President Trump Continues to Enforce Turkey’s Gag Rule; Fails to Mention ‘Genocide’

Annual Commemorative Statement Fails to Properly Characterize Armenian Genocide

WASHINGTON—Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram Hamparian issued this response to President Donald Trump’s failure to reaffirm the Armenian Genocide in his commemorative statement issued earlier today.

Donald J. Trump (Photo: Gage Skidmore)

“President Trump has chosen to enforce Ankara’s gag-rule against American condemnation and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “In failing to properly mark April 24th, President Trump is effectively outsourcing U.S. genocide-prevention policy to Recep Erdogan, an arrogant and authoritarian dictator who clearly enjoys the public spectacle of arm-twisting American presidents into silence on Turkey’s mass murder of millions of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, and other Christians.”

The President’s full statement is provided below.

Background

The U.S. first recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1951 through a filing which was included in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Report titled: “Reservations to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.” The specific reference to the Armenian Genocide appears on page 25 of the ICJ Report: “The Genocide Convention resulted from the inhuman and barbarous practices which prevailed in certain countries prior to and during World War II, when entire religious, racial and national minority groups were threatened with and subjected to deliberate extermination. The practice of genocide has occurred throughout human history. The Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish massacres of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of the crime of genocide.”

President Ronald Reagan reaffirmed the Armenian Genocide in 1981. The U.S. House of Representatives adopted legislation on the Armenian Genocide in 1975, 1984 and 1996.

 

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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 24, 2017

Statement by President Donald J. Trump on Armenian Remembrance Day 2017

Today, we remember and honor the memory of those who suffered during the Meds Yeghern, one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century.  Beginning in 1915, one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.  I join the Armenian community in America and around the world in mourning the loss of innocent lives and the suffering endured by so many.

As we reflect on this dark chapter of human history, we also recognize the resilience of the Armenian people.  Many built new lives in the United States and made indelible contributions to our country, while cherishing memories of the historic homeland in which their ancestors established one of the great civilizations of antiquity.

We must remember atrocities to prevent them from occurring again.  We welcome the efforts of Turks and Armenians to acknowledge and reckon with painful history, which is a critical step toward building a foundation for a more just and tolerant future.

Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.

25 Comments

  1. Extremely disappointing but now surprising.
    The gag-rule will sadly continue to be enforced as long as Turkey is part of NATO and the military bases continue to operate in Turkey.
    I wonder what “efforts of Turks” is he welcoming. It shows the US government’s biased position.
    Moral bankruptcy and lack of integrity.
    I reiterate my comment under a different column; We should pursue Reparations.
    Vart Adjemian
    Vart

    • I agree with Vart Adjemian. As Harut Sassounian has reiterated numerous times, the Genocide has already been recognized by the US government. We should pursue first restitution of property and assets confiscated, then go after reparations for the deaths of our loved ones.

    • Trump obeys international law as far as the UN Genocide Convention. Only international authorized courts decide whether genocide or not…

  2. — Meds Yeghern … quedo para quedarse en la memoria e intereses de los eeuu a partir de obama …miguel angel nalpatian, mar del plata, buenos aires, argentina.-

  3. It’s easier to teach an ape of the Armenian suffering under Ottoman rule; thus perpetrating the modern era’s first Genocide. Trump and Erdogan are only interested in their own myopic interests, without any sense or empathy for justice. I wonder if Trump would have bombed Turkey had he seen how many Christian babies were bayoneted and butchered at the hands of the Ottoman Turks

  4. instead of commenting in this paper, we should send our discuss and disappointment to Mr. Trump

  5. I wonder if the reference to the ‘efforts of Turks’ is an invitation (or even a veiled threat!) to continue dialogue? Interesting that he doesn’t say ‘the efforts of the Turkish Government’. Perhaps he isn’t such a friend to Erdogan after all. Or maybe I’m being too naive/hopeful!

