Category: News

Associated Press Worldstream
April 23, 2004 Friday 7:06 AM Eastern Time
Armenian spiritual leader urges international action to prevent
future genocide
by JOSEPH PANOSSIAN; Associated Press Writer
ANTELIAS, Lebanon
Commemorating the early 20th century death of hundreds of thousands
of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey, the spiritual leader of about 2
million survivors and their descendants on Friday urged international
action to prevent future genocide.
Aram I, head of the Armenian Orthodox Church in the diaspora, said
the world should impose economic sanctions, “and in extreme
situations, engage in humanitarian intervention” to stop mass
killings.
“These are the most efficient ways of preventing genocide,” he told a
two-day conference organized by his church.
Speaking at the opening session of the conference on Thursday, Aram I
also announced the establishment of an International Center for
Dialogue, Peace and Human Rights, to be based at his seat in the
northern Beirut suburb of Antelias.
The International Conference on Genocide, Impunity and Justice
brought together Lebanese Cabinet ministers, lawmakers, religious
leaders from other sects and foreign scholars and diplomats.
Speakers focused on the inadequacy of existing international criminal
laws in dealing with mass killings, which mostly go unpunished. The
speakers included U.N. human rights and world court officials, as
well as a presidential representative from Rwanda, where the world’s
latest genocide a decade ago killed nearly 800,000 people.
Armenians say they lost 1.5 million people in 1915-23 as Ottoman
Turkish authorities deported entire communities from various
provinces. Turkey says the number of deaths was fewer, and that they
resulted from civil unrest.
Starting Friday, Armenians around the globe mark the anniversary of
the start of the killings with marches, torch parades, sit-ins,
lectures and vigils.
But in Lebanon for the second consecutive year, such public
manifestations by the vibrant Armenian community of nearly 100,000
were canceled because of the conflict in Iraq and the Palestinian
territories. Only a candlelit vigil will be held Friday at the seat
of the Armenian Orthodox Catholicosate in Antelias.
Armenians have been trying for decades to gain recognition of the
mass killings in Turkey as the 20th century’s first genocide. Turkey
has repeatedly opposed the measure.
Canada on Wednesday became the 16th country to label the killings as
genocide when its parliament backed a resolution 153-68 condemning
the actions of the Ottoman Turkish forces as a “crime against
humanity.” Turkey protested the Canadian vote.
Switzerland, France, Argentina and Russia – as well as 11 U.S. state
governments – have also called the killings genocide, and Armenians
are lobbying for similar action from the U.S. government.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian rights champion describes attack on himself as “state terror”
Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
23 Apr 04
YEREVAN
The chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Association, Mikael Danielyan,
said in Yerevan today that he regarded the recent attack on himself as
a manifestation of “state terror directed against the activities of
our organization”.
On the morning of 30 March, unknown people beat Danielyan up outside
his house. On 31 March Armenian President Robert Kocharyan instructed
Prosecutor-General Agvan Ovsepyan to examine all circumstances
regarding the attack on Danielyan and hunt down the perpetrators.
Danielyan told a briefing in Yerevan that Kocharyan’s directive “was
still in the air”. According to Danielyan, “it is no coincidence that
the Prosecutor-General’s Office is taking this case superficially
because the incident was a state directive”.
Danielyan said that “the Armenian authorities do not want to change
their approach to the protection of human rights and do not honour
their international commitments”.

Protesters in Armenian capital condemn attack on politician
Noyan Tapan news agency
23 Apr 04

YEREVAN
Representatives of over a dozen human rights, youth and educational
public organizations staged a protest action outside the office of the
Forum of Intellectuals between 1300 and 1400 [0800-0900 gmt] on 23
April. Ashot Manucharyan, a member of the political council of the
Armenian Socialist Forces and the Union of Intellectuals, was brutally
beaten up outside the office yesterday [22 April].
The protesters condemned the act of violence and demanded that the
organizers and perpetrators be unmasked and punished. “If
law-enforcement agencies do not begin fulfilling their direct duties,
we consider it our duty to draw the public’s attention to the problem
of permanent violence through persistent actions and achieve the
restoration of justice,” the youth representatives said.
“This country is for all the citizens, not just for a group of people
who will decide who should be beaten today and who tomorrow. Until a
crime is not solved, this will continue,” the chairman of the Uys
(Hope) organization, Karen Akopyan, said.

