More than 40 Armenian Genocide specialists from 9 countries met in Yerevan on March 22-23 to strategize to devise a legal framework on how to mitigate the consequences of the genocide, counter Turkish denialism, and organize genocide studies programs and museum exhibits. The conference was organized by the State Commission coordinating activities for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
In his message to the conference, President Serge Sarkisian expressed regret that the Armenian Genocide has gone unpunished, paving the way for the Jewish Holocaust. He hoped that the 100th anniversary would be an occasion to demonstrate Armenian unity and resolve to alleviate the consequences of the genocide, secure restorative justice, and pass on to the next generation new methods of struggle and survival. The president welcomed the fact that more conscientious elements of Turkish society are shattering the wall of silence and denialism, and reexamining the revisionist policies of their country. He asked conference participants to recommend suggestions to the State Commission for the centenary.
Here is a summary of the comments made by some of the genocide experts participating in the March 22-23 conference:
Israeli scholar Yair Auron criticized the state of Israel for not recognizing the Armenian Genocide, but pointed out that a large segment of the Israeli public acknowledges it. Having experienced a similar tragic fate during the Holocaust, Israel should have been the first country to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, he said.
Historian Richard Hovannisian of Los Angeles urged the State Commission to plan artistic and cultural events rather than academic conferences to reach out to more people around the world. He suggested organizing a pan-Armenian philharmonic orchestra that would tour the world during the months leading up to April 2015. He also expressed concern that the Turkish government might be better prepared to counter centenary activities than Armenians are in planning them.
Hayk Demoyan, the secretary of the State Commission and director of the Genocide Museum in Yerevan, presented the plans for the expansion of the museum by 2015.
Prof. Vahakn Dadrian of New York commented that when a denialist country is weak, it accepts its crimes more easily. As long as Turkey remains a powerful country, it will not recognize the Armenian Genocide, he observed.
Researcher Mihran Minassian from Aleppo, Syria, suggested that commemorative events be jointly observed with Greeks and Assyrians. He pointed out that Turkish denialists had not accused members of these two ethnic groups of joining the Russian Army or forming armed bands, yet they too became victims of mass violence and genocide.
Prof. Nikolay Hovannisyan of Yerevan explained that, contrary to popular belief, the Ottoman Empire, not Uruguay, was the first country to recognize the Armenian Genocide through court verdicts in 1919-26. Uruguay’s parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1965.
Vladimir Vardanyan, the head of International Treaties Department of Armenia’s Constitutional Court, said that the concept of “crimes against humanity” was first used on May 24, 1915 in a joint declaration issued by Britain, France, and Russia, warning Turkish officials that they would be held responsible for the Armenian massacres. Similarly, after World War II, the Nuremberg Tribunal accused Nazi war criminals of committing crimes against humanity rather than genocide. Vardanyan suggested that the Republic of Armenia set up a permanent state body to research and develop the legal framework for the pursuit of genocide-related demands from Turkey in international courts.
Ragip Zarakolu, a prominent human rights activist from Istanbul who has been frequently jailed for publishing books on the Armenian Genocide, spoke about the “growing denial industry in Turkey.” He suggested that denialism encouraged terrorism in Turkey.
As a participant in the genocide conference, I spoke about the need to pursue “justice” rather than mere “genocide recognition,” which has already been accomplished. The concept of justice comprises all Armenian demands from Turkey: moral, financial, and territorial restitution.
I also suggested that before planning any specific activities for the genocide centenary, Armenians worldwide first develop a single message and an agreed upon set of goals. Otherwise, they will be sending mixed messages to Turkey and the international community as to what they really want and seek to accomplish on April 24, 2015.
Finally, the pursuit of Armenian demands must not end in 2015. They should persist in seeking their just demands from Turkey until they accomplish “justice” for their cause!
Harut Sassounian
Researcher Mihran Minassian Suggestion that both Assyrians and Greeks be represented at the Ceremonies is great to hear. As an Assyrian, I always welcome the news that the Assyrian Genocide is being discussed at an international level. And, as Mr. Minassian points out, both the Assyrians and the Greeks were marked for genocide despite the fact that both groups formed no alliances with foreign powers, and were peaceful toward the Ottomans.
I have wondered with the large number of Greeks and Assyrians also targeted, if the term “Christian Genocide” would be a good, alternative description. I think the CUP clearly saw all non-Muslims as primary “threats.”
RVDV, your point has value, in my view, in expanding our target audience and support base; without diluting our message. Most Armenians are wary of your suggestion because they fear our message and goals would be lost or diminished. I do not. If we are to build alliances for leverage, why not with other people’s were victimized. The period of 1915-23 can really be viewed as the de-populating of Anatolia of indigenous Christian communities… Be they Armenians, Assyrians, Pontic Greeks, etc. It would also expand our,focus with the world Catholic and other Christian grops.
Of course, we understand that the motive behind the genocide was multifaceted, there is no doubt that eliminating the Christian communities was a motive. The Kurdish experience, however, points out that pan-Turkic behavior motivated by more than religion, but ethnicity and culture.
The point is we must get over our fear of appropriate alliances when it is in our interests to do so.
Henry Morganthau, the US ambassador stated many times that the religious angle was used by the CUP to get other Muslim Turks and especially Kurds to carry out the mass murders.. Morganthau clearly stated the the real intention was theft of wealth by looting and plunder..
@ Stepan, i agree about including the Greek and Assyrian genocides but its ironic that both those groups, over the years, have not take the pro active steps that the Armenian community has taken for justice and truth..
John, I would certainly agree with your point that the Armenians have made great strives in seeking justice and recognition for the Armenian people and the Armenian genocide, and in this respect they have far surpassed the Assyrians. However, I can assure you, that we have been fighting for justice and recognition too. And, for a stateless people, who, Unfortunately, have no State support, the task of brining our case to the international seen is made the more difficult.
The Assyrians, sir, are no quitters, we will Continue to fight for justice and recognition.
Yes! Not only are we related, but the enemy saw us as one single Christian community to be destroyed before they turned the swords and bludgeons on Muslim minorities.
Each was part of a master plan – Turkey for the Turks, as they like to say. Some of our scholars and political leaders have exalted the Armenian portion of Christian annihilation over that of the Greeks, Pontian Greeks, and Assyrians.
The most important element for a well executed centennial are the words used by our head of state in Yerevan. This cannot be overstated. Sarkisian must repeatedly talk about and precisely make reference to Armenian demands for JUSTICE IN THE FORM OF MORAL, FINANCIAL AND TERRITORIAL RESTITUTION when speaking about the Armenian Genocide. Using those exact words is absolutely paramount.
I would add two more specific suggestions to keep in mind in addition to the insightful ones already put forth by the conference participants:
1) An effective MEDIA STRATEGY targeting the likes of major North American, European and Asian newspapers. Preemptively meeting with their editorial boards and providing them with relevant information about the centennial and its goals well in advance can do wonders for our cause.
2) Stress the importance of using PRECISE LANGUAGE when making reference to the Armenian Genocide in any language. Medz Yeghern is NOT precise.
As far as I remember, Sasounian has once said that the only hope to make Eastern Turkey Armenian territory is a natural disaster, which would weaken Turkey, creating the opportunity for 2.9 million strong Armenia to win over 75 million strong Turkey.
If I were an Armenian I would keep my hopes high. More and more meteors have been coming to Earth. :-)
the NASA chief said recently if an asteroid heads to earth we should all just pray, so maybe we’ll be hit :)
Ahmet Dont forget that out of 75 million to take out 25 million Kurds , because Kurds want their country too my friend .
I’ve been reading Harut Sassounian’s California Courier editorial comments for the last 3 decades, and I’ve never seen him make that lame comment, which Ahmet has ascribed to him. If Ahmed wants us to take it seriously, then he should dig up the reference source, from Sassounian’s Editorial Pages.
Sassounian probably never said what Ahmet claims he said: He probably never said that “the only hope to make Eastern Turkey Armenian territory is a natural disaster, which would weaken Turkey, creating the opportunity for 2.9 million strong Armenia to win over 75 million strong Turkey.”
Yeah Sesrop,.
I wrote about that at length.To gear up ,geta National investment Trust Fund established.For without funds no Media*International( in big letters on front page would care to publish our Demands for Justice!!!
Don’t know why AW is that stingy in promoting*letting my such like issues published here.
Also I would not go in for land issue,that is not ripe 77as yet.We have to wait untill the Kurdish one flares up!!!! then enter.
Now is the time to Lodge a well prepared Claim at the appropriate instances8prepared by our BAR Association int’l Attorneys-who BTW were not present at said Conference.Wonder Why, that could have happened.
Sassounian is a very good journlist and spokesman,however, he should also be kind enough to heed others’ suggestions too.
Co operation should be the ONLY MOTTO\ amongst Hyes from now on.
rest, believe you me, will fall in place…..
Otherwsie each one on his her own is ,like we once had ages ago called ARSHAGAVAN!!!!
Sasunian wrote on August 3, 2010 that
“…Such lawsuits must be filed with utmost care, preparation, and professionalism, as they impact the entire Armenian nation. Should any of these lawsuits not move forward due to procedural reasons, the Turkish government would quickly claim victory”
As of yesterday, Garbis Davoyan et. al. lost his case against the Republic of Turkey.
Victory ;-)
Ahmet do you not beleive that murdering 3 million men, woman and children and stealing their land and wealth and then doing everything to avoid any sort of justice, acceptance is somehow good for Turkey?
I would be ashamed if i were you..
I have no doubt 20 years ago your Axerbaijani step-cousins-in-crime felt exactly like you do today. Look what happened to them. We not only managed to liberate an ancient piece of Armenian homeland from the Axerbaijani criminals but today we are making them spend every petrodollar they earn on empty and false hopes. We are bankrupting them and making them run to you for cover.
But the reality is that you yourselves can’t even defend your own artificial borders from war torn Syria and had to beg your NATO masters to come to your rescue. What a joke you people are with your big hollow egos. If you Turks had any sense of decency and shame you would be embarrassed that, on the one hand, you scream for the rights of Muslims around the world while, on the other hand, you are the only Muslim country that is a member of the Christian club and killing machine called NATO.
How many Muslims have NATO forces kill in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last decade? Perhaps over a million yet you are silent. You are silent because NATO is defending your artificial and illegal fascist state of Turkey not from other non-Muslim countries but from Muslim countries. Turkish hypocrisy and opportunistic thievery knows no bounds.
Hang onto NATO tight and serve it well like an obedient servant because without NATO you will cease to exist. There are millions waiting to tear you apart internally and externally for what your criminal forefathers did to them.
Hold onto your stolen properties tight as well while you can because soon you are going to be in the same boat as your criminal false kin on the other side of the border. The almighty Turkey after 30 years of fighting with a few thousand Kurdish freedom fighters failed to defeat them and has now given up and is trying to make peace with its leader whom it never missed an opportunity to call terrorist and his organization it never failed to call terroristic.
Given your never-ending battle against righteousness, it seems like meteors are the last thing you Turks should worry about.
My personal opinion about the 100th anniversary, is nothing would happen. Nothing will happen under Obama’s watch also Serge who is there for 5 more years would do nothing.
The best approach would be to wait for another Wilson like president to come around, May be worth trying in 2115 when it would be the 200th anniversary if at all anything before would not be a round figure.
I agree that everything starts with message and the goal. Justice is the goal not recognition. I am concerned that we put,so,much focus on recognition that many of our non- Armenian supporters and Armenians alike consider it the end. Who will satisfied if the Turkish government recognizes through an apology and our support base considers the issue closed?
I don´t believe the Armenian BAR Association Int´l Attoryneys are that naive as to lodge cliam by INDIVIDUALS OR EVEN THEIR ASSOCIATION….
IT WILL CERTAINLY BE AN ALL ARMENIA (survivors heirs!!!!!!) and well furnished with documents, etc.
Thos one man lawsuits are deja vue…..
Errata!
Above should read *WELL FURBISHED!!!