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PRESS RELEASE
October 13, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
U.S. HELSINKI COMMISSION BLASTS TURKEY
— Congressional Panel Calls on Turkey to Face its History;
Drop Charges Against Writer for Armenian Genocide Remarks
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
today welcomed efforts by leaders of the U.S. Helsinki Commission
to press Turkey to end the prosecution of noted Turkish writer
Orhan Pamuk for speaking openly about the Armenian Genocide in
violation of the Turkish penal code, which criminalizes public
discourse about this crime against humanity.
In a letter sent this week to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, Helsinki Commissioners encouraged him to authorize the
removal of charges against Pamuk, who was charged with “public
denigration of the Turkish identity,” for comments made in
Switzerland about the Armenian Genocide.
“We appreciate all that Congressman Smith and Senator Brownback are
doing to encourage Turkey to honestly face its history and come to
terms with the Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian. “Their efforts are in the best tradition of
America’s proud leadership on human rights, and reflect the growing
Congressional consensus that Turkey – at long last – must
immediately end its hateful campaign of genocide denial.”
In a remark earlier today, Commission Chairman Senator Sam
Brownback (R-KS) stressed that “Dropping the charges against Orhan
Pamuk is not sufficient for Turkey to come to grips with its past,
but it is necessary,” commented Brownback. “If nothing else, the
prosecution of Pamuk feeds the worst fears of those who are
skeptical about Turkey’s commitment to freedom and democracy.”
Co-Chairman Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) noted today that, “A
stable democracy cannot blossom until the government ends the
practice of stifling free speech and removes the clouds of
deception and censorship from a true telling of history.” He added
that, “Turkey has barely taken the first steps toward coming to
terms with its history. Until the Turks honestly and openly
discuss their history, their democracy will never be on a firm
foundation.”
The U.S. Helsinki Commission, also known as Commission on Security
and Cooperation in Europe, is a U.S. Government agency that
monitors progress in the implementation of the 1975 Helsinki
Accords. The Commission consists of nine members from the United
States Senate, nine from the House of Representatives, and one each
from the Departments of State, Defense and Commerce.