MDE WAS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TEACHING FACTS ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
11.06.2009 17:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a major blow to Turkey’s global campaign to
suppress the truth about the Armenian Genocide, U.S. District Court
Chief Judge Mark Wolf today ruled in favor of the Massachusetts
Department of Education (MDE), allowing it to continue teaching the
facts of the Armenian Genocide, and other crimes against humanity,
in public schools across the Commonwealth as constitutionally
protected government speech, reported the Armenian Assembly of America
(Assembly).

"The Armenian Assembly appreciates the court’s ruling in this
matter. It sends a clear message to Turkey and its revisionist allies
that history cannot be rewritten to further Ankara’s state-sponsored
denial campaign," said Assembly Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair
Hovnanian. Carolyn Mugar, the Board’s President, added, "Given
the overwhelming historical and legal evidence documenting the
incontestable fact of the Armenian Genocide, this ruling is a victory
for all those concerned about genocide education and prevention."

Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny noted that "today’s decision
is in keeping with a growing trend toward teaching genocide prevention
with nearly every state, including Massachusetts, formally recognizing
the Armenian Genocide. We want to thank the office of the Attorney
General of Massachusetts for not backing down in this case."

The court’s ruling preserves the teaching of accurate history,
which is part of the official "Massachusetts Guide to Choosing and
Using Curricular Materials on Genocide and Human Rights," prepared in
1999. In 2005, the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA),
along with others, filed the suit against the Department of Education
arguing that the Commonwealth violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment
rights by removing materials from the curriculum that deny the events
of 1915.

"In light of the fact that Turkey criminalizes honest discussion of
the Armenian Genocide, it is especially ironic that Turkish denialists
turned to U.S. courts in an attempt to twist freedom of speech in
America," stated Assembly Board of Trustees Counselor Van Krikorian.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress