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Monte Melkonian

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  • #41
    Re: Monte Melkonian



    "If we lose Artsakh, we turn the last page of our people's history".

    "Եթէ մենք կորսնցնենք Արցախը, մենք կը դարձնենք մեր ժողովուրդի պատմութեան վերջին էջը:"
    Azerbaboon: 9.000 Google hits and counting!

    Comment


    • #42
      Re: Monte Melkonian

      Ted Bogosian And His Untruths About Monte Melkonian
      By Ara Manoogian

      hetq online
      Hetq - News, Articles, Investigations

      17.04.2010


      17 years following his martyrdom in Artsakh, Armenian national hero
      Monte Melkonian is once again a victim of defamation. I came across a
      very interesting interview on Radio Open Source with an Armenian
      decorated filmmaker and documentarian Ted Bogosian. The subject of the
      interview was Ted's vocation - seeking the truth and telling it. Open
      Source host Christopher Lydon introduced Ted Bogosian as a truth hound
      and put the 'what is truth' question to him (see:
      http://www.radioopensource.org/ted-b...a-truth-hound/).
      What I heard in response less than halfway through the interview led
      me to think that Ted may have misheard Christopher, thinking he had
      been asked 'what is a lie' or, for that matter, how to present a lie
      as truth.

      As someone committed to truth seeking, I was at first thrilled to
      learn about an alternative experience from a prominent Armenian until
      I heard the following statements made by him:

      "In Armenian Journey there is a very important sequence which didn't
      make the cut. And that is that I started to pursue an interview with
      a young man of my age and background named Monte Melkonian. And Monte
      was born in about the same year, in the central valley of
      California. And while I was at Duke, he was at Berkley, and when I
      went to graduate school, he went to graduate school in Beirut. And he
      was pursuing the truth about the Genocide in his own way and he became
      radicalized and he went underground and started selling arms and
      started selling drugs and started an Armenian terrorist movement. And
      so while I was making Armenian Journey, he was in jail in France, for
      having masterminded several bombings in Europe, at Orly Airport and at
      Turkish embassies and other businesses, where many innocent people
      were killed. And so, I went to see Monte in prison, and it was quite a
      moment, because he thought that I was there to kill him since he
      didn't know who I was and wasn't expecting a visitor that day. But I
      came to start corresponding with him and came to understand his
      manifesto, and I realized that what he was doing was similar to what I
      was doing except in a different theater. And so, my battle was against
      the media to try to tell the story one way, and his battle was more
      traditional. So, that didn't make the cut because I wouldn't have been
      able to get the film on television had I presented that manifesto. But
      I mention it because I want to say that I think this sort of thing is
      in the blood not only of Armenians but of people who want to tell the
      truth and, that is, they're willing to go there no matter where it
      leads." (The audio fragment is at 09:16-11:36).

      Having devoted over a decade of my life researching Monte Melkonian's
      brief and thorny path, it was especially saddening for me to hear such
      irresponsible and defaming statements coming out of a fellow truth
      seeker's mouth. These statements manifest shoddiness of research,
      sweeping generalizations and a self-indulgent distortion of recent
      Armenian history. I would like to see one single piece of evidence
      that supports Mr. Ted Bogosian's claim that Monte Melkonian was a drug
      dealer, arms dealer and a founder of a terrorist movement, who
      masterminded the Orly operation. These are the three major things
      against which Melkonian had been struggling with all his essence,
      endangering his life in the process. It was the Orly operation that
      catalyzed the split of Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of
      Armenia (ASALA). To be more specific, below I have singled out each of
      Ted Bogosian's inaccurate claims. Let's start from the most innocent
      inaccuracies.

      Ted Bogosian's claim #1: `And Monte was born in about the same year.'

      Ted Bogosian was born in 1951, whereas Monte Melkonian was born in
      1957.

      Ted Bogosian's claim #2: `...and when I went to graduate school, he
      [Monte Melkonian] went to graduate school in Beirut.'

      Monte Melkonian was admitted to a graduate school at Oxford, but chose
      to give up his academic career in favor of a trip to Beirut at the
      onset of the second phase of the civil war and joined the defense of
      Bourj Hammoud, the Armenian quarter of the city.

      Ted Bogosian's claim #3: `...and [Monte Melkonian] started selling
      arms and started selling drugs...'

