As we pivot toward reparations and make progress within Turkey itself, we will—as Armenians—be lectured without end about our responsibility to meet Turkey half-way on the Armenian Genocide, to accept the patently false and immoral premise that the truth lies somewhere between two ‘narratives,’ to forgive without repentance and to ‘move on’ without reparations.
It’s particularly vicious when people preach that Armenians should only be working for change from within Turkey.
We once had this chance, and, despite great challenges and even greater risks, Armenians played a courageous and consequential role in reforms—until 1915, that is, when Turkey massacred and exiled us, effectively ending our ability to press for progress as citizens of that state.
It takes either a very cruel or an equally calculating heart to lecture the brutalized victims of a crime about their failure to rehabilitate their attackers.
Given the vast post-genocide power asymmetry between the Turkish state and the surviving Armenian citizens of Turkey—or between Turkey and landlocked, partitioned, and blockaded Armenia for that matter—arguing that the Armenian Genocide should be a matter between Turks and Armenians is just a harsh way of saying leave Turkey alone to consolidate the fruits of its crime.
Turkey’s preferred “leave the lamb to the lion” formulation is all the more one-sided by virtue of the added power it secured through the genocide and the incalculable harm caused to the Armenian nation by this still-unpunished crime.
This deeply flawed approach, of course, stands at odds with the basic conceptions of justice held by nearly every culture on earth. Genocide may be the worst of all crimes, one with serious geopolitical implications, but it remains a crime. Not simply a matter between Turks and Armenians, but—like any genocide—an issue for all the world.
It is to our credit that decades of diasporan advocacy for justice—undertaken in countries around the world in the wake of our near annihilation—has started to break down walls of denial in Turkey and sparked a small but growing domestic movement for a truthful and just resolution of the Armenian Genocide.
Having “forced the Spring,” we are now—with increased resolve—waging our struggle on two mutually reinforcing fronts: one in Turkey, one in the rest of the world.
As we pivot toward reparations and make progress within Turkey itself, we will—as Armenians—be lectured without end about our responsibility to meet Turkey half-way on the Armenian Genocide, to accept the patently false and immoral premise that the truth lies somewhere between two “narratives,” to forgive without repentance and to “move on” without reparations.
Ask yourself, would any of the experts, politicians, PR professionals, or other self-righteous types pitching this patronizing and self-serving trash counsel the same if it were their families who were mercilessly killed or driven from their homes?
Genocide is a crime, not a conflict.
The Armenian Genocide requires a truthful and just international resolution, one that punishes the perpetrator state, restores the victim, and prevents future genocide. In a word: JUSTICE.
Aram Hamparian
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As Turkey also jumped on the bandwagon of freedom of speech and bashing Armenians on the same page, we need to reinforce and affirm that when Truth and Facts become victims of free speech, power and politics, society at large will be at great peril and risks.
The problem with “free speech” is that it is selectively allowed and that it is sometimes used to justify libel. Freedom of speech nowadays is the freedom to attack/insult/ridicule certain practices and beliefs and not others. This is one very serious, essential aspect of the Charlie Hebdo issue that I have not seen discussed in media outlets.
Mr. Hamparian has brought up what is incongruous with the picture that is presented by ruling elites to modern audiences. The audience includes our newest generation of Armenians seeking to move forward in our justice struggle. This discordant “pitch” is further explored and explained in an editorial called “Appraising Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation”:
http://www.keghart.com/Editorial-Appraising-Reconciliation
“This deeply flawed approach, of course, stands at odds with the basic conceptions of justice held by nearly every culture on earth. Genocide may be the worst of all crimes, one with serious geopolitical implications, but it remains a crime. Not simply a matter between Turks and Armenians, but—like any genocide—an issue for all the world.”
This is a key and universal point which needs made over and over. There is so much double-standard thrown our way when discussing the genocide and seeking recognition and justice. Somehow the Armenian genocide should be decided differently, by having the victims and their decedents and the other side which has put effort and money into having it erased from history, sit down and come to an agreement. Even though this is not how other such cases are decided.
Meline Toumani had to live on and off four years of activism in Turkey, to finally realize that its all about power. That two persons, two groups, two peoples can fruitfully negotiate and bargain only if they are equals, considered equals, treated equals. All other forms of negotiations between unequals is just a form of carrot and stick, where the weak, the second-class citizen group people gets only the short hand of the stick in this bargaining of carrot and stick. And let me assure you, that as a community in Istanbul, as a country called Armenia, and as masses spread out as diaspora, Armenia and Armenians are nothing at best second class in any negotiations. You don’t get what you deserve; you get what you negotiate, and you end up with second-class outcomes, when you negotiate as seconds to others.
It should not come as a surprise that on the eve of the Armenian Genocide Centennial, Turkey will attempt every dirty trick in their book to rewrite history, distort the undeniable facts and undermine the atrocities and crime perpetrated by the Ottoman regime.
They are spending huge sums of money by buying immoral, dishonest and money hungry scholars, lecturers, educational professionals, judges, politicians and writers trying to portray and convince people and governments that there was no planned genocide, but a
“conflict” between Turks and Armenians that resulted in casualties on both sides. They are attempting ( and sometimes with success) to alter the facts by introducing a totally false, unfounded historical perspective.
Out of the woods, we also have seen books being published, interviews being conducted and given, lectures made in universities by “elites” and “pundits” who are preaching and trying to push the idea of ” reconciliation”, “being flexible”, “compromise”, ” not be hateful” without demanding recognition or reparation. A deeply flawed and absurd notion that suggests to let bygones be bygones, as if the Genocide never happened.
It is sad and most unfortunate that people who are unaware of the history, are not really interested or vested, or are simply vulnerable, might be influenced by all this noise and hogwash. It is disappointing but sadly might happen.
That is why we have to be exceptionally alert, vigilant and active to counter every move, in every avenue, in every country, where the Turks and their corrupt lobby rears their ugly face.
As Aram said, we demand JUSTICE.
We do not have as much money as the Turks have to throw around, bribe people, buy their souls, but we do have a voice. Let’s all make our voices roar.
Vart Adjemian
I believe the voice of forgivness is the loudest as it comes from God and its fruits will PRODUCE
We should not lose hope and give up our long struggle for justice because of Turkey’s dirty tricks. We should accept the fact that in present day society money and power play a great role in distorting the truth- “might is right”. We have many Armenian organisations and lobbies and should use these to our benefit and fight our struggle using the same tactics as our enemies. After all, we have a lot of truth on our side. The average Armenian can contribute financially to this struggle so could our many rich compatriots.