Minneapolis Star Tribune , MN
Feb 22 2007
U visiting professor is victim of campaign of intimidation
Last update: February 21, 2007 – 9:15 PM
What’s new: Taner Akçam, an expert on the Armenian genocide and a
visiting professor at the University of Minnesota’s Center for
Holocaust and Genocide Studies, was detained in Montreal by Canadian
customs officials Friday. He was held for more than four hours while
officials investigated a charge of terrorism leveled against him by
unknown persons.
What happened: Akçam had been invited to speak at a human-rights
symposium at McGill University Law School. A Canadian customs officer
showed him copies of reviews of his new book on the Armenian tragedy,
"A Shameful Act," from Wikipedia.com and Amazon.com that said Akçam
was a member of a terrorist organization.
The outcome: While being questioned, Akçam was contacted on his cell
phone by his host, McGill professor Payam Akhavan, when he failed to
pass customs. Akhavan called the office of Jason Kenney, secretary of
state for multiculturalism, and Stockwell Day, the minister of public
safety. Akçam’s release followed almost immediately.
Not the first time: Akçam, who is a Turk, believes this was part of
"a campaign against me by the Turkish authorities" for speaking out
on the Armenian genocide. "When I was at New York University recently
as part of my book tour, the autograph session was broken up by
Turkish nationalists. They distributed a flier labeling me a
terrorist and claiming that I was responsible for the deaths of
Americans in Turkey."
The same thing happened in December at the Benjamin N. Cardozo Law
School in New York, but with a twist. When e-mails suggested the same
group was going to break up a conference on genocide and law, the
sponsors called the Turkish Consulate in Manhattan to complain. The
next day, Akçam said, a consular official called Cardozo to say there
would be no demonstration. There wasn’t.
The fallout: Akçam said that because of the campaign of intimidation
against him he is fearful for his life when he travels outside the
United States. "I have been forced to cancel five international
appearances at academic conferences," he said. "Under the guise of
freedom of speech, certain groups are causing me great physical and
material harm. It is very difficult to do my work."
MICHAEL J. BONAFIELD
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
