The California Courier Online, August 22, 2019
1 - US Armenians Sue Turkey to Visit
Their Native Land Without a Passport
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- PM Pashinyan invites Armenians of Los Angeles to gather on Sept. 22
3 - UK Appoints Gogbashian as Ambassador to Armenia
4- Alin Demirdjian presents new project: ‘One Province, One Song’
5- Dr. Carolann Najarian to receive ABMDR Visionary Award
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1 - US Armenians Sue Turkey to Visit
Their Native Land Without a Passport
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
A unique lawsuit, not based on the Armenian Genocide, was filed on May
29, 2019, by two Armenian-Americans against the Turkish government in
the United States Federal Court, Central District of California.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Barkev Ghazarian, 88, and his son
Garo Ghazarian claiming “statutory elder abuse, intentional affliction
of emotional distress, violation of international law, breach of
fiduciary duty, and intentional interference with expectation of
inheritance,” according to a 44-page complaint filed by the law firm
of Kerkonian Dajani LLC.
Plaintiff Barkev Ghazarian is a United States citizen born in
Kaladouran, Turkey, on April 20, 1931. He currently resides in
Glendale, California. His son, Garo, born in Beirut, Lebanon, is also
a United States citizen who lives in Glendale.
The complaint alleges that the Plaintiffs suffered personal injury
caused by tortuous acts or omissions of the Turkish government’s
employees or agents in the United States.
In the 1930’s Kaladouran was a small Armenian village in the outskirts
of Kessab, Syria. Barkev Ghazarian was baptized as an Armenian
Christian “at a sacred ceremonial site in Ballum, Turkey, in 1931,”
according to the lawsuit. Ballum or Barlum is the ancient site of
Greco-Roman ruins, located at a short distance from Karadouran. For
centuries local Armenians, including Barkev’s family, went on
pilgrimages to Ballum to perform their religious and cultural rites.
In 1939, Kaladouran was divided between Syria and Turkey, leaving
Barkev’s home on the Syrian side, while his family’s fields and lands
remained on the Turkish side. Since Ballum was also left under Turkish
control, the Armenians of Karadouran could no longer practice their
rituals in that locality.
On October 11, 2017, Barkev decided to go to Turkey to visit Ballum.
He submitted his visa application to the Turkish Embassy in
Washington, D.C., indicating that his expected entry date would be
December, 23, 2017. In the visa application, under the category of
“Type of passport,” he checked the box for “Other,” and under “please
specify,” he wrote, “Armenian minority Christian (Treaty of
Lausanne).” Barkev also indicated that he was born in Karadouran,
Turkey, and was seeking entry “for religious pilgrimage” purposes. He
intended “to pass native religious and cultural traditions to his son,
Plaintiff Garo, and progeny,” according to the lawsuit.
Coincidentally, on October 8, 2017, Turkey suspended issuing visas to
U.S. citizens in retaliation to a similar ban by the United States to
Turkish citizens until December 28, 2017. Barkev did not possess a
U.S. passport, but even if he did, Turkey would have refused to issue
him an entry visa under the ban. The Turkish Embassy received Barkev’s
visa application 71 days prior to his arrival in Turkey, whereas the
Embassy required that such applications be submitted at least 30 days
prior to his expected date of departure. Having received no response
from the Turkish Embassy, Barkev sent a reminder on December 6, 2017,
inquiring about the status of his visa application.
On December 11, 2017, an employee of the Turkish Embassy called the
office of Barkev’s son Garo, indicating that the Embassy did not know
what type of visa Barkev was requesting, even though it was clearly
marked “short stay” on the visa application. In response, Barkev sent
an email to the Embassy on December 18, 2017. Then on December 21,
2017, he sent a reminder to the Embassy by overnight mail. On December
22, 2017, on the same day that Barkev was supposed to fly to Turkey,
the Embassy’s Consular Section sent an email to Barkev instructing him
to reapply to the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles with a passport.
The complaint filed by Barkev’s attorneys stated that Turkey’s
representatives “harassed, agitated, confused and thwarted Barkev,
intending to devalue his identity as an Armenian Christian born in
Turkey.”
The lawsuit also quoted Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the
Republic of Turkey in 1923, proclaiming: “Armenians have no rights at
all in this prosperous country. The land is yours, the land belongs to
the Turks. In history this land was Turkish, therefore it is Turkish
and will remain Turkish forever. The land has finally been returned to
its rightful owners. The Armenians and the others have no rights here
at all. These blessed regions are the native lands of the true Turks.”
The lawsuit further stated that “by such proclamations, and then
through a series of legislative, executive, administrative, and other
official and/or unofficial acts, Defendant established the Targeted
Policy at the very founding of the Republic of Turkey. The core
purpose of the Targeted Policy was to strip native Armenian Christians
of their rights and identities by dehumanizing, degrading,
expropriating, alienating, disenfranchising, liquidating and otherwise
severing Armenian Christians from their native lands and their native
customs and religious practices on such lands. This Targeted Policy
has been pursued, institutionalized, enhanced and adhered to by
Defendant’s successive governments and agents.”
The lawsuit accused Turkey and its agents of violating the following
international agreements by their mistreatment of Barkev:
— The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights;
— The United Nations Principles for Older Persons;
— The Treaty of Lausanne;
— The European Convention on Human Rights;
— International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
— Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing;
— The Madrid International Plan on Ageing;
— United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Unfortunately, Barkev’s health has deteriorated since his planned
visit to Turkey in 2017 to the extent that he is no longer able to
travel. This was the last chance Barkev had to visit his native land
and practice his religious rites as a Christian Armenian. The Turkish
government deprived Barkev of that opportunity by not granting him a
visa.
On June 10, 2019, the U.S. Federal Court asked the Plaintiffs to show
cause, in writing no later than June 28, 2019, as to why the case
should not be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. As
requested by the Court, the Plaintiffs filed a 25-page memorandum on
June 28, 2019, explaining that Turkey, as a foreign Sovereign, does
not have the right to violate U.S. and international humanitarian
laws, particularly on American soil.
On July 11, 2019, the Federal Court decided that it would “defer a
determination about its jurisdiction until after Turkey has been
served and had an opportunity to provide its views on the issue.”
This lawsuit provides a unique opportunity to affirm the rights of
Armenians to visit without a visa their native lands now occupied by
the Turkish government.
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2- PM Pashinyan invites Armenians of Los Angeles to gather on Sept. 22
YEREVAN—Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will visit the
United States in September, where he plans to meet with the Armenian
community of Los Angeles.
Pashinyan made the announcement on a Facebook Live broadcast last week.
“The long-awaited meeting will take place on September 22, at 4 p.m.
Los Angeles time. I invite all of you to the Grand Park of Los
Angeles, where I will give a speech. I invite our compatriots from Los
Angeles and nearby cities. I hope we will discuss the agenda which we
last touched upon during the gathering in Stepanakert. I hope we will
organize a powerful gathering that day in Los-Angeles which many
people righteously call the capital of the Diaspora. I think my visit
will be productive,” Pashinyan said.
Pashinyan emphasized that Los Angeles was one of the most important
centers of the support to the non-violent, velvet revolution and
highly appreciated their support.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
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3 - UK Appoints Gogbashian as Ambassador to Armenia
The United Kingdom has appointed Alan Andranik Gogbashian—a British
diplomat of Armenian descent—to serve as Her Majesty’s new ambassador
to Armenia.
Gogbashian will succeed Judith Farnworth, who will be transferring to
another appointment.
According to a news release issued by the UK government, Gogbashian
will assume office during September 2019. This is the first time that
an Ambassador of a foreign country in Armenia will be of Armenian
origin.
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4- Alin Demirdjian presents new project: ‘One Province, One Song’
Alin Demirdjian is an Argentinean-Armenian singer-songwriter. She has
two solo albums with her own songs in Spanish, and she has also been
part of different Argentinean and Armenian musical projects in Buenos
Aires. She is always curious about different artists and places, and
most of the time she is touring around Argentinean provinces, singing
and meeting new local artists.
That’s why last year while she was visiting Armenia for the fourth
time, she had the idea to do the same in Armenia and Artsakh, and she
developed a project called “One Province, One Song” which she will
implement this year with the support of Birthright Armenia
organization.
The project is aimed at sharing the current musical scene of Armenia
and Artsakh while showing its landscapes and traditions. It consists
of exploring every province and searching for a local musician or a
band with whom she can sing a song in Armenian and record a music
video.
The goal is to record artists of all ages and styles—both in
traditional and modern genres. All videos will be filmed on-site and
later edited to be shared individually (on YouTube and all social
media platforms) as episodes. They’ll all be available in Spanish and
in English subtitles.
Alin’s desire is to know more, discover artists and share songs in
each region of Armenia and Artsakh. She anticipates creating bridges
through music and generate musical exchanges in the future.
Her trip started on July 30, and will end in December of this year. In
the months before her trip to Armenia, Alin offered concerts and
informative talks in the seven Armenian schools of Buenos Aires, in
two Armenian schools and in two scout groups of Uruguay, and with the
Armenian youth of Chile. The main objective is to involve young people
in the project, so that they can be more connected to the current
situation in Armenia and Artsakh, through their music and their
provinces.
The project has a number of professionals located in Yerevan: a
project manager (production and logistics), an assistant director
(issues related to music), a cameraman, a sound engineer, a
communications manager, a graphic designer and a driver.
In December 2014, Alin released the first album with her band called
“Buscando el Ámbar” with all the songs she wrote: a selection of songs
that described her as an artist and defined her original musical
proposal. In 2017, Alin released her second solo album titled “De
Leones y Deshielos”. This album was officially presented at the “Sala
Siranush” in Buenos Aires. In November 2018, she released a new
single: the song called “Hola” that is available on all digital
platforms.
