Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
May 31, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
TURKEY’S NEW "GEPHARDT" CONTRACT SEEKS TO
BLOCK EVEN "DEBATE" ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
— Department of Justice Files Reveal Troubling Details of
DLA Piper/Gephardt Foreign Agent Registration Filing
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Department of Justice files obtained this
week by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reveal
details about Turkey’s new lobbying contract with DLA Piper,
including a controversial – although not entirely surprising –
provision that seeks to prevent even "debate" in the United States
on legislation "that harms Turkey’s interests or image."
According to the contract, Turkey is to pay DLA Piper $1.2 million
for the year and an additional $750,000 to The Livingston Group,
headed by Robert Livingston, a former Congressional leader who
resigned in 1998 after a personal scandal.
"These new Department of Justice filings reveal just how deeply
Dick Gephardt has sunk, compromising his integrity by turning
against a human rights issue he energetically supported as an
elected Member of Congress," said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. "We are especially troubled by the provision in the
contract that seeks to export Turkey’s Criminal Code Article 301 to
the United States by requiring DLA Piper to prevent even ‘debate’
on issues Turkey considers harmful to its image. This requirement,
which falls far outside the American democratic tradition, is,
sadly, entirely consistent with Turkish government’s efforts to
suppress freedom of expression by criminalizing speech that
‘insults Turkishness.’"
Earlier this month, Gephardt’s willingness to work as part of
Turkey’s denial campaign stirred controversy across Capitol Hill.
In a Dear Colleague letter, three leading Democratic supporters of
the Armenian Genocide Resolution informed their fellow Members that
the his opposition to this human rights legislation stood in sharp
contrast to his strong record of supporting this measure during his
years in Congress. The letter, written by Representatives Anna
Eshoo (D-CA), the only Armenian American in Congress, Frank Pallone
(D-NJ), the Co-Chairman of the Armenian Caucus, and Adam Schiff (D-
CA), the lead sponsor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, was
accompanied by a copy of a September 2000 letter signed by then-
Representative Gephardt in support of the timely adoption of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution.
As a member of the House, Gephardt cosponsored legislation
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, as recently as H.Res.193 in
2003, and dating all the way back to H.J.Res.192, more than 20
years ago, during the 99th Congress. In 1998, he offered remarks
at the ANCA Armenian Genocide Observance on Capitol Hill.
To read the full contract visit:
070510-4.pdf
To read the DLA Piper profile of Dick Gephardt, visit: