Author: Andres-Papazian

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND THE ETHICS OF REMEMBRANCE

FrontPage Magazine
April 15 2015

April 15, 2015 by Vladimir Tismaneanu and Marius Stan

“To conceal or deny Evil is the same as allowing a wound to bleed
without bandaging it.”

This statement by Pope Francis in April 2015 was linked to the first
official Vatican use of the word genocide to deplore and condemn
the state-sponsored mass murders perpetrated against a huge civilian
population a hundred years ago in what used to be the Ottoman Empire.

The Pope is right: Forgetfulness, denial, and silence cannot but
perpetuate a culture of complicity with Evil.

The massacre of a million and a half Armenians (men, women, elderly
people, and children) initiated in April 1915 and appallingly
completed by 1923, was the first genocidal experience of what an
American historian called the age of social catastrophes. That
exterminist cataclysm was the Armenians’ Holocaust. We use the term
exterminist in the sense put forward by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen in
his book “Hitler’s Willing Executioners.” The purpose was not just
exclusion and elimination, but complete annihilation of the targeted
collectivity, in this case the Armenians, later the Jews, the Gypsies,
the Tutsis and so on. It was not a spontaneous explosion of murderous
hatred, but a meticulously designed and methodically executed plan
to physically destroy those labeled as sub-humans or even non-humans.

Killing an Armenian–or later a Jew, a Kulak, a Bosnian, any member of
a community stigmatized as superfluous (a term introduced by Hannah
Arendt)–was the same as getting rid of a pernicious insect. The
hateful genocidal propaganda always referred to the “obnoxious
vermin.” Symbolic dehumanization made way for physical termination.

Ideology precedes and legitimizes the hecatomb. The ultimate goal is
the ethnically or socially pure (and purified) community.

For Hitler, who openly admired Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and saw himself
as a “Father of the Nation,”, the Armenian massacre (the term genocide
had not been coined yet) was proof that humankind is quick to forget,
that one should not be held back by moral reservations.

Totalitarianism bets everything on opportunism, cowardice, and
amnesia. And, most obviously, on sadism–be it social or racial.

In conversations with his minions, Hitler used to mention the following
when explaining the “necessity” to exterminate the European Jews:
“Who even remembers the Armenian annihilation nowadays?” What is truly
terrifying is that many of those who committed these mass murders
seemed normal people, persons who “wouldn’t hurt a fly” (a point made
by Croatian writer Slavenka DrakuliÄ~G in her book “They Would Never
Hurt a Fly” ). They wouldn’t harm an ant, but mercilessly massacred
women and children. And even took pictures of it…

Here is a copy of a famous painting by Arshile Gorky, born Vosdanig
Adoian. Alongside creations by Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock,
Gorky’s work was American Abstract Expressionism’s moment of supreme
glory. The artist was himself a genocide survivor, his mother died
of starvation in 1918.

It is admirable that Pope Francis urges humanity not to forget
Evil and we agree with his stance. In the spirit of Albert Camus,
Nadezhda Mandelstam, and Monica Lovinescu, we advocate the ethics of
unforgetfulness. Because remembrance is always the result of a will
not to forget Evil. The democratic ethos is rooted in this need to
acknowledge the tragedies of the past. Forgiveness cannot be granted
in the absence of repentance. Yet we dare to wonder whether the term
“Stalinism” used by Pope Francis in his speech (together with Nazism)
is clear enough to help understand that it comprises the communist
crimes of the last century, including those perpetrated by Maoism.

Just between 1958 and 1961, during the so-called “Great Leap Forward”,
45 millions of Chinese citizens died.

These crimes against humanity have been genocidal. They should be
called by name, known, condemned, and commemorated with sorrow and
empathy, regardless of what the various chancelleries specialized in
the diplomatic concealing of the truth might say. Regardless of what
the self-proclaimed experts in “linguistic hygiene” might say.

To conclude, we recommend here Charles Aznavour’s moving song “Ils
sont tombés.”

Vladimir Tismaneanu is a professor of politics at the University of
Maryland (College Park) and author of numerous books, including most
recently “The Devil in History: Communism, Fascism, and Some Lessons of
the Twentieth Century.” Marius Stan is a Romanian political scientist,
author of books in Romanian and Polish, and currently a postdoctoral
fellow at the University of Bucharest. This essay was translated from
Romanian into English by Monica Got.