The singer-songwriter has been invited to sing with artists such as
Ismael Serrano (Spain), Leon Gieco, Peteco Carabajal, Cruzando el
Charco; and she has participated in TV shows such as Rock del País,
Piñón en Familia, La Tribuna de Guido, and many others. She also has
concerts in several Buenos Aires theatres, such as the “Sony Theater”,
“Siranush Hall”, “Café Vinilo”, “Quinta Trabucco”, “Rockin Music”,
etc; and played in different cities, such as Cordoba, Rosario,
Bariloche, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Santa Fe, Pergamino, Salta,
Tucumán, Jujuy, San Pedro, Montevideo (Uruguay), Paysandú (Uruguay),
Yerevan (Armenia), etc. She has also toured through the provinces of
Argentina.
Alin studied at the Armenian School of Vicente López in Buenos Aires,
from kindergarten until high school. There she was always part of the
Armenian choir. After graduating from the school, she became part of
the “Vocal Study of Prof. Andrés Istephanian” for 8 years, with a
repertoire of Armenian songs (folk music, popular music, etc). With
this group they gave important concerts in and out of the Armenian
community, both in Buenos Aires and in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The group also performed during the visit of His Holiness Karekin II
to Argentina (2011), and came out first at the Lawyers Association of
the City of Buenos Aires Choir Contest. In addition, for 2 consecutive
years they presented the show “Armenian Music in the Dark”, with great
success with each show.
The artist is also part of the music duo for children in Armenian
language called “Alin & Talin” with Talín Leylek, created in 2012. The
duo released an album with some songs of their own and others of the
popular songbook. Alin & Talin gave numerous concerts in a large
number of Armenian institutions in South America, in theaters, and
also participated in festivals such as the “Buenos Aires Celebra”
organized by the government of the city of Buenos Aires and the
“Homage to Father Komitas” organized by AGBU, among others.
During the years 2009 and 2010 Alin was also part of a duo of
Argentine folk music with Mariano Zagari. The duo played in several
traditional “peñas” of the city of Buenos Aires and surroundings.
For more information, visit www.birthrightarmenia.org
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5- Dr. Carolann Najarian to receive ABMDR Visionary Award
LOS ANGELES—The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) announced
that longtime national philanthropist and ABMDR founding member Dr.
Carolann Najarian will receive the organization’s Visionary Award. The
honor will be conferred on Najarian during the award ceremony of
ABMDR’s annual Gala Banquet. To be held on August 25 at the Taglyan
Complex, in Los Angeles, the Gala will celebrate the 20th anniversary
of the founding of ABMDR.
“It is our great privilege to bestow the ABMDR Visionary Award on Dr.
Carolann Najarian, as she remains a true pillar of our organization,”
said ABMDR president Dr. Frieda Jordan. “From the very outset, 20
years ago, Dr. Najarian understood the critical importance of having a
registry of bone marrow donors for the Armenian people, and was
absolutely instrumental in the establishment and subsequent growth of
our organization.”
Born in New York City, Najarian was raised in a large Armenian family,
most of whom, including her parents, were genocide survivors. She
moved to Boston after marrying George Najarian. She holds an MD as
well as degrees in music and medical anthropology.
In 1989, after the Spitak earthquake, Najarian founded the Armenian
Health Alliance and began relief efforts to both the earthquake zone
and Artsakh. Over the next 20 years, she made more than 50 trips to
provide support to various medical centers in the earthquake zone and
in Artsakh, securing them with much needed medical supplies, providing
care to patients, and teaching. She also helped facilitate assistance
to Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan. In 1992, she started the Sister
to Sister program, through which financial assistance was provided to
refugees from Gatashen who were living in various hostels in the
mountains of Armenia. In 1994, she established a primary-care center
in Gyumri; and, in 1995, the Arpen Center for Expectant Women in
Artsakh, which continues to provide food and clothing to pregnant
women.
Najarian has chronicled these experiences in her first book, A Call
From Home: Armenia and Karabagh, My Journal. She then published her
late father’s memoir, Avedis’ Story. Most recently, she and her
husband sponsored and collaborated on a book about the Armenian
Legionnaires, inspired by George’s father. The Najarians supported the
renovation of Tsitsernavank, a 5th-century basilica in Artsakh. They
also endow the Najarian Lecture on Human Rights, a program of the
Armenian Heritage Park, Boston, home of the Najarian clan.
Najarian first met Dr. Frieda Jordan in 1989 and helped her distribute
earthquake relief aid she had brought from London. The two forged a
friendship, and a year later Jordan brought up her idea of
establishing an Armenian bone marrow donor registry to Carolann and
her husband George. They supported the idea enthusiastically and
encouraged Dr. Jordan to go forward. The Najarians provided seed money
for ABMDR, and Carolann agreed to have ABMDR work under the umbrella
of the Armenian Health Alliance. Najarian is a founding member of
ABMDR, instrumental in helping navigate the early days of the
organization, actively involved in the opening of the ABMDR lab in
Yerevan, a mentor and advisor to Dr. Jordan, member of the Board of
Directors, and the first Woman of the Year recognized by ABMDR, in
2003. The Najarians continued their substantial financial support of
the Registry and the establishment of its Stem Cell Harvesting Center,
in Yerevan.
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