Hürriyet, Turkey
Feb 22 2009

Armenians, activists slam Turkish student viewing of controversial film

Armenian and other rights groups called for action Saturday over the
distribution and screening of a controversial documentary about the
Armenian issue to all elementary schools in Turkey, AFP reported.

The declaration signed by seven rights organizations, among them
Armenian foundations and the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, said the
documentary was inciting "racism" and "enmity", AFP reported.

The call follows reports earlier this week that Turkey’s Education
Ministry had asked teachers to show the documentary, "Sarı
Gelin — The True Face of the Armenian Question," a documentary film
developed by the General Staff, to students and file reports on the
result of the screenings.

The Education Ministry later halted the distribution of the
documentary and said at the film was sent to schools for the benefit
of the teachers, not the students.

"This documentary is a propaganda film … It is not only biased and
hostile but also provocative and openly racist," the declaration by
activists said.

"This is not an objective production … It has been made to poison
people’s souls and to turn Turks and Armenians into enemies," it
added.

Academics have criticized the documentary for reflecting the official
ideology of the Turkish Republic on the 1915 incidents and undermining
the claims of an alleged Armenian "genocide".

The issue of the 1915 incidents is highly sensitive for Turkey as well
as Armenia. Around 300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks, died
in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up arms, backed by
Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.

However Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5
million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in
1915. The issue remains unsolved as Armenia drags its feet in
accepting Turkey’s proposal of forming a commission to investigate the
claims.