Georgian authorities dismantle Armenian “genocide” monument – agency
Arminfo, Yerevan
23 Apr 04
AKHALKALAKI
At about 2100 local time [1600 gmt] yesterday, employees of the
regional police of the town of Akhaltsikhe dismantled a khachkar
[cross-stone], which had been installed on top of a hill in the
vicinity of the town. According to A-Info news agency, the khachkar
was installed to commemorate the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide
in Ottoman Turkey. A solemn ceremony to unveil it was to be held on
the genocide day – 24 April.
According to the report, before dismantling the khachkar, the
policemen detained the head of the organizational committee for
installing the khachkar, Lyudvig Petrosyan, and set him free after
holding him at the police station for four hours. According to
Petrosyan, the khachkar was dismantled on direct orders from the
Georgian president’s plenipotentiary representative in the
Samtskhe-Javakheti region, Nikoloz Nikolozashvili, “in connection with
the absence of permission to install it”. However, Petrosyan insists
that the Akhaltsikhe mayor’s office had earlier given permission to
install the khachkar.
Akhaltsikhe residents are planning to hold a protest rally on 23 April
in connection with the incident, A-Info news agency reports.

US citizen arrested in Armenia for participating in opposition rallies
Noyan Tapan news agency
23 Apr 04
YEREVAN
US citizen Artur Vardanyan was arrested on 22 April on suspicion of
committing crimes under Article 300 (misappropriation of state power)
and Article 329 (illegal crossing of the state border) of the Armenian
Criminal Code.
According to a report received from the press service of the Armenian
Prosecutor-General’s Office on 23 April, “the active participant in
rallies, Vardanyan” was summoned to the Prosecutor-General’s Office on
22 April as a witness to testify about insults against representatives
of the authorities, as well as about public calls and actions directed
at the forcible seizure of state and constitutional power.
During the interrogation, it was discovered that Vardanyan, who has
been living in the USA since 1991 and has been a citizen of that
country since 2002, illegally crossed the state border several times,
using an Armenian passport. On 11 April, he arrived in Yerevan again,
“actively participated in opposition rallies and actions directed at
the forcible seizure of state power”. The Prosecutor-General’s Office
has informed the Armenian Foreign Ministry about these facts.

US envoy tries to be impartial in assessment of situation in Armenia – paper
Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
23 Apr 04
Text of Hayk Gevorkyan report by Armenian newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak
on 23 April headlined “The ambassador tried to seem neutral”
US Ambassador to Armenia John Ordway held a regular news conference
yesterday. Naturally, its main theme was the domestic political
situation in Armenia after the 13 April events [opposition rally].
The keynote of the ambassador’s answers was that the events should
develop in a way that would rule out violence and ensure a
constructive dialogue between the authorities and the opposition.
“It is obvious that there are many different views regarding Armenia’s
future and those differences should be resolved only in a democratic
and civilized way, exclusively by means of political dialogue,” the
ambassador said.
However, his words concerning the dialogue were more directed to the
authorities: “It is very important that the authorities create a basis
for political discussions and the opposition takes part in these
discussions.” It was evident that it was a principled task for US
Ambassador to Armenia John Ordway not to make any statements
expressing a preference for either party. So, he noted several times
that actions of the authorities did not promote dialogue. The
ambassador asked a rhetorical question: is it realistic to wait for
the opposition to enter the dialogue when, for example, police starts
acting in front of their parties’ offices?
According to Ordway, it is no good if the parties think that they are
in a deadlock. He especially stressed that all the actions aimed at
coming out of the current situation should be decided “in Armenia and
by Armenians”.
He said that in the last 10 days he had had numerous meetings and
telephone talks with party leaders, including [Armenian President
Robert] Kocharyan. But he declined to specify the details of the
meeting with Kocharyan.
As for the recognition of the Armenian genocide by the USA, the
ambassador believes that the USA has not changed its position
regarding this issue. “But I am expecting that in two days we shall
have the US president’s statement dedicated to 24 April [marked in
Armenia as “genocide day”] and it will then be clear how he decides to
form our policy,” John Ordway said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russian parliament not to push Interior Ministry for probe into racial
assault
Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow
23 Apr 04
The State Duma has declined to forward to the Russian Interior
Ministry a request for an inquiry into skinheads’ assault against an
Armenian boy in Kostroma, [independent] Duma MP Vladimir Ryzhkov has
said.
