AYF Washington D.C. "Ani" Chapter member and AYF-YOARF ER Central Executive member Areni Margossian delivering her speech to the crowd of protesters in front of the White House on January 21, 2023 (Photo: AYF Washington D.C. "Ani" treasurer Kristine Antanesian)
AYF Washington D.C. “Ani” Chapter member and AYF-YOARF ER Central Executive member Areni Margossian delivering her speech to the crowd of protesters in front of the White House on January 21, 2023 (Photo: AYF Washington D.C. “Ani” treasurer Kristine Antanesian)
Areni Margossian, a member of the Armenian Youth Federation-Youth Organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (AYF-YOARF) Eastern Region Central Executive and the AYF Washington D.C. “Ani” Chapter, was denied entry to Armenia on August 1.
Lillian Avedian is the assistant editor of the Armenian Weekly. She reports on international women's rights, South Caucasus politics, and diasporic identity. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Democracy in Exile, and Girls on Key Press. She holds master's degrees in journalism and Near Eastern studies from New York University.
The ARF needs to rethink its attitude towards Armenia and its politics.
Diaspora Hyes need to wake up. “Undesirable persons for Armenia?” says it all, nothing but a new generation of snot-nosed virtue-signaling rebels not to mention idiotic role model elders, and they are proud of being denied entry into Armenia? Armenians who think there’s value in throwing rocks and stirring up trouble over there are the cause of some of the issues Armenia faces. The war is a mix of things including a PR war campaign that is larger than what many comprehend. We all recognize the issues in Armenia but we diaspora Armenians tend to have ZERO consideration for the Armenians that must live in Armenia and Artsakh. Their political situation doesn’t need our complaining about human rights violations just because our actions got us in trouble with Armenia’s authorities and therefore denied access to the homeland. Pathetic. Perhaps more energy needs to be channeled and focused on organizing our communities to do something most challenging for Armenians – speak with one voice and align ourselves on more important issues that we can actually control.
The ongoing PR war going on is something we well-off diaspora Armenians can do something about. The latest PR move by Turkey is despicable as well as alarming. You would think the ANCA and AA would spearhead a global campaign to blast this out of the water:
Disney + (Disney’s streaming app service) is planning to offer a favorable documentary series this fall (as reported by the AW) on Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and butcher of minorities of the Republic of Turkey. We know that many Armenians throughout the world blame Ataturk for the culling and mass murder of millions of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War 1, but there were others too, Greeks, Kurds, and Assyrians, and the ANCE and AA should rally everyone. All of us should be united and spending this time of outrage focusing on the things we can control like bashing Disney with letters to their CEO, boycotting Disney properties, and boycotting any and all other products and services that drive Disney’s revenue stream.
Instead, we do what we do best – fight each other. Bravo.
An update since I drafted and posted this response. Disney has made the decision to pull the moni-series Ataturk from airing on its digital platform Disney Plus. This is a win for the Armenians and tall thosed involved and those working together to convince Disney to rethink this agreement.
as a majority of armenians in the diaspora feel that the concessions made by the government with regards to concessions to the azerbajani`s to bring about a cease fire and not lead to total military involvement and possily expand the boundaries of the war was a gamble that has embolden the azerbajani`s to further escalation in the region with dire consequences, russia has ddisengaged itself from being pro-active in its peace keeping effects and can no longer be counted as an ally for political reasons. shane to the usa and nato for not taking a greater role,and once again karabac is fighting for its urvival.
armenia will not totally be free unless it listes to all voices. even to those who dissent. the expulsion of the young woman from armenia was unwarranted and should never have happened.
The cold-blooded killing of a 29-year old pregnant woman in the Armenian capital by Pashinyan’s motorcade is swept under the rug and becomes just another statistics but allegedly throwing eggs at Pashinyan’s motorcade in France and legally protesting in the United States against his treasonous activities, both outside of Armenian jurisdiction, is a crime punishable by denying entry into the country those who disagree with his anti-Armenian policies. Imagine that! He opens the Turkish-Armenia border to send trucks load of help to the Turkish earthquake victims to score political points with Turkish Islamo-fascist dictator and terrorist-in-chief Er-dog-an, who to this day is standing shoulder-to-shoulder next to our enemy and his criminal collaborators in Baku, while keeping 120K Artsakh population hungry and in the dark AND working towards facilitating the opening of Turkish-Armenia border for uninterrupted flow and passage of the citizens of third-party countries, among them Azerbaijanis for sure, but any lawful criticism of his treasonous policies, inside or outside Armenia, are unacceptable and punishable by such desperate and unlawful acts. What a pathetic little man this charlatan is indeed. Pashinyan himself should be given a big dose and a bitter taste of his own medicine and be deported to Baku or Ankara!
This is not the time for our tiny nation to be divided. Our survival is hanging by a thread.
Those that care about Armenia should be accepted, and in turn, accepting of others. This includes the government, diaspora, our families, and our selves.
I’m tired of reading and hearing about Armenian vs. Armenian hate. Whether it is hearing comments in the US diaspora about the ‘other’ church that holds back the potential of the community, the rejection of Armenian LGBTQ members in our communities, or this current Armenian president that does not have the best interests of Armenia in mind.
We like to boast about being the first Christian nation but can not even follow the fundamental Golden Rule.
This BS needs to stop. Now.
Yep. Putin/pashinyan both begin with the letter “p”. The “leaders” of Armenia seems to have learned nothing since soviet times. The country exists thanks to the diaspora. And this young lady represents the best of us. Denied entry at the border? Her crimes? Speaking the truth. Perhaps American NGO’s and diaspora $ should stop until an apology is rendered.
This comment is what I am talking about when I say Armenians suffer from cognitive dissonance, political illiteracy and self-destructive behavior.
Your American NGOs and the Diaspora brought Pashinyan to power. Wake up.
The Armenian Government denying entry to a young Armenian-American activist because she has been critical of the government is about the stupidest thing I have seen in my 67 years of existence. It rivals Donald Trump suggesting that COVID can be treated by drinking bleach.
Is the government that weak and paranoid that they can not bear to hear any criticism of their policies? Or is it that they are defensive due to ineptitude, corruption, or a combination thereof.
This episode exposes for the world to see that the current government in Armenia does not value freedom of expression. What a disgrace.
Gary, this is what Areni says about the possible cause of her not being allowed to enter Armenia. The quote is Google translation and is from Hairenik Weekly. “”We have addressed the ambassador with bruised ( note: withered) flowers, bloody drams (money)a, as well as the names of the thousands who were martyred during the 2020 Artsakh war, whose executioners are the Armenian authorities.
Of course, there are those videos posted on social networks that will show that we followed Lilit Makunts, the ambassador of Armenia to America, and called him (note: her) a traitor.
We have not kept him (her) comfortable and we want him (her) to know that in America and Washington, wherever he (she) goes, he (she) is undesirable for us, the government he (she) represents is undesirable for us.
I should also add that we also protested against the Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, when he visited Washington.”
Pashinyan shows the intolerance of the liberal
Wrong again, Charlie. Pashinyan actually shows the agenda of those who put him in power. Incidentally, the Pashinyan and Zelensky show was created by the same producers.
An update since I drafted and posted this response. Disney has made the decision to pull the moni-series Ataturk from airing on its digital platform Disney Plus. This is a win for the Armenians and tall thosed involved and those working together to convince Disney to rethink this agreement.
SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN AYF. Recently I came across a video Areni Margossian has released about her unfortunate experience. I refrain from commenting on the nature of what she says but she notes that she is 28 years old and is a member of AYF Washington DC Chapter and also a member of the AYF Eastern Region Executive. She should not have been in AYF at any capacity, if AYF abides by the bylaws it claims and calls the youth “to join the world’s largest and most influential youth organization, COMPRISED OF AND RUN by youth between the ages of 10 and 26.”. At 28, Areni had well passed her membership age.
The ARF needs to rethink its attitude towards Armenia and its politics.
Diaspora Hyes need to wake up. “Undesirable persons for Armenia?” says it all, nothing but a new generation of snot-nosed virtue-signaling rebels not to mention idiotic role model elders, and they are proud of being denied entry into Armenia? Armenians who think there’s value in throwing rocks and stirring up trouble over there are the cause of some of the issues Armenia faces. The war is a mix of things including a PR war campaign that is larger than what many comprehend. We all recognize the issues in Armenia but we diaspora Armenians tend to have ZERO consideration for the Armenians that must live in Armenia and Artsakh. Their political situation doesn’t need our complaining about human rights violations just because our actions got us in trouble with Armenia’s authorities and therefore denied access to the homeland. Pathetic. Perhaps more energy needs to be channeled and focused on organizing our communities to do something most challenging for Armenians – speak with one voice and align ourselves on more important issues that we can actually control.
The ongoing PR war going on is something we well-off diaspora Armenians can do something about. The latest PR move by Turkey is despicable as well as alarming. You would think the ANCA and AA would spearhead a global campaign to blast this out of the water:
Disney + (Disney’s streaming app service) is planning to offer a favorable documentary series this fall (as reported by the AW) on Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and butcher of minorities of the Republic of Turkey. We know that many Armenians throughout the world blame Ataturk for the culling and mass murder of millions of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War 1, but there were others too, Greeks, Kurds, and Assyrians, and the ANCE and AA should rally everyone. All of us should be united and spending this time of outrage focusing on the things we can control like bashing Disney with letters to their CEO, boycotting Disney properties, and boycotting any and all other products and services that drive Disney’s revenue stream.
Instead, we do what we do best – fight each other. Bravo.
An update since I drafted and posted this response. Disney has made the decision to pull the moni-series Ataturk from airing on its digital platform Disney Plus. This is a win for the Armenians and tall thosed involved and those working together to convince Disney to rethink this agreement.
as a majority of armenians in the diaspora feel that the concessions made by the government with regards to concessions to the azerbajani`s to bring about a cease fire and not lead to total military involvement and possily expand the boundaries of the war was a gamble that has embolden the azerbajani`s to further escalation in the region with dire consequences, russia has ddisengaged itself from being pro-active in its peace keeping effects and can no longer be counted as an ally for political reasons. shane to the usa and nato for not taking a greater role,and once again karabac is fighting for its urvival.
armenia will not totally be free unless it listes to all voices. even to those who dissent. the expulsion of the young woman from armenia was unwarranted and should never have happened.
The cold-blooded killing of a 29-year old pregnant woman in the Armenian capital by Pashinyan’s motorcade is swept under the rug and becomes just another statistics but allegedly throwing eggs at Pashinyan’s motorcade in France and legally protesting in the United States against his treasonous activities, both outside of Armenian jurisdiction, is a crime punishable by denying entry into the country those who disagree with his anti-Armenian policies. Imagine that! He opens the Turkish-Armenia border to send trucks load of help to the Turkish earthquake victims to score political points with Turkish Islamo-fascist dictator and terrorist-in-chief Er-dog-an, who to this day is standing shoulder-to-shoulder next to our enemy and his criminal collaborators in Baku, while keeping 120K Artsakh population hungry and in the dark AND working towards facilitating the opening of Turkish-Armenia border for uninterrupted flow and passage of the citizens of third-party countries, among them Azerbaijanis for sure, but any lawful criticism of his treasonous policies, inside or outside Armenia, are unacceptable and punishable by such desperate and unlawful acts. What a pathetic little man this charlatan is indeed. Pashinyan himself should be given a big dose and a bitter taste of his own medicine and be deported to Baku or Ankara!
This is not the time for our tiny nation to be divided. Our survival is hanging by a thread.
Those that care about Armenia should be accepted, and in turn, accepting of others. This includes the government, diaspora, our families, and our selves.
I’m tired of reading and hearing about Armenian vs. Armenian hate. Whether it is hearing comments in the US diaspora about the ‘other’ church that holds back the potential of the community, the rejection of Armenian LGBTQ members in our communities, or this current Armenian president that does not have the best interests of Armenia in mind.
We like to boast about being the first Christian nation but can not even follow the fundamental Golden Rule.
This BS needs to stop. Now.
Yep. Putin/pashinyan both begin with the letter “p”. The “leaders” of Armenia seems to have learned nothing since soviet times. The country exists thanks to the diaspora. And this young lady represents the best of us. Denied entry at the border? Her crimes? Speaking the truth. Perhaps American NGO’s and diaspora $ should stop until an apology is rendered.
This comment is what I am talking about when I say Armenians suffer from cognitive dissonance, political illiteracy and self-destructive behavior.
Your American NGOs and the Diaspora brought Pashinyan to power. Wake up.
The Armenian Government denying entry to a young Armenian-American activist because she has been critical of the government is about the stupidest thing I have seen in my 67 years of existence. It rivals Donald Trump suggesting that COVID can be treated by drinking bleach.
Is the government that weak and paranoid that they can not bear to hear any criticism of their policies? Or is it that they are defensive due to ineptitude, corruption, or a combination thereof.
This episode exposes for the world to see that the current government in Armenia does not value freedom of expression. What a disgrace.
Gary, this is what Areni says about the possible cause of her not being allowed to enter Armenia. The quote is Google translation and is from Hairenik Weekly. “”We have addressed the ambassador with bruised ( note: withered) flowers, bloody drams (money)a, as well as the names of the thousands who were martyred during the 2020 Artsakh war, whose executioners are the Armenian authorities.
Of course, there are those videos posted on social networks that will show that we followed Lilit Makunts, the ambassador of Armenia to America, and called him (note: her) a traitor.
We have not kept him (her) comfortable and we want him (her) to know that in America and Washington, wherever he (she) goes, he (she) is undesirable for us, the government he (she) represents is undesirable for us.
I should also add that we also protested against the Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, when he visited Washington.”
Pashinyan shows the intolerance of the liberal
Wrong again, Charlie. Pashinyan actually shows the agenda of those who put him in power. Incidentally, the Pashinyan and Zelensky show was created by the same producers.
An update since I drafted and posted this response. Disney has made the decision to pull the moni-series Ataturk from airing on its digital platform Disney Plus. This is a win for the Armenians and tall thosed involved and those working together to convince Disney to rethink this agreement.
SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN AYF. Recently I came across a video Areni Margossian has released about her unfortunate experience. I refrain from commenting on the nature of what she says but she notes that she is 28 years old and is a member of AYF Washington DC Chapter and also a member of the AYF Eastern Region Executive. She should not have been in AYF at any capacity, if AYF abides by the bylaws it claims and calls the youth “to join the world’s largest and most influential youth organization, COMPRISED OF AND RUN by youth between the ages of 10 and 26.”. At 28, Areni had well passed her membership age.