The Armenian Weekly On-Line
80 Bigelow Avenue
Watertown MA 02472 USA
(617) 926-3974
armenianweekly@hairenik.com
http://www.a rmenianweekly.com
The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 5; Feb. 9, 2008
News:
1. Appeal to All Armenians
2. The Broken Olive Branch
Hrant Dink Commemorated in Boston
By Andy Turpin
***
1. Appeal to All Armenians
Below is a joint appeal issued this week by the leadership of the ARF,
Hunchak and Ramgavar parties.
On Feb. 20, 1988, under most difficult circumstances, the struggle for the
liberation of Artsakh began.
On Feb. 20, 1988, only a few days after the peaceful demonstrations in
Armenia, Soviet Azerbaijan responded with massacres and murder in Sumgayit.
This was followed by similar pogroms in Baku and Girovabad, costing the
lives of many innocent Armenians and resulting in a forced exile of
Armenians from all over Azerbaijan.
The just struggle for the liberation of Artsakh progressed at the price of
countless Armenian lives, and our freedom fighters were able to respond to
every Azerbaijani attack, eventually defeating the enemy. Today, the
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh stands as evidence of that victory.
But even today, Azerbaijan continues its anti-Armenian policies and has not
stopped committing crimes against Armenians.
The ARF Bureau, the central executive of the Ramgavar party, and the central
executive of the Social Democratic Hunchag party have decided to
collectively celebrate the 20th anniversary of the struggle for Artsakh, to
collectively protest against the continuing anti-Armenian policies of
Azerbaijan and demand justice from Turkey.
Twenty years ago this time, the struggle of Artsakh began, as it embarked on
its mission to rejoin Armenia-ending the historic Stalin-era injustice that
separated them. This demand to be united with Armenia stemmed from the
internationally recognized right of self-determination, a right guaranteed
by the constitution of the Soviet Union. This demand was expressed
peacefully, but there was a violent attempt to suppress it. The struggle,
which was fought thanks to the efforts of Armenians throughout the world,
resulted in the liberation of Artsakh. The entire Armenian people, with all
its political movements, came to the aid of Artsakh.
Twenty years later, today, we face a new challenge. We need to reinforce the
freedom of Artsakh, and we need to strengthen its borders and repopulate its
cities and villages-priorities that all Armenians should help accomplish. A
strong and secure Artsakh is essential for the survival of Armenia. By
celebrating the 20th anniversary of the liberation movement’s birth
together, we aim to keep our people and the international community aware of
this fact.
Twenty years after the pogrom at Sumgayit, Azerbaijan continues to commit
crimes against everything Armenian, and it also threatens the survival of
Artsakh and Armenia. We need to remind everyone in the international
community of Azerbaijan’s crimes and threats, as well as its distortion of
the truth over the last 20 years.
A great example of cooperation among all Armenians was the recent challenge
of recognition of the Armenian genocide. In fact, in the 1960s, the Armenian
genocide was forgotten by the international community. On the eve of the
50th anniversary of the genocide, the three Armenian political parties came
together and started working on the international recognition of the
Genocide. Armenians from Armenia joined this movement. Thanks to collective
work, the struggle for the recognition of the Genocide has made great
strides. We now have to collectively address the issue of our demands from
Turkey and take the necessary action.
Thus, we call upon all Armenians:
To declare 2008 a year of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Artsakh
movement and to consolidate efforts to support and strengthen Artskah in all
ways.
To continue working on the international recognition of the Genocide, until
the day Turkey changes its anti-Armenian stance and compensates our people
for the crime it committed against humanity in 1915.
To declare February 28 of every year a day of commemoration of the Sumgayit
and Baku pogroms, and to work on the international recognition of the past
and present crimes that Azerbaijan has committed against Armenians.
Not to spare any efforts to guarantee the strengthening and prosperity of
Artsakh and Armenia.
Yerevan, Feb. 6, 2008
The central executive of the Social Democratic Hunchag party
The ARF Bureau
The central executive of the Ramgavar party
——————————————– ———————————
2. The Broken Olive Branch
Hrant Dink Commemorated in Boston
By Andy Turpin
WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)-On Feb. 4, the Society of Istanbul Armenians of
Boston presented a commemoration event at the Armenian Cultural and
Education Center (ACEC) on the occasion of the first anniversary of the
murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and Agos editor Hrant Dink.
Vartuhi Cholakian introduced the evening’s speakers, saying, "I feel honored
and privileged to celebrate the life of a true Armenian hero. It is hard to
comprehend that a year has already passed, but events like today help us
remember Hrant for who he was: a father, a husband and an Armenian hero."
Kurkjian reflects on funeral, trial
Boston Globe investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian spoke first about his
experiences covering Dink’s funeral in Turkey last January. Recalling the
moment he learned Dink had been shot, he said, "I knew I had to go to
Istanbul to cover the funeral for the Globe."
On his return to Boston, an Armenian man who had attended one of his
lectures asked, "Were the causes Dink spoke for-freedom of speech and
expression-worth his martyrdom?’"
"It was a question I couldn’t answer," Kurkjian said. "And so I had to go
back to find out more about who this man was." He returned to Turkey to
spend time with Dink’s friends and family, and to truly understand how Hrant
Dink lived his life and his last days.
"The more I learned about Hrant, I realized that this was a truly loyal
Turkish citizen," he explained. "Even his conspirators knew what a man Hrant
Dink was. One is even recorded as saying, ‘We must be careful. This is the
Ataturk of the Armenian people.’"
Talking about Dink’s trial, Kurkjian said, "The indictments against those
arrested for his murder say nothing about the political underpinnings of
Hrant’s death. To say politics had little to do with Hrant Dink’s murder is
to have your head in the sand."
"Less than a week before his death," he continued, "Hrant knew he was being
targeted and asked his wife Raquel for guidance from the Bible on what he
should do."
Kurkjian asked a Der Hayr what the Bible would have told Hrant Dink, and the
Der Hayr replied, "Serve God and serve the people."
According to Kurkjian, that is what Hrant Dink’s life was about.
Mouradian: No one is Hrant Dink!
Khatchig Mouradian, editor of the Armenian Weekly, spoke next. He said he
took the calls of Turkish-Armenian solidarity embodied in the slogan "We Are
All Hrant Dink, We Are All Armenian" with a grain of salt. In reality, he
explained, "No one is Hrant Dink. When we look at that street, and that
sidewalk, we only see one person lying there: Hrant."
"It is very easy to be emotionally charged," Mouradian said, "but if in
Turkey in 1915 people had said, ‘We are all Zohrab, we are all Varoujan,’
and had acted accordingly, so many massacres and gross human rights
violations wouldn’t have happened in the country in the following decades
and Turkey would not have continued to deny the Armenian genocide."
He called on the hundreds of thousands of Turks who had taken to the streets
chanting "We are all Hrant Dink" to go beyond the slogans and strive for
genuine change in Turkey. "I believe that change in Turkey is coming, but
not without the help of Turks and Armenians. No change in Turkey will happen
if we do not struggle for it," he said.
He also noted that unlike civil rights heroes and martyrs in other
countries, there have been no statues or streets named after Hrant Dink a
year after his death. "The day Turkey has the courage to build statues of
Krikor Zohrab and Hrant Dink is the day we can say real change has come to
Turkey. This is the real litmus test for Turkey’s democratization," he said.
"Hrant Dink is first and foremost a hero for a changed Turkey. When we
finally pass a square or a statue of Hrant Dink in Istanbul, that is when we
will know change has truly come to Turkey."
After the many community ceremonies held in honor of Dink a year after his
death, Mouradian said he heard some Armenians ask, Isn’t it too much? "I
would say one thing," he said. "The assassination of Hrant Dink was not the
killing of a single journalist. What did you feel inside when you heard the
news of Hrant’s murder? Did you feel that this was a simple assassination? I
think most of you would say ‘no.’ Hrant’s murder was a reenactment of April
24. And therefore, unlike those who would argue that ‘it’s too much,’ I
would argue that it’s too little." He added, "It is too little because when
we are commemorating Jan. 19, we are commemorating April 24."
Akcam speaks about Hrant’s fears, projects
Dr. Taner Akcam, visiting associate professor of history at the University
of Minnesota and author of the incendiary Armenian genocide history, A
Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish
Responsibility (Metropolitan Books, 2006), spoke next.
He talked about his close relationship with Dink. "When I think of Hrant
Dink I think of losing a best friend," he said. "He taught me to catch fish.
The two of us would make jokes about who was the better fisherman and we
would talk about the joy of taking our catch to the restaurant that night
and having them fry up our fish," he recalled.
Akcam noted that Dink was conscious of the fear and apprehension that
existed in the Turkish-Armenian community to speak openly about their
concerns and desires. "Dink would say to me, ‘We [the Turkish-Armenian
community] have to come out from our hiding places and scream that we are
Armenian and Turkish citizens.’"
Akcam explained the current situation of Armenians in Turkey. "The system,
legally and ideologically, defines Christians as aliens. Agos was a stark
reminder in its existence of the Armenian genocide of 1915. For that reason,
Hrant Dink was targeted by the political, judicial and criminal
establishment in Turkey known as the ‘deep state.’"
"I spent two days at Agos in January 2007," he related. "He was convinced
that ’07 would be a tough year. Open season had been declared on
pro-democracy activists. I said to him in that period leading up to the
elections, ‘We are expecting political assassinations, and if I made a list,
you would be #1 on it.’"
"Hrant essentially had three projects he was working on in his last days,
which I call ‘Hrant’s three main ideas.’ First, he wanted a conference to be
organized with the Armenian diaspora. He would always say, ‘We absolutely
need to settle things between us!’"
He noted his friend’s anxieties saying, "It really worried him not only that
the Armenian diaspora was indifferent to the problems of pro-democracy
activists in Turkey, but that they viewed people in Turkey as a single
bloc."
Akcam continued, "Second, he wanted to create a Turkish civil society
initiative for people to understand and normalize relations between Turks
and Armenians. He considered many of the problems having to do more with not
knowing how to perceive ‘the other’ today."
"Hrant would say to me, ‘You academicians are doing your job, but no
solution can come from such [academic] conferences. The main problem is
Ankara, it is certain political circles that generate animosity for their
own personal means. We have to normalize being a Turk and being an Armenian,
an effort that focuses on current situations.’"
Akcam commented on Dink’s public status up to his death. "Hrant had
confronted a wall of silence and he knew he was playing a solitary role in
the crowd. In my opinion, people took to the streets in order to apologize
to him in their prior knowledge that they had left him alone."
He continued, "Third, it is important to know what Hrant Dink planned to use
as his defense in court," when prosecuted for infraction against Article 301
of the Turkish penal code ("insulting Turkishness"). "He intended in court
to say, ‘Yes, it was a genocide and I am going to go point-by-point and show
that prosecuting me is really prosecuting a genocide.’"
Akcam ended his remarks by stating, "His legacy lies in the way he reached
out to his listeners and would say in complete honesty with a warm gesture,
‘I am talking from my heart.’ He desired more than anything to bring the two
people he loved together."
Q&A
A lengthy question and answer session followed the talks. Akcam was asked to
define what he meant by the "deep state" in Turkey. "What we mean is the
military-industrial complex within Turkey," he explained. "For us [in
Turkey] government is nothing. There is an elected government and an
un-elected government brokered in the military. . None of the Turkish
parties have any programs in place for the Cyprus or Kurdish questions. The
military would never allow the government parties to do what they want."
He added, regarding long-term solutions to Turkey’s civil rights and human
rights problems, that ‘If the U.S. openly starts supporting true democracy
in Turkey, I think Turkey would be a democracy in five years. If the U.S
recognizes the Armenian genocide today, Turkey will have to follow suit.
Turkey is not a strong country, it relies very heavily on U.S. and EU
policies."
Akcam ended, stating, "We [Turkey] have to answer how we will compensate the
Armenians-not just financially but with the recognition of real equal rights
for Armenians today."
Of Hrant Dink the man, Akcam said, "For me, Hrant was the greatest gift
Turkey could have presented to Armenia."
"They broke their olive branch," he added.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress