ANKARA’S PUBLIC PROSECUTOR TO FORGO PRESSING CHARGES AGAINST ARMENIAN APOLOGY CAMPAIGN INITIATORS
PanARMENIAN.Net
30.01.2009 15:22 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ankara’s Public Prosecutor is reported to forgo
pressing charges against a group of Turkish intellectuals who, late
last year, asked the public in Turkey to sign a petition, which read,
"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."
When the petition first appeared, the Assembly welcomed the
development, noting that an "irreversible trend" had commenced
in Turkey. "This is another step in the right direction," stated
Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny. "The Assembly continues to urge Turkey to come to terms
with its genocidal legacy and to open a new chapter in relations
with Armenia," Ardouny continued. "We continue to be concerned that
there will be a backlash. There is a long way to go yet, but this is
definitely a positive step, especially in light of the well known
abuses of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code to muzzle citizens
for acknowledging the historical truth."
In a very short period of time, the petition garnered over 28,000
signatures and marked a real breakthrough in the progression of
encouraging developments that builds on the visit of Turkish President
Abdullah Gul to Armenia at the invitation of Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, and the independent legal report issued by the International
Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) that concluded that the events
of 1915 constituted genocide under the criteria set forth by the
United Nations Genocide Convention.