ANCA ALERTS CONGRESS TO GROWING ANTI-ARMENIAN SENTIMENT IN TURKEY
armradio.am
19.09.2007 10:39
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), this week, alerted
Members of Congress to the growing wave of anti-Armenian sentiment
orchestrated by the Turkish government as part of its drive to block
legislation before the US House and Senate recognizing the Armenian
Genocide.
The dramatic increase in pressure against the Armenian community
coincides with Turkey’s growing frustration over its inability –
either directly or through its highly paid lobbyists – to arrest
the growing bipartisan momentum toward the adoption of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 / S.Res.106).
With the number of House cosponsors clearing the 50% mark and the
recent reversal of the Anti-Defamation Leagues longstanding refusal
to recognize the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish government has
resorted to a series of increasingly strident – even desperate –
measures. Amid these efforts by Ankara comes a visit to Washington,
DC, this week, by His Beatitude Patriarch Mesrob II, Patriarch of
the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, who ï~^- as a matter of
Turkish law and under the intense pressure applied against Turkey’s
remaining Armenian Christians – has been constrained from speaking
openly about the Armenian Genocide. The Patriarch has recently been
subjected to a number of high profile death threats, including, this
July, a plot to assassinate both him and Greek Orthodox Patriarch
Bartholomew I by a criminal organization of retired officers, known
as the Union of National Forces.
The Patriarch, who – in a sharp departure from traditional Armenian
religious practice – will apparently not be visiting with local
Armenian Churches or the city’s faithful, is scheduled to speak at
a series of public policy engagements on Capitol Hill, Georgetown
University, and elsewhere in the nation’s capital. Among these are
an Iftar dinner on Capitol Hill hosted by the Rumi Forum, a Turkish
American organization with a stated mission to "foster interfaith
and intercultural dialogue." A second, titled, "The Impasse Between
Armenians and Turks Must Be Broken," will be at Georgetown University,
again sponsored by the Rumi Forum, along with Georgetown’s Woodstock
Theological Center.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead author of the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
commented on the growing pressure on Turkey’s remaining Armenians,
noting that, "In order to perpetuate its campaign of denial,
Turkey seeks to intimidate all Armenians worldwide, but especially
the Armenians in Turkey who must live with daily threats. It is a
criminal offense to merely speak about the Armenian Genocide, let alone
advocate for the passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution before the
Congress. The editor of the last Armenian-language newspaper in Turkey,
Hrant Dink, was assassinated for writing about the genocide this year,
and a popular video now being circulated in Turkey celebrates his
killers and threatens Armenians."
"It should come as no surprise then that the Bishop of the Armenian
community in Turkey, who states that he is under daily threat, cannot
speak about the genocide or support any efforts to recognize the
genocide including those efforts in our country. To do so would be
to place a target on his head and threaten his community even further.
What is a disturbing surprise, however, is the exploitation of
the vulnerable Armenian community in Turkey by opponents of the
resolution."
The ANCA, in a letter circulated yesterday to Congressional offices,
explained that, "Patriarch Mutafyan – like the leaders of all religious
minorities in Turkey – lives in constant fear of acts of discrimination
and retribution by a Turkish government that actively persecutes those
who speak freely on human rights and other ‘sensitive’ issues. As
a virtual hostage, the Patriarch – whose life has been threatened
on many occasions – will, as has in the past, be forced to follow
the Turkish government’s line. It is truly shameful that Turkey has
resorted to using naked coercion – cynically taking advantage of the
concern of Patriarch Mesrob for the safety of his flock – in a last
ditch bid to block the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution."
A highly popular online Turkish video, posted on the video sharing
service YouTube last week, praising the assassination of Turkish
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, illustrates the type of dangerous
and hate-filled environment that Patriarch Mutafyan will return to
after his orchestrated visit to the United States.
The video, which was originally taken down from YouTube but which
has resurfaced in a number of different forms and has been viewed by
hundreds of thousands in Turkey, depicts images of the Dink’s killing
with a lyric refrain, "If a person betrays the country, he is finished
off." It goes on to show "patriotic" photos of confessed assassin
Ogan Samast glorified in front of the Turkish flag. Video lyrics
also include the chilling warning: "The only good Armenian or Kurd
is a dead Armenian or Kurd." Similar video of Turkish police proudly
posing with Samast shortly following his January incarceration for
the murder was leaked to Turkish press and made headlines worldwide.
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