Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

A 14-year-old Armenian Beat One of the Best Players in the World

Lragir.am
Society – 04 April 2015, 15:21

Business Insider reported 14-year-old Sam Sevian’s, one of the
youngest chess Grandmasters in the world, and the youngest GM in US
history, playing in his first US Chess Championship beat Wesley So,
the number 8 ranked player on the planet.

“That’s right, a kid who can’t even drive has taken down a Super-GM,
rated 2788 (Sevian is 2531, just slightly above the GM threshold),”
the article says.

From: Baghdasarian

A story of one photo. A Mason symbol in the Armenian Church?

April 4 2015

I have taken this photo in February of 2014, in Jerusalem, in the
built in St. James Armenian church built in the 12th century, which is
the main Armenian church in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Armenian
Patriarchate residence. It is dedicated to the first patriarch of
Jerusalem, Jacob.

The Church is remarkable with this Mason symbol reminding Triangle
with the Eye of Providence (or the all-seeing eye of God). When we
asked how it is related to the Armenian Church of St. James, one of
the clergymen accompanying the pilgrims replied that he was expecting
to be asked such a question and added that the symbol had appeared on
the wall later and naturally is not associated with Christianity.
Basically, no comprehensive answer was given, but it did not stop
enjoying the whole charm of the miraculous Church, which is in need of
repair, the entire roof is damaged, and there is a danger of rainwater
to fill into the Church especially during the rainy season.

GOHAR HAKOBYAN
Read more at:

From: Baghdasarian

mySanAntonio.com
April 5 2015

Local stand against genocide makes a difference

Tina Karagulian, For the Express-News : April 5, 2015

April 24 marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
World War I was the focus for most of the world, and the Ottoman
Turkish government planned a systematic annihilation of the Armenian
people that became the first genocide of that century.

My grandparents braved desert deportations not once but twice. One
hundred years later, many Armenians still ask for the American and the
Turkish governments to openly acknowledge the Armenian genocide.

Why is this closure important?

On a global scale, with awareness and recognition, we can prevent
conditions ripe for genocide in other parts of the world. Some say it
is a matter of justice. I believe that many Armenians have seen the
effects of the emotional trauma on our family lines, emotional gaps in
functioning that were passed down to us. The immense courage and
resilience of our ancestors, though, left us with the fortitude to
heal, bring awareness and suture what shaped our journeys.

As a former therapist, I saw the value of people telling difficult
stories, to speak them aloud and to integrate the experience in a way
to move forward. When we act as witnesses to people’s painful stories,
it speeds the healing process. Rwandans who participated in the
truth-telling dialogue with those who perpetrated genocide began
healing and reconciliation, and though difficult, it has been a
foundation to move their community forward.

Because of the lack of recognition, I have learned to focus not on
what I cannot control outside of me. As a spiritual practice, I have
sought balance by telling the truth of my life stories, while also
growing compassion through the reconciliation and kindnesses that live
and breathe in those stories.

My grandmother told my mother her painful stories, and when I asked,
my mother shared them with me. Writing a memoir offered me a place to
put those stories so I did not have to carry them inside me. As a
result, I have more room for other people and their perspectives; that
space is not always available when we are overwhelmed by emotional
pain or post-traumatic stress.

Seeking out conversations with those open to a healing dialogue is
another way to deal with emotionally stuck places, and I have sought
out Turkish women who are open to that dialogue. I honor Turkish
people who reach beyond surface stories toward deeper truth and
community.

During this time of fear-based attitudes toward Muslim people, we are
all asked to see beyond the surface stories and fear-based shadow
places within each of us to bridge connection and community. Over
time, I have experienced that we are much more than the stories of
suffering that have shaped us. Seeing others in the fullness of who
they truly are is a daily choice. I honor each person’s attempt to
speak of truth while opening to others in a more spacious way — such a
balance is a lifelong commitment.

At the upcoming San Antonio Coalition Against Genocide event, I will
share two reconciliation stories that honor the resilience and courage
of my ancestors, and the Turkish people who chose to act from the
heart.

SACAG offers advocacy, education and support for survivors of
genocide, and also genocide prevention all over the world. It and
organizations such as the peaceCENTER, Together Beyond Words and
compassionNET support compassion, peace and healing for our world.
Please join us.

The Fourth Annual San Antonio Walk Against Genocide is from 2 p.m. to
4 p.m. Sunday at the Campus of the San Antonio Jewish Community, 12500
NW Military Highway. The Holocaust Museum is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, visit

Tina Karagulian is a featured speaker of the Fourth Annual San Antonio
Walk Against Genocide.

From: Baghdasarian

Bohjalian, Walrath lead Vermont State Capitol Commemoration Calling
for Genocide Justice

MONTPELIER, Vt.–The Vermont legislature strengthened the standing of
the Green Mountain State as a leader in the genocide prevention
movement by unanimously adopting a concurrent resolution (H.C.R. 86)
commemorating the Armenian Genocide Centennial and hosting a day-long
series of events honoring the victims of this crime against humanity,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America-Eastern Region
(ANCA-ER).

Author Chris Bohjalian, Harvey Bazarian, Rep. Joan Georges Lenes,
author Dana Walrath, Arsho Aghjayan, and ANC Vermont’s Nareg Aghjayan
following the unanimous adoption of the Armenian Genocide Centennial
resolution by the Vermont legislature.
Author Chris Bohjalian, Harvey Bazarian, Rep. Joan Georges Lenes,
author Dana Walrath, Arsho Aghjayan, and ANC Vermont’s Nareg Aghjayan
following the unanimous adoption of the Armenian Genocide Centennial
resolution by the Vermont legislature.

The legislation was spearheaded on the House side by Representative
Joan G. Lenes, who is a descendant of an Assyrian Genocide survivor,
and Representative Adam Greshin. Lead Senate supporters of the
resolution included Senators Dick Sears, Philip Baruth, and Diane
Snelling with 14 of 30 senators cosponsoring the measure.

“It was a wonderful day of people sharing a common past–not forgetting
that, yet still learning and looking forward so that we are a better
people,” said Lenes following passage of the resolution.

An image of the Vermont State Legislature during consideration of the
Armenian Genocide Centennial Resolution.
An image of the Vermont State Legislature during consideration of the
Armenian Genocide Centennial Resolution.

Prior to its reading in the General Assembly, Vermont’s own Lokum
Band–Jeff Davis, Peter Bingham, and Charlie Jones–played several
Armenian musical pieces as part of the devotional exercises, garnering
a standing ovation from legislators. Later, Lenes introduced the
Armenian community members in attendance and invited one and all to a
noon presentation about the Armenian Genocide by authors Chris
Bohjalian and Dana Walrath.

“I was so proud to be a Vermonter today–and I was so proud of the
Vermont legislature,” said Bohjalian, whose internationally acclaimed
novel on the Armenian Genocide ,The Sandcastle Girls, was a New York
Times bestseller. “By recognizing the Armenian Genocide, legislators
gave voice to those voices that were forever stilled in Der-el-Zor and
Ras-el-Ain and the Dudan Crevasse. Today, Vermont helped spread the
truth of what occurred a century ago on the Anatolian plains and the
Syrian desert, and helped quiet the voice of denial.”

“Today, Vermont legislators chose social justice over political
exigency,” said Walrath, who recently published Like Water on Stone, a
verse novel about the genocide that is based on her grandmother’s
history. “Shame, pride, and oil are not good enough reasons to deny
the Armenian genocide. Their detailed resolution honors those who
suffered and those who have worked tirelessly to erase genocide from
this earth. This resolution can serve as a model for other states. I
am proud to be a citizen of Vermont, a small state with a big heart.”

Following the presentation, ANC Vermont activist Nareg Aghjayan joined
with local community leaders in hosting a reception with Armenian
delicacies for the over 100 legislators and supporters in attendance
at the commemoration.

“The few yet mighty members of the Armenian American community in the
Green Mountain State, collectively thank the Vermont General Assembly
in unanimously passing Resolution H.C.R. 86 commemorating the Armenian
Genocide Centennial,” said Aghjayan. “On behalf of ANC-Vermont and
its entire grassroots family, we warmly welcome the continued support
of Vermonters on this crucial human rights issue.”

Lokum’s Jeff Davis, Peter Bingham, and Charlie Jones play Armenian
music during the Vermont State Legislature morning devotional,
beginning with Gomidas’ Kele Kele.
Lokum’s Jeff Davis, Peter Bingham, and Charlie Jones play Armenian
music during the Vermont State Legislature morning devotional,
beginning with Gomidas’ Kele Kele.

ANCA Eastern Region Chairman Steve Mesrobian concurred. “We applaud
the leadership of Representatives Lenes and Greshin and Senators Sears
Baruth and Snelling in ensuring the unanimous passage of this historic
resolution by the Vermont Legislature. We would particularly like to
thank Chris Bohjalian and Dana Walrath for educating generations about
the Armenian Genocide through their presentations today and their
literary works read across the U.S. and the world. The people of
Vermont have spoken on this important topic through their Legislative
body and we call on the United States government to follow suit in
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, particularly at this important
juncture of our nation’s history,” said Mesrobian.

The State of Vermont first recognized the Armenian Genocide when
Governor James Douglas proclaimed April 24, 2004, as “Armenian Martyrs
Day” in Vermont. Forty-three U.S. states have recognized the Armenian
Genocide, with additional states considering legislation in the
upcoming months.

The full text of H.C.R. 86 follows.

***

Complete Text of Vermont Armenian Genocide Centennial Resolution
H.C.R.86

Montpelier, Vermont
Concurrent House Resolution
H.C.R. 86

House concurrent resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of the
start of the Armenian Genocide

Offered by: Representatives Lenes of Shelburne and Greshin of Warren

Offered by: Senators Sears, Baruth, Balint, Benning, Campion,
Collamore, Cummings, Flory, McCormack, Mullin, Pollina, Snelling,
White, and Zuckerman

Whereas, from 1915 to 1923, the government of the Ottoman Empire
persecuted and executed systematically an estimated 1.5 million
Armenians, and

Whereas, this brutal mistreatment became known as the Armenian
Genocide and, by 1923, it had resulted in the elimination of the
Armenian population in Asia Minor and historic West Armenia, and

Whereas, the Armenian Genocide began on the night of April 24, 1915,
when the Turkish government arrested more than 200 Armenian community
leaders in Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire’s capital city, and

Whereas, most of the prominent public figures of the Armenian
community were summarily executed, and

Whereas, large numbers of Armenian civilians were forcibly deported to
the Syrian desert, and many died either en route, at the hands of
government-aligned gangs, or from dehydration and starvation in the
desert, and

Whereas, in May 1915, the Allied Powers of France, Great Britain, and
Russia issued a joint statement charging the government in
Constantinople with committing crimes ”against humanity and
civilization,” the first time a government-to-government charge of
this type was issued, and

Whereas, it is estimated that, by 1918, the Ottoman Empire’s brutal
treatment of Armenians had resulted in the deaths of one million
persons and made hundreds of thousands of others homeless and
stateless refugees, and

Whereas, Raphael Lemkin, the initial drafter of the United Nations
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
and the originator of the term “genocide,” recognized the Armenian
Genocide as the type of crime the United Nations should prevent
through the establishment of international standards, and

Whereas, historians cite the Armenian Genocide as a forerunner of
later human massacres, including the Holocaust, the Cambodian Killing
Fields, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur, and

Whereas, on April 24, 2004, Governor James Douglas issued a
proclamation recognizing the Armenian Genocide on the 89th anniversary
of its initiation, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:

That the General Assembly commemorates the 100th anniversary of the
start of the Armenian Genocide, and

be it further

Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of
this resolution to the Armenian National Committee of Vermont.

From: Baghdasarian

Perfil.com, Argentina
5 abril 2015

Nagorno Karabaj, el primer crujido de la Unión Soviética

La lucha entre armenios y azeríes fue la primera que estalló en la ex
URSS tras la Glasnost de Gorbachov. Aún no se firmó la paz.

Por Santiago Farrell

Desde Stepanakert

Hacia fines de los años 80, los intentos de Mijail Gorbachov por darle
un “rostro amable” a la URSS comenzaban a revelar la multitud de
tensiones étnicas, territoriales y de todo tipo que el régimen
soviético había sofocado durante setenta años. El primero en estallar
de esos conflictos fue el de Nagorno Karabaj, un remoto enclave
armenio en Azerbaiyán.
Anexado en 1921 a Azerbaiyán de un plumazo desde Moscú por los líderes
bolcheviques, Nagorno Karabaj (Arzah para los armenios) tenía una
población mayoritariamente armenia y un significado simbólico muy
importante, ya que allí se ubican los monasterios más antiguos de este
pueblo, el primero en constituir una nación cristiana, en el 301.

La Meca. “Para los armenios, Nagorno Karabaj es como Jerusalén para
los judíos o La Meca para los musulmanes”, dice el presidente de la
que hoy es una república no reconocida por ningún país, a excepción de
Armenia, Bako Sahakyan.
Según los historiadores armenios, el enclave fue otorgado a Azerbaiyán
porque Lenin y Stalin querían extender la revolución a la vecina
Turquía, heredera del Imperio Otomano, ya que los azeríes son
turcomanos. “Fue realmente el primer conflicto que emergió con la
Perestroika y la Glasnost, a pesar de que la poblacion armenia mantuvo
vivos sus reclamos de fusión con la república de Armenia y en diversas
oportunidades el Soviet Supremo de la URSS se ocupó del tema”, dice el
politólogo argentino
Mario Nalpatian.

Contexto. Pero esta guerra sólo se entiende en el contexto del
conflicto entre armenios y turcos a la luz del genocidio de cuyo
inicio este mes se cumplen cien años. La guerra entre Armenia y
Azerbaiyán por el enclave se extendió entre 1991 y 1994, y provocó al
menos 30 mil muertos, según
diversas fuentes. La guerra no concluyó con un tratado de paz: sólo
rige un cese del fuego violado con regularidad y que provoca cada año
unos treinta muertos, según el ministro de Defensa de Nagorno, Movses
Hakobyan.
“Desde 1994, el territorio se ha abocado a la tarea de construir un
Estado democrático”, en el que ya se han realizado varias elecciones,
dice el presidente Sahakyan, mientras la economía “ha crecido a un
ritmo del 10% anual los últimos diez años”. La república se financia
50% con créditos de Armenia y recibe ayuda de la diáspora. Confía en
su ejército, dice el ministro Hakobyan, en el que deben servir todos
los jóvenes durante dos años.

Junto con la paz, queda pendiente la difícil cuestión de los
refugiados, los armenios expulsados de Azerbaiyán y los azeríes que
debieron abandonar Nagorno, al menos un millón de personas. El
presidente Sahakyan lamenta que Azerbaiyán aún mantenga a sus
refugiados en campos, mientras que los armenios expulsados de Bakú han
sido integrados en Nagorno.
Sólo un tema inquieta en Nagorno -y en Armenia-: las importantes
ventas de armas que Rusia ha realizado en los últimos años a
Azerbaiyán.

“El genocidio no se repetirá”

“No hay ninguna posibilidad de que el genocidio se repita. Armenia
tiene su propio ejército y nosotros en Nagorno Karabaj tenemos el
nuestro”. Movses Hakobyan, el ministro de Defensa del territorio que
proclamó su independencia de Azerbaiyán en 1994, explica a los
periodistas, en ropa de combate, que los armenios ya no serán víctimas
de pogroms y masacres como las que sufrieron a lo largo de los siglos
y que llegaron a su máxima expresión en 1915 bajo el Imperio Otomano,
que abrió una herida que aún permanece. El presidente armenio, Serzh
Sargsyan, lamenta que Turquía, heredera del imperio responsable del
genocidio, no haya asumido su responsabilidad, como sí lo hizo
Alemania con el nazismo. “El genocidio armenio aún no terminó. En la
medida en que Turquía no reconozca su responsabilidad, el genocidio se
sigue produciendo”, dijo a los periodistas durante un seminario
realizado en Erevan para presentar la conmemoración de este año. La
masacre de al menos 1,5 millón de personas, la tercera parte del
pueblo armenio que vivía bajo el Imperio Otomano, será recordada con
gran despliegue, al cumplir un siglo. La ceremonia principal, a la que
asistirán, entre otros, Vladimir Putin y François Hollande, será el 24
de abril, centésimo aniversario de la detención de renombrados
intelectuales armenios en Estambul, punto de partida para una sucesión
de deportaciones forzosas y asesinatos que se extendieron hasta 1923.
“Un genocidio como el armenio, sin resolver, no sólo es un hecho
doloroso para nuestro pueblo, es un peligroso antecedente”, al que
siguieron el Holocausto, Ruanda o Camboya, explicó el presidente
Sargsyan. “No se trata de una obsesión del pueblo armenio. Mantenerlo
en la memoria es fundamental”, advierte el jefe de Gabinete del
gobierno armenio, Vigen Sargsyan, que recordó la célebre frase de
Hitler cuando, poco de la invasión nazi de Polonia, en septiembre de
1939, arengó a sus oficiales para que desplegaran toda la crueldad
posible contra los civiles, aun mujeres y niños. “Después de todo, les
dijo Hitler a sus hombres, ¿quién se acuerda del genocidio armenio?”.

El armenio argentino

El taxista que apenas habla inglés pero cuando escucha el nombre
levanta el pulgar y suelta un “good people”; la politóloga que
agradece “los empleos que creó acá”; el político de Nagorno Karabaj
que agradece las computadoras que donó para las escuelas y la guía que
exagera: “¿Argentina para nosotros? Maradona, Messi … y Eurnekian”.
Al llegar a Erevan en avión, un argentino que haya volado alguna vez
reconocerá un isologotipo que le es familiar, el de Aeropuertos 2000,
la empresa de Eduardo Eurnekian que, entre las decenas de terminales
aéreas que gestiona en el mundo, lo hace también con el de la capital
armenia.

Decir Eurnekian en Armenia es como decirlo en Argentina. La presencia
económica de sus empresas es muy importante. Además del aeropuerto,
participa en uno de los principales bancos, administra el correo y
tiene viñedos, entre otras actividades. Su grupo da trabajo, en total,
a más de 6 mil personas, en un país de poco más de tres millones de
habitantes. Ha hecho también importantes donaciones y llevó a
dirigentes de Nagorno Karabaj a ver sistemas de riego en sus campos
del Chaco. Si en Argentina Eurnekian puede lucir sin dudas el apodo de
“el armenio”, no sucede lo mismo en Erevan donde, claro, es “el
argentino”, pero no tanto: Anna Barseghyan, una politóloga armenia, no
duda al ser consultada sobre el empresario: “Sí, claro que lo conozco,
es un importante hombre de negocios armenio de origen argentino”.

PERFIL viajó a Armenia y a Nagorno Karabaj invitado por la Comisión
del Centenario del genocidio armenio-Filial Buenos Aires.

From: Baghdasarian

FRANCE
La radio France Culture va consacrer une semaine spéciale au
centenaire du génocide arménien

A l’occasion du centenaire du génocide arménien, la radio France
Culture a annoncé qu’elle consacrera une semaine spéciale à la mémoire
des victimes du génocide.

Du 13 Avril au 18 avril elle diffusera un certain nombre de programmes
culturels et politiques sur le génocide arménien en coopération avec
le périodique La Croix et la chaîne de télévision France 5.

>>> du lundi 13 au samedi 18 avril sur France Culture

Du lundi 13 au jeudi 16 avril

9h05-10h LA FABRIQUE DE l’HISTOIRE par Emmanuel Laurentin

L’histoire du génocide arménien et ses répercussions aujourd’hui

Avec notamment mardi 14 avril : Zabel Essayan : vivre et écrire la
Catastrophe, un documentaire de Nathalie Lempereur et Chant Marjanian
РR̩alisation : S̩verine Cassar

Du lundi 13 au jeudi 16 avril

17h-18h SUR LES DOCKS coord. Irène Omelianenko

Lundi 13 avril Une famille arménienne à Lyon par Marie Chartron et
François Teste

Le 24 avril sera commémoré le centenaire du génocide arménien de 1915.
Dans les années 1920, ils sont 60 000 rescapés à débarquer à Marseille
pour s’implanter dans l’Hexagone. Qu’est-ce qu’être Français d’origine
arménienne aujourd’hui ? Reportage dans des familles de la région
lyonnaise. Retrouvez la transcription illustrée de ce documentaire
dans la revue France Culture Papiers n° 13, actuellement disponible en
kiosque et librairie.

mardi 14 avril A la recherche des Arméniens de l’ombre : Les restes de
l’épée par Ilana Navaro et Manoushak Fashahi

La formule “les restes de l’épée” désignait les Arméniens qui avaient
échappé à l’extermination de l’armée ottomane. Quelques milliers de
survivants ont été enlevés, adoptés, islamisés, puis ont vécu le reste
de leur vie sous une “nouvelle” identité. Hrant Dink faisait partie de
ceux qui ont levé le tabou sur l’histoire de ces Arméniens islamisés
après le génocide. Nombreux furent ceux qui prirent conscience du déni
dans lequel ils avaient vécu. Depuis quelques années un phénomène
nouveau fait son apparition, au-delà de la reconnaissance du génocide
arménien : de plus en plus de Turcs découvrent qu’ils ont des origines
arméniennes et se mettent à en parler.

mercredi 15 avril Hrant Dink ou la mobilisation contre le déni par
Ilana Navaro et Manoushak Fashahi

Hrant Dink était le paria conscient de la société turque. Ses
déclarations lui valurent l’hostilité du gouvernement turc tandis que
sa mort était programmée par les milieux nationalistes. Grce à sa
parole si franche, si viscérale, Hrant sut émouvoir beaucoup de ses
concitoyens turcs. Il racontait à la fois son origine arménienne et sa
citoyenneté turque toutes deux assumées et révélait sans détour, dans
des débats télévisés, ce que la société refusait de reconnaître : une
culture du déni. Hrant Dink était un homme de paix, un militant de la
réconciliation. Mais que reste-t-il du combat de cet homme, entre les
peuples difficilement compris par les Turcs et aussi parfois dans sa
propre communauté ?

Du lundi 13 au vendredi 17 avril

20h-20h30 A VOIX NUE coord. Sandrine Treiner

Charles Aznavour par Hélène Azera (rediffusion)

lundi 13 avril, 13h30-14h LES PIEDS SUR TERRE par Sonia Kronlund

Le cours d’Arménien, un documentaire d’Ilana Navaro et Manoushak Fashahi

Cent ans après le génocide de 1915, un cours d’arménien en plein coeur
d’Istanbul rassemble des Turcs qui souhaitent apprendre cette langue.
Pourquoi viennent-ils ? Comment font-ils face à leur passé ?

mardi 14 avril, 15h-15h30 TOUT UN MONDE par Marie-Hélène Fraïssé

Arménie : un aussi long silence

Avec Pinar Selek, sociologue, romancière, auteure de Parce qu’ils sont
arméniens (Liana Lévi, février 2015). Pinar Selek, née en 1971 à
Istanbul dans une famille de gauche, est sociologue. Ses travaux
portent sur les minorités opprimées par la République turque. En
juillet 1998, accusée d’avoir participé à un attentat terroriste, elle
est arrêtée, torturée, incarcérée pendant deux ans. Réfugiée politique
en France, Pinar Selek mène actuellement des recherches sur l’espace
militant turc et les mouvements arméniens de la diaspora à l’ENS Lyon.
Après un premier roman, La Maison du Bosphore (éd. Liana Lévi), elle
raconte sa prise de conscience progressive des manipulations de la
mémoire nationale turque, du traitement inacceptable du génocide
arménien, ou comment fut occulté un pan d’histoire pendant un
siècle…

samedi 18 avril, 16h-17h UNE VIE, UNE OEUVRE coord. Martin Quenehen

Calouste Gulbenkian (1869-1955), Monsieur 5%, un documentaire d’Elise
Gruau Рr̩alisation : Manoushak Fashahi

Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian fut un homme d’affaire d’une rare envergure
internationale. Né à Istanbul dans une famille arménienne, il perçut
très jeune les enjeux stratégiques du pétrole. Ses talents de
négociateur lui permirent de constituer une fortune colossale.
Millionnaire à trente ans, érudit et voyageur, il put nourrir sa
passion d’esthète et constituer une extraordinaire collection d’oeuvres
d’art. Quittant la France de Vichy en 1942, il s’installa à Lisbonne
jusqu’à sa mort. Il y créa une fondation pour maintenir l’unité de sa
collection d’art dans un musée spécialement créé pour, et dans le but
de soutenir la recherche, l’éducation, le développement des arts et la
culture arménienne à travers le monde.

dimanche 5 avril 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

SOAD join discussion on Armenian Genocide centenary

April 3, 2015 – 08:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – In a rare instance, the worlds of music, politics,
academia and activism came together to call for justice and
recognition ahead of the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

Members of the Grammy Award winning System of a Down, Serj Tankian and
John Dolmayan joined Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Turkish historian
Taner Akcam and the Executive Director of the Armenian National
Committee of America Aram Hamparian spoke of the global imperative for
justice for the Armenian Genocide during a telephone press conference
on Wednesday, April 1, according to Asbarez.

“Genocide is a disease that continues until today,” Tankian told
reporters. “As Armenian-Americans and as band members who have had
family members perish in this horrible tragedy, it’s important for us
not just to raise awareness, but to help bring justice to this cause.”

Tankian stressed that it was important for the international community
to come to an agreement that when it comes to countries that commit
Genocide, or in the case of Turkey continue to deny the Armenian
Genocide, “everything must stop” in order for a clear message to be
sent that such human rights violations will not be tolerated.

Tankian and Dolmayan along with fellow System of a Down members Daron
Malakian and Shavo Odadjian will kick off the band’s “Wake Up the
Souls” tour on Monday at the Forum in Los Angeles. The tour, dedicated
to the Genocide centennial will travel through Europe, Russia and will
culminate is the band’s first-ever performance in Armenia–a free
concert at Republic Square on the evening of April 23.

