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CBS2 Chicago, IL
April 23 2005
Armenians Protest 90th Anniversary Of Genocide
VIDEO: Alita Guillen reports.
CHICAGO (CBS 2) A somber anniversary was marked by emotional
demonstrations in Chicago Friday.
A group of Armenians protested outside the Turkish Consulate Friday
to mark the 90th anniversary of a conflict that left millions of
their ancestors dead and even more displaced.
The genocide of Armenians began 90 years ago this weekend.
Dozens of people protested today in front of the Turkish Consulate in
the names of their mothers, fathers and grandparents.
Some protested for relatives who perished.
`My grandfather and grandma, the Turks killed them in their village,'
said Hermin Kholamian.
Others spoke out for those who survived.
`My mother died here, but she escaped what was going on there,'
protester Maro Stathopoulos said tearfully.
Allegations include ethnic cleansing by the Ottoman Empire on their
Armenian neighbors in Eastern Turkey beginning in 1915. Photographs
captured images of mass graves and faces of refugees forced to flee.
99-year-old Matthew Klujian was forced from his home. His baby
brother died of starvation and his father was killed.
`They killed him with a hatchet,' Klujian recalled.
The Turkish government admits Armenians were killed, but they said it
was not genocide, it was war.
`No Armenian was killed because they were Armenian and not for any
other reason,' said Tuluy Tanc of the Turkish Embassy. `The reason
was a war.'
CBS 2 International Editor Marvin Zonis said whether war, or
genocide, the atrocities were real.
`Turkey bears the historical legacy of those days, and until Turkey
acknowledges that some mass slaughter occurred, this is not going to
go away,' the historian said.
The Turkish government has recently reached out to the Armenian
government, suggesting they work together to research the event and
put an end to the disagreement.
Zonis believes this is a political move by the Turkish government,
which is trying to become a part of the European Union.
This has become a spiritual memorial for the Armenian people, and a
service will be held at Immaculate Conception at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.
They expect nearly a thousand people at the service.
Video: http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_113122833.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
April 23 2005
Armenians Protest 90th Anniversary Of Genocide
VIDEO: Alita Guillen reports.
CHICAGO (CBS 2) A somber anniversary was marked by emotional
demonstrations in Chicago Friday.
A group of Armenians protested outside the Turkish Consulate Friday
to mark the 90th anniversary of a conflict that left millions of
their ancestors dead and even more displaced.
The genocide of Armenians began 90 years ago this weekend.
Dozens of people protested today in front of the Turkish Consulate in
the names of their mothers, fathers and grandparents.
Some protested for relatives who perished.
`My grandfather and grandma, the Turks killed them in their village,'
said Hermin Kholamian.
Others spoke out for those who survived.
`My mother died here, but she escaped what was going on there,'
protester Maro Stathopoulos said tearfully.
Allegations include ethnic cleansing by the Ottoman Empire on their
Armenian neighbors in Eastern Turkey beginning in 1915. Photographs
captured images of mass graves and faces of refugees forced to flee.
99-year-old Matthew Klujian was forced from his home. His baby
brother died of starvation and his father was killed.
`They killed him with a hatchet,' Klujian recalled.
The Turkish government admits Armenians were killed, but they said it
was not genocide, it was war.
`No Armenian was killed because they were Armenian and not for any
other reason,' said Tuluy Tanc of the Turkish Embassy. `The reason
was a war.'
CBS 2 International Editor Marvin Zonis said whether war, or
genocide, the atrocities were real.
`Turkey bears the historical legacy of those days, and until Turkey
acknowledges that some mass slaughter occurred, this is not going to
go away,' the historian said.
The Turkish government has recently reached out to the Armenian
government, suggesting they work together to research the event and
put an end to the disagreement.
Zonis believes this is a political move by the Turkish government,
which is trying to become a part of the European Union.
This has become a spiritual memorial for the Armenian people, and a
service will be held at Immaculate Conception at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.
They expect nearly a thousand people at the service.
Video: http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_113122833.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress