ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL INAUGURATED IN TWIN FALLS, US
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
23.11.2009 14:39 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Liyah Babayan envisioned an Armenian Genocide
memorial in Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States, to serve as a
permanent tribute to those who died in what has become known as the
Armenian Holocaust and to honor Armenian refugees who now contribute
to the community, Twin Falls Times-News reported.
"The 26-year-old Babayan, who spent much of this year lobbying and
raising money for the granite memorial that was placed at Twin Falls
City Park on Saturday. Armenian refugees planted a flowering pear
tree beside the granite stone.
The memorial is a permanent reminder that the Turks killed between
one-million and 1 1/2-million Armenians between 1915 and 1918 that
were living in what was then the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey).
"It really means a lot to my parents and my grandparents," said
Babayan, now a U.S. citizen who witnessed the fall of the Soviet
Union as a child in Armenia, then a part of the Communist union of
16 nation states.
"The Armenian American community in Twin Falls donated the tree and
plaque," she said.
Babayan approached Twin Falls Mayor Lance Clow early this year with
a petition requesting the memorial.
"He let me know that it might be an obstacle to place this type of
plaque and memorial on city property," Babayan said, explaining that
the city wants plaques to commemorate events that have direct historic
ties to the Twin Falls community. "The memorial commemorates a historic
event that happened overseas." She explained that the memorial brings
awareness to why Armenian refugees are in Twin Falls.
The Twin Falls City Council approved the memorial in September by a
4-3 vote after considerable debate," the article says.