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PA Newswire: Northern Ireland
February 15, 2015 Sunday 2:45 AM BST
GRANDFATHER WAS 'GENOCIDE' VICTIM
By Michael McHugh, Press Association
A Northern Ireland man who believes his grandfather was killed and
buried in an Armenian mass grave has called on the British and Irish
governments to recognise the deaths as genocide.
Paul Manook said his grandfather was lined up alongside other men in a
village in modern-day eastern Turkey by Ottoman Turkish soldiers a
century ago. He was never seen again.
Turkey denies Armenian claims that up to 1.5 million people died in an
act of genocide during the First World War when troops targeted the
Christian minority.
Dr Manook said: ``Because of the geopolitics of the region the UK does
not want to touch this. Ireland is a small country, probably they will
follow the UK because they are a small country and there are quite a
lot of links together.''
Turkey has resisted widespread calls for it to recognise as genocide
the 1915-16 killings, which followed mass deportations, but apologised
for the deaths.
According to the UN, genocide involves acts intended ``to destroy, in
whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group''.
The dispute about whether deaths caused by the Ottomans represented
genocide centres on the degree to which the killings were
orchestrated.
The most notorious example of genocide is the Nazis' attempted
extermination of the Jews. This year's Holocaust Memorial Day was
marked across Britain and Ireland.
Mr Manook, 64, from Millisle in Co Down, said his grandfather Manook
Dishchekenian was removed from his village along with many other men.
``They lined them up and took them.''
He said his father was then aged six.
``My grandmother realised immediately, she just took my dad and four
aunts and they escaped the village. My father was a survivor of the
genocide.''
He said the fate for men left behind was grim.
``I have a strong feeling that they must have killed them and buried
them in mass graves.''
Armenians mark the date April 24 1915 as the start of what they regard
as genocide.
In Turkey public debate on the issue has been stifled, using the law
to prosecute writers who highlight the mass killings.
However last month Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, said:
``Having already underscored the inhumane consequences of the
relocation policies essentially enforced under wartime circumstances,
including that of 1915, Turkey shares the suffering of Armenians and,
with patience and resolve, is endeavouring to re-establish empathy
between the two peoples.
``Our 23 April 2014 message of condolence, which included elements of
how, primarily through dialogue, we may together bring an end to the
enmity that has kept our relations captive, was a testament to this
determination.
``Only by breaking taboos can we hope to begin addressing the great
trauma that froze time in 1915. For its part, Turkey has transcended
this critical threshold and relinquished the generalisations and
stereotypical assertions of the past.''
Edward Horgan, a former UN soldier from Ireland and peace activist,
said a group of politicians from the Dail in Dublin was being created
to lobby on the issue.
``Clearly it is an issue of language but the fact is that the Turkish
government, who were not involved in the genocide, has consistently
denied and prosecuted people in Turkey for highlighting and
proclaiming it was a genocide, that does need to be addressed.''
Last year previous Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
speaking on the eve of the 99th anniversary, offered condolences for
the first time for the mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule.
Turkey has said the number of deaths was much smaller than Armenian estimates.
A spokesman for the London embassy said: ``Turkey is legitimately
challenging the Armenian views of history. This is based on documents
in archives, many scholarly studies as well as the memory of millions
of people in Turkey.
``I would like to highlight that genocide is a clearly defined crime
with specific conditions of proof. There is no verdict given by a
competent court or whatsoever, labelling the events of 1915 as
genocide.''
Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Russia and Uruguay
recognise the conflict as genocide. The UK, US, Israel and others use
different names.
Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: ``While the
terrible suffering cannot be forgotten and we must continue to
remember and honour the victims of the past, we believe the UK's
priority today should be to promote reconciliation between the peoples
and governments of Turkey and Armenia and to find a way for these two
countries to face their joint history together.''
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
February 15, 2015 Sunday 2:45 AM BST
GRANDFATHER WAS 'GENOCIDE' VICTIM
By Michael McHugh, Press Association
A Northern Ireland man who believes his grandfather was killed and
buried in an Armenian mass grave has called on the British and Irish
governments to recognise the deaths as genocide.
Paul Manook said his grandfather was lined up alongside other men in a
village in modern-day eastern Turkey by Ottoman Turkish soldiers a
century ago. He was never seen again.
Turkey denies Armenian claims that up to 1.5 million people died in an
act of genocide during the First World War when troops targeted the
Christian minority.
Dr Manook said: ``Because of the geopolitics of the region the UK does
not want to touch this. Ireland is a small country, probably they will
follow the UK because they are a small country and there are quite a
lot of links together.''
Turkey has resisted widespread calls for it to recognise as genocide
the 1915-16 killings, which followed mass deportations, but apologised
for the deaths.
According to the UN, genocide involves acts intended ``to destroy, in
whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group''.
The dispute about whether deaths caused by the Ottomans represented
genocide centres on the degree to which the killings were
orchestrated.
The most notorious example of genocide is the Nazis' attempted
extermination of the Jews. This year's Holocaust Memorial Day was
marked across Britain and Ireland.
Mr Manook, 64, from Millisle in Co Down, said his grandfather Manook
Dishchekenian was removed from his village along with many other men.
``They lined them up and took them.''
He said his father was then aged six.
``My grandmother realised immediately, she just took my dad and four
aunts and they escaped the village. My father was a survivor of the
genocide.''
He said the fate for men left behind was grim.
``I have a strong feeling that they must have killed them and buried
them in mass graves.''
Armenians mark the date April 24 1915 as the start of what they regard
as genocide.
In Turkey public debate on the issue has been stifled, using the law
to prosecute writers who highlight the mass killings.
However last month Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, said:
``Having already underscored the inhumane consequences of the
relocation policies essentially enforced under wartime circumstances,
including that of 1915, Turkey shares the suffering of Armenians and,
with patience and resolve, is endeavouring to re-establish empathy
between the two peoples.
``Our 23 April 2014 message of condolence, which included elements of
how, primarily through dialogue, we may together bring an end to the
enmity that has kept our relations captive, was a testament to this
determination.
``Only by breaking taboos can we hope to begin addressing the great
trauma that froze time in 1915. For its part, Turkey has transcended
this critical threshold and relinquished the generalisations and
stereotypical assertions of the past.''
Edward Horgan, a former UN soldier from Ireland and peace activist,
said a group of politicians from the Dail in Dublin was being created
to lobby on the issue.
``Clearly it is an issue of language but the fact is that the Turkish
government, who were not involved in the genocide, has consistently
denied and prosecuted people in Turkey for highlighting and
proclaiming it was a genocide, that does need to be addressed.''
Last year previous Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
speaking on the eve of the 99th anniversary, offered condolences for
the first time for the mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule.
Turkey has said the number of deaths was much smaller than Armenian estimates.
A spokesman for the London embassy said: ``Turkey is legitimately
challenging the Armenian views of history. This is based on documents
in archives, many scholarly studies as well as the memory of millions
of people in Turkey.
``I would like to highlight that genocide is a clearly defined crime
with specific conditions of proof. There is no verdict given by a
competent court or whatsoever, labelling the events of 1915 as
genocide.''
Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Russia and Uruguay
recognise the conflict as genocide. The UK, US, Israel and others use
different names.
Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: ``While the
terrible suffering cannot be forgotten and we must continue to
remember and honour the victims of the past, we believe the UK's
priority today should be to promote reconciliation between the peoples
and governments of Turkey and Armenia and to find a way for these two
countries to face their joint history together.''
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress