Armenian Youth Federation- Western Region
104 N. Belmont, Suite 206, Glendale, CA 91206
Tel. (818) 507-1933 *Email: [email protected]
News Advisory- April 24, 2008
ARMENIAN YOUTH FEDERATION – WESTERN REGION
PROTEST IN FRONT OF TUKISH CONSULATE
Activists to Demand That the Government of Turkey End its Campaign of Denial
of the Armenian Genocide
WHERE: The protest shall take place in front of the Turkish Consulate which
is located at 6300 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90048.
WHEN: The protest shall take place on Thursday, April 24, 2008 from 4pm to
6pm.
WHO: The Armenian Youth Federation is organizing its annual protest in front
of the Turkish Consulate. Thousands of Armenian Americans and Human rights
Activists are expected to be actively protesting their serious
disappointment with the denialist policies of the American and Turkish
governments. In 2007, approximately 10,000 attended this event.
*PROMINENT ELECTED OFFICIAL*: Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi shall
appear at the protest to address attendees.
WHAT: The year 2008 marks the 93rd anniversary of the genocide committed
against the Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish Empire. The Armenian Genocide
is the first genocide of the 21st century and is not yet properly
acknowledged and accepted by the American and Turkish governments. April 24,
1915 marks the day that the Turkish government kidnapped all the
intellectual Armenians and slaughtered them as it embarked on its systematic
annihilation of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian population.
WHY: The Turkish government has attempted to place a "gag rule" on the
United States Congress as evidenced by its heavy-handed opposition to H.
Res. 106 (The Armenian Genocide Resolution, which passed the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs on 10/10/07). The ongoing genocide in Darfur today is a
testament to the need for clear and unequivocal acknowledgement of the crime
of genocide. The protest shall strive to raise awareness regarding the
denialist policies of the American and Turkish governments and how these
policies enable and embolden perpetrators of genocide to both commit and
deny this crime. The protest not only mourns the death of the 1.5 million
Armenians massacred from 1915-1923 but it also tries to educate others about
past and present genocides.