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Ayse Gunaysu

Ayse Gunaysu

Ayse Gunaysu is a professional translator, human rights advocate, and feminist. She has been a member of the Committee Against Racism and Discrimination of the Human Rights Association of Turkey (Istanbul branch) since 1995, and is a columnist for Ozgur Gundem. Since 2008, she writes a column titled "Letters from Istanbul," for the Armenian Weekly.

31 Comments

  1. A daring article Ms Gunaysu. I highly appreciate the content.
    I would request you to continue revealing the lies that the present government of Turkey is spreading on hourly basis about Syria . Terrorists are being sheltered in Turkey , arms are being smuggled , hundreds of thousands of innocent peoples’ lives are threatened because of the dirty game Erdogan and company are playing. Please write about the truth . as you said in your article: Not revealing the truth is another way of lying. Thank you.

    • Erdoğan supports the terrorists. That’s why he and his company are playing this dirty game, and that’s why the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people are threatened. Erdoğan is really a bad man, and he’s an ISIS supporter.

  2. necati,did you read about Zori Balayan?Could you please denounce & apologize for this same lie that you copied from the ultra Turkish fascist website without even checking if it was right or wrong and commented several times on TZ?Apologize as Caymaz did?Do you have the courage?

  3. Another example of the lie:Baku hosts presentation of book, revealing historical falsification of Armenians:
    http://en.trend.az/news/karabakh/2024752.html
    Azerbaijan, Baku, May 11 / Trend S. Aghayeva /

    Baku has hosted the launch of a book entitled ‘Destroyers of fraud’, dedicated to exposing the massive historic fraud of Armenians.

    The author of the book who presented to the general public is a political scientist and head of the Azerbaijani presidential administration’s sector, Fuad Akhundov.
    ‘The lie is total. This is both its strength and doom and the truth is universal, in its vulnerability and durability’. With this maxim the author of the book begins the preface which in his opinion is well suited for understanding the situation in modern Armenology.
    The conceptual novelty of the book is that the destroyers of the Armenian falsifications are only foreign scientists, politicians, writers and public figures. The opinions and scientific abstracts of more than 150 authors from the United States, Europe, Russia, Georgia are assigned in 32 thematic registers: ‘Armenified Albania’, ‘Science and Ant science’, ‘Fabricated records and translations’, ‘Yerevan: history, truth and lies’, ‘Stolen writings and cuneiforms’, ‘Armenified celebrities’, ‘Alphabet: In Search of truth’, ‘The demographic pressure of the Armenians in the Caucasus, 301 years’, ‘Baptism of the Armenians, or the absurd dating’, ‘Stolen churches’, ‘Destruction of Muslim sacred’, ‘For dashnak an Armenian killed is valuable’, and so on.
    Thanks to the original thematic principle of classification of facts, chronicles and quotations, the reader can easily find and use the statements of authoritative international experts on various aspects of the so-called “Armenian Question”, the Armenian historical falsifications technologies and methodologies to create false history of “Great Armenia”.
    Akhundov said it is impossible to come up with more fraud than the destruction of the appearance of one country in order to create another in its place. According to him, an unprecedented forgery of radical Armenian nationalists in world history is that during years of Soviet power they completely razed to the ground, images of Erivan and other Azerbaijani cities and destroyed the whole stratum of civilisation across the country on ancient Azerbaijani lands where modern Armenia is located.
    The political scientist noted this was repeatedly stated from high political tribunes by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev: “We do not covet any inch of the territories of Armenia, despite the fact that the Erivan khanate, Zangezur mahal, Geychinsky mahal is our land where Armenians have created their own state . However, Azerbaijan will never give consent to the creation in our native land – Nagorno-Karabakh – of a second Armenian state”.
    The cover of the book shows two confirmations of the most high profile Armenian falsification. The picture of the famous Russian painter Franz Roubaud of battle pieces “Surrender of Erivan fortress on October 1, 1827”, which kept the image of the Azerbaijani city-fortress built 500 years ago. It proves that in contemporary Yerevan, nothing remains of the medieval Muslim Erivan. This image, captured by the artist in 1893, was preserved until 30-40 years of the 20th Century, after which its destruction by the Armenian nationalists began, the author said.
    During the presentation a video was shown in five parts ‘A country that was not … Armenia in the Caucasus?’ The first two parts of the film are devoted to the Year of Russian history in which the unique facts of volitional decisions of the owners of the Russian throne against rampant Armenian extremism are shown.
    Other parts of the movie for the first time and in a whole new perspective demonstrated the facts of a one-time ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijani place names, culture, history and architecture in ancient Azerbaijani lands after the establishment in this territory by the Soviet Republic of Armenia.
    In the near future translations of books in Azerbaijani and English languages will be published.

    • Some people use their creative mind to make scientific discoveries, write books and create art in general, and some people use their ”creative mind” to generate lies. We, Armenians, are in a deep sleep while Azeris and Turks are working day and night to create a falsified history and reality. It is hard to stop all this when it is funded and ordered by Turkish and Azeri government.

    • This is not the fault of the Armenians. The Turks are the ones that are responsible for the Armenian genocide, and you blame Armenians for the Armenian genocide, because you are gullible and you believe in people who lie and support the atrocities against the Armenians? It is indeed true that the Turks committed the Armenian genocide, and it is not really a lie. The real perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide are the Turks, not Armenians. You are wrong. The Armenians are victims of the Armenian Genocide, not perpetrators! I will not hide the truth from anybody, and Armenians are not really evil!

  4. Thank you for your important reporting of a tragic historical shame which never should have happened to such a peaceful, unthreatening people like the Armenians, nor to anyone on this planet!

  5. While I applaud the writer of this article for an insightful article, I still think that enlightened Turks who do not believe the official lies are not doing enough. They can do so much more in the sense of inviting the Turkish man in the street to themselves discover the truth; they can even lead protests against the Turkish official stance of denialism and lying to their own people. They can also cooperate much more with Armenian historians and scholars, and Armenians in general. They can lead protests against article 301 of the Turkish penal code that renders it a crime to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide (i.e. to tell the truth).

    The author does well to identify “hiding the truth” as another type of lying. It is much easier on one’s conscience to ignore the truth (and quietly go on in one’s life as though the truth didn’t exist) rather than be the active producer of lies – for one’s own “safety”, for even one’s mental stability. One may not want to discover that one’s own identity is based on lies. As Armenians, and in this respect, we should perhaps be more understanding of the place Turkish people find themselves in, to empathize with them and to put ourselves in their shoes, to understand the identity problems they would have to face and cope with in acknowledging and coming to terms with the Armenian Genocide, after having lived in and forced to consume – both as individuals and as a society – a historical, cultural, social, and political context of lies for the past 97 years and more.

    I was offended by the sub-title, “What about the pro-Armenians”, for to seek the truth cannot mean to be pro-someone. I think Turkey needs the truth for its own say, not as a “service” to Armenians. For any Turk to conceive of or construe the truth and acknowledgment of their own history as being “pro-Armenian” would indirectly constitute the adoption of lies and denial of one’s own history as being pro-Turkish! It cannot be so. That is unjust and unfair to both Armenians and Turks.

    Finally, I believe Turks themselves are suffering a kind of trauma from lies. The denialism they – led by their state – are condemned to and condemn themselves to, and the lies that they have come to depend on and forced to believe, are as much a trauma as the trauma lived by the object of the denial – the survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Therefore Turkey in acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, will not only help heal every living Armenian of the trauma it is daily causing them by its denial of the Armenian Genocide, but it will also heal itself of the trauma of denying, the trauma of lying to itself and its own people, deliver its people from the trauma of believing in lies, of living a lie, of being unable to distinguish between truth and lies, being unable to know the truth, to know their own true history and to transcend it to move towards a bright future.

    • I don’t think you recognize what she has done, and done for years.

      My impression is that Ms. Gunaysu and her comrades lead protests, write articles, give interviews and risk their lives every day. How many threats to their lives are enough?

      She has given her full mortal devotion to truth and justice, She is not required to light herself on fire in Taksim for marginally more coverage.

    • Vahan, I agree with you. There is the trauma of being told that your reality is a lie. Then there is the trauma of behaving as though reality is a lie. In both cases, it damages one’s sense of self (Am I what I know?) and undermines one’s ability to lead an authentic life.

  6. Ayse Gunaysu
    You are a great human being not just belonging to the Turkish people, but to all peoples on earth. I find words difficult to express my admiration and thankfulness to the courage and the risk you take to expose the evil.
    I will continue to pray for you, your health and safety while wishing your blessed pen greater strength.

  7. Correction: please read, “I think Turkey needs the truth for its own sake, not as a “service” to Armenians.”, in the 3rd paragraph’s 2nd sentence!

  8. Gunaysu’s article is yet more proof that just as Apartheid South Africa and Nazi Germany were not reform able and HAD TO BE DISMANTLED so Turkey, just as racist, ultra-nationalist/fascist as its aforementioned stable-mates, is incapable of reform from within and must be destroyed and dismantled.
    Gunaysu has once again covered the entire sick society in all its layers the core of which is racist nationalism. Hence we as Armenians – and the Armenian state/Republic of Armenia in particular – must wake up to the futility of “genocide recognition” efforts which is but a huge mirage and Turkish trap. Turkey, as Ayşe’s article makes clear, is carrying on with its anti-Armenian lies and schemes, regardless under its present “mildly islamic and democratic” AKP regime which is just as pan-turkist as any of its Republican, Young Turk or Hamidian/Sultanic/Ottoman predecessors; additionally it has the benefit of an even more corrupt and sick, racist-nationalist sidekick and proxy in the form of the little Aliyev regime/sultanate in Baku. Yerevan and most of the diaspora are in deep slumber and as disorganised and confused as ever with the approach of the 100th anniversary while the pan-turkist racist regimes in Ankara and Baku are preparing for yet more bloodshed and destruction in the Plateau of Armenia. Indeed not just Armenia/ns but Kurds, Alevis and others inside Turkey but Iranians, Arabs, Greeks and others further afield are under threat.

    • Bagratuni…
      Your precise…aphoristic article complets Gunaysu’s detailed information…
      Every one should be aware…!
      They intend to invade every where and return as they were…!

  9. I wonder where are Eren, Necati, Murat and Tokado. Don’t you have anything to say? Usually you are quite active and vocal.

    • Sella,they are still waiting for instructions from their controllers in Ankara

  10. Excellent piece, exposing what is just the tip of a massive iceberg. May Talaat, Djemal, Enver and the rest of the CUP, along with their descendants, rot in their graves forever. They were a scourge on mankind, and much worse than the third reich, for dispossessing an indigenous people from their homeland. No amount of truth can or will set them free…they are stained forever.

  11. Dear Ms. Gunaysu,
    Could you please elaborate?I would like to know what you are referring to exactly.
    “Nowadays in the social media articles are being circulated about Levon Ekmekjian—his photographs, memoirs of his comrades—and quite a number of Turkish and Kurdish people are eagerly exchanging the newly absorbed information between them.”

  12. Thank you Ayse for this powerful article. Bravo.
    You are a very couragous person and an asset to mankind.

    I would also like to add that Arabs,Greeks,Kurds,Alevis,Talish’s,Bulgar’s be on your guard as Turks are no friend of yours,their Ottoman past and mentality should be a powerful lesson for you all,anyone who thinks Turkey is their friend do so at their own peril.

    Turkey will never change.
    Serzh read and learn.

    • Turkey will change when I take over as the President of Turkey. I will become the new president of Turkey, and I will guide Turkey towards a better path. When I’m in charge of the Turkish government, telling the truth and acknowledging the Armenian Genocide will no longer be considered to be a crime!

  13. This is the type of courage you only read about in fables, thank you Ayse.
    Most people have heard the statement from Nazi, Joseph Goebbels, when he said; ” if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”, but he continued with; “The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all its powers to repress dissent, for the Truth is the mortal enemy of the Lie, and thus by extension, the Truth is the greater enemy of the State”
    .
    I’d like to know how far up in the Turkish Govt. did the order to assassinate Mr Dink come from and exactly how did 613 (I’ve read mostly Uzbeki immigrants with low social status) wind up dead and mutilated? Only drug Cartels and Islamists mutilate bodies like that. Connect the “dots” and the Lie will fall.

    • I don’t know the reason why did the 613 wound up being dead and mutilated. Who’s responsible for this? Why did they wind up being dead and mutilated?

  14. This is another wakeup call from a brave woman, to the descendents of the red sultan Abdul Hameed. I hope it will make them to repent for their wrong doings, and start to bring justice and desperately needed peace and prosperity in the entire region, which has been missing for last many centuries. Thank you Ayse Gunaysu may God bless you.

  15. MK these nations have good relations with turkey especialyl economic and social they can not afford to lost money arabs greeks iranians bulgarians mostly makes holidays in Turkey and they save turkish economy i am turkish-armenian in grand bazaar they one of best costumer of us and alevis pro-turkish mostly all turkish millitary officiers alawite orgin.written by Bolsahayk

  16. The whole Armenian Genocide was based upon a lie: The Armenians where being demonized as traitors and back stabbers and that as good Muslims even the Kurds will be rewarded for helping rid the “Gavors”…..

    Its not surprising that Turkey today, with the help of the Azeri’s for their own reason, need to take extra measures to counter the momentum of the world academics and political organizations that are all acknowledging the facts of the Armenian genocide..

    Turkey is a backward country..It might continue to bury its head in the sand for generations to come..I say who cares? Our mission as Armenians, is to make the rest of the world, INCLUDING THE US, finally acknowledge and condemn the Armenian genocide..ITS THE ONLY WAY….

  17. I admire Ms. Gunaysu for her courage. Her article gives me hope that someday a truly democratic state of Turkey that is worthy of admission to the club of civilized nations will emerge. Thank you, Ms. Gunaysu.

  18. Hi, Ayse,
    Waooo!
    It’s worth reading to you when your ordinary tasks leave you time to write!
    Long life to you.

  19. Powerful, eye opening article.
    Thank You dear Ayse.

    To:
    “John the Turk”
    Would you be kind and elaborate what the meaning of “..gunaysu has forgotton the kurdish genocide..” was?
    Thank you and kind regards.
    Your Armenian friend.
    Preston Bagrationi

  20. In the words of Ernest Hemingway, “The best ammunition against lies is the truth.”
    Thank you, dear Ms. Gunaysu for your forceful and persuading truth about Armenian Genocide.
    Please write something about Levon Ekmekjian life and death.
    Regards, Rudolf Muradyan

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