PRESS RELEASE
ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF CANADA
3401 Olivar-Asselin
Montréal, Québec
H4J 1L5
Tél. (514) 334-1299 Fax (514) 334-6853

PRESS RELEASE
13 December 2004

Contacts: Shant Karabajak 514-334-1299
Roupen Kouyoumdjian 514-336-7095
Aris Babikian 416-497-8972

The ANCC Deeply Concerned Over Increasing Violence Against Armenians in Iraq

MONTRÉAL – Fueled by a recent destruction of an Armenian Catholic
church and a Chaldean Catholic bishop’s residence on December 07 2004,
the Armenian National Committee of Canada is deeply concerned over an
increasing climate of anarchism in Iraqi cities. From the beginning of
the contested occupation of Iraq, Christians in general including
Armenians have been targeted by terrorist groups and a considerable
number have fallen victim. As reported by various news agencies over 6
Armenian churches and institutions have been violated of their spiritual
sanctity and parishioners have fallen victim to these agressions.

The Armenian National Committee of Canada considers these acts against
human and spiritual values intolerable and asks the authorities to take
measures for the security of the centuries old Armenian minority of
Iraq.

Dr. Girair Basmadjian, president of the ANCC was quoted as saying; “Some
of the oldest Christian monuments of the Middle-East have been attacked
and damaged if not destroyed. These acts remind us of a not so distant
past, filled with unspeakable horrors that we most certainly would not
like to see repeated. I call upon all concerned authorities to stop this
disaster from escalating to outright religious conflict.”

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