Author: Kanayan Tamar

Mid-Atlantic Knights and Daughters of Vartan
Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America (Eastern Region)
Media Contact: Taleen Babayan
Email: [email protected]

100th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE HELD IN
TIMES SQUARE SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 1:45 PM -4 PM *

NY, NY-The 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be held in
Times Square (43rd St. & Broadway) on Sunday, April 26 from 1:45 – 4
pm. This historic event will pay tribute to the 1.5 million Armenians
who were massacred by the Young Turk Government of the Ottoman Empire
and to the millions of victims of subsequent genocides worldwide.

The Divine Liturgy and Times Square program will begin with church services
at 10 am at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, located at 630 Second Avenue at
34th Street. His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian will serve as
celebrant and His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan as homilist. The
procession to Times Square will start at 12:00 pm and the program, which
will feature speakers from the political, media and scholarly fields, will
begin at 1:45 pm. Guest artist is acclaimed musician Sebu Simonian from the
Los Angeles-based indie pop band Capital Cities. Dr. Stephen Smith,
Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation, will serve as keynote
speaker. The Areni Choir will be singing the Armenian and American national
anthems as well as God Bless America.

For parishes organizing transportation to New York, buses should drop off
passengers at Second Avenue and park on 35th Street (between First and
Second Avenues). Buses will depart for Times Square following services and
park on 42nd Street (between 6th Avenue and Broadway). Passengers will be
picked up from Times Square (at 43rd Street and Broadway, between 4:30 pm
and 5 pm). Sandwiches will be available after services. All events will
move forward, rain or shine.

For more information on the procession, buses, floats and volunteers,
please contact: Edward Barsamian (procession), 347-556-2666, Leo Manuelian
(buses), 917-418-3940, Sona Manuelian (buses), 551-427-8763, Edward
Boladian (floats) 917-885- 0221, Tigran Sahakyan (volunteers) 212-444-8003

The 2015 Genocide Commemoration in Times Square is organized by the
Mid-Atlantic Knights and Daughters of Vartan in affiliation with the
Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America (Eastern Region).

This event is free and open to the public. For more information please
visit , ,
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“LEGACY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 100 YEARS LATER” FORUM HELD IN THE HAGUE

19:30, 9 March, 2015

THE HAGUE, 9 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. A forum entitled “Legacy of the
Armenian Genocide 100 Years Later” was held at the Institute for Global
Justice of The Hague on 6-7 March. The forum was organized by the
National Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (NIOD) of
the Netherlands, the Institute for Armenian Studies at the University
of Southern California and the Centennial Project Foundation. As the
Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia reports to “Armenpress”,
the forum kicked off on 5 March with a discussion and screening of
the film “Grandma’s Tattoos” at the Home of Humanity of The Hague.

During the March 6-7 forum, famous scholars and researchers gave
speeches in which they discussed the consequences of the Armenian
Genocide from different perspectives and the lessons that need to be
learned in order to prevent future genocides. Speaker, famous lawyer
Geoffrey Robertson reflected on issues in law and policy, Associate
Dean of George Washington University Susan Karamanian talked about
the issues of genocides in international courts, Nolwenn Guibert and
Sun Kim (International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia)
presented a study on recognition and reparation, and Niva Nabti
observed impunity of sexual assaults against Armenian women during
the Armenian Genocide and the consequences.

Other speakers reflected on the cultural manifestations during the
Armenian Genocide, the discussions on the Armenian Genocide in Turkish
media and society in the past and present, as well as the real image
and tendencies among public and political circles.

STUDENTS PROTEST TALK BY SPEAKERS WHO DENY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

The Varsity, The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper, Canada
March 9 2015

Silent protest targets talk at Best Institute

By Tamim Mansour

Students from the Armenian Students’ Association together with the
Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) of Canada and the Armen Karo Student
Association, an organization that promotes Armenian studies in Canadian
universities, protested a panel discussion held by the Federation of
Canadian Turkish Associations on February 27.

Justin A. McCarthy, a professor from the University of Louisville, and
Bruce Fein, a prominent lawyer, were the two speakers invited to the
panel. Both have denied that the 1915 Armenian Genocide was a genocide,
in opposition to the stance taken by international organizations such
as the International Association of Genocide Scholars and Genocide
Watch, a non-profit organization dedicated to building a movement to
prevent and stop genocide.

The Armenian Genocide was conducted by the Ottoman Empire on the
Armenian population that lived in the area presently known as Turkey.

It is estimated that between one million and 1.5 million Armenians
died as a result of the genocide.

Amir Hassanpour, an associate professor in the Department of Near &
Middle Eastern civilizations, identified a clear distinction between
genocide and other forms of killing. “[It] is not based on the
number of killings. It is based on ‘the intent’ of perpetrators,”
Hassanpour says.

When asked why there are people who continue to deny the Armenian
Genocide, Hassanpour says that it is because of the seriousness of
the crime. “This is a serious international crime, and nationalists
everywhere try to sanitize their history,” he says.

He also explains that governments were concerned with the financial
consequences of recognition of genocide in the form of reparations
to victims.

The protestors sat in the audience during the talk. At the first
mention of genocide by Fein, the group stood up and turned their
backs to the speaker in silence. Many of the other audience members
were upset by the protest.

One commented that the protest was “strategically planned to disrupt
this” while another called it “disrespectful”.

Organizers discussed with campus police what actions could be taken,
and were told that the silent protest did not prevent the speaker
from carrying on.

Some protestors were asked to move out of the line of sight of other
audience members seated at the back.

After about 10 minutes, Fein resumed his speech.

When it was clear from Fein’s talk that he was denying the nature of
the genocide, the protestors walked out from the panel discussion to
cheers and applause from the other audience members.

Rosalie Minassian, a fourth-year political science student and
president of the Scarborough chapter of the Armenian Students’
Association, was one of the leaders of the protest. According to
Minassian, all Armenians at the protest were descendants of genocide
survivors.

“They are using the University of Toronto as a guise to bring
legitimacy to genocide denial,” she says.

Minassian also says that this went directly against the Canadian
government’s official recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 2004.

After the walk-out, the protestors made their way to the Anti-Racism &
Cultural Diversity Office to submit a petition and lodge a complaint
against the event. The petition called for the university to distance
itself from the organizers and speakers of the panel. It was put
online two days before the talk, garnering over 2,000 signatures.

According to Minassian, a letter demanding the cancellation of the
event was also sent to a number of university administrators.

Althea Blackburn-Evans, U of T director of media relations, says that
the event was held by an external organization that rented space from
the university.

“Events that such external organizations host are not University
activities; the University does not affirm or condemn any assertions
made at such events,” Blackburn-Evans says.

She adds that such events are governed by the university’s policies.

“There is a clear statement that all reservations for use of university
space are subject to the university’s policy concerning freedom of
speech,” she says. “The university upholds the principles of freedom
of speech and of the freedom of individuals and groups from physical
intimidation and harassment.”

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE OPENED IN CZECH REP.

11:27, 9 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. On March 8, at the invitation of the
Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the
Czech Republic Jan Bartosek, the delegation led by the Vice President
of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov
left for the Czech Republic on three-day official visit.

The Information and Public Relations Department of the National
Assembly of the Republic of Armenia informed “Armenpress” that the
deputy of the ARF Faction Artsvik Minasyan and the Chief of Staff,
General Secretary Hrayr Tovmasyan are in the delegation.

On March 9 the parliamentary delegation will take part in the official
opening of the exhibition entitled “Armenian Genocide: Front Page
Coverage in the World Press” to be held under the auspice of the
Committee on Petitions of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech
Republic, where the Head of the Armenian Delegation will deliver a
speech. On the same day the NA Delegation will meet with Jan Bartosek,
the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of
the Czech Republic.

On March 10 the NA Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov will deliver
a speech-lecture at the conference entitled “Crime of Genocide:
Legal and Political Aspects” in Charles University. The Armenian
parliamentarians’ meeting with ZdenÄ~[k Å kromach, the Vice President
of the Czech Senate is scheduled.

ISRAELI PRESIDENT TO ATTEND PRAYER DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS MEMORY

10:18, 9 March, 2015

JERUSALEM, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS: The main event in Jerusalem, devoted to
the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, will take place on April 24
at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, where a liturgy of
commemoration will be held. The Head of the Armenian National Committee
of Israel Georgette Avagian told Armenpress that an agreement was
reached and the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin promised to attend
the Church on that day and commemorate the innocent victims of the
Armenian Genocide.

“He is the friend of the Armenian people. He talked about the Armenian
Genocide a lot and condemned it. Recently he has delivered a speech on
the Genocide at the UN. He promised to visit the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre of Jerusalem on April 24 to pay tribute to the innocent
victims of the Genocide”, – said Georgette Avagian, adding that the
participation of other authorities of Israel in the events is being
clarified.

AZERBAIJANI PROPAGANDA PRODUCT OVER AGHDAM EVENTS THROWN INTO TRASH IN DENMARK

11:22 09/03/2015 >> SOCIETY

Azerbaijani propaganda once again made an unsuccessful attempt to hold
another event on the 23rd anniversary of the events in Aghdam, this
time in Denmark, witnesses having shot a video of it told Panorama.am.

