Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide AyÃ…?e Berktay

By MassisPost
Updated: February 20, 2015

By Hambersom Aghbashian

AyÃ…?e Berktay is a translator, scholar, author, cultural and women’s
rights activist. Her publications include `History and Society: New
Perspectives, 2008³, and `The Ottoman Empire and the World Around with
Suraiya Faroqhi’; moreover, she is the editor of `Women and Men in the
75th Year of the Turkish Republic’. Her translations include `The
Imperial Harm: Gender and Power in the Ottoman Empire, 1520-1656³ by
Leslie Penn Pierce; and `The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922 ,New Approaches
to European History’ by Donald Quataert.

Over the past decade, AyÃ…?e conducted work at the History Trust, where
she was part of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Board on Human Rights.
In Dec. 2009 AyÃ…?e became a member of the pro-Kurdish Peace and
Democracy Party (BDP), which has 36 elected representatives in the
Turkish Parliament. In March 2010 she was elected to the BDP Istanbul
Province Executive, where she worked in the Press Committee, then in
Oct. 2010 she was elected to the BDP Central Women’s Committee,
Foreign Relations Office. AyÃ…?e Berktay was arrested on October 3,
2011, and seized personal papers and materials. Eventually, she was
charged under Turkey’s anti-terror legislation of `membership in an
illegal organization’. She was released from Prison in Istanbul on
Dec. 20, 2013 and still faces a lengthy trial process, where she could
face up to 15 years in prison. (1)

In December 2008, two hundred prominent Turkish intellectuals released
an apology for the `great catastrophe of 1915³. This was a clear
reference to the Armenian Genocide, a term still too sensitive to use
so openly. The signatories also announced a website related to this
apology, and called on others to visit the site and sign the apology
as well. The complete, brief text of the apology says `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.’ AyÃ…?e Berktay was one of the Turkish intellectual who has signed
the petition. (2)

AyÃ…?e Berktay was one of the Turkish intellectuals who signed a
petition against Denialist Exhibit in Denmark, an exhibition which was
planned by the Turkish embassy to support their point of view
concerning the Armenian Genocide .’ Don’t Stand Against Turkey’s
Democratization and Confrontation with its History!’ was the message
to the Royal Library of Denmark who has given the Turkish government
the opportunity to present an `alternative exhibit’ in response to the
Armenian Genocide exhibition.(3)

In the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the members of the
24 April Commemorating Armenian Genocide Platform came together in
front of the historical HaydarpaÃ…?a Railhead to commemorate the
Armenian intellectuals who were put in trains from HaydarpaÃ…?a Railhead
in 1915 and sent to death. The citizens left red carnations on the
placards writing in both English and Armenian reading `We are
remembering the victims of Armenian genocide’ and they carried the
photos of Armenian intellectuals. The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)
Central Executive Board (MYK) member Garo Paylan, Author AyÃ…?e Berktay,
Academiscian Fatmagül Berktay, Human Rights Association (Ä°HD) Ä°stanbul
Branch Head Ã`mit Efe, Ä°HD executives, Armenians coming from Diaspora;
and lots of citizens joined in the commemoration activity.(4)
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