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WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, will hold an unprecedented Congressional hearing on the costs and consequences of Armenian Genocide denial.
The hearing, titled, “A Century of Denial: The Armenian Genocide and the Ongoing Quest for Justice,” will be held on Thurs., April 23 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
In announcing the hearing, the Commission’s Chairman Chris Smith (R-N.J.) issued an “appeal to the president to recognize the genocide of the Armenians,” adding that, “on the centenary of this tragedy we should join the German government and Pope Francis in speaking this word of truth. I also appeal to the Turkish government to recognize the genocide and issue a genuine apology. As mass atrocities unfold in Syria and Iraq, the world needs Turkey to engage constructively with its neighbors. The Turkish government can do this only after it honestly faces its own past.”
Ken Hachikian, the chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, will, in his testimony, raise five direct costs of Armenian Genocide denial: 1) the moral burden of mass murder denied, as recently expressed so powerfully by Pope Francis; 2) the dangerous global precedent of a genocide committed with impunity; 3) the threat that Turkey’s denials represent to Armenia’s security; 4) the serious obstacle that Ankara’s denials represent to those seeking the reform of Turkish society; and 5) the impact of denial upon the ongoing destruction of Christian religious heritage within the borders of present-day Turkey. “If we are to end the cycle of genocide—and no one is more committed to this cause than our community—we must elevate America’s and all the world’s response to genocide from a political calculation to a moral imperative,” he stressed.
The Helsinki Commission’s announcement reads as follows: “On the 100th anniversary of the first genocide of the modern era, Armenians are still fighting for recognition of the genocidal nature of the massacres that began in 1915 and resulted in the death of as many as 1.5 million people. The government of Turkey continues to deny the genocide and actively punishes those who recognize it. The hearing will examine denialism by the government of Turkey and the decades-long effort to seek accountability. The hearing will also provide an opportunity to assess potential countercurrents in Turkish society that could move the government of Turkey toward recognition, and explore what the United States and other countries can do to help bring about recognition and eventually, reconciliation.”
The following witnesses are scheduled to testify:
– Dr. Taner Akçam, Professor of History, Robert Aram, Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies, Clark University
– Mr. Kenneth V. Hachikian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America
– Mr. Van Z. Krikorian, co-chairman, Board of Trustees of the Armenian Assembly of America
– Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Visiting Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution, the Fletcher School, Tufts University
– Mrs. Karine Shnorhokian, representative, the Genocide Education Project
The hearing will be webcast live.
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Never relent, Keep the pressure on Turkey until they genuinely show their remorse. Then we can say Turkey has taken a step towards change towards becoming truly human.
i list my great uncle to genicide
For the past 48 hours I have been contemplating over the following question.
WHAT WOULD BE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE punishment IF TURKEY WERE TO ACCEPT THE GENOCIDE today OR IF TURKEY WERE TO ACCEPT IT twenty-five YEARS FROM NOW? Would the pinishment be greater later?
I think this is an interesting question, very much worth asking.
This was an excellent hearing, and I believe the chairman intends to schedule a follow-up session to examine the Turkish educational system’s role in denying history, including reviewing textbooks. Krikor raised an interesting question that I have also been pondering: what will be the impact of further delay on potential reparations? A couple of detailed studies have been conducted and publicized on the potential value of irreparable harm and reparable harm resulting from the genocide. The cost of delay is a major component. Presumably any Armenian demands will increase with time, in line with the time value of money.