Tweet
IT'S NOT A CRIME TO DESCRIBE SOMEONE AS A DENIER
The Daily Telegraph, Australia
Nov 18 2013
by: Sassoon Grigorian
ON Monday Andrew Bolt claimed "no debate is allowed" concerning a
visiting academic who disputes the Armenian genocide. The Armenian
genocide, which started on the eve of Anzac Day 1915, resulted in
the deaths of 1.5 million people.
Bolt goes on to say "time we thought with our brains" - well, on that
point I couldn't agree further.
Justin McCarthy will speak at an event in the Australian parliament
this week. McCarthy is professor of history at the University of
Louisville and his area of focus is the history of the late Ottoman
Empire.
McCarthy's view on the events of 1915 are killings which took place
on both sides as part of a civil war, rather than an intent to destroy
the Armenians.
READ ANDREW BOLT'S ARTICLE
The Turkish government, which denies the genocide, has a similar
point of view.
That puts him at odds with scholars who actually matter in this field,
the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
Australian Geoffrey Robertson QC, who published his opinion on the
matter in 2009 based on British documents, concluded the events
in 1915 were genocide, and said of McCarthy: "I do not regard his
analysis either as legally correct or as factually excluding a finding
of genocide."
In Bolt's blog (November 16) he says: "I do not know who is right. But
I do know who is wrong: those who try to shut down debates with the
most vile abuse."
As far as I know McCarthy has been given the opportunity to air
his views.
In Turkey, Article 301, a controversial article of the Turkish
penal code, makes it illegal to insult Turkey, or Turkish government
institutions, and has been used to stifle debate and used against
writers and Nobel Prize recipient like Orhan Pamuk for stating the
truth in relation to the genocide.
What is Bolt's view on that? Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term
genocide in 1944, based the term on what happened to the Armenians
in 1915 - nothing can be clearer than that. It's not an abuse to
describe a denier - the public have a right to be informed.
What has this got to do with Australia? Many are unaware that one
of Australia's first major international humanitarian relief efforts
was to help Armenian orphans from the genocide. There are literally
hundreds of examples.
This is not a distant issue.
Sassoon Grigorian was a senior adviser to former NSW premier Bob Carr
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/its-not-a-crime-to-describe-someone-as-a-denier/story-fni0cwl5-1226762801745
The Daily Telegraph, Australia
Nov 18 2013
by: Sassoon Grigorian
ON Monday Andrew Bolt claimed "no debate is allowed" concerning a
visiting academic who disputes the Armenian genocide. The Armenian
genocide, which started on the eve of Anzac Day 1915, resulted in
the deaths of 1.5 million people.
Bolt goes on to say "time we thought with our brains" - well, on that
point I couldn't agree further.
Justin McCarthy will speak at an event in the Australian parliament
this week. McCarthy is professor of history at the University of
Louisville and his area of focus is the history of the late Ottoman
Empire.
McCarthy's view on the events of 1915 are killings which took place
on both sides as part of a civil war, rather than an intent to destroy
the Armenians.
READ ANDREW BOLT'S ARTICLE
The Turkish government, which denies the genocide, has a similar
point of view.
That puts him at odds with scholars who actually matter in this field,
the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
Australian Geoffrey Robertson QC, who published his opinion on the
matter in 2009 based on British documents, concluded the events
in 1915 were genocide, and said of McCarthy: "I do not regard his
analysis either as legally correct or as factually excluding a finding
of genocide."
In Bolt's blog (November 16) he says: "I do not know who is right. But
I do know who is wrong: those who try to shut down debates with the
most vile abuse."
As far as I know McCarthy has been given the opportunity to air
his views.
In Turkey, Article 301, a controversial article of the Turkish
penal code, makes it illegal to insult Turkey, or Turkish government
institutions, and has been used to stifle debate and used against
writers and Nobel Prize recipient like Orhan Pamuk for stating the
truth in relation to the genocide.
What is Bolt's view on that? Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term
genocide in 1944, based the term on what happened to the Armenians
in 1915 - nothing can be clearer than that. It's not an abuse to
describe a denier - the public have a right to be informed.
What has this got to do with Australia? Many are unaware that one
of Australia's first major international humanitarian relief efforts
was to help Armenian orphans from the genocide. There are literally
hundreds of examples.
This is not a distant issue.
Sassoon Grigorian was a senior adviser to former NSW premier Bob Carr
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/its-not-a-crime-to-describe-someone-as-a-denier/story-fni0cwl5-1226762801745