Genocide Commemorations Held in Turkey

     On April 24 in Istanbul, four events commemorating the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide were held—including three held outside, in public, all while obstacles, counter protests, and fascist rhetoric tried to disrupt the commemorations, and reminded the few hundred participants of the long way ahead.  

      At 7 p.m., a candlelight vigil was held in Taksim Square in the presence of hundreds of policemen and a large crowd of reporters and onlookers. Organized by Turkish intellectuals, the vigil was the most advertised of the commemoration events that day, and attracted the largest number of participants and counter-demonstrators. The organizers read a statement about April 24, 1915, saying that this was their pain as well. Then, for almost half an hour, the participants in the vigil sat in silence while counter protestors nearby, pushed back by the police yelled, “Death to the Armenian Diaspora.”

Congradulations Digin Artemis!

As I was looking on ArmenianWeekly.com, I found that my Armenian teacher who taught me in elementary school was being honored by The Republic of Armenia’s Diaspora Ministry for her dedication to her culture and nation. Here is a quote from Armenian Weekly explaining the letter a little more.

"The letter, which reached Mgrdichian through the Armenian Embassy in Washington, noted that the honor reflected Mgrdichian’s dedication to the Armenian nation. It commended her efforts in providing an Armenian education and discipline to the new generation of Armenian Americans, and in strengthening and preserving their Armenian identity."

http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/04/16/st-stephen%E2%80%99s-teacher-honored-by-diaspora-ministry/

Armenian Genocide Bill Again on Israel Parliament Agenda

Israel’s parliament agreed on April 29 to again consider a draft resolution recognizing the World War I era mass killings and deportations of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide. The Knesset decided by 12 votes to 8, with one abstention, that one of its standing committees will discuss the resolution and determine whether it should be put to a full parliament vote. Significantly, a representative of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also backed a parliament debate on the bill drafted by Haim Oron, the leader of the left-wing opposition Meretz Party. “It is appropriate that the Israeli Knesset, which represents the Jewish people, recognize the Armenian Genocide,” said Oron. “It is unacceptable that the Jewish people is not making itself heard.” The Defense Committee did not even vote on the Armenian Genocide resolutions in the past, despite clearance from the Knesset. It thus highlighted successive Israeli governments’ reluctance to antagonize Turkey, a rare Muslim partner of the Jewish state. The Netanyahu government did not back a parliament debate on Armenian Genocide recognition on the previous occasion, in May 2009. Commentators might link the apparent shift in its position on the highly sensitive issue to the worsening of Turkish-Israeli relations in recent months.

Obama avoids the Genocide.

Another president down the line of the previous presidents does not acknowledge the Genocide.

"On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that ninety-five years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began. In that dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire".

This is what Obama addressed to the Armenian community on April 24th 2010, not using the term Genocide. this crushed the hopes and dreams of countless Armenians and other supportive members.

Its been 95 years since this atrocious act of inhuman and unimaginable violence against the Armenians has occurred, every Armenian and other supportive nationality knows that it happened and that it was a genocide the President and the entire state of Turkey yet to accept that.

95 years Armenians have suffered from the rejections of the United States for too long.

Armenian Genocide Conference Held In Ankara

On April 24th, two genocide commemoration events took place in Istanbul. They took place one after the other and in different locations around the city. The conference, which was organized by the Ankara Freedom of Thought Initiative, was heavily controlled by the police. The hotel was searched by both policemen and security dogs, metal detectors were set up at the entrance of the Princess Hotel(where the conference took place), and all attendees had to be cleared before they were allowed into the building.

Around 200 people attended the conference, the majority of which were intellectuals and activists who condemn the Armenian Genocide and support recognition, and a debate on whether or not Armenia should seek reparations took place. The debate was headed by Ismail Besikci, a scholar who spent years in Turkish prisons for speaking about the Kurdish involvement in the Armenian Genocide, Baskin Oran, a professor of political science, Sevan Nishanian, a Turkish-Armenian scholar who has written several books, Ragip Zarakolu, a publisher in Turkey who has been at the forefront of the struggle for Armenian Genocide recognition in Turkey for decades, and various others.

To read the full article, please click the link below.
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/04/28/ankara-conference/

U.S. Congress Insults Feelings of Turkey

A resolution approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week, in recognizing the Armenian Genocide, asks the Obama administration to endorse history, with the risk of insulting their ally. With Turkey's importance to the U.S. , that will be hard to do, and the U.S. may lose Turkey as an ally.  

 “The passing of House Resolution 252 introduces a new dynamic into the State Department’s hopes for “normalization” of relations between Armenia and Turkey. The Armenian Genocide is marked as beginning April 24, 1915. On the 94th anniversary last year, President Obama decried the “great atrocities” – but defied his own campaign promise by following the precedent of other modern presidents and stopping short of using the word “genocide.” said John Hughes.

In my opinion, I think no matter what the U.S. should recognize the genocide.  The U.S. has other allies around the world and since this resolution was passed, there must be hope somewhere in these people's hearts to recognize the genocide and that it is not a lie.

Billboards Tell the Truth

Every year the organization "Peace Of Art" creates a new billboard to support the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Every year they are posted up around Massachusetts, two usually in our hometown of Watertown. Here is this years billboard.

If you're interested in seeing past years billboards check out http://www.peaceofart.org/