Armenian Youth Federation-YOARF Eastern US
80 Bigelow Ave
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel. (617) 923-1933
Fax (617) 924-1933

PRESS RELEASE ~ September 28, 2005
Contact: Sossi Essajanian
(617) 923-1933
Chicago AYF Joins ANCA, System of a Down, Axis of Justice for Rally at
Speaker Hastert’s Illinois Office

WATERTOWN, Mass.?On September 27, AYF-YOARF members joined hundreds of
demonstrators for a rally at the Batavia, Ill., office of House
Speaker Dennis Hastert. The event was co-sponsored by the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA), AYF, System of a Down and Axis
of Justice.

Community activists from the Greater Chicago area, Wisconsin, Indiana,
Minnesota, California and Washington, D.C., as well as the band’s
fans, called on Hastert to “Do the Right Thing” and keep his
commitment to hold a vote on the pending Armenian genocide
legislation.

Addressing the crowd were System of a Down members Serj Tankian and
John Dolmayan along with ANC representatives Aram Hamparian and Greg
Bedian. “The U.S. government today must set its record straight by
reaffirming the fact that Turkey committed genocide when it
exterminated 1.5 million Armenians. America must send the message to
governments around the world that the crime of genocide will neither
be forgotten nor treated with impunity,” said Bedian.

Also during the event, a letter was given to Hastert’s aids, addressed
to the Speaker, urging him to schedule a vote on Armenian genocide
legislation currently before the House of Representatives. Along with
this letter, the group presented hundreds of similar notes from
community members.

“We are honored that we had this opportunity to work with System of a
Down, as well as the ANCA,” said AYF representative Karine
Birazian. “Within 90 hours, we were able to reach out to not only our
community in Glenview, but to Armenians and Americans across the
country regarding the rally we had today. As the youth, we feel it is
our duty to call upon Speaker Dennis Hastert to schedule a vote on the
Armenian genocide; and we will not rest until we have proper
recognition of what happened to our people.”

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) serves as the
youth organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(YOARF). The AYF stands on five pillars that guide its activities:
education, political awareness, fellowship, athletics and
culture. Moreover, the AYF promotes a fraternal attitude of respect
for the diversity of ideas and individuals amongst its
membership. Unity and cooperation are essential traits that allow
members of the organization to work together and realize its
objectives.

For more information, email chtc@ayf.org or call (617) 923-1933.