Massis Weekly Online
VOLUME 27, NO. 2 (1302)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2007
– SD Hunchakian Party Youth Union Stages A Protest Against Anti-Armenian
Violence In Russia
– Congressmen Introduce Resolution Calling On The United States To
Fully Recognize The Armenian Genocide
– Harout Sassounian Honored By AEBU Sahag-Levon Mgrditchian College
Alumni
– Armenian Community Mounts Global Effort To Create The ?Hrant Dink
Foundation?
– Unemployment Rate Improved In Armenia???
– Opinion
Bolsohay Perspective On Dink Assassination
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– SD Hunchakian Party Youth Union Stages A Protest Against
Anti-Armenian Violence In Russia
YEREVAN — Student activists of SD Hunchakian Party Sarkis Dkhrouni Youth
Union have staged on Wednesday a rare demonstration outside the Russian
embassy in Yerevan to protest continuing racially motivated attacks on
Armenians in Russia.
Chanting ?No to Russian fascism,? the protesters, most of them members of
the student wing of a small Armenian party, demanded that Russian
authorities crack down on neo-Nazi skinheads widely blamed for endemic
violence against darker-skinned people living in Russia.
The protest followed the January 19 killing in Russia of yet another ethnic
Armenian teenager. The 14-year-old Artur Martirosian was stabbed to death
near his family?s Moscow apartment. Russian law-enforcement authorities have
reportedly denied racist motives behind the killing, adding to Armenian
concerns about their willingness to tackle hate crimes.
?If similar incidents happen again and if Russian officials blame them on
social disputes we will hold a sit-in here and will do everything to hinder
the work of the Russian embassy,? said Narek Galstian, a member of the SDHP
Sarkis Dkhrouni Student union. ?People keep getting killed just because they
are Armenians.?
According to Russian anti-racism organizations, at least seven Armenians and
ethnic Armenian citizens of Russia were killed last year by ultranationalist
groups openly operating in Moscow and other big cities. Faced with growing
domestic pressure, the Armenian government began to raise the issue with
Russian authorities.
Congressmen Introduce Resolution Calling On The United States To Fully
Recognize The Armenian Genocide
During a press conference on Capitol Hill a resolution was introduce
recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The legislation (H. Res. 106) was
introduced in the House of Representatives by longtime Armenian issues
supporters Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich (R-CA) and
congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairmen Frank Pallone, Jr. (DNJ)
and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), together with Congressmen Brad Sherman (D-CA)
and Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI).
The resolution has already garnered strong bipartisan support, with over 150
Members of Congress expected to be added as cosponsors tomorrow. It is
modeled after H. Res. 316 which overwhelmingly passed the House
International Relations Committee last Congress. H. Res. 106 calls upon the
President to ?ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects
appropriate understanding? of
the ?Armenian Genocide? and to ?accurately characterize the systematic and
deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide? in the
President?s annual message. (The House International Relations Committee is
now known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee.)
Shortly after the bill was introduced, Congressmen Pallone, Schiff,
Knollenberg, and Radanovich held a press conference on Capitol Hill which
was attended by Genocide survivors Rose Baboyian and Yer. Sirarpi Khoyan,
members of the media. ?The United States has a compelling historical and
moral reason to recognize the Armenian Genocide, which cost a million and a
half people their lives,? said Schiff, the bill?s lead sponsor. ?But we also
have a powerful contemporary reason as well ? how
can we take effective action against the genocide in Darfur if we lack the
will to condemn genocide whenever and wherever it occurs? With the new
leadership in Congress, I am hopeful we can finally get this resolution
passed.?
Congressman Radanovich said he was pleased that the bill was introduced with
the strong support of his House colleagues, adding that ?the United States
has a special responsibility to ensure that the lessons of the past are
never forgotten – no matter the political discomfort or cost.?
Congressmen Pallone and Knollenberg said they would work with members of the
Armenian Caucus and the leadership of both parties to secure a floor vote.
?By properly recognizing the systematic torture and murder of 1.5 million
Armenians as genocide, we will honor America?s historic leadership and
remind the world of the democratic and humanitarian values on which our
country is founded,? the lawmakers said.
Harout Sassounian Honored By AEBU Sahag-Levon Mgrditchian College Alumni
On Saturday, January 21 the Sahag-Levon Mgrditchian College Alumni honored
Mr. Harout Sassounian, President of United Armenia Fund. The event was held
at the Rococo Room of Pasadena, CA. His Eminence Abp. Hovnan Derderian was
in attendance accompanied by Abp. Vatche Hovsepian and Fr. Arshag
Khatchadourian. The Master of Ceremonies for the event was Mr. Hampig
Sarafian who requested a moment of silence for the recently slain Hrant
Dink, following which both the American and Armenian National Anthems were
sung. The MC expressed his sincere appreciation to Mr. Sassounian for all of
the service which he renders for the community, and emphasized his trip to
Lebanon where he supported 28 schools, one of which was the Sahag-Levon
Mgrditchian College. The main speaker for the evening was Dr. Arshag
Kazanjian who said that Mr. Sassounian deserved special recognition for his
decades of service to the community as a historian and a leader, as well as
performed the duties trusted to him by the Lincy Foundation. As a token of
appreciation, the Alumni presented Mr. Sassounian with a plaque of
commendation.
Armenian Community Mounts Global Effort To Create The ?Hrant Dink
Foundation?
As Armenians throughout the world mourn the senseless murder of journalist
Hrant Dink, community leaders have vowed to keep his name and ideals alive
with the establishment of the ?Hrant Dink Foundation.? The primary purpose
of the foundation will be to disseminate the message and vision of Mr. Dink
and support the continued efforts of Agos newspaper, of which Dink was the
founder and editor-in chief.
A coalition of Armenian community organizations spearheaded by the
Organization of Istanbul Armenians met at the Western Diocese of the
Armenian Church to launch the Foundation. They are in the process of
collecting donations to fund it. Those interested in contributing to the
Hrant Dink Foundation can call 818-641-1059 or visit the Foundation?s web
site at: ?We feel it is our duty to continue the
struggle of Hrant Dink, who died fighting for the right of free speech,?
said Hovsep Tokat, Chair of the Committee establishing the Foundation. ?His
only crime was that he was an Armenian living in Turkey. The response of
hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world is a testament to the
support of his ideals,? he said.
Dink was a champion of the right of free speech. He was a fearless leader
and proponent of free expression and democracy. This stand was particularly
difficult for the native of Turkey, due to Turkey?s policy of suppressing
and punishing those who engage in free speech with ideas contrary to
government opinion.
Dink?s dream was to achieve better understanding between Armenians and
Turks. He believed he could succeed if he could reach the average Turkish
citizen. This is why he chose to stay in Turkey even when he knew that his
life was in danger.
In 2005, Dink was prosecuted in Turkey for violating article 301 of Turkey?s
penal code, which states that open reference to the Armenian Genocide equals
?insulting Turkishness? and is punishable as a crime. While Dink was
convicted under this article, he was given a 6-month suspended sentence. In
September, 2006, a prosecutor in Istanbul opened a new case against Dink for
the same crime, due to his statement to a foreign news agency that the mass
killings of Armenians in Turkey was Genocide. His trial was still pending
when he was assassinated in front of his newspaper office on January 19,
2007. Despite numerous death threats, Turkish authorities did not provide
any protection or investigate the threats.
?Of course I say it was Genocide.With these events, you see the
disappearance of people who lived on these lands for 4,000 years,? Dink
said. Despite the new charges, Dink remained determined, and vowed to
continue to speak the truth regardless of the consequences. Other Turkish
journalists have
come under fire by the Turkish government and have been prosecuted under
Article 301, including Orhan Pamuk. Despite heavy criticism none were
convicted. Pamuk went on to receive the Nobel prize in literature, becoming
the first Turk in history to be so honored. Turkey denies that the Ottoman
regime committed Genocide during World War I despite voluminous evidence to
the contrary.
?In addition to his principled stand on free speech, Dink was an advocate of
educating the Turkish population of its own history,? said Tokat. ?He did
not blame the general population for denial of the Genocide, rather he
criticized the government for not educating its citizens about the truth of
its past. His progressive thoughts and opinions are what the foundation
hopes to keep alive,? he said.
Unemployment Rate Improved In Armenia???
By Sarkis Karayan, M.D.
Let me discuss the latest official figure for unemployment rate in Armenia:
According to an article in AZG daily, and on its web page, titled
?Unemployment Level Decreases to 7.2 % in Armenia?, we read the following:
?By the end of 2006, in December, the unemployment level in Armenia
decreased to 7.2 % from 7.7 % [ from December 2005]. This is official
Armenian Government data, as given by Sona Harutunian, Head of the National
Employment Service, an affiliation of the Labor and Social Affairs
Ministry?.
The Armenian government contradicts itself terribly. The government?s Annual
Statistical Report, for 2005, published by the ?National Statistical Service
of the Republic of Armenia? gives the unemployment rate to be around 30%
for all ages that could work during 2004 . (See pages 76 and 77, in the
Statistical Booklet of Armenia, published in 2005 by ?National Statistical
Service
of the Republic of Armenia?.
The possibility that the unemployment rate of 30% during 2004, has decreased
to 7.2% is nil.
The Central Intelligence Agency?s (CIA) Fact Book for Armenia estimates that
30% of Armenians were unemployed during 2003.
For comparison, I give the unemployment rate for a few countries; USA around
5%: Turkey, 9.3% with 4% underemployed;Georgia- 12.6%; Poland -17%; Russia-
8.5%; Uruguay- 10.5%; Ukraine- 10%; Egypt- 10.3% Spain- 8.7%.
Professional Statisticians have a dictum ?A country can not be considered to
be civilized, if it does not have reliable statistics?. Authorities in
Armenia may benefit from this dictum.
Opinion
Bolsohay Perspective On Dink Assassination
By Steve Sevgulian
We knew it was coming. We wondered how long it would take, even in todays
Turkiye, where Ataturk is still worshipped. His policy of ethnic cleansing
continues today, not just for minorities but also as it did for Turks when
his dictatorship began. No longer can they wear traditional turbans, write
with Arabic script, and other post genocide Turkish norms/traditions.
They have created a new Turk, one created by this man whose ethnicity is
most likely not purely Turkish in his own blood. We also know that, unlike
diasporan Armenians, the genocide never stopped. Even in Turkish history
books there are moments of anti-Armenian campaigns and laws and
persecutions. How much worse could it have been in this society where all
information, for so long, was completely controlled by the government? How
do you think Ataturk was able to assassinate his political rivals? How do
you think he was able to manipulate certain (gusagtsagan) Armenians into
assassinating the Enver Pashas in the post-war world where they had the
rightful place as leaders of the Turkish nation? How do you think he was
able to have his pedophilic ways, and still be the man who lead his nation,
and renegotiate existing treaties with his European counterparts? Outrageous
tax against those who maintain their ethnic identities? Forced Turkification
of names, closures of the most prominent schools and hospitals because of
their ethnic / religious alleliations? State terrorism and state sponsored
terrorism to this day? Its nothing new, except in one aspect. Hrant Dink was
a man above all others. He spoke freely, not on behalf of himself or any
political party or movement, but for a society and people?especially the
Bolsohay community.
Please do not ask what he significance is, because if you?re unaware of him
being the first Armenian to represent the Armenian community of Istanbul and
Turkey, then you have no idea of the pain we (Bolsohays) feel. He said,
boldly, ?I AM ARMENIAN? in a country where that is considered treason. It
has been Ataturks policy for nearly a century.
Insignificant token gestures such as what little Armenian schools, press,
and people still exist are overshadowed by the generations of ethnic
cleansing (shame and persecution for usage of the Armenian language, for
example), suspicion (arrest and persecution during the cold war for merely
walking by the Russian Embassy and being Armenian), second class citizenship
(in courts, lawsuits, property ownerships and basic entitlements to
citizens, and of course torture (and refusal to be given the dignity of
death) for ?being out of line?. Hrant chose to be ?out of line? because it?s
the 21st century. To other Armenians, it might have just been his death that
was shocking but the grief the Turkish people publicly expressed at his
death, THAT is what shocked us. The masses chanting ?we are all Armenian?,
the funeral, the public acknowledgement that he was not a traitor (though in
death), the fact that he was a moral, honest, and good man?again, PUBLICLY.
The people of Turkey are ready for the 21 century. We look forward to the
day when the government will join them, and we are allowed to die in
dignity, or, as Monte Melkonian envisioned, a return of Armenians near
Ararat, even under a (more realistically) Turkish flag.
—
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