      All the accounts of people who knew him, whether interviewed by me or
      other researchers, including those who spoke up at their own
      initiative, indicate that Monte was adamantly opposed to drugs, be it
      for use or for sale. Throughout my research, I haven't come across any
      evidence of Monte being involved in arms or drug dealing. According to
      one of Monte's brothers-in-arms, once Monte, already a Commander of
      Martuni Defense Region, refused Samvel Babayan, Commander of the
      Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, to promote an officer only because he
      smoked marijuana. He had even banned his soldiers from using alcohol,
      which was common practice in other detachments. More importantly,
      Monte earned himself highly influential enemies after burning
      lucrative cannabis fields in a noble attempt to shut down the local
      drug trade. This deed was followed by a few attempts on his life. One
      might assume that Monte could use the proceeds from supposed drug
      sales to feed and equip the poorly armed fighters under his
      command. All evidence indicates that he had ignored any such
      compromise.

      Ted Bogosian's claim #4: `...he [Monte Melkonian] started a terrorist
      movement.'

      This is an outright false statement. ASALA, to which Ted Bogosian
      refers, was founded in 1975 in Beirut, Lebanon during the first phase
      of the Lebanese Civil War by Harutiun Takoshian, alias Hagop
      Hagopian. This was 3 years before Monte arrived in Lebanon for the
      first time. Monte was recruited by ASALA in 1980 after serving in an
      Armenian militia group in the Beirut suburb of Bourj Hammoud helping
      defend the Armenian population during the civil war. Furthermore,
      based on the accounts of both supporters and opponents of ASALA, Monte
      played a pivotal role in the violent split of the organization in 1983
      into those who supported the despotic leader Hagop Hagopian and those
      who disapproved his methods of struggle exactly because it took
      innocent lives, as well as distracted the attention from the cause the
      attacks were supposed to raise awareness of.

      Ted Bogosian's claim #5: `...he [Monte Melkonian] was in jail in
      France, for having masterminded several bombings in Europe, at Orly
      Airport and at Turkish embassies and other businesses, where many
      innocent people were killed.'

      A sweeping generalization. Monte Melkonian was arrested for possession
      of a falsified passport and an illegal handgun in Paris on November
      28, 1985. He was sentenced to six years but served only three and a
      half. The Orly airport attack, which took place on July 15, 1983, and
      did kill and wound many innocent people, was masterminded by his
      already archenemy Hagop Hagopian and carried out by the latter's
      supporters in Paris. The only people tried for the Orly airport attack
      were Varadjian Garbidjian (also spelled as Varoujan Garabedian life
      sentence, released 17 years later), Soner Nayir (15 years), Ohannes
      Semerci (10 years). Parallel to the preparation of the Orly operation,
      inner turmoil was in progress within ASALA due to the widening gap
      between the members of the organization over the despotic leadership
      of Hagopian, the methods of struggle and, specifically, the
      implementation of the Orly attack. Monte was in the opposition
      wing. But despite his efforts to cancel the Orly operation, it was
      implemented, accelerating the final split of ASALA.

      Who knows, the Karabagh war could have been a lost cause, had Monte
      Melkonian been the mastermind of the Orly airport attack and therefore
      gotten a life sentence? Melkonian was arrested twice. In his court
      documents there was neither evidence, nor allegations supporting
      Mr. Bogosian's announcement regarding his participation in the attack
      in any form, as well as arms and/or drug dealing. It would have been
      convenient for the French authorities and to Monte's enemies to find
      such evidence, but there was none. To support my claim, I suggest that
      interested individuals read The Right to Struggle, My Brother's Road,
      Reality, A Self Criticism and a dozen other books.

      Ted Bogosian's claim #6: `I went to see Monte in prison, and it was
      quite a moment, because he thought that I was there to kill him...'

      Okay, let me try to get this straight. Monte thought that Mr. Bogosian
      came to the prison to kill him? So, Mr. Bogosian is saying that Monte
      thought an Armenian-American filmmaker was going to walk into a high
      security prison, formerly a concentration camp, armed guards watching
      his every move, and kill him? What about checking for weapons before
      entering the highly guarded visiting room? Ted Bogosian makes it sound
      like Monte was in a health spa in the South of France.

      I provided my arguments as accurately as I could and am willing to
      embrace supporting evidence that proves Mr. Bogosian's
      claims. Otherwise, as a friend of mine put it, Mr. Bogosian's
      interview is more like "Ted talking about Ted - not the truth." I
      welcome facts, as they will enrich our knowledge about who Monte
      really was. With that said, I invite Ted Bogosian to set the record
      straight by exchanging his recollections with evidence and
      facts. Otherwise a public apology from Ted Bogosian is in order.


      Ara Manoogian is a human rights activist representing the Shahan
      Natalie Family Foundation in Artsakh and Armenia, as well as a member
      of the Washington-based Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)

      Comment


      • #43
        Re: Monte Melkonian

        Originally posted by ninetoyadome View Post
        Ted Bogosian And His Untruths About Monte Melkonian
        By Ara Manoogian

        hetq online
        Hetq - News, Articles, Investigations

        17.04.2010


        17 years following his martyrdom in Artsakh, Armenian national hero
        Monte Melkonian is once again a victim of defamation. I came across a
        very interesting interview on Radio Open Source with an Armenian
        decorated filmmaker and documentarian Ted Bogosian. The subject of the
        interview was Ted's vocation - seeking the truth and telling it. Open
        Source host Christopher Lydon introduced Ted Bogosian as a truth hound
        and put the 'what is truth' question to him (see:
        http://www.radioopensource.org/ted-b...a-truth-hound/).
        What I heard in response less than halfway through the interview led
        me to think that Ted may have misheard Christopher, thinking he had
        been asked 'what is a lie' or, for that matter, how to present a lie
        as truth.

        As someone committed to truth seeking, I was at first thrilled to
        learn about an alternative experience from a prominent Armenian until
        I heard the following statements made by him:

        "In Armenian Journey there is a very important sequence which didn't
        make the cut. And that is that I started to pursue an interview with
        a young man of my age and background named Monte Melkonian. And Monte
        was born in about the same year, in the central valley of
        California. And while I was at Duke, he was at Berkley, and when I
        went to graduate school, he went to graduate school in Beirut. And he
        was pursuing the truth about the Genocide in his own way and he became
        radicalized and he went underground and started selling arms and
        started selling drugs and started an Armenian terrorist movement. And
        so while I was making Armenian Journey, he was in jail in France, for
        having masterminded several bombings in Europe, at Orly Airport and at
        Turkish embassies and other businesses, where many innocent people
        were killed. And so, I went to see Monte in prison, and it was quite a
        moment, because he thought that I was there to kill him since he
        didn't know who I was and wasn't expecting a visitor that day. But I
        came to start corresponding with him and came to understand his
        manifesto, and I realized that what he was doing was similar to what I
        was doing except in a different theater. And so, my battle was against
        the media to try to tell the story one way, and his battle was more
        traditional. So, that didn't make the cut because I wouldn't have been
        able to get the film on television had I presented that manifesto. But
        I mention it because I want to say that I think this sort of thing is
        in the blood not only of Armenians but of people who want to tell the
        truth and, that is, they're willing to go there no matter where it
        leads." (The audio fragment is at 09:16-11:36).

        Having devoted over a decade of my life researching Monte Melkonian's
        brief and thorny path, it was especially saddening for me to hear such
        irresponsible and defaming statements coming out of a fellow truth
        seeker's mouth. These statements manifest shoddiness of research,
        sweeping generalizations and a self-indulgent distortion of recent
        Armenian history. I would like to see one single piece of evidence
        that supports Mr. Ted Bogosian's claim that Monte Melkonian was a drug
        dealer, arms dealer and a founder of a terrorist movement, who
        masterminded the Orly operation. These are the three major things
        against which Melkonian had been struggling with all his essence,
        endangering his life in the process. It was the Orly operation that
        catalyzed the split of Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of
        Armenia (ASALA). To be more specific, below I have singled out each of
        Ted Bogosian's inaccurate claims. Let's start from the most innocent
        inaccuracies.

        Ted Bogosian's claim #1: `And Monte was born in about the same year.'

        Ted Bogosian was born in 1951, whereas Monte Melkonian was born in
        1957.

        Ted Bogosian's claim #2: `...and when I went to graduate school, he
        [Monte Melkonian] went to graduate school in Beirut.'

        Monte Melkonian was admitted to a graduate school at Oxford, but chose
        to give up his academic career in favor of a trip to Beirut at the
        onset of the second phase of the civil war and joined the defense of
        Bourj Hammoud, the Armenian quarter of the city.

        Ted Bogosian's claim #3: `...and [Monte Melkonian] started selling
        arms and started selling drugs...'

        All the accounts of people who knew him, whether interviewed by me or
        other researchers, including those who spoke up at their own
        initiative, indicate that Monte was adamantly opposed to drugs, be it
        for use or for sale. Throughout my research, I haven't come across any
        evidence of Monte being involved in arms or drug dealing. According to
        one of Monte's brothers-in-arms, once Monte, already a Commander of
        Martuni Defense Region, refused Samvel Babayan, Commander of the
        Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, to promote an officer only because he
        smoked marijuana. He had even banned his soldiers from using alcohol,
        which was common practice in other detachments. More importantly,
        Monte earned himself highly influential enemies after burning
        lucrative cannabis fields in a noble attempt to shut down the local
        drug trade. This deed was followed by a few attempts on his life. One
        might assume that Monte could use the proceeds from supposed drug
        sales to feed and equip the poorly armed fighters under his
        command. All evidence indicates that he had ignored any such
        compromise.

        Ted Bogosian's claim #4: `...he [Monte Melkonian] started a terrorist
        movement.'

        This is an outright false statement. ASALA, to which Ted Bogosian
        refers, was founded in 1975 in Beirut, Lebanon during the first phase
        of the Lebanese Civil War by Harutiun Takoshian, alias Hagop
        Hagopian. This was 3 years before Monte arrived in Lebanon for the
        first time. Monte was recruited by ASALA in 1980 after serving in an
        Armenian militia group in the Beirut suburb of Bourj Hammoud helping
        defend the Armenian population during the civil war. Furthermore,
        based on the accounts of both supporters and opponents of ASALA, Monte
        played a pivotal role in the violent split of the organization in 1983
        into those who supported the despotic leader Hagop Hagopian and those
        who disapproved his methods of struggle exactly because it took
        innocent lives, as well as distracted the attention from the cause the
        attacks were supposed to raise awareness of.

        Ted Bogosian's claim #5: `...he [Monte Melkonian] was in jail in
        France, for having masterminded several bombings in Europe, at Orly
        Airport and at Turkish embassies and other businesses, where many
        innocent people were killed.'

        A sweeping generalization. Monte Melkonian was arrested for possession
        of a falsified passport and an illegal handgun in Paris on November
        28, 1985. He was sentenced to six years but served only three and a
        half. The Orly airport attack, which took place on July 15, 1983, and
        did kill and wound many innocent people, was masterminded by his
        already archenemy Hagop Hagopian and carried out by the latter's
        supporters in Paris. The only people tried for the Orly airport attack
        were Varadjian Garbidjian (also spelled as Varoujan Garabedian life
        sentence, released 17 years later), Soner Nayir (15 years), Ohannes
        Semerci (10 years). Parallel to the preparation of the Orly operation,
        inner turmoil was in progress within ASALA due to the widening gap
        between the members of the organization over the despotic leadership
        of Hagopian, the methods of struggle and, specifically, the
        implementation of the Orly attack. Monte was in the opposition
        wing. But despite his efforts to cancel the Orly operation, it was
        implemented, accelerating the final split of ASALA.

        Who knows, the Karabagh war could have been a lost cause, had Monte
        Melkonian been the mastermind of the Orly airport attack and therefore
        gotten a life sentence? Melkonian was arrested twice. In his court
        documents there was neither evidence, nor allegations supporting
        Mr. Bogosian's announcement regarding his participation in the attack
        in any form, as well as arms and/or drug dealing. It would have been
        convenient for the French authorities and to Monte's enemies to find
        such evidence, but there was none. To support my claim, I suggest that
        interested individuals read The Right to Struggle, My Brother's Road,
        Reality, A Self Criticism and a dozen other books.

        Ted Bogosian's claim #6: `I went to see Monte in prison, and it was
        quite a moment, because he thought that I was there to kill him...'

        Okay, let me try to get this straight. Monte thought that Mr. Bogosian
        came to the prison to kill him? So, Mr. Bogosian is saying that Monte
        thought an Armenian-American filmmaker was going to walk into a high
        security prison, formerly a concentration camp, armed guards watching
        his every move, and kill him? What about checking for weapons before
        entering the highly guarded visiting room? Ted Bogosian makes it sound
        like Monte was in a health spa in the South of France.

        I provided my arguments as accurately as I could and am willing to
        embrace supporting evidence that proves Mr. Bogosian's
        claims. Otherwise, as a friend of mine put it, Mr. Bogosian's
        interview is more like "Ted talking about Ted - not the truth." I
        welcome facts, as they will enrich our knowledge about who Monte
        really was. With that said, I invite Ted Bogosian to set the record
        straight by exchanging his recollections with evidence and
        facts. Otherwise a public apology from Ted Bogosian is in order.


        Ara Manoogian is a human rights activist representing the Shahan
        Natalie Family Foundation in Artsakh and Armenia, as well as a member
        of the Washington-based Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)

        http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg314545.html
        Ted Bogosian (whoever the hell he is) needs to find a new hobby, get a job, a life, etc.
        General Antranik (1865-1927): “I am not a nationalist. I recognize only one nation, the nation of the oppressed.”

        Comment


        • #44
          Re: Monte Melkonian

          Ted Bogosian should be denied access to Armenia, idiot.

          Comment


          • #45
            Re: Monte Melkonian

            Part 2 and more pwnage by Ara Manoogian (assisted by Markar Melkonian) regarding Ted Bogosian's falsifications.
            --------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Ted Bogosian Loyal To His Untruths About Monte Melkonian
            [ 2010/05/03 | 14:15 ] Feature Stories interview

            By Ara Manoogian

            “Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute,” Josh Billings, a 19th century popular American humorist, once famously said. But no matter how hard it appears to be, I have no other choice but to start a dialogue with a wall of silence, behind which Ted Bogosian the Truth Seeker has opted to hide. One circumstance, however, plays in my favor: the more garrulous your interlocutor has been preceding his avowed silence, the more vulnerable the latter becomes. This point was brilliantly proven by Ted Bogosian himself just a few days ago in what appeared to be a desperate attempt to stand corrected… by silencing the truth.

            It’s been roughly a month since Radio Open Source host Christopher Lydon’s infamous interview with Ted Bogosian, an award-winning Armenian-American director, documentarian and journalist, was aired online and reposted throughout the web. The dissemination of the radio interview served the noble agenda of spreading the word about the heart of the Armenian cause – the Armenian Genocide and the Turkish denialism. However, his headlong pursuit of big truths was regrettably marred with loads of misinformation dishonoring Armenian national hero Monte Melkonian, one of the most revered martyrs of modern Armenian history who put his life at stake for the defense of fellow Armenians and their victory in an unequal war. Mr. Bogosian spoke from the viewpoint of a Truth Hound as he was presented at the onset of the interview. He made a number of serious unsupported claims that Monte Melkonian started a terrorist movement, selling arms and drugs, masterminding the Orly Airport attack of July 15, 1983 in Paris, as well as Turkish embassies in Europe and other businesses.

            When the dead cannot stand up for their own defense, someone alive has to. Having spent over a decade researching the life and death of Monte Melkonian but never once coming across evidence that would support any such claim, I wrote Ted Bogosian an email on April 13, 2010. In my heartfelt message, I kindly asked him to share the supporting evidence I assumed he would have for the claims regarding Monte Melkonian he made in the interview. In expectation of never-before-seen evidence I refrained from repudiating any of his claims based on my own research.

            Four days of Ted Bogosian’s absolute silence and/or complete indifference – thus, lack of supporting evidence for his claims – compelled me to set the record straight based on existing evidence. I wrote an article and submitted it to Hetq, a leading newspaper of investigative journalism in Armenia. At the same time, I wrote Mr. Bogosian another email as a reminder for a response to my previous letter. But no reply followed. As a next step, I posted the whole article as a comment under his interview at Radio Open Source website and Huffington post to make sure he receives my message. Then I embarked on a mission to make sure my refutation of Ted Bogosian’s untruths catches up with the speed at which his interview with dubious truths was spreading online.

            Although a couple of people had already voiced their discontent with Bogosian’s inaccurate claims about Monte Melkonian’s pre-Artsakh past prior to the posting of my article, it is a bitter truth that the presentation of someone as a Truth Hound is for the majority of people sufficient evidence of the veracity of any statement uttered by him or her. For many people these “truths” become facts, and thus history is unjustly rewritten.

            I contacted Markar Melkonian, Monte Melkonian’s brother, the co-author of My Brother’s Road, a biography of Monte Melkonian, to get his commentary regarding Ted Bogosian’s latest interview. He had this to say: “By far the most scurrilous of Bogosian’s claims is his contention that Monte masterminded attacks such as Orly. Not only was Monte not involved in this attack in any way, but as you [Ara Manoogian - A.M.] quite correctly noted, Orly and similar attacks drove Monte into desperate plans to kill Hagopian [Hagop Hagopian, founder of ASALA - A.M.] and any of his henchmen who got in the way, in order to stop such operations. With each outrage Monte became more desperate, until he resolved to take steps against Hagopian, with the full expectation that he would be killed in the process. Monte abhorred Orly, the Istanbul bazaar attack and the Ankara Airport attack, both because they took innocent lives, and because he believed such attacks harmed the cause to which he had pledged his life.”

            As Ted Bogosian’s silence grew more deafening, and I received no confirmation that he had, in fact, received my emails, I implemented a tactic I was certain would repudiate an old Italian proverb: “Silence was never written down.” It was, in fact, on April 20, 2010. The tactic was to register tedbogosian.com and tedbogosian.blogspot.com, then upload my article debunking Ted Bogosian’s untruths about Monte Melkonian. Immediately after that I sent an email to the address I still believed belonged to Ted Bogosian, notifying him of the registration of tedbogosian.com for exposing his lies about Monte Melkonian. Silence was finally and immediately written down, as mentioned above, on April 20, 2010, as frugal as it was. Ted Bogosian wrote: “I will respond tomorrow, Ara.”

            The next day I received an email from Jeffrey K. Techentin of Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C. engaged to represent Ted Bogosian with respect to my registration and use of www.tedbogosian.com and www.tedbogosian.blogspot.com. The content of his email revealed utilization of a more traditional tactic: when you can’t answer the core question, you have to cloud the issue. To this effect Mr. Techentin had this to say: “Mr. Bogosian has forwarded me the communications received from you. Please refer any further communications directly to me. Additionally, please note that Mr. Bogosian takes your threats very seriously, and objects to your appropriation of his name for your own purposes.” The latter of the concerns is understandable and expected, however, I was baffled by the respectable Truth Hound’s perception of my pursuit of truth as a threat. I honestly expected his cooperation in finding the truth wherever it leads. I must have been misled by Mr. Bogosian’s bold statement in the same interview in question: “Every single truth that gets revealed leads to another and other and other, and we may never arrive at truth. But we’re obligated to try. That’s my view.”

            Having had them serve their purpose – making Ted Bogosian speak out – I parked the domains. When it became clear that Bogosian was unwilling to address the issue as seriously as he had taken the non-existent threats his attorney had referred to, I decided to issue a press release uncovering Ted Bogosian’s untruths on April 22, 2010. As I had hoped, many media outlets responded to the cause by publishing it. I should also note that I received scores of emails encouraging my efforts. I’ll take advantage of this platform and say a big “thank you.”

            Nonetheless, one thing that the launch of the press release revealed for me was the justification of my apprehension that there will never be a shortage of people falling short of transcending stereotypical judgment, such as this: if you are a terrorist, then you kill innocent people, sell drugs and arms. How many people will question this? With this stereotype, one will perhaps be right nine times out of ten. However, Monte Melkonian, an exceptionally gifted person who preferred standing up and dying for the rights of his nation at any cost over a brilliant academic career awaiting him at one of the most prestigious European universities, deserves to be more than just a negligible statistical error differing from the expected value. This is my chief concern that has been fueling my active stance on inhibiting public dissemination of Ted Bogosian’s inaccuracies purported to be facts.

            Later that day, Ted Bogosian, as confirmed by Radio Open Source host Christopher Lydon, his friend of 35 years, posted a comment under the interview on Huffington Post: “I am pleased that my conversation with Christopher Lydon has inspired such informed comments. […] Finally, I pledge to correct any inadvertent errors and omissions I may have made at Brown, as always. That is a Truth Hound’s obligation. Thanks to everyone for listening.”

            Mr. Bogosian fulfilled his promise the next day by posting “corrections and amplifications” in the form of a comment at the Radio Open Source and, with some minor difference, at Huffington Post, which reads as follows:

            More in the next post...
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            • #46
              Re: Monte Melkonian

              ...continuation from previous post

              “CORRECTIONS & AMPLIFICATIONS: Everything I told Open Source about Monte Melkonian related to the period ending in April 1988, when “An Armenian Journey” premiered on PBS. I did not reference Monte’s exploits after he left prison. While I still consider Monte and myself to be the “same age”, he was, in fact, 6 years younger. Monte was an undergraduate at UC-Berkeley, not a graduate student there. I could have named the terrorist movement he started: ASALA-Revolutionary Movement. Finally, while Monte was convicted of illegal weapons possession, he was not charged with selling arms or illegal drugs. (I knew him to practice healthful living habits during his imprisonment.) I stand corrected and regret these errors and omissions.”

              How can Ted Bogosian “stand corrected” if he has provided elusive responses to most of my questions and ignored the others. Isn’t there anything to correct in the following statement he made in the interview to Radio Open Source: “[Monte Melkonian] having masterminded several bombings in Europe, at Orly Airport”? I wrote as many as five paragraphs to tell the story behind this bombing as I know it in an attempt to set the record straight that Monte Melkonian not only was not involved in that attack but also did his utmost to prevent it (for more details read claim #5 in “Ted Bogosian And His Untruths About Armenian National Hero Monte Melkonian”). At the same time, I requested evidence from Mr. Bogosian to back up that claim. But instead of providing supporting evidence or retracting the false statement, he has shrouded the issue with silence. However, I’ll try to analyze each of Ted Bogosian’s responses pertaining to the matter.

              “Monte was an undergraduate at UC-Berkeley, not a graduate student there.

              What Mr. Bogosian had stated in the original interview was as follows: “And while I was at Duke, he was at Berkley, and when I went to graduate school, he went to graduate school in Beirut.” Monte never went to graduate school in Beirut, he was admitted to graduate school at Oxford but he never went there. Mr. Bogosian’s latest response is simply inadequate.

              “I could have named the terrorist movement he started: ASALA-Revolutionary Movement.”

              This correction refers to the following statement in the original interview: “[Monte Melkonian] started an Armenian terrorist movement.” I had identified this terrorist movement with ASALA, which was founded by Hagop Hagopian in 1975 and Monte Melkonian was recruited in 1980 (for more details read claim #4 in “Ted Bogosian And His Untruths About Armenian National Hero Monte Melkonian”). In his attempt to clarify this statement, Mr. Bogosian identified that terrorist movement as ASALA-Revolutionary Movement (ASALA-RM). I wonder what exactly made him conclude that ASALA-RM is a terrorist movement.

              ASALA fell apart at Monte Melkonian’s initiative exactly because of the murderous deviation of Hagop Hagopian. The Orly Airport attack masterminded by Hagopian was the final blow to the unity of ASALA and the finishing touch to the split spearheaded by Monte Melkonian. ASALA-RM, the resulting splinter, in its early stage is best represented through the following collectively written statement: “We do not believe in benevolent friends, the inevitable triumph of justice, or covertly and cleverly manipulating the superpowers. If we are to achieve national self-determination, then we ourselves, the Armenian people, will have to fight for it. We believe in the power of organized masses and in the capacity of our people to determine their own future. We believe in revolution.” This movement that had no real members but quite a few sympathizers became the personification of Monte Melkonian who concentrated on raising awareness about the Armenian cause mainly through writing.

              In the times when there’s no definitive international consensus on a legally binding definition of terrorism and terrorist organizations, Mr. Bogosian is making hasty conclusions. Personally, I am more inclined towards this viewpoint of a terrorist and counter-insurgency expert Bruce Hoffman: “Terrorism is a pejorative term. It is a word with intrinsically negative connotations that is generally applied to one’s enemies and opponents, or to those with whom one disagrees and would otherwise prefer to ignore.” Labeling a revolutionary movement as terrorist, while it seeks to unite the nation to struggle for self-determination, is usually the signature of governments targeted by such movements.

              “Finally, while Monte was convicted of illegal weapons possession, he was not charged with selling arms or illegal drugs.”

              This correction refers to my criticism targeting the following passage in his original interview: “…and [Monte Melkonian] started selling arms and started selling drugs…” None of the abundant evidence I have researched about Monte Melkonian maintains this claim. On the contrary, there are plenty of stories about Monte Melkonian being a fierce opponent to drug use or sale (for more details read claim #3 in “Ted Bogosian And His Untruths About Armenian National Hero Monte Melkonian”).

              Ted Bogosian’s response to my question is a cunning way to steer away from the main point. His statement clearly implies that not being charged with selling arms or illegal drugs does not necessarily exclude the possibility of being involved in such activity. It is neither a retraction nor a clarification, but rather a fragile exit strategy due to lack of supporting evidence. I was not questioning only the validity of the charges Mr. Bogosian ascribed to Monte Melkonian’s case in the interview, but also his assertion that Monte Melkonian was involved in such activity. I’m still waiting for supporting evidence or unconditional retraction of these false statements.

              Silence is a text easy to misread, as science-fiction writer Alfred Attanasio once said. Nevertheless, I want to believe that Mr. Bogosian had no malice in ascribing all of the aforementioned inaccuracies to Monte Melkonian, and I believe that his good will may well be manifested by a full-fledged direct response to each of the questions I singled out and any others he might be enthused to enlarge on. If Ted Bogosian is a man of his word and believes “we’re obligated to try” to “arrive at truth,” he must then fulfill his “pledge to correct any inadvertent errors and omissions” more elaborately with the following options as guidelines: a) present evidence to support his claims; b) retract the claims, for which he cannot provide supporting evidence; c) make corresponding arrangements to have the parts of radio interview that include the abovementioned misinformation about Monte Melkonian removed.

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              • #47
                Re: Monte Melkonian



                a video about Monte's life

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                • #48
                  Re: Monte Melkonian

                  4-part biographical film on Monte Melkonian (in Armenian) called "Ցեղին սիրտը" (Tseghin sirt@)

                  Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJmABjPj71U
                  Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjSZdaVCrU
                  Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU9q0NLKdmU
                  Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUAxiNgPtvI
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                  • #49
                    Re: Monte Melkonian

                    There is a dvd available about Monte :

                    DVD now available at Amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B002EJL6H6/ref=cm_sw_su_dpThe proceeds from this film will benefit the families of the fallen soldier...

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                    • #50
                      Re: Monte Melkonian

                      Friends of Monte Melkonian Gather to Reminisce and Pay Homage


                      [ 2010/11/25 | 15:54 ] society
                      Sona Avagyan
                      Wartime comrades mark Monte’s 53rd birthday at Yerablur gravesite

                      Friends of Monte Melkonian visited his grave earlier today at the Yerablur Military Cemetery in Yerevan to celebrate their comrade’s 53rd birthday. Monte, or Commander Avo as he was called in Artsakh, died on the battlefield on June 12, 1993.

                      Ghazar Aroyan, from Masis, first met up with Monte in Shahumyan and fought under his command in Martuni starting in 1992. Ghazar always visits Yerablur on Monte’s birthday and the day of his passing.

                      “He was a very normal type of commander. If you saw the way he dressed, you wouldn’t say he was a commander. Monte dressed his troops the best. He just wore old clothes. He always was out in front, going into the most dangerous of spots. The rest of the men followed. Monte would get very concerned if just one of his men was hurt or wounded; even if was just a splinter in the finger,” says Ghazar.

                      Ghazar says that in Martuni, 1992, there were about 80-100 Armenian soldiers facing an Azerbaijani force of 3,000, replete with 20 tanks and rocket launchers.

                      “We basically were fighting a war at the time without weapons. But we put up a fierce resistance,” he says.

                      Under Monte’s command, not only did the Armenian freedom fighters counter-attack but they also got their hands on enemy weapons and equipment.

                      Shahe Ajemyan, who took over the command of the “Crusaders” volunteer detachment after the death of Garo Kahkejian (also from the diaspora) in June 1993, says that he first met Monte in 1978, when they were fighting to defend Armenian neighbourhoods in Beirut.

                      “When we saw Monte for the first time in Beirut, we thought that he had come from America to live with us, to raise weapons with us, and to defend Armenians in Lebanon. He told us that he had taught himself to read and write Armenian. He said that he would place the alphabet in front of him and that it would just take a minute for him to look at each letter and learn it,” says Shahe.

                      Alek Yenikomshyan, another long-time friend of Monte’s and Director of the “Monte Melkonian NGO” says that while the liberation of Shushi was an important milestone in the war, just a month later large tracts of Shahumyan and Martakert were lost to the enemy.

                      He says that it was in these dire conditions that Monte assumed the defense of Martuni and that Armenian forces repelled all Azerbaijani attacks. This provided a vital boost of morale and confidence to the Armenians.

                      Alek Yenikomshyan says that Monte’s presence is needed as much today as during the war.

                      Mr. Yenikomshyan says that Monte wasn’t only a soldier or commander but that he perceived the challenges facing Armenians in a much wider perspective; that he wanted to see justice prevail in Armenia and people live with dignity and respect.

                      “Disappointment and frustration were not a part of Monte’s inner being. In this sense, his presence today is extremely vital given that today, tragically, due to prevailing conditions, people have lost faith and hope. Monte, by the example he set, proves that one must never lose hope.”

                      Alek says that while alive, Monte never sought the accolades of others. In fact, Monte would laugh at such things. Nevertheless, Monte has earned himself an honoured place in the annals of his people’s history.

                      Before turning away to greet other friends who have come to pay their respects at Monte’s grave, Alek says, “Monte has no need for us to pay homage to him. What’s more important is that homage be paid to those still living.”

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