The skinheads splashed petrol over the 11-year-old boy and set him
alight in Kostroma on 22 April.
Ryzhkov said that his proposal that the Interior Ministry should
provide the State Duma with the information on this crime and the
steps taken to detain and punish the culprits, quote – due to
technicalities had been voted on and the majority of the Duma, which
is the One Russia faction, has voted down this procedural request –
unquote.
In doing so, the State Duma showed that it sees nothing terrible in
crimes of this sort and is unwilling to demand that the Interior
Ministry take emergency steps to this effect, Ryzhkov said.

Is this a new wave of deporting Azerbaijanis from Georgia?
Zerkalo, Baku
22 Apr 04
The Azerbaijani daily Zerkalo has urged the government to get to grips
with the plight of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia. The paper quoted a
letter from Georgia’s Azerbaijani intelligentsia who blamed the new
Georgian authorities for oppressing ethnic Azerbaijanis and muffling
the Azerbaijani-language press. They called on Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev to do everything possible to stop the “genocide” being
conducted by the new Georgian authorities against the Azerbaijani
population. In turn, Zerkalo warned that if the situation is not dealt
with, this might lead to a new wave of refugees in the country, this
time from Georgia. The following is an excerpt from M. Yasaroglu
report by Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 22 April headlined “Is this
a new wave of deporting Azerbaijanis from Georgia?” and subheaded
“Georgian nationalists are trying to eliminate the leaders of the
Milli Qeyrat movement”. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:
The editorial office of Zerkalo newspaper received an appeal from a
group of representatives of the Azerbaijani intelligentsia in Georgia
yesterday. To be honest, the first lines of the letter caused alarming
feelings in us.
Do not remain indifferent to our problems
“We request that the Azerbaijani leadership help and protect the
progressively thinking Azerbaijanis, in the person of Niyaz Huseynov
(editor-in-chief of Yeni Dusunca newspaper), who are being arrested
and humiliated for no reason. We ask President Ilham Aliyev to
intervene in this situation and do everything possible to stop the
genocide against the Azerbaijanis conducted by representatives of the
new authorities! Azerbaijani villagers are being denied land, and
there are still no water and power supplies. At customs checkpoints on
the Georgian-Azerbaijani border, they beat up, humiliate, arrest and
extort money from Azerbaijanis.
“We would like to come to you and tell you about everything that is
being done against us, but we have no such opportunity. We can only
send you our representatives because since the arrest of photo
correspondent Qacar Huseynov and in connection with the persecution of
the newspaper’s editor-in-chief Niyaz Huseynov, individual
representatives of the Azerbaijani intelligentsia have been afraid to
leave Tbilisi and Borcali (Kvemo-Kartli), and have been afraid to go
out and speak aloud. They fear because they will be immediately
labelled as “separatists”. We hope that the Azerbaijani leadership
will not remain indifferent to what is happening.”
The appeal was signed by representatives of the Azerbaijani
intelligentsia: Maqsud Huseynzada, chairman of the NGO Georgian and
Azerbaijani journalists; Cingiz Mursaqulov, a coach of Tbilisi’s David
Kvajadze kickboxing club; Camil Novruzov, chairman of the council of
elders of the NGO Georgian and Azerbaijani journalists (Marneuli);
Arif Huseynov, representative of the Azerbaijani intelligentsia in the
village of Qacagan of Marneuli District; and Renat Bagirov,
representative of the NGO Georgian and Azerbaijani journalists in
Baku.
Georgian Azeris should unite to protect themselves
Zerkalo has repeatedly raised the issue of the restriction of the
rights of our compatriots in Georgia – the country through which we
are building a pipeline to Europe and to which we ceded the
transportation tariff that was due to us.
The letter from the intelligentsia representatives is nothing other
than the confirmation of our previous statements that no
representative of the new Georgian authorities can accuse those people
of nationalism. Although the current situation testifies to the
opposite: maybe we should have taken an uncompromising nationalistic
position like the Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakheti [Armenian-populated
region of Georgia]? Incidentally, this would be more “effective” as we
outnumber the Armenians. To all appearances, we, the Azerbaijanis,
very often overestimate the idea of “friendship” with regard to
Georgia. And therefore, we paid for that.
