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Largest Ever Gathering Of Diaspora Armenians In Istanbul To Commemor

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  • Largest Ever Gathering Of Diaspora Armenians In Istanbul To Commemor

    LARGEST EVER GATHERING OF DIASPORA ARMENIANS IN ISTANBUL TO COMMEMORATE CENTENNIAL WITH TURKISH GROUPS

    11:25, 21 Apr 2015
    Siranush Ghazanchyan

    On the eve of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, Turkish and
    Armenian-American organizations, assembled with record-breaking number
    of Diaspora Armenians from around the world, called on the Turkish
    government to recognize the truth of the historic events, issue an
    unequivocal apology, and move towards accountability and reparations,
    DurDe and Project 2015 said today at a press conference in Istanbul.

    The concerted campaign by Ottoman leaders a century ago resulted in
    the deaths and exile of the vast majority of their Armenian citizens,
    but successive Turkish governments have failed to recognize or take
    responsibility for the deliberate and systematic mass extermination
    of the ethnic group.

    "We have come together with Armenians from around the globe with
    a single, unified message to the Turkish government: recognize the
    genocide, so we can move forward on a project of reconciliation," said
    Levent Sensever of DurDe. "Whatever the position of our government,
    we want the world to know that many citizens of Turkey recognize
    the truth about the terrible crime against Armenians, and to pay our
    respects to the victims and the survivors."

    The groups have been working with a number of other organizations
    in Turkey and Europe for the past two years to coordinate the
    participation of Armenians from around the world in centennial
    commemoration events in Istanbul, including:

    a concert at the Istanbul Congress Center on April 22; a public
    assembly near Taksim Square on the evening of April 24, as well as
    the decoration of a Wishing Tree in the square; events at Sultanahmet
    Square and HaydarpaÈ~Ya Station, where Armenians were rounded up,
    imprisoned and deported; a memorial service at È~XiÅ~_li Armenian
    Apostolic Cemetery, where Sevag Å~^ahin Balikci is buried; Balikci was
    an Armenian soldier serving in the Turkish military who was murdered
    by a Turkish soldier on April 24, 2011; and an academic conference
    on the Armenian Genocide sponsored by UCLA and Istanbul's Tarih Vakfi
    (History Foundation), and convened at BoC§azici University on April 26.

    Project 2015 has assembled a record-breaking delegation of almost 200
    Armenians from around the world to participate in the commemoration
    events. Project 2015's participants include nationals from 15
    countries, including Armenia, the United States, Canada, France, the
    United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Hungary,
    Burundi, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Brazil,
    Ethiopia, and Hong Kong (China).

    "As Armenians, we have come to Istanbul in record numbers to
    memorialize the brutal massacre of our family members, and to remind
    the Turkish government that 100 years later, we are still seeking
    justice and accountability, and will continue in our quest as long as
    it takes," said Sarah Leah Whitson, board member of Project 2015. "We
    are heartened to see so many citizens of Turkey ready to face this
    country's past and look now to the government to come to terms with
    an undoubtedly difficult and painful truth."

    The groups urged representatives of the international community to
    attend the commemoration events organized in Istanbul on April 24.

    "We have invited governments and non-governmental organizations alike
    to join us for this historic centennial of what is a global tragedy
    and a crime against humanity," said Whitson. "Governments sending
    representatives to the Gallipoli commemoration should in particular
    ensure that they also send representatives to the Armenian Genocide
    commemoration in Istanbul."

    Genocide is recognized as a crime under international law and defined
    as the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of
    an ethnic, racial, religious or national group under the 1948 Genocide
    Convention. While the destruction of the Armenian population through
    massacres and deportations preceded the Convention, the deliberate
    and systematic actions of the Ottoman authorities undoubtedly meet
    the 1948 definition. Recognition of the internationally wrongful acts
    committed against the Ottoman Armenian population would constitute the
    first step in addressing the obligations of the Turkish government
    towards the survivors of the massacres and their descendants under
    international law.

    In 2014, then-Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences
    to the grandchildren of "Armenians who lost their lives in the context
    of the early 20th century" but failed to acknowledge the role of the
    Ottoman government in systematically causing these losses. The Turkish
    government has refused to recognize the massacres of the Armenians
    as genocide.

    "President Erdogan and Prime Minister Davutoglu have a moral duty
    to use their unique position of leadership to lead the people of
    Turkey to come to terms with the near-total destruction of one of
    our region's oldest indigenous communities," Sensever said. "We will
    stand tall and proud as citizens of Turkey when we can say that our
    government has paved a way for truth and accountability that will
    let us all move forward, at last."

    "Erdogan should apply the Islamic principles he has claimed guide him
    above politics and do the right thing with respect to recognizing and
    apologizing for the Armenian Genocide," said Whitson. "Leadership
    in this issue means stepping forward and acknowledging the past
    unequivocally, without looking for political trade-offs from
    Armenians."

    The groups also urged the Turkish government to take
    confidence-building measures that would demonstrate its sincerity in
    addressing what it has acknowledged were tragic and terrible events
    leading to the near total extermination of the Armenian population.

    Among the gestures that the government could take is the establishment
    of an independent council commission with a government-funded endowment
    to restore 100 Armenian churches and monuments throughout the country
    within 10 years. The commission should work in cooperation with
    Turkish and Armenian architects who can survey, select and design
    the restoration of these important heritage sites.

    "100 years since the near-total extermination of its minority Armenian
    population and the destruction of its centuries-old institutions,
    one thing the Turkish government can do is move to restore Armenian
    heritage sites throughout the country," said Nancy Kricorian,
    Project 2015 board member. "Such a gesture would not substitute for
    reparations, but would indicate a good faith desire to reestablish
    what past governments allowed to be recklessly destroyed."

    Discussion of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey remains a highly
    sensitive subject in Turkey and subject to criminal sanctions. The
    Turkish government has prosecuted journalists, writers and academics
    for making reference to the Armenian Genocide. However, past
    commemorations of the Armenian Genocide in Istanbul have taken place
    without incident, and with the benefit of municipal police protection.

    Yet Bilgi University canceled a conference planned to coincide with the
    centennial, apparently on the grounds that the academic discussion of
    the Genocide in Turkey remains too controversial. While the conference
    organizers will now hold the conference at BoC§azici University,
    its cancellation by Bilgi University stands as a poignant reminder
    of latter-day Genocide denial and its consequences.

    DurDe is one of Turkey's leading civil and human rights organizations,
    working to combat racism, nationalism and hate crimes. It is an
    activist network that in recent years has played an important role
    in organizing commemorations for the Armenian Genocide in Istanbul.

    Project 2015 is a US-based non-profit organization comprised of
    Armenians, Turks and Americans to encourage global participation in
    the commemoration events in Istanbul.

    http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/04/21/largest-ever-gathering-of-diaspora-armenians-in-istanbul-to-commemorate-centennial-with-turkish-groups/

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