Category: 2018

Extend Resources to GUSD

GLENDALE—The Armenian National Committees of America – Glendale Chapter and Western Region have extended their resources and services to the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools to help relieve circumstances that may have contributed to the fight between dozens of students at Hoover High School a week earlier.

The ANCA – Glendale and Western Region representatives met with the School Board President Mr. Greg Krikorian and the Superintendent of Schools Dr. Winfred B. Roberson & GTA president Taline Arsenian on Wednesday, October 10 to learn more about the incident and about what actions were being taken by the School District to ensure the safety of the students, prevent the reoccurrence of violence, and offer the support of the organization, the Glendale Youth Center and affiliated organizations.
The ANCA – Glendale and Western Region are very concerned that tensions between several groups may have contributed to the violence.

“Our organization is taking the initiative to reach out to parents, students, school officials, city officials, and Glendale based organizations to work together on having healthy relations between all of our City’s residents,” we will continue monitoring the situation and will be in constant contact with all officials to make sure the situation will be handled diligently, stated ANCA – Glendale Co-Chair Ronnie Gharibian.

“The ANCA – Glendale and affiliated organization representatives will continue meeting with parents, students, school officials, other community organizations, as well as City officials to implement actions that contribute to better relations between the City’s diverse ethnic population,” added the advocacy organization’s Co-Chair Lucy Petrosian.

The ANCA – Western Region has also contacted some local television news programs to express its concerns over the coverage by some reporters and suggest actions to increase awareness and improve unbiased news reporting.

According to Glendale’s school officials, approximately 38 percent of the students are of Armenian descent, 23 percent are Hispanic, 13 percent are Asian, 6 percent are Filipino, 2 percent are African American, American Indian, Pacific Islander and/or decline to state students.

Long-time community activist, leader and benefactor Hacob Shirvanian passed away on August 23 at home surrounded by family and friends. A Requiem service on the 40th day of his passing was held in Armenia. During a funeral service on August 29 at Liberty Hall at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills. Shirvanian’s family and friends paid tribute to him, which we present below.

Hacob Shirvanian’s biography was presented in English during his funeral service by his daughter-in-law Melody Petrossian

Hacob “Jake” Shirvanian was born in Tabriz, Iran in 1923 to Vagharshag Shirvanian, an Armenian war hero for the defense of Van, and Verjeen Shirvanian. Both of his parents were Genocide survivors. He had three sisters, Anelka, Savey and Angel and a younger brother, Kosti. Hacob’s father passed away when he was 13 years old, and as the eldest son, he had to drop out of school to support his family.

During the Second World War, Hacob served with the British Persian Gulf Command and the U.S. Armed Forces. His unique mastery of languages, including English, Farsi, Turkish, and Armenian, positioned him as an interpreter.

Hacob married the love of his life, Mina Hovanessian, in 1946 and was happily married for over 71 years, until her passing last December. They were blessed with 2 children, Alice and Armen. His dream was to come to the U.S to create a better life for his family. In 1956, the Shirvanians entered New York Harbor onboard the Queen Mary and soon after reunited with Kosti and Savey in California, making Los Angeles their home. Hacob’s quest for the immigrant dream became a reality after he joined Kosti and Savey at Western Waste Industries. Forty years later, Western Waste would become the 5th largest waste services company in the U.S.

Hacob felt very fortunate when Alice married Vahik Petrossian, not only because he loved Vahik like a son, but also because he loved Vahik’s family as his own. Hacob was later blessed with 2 grandsons, Chris and Shant, a granddaughter in-law Melody, and three great-grandchildren, Christopher Jake, Sebastian Monte and Katherine Mina. He was very fortunate to celebrate his 95th birthday on August 17th with his loving family by his side.

Hacob’s service, talents and expertise were recognized by Governor Ronald Reagan, who appointed him to the California Waste Management Board in 1973. Thereafter, Hacob was appointed by Governors Jerry Brown, George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis to the State Small Business Board and then the State Contractors Board. Hacob holds the distinction of serving 33 consecutive years as a State Board member, serving five consecutive Governors in a truly bipartisan fashion.

Together, Hacob and Mina supported many Armenian organizations, including the Armenian Educational Foundation, Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Armenian Relief Society, Armenian National Committee, Armenian Cultural Foundation, Armenian Society of Los Angeles, Ferrahian Armenian School and the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Hacob was not only a supporter, but often an active board member to many of these organizations.

Hacob was also an active and dedicated member of the Glendale Adventist Church and Adventist Health of Glendale, where for years he has served on the Hospital Foundation Board and Civic Advisory Council.

Throughout the years, numerous Armenian and Artsakh Presidents, Catholicoses, Governors, and dozens of other state and local officials would honor and fondly call him Jake or Baron Hacob. Hacob and Mina were also celebrated by Armenian and American organizations for their commitment and support of our communities, including such tributes as Man of Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards. Both Catholicos Karekin II and Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia honored Hacob with the church’s highest honor for his hard work, dedication and commitment to the Armenian community.

Hacob and Mina’s greatest love was to support the Armenian youth. They renovated schools in the most impoverished areas of Armenia, Artsakh and Javakhk and provided scholarships to deserving students. Their most recent mission was the construction of the Armenian Cultural Foundation’s Shirvanian Youth Center in Gyumri. After multiple visits to Armenia over the past 40 years, Hacob and Mina made their final visit to the homeland for the opening of the youth center in the summer of 2016.

Hacob Shirvanian has been described as a pillar of the community. He was a mentor to many and a champion for the Armenian cause. He made a pronounced impact on the lives of all who knew and loved him. His legacy will live on in all of us.

To honor the memory of their father, Hacob Shirvanian, his son, Armen and daughter, Alice Petrossian wrote heartfelt and personal letters to their dad. The letter were read during the funeral service by Shiravanian’s grandson, Shant Petrossian

Dear dad,

How do I express the multiple feelings of love, gratitude, pride in this time of pain and loss?

We loved you so much, your way of love was strong and strict yet if we looked into your beautiful eyes we knew that it was because you LOVED us.  I remember the day I said I want to go away to college and live in a dorm/apartment, you replied “not as long as you are my daughter.” I knew you loved me no matter what.

The day I married Vahik, a man you and mom adored, I saw you cry secretly because I was leaving home, and yet you stayed strong for me. Your love was evident with every visit to Oakland.

When the boys were born, you showed love by holding, feeding and even a few times changing them.  Mom repeatedly said you never did that for your own kids.  I wont forget the joy and excitement you showed when the grandchildren were born. But I know you prayed for a little girl and asked to live long enough and God granted you Katherine, who loved you to the last minute kissing you over and over again.

But your love was so grand it extended to your family, worrying about your siblings and their families, by the way you worried too much!  Your love for Armenia and all things Armenian was beyond any measure, you brought that love into our lives.  Your love for travel, history, nature and your zest for life was always impressive.

“Gratitude” a grand word that embodies you.  We are all so very grateful to you…the family, the community, and many political leaders … have expressed their gratitude in ways I could never imagine.  I wish you could read and hear the messages, the comments and the memories being shared with us.

Apo Bohigian said that even in your passing you manage to do good things, and I believe you will continue to make the world a better place.  Your generosity is above and beyond any measure, you gave and gave to causes that had your heart…

Please know that we will do our best to continue your gift of giving and stay faithful to your wishes.

At age 13 you lost your father, and became the man of the house.  Taking care and worrying about Anelka, Savey, Angel and Kosti, oh wait and 2 grandmothers Vergine and Vasganoush.  How you cared for and supported your mother in law was a model for all of us.  Proud that you worked hard to make a living in Iran and continued that same work ethic to the United States.  Your life early on was difficult, but you were strong.

What continually made me proud was when you and mom would shine from stages and Podiums. What a talent you had for saying the right words and giving the right prayers and so the praise followed.

With the passing of each friend and family member you hurt deeply.

The greatest loss you suffered was that of mom, the love of your life for 72 years, she kept her 5 plus years of cancer pain from you so you would not hurt, and you kept your pain from her so she would believe that all was well.  You suffered for 15 years with Parkinson’s and never, never, never complained.  Your suffering the last month and a half was truly difficult, but never once did you let your family feel your pain.

After the loss of your precious Mina, you were never the same again.  You asked for her regularly, you looked at her pictures with great sorrow.  I only pray that you are together now, holding hands and smiling down on us.

You said near the end that you had asked God to live until 90 and anything more would be bonus years.  We thank GOD we got 5 more …bonus years.

Dad your faith in GOD saw you through much, and now our faith in God and YOU, will see US through.

Be at peace, and know you will never be forgotten.

Alice

***

My beloved father,

You will be so missed but never forgotten.

I want to thank you dad for all you taught me and the life lessons learned. You taught me the love of the Lord you taught me the meaning of morality and How to live with integrity. You showed me with your beautiful wife what it means to love cherish and respect a woman. You taught me the love of people and nation. You showed what it meant to have a father and mother who would stand by their children no matter what life brings.

Most of all dad you and mom taught me how to love and what it means to love. God bestowed on me the greatest blessing of all a mother and father that were incomparable that loved without question that sacrificed without hesitation that truly gave all they had and lived an amazing life for themselves their children their children’s children their loved ones and friend

Proverbs 1:8 says: “MY SON, HEAR THE INSTRUCTION OF THY FATHER, AND FORSAKE NOT THE LAW OF THY MOTHER”
You will be missed but never forgotten. I love you dad. May God bless you and mom. May god bless us all.

Armen

Hacob Shirvanian’s grandson, Chris Petrossian, presented an ode to his grandfather during his funeral service.

As you just heard, Hacob Shirvanian was a community leader, a successful businessman, a savvy politician, and a loving family man, but his most important accomplishment was being the best grandfather anyone could ask for. Ever since I can remember, Shant and I would proudly say that Hacob Shirvanian is our grandfather.

Shant and I were so fortunate to have the grandparents we had, for as long as we did.  9 months ago, many of you heard about our bond with Mamik Mina.  Well, our relationship with babik was just as strong, as he was involved with every aspect of our life. We lived together, we worked together, we traveled together, we played together, we laughed together, and, more recently, we cried together.

He was our friend, our teacher, our role model, our hero and our babik.

As our friend, we enjoyed spending as much time with him as possible. He had a great sense of humor and was a lot of fun. The best part of working at Western Waste was seeing him every day and the conversations we had on the long drives from Glendale to Torrance and back. If we needed anything, like a good friend, he would be there in a heartbeat with no questions asked. Whether it was going with me to look for apartments at UCLA or driving across the country to move me to Chicago.

As our teacher, he taught us about life and the world. Even at a young age, he would treat us like adults and set high standards for us to meet. He used to love to lecture us on any topic and Shant and I could not wait to get out of class. The only way out of that class was the class bell and that was Mamik saying, “Hacob, end it”. He used to say, the best education he gave us was the “passport to life” through all the travels, trips, political and other events he took us to. He wanted to make sure we learned from each of them. Well Babik, those experiences made us the men we are today.

As our role model, we looked up to him and marveled at what he had accomplished as an immigrant with only an 8th grade education.  He was our motivation and cheerleader to succeed in academics, athletics, careers and in our personal lives. He wanted to make sure we had the opportunities he did not. As a good role model, he taught us how to give back to our community. Two years ago, we all went to Armenia for the opening of their Youth Center.  They were so happy to not only visit the motherland one last time, but to know that they left a lasting legacy that we will do our best to continue.

As our hero, he taught us to stand for what we believe in and to never give up. When grandma passed away, he lost not only the love of his life, but also his best friend of over 70 years.  Broken-hearted and not feeling well, he said he just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up. However, he persevered to stay alive to celebrate his 95th birthday with us. The doctors said his body gave up, but he did not. He was a fighter who refused to quit… the story of his life.

As our babik, he loved us unconditionally and treated us like we were the center of his universe. Grandpa was a notoriously slow driver. Grandma said the only time he drove over the speed limit was when he was coming to see Shant, me or my kids. We wanted to honor the great man he was, so when Melody and I had our first son, we made Jake his middle name, with the hopes that he will grow up to be a great man like his great-grandfather.

Over the past week, it has been nice hearing how grandpa impacted many of your lives, too. He appreciated how you treated him when he was alive. On behalf of the family, I want to thank you all for how you honored my grandfather in the past and how you continue to honor him with your presence today.

Knowing him, he would want to stand in front of you all today, to thank you for coming and tell you not to mourn him, but rather celebrate the wonderful, blessed life he lived.  He was an accomplished speaker who knew how speak from the heart and command a room.   And whenever he went a bit too long, which was often, it would be grandma by his side saying “Hacob, end it.”  I am sure she is up there now saying, “Chris, end it.”

The last time I spoke with Grandpa, he kissed me on my cheek and said “God, be with you”.  Well babik, you are now with God and our beautiful Mamik.  Please give her a big kiss from us.  We will miss you both dearly and will never forget the mark you left on our lives, but you are where you belong… with each other and with God.  I love you babik…

A long-time family friend, Charly Ghailian, paid a moving tribute to Hacob Shirvanian, whom he called “dad” during the funeral service

To some he was known as Jake, or how I knew and called him—Dad!

I would like to share a song from the 60’s, its lyrics portray a young man’s gratitude toward a father figure:

“One who would lead by example
Whose love was unconditional
Whose kind deeds heartfelt”

…And the repeating lyrics in the song are: “I call this man FATHER/I call this man LOVE”

Hacob Was Love
He loved his Mina… loved his Alice, Vahik and Armen; adored his grandchildren Chris and Shant; cherished his Melody and the blessings for Christopher, Sebastian and Katherine.

He embraced his siblings and treasured their family gatherings.

He was always grateful and respectful for this great country, enamored with his Hairenik and heartfelt with Artsakh.

He loved his parties…the Republican and Dashnak parties that is! At times, he struggled with their decisions… but was always committed and dedicated to both.

This GENTLE man of love was an activist, a revolutionary of his time, a servant of his nation, a mentor to many, a kind and generous soul… whose principles were Faith, Family and Nation!

Hacob supported just about anything that started with an “A” and a couple of “H’s” and “U’s”… ACF, AEF, ANC, ARS, Armenian Apostolic Church, Adventist’s/Adventist Health, AUA, Holy Martyrs School, Homenetmen, UCLA and USC.

The one thing Hacob wasn’t good at, was delivering the punch line of a joke. He would burst into laughter at that most critical moment, making everyone laugh hysterically as well…. However, no one ever knew the outcome of the joke.

Hacob played a big role in my life!!

He once said at my grandmother’s funeral service… “You’re not only laying to rest your grandmother, you’re laying to rest a part of our identity and history.”

I share the same with all of you, “We celebrate Hacob’s life and lay to rest a part of our identity and history.” … and assure you all… he is with his Mina planning their next trip to a heavenly destination!

We are all blessed to have had Hacob in our lives and forever in our hearts.

With all my love…

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

Revolutions don’t need elections, except to consolidate and legitimize what they’ve already achieved. Once elections are being held, or even discussed, a de-revolutionizing process has already commenced.

In light of this, being questioned as to whether I’m “with or against” the revolution (referring to developments in our homeland since April) is trite and annoying but it is happening, and that seems to be because I dare address some potential pitfalls. Questioning my support for revolution is laughable, given my membership in the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and my very public history of positions taken and ideas espoused. It is especially comical when it is done from a place of assessing my support for, and agreement with, Armenia’s current leader who seems to have drunk the neo-liberal Kool-aid when it comes to economic policy. But that’s a topic for another time.

The current challenge the Republic of Armenia faces is transitioning from a kleptocratic system foisted on it as a result of the ridiculous prescriptions western “advisors” (the same neo-liberal types mentioned above) rushed to write for the countries emerging from the collapsed Soviet Union and its satellites. This abomination saw the obscene enrichment of the few and immiseration of the many, leading to the uprising of Spring, 2018.

The leaders, principally Pashinyan, of the uprising tapped into a deep font of dissatisfaction, but it was no “revolution” with all that the word connotes – years of organizing, preparation, and a guiding ideology. What started out as a tiny group of people swelled into a real popular movement that swept away the first, outermost, layer of a system built on the rot of corruption.

Naturally, that corruption was the first target of the new regime. Very public actions were taken. This built confidence and allowed the new regime time to consolidate its new-found power. The next step taken was also very clever and aptly timed – the pursuit of the culprits of March 1, 2008. This further solidified support for the regime. But none of this could be permanent without an election to bring into office, formally, the people who led the movement in the streets.

The first step was electing a new city council and mayor for Yerevan. In this case I think the new regime did better than it initially imagined. The election was belatedly and artificially labeled a “referendum” and when the new regime’s candidates garnered 81% of the vote, its leadership realized the time was ripe to strike.

