JOURNEY FOR HUMANITY WALKS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF GENOCIDE
By Connie Jo Discoe
AINA, CA
Assyrian International News Agency
Sept 6 2006
One step after the other … one day and 30 miles at a time, six young
people are making their way across America, celebrating their freedom
to do so and, at the same time, remembering and honoring those who
have lost their freedoms, and their lives.
The mission of the walkers’ organization, "Journey for Humanity,"
is to raise awareness of genocide — the deliberate and systematic
annihilation of a racial, political or cultural group — the genocides
of the past and those occurring even now.
"Genocide — crimes against humanity — is going on today, as we talk
and as we walk," said Vahe Abovian.
Vahe joins Hasmig Tatiossian, Edward Majian, Sarkis Nazaryan, Albrik
Zohrabyan and Levon Sayadyan in a 3,300-mile trek across America —
from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. — to tell people about the
vitally important issue of genocide. "It keeps happening," said Hosmig
Tatiossian, "because we don’t learn from it."
Journey for Humanity recognizes seven occurrences of genocide in
recent history:
1915-1923, "The Armenian Genocide," by the Ottoman Turkish Government,
during which more than one-half of the Armenian population (about
1.5 million) people was killed. Approximately 750,000 Assyrians and
about one million Greeks also lost their lives.
1933-1945, "The Holocaust" by Nazi Germany, in which two out of three
Jews living in Europe were killed by 1945. Also targeted and killed
were Soviet prisoners of war, Gypsies, homosexuals, the physically
handicapped and mentally disabled.
1975-1979, "The Cambodian Genocide," in which the Pol Pot Regime tried
to "purify" Cambodia of western culture, city life and religion, and
more than 25 percent of the country’s population died of starvation,
overwork and execution. All those considered to be part of the "old
society" — intellectuals, former government officials and Buddhist
monks — were murdered.
1992-1995, "The Bosnian Genocide" by Bosnian Serbs, during which more
than 200,000 Bosnian Muslims were systematically murdered, men and
boys were deported to concentration camps and civilians were gunned
down by snipers in the city of Sarajevo.
1994, "The Rwanda Genocide," during which Hutu militia, armed
with machetes, started a campaign of murder of the ethnic Tutsi
population. One-tenth of the country’s population — an estimated
800,000 people — was murdered during the campaign of terror.
2003-today, "The Darfur Genocide" by the Sudanese government
and a militia group known as "Janjaweed." Since February 2003,
government-sponsored militias have conducted a calculated campaign
of slaughter, rape, starvation and displacement against the African
population of Darfur. It is estimated that 400,000 people have died
due to violence, starvation and disease, that more than 2.5 million
have been displaced and about 200,000 have fled the border to Chad.
The Journey for Humanity cross-country trek hopes to make people
aware of such crimes against mankind, but also of the denial of
genocide. Edward said, "The Armenian genocide is being denied, even
91 years later."
Although many countries around the world have declared the mass
murders, rapes, torture and mutilations in Armenia genocide, the
current Turkish government denies that a genocide occurred.
The United States and President George W. Bush have declared the
situation in Darfur as "genocide."
Vahe said that too many people feel that, "the crimes are too far from
us. It doesn’t affect us. But as human beings, everyone is either a
victim or a survivor of crimes against humanity."
He continued, "We have to realize as we enjoy our homes and our
families, that people are being killed."
Hosmig said that complacency and not standing up against genocide
allows it to continue to happen.
What can someone half-a-world away from genocide do about it? It’s the
people’s responsibility, Hosmig said, to elect only public officials
who stand up against genocide, and support legislation that recognizes
the atrocities of genocide, such as:
H.Con.Res. 19 in 2005, which called for the United States to observe
the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (January, 2005)
and honor all victims of the Holocaust. It also called for teachers
to educate students about Auschwitz and stress the importance of the
collective responsibility of humanity to ensure that what happened
at Nazi death camps is never allowed to happen again.
H.Con.Res. 146 in 2005, which honors the victims of the Cambodian
genocide and welcomes the establishment of an international criminal
tribunal to bring its perpetrators to justice.
H.Con.Res. 195 in 2005, which commemorates the victims of the Armenian
Genocide and calls for the government of the Republic of Turkey to
acknowledge the culpability of its predecessor state, the Ottoman
Empire, for the genocide.
House Resolution 3127, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of
2006, in which Congress calls events unfolding in Darfur genocidal
and recognizes the need for U.S. and international involvement in
Darfur. In April, 2006, the resolution was received in the Senate
and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Edward said that he and his fellow walkers have received a variety of
responses to their project. "Lots are appalled, and want to learn how
to help," he said. "Some are indifferent. But part of indifference
is just not knowing, and that is what our project is about."
A media kit provided by the walkers quotes Martin Luther King Jr.,
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Whatever
affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
The walkers’ support bus is emblazoned with the quote by British
statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke: "All that is needed for evil
to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
"Genocide is an important issue," Ed said. "It deserves more
attention."
Donate time or money to the cause, Hosmig said. Help fund-raise. Send
web faxes available on the Journey for Humanity Web site:
journeyforhumanity.com
"Do the most simple thing," she said. "Tell some one."
"Journey for Humanity" walkers and organizers believe: "Only when
people acknowledge the genocides of the past and really acknowledge
and understand what genocide looks like, is there a possibility of
stopping the current genocides and preventing the next ones."