“The rights of Azerbaijanis have been grossly trampled on and violated
in Georgia of late, and the staff of the Tbilisi-based
Georgian-Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Dusunca are being persecuted. It
is planned to close down the Milli Qeyrat [National Dignity]
organization of the Azerbaijanis, which has been operating in Marneuli
since 1989, and to eliminate the leaders of this organization – former
[Georgian] MP Zumrud Qurbanli and the chairman of the organization,
Alibala Asgarov,” the statement said.
The representatives of the intelligentsia said that Qacar Huseynov, a
photo correspondent of the Azerbaijani-language newspaper Yeni
Dusunca, was arrested on 3 April by the decision of the
Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi district court in Tbilisi. The editor-in-chief of
the newspaper, Niyaz Huseynov, was initially charged for political
motives and then, under the article on “fraud”. Representatives of
the new Georgian government are simply trying to eliminate him.
Paper’s campaign for local Azerbaijanis irritates new authorities
The crux of the matter is that the photo correspondent of Yeni Dusunca
paper, Qacar Huseynov, gained a great number of votes for the Labour
Party in the Azeri-populated village of Soganli. He was the chairman
of a commission from the Labour Party.
Yeni Dusunca paper has repeatedly drawn attention to the problems of
Azerbaijanis living in Georgia. The paper published articles headlined
“A demolished mosque in old Tbilisi”, “The closure of the Azerbaijani
dramatic theatre in Tbilisi’s old district of Meydan in 1950”, “A
brutal assault on and beating of Azerbaijanis”, “Mass illegal arrests
of Azerbaijanis by the police in Georgia”, “On the gross violation of
the rights of Azerbaijanis in Kvemor Kartli”, “Azerbaijanis are
fourth-class citizens of Georgia”, “On the Red Bridge on the
Georgian-Azerbaijani border, members of the new Georgian government
are demanding a huge bribe from each Azerbaijani bus”, “Churches are
being pulled down today, mosques will be pulled down tomorrow”, “Did
Saakashvili receive a warm welcome in Baku?”, “Saakashvili blocks
Ajaria”, “A bribe has been paid for arresting the editor-in-chief”,
“SOS! Help, they want to close down the paper!”.
As a result, the office of the newspapers and the computer centre
where it is printed were searched without a lawyer by the decision of
the chairman of the Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi district court,
Songulashvili-Simongulyan.
Editor-in-chief’s family persecuted
“After the so-called ‘velvet revolution’, on 21 January, at night, a
group of armed people attacked the members of the family of the
editor-in-chief of the Azerbaijani-language newspaper, Niyaz
Huseynov. His mother and brother were physically insulted. It emerged
later that the attackers were members of the ruling National Movement
Party.” They demanded that the Huseynovs immediately leave
Georgia. They also spoke about several articles against
representatives of the incumbent authorities.
[Passage omitted: Niyaz Huseynov and Qacar Huseynov were arrested]
Many Azerbaijanis in Georgia have lately been living with a feeling of
alarm. Representatives of the new local district authorities are
literally oppressing them – members of the intelligentsia are being
sacked from their jobs, peasants are being simply oppressed. The
region has sunk into mayhem. And as a consequence, on 18 April, a
clash occurred between Azerbaijanis and the local authorities in the
village of Kolagir in Bolnisi District. They are trying to force
Azerbaijanis to adopt the Orthodox faith. Since the “velvet
revolution”, such clashes in the region have become more and more
frequent.
[Passage omitted: Paper could not contact representatives of the
Azerbaijani organization]
We think that the Azerbaijani authorities should not revel in “sweet”
promises voiced from aside, including from the new Georgian
leadership, and come to grips with this completely neglected
issue. There is no time left. Some time later we might witness a new
wave of Azerbaijani refugees.
The Azerbaijani authorities should start by remembering the recent
past. They should look through several pages of the most recent
history and recall how the deportation of the Azerbaijanis from
Armenia started.

AGBU PRESS OFFICE
55 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone (212) 319-6383
Fax (212) 319-6507
Email [email protected]
Webpage
Friday, April 23, 2004
BAYRAKDARIAN DEBUT AT AGBU AND HAMAZGAYIN-SPONSORED EVENING IN YEREVAN
IS SOLD-OUT
New York – Isabel Bayrakdarian performed on April 20, 2004, at
Yerevan’s Khachaturian Concert Hall under the direction of Armenian
Philharmonic Orchestra (APO) Conductor, Eduard Topchjan. The
AGBU-sponsored APO and Hamazgayin jointly organized the sold-out
evening attended by President Robert Kocharian, His Holiness Karekin
II, government ministers, foreign embassy representatives and leading
Armenian cultural personalities.
The Armenian Canadian soprano performed a program of arias from
popular operas, including Rossini’s “Barber of Seville and Dikranian’s
“Anoush” opera, as well as an array of Armenian chamber pieces.
Internationally known, Bayrakdarian first enchanted opera lovers in
New York where she won the Metropolitan Opera prize in 1997. She has
performed with many of the leading opera companies in Brussels, New
York, Paris, Salzburg and Toronto. She has also performed on the
Grammy Award winning soundtracks of the movies, “The Lord of the
Rings” and “The Two Towers”.
Impressed by the APO’s professionalism, Bayrakdarian thanked the
audience with heart-felt emotion for what proved to be a special
experience for her. “Though I have sung in many places, I am feeling
this joy for the first time. It feels great to sing in my homeland and
to sing for people who are very dear to me. I wish to hug each of you
present in the hall and to kiss Armenian land,” she said.
The Bayrakdarian concert is the latest in a season of AGBU-sponsored
performances. This year, productions of “Gayaneh” and “Anoush” by the
National Theatre of Opera and Ballet were made possible through grants
provided by AGBU. While the “Gayaneh” ballet premiered April 4,
“Anoush” will be performed on May 8.
AGBU has been a proud sponsor of APO since 1993 and continues to
champion the finest in Armenian cultural talent around the world. For
more information on AGBU cultural programs, please visit

Hellenic Resources Network
Monday, 8 March 2004
Background Paper on the Pontian Genocide
Misc. Docs. Directory
From: Akis Haralabopoulos [email protected]
GENOCIDE of the PONTIAN GREEKS
Pontus means “sea” in Greek and is located in the south-eastern littoral of
the Black Sea. Its connection with Hellenism stretches back to pre-historic
times to the legends of Jason and the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece
and to Heracles obtaining the Amazon Queen’s girdle. The coastal region was
colonised by the Ionians, especially the city of Miletus which founded
Sinope (785 BC), Trapezunta (756 BC) and the numerous other cities along the
coast from Heracleia to Discurias in the Caucasus. The Hinterland was
gradually Hellenised and this was completed after Alexander’s conquests. Its
contribution to Hellenism in those 2800 years has been enormous: Diogenes
hailed from Sinope and Strabo from Amaseia, it was here that Xenophon found
a safe haven, that the great Comneni dynasty reigned, the home of Cardinal
Bessarion and the Hypsilandis family; it was also the last Greek territory
to fall to the Turks (in 1461). Many famous churches, monasteries and
schools are a testament to the resilience of Hellenism. The Pontians are a
distinct Greek people with their own dialect, dances, songs and theatre.
For the Pontian Greeks all ended in tragedy in the years 1914-22. Of the
700,000 Greeks living in Pontus in 1914, 300,000 were killed as a result of
Turkish government policy and the remainder became refugees. Three millenia
of the Greek presence was wiped out by a deliberate policy of creating a
Turkey for the Turks. The Pontian people were denied the right to exist, the
right of respect for their national and cultural identity, and the right to
remain on land they had lived on for countless generations.
The turning point in the treatment of Greeks in Turkey was the alliance
between Germany and the Sultan that commenced after the Treaty of Berlin
1878. Germany regarded Anglo French protection of Christians as an obstacle
to its interests and convinced the Turkish authorities that the Greeks were
working for the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Germany opened the Berlin
Academy to Turkish military officers and General Gotz was appointed to
restructure the Ottoman armed forces. The successful national movements in
the Balkans posed a threat that the same would occur in Asia Minor. After
the Balkan Wars the Young Turks decided that Asia Minor would be a homeland
for Turks alone and that the Greeks and Armenians had to be eliminated. The
outbreak of World War I made this possible and Germany willingly sacrificed
the Christian minorities to achieve its aim in the Middle East. However, it
is the German and Austrian diplomats reports that confirm that what took
place was a systematic and deliberate extermination of the Christian
population. Genocide. Not security or defence measures, not relocations of
population (why forcibly relocate populations?) not war, not retaliation in
response to the activities of Pontian guerillas or Russian invasion but
GENOCIDE.