“It is a big honor for us to be doing our first show there at the
100th year commemoration of the Genocide,” said Tankian.

“It is inspiring,” Dolmayan said of the tour, adding that justice for
the Armenian Genocide was “something that transcends the music.”

“This is a world issue. We want to prevent this happening to other
people,” he said.

Dr. Akacm, who is a history professor and the holder of the Robert
Aram, Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chair in
Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.,
said that pinning national interests against morality was wrong, thus
faulting the U.S. for failing to properly recognize the Armenian
Genocide.

“By supporting a denialist regime, the United States contributes to
instability not just in the region but here at home,” said Akcam,
adding that by recognizing the Genocide, the U.S. would guarantee
security at home, since much of the current Middle East situation is
predicated on the past.

Akcam said he first started working on the Armenian Genocide in 1990,
adding that since then “Turkey has changed and is continuing to
change, especially after the assassination of Hrant Dink in Istanbul.
People began commemorating the Armenian Genocide in Turkey.”

“To put national interests against morality is plain wrong,” said
Akçam, adding that attitudes in Turkey are slowly changing. “I first
started working on the Armenian Genocide in 1990. Since then, said
Akçam.

He also noted that he expects hundreds of diasporan Armenians to join
the ever-growing number of Turkish citizens who bravely hold
demonstrations in Turkey on April 24.

“With only a handful of survivors left, we feel a moral obligation to
speak the truth about the genocide and ensure it is never forgotten,”
said Schiff, who also announced that on April 22nd, for an entire hour
on the House Floor, he will read names of Armenian Genocide victims.

“In a single hour, I will only be able to read the names of a mere
fraction of those who were killed,” said Schiff, adding that “to read
all of the names of the more than 1.5 million people murdered at the
time, would take many weeks and weeks.” Schiff said that he hoped that
the recitation of victims’ names will help call attention to the
magnitude of the crime. He also urged those who lost family and loved
ones during the genocide to send their names, all of which will be
entered into the Congressional Record.

Schiff also provided details about the Armenian Genocide Truth and
Justice Resolution, which was introduced on March 18 by
Representatives Schiff, Robert Dold (R-Ill.), David Valadao
(R-Calif.), and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), along with 40 other members of
the House of Representatives. The bipartisan resolution calls upon the
president to work toward equitable, constructive, and durable
Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full
acknowledgement of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian
Genocide.

“Turkey not only denies the truth of the crime, but also obstructs its
justice,” said Hamparian in his introductory remarks.

“We want to see real peace between Turks and Armenians,” he said,
adding that peace must be built on a foundation of truth and justice.

Hamparian explained that the March to Justice is an interactive global
online platform for the growth of sustained grassroots engagement in
support of justice for the Armenian Genocide and durable security for
the Armenian nation. He also told how the ANCA has been pushing
President Barack Obama to honor his 2008 pledge to recognize the
Armenian Genocide, and working hard with congress to end Turkey’s gag
rule.

From: Baghdasarian

Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly adopts statement on Armenian Genocide

20:06 ¢ 31.03.15

The chairpersons of the European regional sections of the
Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie for the European Region
adopted a statement on the Armenian Genocide, the Armenpress news
agency reports.

This is what Head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary
Assembly of La Francophonie, Deputy of the Republican Party of Armenia
Margarit Yesayan told Armenpress.

The statement reads as follows: `We, representatives of the
parliaments of states using French as a common language, gathering at
the conference of sections of the Parliamentary Assembly of La
Francophonie for the European Region on 31 March 2015;

– affirming our obligations for the benefit of peace, democracy, human
rights, security in the territory of La Francophonie and the universal
values thereof;

– encouraging the International Organization of La Francophonie and
the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie to be consistent with
the implementation of actions aimed at preventing crises and conflicts
in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Principles
and Norms of International Law; ¬

– highlighting the inadmissibility of lack of international
recognition of the actions viewed as crime of Genocide to this day and
reminding that such crime has no expiry date;

– we condemn the Genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people in
the Ottoman Empire;

– we commemorate the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915
and express solidarity with Armenia and the Armenian people in the
struggle for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and
the restoration of the rights of persons subject to that genocide;

– we invite Turkey to confront its past and eventually recognize the
Armenian Genocide and voice hope that that recognition will become a
starting point for the reconciliation between the Armenians and
Turks.’

From: Baghdasarian

Clarín.com, Argentina
5 abril 2015

“100 Lives”, historias del Genocidio Armenio

INICIATIVA GLOBAL

El sitio busca expresar gratitud a las personas e instituciones cuyas
acciones heroicas salvaron las vidas de muchos armenios. Relatos de
sobrevivientes y actos humanitarios, en un mosaico de recuerdos.

El mes pasado se lanzó “100 Lives”, una iniciativa global cuyo
objetivo es expresar gratitud hacia personas e instituciones cuyas
acciones heroicas salvaron las vidas de muchos armenios durante el
genocidio. Allí se cuentan emotivas historias de sobrevivientes y de
actos humanitarios.

Tiene el apoyo de figuras internacionales, como el actor George
Clooney y el Nobel Elie Wiesel, quienes presidirán juntos un Premio
Global en reconocimiento a los Derechos Humanos-

El sitio busca abordar las temáticas de genocidio, violación de los
derechos humanos y el poder de la acción positiva a través de tres
elementos básicos.

El primero de ellos es aprender del pasado, mediante un llamado a
nivel mundial para dar a conocer historias no contadas de los
sobrevivientes y de los héroes del Genocidio Armenio, las cuales
cobrarán vida en 100LIVES.com;

El segundo, emprender acciones en el presente, a través de la creación
del Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, un nuevo premio internacional
de carácter humanitario que se otorgará a las personas que arriesgan
sus vidas para que otros puedan sobrevivir y prosperar.

Finalmente, dar forma a un futuro mejor con la administración de
proyectos de bien público para las organizaciones y comunidades que
contribuyeron a la salvación de vidas armenias hace un siglo.

Aproximadamente, un millón y medio de personas murieron durante el
Genocidio Armenio entre los años 1915 y 1923. Alrededor de medio
millón sobrevivieron y, muchos de ellos, gracias a la intervención de
personas e instituciones. Actualmente, estas personas forman parte de
la diáspora armenia mundial que se extiende desde Argentina hasta
Australia.

“La humanidad, generosidad, fuerza y sacrificio que mostraron aquellos
que salvaron a tantos armenios nos motiva a contar estas historias”,
dijo Rubén Vardanyan, cofundador de 100 LIVES. “Ahora es el momento de
sacar a la luz esas extraordinarias vidas, obrar a partir de las
lecciones que nos dieron y mostrar nuestra gratitud por lo que
hicieron”.

Además de honrar a los sobrevivientes y a los héroes, el programa
creará el premio Aurora, una forma de motivar a los héroes del
presente. El premio anual de un millón de dólares será entregado al
ganador quien, a su vez, lo cederá a la organización identificada como
la inspiradora de sus acciones.

El premio Aurora reúne a destacadas figuras de la lucha por los
derechos humanos, como el , ganador del premio Óscar, George Clooney;
Elie Wiesel y Oscar Arias, ganadores del premio Nóbel de la paz; Mary
Robinson, ex-alta comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos
Humanos; Gareth Evans, asesor del Secretario General de las Naciones
Unidas en asuntos de genocidio; la respetada activista en Derechos
Humanos Hina Jilani y Vartan Gregorian, presidente de la Corporación
Carnegie de Nueva York, quienes formarán parte del comité de
selección.

From: Baghdasarian

SERZH SARGSYAN ATTENDS FESTIVAL ACADEMY OPENING IN BYURAKAN

20:16 * 03.04.15

The Armenian president, together with the first lady, on Friday took
part in the opening of the international musical festival academy
Herankarner (Perspectives) in the town of Byurakan (Aragatsotn).

The only institution in the region called to train world-class
soloists, the academy will host the most demanded musicians
and influential artists to conduct master classes and concerts,
contributing to talented and promising young musician’s progress,
says a press release by the Presidential Office.

Explaining to the participants the choice of the location, the authors
of the initiative said that academies are normally founded in places
far from capital cities to ensure appropriate conditions for creative
work far from the urban fuss.

The academy’s first event – a three-day intensive training course
entitled Festival Readings – will take place from 11 to 13 April. The
lectures, to be organized in collaboration with the European Festivals
Association, aim to introduce to the participants the importance of
festival in a society’s cultural life and development.

Leading specialist will train participants on festival management and
the newest trends in the sector, as well as share their professional
skills and international experience.

On the occasion of the academy’s opening and for his considerable
contribution and support to the international Armenian music festival
Yerevan Perspectives, President Serzh Sargsyan was honored with the
Golden Medal released in connection with festival’s 15th anniversary.

From: Baghdasarian