TORONTO, Canada—In April 2003, the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (a division of the Zoryan Institute; IIGHRS-Zoryan) was invited to a public gathering in Winnipeg by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) after an initial meeting with trustee Gail Asper in Toronto. As a Canadian institution, we lent our name publicly in support of the CMHR at an early stage.

Our early enthusiasm diminished over time, owing to the politics surrounding the museum. Owing to such politics, we still have no idea how the Armenian Genocide and other cases will be represented in the CMHR. The IIGHRS-Zoryan made a detailed presentation to CMHR officials in December 2009, as part of its public consultation, on how to represent genocide in general, and the Armenian Genocide in particular. When we found that the public consultations were not being taken into consideration by museum officials, and there was an outcry from various communities about what they felt was unfair treatment, we issued two public statements on this issue in February and August 2011, and wrote directly to Stuart Murray, the museum’s president and CEO. None of the points have been dealt with by the CMHR, nor has our letter been responded to.

The essence of the arguments is as follows: The lack of responsiveness of the CMHR and the absence of information about how cases of the gross violation of human rights will be represented raise questions as to which cases will be included, how much space will be allotted to each case, what their content will be, if they will have a permanent or only temporary exhibit, and how these decisions are made. Moreover, there is a close relationship between the gross violation of human rights and genocide that is being neglected in the museum’s planning. Unless we study such cases comparatively, the lessons that can be learned are of limited value, particularly with a view to the prevention of such cases.

In trying to fend off criticism from various community groups over its handling of these issues, the CMHR posted a statement on its website, originally appearing as a letter in the Globe & Mail on March 23, 2011, that the museum is not about genocide and never was. The August 2011 IIGHRS-Zoryan editorial rebutted this with explicit statements to the contrary from the museum’s own publicity. The editorial also argued the benefits of studying the known cases of genocide on a comparative basis. Finally, the editorial pointed out that as a federal institution, the CMHR was legally required to adhere to the official Canadian policy of multiculturalism, which is to integrate all citizens into Canadian society and treat them fairly and equally.

We recently learned from Armenian community representatives that the museum will include the five genocides officially recognized by Canada’s Parliament, including the Armenian Genocide, but we still do not know how they will be represented or how the CMHR will deal with the fundamental questions raised in our two public statements. It seems that the CHMR is playing community politics by contacting different groups at different times, while ignoring the challenging questions raised by an institute whose mission is the study of these very issues.

We raise these issues today to make the Armenian community aware of what has transpired over the past eight years. The IIGHRS-Zoryan calls upon the Armenian community of Canada to speak with one voice and to demand answers to these questions, for which we have been awaiting an answer for a long time.

Share on Facebook

Between 1717, when Mekhitar of Sepastia (1676-1749), born Gomidas Keumurjian and a convert to Catholicism, arrived in Venice with seventeen followers, and 1816, when the Lazarian College was founded in Moscow, the Mekhitarist monastery, established on the island of San Lazzaro in Venice, was the major center of Armenian culture worldwide.

Mekhitar’s program for uplifting the Armenian people consisted of three projects: 1) the unification of the Armenian with the Roman Catholic Church; 2) the introduction of the new learning of the European Enlightenment to the Armenian people; and 3) the presentation to Western scholarship of the achievements of Armenian culture.  To accomplish these goals Mekhitar placed his faith in education and publication.  The Mekhitarist Congregation, from its two monasteries in Venice and Vienna, still operates a network of schools in Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.  The Mekhitarist monastery on San Lazzaro remains one of the major centers of Armenian culture in the world.

Prof. Robert H. Hewsen received his doctorate from Georgetown University where he studied Armenian and Caucasian history under the pioneer Armenologist Cyril Toumanoff.  From 1967 to 1999, he taught Russian and Byzantine History at Rowan University in New Jersey, where he is now Professor Emeritus.  He has taught Armenian history as a visiting professor at numerous universities in the U.S. and abroad, lectured widely on Armenian subjects, and has been a regular participant in Armenian Studies panels at the annual Middle East Studies Association (MESA) conferences.

Hewsen is the translator of the seventh-century Armenian Geography of Anania Shirak-atsi and is the author of the landmark Armenia: A Historical Atlas as well as many scholarly articles, reviews, and book chapters.

For more information contact the Ararat-Eskijian Museum at 818-838-4862 or Ararat-eskijian-museum@netzero.net; Armenian Cultural Visionaries via John Chookaszian at 559-213-1959 or Sharon Williams (559) 696-3115; or NAASR at 617-489-1610 or hq@naasr.org.

Share on Facebook

LOS ANGELES:
Normandy Pharmacy
5112 Hollywood Blvd # 104, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Hollywood Land Cleaners
5211 Hollywood Blvd,  Los Angeles, CA 90027

ARBAT PRODUCE & DELI
5001 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Panos Pastry Bakery Café
5150 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Sober Life, Inc.
5419 W Sunset Blvd #7, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Haykazuni Fish & Meat Market
5301 Sunset Bl #3, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Hrach’s Hair Studio
5007 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Hillhurst Cleaners
1804 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Quick Stop Liquor
5102 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Big Mama’s & Papa’s Pizzeria
5051 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Noubar’s El Adobe Pharmacy
5207 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Sahag’s Basturma
5183 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90027

Universal Service Echange
5229 ½ Sunset Blvd,  Los Angeles, CA 90027

Nature’s Harvest Market
5636 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA  90028

Narek Market
5654 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Prestige Jewelry
6552 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Falafel Arax
5101 Santa Monica Blvd, #2, Los Angeles, CA 90029

Hye Pharmacy
5236 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

Parsegian Records
4900 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

Garni Market
4855 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

GLENDALE:
Star Pizza
440 West Broadway # A, Glendale, CA 91204

Alice In Beautyland
511 W Glenoaks Blvd # B  Glendale, CA 91202

Ed’s Barber shop
217 N Verdugo Rd # A, Glendale, CA 91206

Palmer Market
1017 E Palmer Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

Adam’s Cigarettes
1101 E Chevy Chase Dr. Unit E, Glendale, CA 91205

A-Z Gold Exchange
730 S Central Ave #113, Glendale, CA 91204

Fantasy Flowers & Gifts
1105 South Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

Voskevaz Grocery & Produce
1319 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205

Lili Flowers
515 1/2 S Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

Perfume & Gift Gallery
1247 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205

Glow Beauty Salon
919 South Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

Colorado Barber Shop
1303 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205

Tax Plus
1218 South Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

1980 Cleaners
420 South Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

Arsenio Perfume
1105 S Glendale Ave # A,  Glendale, CA 91205

Natalie’s Pastry
471 West Broadway, Glendale, CA 91204

Highland Water & Fruit bar
834 West Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91202

Armen Pharmacy
1025 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205

Old Fashion Deli
2830 North Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA 91208

Karinas Cake House
515 South Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

The Exotic Cigarettes
821 East Colorado Street, Glendale, CA 91205

Pizza Man
627 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205

Sevan Market & Fresh Produce
1357 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205

Masis Bakery
2064 Verdugo Blvd, Montrose, CA 91020

Eden Elixir
1615 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201

Cleaners Rio
1427–A W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201

Nayiri Produce
1631 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201

Blue Iris Floral
1629 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201

Hair Stylist & Make up Artist
1755 W Glenoaks Bl. #F, Glendale, CA 91201

Glenoaks Beauty Salon
1250 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201

Pop’s Video
1811 W Glenoaks Blvd #A, Glendale, CA 91201

Meline’s Nails
1833 ½ W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201

House of Smokes
1921 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201

Hye Market & Deli
1900 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201

Universal Service Exchange
1741 W Glenoaks Blvd, #A, Glendale, CA 91201

Sipan Bakery
1250 W Glenoaks Blvd # C, Glendale, CA 91201

Perfect Smile, Alfred Aidie, DMD
1219 N Pacific Ave, Glendale, CA 91202

Progress Insurance
847 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91202

Golden Market
1150 N Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91202

Mission Pharmacy
1131 N Pacific Ave, Glendale, CA 91202

Silver Star Cleaners
454 W Stocker St, Glendale, CA 91202

Pacific Travel Services
1138 N Pacific Ave #8, Glendale, CA 91202

Eye to Eye Optometry
1101 N Pacific Ave #105, Glendale, CA 91202

Ovsep Lusinyan, DDS,
Cosmetic and General Dentistry
501 W Glenoaks Blvd, #14, Glendale, CA 91202

Armen Market Meat & Deli
1101 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91202

Pacific Video
1160 N Pacific Ave, Glendale CA 91202

Perfect Smile
1219 N Pacific Ave, Glendale, CA 91202

Old Fashion Grocery & Catering
1225 N Pacific Ave, Glendale, CA 91202

Simon’s Hair Studio
1125 ½ N Pacific Ave, Glendale, CA 91202

Haugen’s Ideal Pharmacy
1155 N Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91202

Michel’s Hair Salon
1141 N Pacific Ave, Glendale, CA 91202

Pacific Gift Center
1102 N Pacific Ave, Glendale, CA 91202

Angelo SHOES
120A N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203

Levys Kitchen, Mediterranean Cuisine
108 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203

Rafik Jewelry
200 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203

Gnomon, Gold, Diamonds, Colored Gems
200 N Brand Blvd #A2, Glendale, CA 91203

Akel’s Jewelry
200 N Brand Blvd #C3, Glendale, CA 91203

Millennium Design Jewelry Inc
200 N Brand Blvd, Booth C2, Glendale, CA 91203

Brand Bookshop
231 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203

Sevani Jeweler
228 ½ N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203

Brand Newstand
234 ½ N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203

Glendale Central Pharmacy
610 N Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91203

Panos Pastry Bakery Café
418 S Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91204

KabobLand Restaurant
416 S Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91204

Samvel Hmayakyan, M.D., Board Certified Family Doctor
1133 S Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91204

Central Cigarette & Gift
412 S Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91204

Yu-Tig Meat & Deli Market
413 S Central Ave #B, Glendale, CA 91204

The Look Hair Salon
919 S central Ave #E, Glendale, CA 91204

Glendale Ranch Market
1222 S Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91204

Hye Pharmacy
1200 S Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91204

CK Groceries
515 S Verdugo Dr, Glendale, CA 91205

United Shipping Group
1307 E Colorado Blvd, Glendale, CA 91205

Universal Travel & Tours
1305 E Colorado Blvd, Glendale, CA 91205

Glendale Suit Gallery
236 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91205

Universal Service Exchange
1019 ½ E Palmer Ave, Glendale, CA 91205

Urartu Coffee
119 N Maryland Blvd, Glendale, CA 91206

Ararat-Eskijian Museum
15105 Mission Hills Rd, Mission Hills, CA 91345

BURBANK:
The Cleaning Place
147 South Glenoaks Blvd, Burbank, CA 91502

Masis Bakery
321 Alameda Ave, Burbank, CA 91502

Ara Photo & Video
321 E Alameda Ave#M, Burbank, CA 91502

Allen’s Dry Cleaning
321 E Alameda Ave, Burbank, CA 91502

TUJUNGA:
Foothill Food Mart
6360 Foothill Blvd, Tujunga, CA 91042

VVV Shoe & Jewelry Repair
6239 Foothill Blvd, Tujunga, CA 91042

VAN NUYS:
Royal Pizza
13666 Oxnard St,  Van Nuys, CA 91401

Water And Cigarette Store
13647 Vanowen St, #A, Van Nuys, CA 91405

Karabagh Market
13747 Victory Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91401

Sweet Bakery
13668 Oxnard St, Van Nuys, CA 91401

Hye Pharmacy
13745 Victory Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91401

Universal Service Exchange
14103 Victory Blvd, #10, Van Nuys, CA 91401

Green Oasis Market Plaza
13506 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405

Sherman Way Market Plaza
13624 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405

Arax Grocery & Deli
17644 Vanowen St, Van Nuys, CA 91406

Deluxe Vanity & Kitchen
13545 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405

N. HOLLYWOOD:
Kayf’s Kabob House
11009 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Le Bon Patissier
10931 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606

Eclipse Hair Salon
6354 Vineland Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91606

A&G Bakery
12454 Oxnard St, North Hollywood, California 91606

Tip Top Designs
12643 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, CA 91605

Star Hair Salon
12857 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, CA 91605

Star Pizza
6365 Woodman Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91401

Sis Bakery
11009 Burbank Blvd. #123, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Ruzanna’s Flowers
12916 Vanowen St, North Hollywood, CA 91605

House Of Pastry
12914 Vanowen Street, North Hollywood, CA 91605

Black Jack Market
12643 Sherman Way #6, North Hollywood, CA 91605

Mousa Ler Market
12523 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606

North Hollywood Market & Bakery
6052 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606

Lankershim Market
6530 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606

Universal Service Exchange
6530 Lankershim Blvd, #M, North Hollywood, CA 91606

Hye Pharmacy
12509 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606

Hot Red Hair Studio
6002 Laurel Canyon Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606

Vineland Fresh Produce
11009 Burbank Blvd Ste 124, North Hollywood, CA 91601

SAN MATEO:
Aladdin Market
208 East Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo, CA 94403

EAST COAST:
Sevan Bakery
599 Mount Auburn St,  Watertown, MA 02472

Massis Bakery
569 Mt. Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472

Massis International Foods
4220 43rd Ave, Sunnyside, NY 11104

Baruir Food Corporation
4007 Queens Blvd, Sunnyside, NY 11104

Eastern Lamejun Bakers
145 Belmont St, Belmont, MA 02478

Nouri Brothers
999 Main St, Paterson, NJ 07503

Carmel Grocery
6427 108th St, Forest Hills, NY 11375

Share on Facebook

TODAYSZAMAN.COM

The Turkish Foreign Ministry denied on Sunday a report that claimed dozens of Turkish intelligence officers have been captured in neighboring Syria.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Selçuk Ünal told Today’s Zaman that similar allegations surfaced earlier as well, adding that they did not reflect the truth.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported this weekend that more than 40 Turkish intelligence officers have been captured by the Syrian army and that Turkey has been conducting intensive negotiations with Syria in order to secure the intelligence officers’ release. Syria, on the other hand, says the Turks’ release is conditioned on the extradition of officers and soldiers that defected from the Syrian army to join the opposition, who are currently in Turkey, the report said.

Syria also conditioned the continuation of the negotiations on Turkey’s blockade of weapon transfers and passage of soldiers from the rebels’ Free Syrian Army through its territory, Haaretz said. It also demanded that Iran sponsor the negotiations to release the Turkish officers.

According to the report, Turkey rejected the Syrian demands, something, which the report says, is a sign that Ankara could further harden its stance on Syria.

Syria, on the other hand, has recently published “confessions” that it allegedly gathered from the Turkish officers that they were trained by Israel’s Mossad and given instructions to carry out bombings to undermine the country’s security. According to the Syrians, one of the Turkish officers said that Mossad also trains soldiers from the Free Syrian Army and that Mossad agents came to Jordan to train al-Qaeda officials to send to Syria to carry out attacks.

According to Haaretz, Turkey also mediated several weeks ago between the Free Syrian Army and Iran to secure the release of several Iranian citizens who were captured by Syrian rebels.

The Israeli report comes days after it was revealed in Turkey that at least one National Intelligence Organization (MİT) agent was involved in the abduction of two Syrian defectors, Mustafa Kassum and Col. Hussein Harmush and their transfer to Syrian authorities.

The state prosecutor in the southern province of Adana has formally charged the MİT member and four other individuals for their supposed role in the handing over of Harmush and Kassum to Syrian security forces.

Harmush defected and fled to Turkey last June but returned to Syria under unclear circumstances in September. In late September, the colonel “confessed” to crimes against the Syrian government in a tape aired on Syrian national television. Earlier reports said the MİT officer and four other suspects had accepted a bribe of $100,000 from Syrian intelligence services to repatriate Harmush, while subsequent reports suggested that the local MİT chief and even MİT Chairman Hakan Fidan knew about the case.

On Jan 30, the Syrian League for Human Rights reported that the regime’s security forces had executed Harmush.

DATA: Turkey’s Threats of Retaliation are Hollow

WASHINGTON—International trade data illustrate an unmistakable trend of steadily increasing trade between Turkey and countries that have recognized the Armenian Genocide, despite Ankara’s highly vocal and frequently angry threats to retaliate economically against governments for formally condemning this crime against humanity, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The trade statistics, drawn from the Organization for Economic Development, show that 10 of the advanced countries that have recognized the Armenian Genocide have experienced growth in bilateral trade with Turkey. At the high end of the range are Russia, which has witnessed a 912 percent increase in trade with Turkey since its 1995 recognition, and Greece (399 percent since 1996), Slovakia (298 percent since 2004), France (257 percent since 2001), Belgium (174 percent since 1998), and Canada (148 percent since 2004).

“Over the past several decades, Turkey has established a predictable pattern in the weeks leading up to the consideration by other countries of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, of threatening to fundamentally downgrade its ties with the government in question, including through the imposition of far-reaching economic sanctions,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “A review of publicly available trade statistics demonstrates that Turkey, for all its bluster, also has an equally consistent pattern of quickly setting aside these threats and returning to a business as usual relationship with the countries that they were only recently publicly demonizing.”
Copies of these trade charts have been widely circulated to Congressional offices, agencies of the federal government, and to officials representing a broad cross-section of the Washington foreign policy community.

Share on Facebook

Drafted by French General Assembly member Valerie Boyer, the bill renders denial punishable with a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros ($58,000).

It is slated to be signed into law by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

During the proceedings, members of the French Senate spoke powerfully and vocally in support of the bill, noting that it’s not directed against any specific country—that it is merely an effort to honor the memory of genocide victims and the struggle against hate speech.

Those who opposed the bill did so on the grounds of opposing memorial laws in general, arguing that the Senate is not a courthouse and not a place to legislate history.

The Senate first voted to confirm the constitutionality of the bill. The Senate also voted down four proposed amendments.

French-Armenian intellectuals and artists—including Charles Aznavour, Serge Avedikian, Simon Abkarian, and Levon Sayan—had each issued a call to the French Senate to pass the bill.

Commenting on the vote, Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram Hamparian said, ”Today’s courageous vote by the French Senate shines the spotlight across the Atlantic, on American policymakers who, for far too long, have let Ankara block U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide.”

“We mark this occasion by urging President Obama to honor his pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide and by calling on the U.S. House leadership to allow a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.304,” he added.

Thousands of French-Armenians gathered in front of the Senate building to express their support for the bill. The crowd celebrated by singing Armenian national and revolutionary songs (see video).

Nearby the crowd, a group of Turks in opposition to the bill had also gathered. More than an hour before the vote, however, the group started to disperse. The Turkish newspaper Radikal ran an article on its website titled, “The Turks went home, the Armenians have started celebrating,” in reference to the mood of the crowds during the hour leading up to the vote (see photo).

‘The Turks went home, the Armenians have started celebrating.’

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Jan. 20 had urged the French Senate not to pass the bill, noting that it would constitute “a black stain on France’s intellectual history.”

“We will always remind them of that,” he added.

In turn, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he may not visit France again if the Senate passed the bill, reported Hurriyet Daily News.

On Jan. 18, a French Senate committee rejected the bill. The decision was not binding, however, and the Jan. 23 vote proceeded as scheduled.

The bill’s passage did not come as a surprise, as both the left and the right in France had expressed support for it.

On Dec. 22, the French General Assembly had approved the bill, prompting Ankara to withdraw its ambassador from Paris, only to have him return a few weeks later.

France adopted a bill officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide in 2001.

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

Below is a letter from the Overseas Press Club of America to the Turkish Government.  One of our readers, Greg Martayan wrote in his forwarding email: “It hasn’t received much attention in the press, however it came across my desk today.  The letter, coming from the OPC, speakes volumes.”

H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
Bakanliklar
06573  Ankara
Republic of Turkey

Your Excellency:

We mark with sadness and deep concern the first anniversary of our letter to you about your government’s repression of freedom of the press in your nation.  Turkey’s march away from free speech, its open scorn of the role of journalists in a democratic society and its continued, focused arrests of journalists are shocking contradictions of what now seem to be hollow promises to be a role model for the region and much of the world.

Since we wrote last year, the problems have only multiplied while the response of your government has degenerated.  With all due respect, while our words and thoughts sound harsh, we hope they are being heard in the forum of democracy — where disagreements can be pointed — as long as shared goals can be realized and embraced.

At least 80 journalists remain jailed for alleged terrorism-related charges that lack foundation.  Just this week, journalist, Nedim Sener, and 13 other defendants appeared in court on a variety of charges relating to abetting a terrorist organization.  A respected journalist, who has a long record of exposing government corruption, Sener was arrested and held for nearly a year without being charged for investigating a terrorist network plotting to overthrow the government.  Many of his colleagues believe he was set up by police officers whom he was investigating.  “It has been 11 months that I have not been given the chance to utter a single word to defend myself,” Sener said to friends during a brief intermission in the proceedings.  “I have been a victim in a revenge operation — nothing else.”
On a single day in December, more than 25 journalists were taken into police custody in the course of operations against journalists in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Van, Adana and Diyarbakir.  The crackdowns on the morning of December 20, 2011, were part of an operation related to the Union of Kurdish Communities (KCK), the umbrella organization that includes the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Your government claims that the operation targets “the press and propaganda” arm of the Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK), no evidence has been cited to support this assertion.  Authorities maintain that the KCK is the “urban wing” of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, a claim that has been widely disputed.

These arrests solidify Turkey’s position just behind Burma and ahead of Ethiopia in detaining members of the press for doing their democratic duties.  We concur with the Committee to Protect Journalists that this “places Turkey firmly in the company of some of the world’s most repressive countries and deeply compromises your government’s commitments to democracy and the rule of the law,” and that these jailed journalists “should be seen as a black mark on your record and a source of shame.”

Apart from these specific incidents, attacks on the media in Turkey have been pervasive, including the Internet filtering system and bans on access to Web sites.  Thousands of criminal cases have been filed against reporters, as the Criminal Code and Anti-Terrorism Act are used routinely to silence critical news coverage.

Turkish legislation provides a rich arsenal of ammunition to silence reporters.  There are laws against spreading propaganda and laws against obtaining sensitive information.  The Constitutional Court annulled Article 26 of the Press Law, thereby extending the statute of limitations for prosecutors to file criminal cases against journalists, and then to keep them under threat of criminal lawsuits, from within two months of publication in a daily newspaper, or four months in all other print media, to within eight years of the publication of all print media.  In short, Turkey is a dangerous place to be a journalist.

Turkey is named as a “key ally” and an important player for the transition to democracy in the Middle East, but it now has been given the title of having “one of the worst freedom pictures in Europe” by the International Press Institute.  “Every day, the nightmare hanging over press freedom increases in intensity,” Emel Soy, head of the Istanbul bureau of the Turkish Journalists Union, said in a statement on December 26.  “This pressure has only one meaning.  That is to intimidate not just the press, but to intimidate and frighten all parts of society and to indiscriminately threaten all opposition.”

Your Excellency, we ask that Turkey end the lawsuits, incarcerations and court sentencing targeting journalists, and that freedom of the press be permitted to take root and flourish in your country.  Until Turkey gets its own house in order, it will never be a fully credible leading country advising others in the region what to do.

Respectfully yours,
Tom Squitieri
Larry Martz
Freedom of the Press Committee

cc:

H.E. Abdullah Gül, President
Office of the President
Cumhurbaskanlugu kosku
Cankaya
06100  Ankara
Republic of Turkey

H.E. Namik Tan
Ambassador of Turkey to the U.S.A.
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
2525 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC  20008
Fax: (202) 612.6744

Ambassador Baki Ilkin
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Turkey to the United Nations
821 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Fax: (212) 949.0086

H. E. Francis Ricciardone
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
Embassy of the United States of America
Ataturk Bulvari 110
Kavaklidere
Turkey
Fax: (011.90.312) 467.2532

Director
Directorate General of Press and Information
Ceyhun Abf Kansu Cad. No. 122
Balgat-Ankara
Republic of Turkey

Nadire Mater
IPS Communication Foundation, Istanbul
mater@bianet.org

Maria Otero
Under Secretary of State for Democracy & Global Affairs
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC  20520

Share on Facebook

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher

California Courier

Turkey’s leaders have been threatening France for months with various reprisals should the French government pass a law making it illegal to deny the Armenian Genocide.

Ignoring Turkish threats and blackmail, the French Parliament adopted a bill on December 22, 2011, criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide. The Senate followed suit on January 23, 2012, with a vote of 127-86, after a 7-hour debate. The new law, to be signed soon by Pres. Sarkozy, carries a one year jail term and a fine of $60,000 for anyone denying the Armenian Genocide. Every single member of the French legislature, even those voting against the bill, stated that they had no doubt whatsoever about the facts of the Armenian Genocide.

The hour of truth has now arrived. One wonders if Turkey’s leaders have the courage to carry out their bombastic declarations. We would like to ask them two questions: 1) Are you all talk and no action or, as the saying goes, is your bark worse than your bite? 2) Will you be taking short-term face-saving measures or more serious and permanent steps?

Unlike a month ago, the Turkish public will not be satisfied if the Ambassador is withdrawn, only to be sent back in two weeks. Also, Turks may not be too impressed by Prime Minister Erdogan’s announcement that he would no longer visit Paris.

While Turkish officials are recovering from the shock of the French vote, we wish to offer some tips on how Turks can make a bad situation even worse. In its fury, the Turkish government may take retaliatory measures not only against France, but also all countries that have recognized the Armenian Genocide. Such extreme, irrational, and self-defeating actions would contribute to Turkey’s isolation and hurt its own interests. Below are suggested ideas on how Turkey could settle scores with France and other perceived adversaries:

1) Withdraw the Turkish Ambassador from France and do not send him back until the French government renounces its acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide and the newly adopted French bill.

2) Expel the French Ambassador from Turkey and shut down the French Embassy.

3) Break all economic, military, cultural, and political ties with France.

4) Collect all French products such as chocolates and wines from store shelves throughout Turkey and dump them in the sewer; and ban French fries and French kissing!

5) Cancel all Turkish Airlines flights to French cities and do not allow Air France flights to Turkey. Place similar restrictions on French ships.

6) Prohibit teaching of French in Turkish schools and shut down private French schools in Turkey.

7) Forbid access to all French websites.

8)Discontinue Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union, in view of the expected submission of similar measures on genocide denial to all 26 EU member countries.

9) Cancel Turkey’s membership in the Council of Europe because in 1987 the European Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide.

10) Withdraw from the United Nations because in 1985 the UN Human Rights Commission adopted a report recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

11) Ban all Turkish official visits to France.

12) Expel all French citizens from Turkey and demand that all Turkish citizens immediately leave the territory of France.

13) Do not allow French tourists and businessmen to enter Turkey.

14) Shut down French automobile factories in Turkey, causing the unemployment of thousands of Turkish workers.

15) Rename all French streets in Turkey to Algerian and North Korean names.

16) Adopt a resolution by the Turkish Parliament accusing France for the so-called Algerian “genocide.”

17) Deport all citizens of Armenia working illegally in Turkey. Deprive them of all food and water during their long march from Istanbul to Armenia or, even worse, to the Syrian desert!

18) Withdraw all private and public Turkish funds from French banks.

19) Blacklist all French books, movies, newspapers and TV programs in Turkey.

20) Arrest French citizens in Turkey in retaliation for Turks imprisoned in France for denying the Armenian Genocide.

The French Senate’s decision is part of the high price the Turkish government has been paying for the past 100 years for its persistent denial of the Armenian Genocide and the heinous crimes committed by its Ottoman predecessors. Until Turkey acknowledges its guilt and restores the Armenian lands and properties to the descendants of Genocide victims, it will continue to face serious challenges from other countries and will be denied a place in the family of civilized nations.

Share on Facebook

“The Embassy of Georgia – in support of our government’s material commitment to economic development for our citizens in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region and throughout all of our Republic – looks forward to working with our friends in the U.S. Congress and the Administration and with all American civil society stakeholders – including, of course, with the Armenian American community – in encouraging the targeting of U.S. assistance to meet Samtskhe-Javakheti’s urgent job-creation, infrastructure, technical, and humanitarian needs,” stated Georgia Ambassador to the U.S. Temuri Yakobashvili.

“We look forward – in cooperation with Ambassador Yakobashvili and Georgian government officials – to broadening the longstanding ties that have existed between the Georgian and Armenian peoples through greater Georgian government investment in the economic development of Samtskhe-Javakheti and by collectively supporting a robust U.S. aid package for Georgia that includes targeted assistance to this heavily Armenian populated region,” stated ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian.

Last September, Hachikian traveled to Georgia to conduct a series of high-level meetings with Georgian authorities and Armenian community leaders in the organization’s efforts to call broader attention to the plight of the Armenian community in that country.

In a week-long trip to Georgia’s capital Tbilisi and Javakheti, Hachikian was joined by ANCA Communications Director Elizabeth Chouldjian in discussing the Armenian American community’s concerns about the socio-economic situation in the regions and efforts to maintain the Armenian culture and language of the community in the broader tapestry of Georgia’s cultural diversity.

Hachikian and Chouldjian met with Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze, Cultural Minister Nikoloz Rurua, and representatives of the Ministries of Education, Justice, Regional Development and Infrastructure, Regional Integration and the National Security Council, which assisted in coordinating the meetings. They also discussed U.S. policy and assistance efforts in the region with U.S. Ambassador to Georgia John Bass, outgoing USAID Country Director Jock Connelly and Millennium Challenge Corporation Resident Country Director Jim McNicholas. In Javaketi as in Tbilisi, the ANCA representatives spoke with a broad range of Armenian representatives of non-governmental organizations and the Armenian Church.

Following the trip to the region, the ANCA has worked closely with U.S. officials to explore U.S. assistance opportunities in Javakheti, including public-private partnerships, which would offer material incentives for broader international investment in the region.

Share on Facebook