GRASSROOTS PRESSURE BUILDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON EVANS FIRING
WASHINGTON, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Tens of thousands
of Armenians – in the United States and Armenia – have voiced their
outrage over the Administration’s firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
John Marshall Evans, reported the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA). In Armenia, tens of thousands of Armenians took part
in the “Yellow Ribbon Campaign” to protest the Evans firing and, more
broadly, to voice opposition to a number of recent instances in which
foreign diplomats stationed in Armenia have denied the Armenian
Genocide. The campaign, which took place at the Tsitsernakaberd
Memorial to the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan, started on April 24th
with countless thousands of individual Armenians each tying a single
yellow ribbons on 100-yard lengths of rope stretched along the walking
path leading to the Genocide Monument. In the United States, Armenian
American activists have called for Congressional hearings into the
Government of Turkey’s role in dismissal of this highly-respected
35-year Foreign Service veteran over his honest and accurate
description of the Armenian Genocide as a clear case of genocide. The
ANCA WebFax system – on the web at – has been used by
activists from throughout the United States – including a large number
from state and districts represented by Members of committees with
oversight responsibility of the State Department. In their WebFaxes,
these concerned citizens have stressed that: “Ambassador Evans is, in
effect, being punished for honoring his President’s pledge to properly
recognize the Armenian Genocide – a promise that George W. Bush made
on the campaign trail in February of 2000 but abandoned once in the
White House. Ambassador Evans should be praised, not dismissed, for
rejecting “gag-rules” imposed by the Turkish Government on the
discussion of the Armenian Genocide by America’s leaders at home and
diplomats abroad.” In demanding hearings on the Evans firing, the
WebFaxers note that these inquiries should “include testimony by all
the key figures involved, including the Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. Among the issues
that should be explored are the role of the Turkish Government in
exporting its suppression of speech to the United States and the
implications for the future of the Foreign Service if a senior
American diplomat’s career has been ended simply for acknowledging the
historical record on one of the world’s greatest human rights
tragedies.” Commenting on the lack of openness by the Administration
in dealing with this matter, the WebFax letters note that, “the
Administration has lacked the courage to speak honestly – either to
Congress or the American people – about its reasons for firing
Ambassador Evans. Hopefully, these hearings will provide the
transparency that we, as citizens, have the right to expect of our
government.” The firing of Amb. Evans was the result of his February
2005 statements at Armenian American community functions
characterizing the Armenian Genocide as a genocide.
Following his statements, Amb. Evans was forced to issue a statement
clarifying that his references to the Armenian Genocide were his
personal views and did not represent a change in US policy. He
subsequently issued a correction to this statement, replacing a
reference to the genocide with the word “tragedy.” The American
Foreign Service Association, which had planned to honor Amb.
Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,” recognizing creative
thinking and intellectual courage within the Foreign Service,
reportedly rescinded the award following pressure from the State
Department a few days before Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan traveled to Washington, DC to meet with President Bush.
Congressional Response: On the eve of the announcement of Evans’
replacement, sixty Members of Congress, led by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA),
sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking for
clarification of the reasons behind Amb. Evans’ recall. Earlier,
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep. Adam
Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) had each officially
called on Secretary Rice for a clarification of the State Department’s
position on this issue. They have yet to receive any response to their
inquiries. Media Response: The Los Angeles Times, in a strongly worded
March 22nd editorial, made direct reference to Amb. Evans’ impending
dismissal, calling on the Turkish Government and U.S. State Department
to end their policies of Armenian Genocide denial. On March 24th, the
Fresno Bee, published a similarly strong editorial condemning Evans’
firing. The Washington Times, on May 26th, ran a story about the
“geopolitical firestorm” created by Evans’ remarks. The publisher of
the California Courier, Harut Sassounian, in his weekly column, urged
U.S. Senators to place a “hold” on the nomination of Richard Hoagland,
the diplomat slated to replace Ambassador Evans. This action in
response to the Administration’s unresponsiveness, argued Sassounian,
will force the White House to fully explain the reasons behind its
early termination of Ambassador Evans’ career. Armenian Youth
Response: At the Armenian Youth Federation Junior Educational Seminar,
held in Western Pennsylvania over the Memorial Day weekend, over 400
young Armenian Americans designed, produced, and signed original
petitions protesting the Administration’s decision to fire Amb. Evans
for telling the truth about the Armenian Genocide.