Tweet
AAA: AN IRREVERSIBLE TREND HAS COMMENCED IN TURKEY
armradio.am
18.12.2008 11:20
"An irreversible trend has commenced in Turkey," said Bryan Ardouny,
Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director. "Over
12,000 people in Turkey want history to be recorded truthfully,
having already signed the internet-based petition apologizing for
what they call the 'Great Catastrophe' that befell the Armenians of
Ottoman Turkey in 1915. This public apology is a first step in that
direction and will inevitably lead to Turkey coming to grips with
its genocidal past."
This movement arose in response to the January 2007 assassination
of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, a strong advocate of
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, who publicly spoke in Turkey of the
"Great Catastrophe" that Ottoman Armenians suffered in 1915, as the
Armenian Genocide. Dink was prosecuted under Article 301 of Turkey's
Penal Code for "insulting Turkishness" by raising the issue.
As a first step on the path toward affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide, these intellectuals have asked the public in Turkey to sign
a petition stating, "My conscience does not accept the insensitivity
showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman
Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and
for my share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian
brothers and sisters. I apologize to them."
News accounts report that Turkish President Abdullah Gul has not
opposed the campaign, while Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has stated that he will not join the group of Turkish
intellectuals who issued the apology, adding "if there is a crime,
then those who committed it can offer an apology. My nation, my
country has no such issue."
However, momentum is building and support continues to increase
dramatically. Within a few hours of the apology's release, over 2,500
people added their signatures and made encouraging comments. Cengiz
Aktar, professor at Istanbul's Bahcesehir University said that it is
"our aim to empathize with the grief of our Armenian brothers," calling
on all Turks to "think and talk openly about how, and why, the Armenian
people disappeared from a land they inhabited for 4,000 years."
This process was encouraged in 2003 by the International Center
for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), which concluded that "the Events
[of 1915], viewed collectively, can thus be said to include all of
the elements of the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention,
and legal scholars as well as historians, politicians, journalists
and other people would be justified in continuing to so describe them."
Noting the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice
President-elect Joseph Biden next month and Obama's statement from
October which read, "Joe Biden and I believe that the Armenian Genocide
is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but
rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body
of historical evidence," Ardouny said, "They are both on record as
supporting Turkey's reconciliation with its past, and affirmation
of the Armenian Genocide. Coupled with Obama's recent selection
of Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, the Obama-Biden
Administration has an opportunity to clearly affirm the Armenian
Genocide and, at the same time, help Turkey reverse its policy of
denial. It will also send a message that the U.S. will no longer
shelter Turkey from criticism if it continues to persecute leading
intellectuals by invoking Article 301 of its Penal Code."
armradio.am
18.12.2008 11:20
"An irreversible trend has commenced in Turkey," said Bryan Ardouny,
Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director. "Over
12,000 people in Turkey want history to be recorded truthfully,
having already signed the internet-based petition apologizing for
what they call the 'Great Catastrophe' that befell the Armenians of
Ottoman Turkey in 1915. This public apology is a first step in that
direction and will inevitably lead to Turkey coming to grips with
its genocidal past."
This movement arose in response to the January 2007 assassination
of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, a strong advocate of
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, who publicly spoke in Turkey of the
"Great Catastrophe" that Ottoman Armenians suffered in 1915, as the
Armenian Genocide. Dink was prosecuted under Article 301 of Turkey's
Penal Code for "insulting Turkishness" by raising the issue.
As a first step on the path toward affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide, these intellectuals have asked the public in Turkey to sign
a petition stating, "My conscience does not accept the insensitivity
showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman
Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and
for my share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian
brothers and sisters. I apologize to them."
News accounts report that Turkish President Abdullah Gul has not
opposed the campaign, while Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has stated that he will not join the group of Turkish
intellectuals who issued the apology, adding "if there is a crime,
then those who committed it can offer an apology. My nation, my
country has no such issue."
However, momentum is building and support continues to increase
dramatically. Within a few hours of the apology's release, over 2,500
people added their signatures and made encouraging comments. Cengiz
Aktar, professor at Istanbul's Bahcesehir University said that it is
"our aim to empathize with the grief of our Armenian brothers," calling
on all Turks to "think and talk openly about how, and why, the Armenian
people disappeared from a land they inhabited for 4,000 years."
This process was encouraged in 2003 by the International Center
for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), which concluded that "the Events
[of 1915], viewed collectively, can thus be said to include all of
the elements of the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention,
and legal scholars as well as historians, politicians, journalists
and other people would be justified in continuing to so describe them."
Noting the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice
President-elect Joseph Biden next month and Obama's statement from
October which read, "Joe Biden and I believe that the Armenian Genocide
is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but
rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body
of historical evidence," Ardouny said, "They are both on record as
supporting Turkey's reconciliation with its past, and affirmation
of the Armenian Genocide. Coupled with Obama's recent selection
of Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, the Obama-Biden
Administration has an opportunity to clearly affirm the Armenian
Genocide and, at the same time, help Turkey reverse its policy of
denial. It will also send a message that the U.S. will no longer
shelter Turkey from criticism if it continues to persecute leading
intellectuals by invoking Article 301 of its Penal Code."