THE ARMENIAN MIRROR-SPECTATOR: "WHY DO WE IGNORE ICTJ’S REPORT ON GENOCIDE?"

AZG Armenian Daily
28/03/2008

Armenian Genocide

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America would like to call
your attention to the following editorial published on March 8, 2008
in The Armenian Mirror-Specator entitled "Why Do We Ignore ICTJ’s
Report on Genocide?"

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

Below is the full text of the the editorial entitled "Why Do We Ignore
ICTJ’s Report on Genocide?"

March 8, 2008

Why Do We Ignore ICTJ’s Report on Genocide?

Turkey’s current Genocide denial strategy is grounded on a specious
proposal for a new joint study by Armenian and Turkish historians
of the events of 1915-1923 although just that kind of study had
already been done by the International Center for Transitional Justice
(ICTJ). The center’s report categorically concluded that the horrors
suffered by Armenians in Ottoman Turkey during World War I met all the
critical criteria of genocide as defined by the 1948 International
Genocide Convention. That treaty was adopted by the international
community of nations, including Turkey.

The Armenian and Turkish participants in the Turkish Armenian
Reconciliation Commission, (TARC), whose membership was agreed to by
both governments, jointly sponsored the ICTJ study. That center is
a highly-respected institution whose mission includes the readiness
"to assist countries pursuing accountability for past mass atrocity
or human rights abuses." ICTJ scholars studies all the critical
evidence and arguments submitted by both Turks and Armenians and
after careful analysis concluded that the Armenian population of
western Armenia had been victims of Genocide. Whereas ICTJ study’s
strict mandate was to define 1915-1923 atrocities, it did not
further comment whether Armenians could use its finding to seek
reparations from Turkey. After all is said, its finding remains as
powerful argument for our nation. Its verdict was so stark that Turks
immediately denied its validity. That the Turks rejected the findings
is understandable. They lost.

But why have most Armenian political activists deliberately ignored
the findings?

The reason for Armenian silence is self-evident. When TARC was formed,
it generated an emotional opposition campaign led primarily by the
ARF. Even though the Armenian government was consulted throughout the
entire TARC process and approved of its mission, Yerevan distanced
itself from the enterprise when the sharp attacks on TARC were
hottest. Most other groups in the diaspora did as well. They were
uncomfortable with the controversy and either shied away from it or
joined the chorus of criticism.

We also took issue with TARC. But we objected to the adopted process
of the effort and composition of the group and not its intent. In
any case, whether TARC should have been organized differently or
whether it made tactical or other mistakes, it is a fact, that its
singular achievement, the ICTJ’s validation of the Armenian Genocide,
was not recognized.

The Armenian Assembly has been the lone advocate of the ICTJ report. It
consistently invoked the ICTJ verdict in statements issued before and
during the congressional effort to pass Resolution 106 recognizing
the Armenian Genocide. There were two other notable exceptions. Hrant
Dink and former US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans. Hrant Dink said
the formation of TARC and the ICTJ report gave him the opportunity
to pursue his cause to gain Turkey’s acknowledgement of the Armenian
Genocide. And Evans has cited the ICTJ report as one of the key factors
that convinced him to publicly state the veracity of the Armenian
Genocide. It is a pity that others have not done the same. We have
needlessly deprived ourselves of a powerful argument in our efforts
to gain Congress to enact the Armenian Genocide resolution.

Henceforth, the Armenian Mirror-Spectator will invoke the ICTJ report
to counter Turkey’s new study ploy.

We will expose that proposal as a smokescreen to hide Turkey’s true
motive. Ankara fears the inevitability of congressional recognition
and hopes that their offer will convince enough members of Congress
to avoid enacting Resolution 106. They want their proposal to be
seen as reasonable and a fair way to remove this vexing problem from
public discussion.

We must not let that happen. Whatever the Armenian communities’
objections were to the TARC process the ICTJ verdict was an impressive
achievement indeed. It is an important weapon in our arsenal of
arguments to gain the international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. Turkish denial must be confronted always and everywhere
and to deny us the compelling verdict of the ICTJ is both unwise
and self-defeating.

Press Committee of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator