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Armenian Genocide Victims Paid Tribute in Twin Falls, Idaho; Fight for
Acknowledgment Continues
TWIN FALLS . One by one people walked across Twin Falls City Park with red
roses and yellow tulips in their hands.
They placed the flowers in front of a plaque on the ground that pays tribute
to the 1.5 million Armenians who were killed during the Armenian Genocide of
1915-1923. Then the group of 30 formed a circle to pray for peace.
This year marks the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide that occurred
in present-day Turkey. It is a genocide that the Turkish government has long
denied ever occurred.
On Wednesday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the events
"our shared pain" and acknowledged that the deportation of Armenians had
"inhumane consequences."
It is the first time a Turkish official has acknowledged the genocide, but
for Liyah Babayan, 29, an organizer of Thursday's commemoration, Erdogan's
words have no meaning.
"It's kind of mocking. If he meant it, then why is it a national crime to
speak about the Armenian genocide in Turkey?" Babayan said.
On Thursday, President Obama commemorated the massacre of 1.5 million
Armenians in 1915, but he once again avoided using the word "genocide,"
failing to keep a campaign pledge he made in 2008, reported the Washington
Times.
There are 42 U.S. states that recognize the Armenian Genocide by legislation
or proclamation according to the Armenian National Committee of America.
"How can you prevent something in the future if you don't acknowledge
mistakes of the past?" Babayan said. "We live in a world were the government
needs to be held accountable."
Babayan's family fled Baku, Azerbaijan when she was 10 and were brought to
Twin Falls with help from the College of Southern Idaho's Refugee Program.
>From 1988 through 1990, the Armenian population in Soviet Azerbaijan were
beaten, tortured, murdered and expelled from the city. Babayan is now 29 and
has two children.
She still remembers the tanks and seeing people fighting. It's something she
doesn't want her children to experience and said education is the key to
making sure it doesn't happen again.
"The mob broke into our house and raped and murdered my aunt and threw her
off the eighth floor. My uncle was stabbed and my grandmother was beaten.
This was my childhood," Babayan said. "This memorial is also important to a
lot of us who lost family members in 1988-89 and never had a chance to bury
them. They have a headstone to go visit,"
The plaque that memorializes the Armenian genocide has been in Twin Falls
City Park since 2009. In 2004, Idaho became the 33rd U.S. state to recognize
the Armenian Genocide after former Governor Dirk Kempthorne, proclaimed
April 24 Idaho Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923.
Svetlana Petrosyan, who also fled Baku, has lived in Twin Falls for 10
years. She attended the memorial with her family.
"We've been coming every year to remember the tragedy that happened. We want
people in Twin Falls, the U.S., and the world to know that the Armenian
genocide did happen," said Svetlana as her son Artem Petrosyan interpreted.
Catherine Talkington of Twin Falls said it was important for her to attend
because all people, not only Armenians and those of Armenian descent, should
know about the history of the Armenian genocide.
"It gives you a sense of how bad things can be for people. We have a
responsibility to stand up for other people in the world," Talkington
http://magicvalley.com/news/local/armenian-genocide-victims-paid-tribute-in-
twin-falls-fight-for/article_0748e203-99a9-5da2-9eef-d8d753cc3692.html
Acknowledgment Continues
TWIN FALLS . One by one people walked across Twin Falls City Park with red
roses and yellow tulips in their hands.
They placed the flowers in front of a plaque on the ground that pays tribute
to the 1.5 million Armenians who were killed during the Armenian Genocide of
1915-1923. Then the group of 30 formed a circle to pray for peace.
This year marks the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide that occurred
in present-day Turkey. It is a genocide that the Turkish government has long
denied ever occurred.
On Wednesday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the events
"our shared pain" and acknowledged that the deportation of Armenians had
"inhumane consequences."
It is the first time a Turkish official has acknowledged the genocide, but
for Liyah Babayan, 29, an organizer of Thursday's commemoration, Erdogan's
words have no meaning.
"It's kind of mocking. If he meant it, then why is it a national crime to
speak about the Armenian genocide in Turkey?" Babayan said.
On Thursday, President Obama commemorated the massacre of 1.5 million
Armenians in 1915, but he once again avoided using the word "genocide,"
failing to keep a campaign pledge he made in 2008, reported the Washington
Times.
There are 42 U.S. states that recognize the Armenian Genocide by legislation
or proclamation according to the Armenian National Committee of America.
"How can you prevent something in the future if you don't acknowledge
mistakes of the past?" Babayan said. "We live in a world were the government
needs to be held accountable."
Babayan's family fled Baku, Azerbaijan when she was 10 and were brought to
Twin Falls with help from the College of Southern Idaho's Refugee Program.
>From 1988 through 1990, the Armenian population in Soviet Azerbaijan were
beaten, tortured, murdered and expelled from the city. Babayan is now 29 and
has two children.
She still remembers the tanks and seeing people fighting. It's something she
doesn't want her children to experience and said education is the key to
making sure it doesn't happen again.
"The mob broke into our house and raped and murdered my aunt and threw her
off the eighth floor. My uncle was stabbed and my grandmother was beaten.
This was my childhood," Babayan said. "This memorial is also important to a
lot of us who lost family members in 1988-89 and never had a chance to bury
them. They have a headstone to go visit,"
The plaque that memorializes the Armenian genocide has been in Twin Falls
City Park since 2009. In 2004, Idaho became the 33rd U.S. state to recognize
the Armenian Genocide after former Governor Dirk Kempthorne, proclaimed
April 24 Idaho Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923.
Svetlana Petrosyan, who also fled Baku, has lived in Twin Falls for 10
years. She attended the memorial with her family.
"We've been coming every year to remember the tragedy that happened. We want
people in Twin Falls, the U.S., and the world to know that the Armenian
genocide did happen," said Svetlana as her son Artem Petrosyan interpreted.
Catherine Talkington of Twin Falls said it was important for her to attend
because all people, not only Armenians and those of Armenian descent, should
know about the history of the Armenian genocide.
"It gives you a sense of how bad things can be for people. We have a
responsibility to stand up for other people in the world," Talkington
http://magicvalley.com/news/local/armenian-genocide-victims-paid-tribute-in-
twin-falls-fight-for/article_0748e203-99a9-5da2-9eef-d8d753cc3692.html