From: A. Papazian

RA OMBUDSMAN’S REPORT: NATURE PROTECTION MINISTRY INSPECTED 120 OBJECTS INSTEAD OF 2332 OBJECTS

13:21 April 11, 2015

EcoLur

Within its competences Nature Protection Ministry didn’t take effective
measures to prevent violations in nature protection sector, as well as
it didn’t carry out a sufficient number of environmental inspections
to detect and prevent possible violations, as the Ombudsman’s report
“On Human Rights Defender’s Activities and Violation of Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms in Armenia for 2014” says.

“In 2014 the Ministry planned to conduct inspections in 2332 objects,
but factually it inspected 120 ones. As compared with the indicators
for 2013, the inspections in 120 objects resulted in the increase of
detecting violations, caused damage and, consequently, administrative
damages,” the report says.

From: A. Papazian

VATICAN WEBSITE HACKED OVER POPE’S ‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’ REMARKS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
April 15 2015

April 15, 2015, Wednesday/ 12:48:49/ TODAYSZAMAN.COM / ISTANBUL

A member of a Turkish hacking team briefly blocked access to the
Vatican’s official website on Tuesday night, in response to Pope
Francis’ describing the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman
Empire as the “first genocide of the 20th century” on Sunday.

Pope Francis made the controversial remark as he honored the 100th
anniversary of the World War I massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire on Sunday. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Vatican’s
ambassador in Ankara on the same day. Turkish officials reportedly
told the ambassador that they were “deeply sorry and disappointed”,
adding that the pope’s comments had caused a “problem of trust.”

Turkey recalled its ambassador to Vatican City, Mehmet Pacacı, who
arrived in Ä°stanbul on Monday. A Turkish hacker, who uses the Twitter
account “Herakles” (@THTHerakles) shut down vatican.va, the official
website of the Vatican, late on Tuesday. The news was first reported
by the Italian media. Turkey’s Dogan news agency reported that the
website was inaccessible up until the early hours of Wednesday.

The Vatican’s website is currently working by rerouting visitors to
the address w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/it.html.

The hacker, who is reportedly a member of “Turkhackteam,” a nationalist
group of Turkish hackers, posted messages on Twitter ahead of the
cyber-attack, accusing the Turkish media of remaining silent in the
face of Pope Francis’ Armenian genocide remark.

He also wrote messages prior to the attack saying: “Tonight I am going
to pay a visit to Catholics. Let’s give a message to Mr. Pope.” He
continued in another message by saying that “Armenians should know
that we exist. This is not the first and will not be the last, even
though our own media remains silent.”

The hacker, speaking to the website hackread.com, said, “We want
the pope to apologize for his words or we will make sure the website
remains offline.” He told the website that the pope’s comments are
unacceptable and that he is a religious figure — which the hacker
respects — however, biased comments and calling what happened with
Armenians during World War I genocide is not true.

Turkey, a majority of whose population is Muslim, accepts that many
Christian Armenians died in clashes with Ottoman soldiers beginning
in 1915, when Armenia was part of the empire ruled from Ä°stanbul,
but denies hundreds of thousands were killed and that this amounted
to genocide.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey
claims that the death toll has been inflated and that those killed
were victims of civil war and unrest.

From: A. Papazian

LE PARLEMENT EUROPEEN APPELLE LA TURQUIE A RECONNAITRE LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

UE-parlement-génocide-histoire-Turquie-Arménie

Le Parlement européen a “encouragé” mercredi la Turquie a
reconnaître le génocide arménien, trois jours après la déclaration
du pape Francois et a l’occasion du centenaire des massacres.

“Mon propre peuple a commis des génocides”, a lancé l’eurodéputé
allemand Elmar Brok (PPE/droite), évoquant “une obligation morale” de
reconnaître de tels crimes. “Des centaines de milliers d’Arméniens
ont trouvé la mort sous la main des sbires de l’Empire ottoman”
entre 1915 et 1917, a-t-il asséné avant le vote.

“Quel que soit le mot utilisé (…), il ne peut y avoir de déni
de cette affreuse réalité”, a estimé la vice-présidente de
la Commission européenne, Kristalina Georgieva, soulignant “les
divergences de vues” entre l’Arménie et la Turquie, pays candidat
a l’adhésion a l’UE.

L’exécutif européen refuse de parler de “génocide” car ce
terme n’est pas utilisé par tous les 28 Etats membres de l’Union
européenne.

Le Parlement européen avait qualifié ces massacres de “génocide”
dès 1987.

Sa reconnaissance par le pape Francois dimanche a provoqué la fureur
d’Ankara.

Elle a au contraire été “saluée” par les eurodéputés.

Mme Georgieva a espéré que les cérémonies pour le centenaire, le
24 avril, seront “une occasion pour avancer vers la réconciliation,
qui est au coeur du projet européen”.

Les eurodéputés rendent hommage a la mémoire des 1 500 000
victimes arméniennes “qui ont perdu la vie dans l’Empire ottoman”
il y a un siècle.

Dans leur résolution votée a une très large majorité, les
eurodéputés invitent l’Arménie et la Turquie a “prendre exemple
sur la réconciliation des nations européennes”, en ratifiant et en
mettant en Ã…”uvre, sans conditions préalables, les protocoles sur
l’établissement de relations diplomatiques, en ouvrant la frontière,
et en améliorant de manière active leurs relations, notamment en
ce qui concerne la coopération transfrontalière et l’intégration
économique.

De plus, les parlementaires saluent le message du pape Francois en
date du 12 avril 2015, dans lequel “il commémore le centenaire du
génocide arménien dans un esprit de paix et de réconciliation”.

Ils se félicitent des déclarations du Président et du Premier
ministre de la Turquie, qui ont adressé leurs condoléances
aux Arméniens ottomans et reconnu les atrocités commises a leur
égard. Ils encouragent la Turquie a “saisir l’occasion propice offerte
par la commémoration du centenaire du génocide arménien” pour ouvrir
ses archives, pour “poursuivre ses efforts de réconciliation avec son
passé”, pour reconnaître le génocide et pour poser ainsi les jalons
d’une “véritable réconciliation entre les peuples turc et arménien”.

Par ailleurs, ils invitent la Turquie a effectuer “en toute bonne foi”
un inventaire du patrimoine culturel arménien détruit ou endommagé
au cours du siècle dernier sur son territoire.

Les députés rendent hommage a la mémoire des 1 500 000 victimes
arméniennes “qui ont perdu la vie dans l’Empire ottoman” il y a
un siècle.

Finalement, ils proposent d’instaurer une “journée internationale de
commémoration des génocides afin de réaffirmer le droit de tous les
peuples et de toutes les nations du monde a la paix et a la dignité”.

En 2014, M. Erdogan, alors Premier ministre, avait présenté pour
la première fois des condoléances aux Arméniens, sans pour autant
cesser de contester tout génocide.

Il a pris les devants mercredi matin, avant même le vote a Bruxelles.

“Le vote (…) entrera dans une de mes oreilles et ressortira aussitôt
par l’autre parce que la Turquie ne peut reconnaître un tel péché
ou un tel crime”, a-t-il commenté.

Résolution du Parlement européen sur le centenaire du génocide
arménien

(2015/2590(RSP) / RC8-0342/2015)

(adopté le 15 avril 2015, a Bruxelles)

Le Parlement européen,

vu la convention des Nations unies pour la prévention et la
répression du crime de génocide de 1948,

vu sa résolution du 18 juin 1987 sur une solution politique de la
question arménienne1,

vu sa résolution du 12 mars 2015 concernant le rapport annuel 2013 sur
les droits de l’homme et la démocratie dans le monde et la politique
de l’Union européenne en la matière2,

vu le protocole sur l’établissement de relations diplomatiques entre
la République d’Arménie et la République de Turquie, ainsi que le
protocole sur le développement des relations entre la République
d’Arménie et la République de Turquie signés a Zurich le 10
octobre 2009,

vu la déclaration prononcée le 12 avril 2015 par le pape Francois,

vu l’article 123, paragraphes 2 et 4, de son règlement,

A. considérant que l’année 2015 marque le centenaire du génocide
arménien perpétré dans l’Empire ottoman ;

B. considérant qu’un nombre croissant d’Ã~Itats membres et de
parlements nationaux reconnaissent le génocide arménien perpétré
dans l’Empire ottoman ;

C. considérant que l’une des principales motivations du mouvement
d’unification européen est la volonté d’empêcher que des guerres
et des crimes contre l’humanité ne se reproduisent en Europe ;

D. considérant que la Turquie et l’Arménie se sont engagées dans un
processus de normalisation diplomatique en signant, en 2009, a Zurich,
des protocoles sur l’établissement et le développement de relations ;

E. considérant qu’il est d’une grande importance d’entretenir le
souvenir du passé, puisqu’il ne peut y avoir de réconciliation sans
vérité ni Ã…”uvre de mémoire ;

1. rend hommage, en cette veille du centenaire, a la mémoire des
victimes innocentes arméniennes, au nombre d’un million et demi, qui
ont perdu la vie dans l’Empire ottoman ; participe a la commémoration
du centenaire du génocide arménien dans un esprit de solidarité
et de justice européennes ; invite la Commission et le Conseil a se
joindre a la commémoration ;

2. rappelle que, dans sa résolution du 18 juin 1987, il reconnaissait
entre autres que les actes tragiques perpétrés entre 1915 et
1917 contre les Arméniens sur le territoire de l’Empire ottoman
constituaient un génocide au sens de la convention pour la prévention
et la répression du crime de génocide de 1948 ; condamne tout
crime contre l’humanité et tout génocide et déplore vivement toute
tentative de dénégation de ces actes ;

3. rend hommage a la mémoire des victimes innocentes de tous les
génocides et crimes contre l’humanité ; propose d’instaurer une
journée internationale de commémoration des génocides afin de
réaffirmer le droit de tous les peuples et de toutes les nations du
monde a la paix et a la dignité ;

4. souligne que la prévention en temps utile et la condamnation
effective des génocides et des crimes contre l’humanité devraient
figurer parmi les priorités principales de la communauté
internationale et de l’Union européenne ;

5. se félicite des déclarations de Recep Tayyip Erdogan, président
de la République de Turquie, et d’Ahmet Davutoglu, Premier ministre
de la République de Turquie, qui ont adressé leurs condoléances aux
Arméniens ottomans et reconnu les atrocités commises a leur égard,
et les considère comme un pas dans la bonne direction ; encourage
la Turquie a saisir l’occasion propice offerte par la commémoration
du centenaire du génocide arménien pour poursuivre ses efforts de
réconciliation avec son passé, notamment par l’ouverture de ses
archives, pour reconnaître le génocide arménien et pour poser
ainsi les jalons d’une véritable réconciliation entre les peuples
turc et arménien ;

6. Se félicite du message du pape Francois en date du 12 avril 2015,
dans lequel il commémore le centenaire du génocide arménien dans
un esprit de paix et de réconciliation ;

7. invite la Turquie a respecter et a remplir pleinement les
obligations qu’elle a contractées pour la protection du patrimoine
culturel et, en particulier, a effectuer en toute bonne foi un
inventaire complet du patrimoine culturel arménien et autre détruit
ou endommagé au cours du siècle dernier sur son territoire ;

8. encourage l’Arménie et la Turquie a prendre exemple sur la
réconciliation des nations européennes et a privilégier une
stratégie mettant au premier plan la coopération entre les peuples ;
ne doute pas que cela contribuera a une réconciliation historique des
peuples arménien et turc dans un esprit de vérité et de respect
; appuie les initiatives de la société civile entre la Turquie
et l’Arménie destinées a normaliser les relations ; exhorte la
Turquie et l’Arménie a normaliser leurs relations en ratifiant et
en mettant en Ã…”uvre, sans conditions préalables, les protocoles sur
l’établissement de relations diplomatiques, en ouvrant la frontière
et en s’efforcant d’améliorer leurs relations eu égard notamment
a la coopération transfrontalière et a l’intégration économique ;

9. charge son Président de transmettre la présente résolution
au Conseil, a la Commission, a la viceâ~@~Qprésidente de la
Commission/haute représentante de l’Union pour les affaires
étrangères et la politique de sécurité, aux gouvernements et aux
parlements des Ã~Itats membres, au gouvernement et au parlement de
la République d’Arménie et au gouvernement et au parlement de la
République de Turquie.

jeudi 16 avril 2015, Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

CFK MEETS ARMENIAN LEADERS AFTER POPE-TURKEY ‘GENOCIDE’ CONTROVERSY

Buenos Aires Herald, Argentina
April 14 2015

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner today received the Prelate
of the Armenian Apostolic Church and other leading representatives
of the community, following pope Francis’ recognition of the Armenian
genocide at the hands of Turkey on the centenary of the event.

The head of state’s encounter with leaders of the Argentine-Armenian
community took place in the midst of strong criticism from Turkey
against the pope and the Argentine government, due to the nation’s
refusal to admit to genocide in 1915.

Archbishop Kissag Mouradian headed the delegation that met with CFK in
Olivos today, in order to express her solidarity with the community
on the 100th anniversary of the massacre which took at least 1.5
million Armenian lives, according to historical studies.

Argentina is one of 22 states which recognises that attack as genocide
and on Sunday the Catholic Church, through the pope’s declarations,
also used that description – a statement which provoked a stinging
rebuke from the Turkish government against the Pontiff and the CFK
administration.

Along with strong words from president Tayyip Erdogan, one of the
fiercest criticisms came from European Union minister Volkan Bozkir.

The politician stated that Francis was from Argentina “a country that
welcomed the nazis who were the main authors of the Jewish Holocaust.”

“Regretfully, in Argentina the Armenian diaspora dominate the media
and businesses,” Bozkir added.

From: A. Papazian

ARTSAKH ARMY HOLDS ARTILLERY DRILLS

16:21, 16 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

On 16 April President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan
was present at the artillery regimental tactic exercises of the
Artsakh Republic Defense Army.

The Head of the State signified enhancing the field training level
of the troops and realization of targeted work in this direction
considering it among the key factors of maintaining the high combat
readiness of the army.

From: A. Papazian

RETURN OF RUINS OF ANI AND OF MOUNT ARARAT COULD BE CONSIDERED AS CONVINCING GESTURE OF TURKEY’S APOLOGIES: TESSA HOFMANN

11:31, 16 April, 2015

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. It is difficult to determine the reasons
for Germany’s evasive, half-hearted approach in memory politics beyond
the commemoration of the Holocaust. I cannot believe that this is all
Turkey’s influence, for Germany is a powerful, free democracy, not at
all economically dependent from Turkey. From the correspondence and
statements of German parliamentarians of previous years – of they are
outspoken at all – I gather that some fear the loss of votes of Turkey
born voters. The prominent German expert on genocide studies Dr. Tessa
Hofmann stated this in an interview to “Armenpress” News Agency.

– How would you assess the official position of Germany on the Armenian
Genocide issue?

– The governmental position is evasive. In its official statements, the
Federal Government, represented by the Foreign Office has repeatedly
declined any legally qualified opinion whether the Ottoman ‘expulsions
and massacres’ of 1915 are a genocide or not. In addition, the Federal
Government announced that it is the task of the two countries concerned
– Armenia and Turkey – to start a dialogue to establish the historic
truth about the ‘expulsions and massacres’. In this way, Germany not
only ‘outsources’ the responsibility to have a clear position on a case
of genocide that empirically forms the base of the UN definition of
genocide (together with the destruction of the European Jewry during
WW2), but avoids a clear own position.

Furthermore, the official German paraphrase of ‘expulsion’ does not
fully correspond with the legal term of ‘deportation’ or ‘forcible
transfer of population’, as defined in the Rome Statute (1998) of
the International Criminal Court as a ‘crime against humanity’. In
other words: Deportation or forcible transfers are crimes against
humanity, whereas expulsion is not, at least not necessarily. The
Armenian nationals of the Ottoman Empire were not just uprooted and
chased across the nearest borders, but were deported into the interior
under armed guard; they were driven into areas of massive starvation;
the circumstances of the forcible transfer indicate that the survival
of the deportees was not intended.

Second, the Federal Government pretends that there is still a demand
for academic clarification whether the alleged expulsion and massacres
were genocide. It thus purposely ignores the remarkably intense
scientific achievements of genocide studies and historiography of at
least three decades. In these studies Armenian and Turkish scholars
were and are involved, as well as scholars of other nationalities
or ethnicities.

