Author: Vardanian Garo

A1plus
| 14:46:58 | 29-04-2005 | Politics |
OUR ARCHIVES ARE OPEN
«If there is a real desire to regulate relations, and the bravery to do it,
the lame excuses are unnecessary. As for our archives, they have always been
open for investigators form any countries and of any nationality. By now
many foreign scientists have used them, but not a single Turk.
They can come and look at it if they want to. Simply we want to repeat once
more that the reality became clear to eveyone long ago, let’s put preaching
aside and sit and talk». These are the words of Forein Ministry press
secretary Hamlet Gasparyan in answer to the question from the agency
«Armenpress».
Let us remind you that the Turkish side continues to speculate the issue of
the archives before the regulation of the Armenian-Turkish relations. «We
are opening our archives, do the same if you have any», said Prime Minister
Erdoghan throwng a gauntlet to Armenia.

AUTHORITIES CONTINUE TO PROVIDE POLICY OF GUIDANCE TO MAJORITY OF
ARMENIA’S MASS MEDIA: FREEDOM HOUSE
YEREVAN, APRIL 28. ARMINFO. Despite the existence of many private Mass
Media in Armenia, they are still under control of the country’s
authorities, says Freedom of the Press 2005 Draft Country Reports of
the organization Freedom House.
According to the report, The President’s office continues to provide
policy of guidance to Armenia’s public TV. There are signs of
decreasing access to alternative sources of information. Thus, the
report says that the in Aril the Russian television channel NTV had
its broadcast’s suspended throughout Armenia after broadcasting
footage of opposition protests. The local NGOs continue an
unsuccessful campaign to renew the broadcasting right for A1+ and
Noyan Tapan, independent television channels that were shut down in
2002. In 2004 Yerkir Media, the first TV station affiliated to a
political party, began operating. Despite its political orientation,
Yerkir media is a new and alternative source of information that often
criticizes government policy in its new reports. The reports mentions
that security forces and unknown assailants carried out a series of
brutal attacks on journalists who were reporting on opposition rallies
in spring. Although there was evidence of the attackers’ identity, the
authorities charged only two men, who received a fine of less than
$200 US, in stark contrast to the custodial penalties imposed on
opposition activists for lesser offences.

Azeri rights champion calls for single list of political prisoners
Bilik Dunyasi news agency
28 Apr 05
BAKU
Rights champion Novella Cafaroglu, who is one of the leaders of the
monitoring group of human rights organizations, has put forward the
initiative to hold a meeting of all Azerbaijani rights activists in
order to agree on the number of political prisoners remaining in
Azerbaijan.
She explained the initiative by saying that nongovernmental
organizations provide contradictory information concerning the number
of political prisoners.
Namely, according to the monitoring group of human rights
organizations, there are still 53 political prisoners in Azerbaijan,
including 47 from the Council of Europe’s list which originally
comprised 716 political prisoners, and three people convicted in the
aftermath of post-election clashes in October 2003.
Cafaroglu said that among the 47 people are former employees of the
special purpose police and relatives of former parliament Speaker
Rasul Quliyev and former Prime Minister Surat Huseynov.
The rights activist added that unlike the monitoring group of human
rights organizations, the federation of human rights organizations led
by Eldar Zeynalov and Leyla Yunus says there are 130 political
prisoners in the country.
The Azerbaijani foundation for democratic development and protection
of human rights is citing yet another figure – 80 people. The
foundation also says that about 40 people are from the list of 716
prisoners, while the rest are those who have emerged since Azerbaijan
joined the Council of Europe in 2001. The foundation describes as
political prisoners the would-be Karabakh guerrillas who were
sentenced in December last year for illegal possession of arms,
ammunition and explosives.
The people arrested under that case were going to wage a guerrilla war
in the rear of the Armenian armed forces on occupied Azerbaijani
territories. The foundation describes them as political prisoners
because under the Azerbaijani Criminal Code they could have received
much more lenient sentences and their punishment does not match the
proportion of their wrongdoing.
Cafaroglu said that in determining the number of political prisoners
the monitoring group is governed by Council of Europe criteria.
“Since we come up with differing figures, the Council of Europe
doesn’t always treat us seriously and the authorities often capitalize
on that. If we agree on the number of political prisoners, this will
allow us to set up a united front,” Cafaroglu said.
Unlike rights champions, the Azerbaijani authorities think the problem
of political prisoners has been resolved. For instance, the head of
the department for work with law-enforcement bodies of the Azerbaijani
presidential administration, Fuad Alasgarov, believes the issue of
political prisoners who were included in the Council of Europe’s list
has been resolved. There are several persons still in custody but they
are heinous criminals. They committed murders and organized or
perpetrated acts of terror, Alasgarov said.

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS COMMEMORATED IN ROSTOV-ON-DON
28.04.2005 05:28
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 24 victims of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey were
commemorated in Rostov-on-Don. At noon flowers and wreaths were laid to the
Khachkar memorial, set next to St. Karapet church, reported the Yerkramas,
the newspaper of Armenians of Russia. St. Karapet church building was not
able to accommodate all those gathered. Unfortunately, it is not designed
for a mass flow of people and there were really many. Thus the main part of
the liturgy in the memory of the innocent victims was held next to the
Khachkar. Armenia’s Consul General to the Southern Federal District Ararat
Gomstian was present at the event. A memorial evening of victims of the
Armenian Genocide in Turkey was also held in Surb Khach Temple, where
prayers, poems and evidence of the descendants of the witnesses of the
Genocide in 1915-1922 were heard. The main events marking the 90-th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide had been held earlier. Thus, a round
table sitting titled `NO TO GENOCIDE, NO TO WAR, NO TO TERROR’ was held
April 18. Armenian Genocide – a Bloody Page in Human History seminar was
held in Surb Khach museum monastery April 23. The fact that April 16 a large
article titled Genocide Should not be Forgotten was published in Academy
scientific and education weekly of the South of Russia. In the article
Doctor of Juridical Sciences, Professors Yu. Prusakov and L. Akopov provide
convincing proofs that it is inadmissible to forget the Armenian Genocide in
Turkey as a crime against humanity according to the international law, as
well as the need of its denunciation by all UN member states, including
Turkey. The latter should not be admitted to the EU without the
acknowledgement and censure of the crimes in its history – just like the FRG
acted toward the Holocaust victims.

St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
April 27, 2005 Wednesday
Armenian Christians mark a painful past, joyful future
WAVENEY ANN MOORE
A day of sadness is also a time of great expectations in Pinellas
Park.
PINELLAS PARK – Armenians throughout the Tampa Bay area crowded into
a tiny chapel Sunday to remember ancestors who were massacred,
starved to death or otherwise persecuted by the tens of thousands
early in the last century.
The gathering at St. Hagop Armenian Church, 7050 90th Ave. N, was one
of many around the country to mark the 90th anniversary of what is
referred to as the Armenian Genocide.
But the day was more than a requiem for the 1.5-million men, women
and children who perished under the weight of the Ottoman Turks, said
St. Hagop’s priest, the Rev. Nersess Jebejian.
That thriving Armenian communities and churches exist today is a
victory, he said.
“One and a half million-plus were massacred and they were sacrificed,
but we’re living today, not only for them but for our future,”
Jebejian said.
At St. Hagop’s, where more than 100 people crammed into the chapel or
stood just outside its sliding glass doors Sunday, that future is
full of hope. In a few months, the congregation of about 400 families
hopes to begin building a church and multipurpose building to carry
on the centuries-old legacy of Armenian Christianity and culture.
The new church is a long-deferred dream. It was almost 20 years ago
that founding members began talking about forming a community for
local Armenian Orthodox Christians. They held their first service in
a borrowed building. They bought the now prime property at 90th
Avenue and Belcher Road with proceeds from paper and aluminum can
drives, dinners, garage sales, festivals and individual donations.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held in 1997. Early in 2002, Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America, visited to consecrate the cornerstone and launch a
fundraising campaign for a project that would eventually include a
church, multipurpose center and cultural hall.
The church and multipurpose building are expected to begin in
September and be complete in seven to nine months, St. Hagop’s priest
said.
St. Hagop’s is part of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, which
traces its origin to the first century, when the apostles Thaddeus
and Bartholomew preached in Armenia and were martyred.
For Dr. Hagop “Jack” Mashikian, a retired psychiatrist and vice
chairman of the church’s parish council, the new buildings will be a
testament to more than perseverance of a congregation that draws
worshipers from the Tampa Bay area and beyond.
“It’s a vindication of the spirit of survival of our forebears,” he
said.
Last weekend’s requiem, which followed the customary Sunday Divine
Liturgy, was offered for the 1.5-million Armenians killed between
1915 and 1923 by the Central Committee of the Young Turk Party of the
Ottoman Empire. Then, Armenians were a Christian minority in a Muslim
community.
In 1915, thousands were deported and sent to starvation and death in
the Syrian desert. Along the way, they were attacked and killed by
bands of Turks. Mashikian, the parish council member, said that many
young women were forced into harems or to marry their abductors.
“The intent of the Ottoman Empire was to annihilate the Armenians,”
Mashikian said.
Armenians lived in what is now eastern Turkey, he said. They also
were in the southeastern part of the country, which now is mostly
occupied by Kurds.
In the United States, Armenians are concentrated in the Boston area,
Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Michigan, New York and New
Jersey. Most are descendants of survivors of what is called the first
genocide of the 20th century.
“There is hardly any Armenian over the age of 60 here who does not
have an immediate member of his family as a victim of genocide,” said
Mashikian, who lost his maternal grandfather, paternal grandparents
and an uncle in the brutality.
Lani Silver, a genocide historian who worked with Steven Spielberg as
a consultant on his oral history of Holocaust survivors, said the
trauma of genocide lasts for generations.
“There’s a hole in your heart forever. You’ve been a people that have
been hated enough to be killed,” said Silver, who was in St.
Petersburg this week to give a talk, “Making the Link: The Holocaust,
Genocide and Racism,” at the University of South Florida St.
Petersburg.
“This speaks to the beauty and strength of the Armenian people that
they have continued on despite such a murderous crime,” Silver said.
What’s sad, she added, is that “very few people really remember the
Armenian genocide.”
On Sunday, though, Armenian Martyrs’ Day, St. Hagop’s tiny chapel
could not hold all who wanted to remember.
“After 90 years of crying, of lamenting, of hoping, this little
community is showing its survival,” Mashikian told those gathered.
“Our brothers and sisters perished with hope for days like today.”

SPRING FLOODS STARTED IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, APRIL 27. ARMINFO. Spring floods started in Armenia have
already caused damages to agriculture and property of country’s
citizens.
As ARMINFO was informed in the press-service of Emergency Situations
Department at Armenia’s Government, the flood started on Apr 24-26
because of heavy rains and warming caused water floods of houses, sown
areas and cattle-sheds in villages of Aragats, Khnaberd, Vardablur,
Gehgadir, Lusagyugh and Nigavan of the Aragatsotn region. The flood
also damaged a pipeline of water-supply system of Lusagyukh village,
the earthwork dam of reservoir in Geghadir. Region’s governor decided
to create a commission to determine the extent of damage and liquidate
the consequences.
Eghegis river overflown from banks and flooded farmlands in Hermon
village. The foot-bridge has been destroyed, the water-supply system
has been damaged. The flood damaged also villages of Tez-Khabar, Arpa
and Shatin. The same damages was also registered in Shirak, Armavir
and Gegharkunik regions. The extent of damage is being defined.

Turkish foreign minister returns from “fruitful” EU meeting
Anatolia news agency
26 Apr 05
ANKARA
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul who attended Turkey-EU
Association Council meeting in Luxembourg returned to Turkey on
Tuesday [26 April].
Gul told reporters at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport that his meetings in
Luxembourg were very fruitful.
Gul said: “We revised mutual responsibilities during Association
Council meeting and expressed our expectations. We also exchanged
views on the ways of solving problems.”
“Prior to Association Council meeting, I met EU officials and we
discussed Cyprus and Iraq issues as well as various foreign political
issues. I expressed my views about them during the council meeting as
well,” said Gul.
“Turkey has recorded great progress in terms of fulfilling the
political criteria. Reform process will be pursued in a determined
manner. Besides new laws and arrangements, we also attach importance
to implementation of these laws,” he added.
Gul noted: “During the meeting, I conveyed Turkey’s expectations about
many issues particularly the Cyprus issue. We discussed financial
matters and problems regarding Customs Union. Issues about Customs
Union will be taken up during meetings in technical level.”
Gul said: “Understanding between Turkey and the EU on the Adjustment
Protocol was once again confirmed in the meeting.”
Upon a question, Gul said: “The process about the protocol within the
EU is expected to be completed by June. EU should firstly finish
domestic procedures and then invite Turkey. We fulfilled our
responsibilities on a large scale and if the EU does the same, the
protocol process will continue in a healthy way.”
Upon another question, Gul confirmed that Armenian President [Robert]
Kocharyan replied to the letter of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. Gul added that the reply of Kocharyan will be examined
carefully and a statement will be released later.

Frankfurter Rundschau
25. April 2005
Gedenken an Völkermord ;
1915 Genozid an Armeniern
von RHAMACHER
Frankfurt a. M./Eriwan · 24. April · big/dpa · Die hessische
Landesregierung hat die Haltung der Türkei zum Völkermord an den
Armeniern vor 90 Jahren kritisiert. Bei der Gedenkfeier für die Opfer
des Genozids in der Frankfurter Paulskirche sagte Regierungspräsident
Gerold Dieke am Sonntag, die Türkei müsse “aus eigenem Antrieb”
geschichtsverfälschenden Darstellungen entgegen treten und die eigene
Historie aufarbeiten. “Es wäre bedauerlich, wenn das Angebot der
Türkei, eine gemischte Historikerkommission einzusetzen, vor allem
eine Geste im Hinblick auf EU-Beitrittsverhandlungen wäre”, sagte
Dieke. Er vertrat bei der Gedenkfeier den hessischen
Ministerpräsidenten Roland Koch (CDU).
Der Völkermord unter osmanischer Herrschaft werde “von den Urhebern
und ihren Nachfolgern mit beträchtlichem Aufwand verleugnet”, so
Dieke. Auch die Deutschen hätten gute Gründe, “Verstrickung oder gar
Komplizenschaft” aufzuarbeiten. Das Archiv des Auswärtigen Amtes
belege die Beteiligung an der Planung und Ausführung von
Deportationen durch deutsches Militär “zumindest in Einzelfällen”,
sagte der Regierungspräsident.
Beschämung über die Verstrickung
Der Ratsvorsitzende der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland (EKD),
Wolfgang Huber, bat das armenische Volk für die deutsche Beteiligung
an dem Massenmord um Verzeihung. “Ich sehe mit Beschämung die
Verstrickung unseres Volkes”, sagte Huber am Samstag bei einem
ökumenischen Gottesdienst im Berliner Dom anlässlich des 90.
Jahrestages des Massenmords. An die Regierung richtete er die Bitte,
“sich zur deutschen Mitschuld zu bekennen, den Anteil an den
Ereignissen aufzuarbeiten und im eigenen politischen Handeln daraus
Konsequenzen zu ziehen”.
In Armenien gedachten am Sonntag mehr als eine Million Menschen – ein
Drittel der Bevölkerung – des Massenmords und der Vertreibung. In der
Hauptstadt Eriwan legten die Trauernden Blumen an der Gedenkstätte
Zizernakaberd (Schwalbennest) nieder, die den 1,5 Millionen Opfern
gewidmet ist. Präsident Robert Kotscharjan verlangte eine strikte
Verurteilung des Massakers durch die internationale Gemeinschaft. Die
Türkei bestreitet den planmäßigen Mord bis heute. Die
UN-Menschenrechtskommission hat die Gräueltaten als Genozid gewertet.
Mindestens 15 Staaten, darunter Frankreich, schlossen sich diesem
Urteil an.

KESQ, CA
April 26 2005
Turkish group urges Schwarzenegger boycott

ANKARA, Turkey A Turkish business group is demanding today that
Governor Schwarzenegger’s movies be banned from Turkish television
because of an Armenian genocide statement.
The governor declared April 24th a “Day of Remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide.”
The Armenian government says up to one-point-five (m) million
Armenians ultimately died or were killed over several years as part
of a campaign to force them out of Turkey. The 90th anniversary of
the campaign was marked April 24th by Armenians.
Turkey does not deny that many Armenians died, but says that most
were part of the general unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman
Empire.
An umbrella group of some 300 Turkish associations, unions and
businesses says it is launching a petition to ban Schwarzenegger’s
movies in Turkey. They claim the governor is “acting under the
influence of the Armenian lobby” and has not researched historical
truths.
California has one of the largest populations from the Armenian diaspora.

Söndagen den 24 april 2005
Publicerat 24 april 2005 05:30
Picture:
En bild från 1915 visar kvarlevorna från armeniska dödsoffer efter
turkisk deportation som skedde under -senare delen av 1910-talet.
Trots krav från EU vill Turkiet inte erkänna att ett folkmord ägt rum.
Folkmord ännu tabu i Turkiet
Den armeniska frågan är den mest förbjudna i Turkiet, ännu 90 år efter
de händelser som en stor del av omvärlden beskriver som ett folkmord
och som en av 1900-talets första folkutrotningar.
I dag, den 24 april, högtidlighåller armenier världen över minnet av
de över en miljon kristna som blev systematiskt mördade i sydöstra
Turkiet. Händelserna utspelade sig vid en tid när det osmanska
imperiet låg i dödsryckningar och när Ungturkarnas nationalistiska
rörelse gjorde den armeniska minoriteten till syndabockar för
imperiets förluster i första världskriget.
I dagens turkiska republik är det ännu tabu att kalla händelserna
1915, “Svärdets år”, för ett folkmord.
Men långsamt håller detta tabu på att brytas ned, till stor del tack
vare fritänkande turkiska forskare som banat väg för en ny
historiesyn.
Statsbyråkratin i Ankara reagerar dock med ryggmärgen när omvärlden
kräver ett erkännande av att det var ett folkmord för 90 år sedan, när
armenier och assyrier/syrianer fördrevs och dukade under i öknen.
Ett skäl till att frågan är så het är kopplingen mellan Ungturkarnas
ledare och skaparen av det moderna Turkiet, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,
“turkarnas fader”. Kring Atatürk råder en hjältekult i Turkiet och den
som fläckar bilden av Ungturkarna lämnar fältet fritt för en
omprövning av republikens grundare.
avgörande betydelse för Turkiets möjligheter att bli medlem av EU.
– Inte bara den armeniska frågan ställs på sin spets, utan hela den
turkiska historieskrivningen. Den historia man lär barnen i skolorna
är falsk. Den börjar med 1923, när republiken bildades. Man glömmer
kopplingarna bakåt till den forna osmanska regimen. På papperet är vår
historia helt rent och det är en del av problemet, säger Etyen
Mahcupyan, frispråkig armenisk kolumnist på den konservativa, och i
huvudsak islamiska, tidningen Zaman i Istanbul.
Etyen Mahcupyan är en av endast 60 000 kvarvarande armenier i
Turkiet. De flesta, kring 95 procent, bor i storstaden Istanbul. Borta
i sydöst, i provinshuvudstaden Diyarbakir kan man i Gamla stan hitta
spår av gamla vackra armeniska patricierhus och kyrkor som
förfallit. Där finns endast en armenisk folkspillra kvar, troligen
endast 20 personer, att jämföra med de mer än 420 000 armenier som
levde i staden vid 1800-talets slut.
– I religiös bemärkelse har armenier i Turkiet inga problem i dag.
Men den som vill bygga eller reparera en kyrka får slåss mot en
övermäktig byråkratisk apparat och ger oftast upp, säger Etyen
Mahcupyan, känd debattör på turkisk tv.
Kraven på att Turkiet ska erkänna folkmordet 1915 provocerar fram
motreaktioner bland turkiska ultranationalister.
De gjorde sig hörda när Turkiets store författare Orhan Pamuk nyligen
tog bladet från munnen. I en schweizisk tidning förklarade han att “en
miljon armenier och 30 000 kurder dödats i Turkiet”, varvid en
ultranationalistisk tidning satte den uppviglande rubriken: “Tysta
förrädaren!”.
Bråket fick Pamuk att lämna Turkiet av fruktan för sin
säkerhet. Samtidigt beordrade en guvernör i landsorten alla
distriktets bibliotek att rensa bort böcker av Pamuk – varvid det
uppdagades att den Nobelpristippade författaren inte fanns
representerad på bibliotekshyllorna.
Det etablerade Turkiet oroar sig för att EU ska ställa erkännandet av
ett folkmord som ett villkor för medlemskap.
De känner trycket från den franska nationalförsamlingen, inte
minst. Etyen Mahcupyan anser dock att det vore ett misstag av EU att
villkora medlemskapet med ett erkännande av folkmordet. På sikt kan
inte Turkiet skjuta frågan ifrån sig, men det kommer att ta tid innan
republiken är mogen för en öppen diskussion, argumenterar den
armeniske kolumnisten.
Han tror att det är klokt att gå långsamt fram.
– Annars kan man framkalla en turknationalistisk comeback.
Vilket vore absurt.
Inför det turkiska parlamentet har han och andra armeniska
intellektuella nyligen argumenterat för att Turkiet bör normalisera
sina förbindelser med Armenien.
Etyen Mahcupyan menar att ett sådan normalisering, “om den sköts
klokt”, kan leda till att Turkiet slipper skadestånd för fasorna 1915.
Premiärminister Tayyip Erdogan och utrikesminister Abdullah Gül
ansluter sig till den officiella kör som förnekar folkmordet 1915.
– Men talar man med dem informellt skulle de antagligen säga att de
vill få problemet ur världen, om också Armenien tar ett steg i rätt
riktning. Men formellt dominerar den statliga retoriken. De har svårt
att gå mot strömmen, för de är rädda för reaktionerna från
turknationalisterna, säger den armeniske kolumnisten i Istanbul.
BITTE HAMMARGREN
[email protected]
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