Armenian National Committee of Illinois
1701 North Greenwood Road
Glenview, IL 60026
Contact: Greg Bedian
E-mail: anc_il@yahoo.com
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2005

Armenians Protest at Chicago Turkish Consulate

Chicago, IL – Over 100 demonstrators braved the rain, wind, and cold
outside the Turkish Consulate in downtown Chicago on Friday to mark
the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and to protest Turkey’s
continued denial of that genocide.

“Turkey’s efforts to deny the Armenian Genocide, coupled with
its systematic destruction of cultural and religious monuments,
the renaming of cities and other geographic landmarks and even
animal species make the current Turkish government an accomplice
to and culpable for the genocide committed in 1915,” stated Greg
Bedian, spokesperson for the Armenian National Committee of Illinois.
“We reiterated our message to the Turkish regime and its collaborators
that we will not go away and we will not be silent until Turkey admits
the Genocide, returns occupied Armenian lands and makes appropriate
reparations,” he continued.

Two bus loads of Armenians from the All Saints Community Center in
Glenview, IL, were joined by dozens of others who came to the downtown
area for the demonstration. Demonstrators distributed flyers and
shouted various slogans such as “Turkey run, Turkey hide, Turkey’s
guilty of Genocide” and “Recognize the Genocide.” This year, unlike
previous years, there were no Turks on hand attempting to provoke the
demonstrators and the minor Chicago police presence merely stood by
and observed.

The demonstration was covered by the local CBS affiliate and was
part of a special three-minute segment on the 90th Anniversary of the
Genocide on the 6:00pm news, airing in the first five minutes of the
program. In addition to film of the demonstration, the report featured
interviews with demonstrators Hermine Kholamian and Maro Stathopoulos
and 99-year-old Genocide survivor Matthew Klujian.

On April 24 of each year Armenians worldwide commemorate Turkey’s
genocide of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915. April 24, 1915, was the
date when the Turkish government rounded up and murdered hundreds
of Armenian leaders, including Armenian members of the Turkish
Parliament. Although the Turkish leaders responsible for the crime
were tried in abstentia and found guilty by the Turkish government
following WW1, in recent years Turkey has engaged in a well-funded
and sophisticated campaign to deny responsibility for the genocide
of its Armenian population. This campaign has included the hiring
of several well-known Washington lobbying firms, the endowment of
Turkish studies programs at various US universities, and letters from
the Turkish Embassy to state and local school boards.

Despite such pressures, many states, including Illinois and Wisconsin,
regularly issue gubernatorial proclamations and commemorative
legislation in April to mark the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Such a proclamation was issued again this year by Governor Rod
Blagojevich.

The Armenian National Committee of Illinois is a grassroots public
affairs organization serving to inform, educate, and act on a wide
range of issues concerning Armenian Americans throughout the state
of Illinois.

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