Author: nina hovnanian

ACO Releases Statement on Armenian Genocide

By Contributor on January 26, 2015

The Action Chrétienne en Orient (ACO) Fellowship released the
following statement calling on its member churches to devote one
Sunday in 2015 to the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

The Action Chrétienne en Orient was originally created to provide
assistance to the victims of the genocide that struck the Armenian
people at the beginning of the 20th century. Pastor Paul Berron, from
Alsace, was a direct witness to the terrible sufferings, and he began
his assistance in Aleppo in 1922. Since that moment, this work of
solidarity between Eastern and Western Christians has continued and
expanded.1

In 1995 in Kessab, Syria, those who continued and expanded Pastor
Berron’s work gathered in a Fellowship, developing a community in
which Lebanese, Syrian, Iranian, Swiss, Dutch, and French partners met
on an equal basis.

Twenty years after the creation of this Fellowship, our community
wishes to remember the Armenian Genocide and the Chaldean-Assyrian
Massacre, which began on April 24, 1915, just one century ago. The
Turkish government still denies the existence of this genocide.

We do not wish for vengeance or revenge and we welcome the work of
Turkish citizens, be they journalists, philosophers, historians, who
no longer want to obscure these dark pages of the history of their
country.

When a group, a government, a society, wants to eliminate another
human group only because of its religious, cultural, or ethnic
identity, it is genocide. And this is the worst crime against
humanity. For, when one part of humanity decides that another part is
not allowed to exist in this world, all of humanity is attacked…

When a group, a government, a society, wants to eliminate another
human group only because of its religious, cultural, or ethnic
identity, it is genocide. And this is the worst crime against
humanity. For, when one part of humanity decides that another part is
not allowed to exist in this world, all of humanity is attacked, and
its anthropological unity is denied. Our Christian faith gives us the
conviction that every human being is created by God; that Christ gave
his life and rose for him/her and so s/he is called to live the
fullness of life, to receive forgiveness and to be loved. It is not up
to one human being to decide whether life is worth living or not.

The 20th century has known other genocides. And until now, religious
minorities in the Middle East have to suffer because of awful violence
against them. ACO-Fellowship finds that this Centenary should not be a
mere commemoration of tragic events of the past but a call for
vigilance against any speech that aims at excluding from the human
community one of its components. Such speech must be fought and firmly
rejected.

ACO-Fellowship finds that this centenary should not be a mere
commemoration of tragic events of the past but a call for vigilance
against any speech that aims at excluding from the human community one
of its components. Such speech must be fought and firmly rejected.

With people of goodwill, from all origins, in the name of the victims’
inalienable dignity, the ACO Fellowship wants to be a witness to what
happened then, which broke so many human lives. It also wants to be a
witness to Christ, who calls the whole of humanity to a reconciled
life.

The ACO-Fellowship invites all its member churches, as well as other
churches and local communities in the Middle East and in the western
countries, to devote one Sunday to the Commemoration of this event in
2015, either around April 24 or on the traditional Day of the Golden
Rule (the 2nd Advent), or at any other moment according to each
community’s own wish and pace.

On behalf of the Executive Committee of the ACO Fellowship,
Rev. Thomas Wild, General Secretary
Evangelical Synod of Iran
Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East
Action Chrétienne en Orient, France
National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon
DM-échange et mission, Switzerland
GZB, Netherland

1 In 1995, ACO-France worked in the Middle East with the National
Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL), the Union of Armenian
Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and the Evangelical
Synod of Iran; in Europe, with the Dutch churches through the
missionary body called GZB, and with the French-speaking Swiss
churches through their missionary department, called DM-échange et
mission.

Armenian Assembly of America News
1334 G Street, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20005
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Happening This Week in Washington DC: April 26-30, 2015

By Taniel Koushakjian
AAANews Blog
January 26, 2015

It’s going to be another busy week in the nation’s capital. Congress will
be in session Monday, Tuesday, and barely on Wednesday, before heading out
of town. Democrats have their annual caucus retreat this week in
Philadelphia, and President Obama and Vice President Biden are scheduled to
speak at the closed-door meetings.

In the context of Armenian American issues, here are a few events taking
place this week that may interest you:

– Wednesday, January 28, 2015: Woodrow Wilson Center will hold a
discussion entitled `Security and Energy Implications for the South
Caucasus after Ukraine’ from 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM, ;

– Wednesday, January 28, 2015: Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace will hold a book signing and discussion entitled
`Armenians and Turks in the Shadow of Genocide’ for Thomas de Waal’s new
book entitled Great Catastrophe from 12:15 PM – 2:00 PM,
;

– Thursday, January 29, 2015: The Knights of Vartan-Ani Lodge
will hold their first academic lecture series entitled `Oil, Politics, and
the Genocide in Armenia: The First World War in Retrospect’ at American
University, featuring Professor Christopher Smith, from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.

– Friday, January 30, 2015: Atlantic Council will hold a daylong
conference `Toward a Transatlantic Strategy for Europe’s East’ from 8:00 AM
– 4:00 PM,

Also, next week, President Obama is expected to send to Congress his budget
recommendations for Fiscal Year 2016, beginning the long slog that is the
appropriations process. Also next week is the National Prayer Breakfast in
Washington, DC, where it has been reported that the theme of this year’s
breakfast will be in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. It is not yet
known whether President Obama will address the breakfast this year.

Available online at:

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CONFERENCE TO BE HELD AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

Monday, January 26th, 2015

A view of the Arizona State Campus

Keynote Speakers Professor Taner Akcam and Professor Peter Balakian

TEMPE, Ariz.–On Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, the
ASU Law Students Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee will host
“100 Years Later,” a two-day conference on the Armenian Genocide at
the ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Conference speakers and
panelists include scholars, attorneys, and community leaders from
across the state, the nation, and around the world.

The inaugural keynote will be given by Professor Taner Akcam on
Saturday evening, and will be followed by a networking event. Sunday’s
program will feature four afternoon panels, including “The Armenian
Genocide in a Comparative Perspective,” “The Legal Framework of the
Armenian Genocide,” “Armenian Futures: Reconciliation & Remediation,”
and “From the Ashes: Perspectives on Post-Genocide Culture and Art.”

The conference will conclude with a keynote by Professor Peter
Balakian.

The conference is generously co-sponsored by the ASU Jewish Law
Students Association, The ASU Melikian Center, The ASU Center for
Jewish Studies, The ASU Center for the Future of War, The ASU School
of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies, and countless
other individual sponsors.

Conference attendance is free and is open to the public. To register,
and for more information, visit the event website.

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE TO JOIN FRENCH ARMENIANS FOR DINNER

Monday, January 26th, 2015 |

French President Francois Hollande speaks during a press conference
in Yerevan in May 2014.

PARIS–On Jan. 28, French President Francois Hollande will participate
in an annual dinner hosted by the Coordination Council of Armenian
Organizations of France, the President’s press office reports.

President Hollande will lead the annual dinner in Paris, during which
the French Armenian community’s events program for the Armenian
Genocide’s centenary year will be launched. The Chairman of the
Coordination Council, and newly-elected Bureau member of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF), Mourad Papazian, told Armenpress
news agency that the dinner will be attended by France’s political
elite – ministers, members of parliament, local officials, and the
President’s advisors and office staff. Notable French intellectuals,
journalists and lawyers will also be in attendance.

“Today we know that the event will be attended by the Minister of
Interior Affairs Bernard Cazeneuve and the French Secretary of State
for European Affairs Harlem Desir,” Papazian said. “Certainly, issues
related to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, the recognition of
the Genocide by Turkey, the French Armenian community, Armenia-France
relations, as well as the visit of the President of France Francois
Hollande on April 24, 2015, will be discussed.”

“This is a sign of serious support. It will mean that France is with
the Armenian people, the Armenian Cause, and Armenia,” said Papazian.

ASSYRIANS IN SWEDEN MARCH FOR GENOCIDE RECOGNITION

AINA – Assyrian International News Agency
Jan 26 2015

Posted 2015-01-26 02:26 GMT

Assyrians march for genocide recognition in Stockholm.Stockholm (AINA)
— More than two thousand Assyrians marched for genocide recognition
on Sunday in six cities in Sweden. The marchers held torches and
Assyrian flags as they walked silently in Stockholm, Gothenburg,
Norrkoping, Linkoping, Jonköping and Orebro.

The march was organized by the Assyrian Federation of Sweden and its
affiliated organizations to commemorate the centennial anniversary of
the Turkish and Kurdish genocide of Assyrians, Armenians and Pontic
Greeks. The genocide occurred between 1915 and 1918 and claimed the
lives of 750,000 Assyrians (75%), 1.5 million Armenians and 500,000
Pontic Greeks.

The genocide is called Seyfo (Sword) in Assyrian.

Related: Assyrian Genocide Monuments in the World

The slogan for the marches was “Hundred years of Turkish Denial —
a Shame on Humanity.” Swedish media extensively covered the marches.

The Swedish parliament officially recognized the Assyrian genocide on
March 10 (AINA 2010-03-12), 2010 but the current Swedish government
is yet to adopt the recognition and make it part of official Swedish
politics in its dealings with Turkey.

The event was the first of several to come during 2015 when Assyrians,
Armenians and Pontic Greeks will commemorate the centennial year of
the genocide perpetrated against them.

The Genocide Education Project
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: 415-264-4203
Email: [email protected]

January 26, 2015

The Genocide Education Project establishes course at the University of
Rhode Island

The University of Rhode Island is offering the course, `The Armenian
Experience: History and Culture’ at its Kingston campus for the spring
2015 semester, on Mondays from 4-6:45 pm, beginning January 26th.

As part of its `GenEd-HigherEd’ initiative, The Genocide Education
Project Rhode Island branch co-chairs, Pauline Getzoyan and Esther
Kalajian, developed and proposed the honors seminar course, which went
through a rigorous approval process by the university during the fall
semester. Getzoyan and Kalajian will teach the course, which will focus
on diasporan studies as they relate to the Armenian experience. Topics
will include an understanding of genocide and the implications of
genocide on culture, identity, and religion.

The course will include a robust offering of guest speakers, including
author Chris Bohjalian and filmmaker Talin Avakian, who will speak about
`Literature and Film: An Author’s and Filmmaker’s Responsibility to
Truth ` Exploring history, fiction, and non-fiction;’ Tom Zorabedian,
Assistant Dean of the URI College of Arts and Sciences and the
Harrington School of Communication and Media; Dr. Catherine Sama,
professor of Italian at URI, who will speak about Armenians in the
diaspora with a focus on Italy and about the subject of genocide in
Italian literature and film; George Aghjayan and author/professor Marian
MacCurdy, who will be part of a panel discussing `The Aftermath of
Genocide: the Issue of Denial and Justice Specific to the Armenian
Genocide;’ Berge Zobian, owner of Gallery/Studio Z in Providence, RI,
who will introduce the students to Armenian art and architecture, pre-
and post-Genocide; and Charles Kalajian, who will introduce the students
to Armenian musical instruments and the aural tradition of learning
music, with assistance from Ken Kalajian and Leon Janikian.

“This course, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, is the realization of a ten-year-long dream for us, as
genocide education advocates in the state of Rhode Island,’ said Pauline
Getzoyan. `Through this course, we intend to convey to students the many
layers of history and social experience surrounding the Armenian
Genocide and its aftermath. In doing so, we not only honor the memory of
the victims, but we seek to help students make more informed choices as
they become global citizens confronted with related issues.’

Funding for the course’s guest speakers is being generously provided by
the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR),
Varnum Paul Fund. Additional financial support is generously provided by
The Ararat Association of Rhode Island. URI Music Department chair,
Joseph Parillo, is credited with promoting the development of the course
within the university.

The Genocide Education Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3)
organization that assists educators in teaching about human rights and
genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide, by developing and
distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching
resources and organizing educational workshops.

###

AMNESIE INTERNATIONALE : RAVIVER LES MEMOIRES, UNE EXIGENCE D’ACTUALITE

Journal La Marseillaise, France
26 janv 2015

Ecrit par Gerard Lanux

La 7e edition d’Amnesie internationale, largement consacree au genocide
armenien, s’est achevee ce week-end en musique, après un passionnant
cycle de conferences et d’echanges avec la salle.

Pour sa 7e edition, Amnesie internationale peut s’enorgueillir d’avoir
reussi a mobiliser une grande partie de la communaute armenienne
de Marseille. Après une première conference au Camp des Milles,
dans l’enceinte de ce lieu symbolique, sur le thème >, c’est le Mucem qui a accueilli samedi après-midi,
historiens, chercheurs, universitaires, journalistes, pour echanger
autour de la question de la reconnaissance du genocide armenien et
de la penalisation du negationnisme.

Une deuxième journee introduite par Pascal Chamassian, createur
d’Amnesie internationale, a laquelle ont notamment assiste le consul
general d’Armenie et Valerie Boyer, auteur d’un projet de loi de
penalisation qui n’a pas franchi la barre du Conseil constitutionnel.

Une injustice et un problème brûlant restes sans solution

C’est l’Histoire avec un grand H qui a ete convoquee en debut
d’après-midi par les historiens Yves Ternon, Claire Mouradian et
le docteur en sciences politiques Gaïdz Minassian. Et notamment
l’histoire de l’empire ottoman et de sa volonte d’elimination
systematique des Armeniens en 1915. Le premier nettoyage ethnique
de l’histoire. Programme et planifie de massacres de civils, hommes,
femmes et enfants, que Yves Ternon qualifiera

CONFERENCE D’HARUT SASSOUNIAN / JUSTICE ET REPARATIONS – PHOTOS

Issy-les-Moulineaux

Le 24 janvier 2015, a l’invitation de la ville d’Issy-les-Moulineaux
et de son maire Andre Santini, Harut Sassounian, editeur et redacteur
en chef du journal americain The California Courrier, a donne une
conference sur le thème du genocide Armenien et ses reparations.

Après avoir relate la genèse du genocide, le specialiste en relations
internationales de la communaute armenienne des Etats Unis s’est
montre plus que pessimiste quant a une reconnaissance prochaine du
crime perpetre sur le peuple armenien par la Turquie ottomane en 1915.

Il privilegie plutôt des actions juridiques de proprietaires
armeniens, en biens, immeubles et terrains, detenteurs de droits
ecrits qui seraient susceptibles de faire vaciller sur sa base la
toute puissante Turquie.

Alain Levy, Arthur Khandjian, Harut Sassounian, Andre Santini,
Vahagn Atabekian

En outre, il s’est dit favorable a la mise en place d’un organe
representatif de la diaspora. Et, repondant a Keram Kevonian, President
de l’Organisation Terre et Culture et Fondateur du Collectif 2015 :
Reparation, egalement favorable a la restitution integrale des biens
confisques sous l’Empire ottoman et pour des reparations financières
aux individus et a l’Armenie.

Bien qu’aux Etats Unis la liberte d’expression soit protegee par le
Premier amendement, Harut Sassounian estime qu’en France il ne peut
y avoir deux poids deux mesures entre la penalisation de la negation
de la Shoah et celle du genocide des Armeniens, prolongement naturel
de la reconnaissance par la France du genocide de 1915.

Jean Eckian

lundi 26 janvier 2015, Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

LE PROGRAMME DES ETUDES ARMENIENNES DE FRESNO ACCUEILLERA UNE CONFERENCE DU DR VAHE TACHJIAN

USA

Le Dr. Vahe Tachjian, directeur du “Projet Houshamadyan” sera le
conferencier invite de la California State University, Programme
d’etudes armeniennes de Fresno avec une conference intitulee > : la vie et la mort dans
la region d’Harput-Mamuretulaziz ( 1908-1915) ” le 29 Janvier 2015.

La conference est le première de la serie de conferences de printemps
du Programme d’etudes armeniennes, avec le soutien de la Fondation
Leon S. Peters.

lundi 26 janvier 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

LES VIOLENCES ENTRE ARMENIENS ET AZERIS CONTINUENT DE S’INTENSIFIER

Haut-Karabagh

L’armee armenienne affirme compter deux victimes de plus et avoir tue
au moins trois soldats azerbaïdjanais vendredi dans ce qui semble
etre une nouvelle escalade des combats dans la zone du conflit du
Haut-Karabagh.

La recrudescence des violations de la treve preoccupe James Warlick,
le negociateur en chef americain. Dans un Tweet, Warlick a exhorte
les presidents de l’Armenie et de l’Azerbaïdjan d'”arreter la violence
le long de la ligne de contact et de s’engager a des negociations.”

Le ministère de la Defense de l’Armenie a declare que les deux soldats,
le lieutenant Karen Galstian et Artak Sargsian, ont ete abattus, et
qu’un autre militaire, Hovannes Avanesian, a ete grièvement blesse
dans une attaque azerbaïdjanaise dans la province du nord Tavush. Il
a dit que les forces azerbaïdjanaises n’ont pas saisi d’avant-poste
et ont ete forcees de battre en retraite.

L’armee azerbaïdjanaise a nie toute action de ses raids commandos,
et a replique que les forces armeniennes deployees ont tente une
attaque transfrontalière.

Artsrun Hovannisian, le porte-parole du ministère de la Defense a
Erevan, a affirme que trois autres militaires azerbaïdjanais ont ete
tues plus tard vendredi.

Ces dernières violations du cessez-le-feu portent a 10 le nombre
total de soldats armeniens qui auraient ete tues a la frontière
azerbaïdjanaise ce mois-ci. En revanche, le ministère de la Defense
azerbaïdjanais a signale aucune victime lors de combat en janvier, ce
qui prouve pour les Armeniens que Bakou cache ses pertes pour eviter
une reaction nationale contre sa politique apparente de l’escalade.

Le site de nouvelles azerbaïdjanaises Qafkazinfo.az a rapporte vendredi
les funerailles d’un soldat azerbaïdjanais. Des photographies des
funerailles en presence de hauts responsables militaires montrent
que Nizami Babashov a recu les honneurs militaires.

“Les actions de l’Armenie seront maintenant plus impitoyables”, a
poste Hovannisian, porte-parole du Ministère armenien de la Defense
sur Facebook.

lundi 26 janvier 2015, Claire (c)armenews.com