In a factually empty square and with evident indifference of the
passers-by the representatives of Azerbaijani and Turkish diaspora
chanted slogans and demonstrated photos of those killed during
the events in the Balkans, presenting them as the “victims of
Khojalu.”[]

Remarkably, the propaganda product that the organizers used during
the event was thrown into the trash bins near the square and trampled
under people’s feet after the event.

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300
people (according to Human Rights Watch, and 600 according to the
version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances
near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the
Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions.

Population of the village of Khojalu, which was one of the firing
points shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others) was
kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by the
authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as human
shields later. Residents of Khojalu coming out through the humanitarian
corridor, which the self-defense forces of NKR had left open, freely
passed more than 10 km and reached Aghdam city controlled by the
Azerbaijani troops. Later, not far from the positions of Azerbaijani
troops dead bodies of the villagers were found. The exact death toll
remains unknown as the official Baku publishes data contradicting each
other. Parliamentary Commission investigating the tragic death of the
civilians at Aghdam city was dissolved by the order of Heydar Aliyev,
the investigative materials are kept secret.

SUMMIT IN RIGA TO MAKE EU-ARMENIA COOPERATION PROSPECTS CLEAR – ANALYST

YEREVAN, March 9. /ARKA/. The Riga summit will make the prospects of
Armenia-EU cooperation clear, political analyst Narek Galstyan said
on the air, on Sputnik-Armenia radio, as cited by Novosti-Armenia.

The Eastern Partnership summit will be held in Riga in May, 2015.

Yet, the expert said, the expectations from the summit should not be
high. According to Galstyan, the summit may also specify the tools
for cooperation, the format and the range of issues on the fields of
the cooperation.

When starting the neighborhood program Europe set an ambitious goal,
i.e. to create a stability zone, but overlooked interests of some
major geopolitical centers, the analyst said.

Initially uniform subject matters and instruments were used to various
countries in a diverse region, the expert said. As a result, Belarus
isolated itself, Azerbaijan was not “in a rush” either and said the
EU is its energy partner only.

Finally, the program came to a standstill after the Ukrainian events,
Armenia’s refusal to sign association with the EU after 3.5-year talks,
EU sanctions and Russia’s retaliation, Galstyan said.

Today the EU is ready to meet its partners halfway and to take into
account their unique needs, according to the analyst. -0–

CONTRACT SERVICEMAN ARTHUR AFYAN FOUND HANGED

Arthur Afyan, a contract servicemen of Russian Federal Security
Service’s Frontier Department in Armenia, has been found hanged, his
family told Aysor.am. They are awaiting results of forensic tests to
understand whether he committed suicide.

Arthur Afyan, 26, went missing on February 21. His wife informed
Armenian law enforcers of his disappearance. Investigative bodies
opened a criminal case under the Criminal Code’s article ‘murder’.

Afyan earlier told his wife he had run into debt.

09.03.15, 14:24

MOST WOMEN IN ARMENIAN VILLAGES HARMED WITH PESTS

15:44 March 06, 2015

EcoLur

Most women in Armenian villages are harmed with pesticides. In rural
areas the men have to leave the country in the search for a job,
while women have to deal with agricultural activities using pesticides.

“There are pesticides, which tend to get accumulated. They come out
of the organism through sweating, while during pregnancy the pests
can infect the foetus and through milk during lactation…” said
experts of “Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment” NGO
Lilik Simonyan and Qnarik Grigoryan at the press conference held at
EcoLur Press Club on 6 March.

“Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment” NGO conducted
studies in 20 communities Ararat, Armavir, Tavush and Gegharkounik
regions and carried out surveys with 567 people, mostly women. As a
result, 70% of the surveyed is conscious of the hazardousness of the
pesticides, but all four regions use pesticides by almost 100%. When
visiting the medical institutions in the communities, it was found out
that most doctors are not aware how to help in case of such poisoning.

The NGO studies in 20 communities show that pest warehouses are not
controlled and the pests get spread. The pests should be accumulated
urgently together with the contaminated land area so as to manage
the hazardous substances in proper manner.

Futuro Quotidiano, Italia
07 mar 2015

“ARMENIA, IL POPOLO DELL’ARCA”: IN MOSTRA LA RESILIENZA DI UNA CIVILTA’

Di Giulia Di Stefano il 7 marzo 2015

“I tre pilastri su cui si fondano i valori fondamentali della nostra
società europea, il mondo classico, quello cristiano e l’illuminismo
sono oggi sempre più a rischio: basti vedere quello che è stato fatto
dai terroristi dell’Isis ai capolavori del museo di Mosul. L’Armenia
ci insegna che occorre resistere a queste barbare minacce, con la
forza del pensiero e quella dell’anima”.

A parlare così, è Louis Godart, archeologo di fama internazionale e
Consigliere per la Conservazione del patrimonio Artistico del
Presidente della Repubblica Italiana, in occasione della conferenza
stampa inaugurale della mostra “Armenia, il popolo dell’Arca” al
Salone Centrale del Complesso del Vittoriano. La ricca esposizione di
reperti archeologici, codici miniati, opere d’arte ed illustrazioni
appartenenti all’antichissima civiltà armena sarà aperta al pubblico,
con ingresso gratuito, fino al 3 maggio prossimo e fa parte delle
iniziative per la commemorazione del centenario dal genocidio armeno,
che fu perpetrato nel 1915, dall’Impero Ottomano, ai danni di più di
un milione e mezzo di armeni residenti su suolo turco.

Un viaggio tra cultura e identità

Una mostra per testimoniare quello che sarebbe dovuto essere
annientato e che invece non solo ha resistito, ma ha anche continuato
a fiorire, proprio come i rami che germogliano dalla croce
nell’iconografia armena. “Armenia, il popolo dell’Arca” parla
innanzitutto della resilienza di una civiltà, votata nel corso dei
secoli a una continua diaspora e che non ha però mai perso la propria
identità, le proprie radici che affondano nel cristianesimo più
antico, in una commistione etnica e culturale tra oriente ed
occidente.

Articolata in sette sezioni, la mostra intende guidare il visitatore
in un viaggio affascinante attraverso reperti antichissimi, quali
capitelli e portali in pietra del V secolo d.C., oggetti preziosi come
la Croce con le reliquie di San Giorgio proveniente dal Museo di
Echmiadzin, codici miniati appartenenti alla Biblioteca dei padri
Mechitaristi di San Lazzaro di Venezia, tra cui il pregiato Vangelo
della regina Mlke risalente all’anno 862. Vera chicca della mostra è
l’Omiliario di Mush, manoscritto miniato del 1202 dalle incredibili
dimensioni e dal ragguardevole peso di 37 kg, le cui vicissitudini
novecentesche sono assurte a simbolo del coraggio e della resilienza
del popolo armeno: il prezioso codice fu infatti diviso in due parti e
così tratto in salvo dal monastero dei Santi Apostoli, nella valle di
Mush, da due donne armene in fuga dalle stragi compiute dagli ottomani
nel 1915. Non a caso anche Antonia Arslan, scrittrice e autrice del
bestseller “La Masseria delle Allodole”, nel 2012 dedicò il suo
romanzo “Il Libro di Mush” proprio a questa storia.

Genocidio, diaspora, integrazioni

Le ultime due sezioni espositive sono dedicate, rispettivamente, al
genocidio armeno del 1915 e ai rapporti tra l’Italia e l’Armenia. La
sala in cui viene ricordato il massacro portato avanti dall’Impero
Ottomano all’ombra della Prima guerra mondiale, sterminio spesso
dimenticato dall’opinione pubblica internazionale e negato ancora oggi
dallo stesso governo turco, è una sala buia, scarna, con al centro un
enorme schermo che illustra le mappe e i numeri del genocidio e della
diaspora. A disposizione dei visitatori, una serie di postazioni con
cuffie per poter ascoltare la lettura di alcuni brani di intellettuali
e politici primo novecenteschi che affrontarono pubblicamente e con
coraggio la questione del genocidio armeno: le parole di Antonio
Gramsci, Luigi Luzzatti, Filippo Meda rivivono per gli ascoltatori con
la voce dell’attore di origini armene Paolo Kessisoglu. Infine,
nell’ultima sezione, si parla di integrazione tra popolo armeno e
popolo italiano: una contaminazione che affonda le sue radici in
secoli lontani, a partire dal tardo Medioevo, con il fiorire delle
relazioni mercantili tra l’Italia e l’Oriente. Comunità armene nascono
e si sviluppano un po’ in tutto il paese, da Venezia a Livorno, da
Genova a Roma, da Padova a Napoli, con la presenza di artisti,
mercanti, monaci e scrittori che porteranno con sé, di volta in volta,
il loro genio e le loro tradizioni. Dalle pendici del biblico monte
Ararat, oggi geograficamente compreso entro i confini turchi ma da
sempre considerato nucleo originario della propria identità nazionale
dagli armeni, ai piedi del Campidoglio: il viaggio della cultura e
della civiltà armene sembra incredibile, misterioso, tortuoso e,
seppure a tratti confinato nelle pagine più buie della nostra storia
contemporanea, non è mai finito ed è potuto giungere fino a noi, oggi,
con la forza della memoria e della testimonianza.

Giulia Di Stefano