  6. No matter the political party, no matter the campaign rhetoric, once a person becomes POTUS the reality of Turkey’s stategical position grabs hold and dictates speech and action. Once the government of Turkey is repositioned from its global importance to the US or is otherwise divested of its doctrine of “TURKISHNESS,” then and only then can the beliefs of a US politician or POTUS regarding the genocide be measured by the Armenian community.

  7. Not only the Armenians should ask for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but should demand reparations through the international court of law. This should also be applicable to the Armenians slaughtered and driven out of their homeland in Azerbaijan during 1988-1991 mass ethnic cleansing. Do this for the fallen ones, do this in a memory of your loved ones, do this to honor your parents and ancestors. DO IT! Stop waiting on someone to do it for you.

  8. I agree Vart- I do not understand for the life of me what we are waiting for, reparations is the way to go, yet we hear nothing about it, we have top lawyers working on this, “George Clooney’s wife”, yet no word on reparations. do we really need mr. trumps words, he just used a carbon copy of president Obama’s letter.
    reparations, reparations, reparations!
    Eastern turkey is Western ARMENIA.

  9. After reviewing the movie “the promise ” he made several comments recognizing the genocide. We should highlight those statements rather than dwell on his official statement.

  10. There are 17 US Bases in Turkey, let alone Oman, UAE , Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others in the Middle East. Regrettably I don’t think somehow the US will make any move towards recognition of our Genocide. I and so many Armenians in Australia can’t understand why Kamal Ataturk’s statue adorns our capital city, Canberra.

  11. His statement was fine. The democrats before him never got any results no matter what they said and Most armenians support the liberal democrats. I am of armenian heritage and I support trump because I am Christian and Obama and Clinton did nothing for us. We finally have a tough leader which is all the cowardly muslims understand!

  12. if u gonna keep denying I will pray u never see 2and term. not even finish 1RST one, my prayers are real GOD always listens to me. AMEN

  13. I voted for President Donald Trump, as I have seen Intelligence, Courage to take action in business and similar areas, but I am disappointed of his attitude of softness, when it came to political declarations. Turkey has done the Armenian Genocide in 1915. My Grand parents and family members perished with that action. But our President’s softness or Turkish denial of the Genocide can not change anything on the facts as all over the world, there are Documents and records of the Facts. I remember the stories my parents, of Genocide survivals, who were kids at the deportation years.

  14. In courts in every country, the accused individuals or groups, try to justify themselves to avoid the punishment of the justice. But historical things that happen, can not be denied, as there are withnesses, not only individuals, but Countries who have seen everything, and kept unforgetable documents. So the guilty can deny, but proofs and whitnesses are there.

  15. Trump obeys international law as far as the UN Genocide Convention is concerned.. Only international authorized courts decide whether genocide or not…

  16. What a shame, Donald Trump the president of the strongest nation on earth, is not capable of making Turkey honor it’s signature on the treaty brokered by US president Woodrow Wilson, instead he gave in to Turkey’s gag rule, a Turkey that betrays the US in every opportunity that arise.

  17. I quoted this from the “GenocideWatch.Org” Website: “There is an eighth stage in every genocide: Denial. It is actually a continuation of the genocide, because it is a continuing attempt to destroy the victim group psychologically and culturally, to deny its members even the memory of the murders of their relatives.”

    http://www.genocidewatch.org/aboutus/thecostofdenial.html

  18. Why is everyone surprised about the president’s non-use of the GENOCIDE word? It was common practice for ex presidents to use the G word while campaigning and then exercise selective amnesia after winning the election! Ultimately, I’d take Trump’s statement over Hillary’s(had she won).

  19. Hillary is Turkey’s crony. She will bend over backwards for Erdogan. Trump is still a wild card, reluctantly befriending Turkey for it’s strategic value to the U.S. and NATO. The choice is clear. True, the GENOCIDE word wasn’t used, but what would the alternative have been with Mrs. Clinton?

  20. OMG, fellow Armenians… Are you still giving a d*** to what POTUS clowns in this circus country say about the genocide? Have you not been duped enough? Ugh…

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