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ANCA Joins Armenian Bar Association Brief in Mass. Genocide DenialC

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  • ANCA Joins Armenian Bar Association Brief in Mass. Genocide DenialC

    Armenian National Committee of America
    888 17th St., NW Suite 904
    Washington, DC 20006
    Tel: (202) 775-1918
    Fax: (202) 775-5648
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Internet: www.anca.org

    PRESS RELEASE

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    March 14, 2006
    Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
    Tel: (202) 775-1918

    ANCA JOINS ARMENIAN BAR ASSOCIATION-LED COALITION IN
    FIGHTING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL IN MASSACHUSETTS

    -- Broad-based Coalition Files Amicus Curiae Brief
    Supporting the State of Massachusetts' Motion
    to Dismiss Turkish Lobby Lawsuit

    WASHINGTON, DC - The Armenian National Committee of America
    (ANCA) has joined with a broad coalition of civil rights organizations
    in filing an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in
    Massachusetts Federal District Court to oppose attempts by the
    Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) to mandate the
    inclusion of Armenian Genocide denial material in Massachusetts'
    genocide curriculum guide.

    The coalition led by the Armenian Bar Association, in addition to
    the ANCA, includes the Irish Immigration Center, the Jewish
    Alliance for Law & Social Action, and the National Association for
    the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

    In support of the State of Massachusetts, the coalition filed its
    brief on March 8th urging the dismissal of the complaint filed by
    the ATAA, a lobbying group that actively denies the Armenian
    Genocide and that calls for the inclusion of the ATAA website in a
    list of educational sources provided as part of a teacher's guide
    on genocide education. The complaint also calls for the addition
    of other websites, including that of the Embassy of the Republic of
    Turkey, which the ATAA had lobbied to include in the guide, but
    were disqualified because they denied the Armenian Genocide, in
    direct contravention of the Massachusetts statute requiring the
    teaching of the Armenian Genocide.

    In filing the brief, coalition members expressed their opposition
    to the mandating of genocide denial in Massachusetts' curriculum
    guide and refuted allegations that plaintiffs' free speech rights
    were violated. The brief argues, "This case is not about
    Plaintiffs' ability to express themselves, to receive ideas, or to
    access information. Nothing in the Massachusetts Guide to Choosing
    and Using Curricular Materials on Genocide and Human Rights has
    altered those rights. Rather, this case involves [Massachusetts']
    right as a government to express its own official views on matters
    of historical importance and their place in education and to choose
    the specific content of its own message." Citing judicial
    precedent, the brief noted that courts cannot compel state
    governments to speak as plaintiffs demand: "The government is
    entitled to full control over its own speech, whether it speaks
    with its own voice or enlists private parties to convey its
    message, and the remedy for dissatisfaction with its choices is
    political rather than judicial."

    To read the entire brief, visit:
    http://www.armenianbar.org/amicus/BriefofAm iciCuriae.pdf

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