Terrorism, labour battalions, exiles, forced marches, rapes, hangings,
fires, murders, planned, directed and executed by the Turkish authorities.
This can be corroborated by the German and Austrian archives now made
public:
24 July 1909 German Ambassador in Athens Wangenheim to Chancellor Bulow
quoting Turkish Prime Minister Sefker Pasha: “The Turks have decided upon a
war of extermination against their Christian subjects.”
26 July 1909 Sefker Pasha visited Patriarch Ioakeim III and tells him: “we
will cut off your heads, we will make you disappear. It is either you or us
who will survive.”
14 May 1914 Official document from Talaat Bey Minister of the Interior to
Prefect of Smyrna: The Greeks, who are Ottoman subjects, and form the
majority of inhabitants in your district, take advantage of the
circumstances in order to provoke a revolutionary current, favourable to the
intervention of the Great Powers. Consequently, it is urgently necessary
that the Greeks occupying the coast-line of Asia Minor be compelled to
evacuate their villages and install themselves in the vilayets of Erzerum
and Chaldea. If they should refuse to be transported to the appointed
places, kindly give instructions to our Moslem brothers, so that they shall
induce the Greeks, through excesses of all sorts, to leave their native
places of their own accord. Do not forget to obtain, in such cases, from the
emigrants certificates stating that they leave their homes on their own
initiative, so that we shall not have political complications ensuing from
their displacement.
31 July 1915 German priest J. Lepsius: “The anti-Greek and anti-Armenian
persecutions are two phases of one programme – the extermination of the
Christian element from Turkey.
16 July 1916 German Consul Kuchhoff from Amisos to Berlin: “The entire Greek
population of Sinope and the coastal region of the county of Kastanome has
been exiled. Exile and extermination in Turkish are the same, for whoever is
not murdered, will die from hunger or illness.”
30 November 1916 Austrian consul at Amisos Kwiatkowski to Austria Foreign
Minister Baron Burian: “on 26 November Rafet Bey told me: “we must finish
off the Greeks as we did with the Armenians . . . on 28 November. Rafet Bey
told me: “today I sent squads to the interior to kill every Greek on sight.”
I fear for the elimination of the entire Greek population and a repeat of
what occurred last year” (meaning the Armenian genocide).
13 December 1916 German Ambassador Kuhlman to Chancellor Hollweg in Berlin:
“Consuls Bergfeld in Samsun and Schede in Kerasun report of displacement of
local population and murders. Prisoners are not kept. Villages reduced to
ashes. Greek refugee families consisting mostly of women and children being
marched from the coasts to Sebasteia. The need is great.”
19 December 1916 Austrian Ambassador to Turkey Pallavicini to Vienna lists
the villages in the region of Amisos that were being burnt to the ground and
their inhabitants raped, murdered or dispersed.
20 January 1917 Austrian Ambassador Pallavicini: “the situation for the
displaced is desperate. Death awaits them all. I spoke to the Grand Vizier
and told him that it would be sad if the persecution of the Greek element
took the same scope and dimension as the Armenia persecution. The Grand
Vizier promised that he would influence Talaat Bey and Emver Pasha.”
31 January 1917 Austrian Chancellor Hollweg’s report: “. . . the indications
are that the Turks plan to eliminate the Greek element as enemies of the
state, as they did earlier with the Armenians. The strategy implemented by
the Turks is of displacing people to the interior without taking measures
for their survival by exposing them to death, hunger and illness. The
abandoned homes are then looted and burnt or destroyed. Whatever was done to
the Armenians is being repeated with the Greeks.
Thus, by government decree 1,500,000 Armenians and 300,000 Pontian Greeks
were annihilated through exile, starvation, cold, illness, slaughter,
murder, gallows, axe, and fire. Those who survived fled never to return. The
Pontians now lie scattered all over the world as a result of the genocide
and their unique history, language (the dialect is a valuable link between
ancient and modern Greek), and culture are endangered and face extinction.
A double crime was committed – genocide and the uprooting of a people from
their ancestral homelands of three millenia. The Christian nations were not
only witnesses to this horrible and monstrous crime, which remains
unpunished, but for reasons of political expediency and self interest have,
by their silence, pardoned the criminal. The Ottoman and Kemalist Turks were
responsible for the genocide of the Pontian people, the most heinous of all
crimes according to international law. The international community must
recognise this crime.