California Courier Online, June 30, 2005
1 – Commentary
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
Armenians Should Teach
Time Magazine a Lesson
2 – Limited Edition DVD of ‘I Hate Dogs’
And ‘Back to Ararat’ Films Released
3- AUA Graduate Selected
As 2005 Yale World Fellow
4 – Retired State Department Officer Protests
Withdrawal of AFSA Award to Amb. Evans
5 – Koomruian Education Fund Announces
10 Scholarships Award for 2005-2006
6 – ARS-WR Executives Tour
ARS Schools in Karabagh
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1 – Commentary
Armenians Should Teach
Time Magazine a Lesson
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Armenians in the United States and Europe should launch a coordinated
campaign to ensure that Time magazine would never again allow itself to be
used as a tool for the dissemination of Turkish lies on the Armenian
Genocide.
The Ankara Chamber of Commerce had paid around $1 million to place four
full-page ads and a DVD in the June 6 issue of the European edition of Time
magazine which has a circulation of around 500,000 copies.
The ad pages contain pictures of Greek and Armenian historical sites in
Turkey. The DVD insert, which comes in a blank white wrapper and does not
carry the mandatory “advertising supplement” disclosure, contains a couple
of short ads on tourism and a 70-minute segment that includes dozens of
distortions and vicious lies about the Armenian Genocide.
It is very obvious that the real intent of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce,
and most probably that of the Turkish government hiding behind it, was not
so much to promote tourism in Turkey, but to denigrate the Armenian
Genocide.
This DVD, more aptly called a piece of hate mail, starts with the following
pompous declaration: “The most comprehensive documentary serial ever made
on the Armenian Question in the history of [the] Turkish Republic.”
An indication of the extent that the Turks have gone to distort the facts
of the Armenian Genocide is that they have prepared this DVD in seven
languages: English, French, Turkish, German, Spanish, Arabic and Russian.
The Turks claim to have conducted research in the archives of 11 countries,
including Armenia. It is noteworthy that while the Turkish Prime Minister
keeps repeatedly saying that Armenia must open its archives, Turkish
filmmakers are inadvertently proving him wrong by stating that they have
access to the Armenian archives!
There are so many lies in this DVD that one does not know where to start.
One would need to write an entire book to expose all of the distortions in
this 70-minute DVD.
The DVD accuses Armenians of committing genocide against the Turks;
collaborating with the Nazis; and distorting documents, while the
filmmakers themselves blatantly distort just about every fact. The DVD
blames the Kurds for the Armenian killings, while claiming that Armenians
were not killed. It misidentifies not only historical sites, but also
well-known places, such as calling the Glendale City College, “University
of Glendale,” and the Turkish Embassy in Paris, “the Turkish Consulate.” It
calls Amb. Henry Morgenthau’s documented reports on the Armenian Genocide,
“hearsay.” It cunningly describes as a “published letter” the paid ad
against the Armenian Genocide by some U.S. “scholars” who had received
grants from the Institute of Turkish Studies which was funded by the
Turkish government. It falsifies the
interview of Kemal Ataturk published in the August 1, 1926 issue of the Los
Angeles Examiner in which he admits that the Young Turks massacred millions
of Christians in the Ottoman Empire. It identifies Albert Amateau, a Jew,
as an Armenian who allegedly denies the Armenian Genocide. It wrongly
identifies an unknown interviewee as Prof. Radick Martirosyan, the Rector
of the Yerevan State University. It distorts the words of French
parliamentarian Francois Rochebloine who said after viewing the DVD: “My
words in there are taken out of context. I did not recognize myself in the
way I was presented.” It will not be surprising if the other interviews in
the DVD are also distorted.
Adding insult to injury, the narrator claims that Armenian “women and
children were to be carried by carriages” during the deportations. It
shamelessly states that “food was distributed, shelter was provided and
field hospitals which were established by the [Ottoman] soldiers served on
the way. Measures were taken for security. The Ottoman state was allocating
allowances for those moving despite the dire financial situation of the
state. The state orders were that those who were subject to the relocation
law would be provided with housing immediately at their destinations. In
addition, if necessary, those people would also be provided with food from
the ration of the Ottoman soldiers at war, they would be served hot meals
and meat.”
It is appalling that Time magazine would accept such a pack of lies as paid
advertising and then have the gall to say that it is not responsible for
its content. We are not talking here about depriving the Turks of their
right to express their opinion. Rather, we are dealing with a clear case of
false advertising, hate mail (a hate crime), and fraud (representing
outright lies as facts).
Time’s executives either knowingly accepted this fraudulent DVD and turned
a blind eye to its contents for the sake of pocketing the $1 million ad
revenue or they were negligent in verifying its contents. In either case
they have an obligation to set the record straight and make amends. They
should either do this voluntarily or would be compelled to do so by a court
of law.
The Armenian community should ask Time magazine to:
1) Publish an apology for disseminating this fraudulent DVD;
2) Issue a formal memo to all its divisions around the world not to
accept this DVD as an insert (the Ankara Chamber of Commerce has announced
its intention to place the same DVD in Time’s Asian and Pacific editions);
3) Issue a written warning to all its advertising executives not to
accept any more ads from Turkish entities that deny the Armenian Genocide
(just as they would not run an ad that denies the Jewish Holocaust and
glorifies Hitler; the New York Times recently rejected an ad from Turkish
organizations denying the Armenian Genocide);
4) Destroy the extra 116,000 copies of this DVD that are still in
Time’s possession;
5) Agree to insert and disseminate free of charge a DVD prepared by a
reputable research institute on the Armenian Genocide;
6) Donate the payment it received from the Turkish Chamber of Commerce
for this ad to an Armenian charity.
Should Time reject the above demands, Armenians should then:
1) Cancel their subscriptions and ads; and urge their friends and
business colleagues to do likewise;
2) File lawsuits in several European countries (France, Switzerland,
Belgium, Holland and Germany) where genocide denial or making statements of
racial hatred is against the law;
3) Issue a public appeal for funds to pay for the legal costs of these
lawsuits.
The most important issue is that Armenians should not remain silent in the
face of such an offensive ad. If they ignore it, they would then be
encouraging the Turks to place similar offensive ads not only in other
editions of Time, but also in magazines around the world. It is somewhat
fortunate that the Turks chose to run this ad in the European edition of
Time. Since several European countries have laws banning such hate mail, it
makes it easy for Armenians to take legal action. Armenians should take
advantage of this unique opportunity and make an example of Time magazine!
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2 – Limited Edition DVD of ‘I Hate Dogs’
And ‘Back to Ararat’ Films Released
HOLLYWOOD – Markopolofilms and HB PeÅ Holmquist Films last week announced
the release of the special commemorative DVD featuring two critically
acclaimed, award-winning documentaries – I Hate Dogs-The Last Survivor
(2005) and Back to Ararat (1988).
“I Hate Dogs” is the new documentary short by Swedish producers PeÅ
Holmquist and Suzanne Khardalian. The film explores Garbis’, an energetic
99-year-old survivor, memories of the death march that he and his family
were forced to take in 1915 by the Ottoman Turks. Garbis examines the
effects of genocide and talks about the life he has built in France. “For
anyone having the slightest difficulty in understanding what genocide means
to the individual, this film is an absolute must,” said Kulturnytt.
“Back to Ararat” is an award-winning (Best Film, 1988 Sweden), documentary
produced and directed by Holmquist, Khardalian, Göran Gunner and Göran
Gurén. “It’s difficult to watch it without a sense of outrage,” said the
Los Angeles Times.
The first feature length documentary about the first genocide of the 20th
century, Back to Ararat examines several Armenian communities around the
world and features the struggles and challenges that the Diaspora faces in
dealing with issues of genocide. Viewed international by thousands, Back to
Ararat is considered to be one of the most comprehensive documentaries on
the Armenian Genocide.
“PeÅ and Suzanne are amazing visual storytellers who had the courage to go
where very few had dared at the time. These films bring genocide
consciousness to the big screen,” added Raffy Ardhaldjian, one of the few
surviving Armenians portrayed in Back to Ararat. Featuring bonus interviews
with filmmakers, the I Hate Dogs/Back to Ararat DVD sells US$20. The DVD is
available at most Armenian-American bookstores and will soon be featured
for purchase online at
To purchase the DVD or for more information on US sales, call 818.291.6490.
For more information on arranging private screenings of the film, call
Eliza Karagezian at 818.291.6490. For more information on the films and
filmmakers visit
The Ani & Narod Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt
US organization encouraging the welfare and development of Armenian women
and children through innovative cultural, educational, health and social
programs.
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3 – AUA Graduate Selected
As 2005 Yale World Fellow
YEREVAN -Yale University President Richard Levin announced that Lusine
Abovyan, a graduate of the American University of Armenia’s Law Department
and currently an adjunct member of its law faculty, was selected from among
hundreds of qualified candidates to become one of 18 Yale World Fellows in
2005.
Yale World Fellows are selected from outside the US at an early mid-career
point, and come from a range of fields and disciplines, including
government, business, media, non-governmental organizations, the military,
religion and the arts.
Abovyan is a lawyer and journalist, and currently serves as a
constitutional law specialist for the Armenia Legislative Strengthening
Program, an organization charged with reforming the Armenian constitution.
She earned her Master of Laws (LL.M.) from AUA in 1999 and she has been an
adjunct member of the AUA law faculty since 2001, where she teaches Media
Law and Intellectual Property Law.
Matthew Karanian, the Associate Dean of the University’s law school, said
that Abovyan is a “shining star for Armenia, for AUA, and for the law
program,” where she studied and now teaches. “We’re proud of her
accomplishment, and are pleased to know that someone who we have long
recognized as a leader in legal scholarship is now also being recognized by
Yale.”
Abovyan received her first degree in 1995 from Progress University of
Economy and Law in Gyumri, Armenia. She has also earned an LLM from Tulane
University in New
Orleans, LA, as a recipient of the Edmund Muskie/Freedom Support Act
Graduate Fellowship CEP SCOUT Fellow. Abovyan is a member of International
Media Lawyers Association, AUA Alumni Association, and American Graduates
Association.
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4 – Retired State Department Officer Protests
Withdrawal of AFSA Award to Amb. Evans
WASHINGTON, DC – A member of the American Foreign Service Association
(AFSA) wrote to the organization in protest of the withdrawal of the AFSA
Constructive Dissent award to Ambassador John Evans for the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turks.
In a letter cc’ed to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Jeannette John, a
Foreign Service Officer, now retired from duties at the US Department of
State’s USAID, expressed her “shock and utter dismay” at the withdrawal of
the award to the US envoy.
The retired FSO noted that her mother, Angele Magarian was 16 years old
when she was exiled with her mother and his sisters from Bandirma in
Western Turkey.
“My grandmother was born in 1869 and was a well educated woman,” John
wrote. “Her daughter, my dear mother could never talk about the Genocide.
When asked, tears would run down her face and she would turn her back on
me. I asked my grandmother about the Genocide and she told me about the
sheer horror of the Genocide. She said that they put mud on their faces so
as not to appear attractive, and they wore old clothes so they would not be
stripped of them. Many little children were raped and dismembered and wild
dogs often ate their remains. Those who could not walk anymore in the
burning desert sun suffered similar fates. They ended up in a mud hut in
Arshrafieh, a Druze village, two hours walk to Damascus. They were in
Arshrafieh for two years and two years in Damascus.
“From 1981 through 1983, I was assigned to Damascus as an Foreign Service
Officer, John wrote. “My mother, who had left Syria when she was 19 years
old, returned when she was 82 years old. I took her to Arshrafieh, the
Druze village, where she was treated with great respect and the elders
sympathized with her for what the Armenians had gone through during the
Genocide. Please do not tell me the Genocide did not happen. It did!
History has shown this. Both former President Reagan and current Governor
Schwarzenegger have publicly acknowledged the Genocide along with many
other countries such as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Council
of European Parliamentary Assembly, France, Greece, Italy, Sweden,
Switzerland, Vatican City and more. I am urging you to reinstate the AFSA
Constructive Dissent award to U.S. Ambassador John Evans. I am the child
and grandchild of survivors!
” I am reminded of a quote from Adolf Hitler; ‘Our strength lies in our
intensive attack and our barbarity….after all, who today remembers the
genocide of the Armenians.’
“We must never forget the Genocide,” John observed. “I implore you to take
quick and decisive action not for just the Armenian people, but for all who
love freedom.”
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5 – Koomruian Education Fund Announces
10 Scholarships Award for 2005-2006
LOS ANGELES – The Selection Committee of the Peter and Alice Koomruian
Armenian Education Fund announced the award of scholarships in the amount
of $1,500 each to 10 students for the academic year 2005-2006.
The recipients are: Amber Alice Benlian, Ilona Valeryevna Grigorian,
Natalie Shake Manachian, Tigran Martirosyan, Sheyda Melkonian, Rose
Ohanesian, Aram Levon Shemassian, and Shant Paul Stepanian.
Applications for the 2006-2006 academic year may be obtained from the
Koomruian Armenian Education Fund, c/o 15915 Ventura Blvd., Penthouse 1,
Encino, CA 91436 or Koomruian Armenian Education Fund, c/o Bank of America
Private Banking/2088000, 555 S. Flore St., 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA
90071. Deadline for filing the application is April 30, 2006.
Requests for applications must include a self-addressed and stamped
envelope. Applicants must be of Armenian ancestry and enrolled as full time
students at a university of college in the US. The award is based on a
student’s academic performance and financial need.
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6 – ARS-WR Executives Tour
ARS Schools in Karabagh
GLENDALE – A group of Armenian Relief Society of Western U.S. (ARS-WR)
regional executives, chapter members and supporters returned to the US
after a 15- day pilgrimage to Armenia and Artsakh (Karabagh) which began on
May 24.
This was the third pilgrimage organized by the Western Region. These
individually funded trips have multiple objectives, from visiting historic
sites of Armenia to visiting projects funded by the Western Region and
individual supporters; in addition to visiting sites for future projects in
collaboration with the ARS Central Executive, the Armenia Regional
Executive and Artsakh Regional.
The group members enjoyed the ARS Armenia Regional Executive’s care and
attention from the moment that they were welcomed at the Yerevan airport.
One of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the Sartarabad Monument
on May 27, which was followed by the participation of the whole group in a
“Shourch Bar” (circle dancing) around Mount Arakadz, with almost 250,000
Armenians from Armenia
& the Diaspora. This exciting dance tried to break a record.
The group proceeded to Artsakh for a four-day visit. They visited the
Kantsasar Monastery, the ARS Sosse Kindergartens and the opening of the
Home Museum of Nigol Tuman. Accompanied by Artsakh ungerouhis, the group
visited the Sosse Kindergartens that operate year round and serve 550
children. The 10 schools operate under the auspices of the ARS Central
Executive of which Ashan and Aganapert schools are sponsored by the Western
Region, in addition, the Western Region sponsors several renovation
projects at other schools. During the visits, the school children
entertained their guests with songs and recitations, while ARS-WR Regional
Chair, Angela Savoian, and Armenia Projects Coordinator, Jasik
Boniatian-Jarahian, made encouraging remarks to the staff and students.
The ARS-WR was responsible in providing two uniforms per student, and table
settings to the 10 ARS Kindergartens. The project began in September of
2004. During this trip, an additional 300 uniforms and 200 pairs of
footwear were delivered to the new students, and for the first time the
group witnessed the use of the new table settings. This project was funded
by donations of individuals and chapters from the Western Region. During
the visits to the Sosse kindergartens, ARS-WR Regional
Executive members, Alice Yeghiayan and Serpouhie Messerlian, helped to put
up the plaques for sponsorships by their respective chapters, “Mayr”
Chapter of Hollywood and “Sophia” Chapter of Fresno.
During last year’s visit to Armenia, Jasik Boniatian volunteered the
sponsorship of renovating the Dzaghgashad village
(formerly Ghshlagh) of Artsakh, including the Home Museum of Nigol Touman,
the hall, the tonir (the lavash bread bakery) and
the picnic area, in memory of her father, Souren.. The opening ceremonies
were officiated by Artsakh Prelate, Archbishop
Barkev Mardirossian on May 31, and was attended by numerous public
officials, the sponsor, the tour group, the senior graduating class of the
Ferrahian High School, and all the neighboring villagers who were invited
to attend the opening ceremonies and participate in the dinner celebration
that followed.
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