Albany Times Union, NY
April 21 2007

Events mark somber anniversary

Memorials worldwide to pay tribute to the nearly 1.5 million
Armenians killed in Turkey during World War I

By JENNIFER PATTERSON, Staff writer

WATERVLIET — The Rev. Bedros Kadehjian is somber and reflective when
he talks about the Armenian genocide.

Nearing the end of his first month at St. Peter Armenian Apostolic
Church, the assistant pastor is anticipating the annual commemoration
of Armenian Genocide Day, which marks the 92nd anniversary of the
beginning of what has come to be known as the first genocide of the
20th century.

Memorials worldwide will pay tribute to the nearly 1.5 million
Armenians killed in Turkey during World War I, when the Young Turk
political faction sought to create a new Turkish state extending into
Central Asia.

The ideology of Pan Turkism viewed the Armenian minority as an
obstacle to be removed by any means necessary, Kadehjian said.

"The Armenian genocide was a holocaust in itself, a premeditated,
systematic plan to eliminate the male Armenian population and deport
women and children out of Turkey," Kadehjian said. "The fact that
Turkish authors are now coming out and admitting the country’s role"
after nearly a century is significant, even though many have been
punished.

One such writer was Hrant Dink, former editor in chief of the
bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos and a prominent member of
the Armenian minority in Turkey.

Dink was best known for his work on Turkish-Armenian reconciliation,
and human and minority rights in Turkey. On Jan. 19, he was
assassinated in Istanbul allegedly by an ultra-nationalist Turk.
Almost 100,000 mourners walked in protest at his funeral.

"He was killed for his beliefs, and for discussing the Armenian
genocide, which is forbidden under article 301 in Turkey," said
Lucille Sarkissian of Guilderland, whose mother was a survivor. "I,
like all the other people waiting for acknowledgment by the Turkish
government, am hoping that it will come soon to resolve this issue
and allow us to move on."

The massacre began on April 24, 1915, when several hundred Armenian
community leaders and intellectuals in Constantinople (modern-day
Istanbul) were arrested, sent east and put to death.

For years, adult and teenage men were separated from deportation
caravans and killed. Women and children were driven for months over
mountains and desert, raped, tortured and left for dead, Kadehjian
said. By 1923, most of the Armenian population in Turkey had been
uprooted from its homeland.

"It’s important to remember what happened and those that were lost,
especially since Turkey continues to deny what happened to this day,"
Kadehjian said. "Our commemoration is open to anyone wanting to
reflect on the past and look toward a better future."

Patterson can be reached at 454-5340 or by e-mail at
jpatterson@timesunion.com.

Paying tribute

Armenian Genocide Day Observance What: Film "The Trail of Soghomon
Tehlirian" and panel discussion

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Troy City Hall

Info: 331-8559

Commemoration in Words and Music

Speakers: Revs. Stepanos Doudoukjian and Bedros Shetilian, Mayors
Harry Tutunjian of Troy and Robert Carlson of Watervliet

Performers: Armenian Men’s Choral Ensemble and Armenian students.
When: 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 29

Where: St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church, 100 Troy-Schenectady Road

Information: 274-3673