Despite some agreement/arrangement/understanding among the parties in parliament (back when Pashinyan was first elected Prime Minister) that snap parliamentary elections would be called in May or June of 2019, the new regime wanted to consolidate and legitimize itself through an election immediately while its support was at its peak. This is where the heavy-handedness and public relations tone-deafness of the other three parliamentary caucuses (Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Prosperous Armenia party, Republican Party of Armenia) manifested itself. Concerned that the new regime would marshal its supporters into the streets and prevent parliament from convening, they passed legislation (as yet unsigned by the president) on October 2nd to circumvent such a possibility. Yet, instead of getting out front and explaining what they were doing and why, they tried to do it stealthily and ended up further empowering the new regime.

All hell brook loose, or so it seemed. But analyst/commentator Tatoul Hagopian/Tatul Hakobyan explained it well when he said in a recent interview that “manipulation” (of public opinion) is what defines politics. He attributed that behavior to both sides of this kerfuffle, and contended, rightly, that all this should be taken in stride. Indeed, what seemed like an explosive situation when the October 2nd legislation passed has already settled down with one party, PAP, already agreeing with Pashinyan to hold snap elections in December. Sixteen members of the RPA have also stated they support early election. The ARF has said that it, too, supports snap elections as long as certain conditions – reforms to the country’s election laws – are met.

So the whole crescendo of people being labeled anti-revolutionary over a relatively minor political conflict was ridiculous. The descent to the streets and takeover of parliament’s grounds may have re-energized Pashinyan’s activists, but unfortunately, it also opened the doors to attacks on the Republic of Armenia from other quarters.

A retired American diplomat turned lobbyist, Joseph Adam Ereli, penned an article titled “Anarchy in Armenia” for the Washington Times. While this is not the most reliable of news sources, it still has significant reach. Arming people such as Ereli with opportunities to attack Yerevan does Armenians a disservice. It’s not clear to me why he did so. He has an association with Mercury/Clark & Weinstock, a Washington D.C. lobbying firm, which was hired earlier this year by both the Turkish Embassy and Turkey-U.S. Business Council. Yet the type of attack contained in the article reeks more of Azerbaijan’s style. On the other hand, it might even have been done at the behest of Robert Kocharian, similar to the case documented by Ara Khachatourian in “Kocharian Hires Western Lobbyist Who Worked for Azeri Interests” a few weeks ago.

If we want improvements to continue to our quarter-century-old third republic’s political, and consequently economic and social life, we had better stop fetishizing events and idolizing people and stick to the hard work of making up for the missed opportunities and abuses of the last 27 years while saving and expanding the few bright lights that shone through that period of relative darkness.

BY RAFFI BEDROSYAN

In August 2018, US President Trump angrily announced that sanctions will be implemented against Turkey, and personally against the Turkish ministers of interior and justice. What was the reason for Trump’s fury? The refusal to release Andrew Brunson, a US evangelical pastor arrested and jailed over two years ago, on still unproven charges of aiding terrorist organizations in Turkey and aiding the failed coup attempt against President Erdogan in June 2016.

The alleged mastermind of the failed coup attempt is Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric who lives in exile in Pennsylvania and Erdogan has repeatedly demanded his extradition from the US. In the absence of any real evidence, the Americans have not complied with the Turkish demands for Gulen’s return, and therefore, Turkey resorted to an age old tactic of hostage taking to achieve its objectives. The arrest and jailing of pastor Brunson, as well as several Turkish employees of the American Embassy in Turkey were meant to pressure the US to exchange them for Gulen. President Erdogan was even quoted a few months ago to have stated: ‘You give me my cleric, I give you your pastor.”

The use of hostages is a normal state of affairs in Turkish politics. Other recent examples include the arrest of a German journalist of Turkish descent, used as a hostage to secure the return of several Turkish military officers who had sought asylum in Germany. A similar demand for the return of Turkish military officers who fled to Greece was made by Turkey by taking hostage a Greek soldier who allegedly crossed the Greek-Turkish border.

The Greek, Armenian and Jewish minorities living in Turkey have been treated as hostages by the Turkish state throughout history. The religious and community leaders of these three minorities are pressured to declare their allegiance to the government, despite openly discriminatory conditions, unfair legislations, denials of historic facts, and so on. The pressure on the hostage minorities is maximized during crisis times. The most recent example is again related to the Pastor Brunson affair. Just as Trump demanded the release of the pastor, for no apparent reason, out of blue, all the minority religious leaders including the Armenian Acting Patriarch, the Greek Patriarch, the Jewish Chief Rabbi were paraded with one of the presidential aides of Erdogan and signed a declaration that “minorities live happily in Turkey, completely free to practice their religious and citizenship rights without any pressure.” It was obvious that the declaration that the minorities are not under pressure was obtained by pressure applied by the state on the minority leaders who had to comply obediently – or else… Sometimes, the state does not even have to exert any pressure and, as a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome, some minority leaders like the chairman of an Istanbul Armenian hospital foundation, voluntarily profess their love for their Turkish masters or parrot the state version of history.

This pattern keeps on repeating itself in Turkey. During the Cyprus crisis in the 1960s and 1970s, the Greek Patriarch in Istanbul was obliged to condemn the Greeks and praise the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. When German Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide and acknowledged its responsibility, the Istanbul Armenian Acting Patriarch condemned the decision and defended the Turkish version of history. When Israel takes any steps against Palestinians or Moslems in general, the Jewish minority in Turkey pays for it with attacks and vandalism against Jewish synagogues, shops and homes. When Greece is perceived to treat its Moslem citizens unfavorably, the Greek minority in Istanbul is punished by the state as retribution.
Sometimes one hostage community is used against another hostage community. When Armenians worldwide started to push for Armenian genocide recognition in the parliament of several states, the Jewish minority leaders in Istanbul were pressured to actively engage Jewish parliamentarians and influential political leaders in those countries to stop the genocide recognition legislation. The Jewish minority leaders in Istanbul were ‘persuaded’ by the Turkish state to convince the Jewish lobby in the US to counteract Armenian and Greek lobbies.

But the most obvious and painful hostage incident in Turkish history relates to the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide. When World War One ended with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey in 1918, the victorious Allies started occupying Istanbul and other regions of Turkey. In cooperation with the occupying British forces, the new Ottoman government went after the Ittihat Terakki leaders for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and for wholesale massacre of its own Armenian citizens. Turkish and British police started rounding up dozens of Ittihat Terakki leaders and commanders, at least the ones who had not fled yet. Trials ensued in Istanbul and most of the wartime Ittihat Terakki leaders, including Talat, Enver and Cemal who had already fled, were sentenced to death in absentia. Two lesser officials who were sentenced to death were executed by hanging in Beyazid Square in Istanbul in April 1919. The Turkish public opinion was dead set against these hangings, and concerned with increased protests against them, the British decided to transport all the jailed Ittihat Terakki leaders to the British colony island of Malta in the Mediterranean, and continue the trials there. 148 Turkish leaders were interned in Malta. Almost all of them were actively involved in the massacres and deportations of Armenians from various regions of Anatolia. Some of them had amassed great fortunes with stolen property, possessions and lands left behind by the murdered or deported Armenians.

In the meantime, the Turkish resistance movement led by Mustafa Kemal in Anatolia started to gain momentum against the Istanbul government, which was regarded as a puppet regime friendly to the occupying Allied forces. Mustafa Kemal and the newly formed government in Ankara demanded the release of the Malta prisoners. The Allied forces had sent British Colonel Rawlinson to Turkey to assess the situation in Eastern Anatolia, ahead of the Sevres Peace Treaty negotiations. Rawlinson had met with Mustafa Kemal, other Turkish commanders and community leaders. He was married to the niece of Lord Curzon, who was the British Prime Minister and chief decision maker at the peace treaty negotiations. Declaring that Rawlinson is a ‘valuable catch’, Mustafa Kemal promptly decided to arrest Colonel Rawlinson in order to force the British to release the Ittihat Terakki leaders jailed in Malta. After several rounds of negotiations, the British resolve to hold on to the Malta prisoners started to weaken. The hostage taking tactic of Mustafa Kemal succeeded, as Lord Curzon finally declared that “one Briton is worth more than a shipload of Turks.” An exchange of prisoners was agreed and Colonel Rawlinson, along with 20 other British prisoners of war, was exchanged for the 121 Turkish prisoners of Malta at the port of Inebolu in the Black Sea in October 1921. The freed Ittihat Terakki leaders were never tried for their war crimes nor their roles in the Armenian Genocide. In fact, most of them assumed leading positions in the new republican government as ministers and members of parliament. The state policy of hostages, denial of historic injustices and racist ultra nationalistic hatred of minorities inherited from Ittihat Terakki leaders continue today.

Editor’s Note: Turkish authorities on Friday release Pastor Andrew Brunson.