GRASSROOTS PRESSURE BUILDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON EVANS FIRING
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
WASHINGTON, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Tens of thousands
of Armenians – in the United States and Armenia – have voiced
their outrage over the Administration’s firing of U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia John Marshall Evans, reported the Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA). In Armenia, tens of thousands of Armenians took
part in the “Yellow Ribbon Campaign” to protest the Evans firing and,
more broadly, to voice opposition to a number of recent instances in
which foreign diplomats stationed in Armenia have denied the Armenian
Genocide. The campaign, which took place at the Tsitsernakaberd
Memorial to the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan, started on April 24th
with countless thousands of individual Armenians each tying a single
yellow ribbons on 100-yard lengths of rope stretched along the walking
path leading to the Genocide Monument. In the United States, Armenian
American activists have called for Congressional hearings into the
Government of Turkey’s role in dismissal of this highly-respected
35-year Foreign Service veteran over his honest and accurate
description of the Armenian Genocide as a clear case of genocide. The
ANCA WebFax system – on the web at – has been used by
activists from throughout the United States – including a large number
from state and districts represented by Members of committees with
oversight responsibility of the State Department. In their WebFaxes,
these concerned citizens have stressed that: “Ambassador Evans is, in
effect, being punished for honoring his President’s pledge to properly
recognize the Armenian Genocide – a promise that George W. Bush made on
the campaign trail in February of 2000 but abandoned once in the White
House. Ambassador Evans should be praised, not dismissed, for rejecting
“gag-rules” imposed by the Turkish Government on the discussion of
the Armenian Genocide by America’s leaders at home and diplomats
abroad.” In demanding hearings on the Evans firing, the WebFaxers
note that these inquiries should “include testimony by all the key
figures involved, including the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. Among the issues that
should be explored are the role of the Turkish Government in exporting
its suppression of speech to the United States and the implications
for the future of the Foreign Service if a senior American diplomat’s
career has been ended simply for acknowledging the historical record
on one of the world’s greatest human rights tragedies.” Commenting
on the lack of openness by the Administration in dealing with this
matter, the WebFax letters note that, “the Administration has lacked
the courage to speak honestly – either to Congress or the American
people – about its reasons for firing Ambassador Evans. Hopefully,
these hearings will provide the transparency that we, as citizens,
have the right to expect of our government.” The firing of Amb. Evans
was the result of his February 2005 statements at Armenian American
community functions characterizing the Armenian Genocide as a genocide.
Following his statements, Amb. Evans was forced to issue a statement
clarifying that his references to the Armenian Genocide were his
personal views and did not represent a change in US policy. He
subsequently issued a correction to this statement, replacing a
reference to the genocide with the word “tragedy.”
The American Foreign Service Association, which had planned to
honor Amb. Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,” recognizing
creative thinking and intellectual courage within the Foreign
Service, reportedly rescinded the award following pressure from the
State Department a few days before Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Washington, DC to meet with President
Bush. Congressional Response: On the eve of the announcement of
Evans’ replacement, sixty Members of Congress, led by Rep. Ed Markey
(D-MA), sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking
for clarification of the reasons behind Amb. Evans’ recall. Earlier,
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep. Adam
Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) had each officially
called on Secretary Rice for a clarification of the State Department’s
position on this issue. They have yet to receive any response to their
inquiries. Media Response: The Los Angeles Times, in a strongly worded
March 22nd editorial, made direct reference to Amb. Evans’ impending
dismissal, calling on the Turkish Government and U.S. State Department
to end their policies of Armenian Genocide denial. On March 24th, the
Fresno Bee, published a similarly strong editorial condemning Evans’
firing. The Washington Times, on May 26th, ran a story about the
“geopolitical firestorm” created by Evans’ remarks. The publisher
of the California Courier, Harut Sassounian, in his weekly column,
urged U.S. Senators to place a “hold” on the nomination of Richard
Hoagland, the diplomat slated to replace Ambassador Evans. This
action in response to the Administration’s unresponsiveness, argued
Sassounian, will force the White House to fully explain the reasons
behind its early termination of Ambassador Evans’ career. Armenian
Youth Response: At the Armenian Youth Federation Junior Educational
Seminar, held in Western Pennsylvania over the Memorial Day weekend,
over 400 young Armenian Americans designed, produced, and signed
original petitions protesting the Administration’s decision to fire
Amb. Evans for telling the truth about the Armenian Genocide.