ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF CANADA
COMITĂ NATIONAL ARMĂNIEN DU CANADA
3401 Olivar-Asselin
Montréal, Québec
H4J 1L5
TĂ©l. (514) 334-1299 Fax (514) 334-6853
CommuniquĂ© de Presse – Press Release
26 mai, 2005
Contacts: Shant Karabajak 514-334-1299
Roupen Kouyoumdjian 514-336-7095
**Le français suit l’anglais**
Turkish Government Forces the Cancellation of a Conference on the Armenian
Genocide
Under heavy threats and intimidation from the Turkish government, an
Istanbul conference on the Armenian Genocide was cancelled.
The conference, which was to start yesterday, May 25, was organized by three
Istanbul universities (Bogazci, Sabanci and Biligi). It was cancelled after
threatening telephone calls Tuesday afternoon from the governor of Istanbul
and by the chief public prosecutor. More than 700 people had already
registered for the three-day conference.
In a telephone call to the organizers, the governor of Istanbul demanded the
conference be cancelled due to a possible security risks. Meanwhile, the
chief public prosecutor demanded copies of the documents to be delivered at
the conference, implying that he would start criminal proceedings against
those he deemed guilty.
On May 24, Turkish justice minister Cemil Cicek, in a speech at the Turkish
parliament, accused conference organizers of treason. “This is a stab in the
back to the Turkish nation. This is irresponsibility. We must put an end to
this cycle of treason and insult, of spreading propaganda against the
[Turkish] nation by people who belong to it,” said Cicek. Opposition parties
joined the minister in condemning the conference. Sukru Elekdag, Republican
People’s Party deputy, described the conference “a treacherous project”
Explaining why they had cancelled the conference, organizers said in a news
release: “We are worried that the expression of the prejudices in relation
to the contents of a conference that has not yet been held harms the
academic freedom of a state university. We want to notify the Turkish public
that we decided, under these conditions and faced with the possible
consequences that may emerge from holding the conference, that it would be
more appropriate to postpone it.”
Conference participant Fatma Muge Gocek, associate professor at University
of Michigan, said: “The party which needs to be held responsible for this
turn of events is not the Bogazci University, but the Turkish state in
general and the current government in particular. The fact that the state
resorted to such pressure to stop this conference from taking place reveals,
I think, that they feel threatened and perhaps think they could bring
everything under control through exerting pressure themselves.”
In response to this event, Dr. Girair Basmadjian, President of the Armenian
National Committee of Canada stated: “By threatening, intimidating and
censoring dissident Turkish scholars and intellectuals, once again the
Turkish government demonstrates an unwillingness to change its policy
regarding the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, while forbidding its
citizens to free debate on Turkey’s dark chapter of history.” Dr. Basmadjian
later added: “The Turkish government’s action is incompatible with the
political, civil and democratic traditions of the European Union. Our
Minister of Foreign Affairs should condemn the Turkish government’s action
as an insult to historical facts, the freedom of expression and the freedom
of academic research.”
Le gouvernement turque oblige l’annulation d’une confĂ©rence acadĂ©mique sur
le Génocide Arménien
Le gouvernement turque, par sa politique d’intimidation au niveau acadĂ©mique
a obligĂ© l’annulation hier, le 25 mai 2005, d’une confĂ©rence relative au
Génocide Arménien de 1915. La conférence comptait déjà plus de 700
académiciens désireux de participer.
La conférence était organisée par les trois plus grandes universités
d’Istanbul, soit Bogazci, Sabanci et Biligi. La dĂ©cision d’annuler cet
effort d’introspection historique a Ă©tĂ© prise aprĂšs la rĂ©cĂ©ption d’appels
tĂ©lĂ©phoniques de la part du Gouverneur d’Istanbul ainsi que le chef
procureur. Celui-ci menaça mĂȘme de mener devant la justice les organisateurs
et les participants de la conférence.
Le 24 mai, le Ministre de la Justice du pays pris parole au Parlement turc
et affirma: “Cela est un couteau dans le dos de la nation turque. C’est de
l’irresponsabilitĂ©. Nous avons le devoir de mettre fin au cycle de trahison,
d’insulte et de propagande contre la nation turque par des personnes qui y
appartiennent.”
Expliquant la raison pourquoi la conférence fut annulée, les organisateurs,
par biais de communiquĂ© de presse ont affirmĂ© que: “Nous sommes prĂ©occupĂ©s
par les expressions de préjudices, tenues par notre gouvernement envers une
confĂ©rence dont le contenu n’est pas encore connu. Ces actions menacent la
libertĂ© acadĂ©mique des unviersitĂ©s d’etat. Nous voulons faire savoir au
public turc que face Ă ces conditions et les consequences possibles que
peuvent les suivrent, nous trouvons l’annulation de la confĂ©rence plus
appropriĂ©e.”
En rĂ©ponse Ă l’Ă©vĂšnement, Dr. Girair Basmadjian, PrĂ©sident du ComitĂ©
National ArmĂ©nien du Canada a dit: “En menaçant, intimidant et terrorisant
les académiciens participants à cette conférance, le gouvernement turque a
prouvĂ© de nouveau son incapacitĂ© d’affronter le fait du GĂ©nocide ArmĂ©nien,
tout en défendant ses citoyens de mener des débats intellectuels libres sur
le sujet.” Celui-ci ajouta: “Cette action par le gouvernement turque est
incompatible avec les traditions civiles et dĂ©mocratiques de l’Union
Européenne. Le Ministre Canadien des Affaires Externes devrait condamner les
actions du gouvernement turque en tant qu’insulte envers les faits
historiques, la libertĂ© d’expression et la libertĂ© de recherche acadĂ©mique.”
-30-
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress