SARKISIAN MUST BE CALLED TO ACCOUNT FOR HIS ABUSE OF ARMENIAN HUMAN RIGHTS
By Henry Theriault
Asbarez
05/sarkisian-must-be-called-to-account-for-his-abu se-of-armenian-human-rights/
Oct 5th, 2009
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has spent the past year of his
presidency negotiating a deal with Turkey (1) to accept Turkey’s
perennial denial that its predecessor state the Ottoman Empire and
nationalist forces under Ataturk executed a genocide of Armenians
beginning in 1915, and (2) to give up all claim to formerly Armenian
territories depopulated of Armenians through the instrument of this
1915 genocide. These two features combine to indicate that no other
compensation for the tremendous suffering imposed by the genocide
and wealth expropriated by Turks and others through it will be
negotiated. There is, of course, no mention of the 1894-96 massacres,
significant issues in themselves, nor subsequent abuse of Armenian
human rights inside Turkey to this day, including the assassination
of Hrant Dink motivated by Turkish penal code Article 301, which is
clearly prejudicial against Armenians inside and outside of Turkey. In
essence, Sarkisian is completing the work of Talat, Enver, and Jemal
by ensuring that (1) all the gains in land and wealth made through
the 1915 genocide are retained by Turkey and (2) the genocide will
remain unrecognized by Turkey.
What even they could not do-break the will of those Armenians who
survived so that they would accept the destruction of the genocide
and slide quietly into history-Sarkisian is making every effort to
accomplish. He is helping the perpetrator group consolidate and make
permanent all that it gained through the Armenian Genocide.
Yet, can this latest harm to the basic dignity of all Armenians-and,
by implication, all victims of genocide around the world-and this
dangerous undermining of the viability of both the Armenian Republic
and survival of Armenian identity in the future be a surprise to
anyone who has watched Sarkisian in action over the past year and a
half? Before Sarkisian began his role in finalizing the genocidal
destruction of Armenians, what was he doing? After gaining power
in Armenia in an election credible evidence indicates was tainted
by fraud, Sarkisian violently suppressed widespread protests. He
used government forces to attack protesters, most of whose "crime,"
by reliable accounts, consisted of exercising their right to dissent
in their own society, that is, to exercise the basic rights of (1)
freedom of expression, (2) peaceful assembly, and (3) participation
in their government enshrined in Articles 19, 20, and 21 of the United
Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He then jailed numerous
political opponents and protesters apparently without legitimate
cause or due process.
Sarkisian’s actions in the early part of his presidency demonstrate
clearly that he has no regard for Armenian human rights and will
violate them any time he desires. His actions were little different
from those of Turkish political leaders and institutions that
today suppress the basic human rights-freedom of speech, freedom
of religion, right to property, and even right to life-of Armenians
within Turkey. What is more, history shows us clearly that regimes
that demonstrate disregard for human rights in one instance almost
inevitably repeat this disregard in future instances. The Turkish
state and society, in part shaped by the Young Turk perpetrators,
has gone on violently to repress basic Kurdish human rights as well
as the human rights of many Turks. The Serbs who committed genocide
against Bosnian Muslims applied the same mentality and kinds of actions
against Kosovo Albanians. The Germans started with a genocide against
the Herero and moved on to the Europe-wide Holocaust of Jews and
others. The Indonesian government committed politicide against 500,000
to 1,000,000 political dissenters and others labeled as "communists"
in 1965, and moved on to genocide against the East Timorese starting
in 1975. The English committed genocides against Native Americans and
then against the Irish. The United States committed genocide against
the Cherokee and then the Navajo and then…
Serge Sarkisian’s complicity with genocide deniers and in the
genocidal expropriation of Armenian land and movable wealth could
have been prevented if enough people inside and outside Armenia had
stood up against his initial human rights abuses. I myself am guilty
of not doing enough, beyond merely challenging denial of these abuses
by the Armenian representative to the UN at the New York City 2008
Genocide commemoration. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
should have understood the lessons of history above-that there is no
way to work with human rights abusers to protect human rights-instead
of wishfully thinking that it could temper and even change the nature
of Sarkisian’s abusive rule by participating in the government. This
approach never works. And, one has to ask, where were the Swiss then,
when they could actually have helped Armenians and promoted democracy
and human rights? Instead, they have piled onto the Armenian population
around the world to help Turkey push them into accepting the violation
of their rights and memory represented by the protocols.
These appear to be lessons for other groups who will face a similar
challenge in the future, unfortunately. But that does not mean that
nothing for Armenians can be done now. If the Armenian Republic will
be immeasurably weakened by Sarkisian’s perfidy, that does not mean
that it will cease to exist immediately.
Sarkisian is forcing the republic into a desperate political, economic,
cultural, and military situation. It will require every effort of
its own citizenry as well as the Diaspora to save it. The only way
that its citizens can act to save their own society is if Sarkisian’s
illegitimate abuse of human rights and suppression of their political
dissent stops. However great Sarkisian’s moral violation against
Armenians for complicity in the final consolidation of the Armenian
Genocide, it is not a prosecutable crime. Sarkisian’s use of state
violence against Armenian citizens and the jailing of opposition,
however, would seem to be.
To save Armenia and Armenians from the continued rule of a leader
so cavalier about violations of their rights, Armenians and Armenian
organizations inside and outside of Armenia, as well as international
human rights organizations and foreign governments, should begin
pressing for a credible investigation into the allegations of
Sarkisian’s use of violence against protesters and violations of the
rights of those jailed for political reasons under his presidency. If
sufficient evidence is found that he has violated human rights, he
should be indicted and stand trial for his violations. If he is found
guilty, he should be punished in accord with the law, including with
jail time if warranted by law.
Henry Theriault is a Professor of Philosophy at Worcester State
College.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
