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CONGRESSMAN SARBANES: WHY I SUPPORT RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Yerkir
03.05.2010 13:08
Yerevan
Yerevan (Yerkir) - In his blog in the Hill, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.),
spoke about the Armenian Gneocide issue.
"April 24th marked the 95th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide,
the systematic annihilation of more than 1.5 million Armenians by
Ottoman-era Turkish authorities. On March 4, 2010, the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs voted in favor of Resolution 252 to recognize the
Genocide. The next step is to achieve recognition in the full House of
Representatives. The Armenian Genocide, the first of the 20th Century,
included massacres, deportations, and death marches where hundreds
of thousands were herded into the Syrian Desert to die of thirst and
starvation. Without final rites, the remains of these victims lay
strewn across the desert in testament to a horrific demise," he wrote.
Modern-day Turkish authorities sadly have chosen to deny this chapter
of Turkish history and have sought every opportunity to discredit the
findings of legitimate genocide scholars, he went on saying. Notable
scholars and historians who recognize the Armenian Genocide include
the International Association of Genocide Scholars and the Elie
Wiesel Foundation for Humanity whose opinion is supported by 53
Nobel Laureates.
Yet, in the face of all the evidence, Turkey presses on, exporting
a legacy of Genocide denial - a legacy ruthlessly enforced within
its own borders. In Turkey, anyone who uses the word "genocide"
to describe the massacre of the Armenians is subject to criminal
punishment under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.
The late journalist Hrant Dink was prosecuted under this article, and
after being marked as an "enemy of the state," was slain in 2007 by a
17-year old Turkish nationalist. In 2005, Orhan Pamuk, Turkey's first
Nobel Laureate, was charged with the crime of insulting Turkishness,
because he too made mere reference to the Armenian Genocide during
an interview. Thankfully, an international outcry spared him from
full prosecution.
Yerkir
03.05.2010 13:08
Yerevan
Yerevan (Yerkir) - In his blog in the Hill, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.),
spoke about the Armenian Gneocide issue.
"April 24th marked the 95th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide,
the systematic annihilation of more than 1.5 million Armenians by
Ottoman-era Turkish authorities. On March 4, 2010, the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs voted in favor of Resolution 252 to recognize the
Genocide. The next step is to achieve recognition in the full House of
Representatives. The Armenian Genocide, the first of the 20th Century,
included massacres, deportations, and death marches where hundreds
of thousands were herded into the Syrian Desert to die of thirst and
starvation. Without final rites, the remains of these victims lay
strewn across the desert in testament to a horrific demise," he wrote.
Modern-day Turkish authorities sadly have chosen to deny this chapter
of Turkish history and have sought every opportunity to discredit the
findings of legitimate genocide scholars, he went on saying. Notable
scholars and historians who recognize the Armenian Genocide include
the International Association of Genocide Scholars and the Elie
Wiesel Foundation for Humanity whose opinion is supported by 53
Nobel Laureates.
Yet, in the face of all the evidence, Turkey presses on, exporting
a legacy of Genocide denial - a legacy ruthlessly enforced within
its own borders. In Turkey, anyone who uses the word "genocide"
to describe the massacre of the Armenians is subject to criminal
punishment under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.
The late journalist Hrant Dink was prosecuted under this article, and
after being marked as an "enemy of the state," was slain in 2007 by a
17-year old Turkish nationalist. In 2005, Orhan Pamuk, Turkey's first
Nobel Laureate, was charged with the crime of insulting Turkishness,
because he too made mere reference to the Armenian Genocide during
an interview. Thankfully, an international outcry spared him from
full prosecution.