The silence of Covid-19 and 105 years since the Armenian genocide
Virtual pilgrimages to the Mausoleum. Patriarch Karekine II makes a lone prayer visit. The speech of Prime Minister Pashinian. Silence, darkness and light. Turkish denial.
Yerevan (AsiaNews) – The mausoleum of the Armenian genocide located on a hill near the capital Yerevan has never been as empty as yesterday, April 24, the anniversary of the genocide (photo 3).
Every year, the mausoleum – erected on the occasion of the 50th anniversary – is invaded by millions of mourning Armenians. Yesterday was completely empty due to the Covid-19 emergency. For the first time ever, all roads leading to the memorial were closed until 10 this morning, with the only possibility that of a virtual pilgrimage.
From 8 am yesterday morning, anyone who wanted to participate even with a sign, could send a text message, even from abroad. The names of the people who sent the text message were projected onto the 12 columns of the mausoleum which represent the 12 provinces of western Armenia.
For all Armenians this region was occupied by the Turks who in 1915 perpetrated the most horrible crime against humanity. They then took possession of the goods, the monasteries, destroyed precious secular manuscripts, occupied 90 percent of the homeland of the Armenian people.
The genocide not only caused the annihilation of most Armenians in western Armenia, but deprived them of their homeland, also their spiritual and religious heartland, condemning to oblivion irreplaceable treasures not only in material terms, but also in terms of music, language, culture and even the language of some dialects now lost forever.
At 9 o’clock in the evening of April 23, the eve of the commemoration, the bells of all the churches in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh rang in unison for 3 minutes, followed by the turning off of all the lights in the streets and squares of Yerevan and all the provinces of the country. At the same time, the entire population, each at the window of their home, lit candles, smartphone lights, all joining in the minute of collective silence across the country (photo 1).
Meanwhile, on live television and on social media sad melodies and moments of silence were broadcast from the mausoleum. Suffrage masses for the victims in empty churches were streamed via the web.
The first to arrive and lay down a wreath of flowers, praying before the eternal flame in memory of the one and a half million victims, was the Katholicos of all Armenians, Karekine II (photo 2).
He was followed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, accompanied only by his wife. In a speech broadcast live from the mausoleum, the premier recalled “the policy of armenophobia conducted by the Ottomans” in 1915.
“The Armenian people – he added – have not only suffered the loss of a huge number of human lives, but also the forced deportation and cultural genocide … This crime is not only against our ethnic identity; it is a crime against human civilization”.
“We are grateful – said Pashinian – to the countries and peoples who recognized him. But why our feelings do not subside, rather they are more vivid after 105 years? Simply because the consequences of the genocide have not yet been eliminated. To date, Turkey has not asked for forgiveness for what it has done.”
The Armenian genocide, the only genocide against Christians, and the first of the last century – called “the century of genocides” by John Paul II – continues to be denied by today’s Turkey. A Turkish law penalizes anyone who claims that it ever happened. In a statement two days ago, the Democratic People’s Party – in the opposition in Turkey – criticized the Ankara government for failing to address its responsibilities after more than a century, and proposed to name squares and streets in Turkey in honor of the Armenian victims of the genocide.
Canadian Armenians donate to food banks to mark anniversary of 1915 genocide
With millions of Canadians worried about putting food on the table due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings, the country’s Armenian community has found a new way to mark the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide this year.
Instead of the usual solemn gatherings and protest marches that mark the anniversary of the 1915 genocide in Ottoman Turkey every Apr. 24, the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) is urging community members to donate to a program designed to feed vulnerable Canadians in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.
La Tablée des Chefs project “Les Cuisines Solidaires” is raising money to provide 1.6 million meals to food banks across Canada with the help of different partners.
Jean-François Archambault, managing director and founder of La Tablée des Chefs, said he was proud to collaborate with the Armenian community across Canada.
“Seeing the serious impacts of the crisis in our communities, we looked for a way to help people and imagine a great engagement of leaders and actors of the agrifood sector,” Archambault said.
The response was immediate, he added.
“In less than a week, we mobilized generous public and private partners, received confirmations from chefs across the province and the support of many stakeholders in the agrifood industry!” Archambault said.
Donations to the initiative have also poured from the Armenian community.
“We are proud of our partnership with this great organization and we strongly believe that as the Armenian-Canadian community is preparing to mark the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide under the current difficult circumstances, it is our duty to help our fellow Canadians who are most in need, in honour of our 1.5 million victims,” ANCC co-presidents Hrag Tarakdjian and Shahen Mirakian said in a statement.
An Armenian woman kneeling beside a dead child in field near Aleppo, 1915.
Historians estimate that nearly 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered or died during death marches into the Syrian desert organized by the government of Young Turks as they sought to find a “final solution” to Turkey’s “Armenian Question” during WWI.
Within a short span Turkey’s millennia-old Armenian community was essentially wiped out from its historic homeland with survivors scattered around Diaspora communities in the Middle East, Europe, North and South America.
To this day the government of Turkey has refused to acknowledge the genocide, saying the number of victims has been inflated and that Turks as well as Armenians and other Christian minorities were killed during inter-communal strife.
Apr. 24 marks the symbolic beginning of the genocide when 234 of prominent Armenian intellectuals, politicians and community leaders were rounded up by Turkish police in Istanbul and sent to camps in the interior of the country where most were executed.
The Canadian government recognized the events of 1915 as genocide in 2006, under then Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In addition, the Senate and the House of Commons of Canada have also adopted resolutions recognizing the events of 1915 as genocide.
In 2015, the House of Commons unanimously passed a motion declaring Apr. 24th as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial Complex in Yerevan, Armenia on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
In a statement released on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this dark period of history should never be forgotten.
“As we recognize the strength and spirit of the Armenian people, we also look forward with hope to a future of peace and mutual respect,” Trudeau said in a statement.
“Hatred and violence must never again be met with indifference. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to building a world where everyone can feel safe from discrimination and persecution, no matter who they are, where they are from, or what they believe.”
Ankle bells and ghazals – India
Armenia decries crimes against ‘civilisation’ on genocide anniversary
Yerevan (AFP) – Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday decried crimes against “civilisation” and demanded an apology from Turkey as his country marked the 105th anniversary of the WWI-era Armenian genocide.
The genocide is a “crime not only against our ethnic identity, but also against human civilisation,” Pashinyan said in a message after laying flowers at a genocide memorial in the capital Yerevan.
Commemorative events were scaled back this year due to the coronavirus restrictions imposed throughout the country, and the Yerevan memorial was closed to the public.
In a short video address at the memorial, Pashinyan said that after more than a century, “the consequences of the genocide have not been eliminated.”
“Turkey has not yet apologised for what it did,” he said, adding that Yerevan “demands” that Ankara officially recognise the massacres as genocide.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million people were killed as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart during World War I in what amounted to genocide, a claim supported by some 30 countries.
Turkey fiercely rejects the genocide label, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian troops.
Yerevan has long demanded Ankara provide financial compensation and restore property rights to the descendants of those killed in the 1915-1918 massacres, which Armenians call Meds Yeghern or the Great Crime.
Pashinyan said Armenians “are still facing the challenges posed to our people at the outset of the twentieth century.”
He said that instead of visiting the memorial, Armenians worldwide will be able to send their names to a mobile number to have them displayed on the pillars of the memorial until dawn.
Commemorations started in Armenia on Thursday evening, when street lights were switched off and church bells chimed across the country.
Yerevan residents also switched off lights in their homes and many lit candles or waved mobile telephone flashlights at windowsills.
Last month, Armenia — which has reported 1,596 coronavirus cases and 27 deaths — declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the infection.
Armenia decries crimes against ‘civilization’ on genocide anniversary
The genocide is a “crime not only against our ethnic identity, but also against human civilization,” Pashinyan said in a message after laying flowers at a genocide memorial in the capital Yerevan.
Commemorative events were scaled back this year due to the coronavirus restrictions imposed throughout the country, and the Yerevan memorial was closed to the public.
In a short video address at the memorial, Pashinyan said that after more than a century, “the consequences of the genocide have not been eliminated.”
“Turkey has not yet apologised for what it did,” he said, adding that Yerevan “demands” that Ankara officially recognize the massacres as genocide.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million people were killed as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart during the First World War in what amounted to genocide, a claim supported by some 30 countries.
Turkey fiercely rejects the genocide label, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian troops.
Yerevan has long demanded Ankara provide financial compensation and restore property rights to the descendants of those killed in the 1915-1918 massacres, which Armenians call Meds Yeghern or the Great Crime.
Pashinyan said Armenians “are still facing the challenges posed to our people at the outset of the twentieth century.”
He said that instead of visiting the memorial, Armenians worldwide will be able to send their names to a mobile number to have them displayed on the pillars of the memorial until dawn.
Commemorations started in Armenia on Thursday evening, when street lights were switched off and church bells chimed across the country.
Yerevan residents also switched off lights in their homes and many lit candles or waved mobile telephone flashlights at windowsills.
Last month, Armenia — which has reported 1,596 coronavirus cases and 27 deaths — declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the infection.
More on this story from CTVNews.ca :
Armenian Genocide commemorated with online Humanitarian effort, donation of over 3m meals
One hundred years on, let’s finally recognize the Armenian Genocide
In her most recent book, The Education of an Idealist, Samantha Power dedicates significant time to the Armenian Genocide. She advocated for its recognition before joining the Obama administration, then failed to do so while serving as a special assistant to the president on the National Security Council and then as ambassador to the United Nations.
As part of her ongoing apology tour, Power has argued that she tried to strike the right balance between idealism and realism. In the end, she concluded that the politics of genocide was too complicated.
Power’s book came out at the same time Congress passed landmark nonbinding resolutions last year that formally affirmed recognition and defined American policy on the Armenian Genocide as the systematic mass extermination of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1923.
As a first-generation Armenian-American and grandson to survivors of the Armenian Genocide, this historic decision was something I had been waiting for my entire life. I wanted to know that the stories about how my grandfather, Haroutiun Toufayan, hid in a haystack for more than 40 days from Turkish soldiers while his father and brother were taken away (never to be seen or heard from again) had not been told in vain.
Unfortunately, that sense of euphoria and jubilation quickly turned to skepticism and doubt. After all, this wasn’t the first time Congress had recognized the Genocide. We had been down this road before when similar acknowledgments had been made in 1951 and 1984 and by Ronald Reagan early in his presidency. There were multiple reports that the Trump White House sought to block the resolution on the Senate floor so as to appease Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ankara officially responded by calling the resolutions political theater, claiming they had been proposed merely because of heightened tensions between the United States and Turkey over that country’s invasion of Syria and purchase of a Russian S-400 missile system. It was also widely whispered that Democrats were trying to send a message to President Trump by sabotaging his budding relationship with Erdogan. It reminded me of how political this issue had become.
Although it’s often referred to as the “forgotten” genocide, the Armenian Genocide has increasingly become the “political” one. We’ve seen presidential candidates on the campaign trail looking for votes and money promise recognition, only to capitulate to Turkish pressure once in office.
To understand why Turkey continues to deny its role in orchestrating the first genocide of the 20th century, and Washington’s complicity in that denial, one must examine the political machinations of the Cold War and America’s War on Terror.
In seeking not to upset Turkey for geopolitical reasons, the U.S. has avoided holding Turkey culpable for these atrocities and crimes against humanity. During the Cold War, the U.S. would often claim that it was not in our national interest to do so because Turkey was a NATO ally, strategically located near the Soviet Union. When the Cold War ended, the rationale turned to the War on Terror and Turkey’s importance as a launching pad for U.S. airstrikes against ISIS and other Islamic fundamentalists from the Incirlik Air Base.
Following the attacks of 9/11, Washington even went so far as to cite Turkey as a model democracy in the Middle East, despite the country’s poor record on human rights and free speech. It all boils down to Turkey taking advantage of its geopolitical position to influence how it wants the world to see it. Unfortunately, perception is reality when it comes to Turkey. It’s one of the reasons the Turkish government spends so much money each year on lobbyists to manufacture and shape Turkey’s image.
Sadly, this issue has become a political football where politicians use empty threats to gain leverage with Turkey. Even Israel, a country founded in the wake of genocide, has used the Armenian Genocide as a political cudgel when dealing with Turkey. Last year, for example, lawmakers voted to debate recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the Knesset as relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated over unrelated matters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son even took to social media to accuse Turkey of genocide.
What politicians fail to understand is that genocide isn’t a political issue — it’s a human rights issue. Political expediency should play no role in this debate. For far too long, we’ve seen Turkish subterfuge define this issue for U.S. policymakers, who invariably acquiesce to Turkey’s wishes. When decisions are being made to score political points, it then opens lawmakers up to questions around the authenticity of those outcomes.
What’s more, it sows doubt about their intentions and can play right into the hands of deceitful actors. At a time when trust in our government leaders is at a nadir, we should be vigilant in holding autocrats like Erdogan accountable for his country’s actions and history. Our abrogation of that responsibility only adds to Turkey’s resolve, giving it cover to question the sincerity of our motives.
It’s incredible the amount of power and sway that Turkey has over Washington, D.C., when it comes to dictating foreign policy. Are we to take guidance from a country that purports to be a democracy when more journalists sit in Turkish jails than anywhere else in the world? Are we going to take their word over ours?
Today marks the Armenian Genocide’s 105th anniversary. It’s high time that the U.S. honor and acknowledge this Genocide — not because it serves a political purpose, party, or foreign government, but because it is the right thing to do.
We owe it to my grandfather, as well as the survivors and victims of all genocides.
Stephan Pechdimaldji is a public relations professional who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Trump calls 1915 events by Armenian name as Biden calls for genocide recognition
(Updates with statements in paragraphs 4, 8-10)
In a statement released on April 24, Armenian Remembrance Day, U.S. President Donald Trump repeated a commitment to “fostering a more humane and peaceful world,” and used the Armenian phrase Meds Yeghern, meaning the Great Calamity, for the events of 1915.
“Beginning in 1915, 1 and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire,” the statement said, echoing previous years and calling the events, “one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century.”
The statement focused on cooperation between the American and Armenian peoples, while welcoming “efforts by the Armenians and Turks to acknowledge and reckon with their painful history.”
“Failing to remember or acknowledge the fact of a genocide only paves the way for future mass atrocities,” presumptive Democratic candidate for the 2020 U.S. presidential race Joe Biden said in a statement, and announced his pledge to support a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
Today, we remember the atrocities faced by the Armenian people in the Metz Yeghern — the Armenian Genocide. If elected, I pledge to support a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide and will make universal human rights a top priority. https://t.co/Afl5lMLPR3
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden)
The name Meds Yeghern was used for the first time by former U.S. president Barack Obama in 2009, and his administration continued to use for the rest of his term. Trump has repeated the term after coming to office. Ronald Reagan remains the only U.S. president to have used the term genocide, during the inauguration of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1981.
The U.S. House of Representatives in October last year passed a bill recognising the events as genocide with overwhelming support, but three efforts to officially recognise them as the Armenian Genocide were blocked in the following months by Republican senators Lindsey Graham, David Perdue and Kevin Cramer. The resolution passed when attempted for the fourth time at the Senate, though the U.S. administration has not recognised the events as “genocide” and said that the administration’s position has not changed.
“The Administration’s statement falls short of the national consensus as reflected in the unequivocal affirmation by the Congress of the United States which overwhelmingly adopted H.Res. 296 and S.Res. 150 last Fall, as well as by 49 American states,” Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Washington-based non-governmental organisation Armenian Assembly of America, said in a statement to reporters.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered condolences to the grandchildren of “Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives under the harsh conditions of World War I,” in a letter to Archbishop Sahag II Mashalian, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople.
“Our most important wish is that groups who have other intentions are not given an opportunity (to derive animosity out of history) as we desire and work for a future full of unity, prosperity and peace,” Erdoğan said.
The White House statement “is based on the subjective narrative that Armenians try to turn into dogma,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a response statement.
The Turkish ministry pointed to the “suffering of more than 500,000 Muslims massacred by Armenian rebels,” and mentioned “radical Armenians who want to obscure their responsibility in the events of 1915.”
“We commemorate with respect all civilian Ottoman nations, Muslim, Christian and Jewish, who lost their lives during the period of dissolution of the Ottoman Empire,” it said.