Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
December 17, 2008
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
"AN IRREVERSIBLE TREND HAS COMMENCED IN TURKEY"
Turkish Intellectuals Apologize for the "Great Catastrophe"
Washington, DC- "An irreversible trend has commenced in Turkey," said
Bryan Ardouny, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive
Director. "Over 12,000 people in Turkey want history to be recorded
truthfully, having already signed the internet-based petition
apologizing for what they call the ‘Great Catastrophe’ that befell the
Armenians of Ottoman Turkey in 1915. This public apology is a first
step in that direction and will inevitably lead to Turkey coming to
grips with its genocidal past."
This movement arose in response to the January 2007 assassination of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, a strong advocate of
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, who publicly spoke in Turkey of the
"Great Catastrophe" that Ottoman Armenians suffered in 1915, as the
Armenian Genocide. Dink was prosecuted under Article 301 of Turkey’s
Penal Code for "insulting Turkishness" by raising the issue.
As a first step on the path toward affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide, these intellectuals have asked the public in Turkey to sign
a petition stating, "My conscience does not accept the insensitivity
showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman
Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and for
my share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian
brothers and sisters. I apologize to them."
News accounts report that Turkish President Abdullah Gul has not
opposed the campaign, while Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has stated that he will not join the group of Turkish
intellectuals who issued the apology, adding "if there is a crime,
then those who committed it can offer an apology. My nation, my
country has no such issue."
However, momentum is building and support continues to increase
dramatically. Within a few hours of the apology’s release, over 2,500
people added their signatures and made encouraging comments. Cengiz
Aktar, professor at Istanbul’s Bahçeºehir University said that it is
"our aim to empathize with the grief of our Armenian brothers,"
calling on all Turks to "think and talk openly about how, and why, the
Armenian people disappeared from a land they inhabited for 4,000
years."
This process was encouraged in 2003 by the International Center for
Transitional Justice (ICTJ), which concluded that "the Events [of
1915], viewed collectively, can thus be said to include all of the
elements of the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention, and
legal scholars as well as historians, politicians, journalists and
other people would be justified in continuing to so describe them."
Noting the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice
President-elect Joseph Biden next month and Obama’s statement from
October which read, "Joe Biden and I believe that the Armenian
Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view,
but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body
of historical evidence," Ardouny said, "They are both on record as
supporting Turkey’s reconciliation with its past, and affirmation of
the Armenian Genocide. Coupled with Obama’s recent selection of
Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, the Obama-Biden
Administration has an opportunity to clearly affirm the Armenian
Genocide and, at the same time, help Turkey reverse its policy of
denial. It will also send a message that the U.S. will no longer
shelter Turkey from criticism if it continues to persecute leading
intellectuals by invoking Article 301 of its Penal Code."
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public
understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a
501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
### 2008-095
Notice: The information contained in this electronic communication is
confidential, may be privileged and is intended only for the use of
the addressee. It is the property of the Armenian Assembly of America.
You are hereby notified that any unauthorized review, use,
dissemination or copying of this communication or any part thereof is
strictly prohibited, and may be unlawful. If you have received this
communication in error, please notify us immediately by facsimile
(202) 638-4904 or by telephone at (202) 393-3434, and destroy this
communication and all copies thereof. Thank you.