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ARMENIAN YOUTH ORGANIZATION OF CANADA
3401 rue Olivar-Asselin
Montréal, Qc
H4J 1L5
Tél: 514-331-6548
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
April 17, 2005
Contacts: Hagop Mksyartinian 519-933-8425
Lalai Manjikian 514-262-9339
For immediate release:
Nations converge to Ottawa to “End Genocide”
Peoples victim of crimes against humanity commemorate the 90th Anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide
Montr̩al РCanadian youth representing all victims of injustice converge to the
nation’s capital in order to participate in a vigil that will be held in front
of the Human Rights monument in Ottawa, on Saturday, April 23rd, 2005 at 8pm.
The vigil will pay tribute to the countless victims of the unpunished crime of
genocide committed against the Armenian people between 1915 and 1921. This
commemorative event, spearheaded by the Armenian Youth Organization of Canada,
also aims to raise awareness about all those who have fallen victim of genocide
during the 20th and 21st centuries.
At 8pm, members of the Armenian Youth Organization of Canada as well as the
Armenian community, leaders and diplomatic corps representatives of the Greek,
Tibetan, Rwandan, Guatemalan, Ukrainian, Jewish and Sudanese communities in
Canada, along with representatives of humanitarian non governmental
organizations will gather in front of the Canadian Human Rights monument in
Ottawa. The official program of the event will comprise of statements made by
the representatives of cultural and humanitarian organizations such as Amnesty
International of Canada and the Canadian Council for Refugees. Among the guest
speakers scheduled are Ms Tragi Mustafa, founder of Save Women from Sudan
Organization and representative of the Darfur Association of Canada as well as
Mr. Toros Dimitian, vice-president of the Armenian National Committee of
Canada. Moreover, the program will include poetry readings and screenings of
documentaries on genocide. The vigil will resume with a solemn candle lighting
ceremony, to commemorate the victims of all genocides. Organizers are expecting
hundreds of supporters and activists from across the country to partake in this
event.
“This is a first effort on the part of the Armenian Youth Organization to bring
together all nations that have suffered such heinous crimes. We should not only
remember the past, but strive to unite our voices in order to put an end to the
cycle of genocide,” said Mr. Hamlet Djeredjian, president of the A.R.F. Youth
organization of Canada, “I am confident that this event will open peoples’ eyes
to the threat that genocide poses for all of humanity. As Canadian-Armenians, we
bear a special responsibility in this matter. The recent events in Sudan are the
direct consequence of the unpunished nature of the Armenian Genocide. It’s time
to raise our level of activism and put an end to the cycle of genocide,” said
Mr. Djeredjian.
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