Third, in the same way the Federal Government purposely and
continuously ignores the achievements of the Turkish Armenian
Reconciliation Commission (TARC, 2001-2004) which had commissioned an
independent expert opinion by the International Center of Transitional
Justice (ICTJ); in its report, the ICTJ established the applicability
of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide on the ‘events’ of 1915. Subsequently, the Federal
Government’s pretention of necessary further academic research and
bilateral dialogue considerably distorts the existing state of art.

– German government up to now continues to regret officially calling
the events of 1915 as genocide. What do you think, what is the reason
of this kind of position of the country which also had genocide
in its history, but had courage to face the truth and to apologize
for Holocaust?

– As mentioned above, the Federal Government – and also the German
legislator – has never applied the term genocide to the ‘expulsions
and massacres’. Just recently the Foreign Office and the leaders of
the ruling Conservative-Social Democrat coalition cancelled the term
genocide in a motion that will be discussed in the German Bundestag
on 24 April 2015. In a previous non-legislative resolution of 2005
the German lawmakers announced compassion for the Armenian and other
victims of Ottoman expulsion and massacres’ and acknowledged German
co-responsibility; however, the term genocide was avoided.

Germany is responsible not only for the Holocaust, but also for the
first genocide of the 20th century, committed during 1904-1908 in
Namibia. This genocide against the tribes Hereros and Nama bears
many parallels with the Armenian genocide: The defeated by the
German colonial forces Hereros were driven into the Omaheke desert
where ten-thousands perished from starvation and thirst. Herero
men died in German concentration camps from slave labor and brutal
treatment. So far, only one member of the Federal Government,
Mrs. Heide Wieczorek-Zeul, apologized at the occasion of the centenary
in 2004 for the Herero and Namaqua Genocide. Neither the German
legislator, nor the Federal Government ever accepted the Herero
claims for compensation for the land and cattle that were taken by
German colonists in the early 20th century and were never returned
by their descendants. The official German Historic Museum describes
the ‘events’ not as a genocide, but as an armed uprising against the
German colonial authorities and as a war.

In a very similar way Turkey until today refuses to acknowledge
the genocidal intent of the Ottoman massacres and death marches,
relying to the ‘Van uprising’. In 1915, Germany was not only an
all too well informed bystander of the nation-wide massive killings
of its Turkish ally, but benefitted from the unpaid slave labor of
Armenian men, women and even children at the construction sites of the
Baghdad Railway. Survivors of the Armenian genocide such as Archbishop
Grigoris Palakyan (Balakian) in their memoirs accused certain Germans
for stimulating the idea of deportation among their Young Turkish
allies. The German Imperial Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg refused to
distance Germany from the Ottoman policies against the Armenians,
arguing that the military alliance with the CUP regime was of highest
priority, “even if Armenians perish”.

If there is any need for further research left than it would be
research on the precise German share in the Armenian genocide. But so
far the German government has never encouraged corresponding research
at university level.

It is difficult to determine the reasons for Germany’s evasive,
half-hearted approach in memory politics beyond the commemoration of
the Holocaust. I cannot believe that this is all Turkey’s influence,
for Germany is a powerful, free democracy, not at all economically
dependent from Turkey. From the correspondence and statements of German
parliamentarians of previous years – of they are outspoken at all –
I gather that some fear the loss of votes of Turkey born voters.

But German MPs must be aware that their evasiveness and
half-heartedness causes not only persistent pain among the Armenian
community of Germany, but betrays the increasing number of residents
of Turkish ethnicity who acknowledge the historic truth.

– The issue of compensation places an essential role in international
law. What steps should take Turkey to bear its responsibility for
the Armenian Genocide?

– I am not a jurist to answer this question in all competence. But
let me start with three basic demands, deriving from my human rights
practice: First, since 2011, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee
has repeatedly called on Turkey to return the confiscated church
properties of the Armenian-Orthodox, Greek-Orthodox and Syriac
Churches, which are still hold by Turkish ministries. Second, the
further neglect or deliberate destruction of church and secular
architectural Armenian heritage must immediately be stopped, and
the restoration of Armenian architectural heritage must be conducted
according to internationally accepted standards and not as an attempt
to extinguish the Armenian identity of monuments. Third, it is
shameful that despite years of international and internal criticism
and warnings Turkey’s history textbooks and curricula of the 9th up
to the 11th grade provided for the school year 2014/5 do not bear
any revision or improvement, but still contain various versions of
historic falsification, including denial and minimization of the
Armenian genocide. But worst of all, Armenians are perceived as the
largest threat for Turkish state security. This hate education puts
the tiny Armenian community of approximately 50,000 people plus 15,000
labor migrants from the Republic of Armenian into immediate danger.

The loss of the historic Homeland, called ‘patricide’ by Armenia’s
President Serzh Sargsyan, is considered in Armenia and her Diaspora as
the sustained grievous effect of the genocide against their ancestors.

The individual right to homeland is an internationally accepted and
unbreakable elementary right. Armenians of all nationalities must be
able to exercise this right in freedom and security. In addition,
the return of the ruins of Ani and of Mount Ararat, both in the
immediate border area could be considered as a convincing gesture
of Turkey’s apologies and will for reconciliation. The encouraging
re-establishment of Armenian place-names, as recently introduced in
the Van area, should be continued in other parts of the historic area
of Armenian settlement.

At places of massive killings the erection of memorials must start,
combined with the erection educational centers of information. The
nation-wide cult of genocide perpetrators such as Talat, Enver or the
local veneration of Osman Aða Feridunoðlu (Topal Osman) of Giresun
must immediately be stopped and replaced by the commemoration of
those who saved or tried to save the lives of Armenians. In future
Turkish genocide awareness education, such personalities can serve
as positive role models.

In its modern history, Turkey has used genocide and in particular
deportation as a systematic tool of her demographic policy. Its
implementation involved large parts of the Muslim, in particular
Sunnite population, resulting in a high degree of societal
brutalization. Societal brutalization, combined with organized massive
violence was mobilized in 1895/6, 1909, 1912-1922 and in 1955.

Political decision-makers and opinion-leaders of Turkey must realize
that every society and every state that relies repeatedly on such
methods weakens civilization, humanity and also stability.

– What is your call to international community and Turkey ahead of
the 100th anniversary of the biggest crime against humanity?

– The refusal of acknowledgement of grave cases of inhumanity increases
the danger of their repetition. In this context we have to recall
Hitler’s cynic question: “Who after all is today speaking about the
destruction of the Armenians”? Hitler asked his rhetorical question
only 24 years after the genocide of 1915, when he prepared for the
attack on Poland and wanted to convince German military leaders not
to fear international justice or revenge. One hundred years later we
face the following situation: Due to Armenian persistence in human
rights demands, the Armenian genocide of 1915 is not forgotten at
all, but on the contrary internationally well remembered. At the same
time we are confronted with politicians whose stubborn evasiveness
ruins the positive effects of genocide remembrance. Can three million
people be killed and the perpetrators get away with it? In the case
of the three million Ottoman Christians, who were murdered during
1912-1922, most perpetrators ended their lives without being ever
called to justice. But their crimes can and must be evaluated by
politicians and statesmen of today. In the context of genocide,
evasiveness transforms into the encouragement of further crimes.

– As a scholar how will you contribute to raising awareness about
the Armenian Genocide for future generations?

– As mentioned before, the Armenian genocide is a well-researched
case. However, it was also a case with very distinct gender features.

It is indicative that the female aspects of the Armenian genocide are
much less realized and subsequently much less addressed to. The time
has come to fill this gap, and to do so in a comparative way. For a
start, we recently hold an international workshop ‘Gender, Violence,
Genocide’ in Berlin, which dealt with the Armenian and Bosnian cases,
with the recent case of Yezidi under the terror regime of ISIS and
with the fate of German women and girls in the end of WW2.

As a German scholar, I feel obliged to contribute to the study of the
German role and position during the WW1 genocide against the Armenians.

– Are you planning to visit Armenia in future?

– I had to decline an invitation for the centenary events around 24
April in Yerevan, due to my many commitments here in Berlin, but I
shall participate in a meeting of the International Association of
Genocide Scholars in mid-July in Yerevan.

Interview by Araks Kasyan

From: A. Papazian

MEPS TO CALL FOR EU-WIDE RECOGNITION OF ARMENIA GENOCIDE

11:48, 15 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The European Parliament is to urge Turkey to “come to terms with
its past” on the “Armenian Genocide” 100 years after it took place,
according to EUObserver.

The joint text – agreed by parliament groups on Tuesday (14 April)
ahead of a vote in Brussels on Wednesday – also calls on “those
EU member states that have not yet done so and EU institutions to
recognise it”.

It says Turkey should “start a genuinely transparent public debate
with a view to recognising the genocide”.

It also urges Turkey to “normalise relations … with Armenia”.

It’s likely to draw fire from Ankara, which vigorously polices its
reputation and which is concerned that recognition could lead to
reparation claims.

Turkey this week recalled its Vatican ambassador after the Pope called
the killings, by the then Ottoman Empire, “the first genocide of the
20th century”.

For his part, Selim Yenel, its EU envoy, told EUobserver on Tuesday
that: “The EP is acting as prosecutor, judge, and jury without a
dialogue on this issue with the parties concerned. During the events
of 1915 everybody suffered, but Turkey does not play the blame game”.

“We’ve always looked toward the future in a positive manner and still
extend our hand for reconciliation. However, this hand has been turned
down at every opportunity”.

His reference to “reconciliation” relates to the Armenian-Turkish
“protocols” of 2008.

The EU Observer reminds that Armenia will, in Yerevan on 24 April,
welcome a handful of world leaders for the obsequies.

The list includes French president Francois Hollande, Polish president
Bronislaw Komorowski and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The office of EP
chief Martin Schulz said he is unlikely to go for “logistical” reasons.

The Armenian Catholic Church is to mark the anniversary by canonising
genocide martyrs. People also plan to hold a torch-lit march through
Yerevan to the Genocide Memorial, on a hill overlooking the capital.

Ten EU countries – Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Lithuania,
the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden – have recognised
the genocide.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY RECALLS ITS VATICAN ENVOY AMID ROW OVER POPE’S REFERENCE TO ‘GENOCIDE’ OF ARMENIANS

The Japan Times
April 12 2015

ANKARA – Turkey on Sunday said it was recalling its ambassador to
the Vatican for consultations in an escalating diplomatic row over
Pope Francis’ use of the word “genocide” to describe the massacres
of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I.

“Our ambassador to the Vatican Mr Mehmet Pacaci is being recalled back
to Turkey for consultations,” the foreign ministry said in a statement
after earlier summoning the Vatican’s envoy to Ankara to the ministry.

Reaffirming similar comments earlier by Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu, the foreign ministry said that the pope’s comments were
“incompatible with the legal and historical facts.”

It accused the pope of a “selective overview” of World War I and
“ignoring the atrocities suffered by the Turkish and Muslim peoples
who lost their lives” in favor of concentrating on Christians and
above all Armenians.

The ministry said the pope’s comments were a “serious deviation”
from the message of peace and reconciliation he brought during his
landmark visit to Turkey last November.

“Our views were made clear on this matter when the Vatican envoy was
invited to our ministry today,” it said, referring to the summoning
earlier of the papal nuncio to Turkey.

From: A. Papazian

POPE DESCRIBES ARMENIAN WWI KILLINGS AS ‘GENOCIDE’

Iran Daily
April 12 2015

Pope Francis has described as “genocide” the mass killings of Armenians
during the Ottoman Empire era in World War I.

“In the past century our human family has lived through three massive
and unprecedented tragedies,” he said during a Sunday solemn mass in
Saint Peter’s Basilica to mark the mass killings, Press TV reported.

Referring to a statement signed by John Paul II and the Armenian
patriarch in 2001, he added that “the first, which is widely considered
‘the first genocide of the 20th century’, struck your own Armenian
people.”

Ankara rejects the term “genocide” and instead says the 300,000 to
500,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks, who perished between
1915 and 1917 were the casualties of World War I.

Armenia, however, says that up to 1.5 million of its people were
killed and demands that their death must be recognized as genocide.

The 78-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church added, “We recall the
centenary of that tragic event, that immense and senseless slaughter
whose cruelty your forebears had to endure.”

“It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honor their memory, for
whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester,”
Francis said.

Armenia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Russia and Uruguay
formally recognize the incident as genocide.

From: A. Papazian