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VICE SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT DELIVERS REPORT ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN PRAGUE IN PRESENCE OF TURKEY AMBASSADOR
by Tatevik Shahunyan
Wednesday, March 11, 12:06
Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov made a
report on the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in early 20th century
at a scientific conference "Crime of Genocide - legal and political
aspects" at the Charles University in Prague. It is noteworthy that
Turkey Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ahmed Necati Bigal and the
embassy representatives were present at the event.
In his speech, Sharmazanov addressed the upcoming centennial of
the Armenian Genocide. He recalled that despite the 1.5 million of
Armenians massacred in the Ottoman Turkey, the term Genocide was used
only in 1944 by Raphael Lemkin, a prominent Polish-Jewish lawyer,
to determine the Genocide of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915.
Sharmazanov said: "Young Turks perpetrated the Armenian Genocide, as
far back as in 1911 at the secret congress of the Ittihat ve Terakki
Cemiyeti Party in Thessaloniki made a decision to exterminate the
Christian population of the Ottoman Empire as they were an obstacle
on the way to implement the Young Turks' pan-Turkic plans. All the
claims of the Turkish current authorities that all this had not been
planned beforehand as Genocide, but both Armenians and Turks became
victims of deportation during the WWI, are absolutely groundless."
"On 24 April 1915 the arrests and massacres of 600 Armenian
intellectuals, members of the Ottoman parliament, as well as public
figures marked the beginning of a crime which was initially planned
and committed at the state level by Ottoman Turkey, and which is known
to the history of humankind as the first genocide of the 20th century.
The crime aimed at depriving Armenians of their homeland.
I would like to mention that by the joint declaration of the Triple
Entente on 24 May 1915 the crime against the Armenian people for the
first time in the history was defined as a "crime against humanity
and civilization," Sharmazanov said.
He called it noteworthy that in 1919 the Courts Martial of the Ottoman
Turkey sentenced Minister of War Enver Pasha, Interior Minister
Talaat Pasha, Minister of the Navy Jemal Pasha, Minister of Public
Education Nazim Pasha and others to death by recognizing them guilty
of organizing and carrying out the Armenian massacres.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The Centennial of the Armenian Genocide is
not the end of the fight for historical justice. It is the end of
the one stage and a beginning of the other stage. The new stage means
new methods of fight for historical justice," Sharmazanov.
He recalled that 22 countries throughout the world have already
recognized the Armenian Genocide, and the first among them was
Uruguay. South Dakota became the 43rd US state which officially
recognized the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide was recognized
by such organizations as the Council of Europe, European Parliament,
several UN committees. A few days ago the European People's Party
passed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide and the fact of
the deprivation of the Armenian people of its homeland by calling on
Turkey to accept the history and recognize the Armenian Genocide.
"We all should have courage to say no to genocides, no to crimes
against humanity, in order our future generations will never be
exterminated only because they are Armenians, Turks, Russians or
Czechs. We say no to genocide, no to racism and no to denialism,"
he said.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=F6D89650-C7CD-11E4-8AF40EB7C0D21663
From: A. Papazian
by Tatevik Shahunyan
Wednesday, March 11, 12:06
Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov made a
report on the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in early 20th century
at a scientific conference "Crime of Genocide - legal and political
aspects" at the Charles University in Prague. It is noteworthy that
Turkey Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ahmed Necati Bigal and the
embassy representatives were present at the event.
In his speech, Sharmazanov addressed the upcoming centennial of
the Armenian Genocide. He recalled that despite the 1.5 million of
Armenians massacred in the Ottoman Turkey, the term Genocide was used
only in 1944 by Raphael Lemkin, a prominent Polish-Jewish lawyer,
to determine the Genocide of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915.
Sharmazanov said: "Young Turks perpetrated the Armenian Genocide, as
far back as in 1911 at the secret congress of the Ittihat ve Terakki
Cemiyeti Party in Thessaloniki made a decision to exterminate the
Christian population of the Ottoman Empire as they were an obstacle
on the way to implement the Young Turks' pan-Turkic plans. All the
claims of the Turkish current authorities that all this had not been
planned beforehand as Genocide, but both Armenians and Turks became
victims of deportation during the WWI, are absolutely groundless."
"On 24 April 1915 the arrests and massacres of 600 Armenian
intellectuals, members of the Ottoman parliament, as well as public
figures marked the beginning of a crime which was initially planned
and committed at the state level by Ottoman Turkey, and which is known
to the history of humankind as the first genocide of the 20th century.
The crime aimed at depriving Armenians of their homeland.
I would like to mention that by the joint declaration of the Triple
Entente on 24 May 1915 the crime against the Armenian people for the
first time in the history was defined as a "crime against humanity
and civilization," Sharmazanov said.
He called it noteworthy that in 1919 the Courts Martial of the Ottoman
Turkey sentenced Minister of War Enver Pasha, Interior Minister
Talaat Pasha, Minister of the Navy Jemal Pasha, Minister of Public
Education Nazim Pasha and others to death by recognizing them guilty
of organizing and carrying out the Armenian massacres.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The Centennial of the Armenian Genocide is
not the end of the fight for historical justice. It is the end of
the one stage and a beginning of the other stage. The new stage means
new methods of fight for historical justice," Sharmazanov.
He recalled that 22 countries throughout the world have already
recognized the Armenian Genocide, and the first among them was
Uruguay. South Dakota became the 43rd US state which officially
recognized the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide was recognized
by such organizations as the Council of Europe, European Parliament,
several UN committees. A few days ago the European People's Party
passed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide and the fact of
the deprivation of the Armenian people of its homeland by calling on
Turkey to accept the history and recognize the Armenian Genocide.
"We all should have courage to say no to genocides, no to crimes
against humanity, in order our future generations will never be
exterminated only because they are Armenians, Turks, Russians or
Czechs. We say no to genocide, no to racism and no to denialism,"
he said.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=F6D89650-C7CD-11E4-8AF40EB7C0D21663
From: A. Papazian