KURDISH ACTIVIST TO KEYNOTE EVENING OF TRIBUTE TO TURKEY’S HEROES OF CONSCIOUS

Asbarez
Jan 11th, 2010

UHRC ‘Opposite of Silence’ to Spotlight Growing Resistance to
Oppression in Turkey

LOS ANGELES-The United Human Rights Council (UHRC) will hold a "Moment
of Noise" this Friday, January 15, to pay tribute to the activists of
Turkey who have been targeted, harassed and even murdered for their
efforts to advance Kurdish human rights, Armenian Genocide recognition,
and freedom of speech and equality. The event, titled "The Opposite
of Silence", will feature a blend of art, music, video and speeches.

The program’s keynote speaker, Kani Xulam of the American Kurdish
Information Network, will discuss the ongoing plight of Turkey’s 30
million Kurds and their decade’s long struggle for liberation against
Turkish oppression. The evening will also feature musical performances
from Raffi and the Palm of Granite, slam poetry by Armen Soudjian and
others. Socially conscious art by Ani Ishkhanian, Cynthia Kossayan,
and Gayaneh Novshadian will also be on display.

"Xulam’s appearance will be all the more relevant considering the
current conditions of Kurds in Turkey. We see the same oppressive
practices of rounding up political leaders, violently crushing
demonstrations and choking free speech that have marred recent Turkish
history. Oppressed minorities such as Kurds and Armenians must work
in concert to show Turkey’s true nature as a brutal occupier and
violator of human rights," said UHRC Director Sanan Shirinian.

The event will coincide with the third anniversary of the assassination
of Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink. It will begin at
8:00pm at The Glendale Armenian Youth Center, located at 211 West
Chestnut St. Glendale CA 91204 (Behind St. Mary’s church).

Charged, on more than one occasion, with the crime of insulting
"Turkishness" under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code, Hrant Dink
was a champion of truth in a country plagued by denial and repression.

He used his pen to speak out against the denial of the Armenian
genocide, all the while advocating for reconciliation between Armenia’s
and Turks. A firm believer in free speech, Dink was shot to death at
the doorstep of his office in Istanbul on January 19, 2007.

This year the program will be spotlighting the injustices of the
Turkish government and how Article 301, despite Dink’s murder,
continues to promote an atmosphere of intolerance and prejudice,
denying the citizens of Turkey their fundamental rights to free speech
and truth.

Enacted in 2005, Article 301 of the Turkish penal code has made
it illegal for any citizen or resident of Turkey to give credence
to the Armenian genocide. Numerous journalists and scholars have
been prosecuted for "denigrating Turkishness" under that statute,
beginning with Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, who was charged for stating,
"A million Armenia’s were killed in these lands." Dink, himself,
was prosecuted three times for criticizing the Turkish government’s
longstanding policy of denying the Armenian genocide.

"Hrant Dink, Eren Keskin, Ayse Gunaysu, Akin Birdal and Leyla Zana
are just a few of the many brave individuals in Turkey who have
been targeted by the state and ultranationalist groups for breaking
Article 301 with their dedicated work in support of human rights,"
said Shirinian. "There’s a growing wave of dissent against injustice
inside Turkey as more and more people begin to question and counter
the official facts dictated to them about the Armenians and Kurds and
it’s our responsibility to stand in solidarity with this budding free
speech movement."

The United Human Rights Council is a committee of the Armenian Youth
Federation. By means of action on a grassroots level, it works toward
correcting and exposing the human rights violations of governments
that distort, deny, and delude history to disguise past and present
genocides, massacres, and human rights violations. For more information
about the Opposite of Silence or on the activities and mission of
the UHRC, contact uhrc@ayfwest.org