill him.” He claimed it was his decision, that he had planed it
all on his own, and that there were no accomplices. But later Ogun
Samast changed his statement and said that he had been incited by
Yasin Hayal, a right-wing extremist from Trabzon.

In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled
that the Turkish government was partly to blame for Dink’s death for
failing to do enough to protect him.

Last year Ogun Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison. But
because the judgment was handed down by a youth court, he will
probably only have to serve two-thirds of that sentence. Lately,
his alleged accomplices have also been on trial. Among them are his
two suspected backers: Yasin Hayal, who is said to have incited the
murder and Erhan Tuncel, a former police informant in Trabzon who is
said to have organized the attack.

Criticism of the trial

Rober Koptas, the current editor of Agos, is disappointed with the
trial. “We and the Turkish public are all aware that a number of
state officials both before and after the murder assumed important
roles in all this. There were security officials – both in the police
and the army – who were either active in helping to plan the murder,
or who knew about the plans but did nothing to hinder them.”

In addition, Koptas says, “Bureaucrats and lawyers tried to cover up
the truth. Unfortunately all our requests to interview these people
were denied. That’s why we don’t believe in a fair verdict. It was
not a trial based on the search for justice.”

Following Dink’s death, a group was formed called “Hrant Dink’s
friends.” The members of this group were present at the trial, in
front of the court building, carrying banners that read “For Hrant
Dink. For justice.”

They are convinced that the main people who were pulling the strings
remain at large. One of “Hrant Dink’s friends” is journalist Aydin
Engin: “Even if it takes us 95 years, we will not give up the search
for the real killers,” he stresses.

Rober Koptas believes that the Dink trial has led to an awakening of
democratic consciousness in Turkish society. However, the state’s
mentality has not changed in any way. Koptas says that the same
conditions still exist in Turkey which led to Dink’s murder five
years ago.

Author: Basak Ozay / ji Editor: Gabriel Borrud

ARMENIA REITERATES PEACEFUL SOLUTION OF IRAN-WEST STANDOFF

Fars News Agency
Jan 17 2012
Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stressed
the necessity for a negotiated end to the Iran-West nuclear standoff,
saying that his country stands for a peaceful settlement of Iran’s
nuclear issue.

“The Armenian stance on the Iranian problem remains unchanged,” Edward
Nalbandian told a briefing, noting that Armenia attaches importance
to friendly relations with Iran.

Earlier, US and EU states commented on the possibility of imposing
an embargo on Iranian oil supplies as another sanction against the
country.

Iran, which sits on the world’s second largest reserves of both oil
and gas, has dismissed the US sanctions as inefficient, saying that
it is finding Asian partners instead. A large number of Chinese,
Indian and other Asian firms have negotiated or signed up to oil and
gas deals with Iran.

Iranian officials have also stressed that the International and
unilateral sanctions against Iran have had no result but inflicting
damage on the European companies.

RUSSIAN EXERCISES IN CAUCASUS PREPPING FOR IRAN WAR?
Joshua Kucera

EurasiaNet.org

Jan 17 2012
NY

Russia will be holding a series of military exercises in the North
Caucasus, Armenia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia this fall, reportedly
in preparation for a possible U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran. The
exercises, called Kavkaz-2012, will be held in September and won’t be
tactical/operational but strategic (i.e. won’t involve large numbers
of troops). The exercises will, however, include officers from the
breakaway Georgian territories. The focus on surveillance, air defense
and logistics suggests that Russia is tailoring the exercise to prepare
for a U.S.-Israel-Iran war, says Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta:

As suggested by the head of the Center for Military Forecasting,
Colonel Anatoly Tsyganok, “Preparations for the Kavkaz-2012 exercises
seems to have begun already largely due to the increasing military
tensions in the Persian Gulf.” “In a possible war against Iran may be
drawn some former Soviet countries of South Caucasus. How, then, to
ensure the viability of Russian troops stationed abroad, for example,
in Armenia? Apparently, the General Staff will plan some proactive
measures, including learning to organize in critical logistic supply
of troops,” said the expert.

Supporting this theory is the participation of a “pipeline battalion,”
whose task is to deliver fuel to forces, in the exercise.

Whatever the reason for the exercise, Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs is objecting:

Russia is deliberately building up its military forces, strengthening
its military infrastructure and deploying offensive weapons in
Georgia’s occupied territories. In doing so, the Russian government
is seeking to instigate a permanent state of tension in Georgia and in
the Black Sea region as a whole.The international community should pay
due attention to the fact that Russia’s foreign policy has undergone no
change: the Russian government continues to adopt aggressive practices,
including the demonstration of military force and provocations.

Russia represents a source of destabilization and negative developments
in the international arena.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan is ratcheting up the bellicose rhetoric (even by
the high standards of the Caucasus) against Armenia, reports Bloomberg:

Azerbaijan is buying up modern weaponry to be able to regain control
of the breakaway Nagorno- Karabakh region quickly and with few losses
should peace talks with neighboring Armenia fail, President Ilham
Aliyev said.

Defense spending will rise 1.8 percent this year to $3.47 billion,
which Aliyev said tops Armenia~Rs entire state budget.

~SIt~Rs not a frozen conflict, and it~Rs not going to be one,~T Aliyev
said today in remarks broadcast on state television channel AzTV.

Would war in Iran have any effect on the Nagorno-Karabakh situation?

The mind reels.

TURKISH JUSTICE MINISTER REFUSES TO COMMENT ON SHAMEFUL RULING IN HRANT DINK MURDER TRIAL

NEWS.am
January 18, 2012 | 12:39

Turkish Minister of Justice, Sadullah Ergin, did not comment on the
court verdict that was reached Tuesday in the murder trial of Hrant
Dink, the founder and former chief editor of Istanbul’s Agos Armenian
weekly, who was killed in 2007. Ergin noted that the judicial process
has not ended.

“The [judicial] process has not ended. The appeals process is
continuing. When the process ends, we will make a respective
conclusion,” the Minister said, NTV News Agency of Turkey informed.

To note, Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay had
said that such ruling by the court is a perilous development.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, on Tuesday, the Turkish
court found Yasin Hayal guilty of planning and organizing Hrant Dink’s
murder, and sentenced him to life in prison. Erhan Tuncel, on the
other hand, was found not guilty of prompting Dink’s murder, and,
instead, he was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months for an explosion
in a McDonald’s store. But taking into account that Tuncel was already
incarcerated for that amount of time, the court ruled his release.

And earlier, Hrant Dink’s actual killer, Ogun Samast, was sentenced to
a total of 22 years and 10 months for Dink’s murder and for bearing
illegal arms. But Samast was tried at a juvenile court, since he was
a minor at the time of the murder.

LOI SUR LES GENOCIDES : LE TEXTE, ATTENDU AU SENAT, Y SUSCITE DEJA DES RETICENCES
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 18 janvier 2012

La proposition de loi UMP penalisant la negation des genocides,
dont celui des Armeniens en 1915, a suscite mardi des discussions
animees au sein de la reunion hebdomadaire des groupes et beaucoup
de reticences, a-t-on appris de source parlementaire

La proposition de loi de la deputee Valerie Boyer, deja votee le 22
decembre par les deputes, sera examinee par le Senat lundi. En cas
de vote conforme (sans modification) du Senat, l’adoption du texte
serait definitive. Plusieurs senateurs ont indique que la commission
des Lois, qui examine le texte mercredi, devrait adopter une motion
d’irrecevabilite, motion de procedure qui equivaut a un rejet. Mais
cette motion, vraisemblablement presentee par le president de la
commission Jean-Pierre Sueur (PS), egalement rapporteur du texte,
ne devrait toutefois pas etre ratifiee en seance.

Consequence : le texte a de grande chances d’etre vote lundi, la
majorite des senateurs qui y sont opposes devant s’abstenir ou ne
pas prendre part au vote, plutôt que de voter contre.

“Le president du groupe Jean-Claude Gaudin a indique qu’il y avait
liberte de vote. Pour le moment, une très grosse majorite des senateurs
UMP votera la PPL et une petite minorite votera contre ou preferera
ne pas prendre pas part au vote pour ne pas gener le president de la
Republique”, a-t-on indique au groupe UMP.

Certains UMP, comme l’ancien president de la commission des Lois
Jean-Jacques Hyest ou Alain Fouche, y sont opposes. M. Hyest avait
combattu un texte identique emanant du PS qui avait ete rejete par
le Senat, alors de droite, le 4 mai 2011. Une motion d’irrecevabilite
UMP avait ete adoptee par 196 voix contre 74.

“On me dit que les circonstances politiques changent, je ne vois
pas lesquelles. Si une exception d’irrecevabilite est presentee
lundi par la commission des Lois je la voterai et sinon je voterai
contre le texte”, a declare M. Fouche a l’AFP. Le groupe UMP compte
132 senateurs.

Du côte des senateurs PS (130), leur chef de file Francois Rebsamen
a indique que son groupe “votera le texte” et “qu’il n’y aura pas de
vote contre”. “Les senateurs qui ne veulent pas voir leur nom associe
a ce texte et se dejuger par rapport au vote du 4 mai ne prendront pas
part au vote”, a-t-il precise a l’AFP. “Le texte nous etant soumis,
on le vote, mais je respecte ceux qui n’avaient pas vote le texte la
dernière fois” a-t-il ajoute.

Certains senateurs PS comme Alain Anziani, Francois Patriat,
Jean-Jacques Mirassou ou Thierry Repentin ont deja indique qu’ils ne
voteraient pas.

Le groupe centriste (UCR, 31 senateurs) n’a pas donne consigne de
vote, mais selon Nathalie Goulet, très opposee au texte, “les deux
tiers sont contre ou s’abstiendront”. Le depute et president du MoDem
Francois Bayrou s’etait prononce contre.

Le groupe communiste (21 membres) est egalement reticent. “Une majorite
des membres presents mardi a la reunion de groupe ne participera pas
au vote”, a declare a l’AFP sa presidente Nicole Borvo Cohen-Seat,
alors qu’il y a quelques jours elle avait au contraire indique qu’une
majorite voterait le texte.

Les deux groupes minoritaires RDSE (a majorite PRG, 16 membres)
et ecologiste (10 membres) sont les seuls a etre unanimement contre
la PPL.

LETTRE OUVERTE A JEAN DANIEL DU NOUVEL OBS
Ara

armenews.com
mercredi 18 janvier 2012

Bonjour Monsieur Jean Daniel

Ce n’est pas au Commandeur de la Legion d’honneur, ni au Commandeur
de l’Ordre national du Merite, ni a celui qui porte la Croix de
Guerre 1939-1945, pas plus au Commandeur des Arts et Lettres que je
veux m’adresser.

C’est plutôt a ” l’ami ” de celui qui disait que ” l’injustice est
criante dès qu’elle se manifeste ” et ” qu’il ne suffisait pas de
denoncer l’injustice, il fallait donner sa vie pour la combattre ”
(Albert Camus dans Les justes) que je viens offrir, en plus des
guillemets de ” l’ami ” la meditation sur ce que Victor Hugo a fort
bien evoque dans son poème ” La Conscience ”

Votre Edito du 5 janvier 2012 (de Jean Daniel) est consternant de
trahison vis-a-vis des valeurs qui vous avaient inscrit en amitie avec
Camus et que vous venez de pietiner et, inqualifiable, car comparable
au premier crime qui fut commis dans la triste histoire des hommes ;
celui du meurtre commis par Caïn sur son propre frère.

J’ai du mal, comme sans doute beaucoup d’autres, a comprendre les
raisons objectives, morales et ethiques, des positions negationnistes
que vous exprimez et j’en ai honte pour vous.

Comment avez-vous pu ecrire de telles choses vous l’enfant juif, qui
a connu l’Holocauste, l’enfant de Jules Bensaïd et Rachel Bensimon
vous qui avez marche sur les pas de Leon BLUM.

Garder le silence et votre reserve, dans votre liberte de penser,
dans la cacophonie mediatique de marchand de ” papiers ” et de
faiseurs et directeurs de conscience, autour de ce projet de loi,
aurait ete pour vous, sans autant de deshonneur, une marque de sagesse.

Vous avez au contraire choisi de crier en faveur de l’injustice,
du deni, en faveur de celui la meme, ce Loup Gris l’ami des nazis,
qui demain surement niera votre propre histoire.

Quand viendra le moment où vous ecrirez : ” je veux habiter sous la
terre, comme dans son sepulcre un homme solitaire ; rien ne me verra
plus, je ne verrai plus rien. ” – On fera donc une fosse, et comme Caïn
vous direz : ” C’est bien ! “. Puis vous descendrez seul sous cette
voûte sombre. Quand vous serez assis sur votre chaise dans l’ombre,
et qu’on aura sur le fronton de votre caveau ferme le souterrain,
l’oeil sera dans votre tombe et vous fixera et vous regardera comme
elle regardait Caïn. (D’après Victor Hugo : La Conscience)

Et Albert Camus, avec moi, a cote de vous, nous vous dirons sans
cesse en armenien et en hebreux : ” Mon Frère, il ne suffisait pas
de denoncer l’injustice, il fallait donner sa vie pour la combattre ”

AUCUN JUIF DECENT NE SAURAIT NIER LE GENOCIDE D’AUCUN PEUPLE PAR ISRAEL W. CHARNY
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 18 janvier 2012

Une reponse a l’appel deplorable de Michael Berenbaum dans Haaretz
de la semaine passee pour que le silence soit garde sur le genocide
des Armeniens.

Aucun Juif decent, aucun Israelien decent, ni aucune personne
decente ne peut nier les faits historiques etablis du genocide d’un
autre peuple. Comme je l’ai dit a la Knesset la semaine dernière,
a l’audience de la Commission de l’Education sur l’eventuelle
reconnaissance du genocide des Armeniens, que direz-vous et que diriez
vous a quelqu’un qui nierait l’Holocauste ? Y aurait-il certaines
conditions dans lesquelles vous “comprendriez”, “admettriez”, ou d’une
quelconque manière, accepteriez la necessite et par suite la legitimite
de leur negation ? Michael Berenbaum, que j’admire depuis des annees
en tant que brillant expert de l’Holocauste et Juif devoue, a ecrit
dans l’edition anglaise d’Haaretz (“Quand le Silence est Sagesse”, le
6 janvier 2012) une ode triste et preoccupante pour la reddition par
nous meme de notre integrite morale. Nous ne pouvons pas faire ca. En
gros, il soutient que c’est un danger pour nous, dans la position où
nous sommes, exposes aux attaques internationales de la Turquie. Je
suis convaincu que nous ne pouvons pas nous laisser aller a une telle
faiblesse qui ferait de nous des ‘negationnistes d’holocauste’.

Michael Berenbaum etait venu me voir un soir pendant la Guerre du
golfe, chez un rabbin qui m’hebergeait a Washington DC, tandis que je
me preparais a parler au Symposium Raphael Lemkin sur le genocide a
la Faculte de Droit de Yale. A cette epoque, nous en etions encore
a lutter pour la reconnaissance fondamentale du concept meme de
genocide par tout le monde. Seule l’importance fondamentale d’une telle
conference, dans une ecole de droit de premier ordre, avait pu me faire
quitter Israël, alors sous les bombes de Saddam, pendant une semaine
entière. Michael arriva chez le rabbin plusieurs heures en retard. Il
etait bouleverse. Il me dit avoir bataille ferme, au Conseil du futur
Musee de l’Holocauste des USA – dont il etait alors le directeur de
recherche, en fait le numero deux, et où a fait un travail magistral
pour realiser le musee – pour y inclure le Genocide des Armeniens,
mais qu’il avait dû ceder devant la resistance obstinee de survivants
de l’Holocauste influents sur le Conseil. Il etait desole. Il dit aussi
que d’un point de vue personnel cela representait la fin de tout espoir
qu’il avait d’etre Directeur un jour. J’ai eu de la peine pour lui,
pour ce qui concernait sa carrière, mais je le respectais beaucoup
pour sa lutte et pour le succès partiel qu’il a obtenu dans sa demarche
pour que soit gravee dans le musee la fameuse citation de Hitler (‘Qui
se souvient des Armeniens ?’) alors qu’il preparait ses generaux a
avancer et a tuer les Juifs aux debuts de l’horrible Holocauste.

Notre Israël bien aime a fait une terrible erreur en refusant de
payer, face a la Turquie, le prix diplomatique de la verite du
Genocide des Armeniens. Un tel refus de satisfaire aux exigences
morales affaiblit notre resistance et notre force de caractère,
qui sont egalement des elements vitaux de la capacite d’une nation
a se defendre elle-meme. Le fait qu’Israël se soit adonne a une sale
realpolitik pendant tant d’annees ne signifie pas que nous ne devrions
pas faire ce geste maintenant, parce que pour beaucoup, ce geste ne
serait que represailles contre la Turquie pour ses vilaines attaques
contre nous plutôt qu’un geste inspire par la seule morale.

Michael ne rend pas compte correctement de la conference universitaire
que nous avons tenue en 1982 et qui comportait 6 interventions sur
le Genocide des Armeniens sur des centaines. J’etais l’initiateur,
le directeur et le president de cette ‘Première Conference sur
l’Holocauste et le Genocide’. Je suis parti de zero sans aucune
structure au depart pour l’organiser. En fait, que je sache c’est nous
qui avons employe les premiers l’expression ‘Holocauste et genocide’.

Nous avons ete attaque par certains pour avoir combine l’Holocauste
avec d’autres genocides – Gideon Hausner* m’a dit qu’il avait dû
se retenir pour ne pas me faire arreter a la Knesset quand je l’ai
rencontre, mais par la suite, il devint un soutien devoue de la
poursuite de notre travail, et nous a autorise a faire mention de
son soutien. D’autres, dans le monde, nous ont attaque pour nous
etre concentre sur l’Holocauste et ne pas l’avoir place parmi
tous les autres genocides. Notre gouvernement israelien a fait
diverses pressions pour que soit annulee la conference a la suite de
l’insistance du gouvernement turc. Elie Wiesel a accepte mon invitation
pour sa presidence, mais comme Juif loyal, il ne pouvait supporter de
s’opposer aux directives du Ministre des Affaires Etrangères d’annuler
la conference si le sujet armenien n’en etait pas retire – ce dont
Elie Wiesel convint avec nous que nous ne devrions jamais accepter
de faire. C’est ainsi qu’Elie Wiesel demissionna non sans nous faire
la faveur de le rendre public dans une conference de presse a Paris –
jusque la, je n’osais pas rencontrer la presse parce qu’on nous disait
que des vies juives etaient menacees par la Turquie.

Au New York Times qui m’avait appele de Paris, j’ai fait la reponse
peremptoire que la conference continuerait meme si je n’avais que
10 participants. Nous avions a ce moment-la 600 preinscrits. La
conference s’est deroulee avec 300 participants. Elle a ete notee,
comme dans la Yale Review par Terence des Pres, comme un evenement
marquant et une victoire contre la censure gouvernementale. Ceder
a la negation d’un genocide quel qu’il soit deshonore la memoire et
le sens de l’Holocauste pour l’avenir. J’ai dit a la Commission de la
Knesset la semaine passee qu’un espion du groupe Nili, qui s’est trouve
sur les lieux du Genocide des Armeniens, avait averti le Yishuv**
que les prochains seraient les Juifs. En fait, beaucoup ne realisent
pas que les Turcs ont lamine un grand nombre de peuples non-turcs, et
ont tue avec les victimes armeniennes d’autres millions d’Assyriens,
de Yezidis, et de Grecs – et ont en fait commence d’expulser nos
gens de Jaffa-Tel Aviv, une histoire pas assez racontee et dont on
ne se souvient pas assez. Le president de la Knesset Reuven Rivlin
ne faisait certainement pas de la politique politicienne lorsqu’il
a parle avec passion de notre obligation morale de reconnaître le
Genocide des Armeniens. Le distingue professeur Yehuda Bauer a dit
litteralement au ministère des Affaires Etrangères qu’ils feraient
mieux de “la fermer” parce qu’ils etaient en train d’insulter
l’histoire juive. Haaretz a publie Berenbaum dans l’edition de
vendredi et je l’ai vainement cherche dans l’edition en hebreu. Mais
dans l’edition en hebreu est publie un article du philosophe francais
Bernard -Henri Levy dans lequel il parle de la proposition de loi de
l’Assemblee Nationale francaise tendant a condamner les negationnistes
a de lourdes peines “La loi penalisant les negationnistes n’est en
aucune facon une tentative de legiferer sur l’histoire par-dessus la
tete des historiens. Parce que l’histoire du Genocide des Armeniens
a ete incontestablement documentee et enregistree – comme le sont les
histoires des Juifs et des Rwandais et des Cambodgiens. Veillons a ce
que les senateurs [la loi passe a present de l’Assemblee au Senat,,]
ne se sentent pas sous la menace des ‘historiens'”. Cet article en
hebreu n’a pas non plus ete traduit dans l’edition en anglais de
Haaretz. Heureusement, je lis les deux et je suis plutôt de l’avis
de celle en hebreu.

Israël W. Charny

Le professeur Israël Charny est directeur executif de l’Institut de
l’Holocauste et du Genocide de Jerusalem , et editeur du Magazine en
ligne GPN Genocide Prevention Now [Prevention du Genocide Maintenant].

Il a ete en juin dernier a Erevan, laureat du Prix du President
de l’Armenie pour ses travaux depuis longtemps sur la negation de
plusieurs genocides parmi lesquels le Genocide des Armeniens.

*Gideon Hausner 1915-1990, procureur general au cours du procès
Eichmann

**Yishuv : organisation regroupant les Juifs de Palestine d’avant la
creation de l’etat d’Israël.