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Armenian General Benevolent Union
Viken L. Attarian
Chairman
805 Manoogian street
Ville St-Laurent, Qc H4N 1Z5
Tel; 514-748-2428
Fax: 514-748-6307
E-mail; [email protected]
Website: www.agbumontreal.org
Montreal, May 9, 2006
AGBU CHAIRMAN'S LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA
The Right Honorable Stephen Harper, P.C. M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
Dear Prime Minister,
As chairman of one of the largest Armenian organizations in Canada, the
Armenian General Benevolent Union, Montreal chapter, I would like to express
my full support for your statement of recognition of the Armenian Genocide
on April 19th, 2006.
Please accept on our behalf the enclosed documentary, the DVD of The
Armenian Genocide, by the Emmy award winning American filmmaker, Mr. Andrew
Goldberg. This is a uniquely scholarly film which was recently broadcast on
the PBS network in the US, as well as on TVOntario. Apart from its
documentary content of the events of 1915, the film contains very important
footage of Mr. Rafael Lemkin, the Polish jurist who defined the term
"genocide" for the UN and spearheaded the signing of the UN Covnention on
Genocide, where he clearly and unequivocally says in his own words how he
was inspired by these horrendous crimes perpetrated against the Armenians
and against the Jews when he embarked on his great initiative.
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), founded exactly a century ago,
dedicated the first 15-20 years of its existence to collecting orphans,
providing food and shelter, education and work skills to the desperate
survivors of the massacres of Armenians predating 1915, and eventually to
the surviving victims of the horrendous crime of the first documented
genocide of the twentieth century. As such, our organization worked closely
with the first ever international institution established in 1921 by the
League of Nations, the High Commission for Refugees, under the direction of
Fridtjof Nansen. The HCR was one of the core institutions which formed the
nucleus of organizations that eventually was reshaped into the UN and into
the UNHCR of today. It should be noted that the initial founding of the HCR
by the League of Nations was for the explicit reason to come to the aid of
Armenian refugees who were the surviving victims of the genocide. The HCR
was awarded the 1938 Nobel Peace Prize for its humanitarian work. Thus, as
documented in this film, not only the Armenian Genocide was one of the two
initial models (with the Jewish Holocaust) for the definition of the word
genocide, but this crime against humanity can be traced directly to the
roots of the founding of the UN itself.
The AGBU today fulfills the mission of preserving Armenian heritage around
the globe with humanitarian and educational means. The AGBU is an
officially recognized NGO by the UN. In Canada, AGBU is one of the largest
Armenian organizations with thousands of members, volunteers and
sympathizers. The largest AGBU chapter is in Montreal and we have an
important chapter and school in Toronto as well. On behalf of all of these
individuals I would like to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for acknowledging
this greatest of all crimes for what it is, a carefully planned and executed
genocide. Your courageous act will ensure that this crime against humanity
is not forgotten and that modern day deniers and perpetrators of genocide
around the world are brought to justice. The lives of millions of innocent
victims of the past cry out to us to stop forever this inhumanity of man
towards his fellow human beings.
Your courageous position, not only serves to advance the cause of human
rights, it also lends direct support and inspiration to the numerous brave
Turkish souls who over a long period have chosen to confront the dark past
of their ancestors for the sake of the truth and for the sake of democracy
and freedom of speech in Turkey itself.
All Canadians, regardless of their origin, stand proud because of your
action.
Sincerely,
Viken L. Attarian, Ing. MSc. MBA
Chairman, AGBU Montreal
Viken L. Attarian
Chairman
805 Manoogian street
Ville St-Laurent, Qc H4N 1Z5
Tel; 514-748-2428
Fax: 514-748-6307
E-mail; [email protected]
Website: www.agbumontreal.org
Montreal, May 9, 2006
AGBU CHAIRMAN'S LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA
The Right Honorable Stephen Harper, P.C. M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
Dear Prime Minister,
As chairman of one of the largest Armenian organizations in Canada, the
Armenian General Benevolent Union, Montreal chapter, I would like to express
my full support for your statement of recognition of the Armenian Genocide
on April 19th, 2006.
Please accept on our behalf the enclosed documentary, the DVD of The
Armenian Genocide, by the Emmy award winning American filmmaker, Mr. Andrew
Goldberg. This is a uniquely scholarly film which was recently broadcast on
the PBS network in the US, as well as on TVOntario. Apart from its
documentary content of the events of 1915, the film contains very important
footage of Mr. Rafael Lemkin, the Polish jurist who defined the term
"genocide" for the UN and spearheaded the signing of the UN Covnention on
Genocide, where he clearly and unequivocally says in his own words how he
was inspired by these horrendous crimes perpetrated against the Armenians
and against the Jews when he embarked on his great initiative.
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), founded exactly a century ago,
dedicated the first 15-20 years of its existence to collecting orphans,
providing food and shelter, education and work skills to the desperate
survivors of the massacres of Armenians predating 1915, and eventually to
the surviving victims of the horrendous crime of the first documented
genocide of the twentieth century. As such, our organization worked closely
with the first ever international institution established in 1921 by the
League of Nations, the High Commission for Refugees, under the direction of
Fridtjof Nansen. The HCR was one of the core institutions which formed the
nucleus of organizations that eventually was reshaped into the UN and into
the UNHCR of today. It should be noted that the initial founding of the HCR
by the League of Nations was for the explicit reason to come to the aid of
Armenian refugees who were the surviving victims of the genocide. The HCR
was awarded the 1938 Nobel Peace Prize for its humanitarian work. Thus, as
documented in this film, not only the Armenian Genocide was one of the two
initial models (with the Jewish Holocaust) for the definition of the word
genocide, but this crime against humanity can be traced directly to the
roots of the founding of the UN itself.
The AGBU today fulfills the mission of preserving Armenian heritage around
the globe with humanitarian and educational means. The AGBU is an
officially recognized NGO by the UN. In Canada, AGBU is one of the largest
Armenian organizations with thousands of members, volunteers and
sympathizers. The largest AGBU chapter is in Montreal and we have an
important chapter and school in Toronto as well. On behalf of all of these
individuals I would like to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for acknowledging
this greatest of all crimes for what it is, a carefully planned and executed
genocide. Your courageous act will ensure that this crime against humanity
is not forgotten and that modern day deniers and perpetrators of genocide
around the world are brought to justice. The lives of millions of innocent
victims of the past cry out to us to stop forever this inhumanity of man
towards his fellow human beings.
Your courageous position, not only serves to advance the cause of human
rights, it also lends direct support and inspiration to the numerous brave
Turkish souls who over a long period have chosen to confront the dark past
of their ancestors for the sake of the truth and for the sake of democracy
and freedom of speech in Turkey itself.
All Canadians, regardless of their origin, stand proud because of your
action.
Sincerely,
Viken L. Attarian, Ing. MSc. MBA
Chairman, AGBU Montreal