In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

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Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Los Angeles, California (US)

Armenian Youth Federation- Western Region
104 N. Belmont, Suite 206, Glendale, CA 91206
Tel. (818) 507-1933 *Email: [email protected]


News Advisory- April 24, 2008

ARMENIAN YOUTH FEDERATION - WESTERN REGION

PROTEST IN FRONT OF TUKISH CONSULATE

Activists to Demand That the Government of Turkey End its Campaign of Denial
of the Armenian Genocide

WHERE: The protest shall take place in front of the Turkish Consulate which
is located at 6300 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90048.

WHEN: The protest shall take place on Thursday, April 24, 2008 from 4pm to
6pm.

WHO: The Armenian Youth Federation is organizing its annual protest in front
of the Turkish Consulate. Thousands of Armenian Americans and Human rights
Activists are expected to be actively protesting their serious
disappointment with the denialist policies of the American and Turkish
governments. In 2007, approximately 10,000 attended this event.

*PROMINENT ELECTED OFFICIAL*: Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi shall
appear at the protest to address attendees.

WHAT: The year 2008 marks the 93rd anniversary of the genocide committed
against the Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish Empire. The Armenian Genocide
is the first genocide of the 21st century and is not yet properly
acknowledged and accepted by the American and Turkish governments. April 24,
1915 marks the day that the Turkish government kidnapped all the
intellectual Armenians and slaughtered them as it embarked on its systematic
annihilation of the Ottoman Empire's Armenian population.

WHY: The Turkish government has attempted to place a "gag rule" on the
United States Congress as evidenced by its heavy-handed opposition to H.
Res. 106 (The Armenian Genocide Resolution, which passed the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs on 10/10/07). The ongoing genocide in Darfur today is a
testament to the need for clear and unequivocal acknowledgement of the crime
of genocide. The protest shall strive to raise awareness regarding the
denialist policies of the American and Turkish governments and how these
policies enable and embolden perpetrators of genocide to both commit and
deny this crime. The protest not only mourns the death of the 1.5 million
Armenians massacred from 1915-1923 but it also tries to educate others about
past and present genocides.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg229734.html

STUDENTS DISRUPT GENOCIDE MEMORIAL
by Melody Chiu

Daily Trojan Online, CA
University of Southern California
April 24 2008

Students xxxxxle flowers and signs erected in honor of the Armenian
genocide.

A peaceful demonstration was disrupted Wednesday when two students
stepped on flowers and knocked down signs at a memorial service
honoring those who died in the Armenian genocide between 1915 and 1923.

The memorial was organized by several Armenian student organizations,
including the Armenian Graduate Student Association and the Armenian
Student Association, and consisted of 1,500 carnations in honor of
the estimated 1.5 million victims of the genocide.

Members of the organizations began planting the flowers in McCarthy
Quad at 4 a.m., and fact sheets were put up with information about
the Armenian genocide along the perimeters of the walkways.

"We were trying to have a very silent and powerful way to
raise awareness of the Armenian genocide on campus," said
Kanakara Navasartian, president of the Armenian Graduate Student
Association. "Everyone has a right to honor their past, and this
wasn't just about the Armenian genocide. This was about crime against
humanity, period."

Navasartian said two students approached the display and began knocking
down the fact sheets.

The Ottoman Empire has been accused of deliberately and systematically
destroying the Armenian population during World War I, starting in
Istanbul in 1915.

Turkey does not recognize the term genocide as an appropriate
description of the events.

Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed the week of April
22 through April 29 as "Days of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide."

Helen Kuiumdjian, president of the Armenian Student Association,
said another member of the organization called her to tell her two
students were disrupting the memorial.

"She said the girl and her boyfriend were yelling and stomping on
all the signs and flowers," Kuiumdjian said. "I was notified by [the
Department of Public Safety] and they said they were looking for the
girl and that they had found her."

DPS officials declined to comment.

Kuiumdjian said the students damaged the groups' display, but they
were able to rebuild it.

"They broke our signs and our plants were hanging," she said. "It
was a wreck, but a bunch of members worked and fixed it back up in
about 20 minutes."

Kuiumdjian said students passing by the memorial also helped fix
the display.

Students said the disruptive behavior was inappropriate.

"I don't have any definite examples of what else they could've done,
but something more peaceful," said Daniel Bay, a sophomore majoring
in business administration.

"You can hate someone as much as you want, but they shouldn't have
the right to do that," he said. "They have their own beliefs and they
shouldn't have acted out so negatively."

http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2008/04/24/News/Students.Disrupt.Genocide.Memorial-3346724.shtml

5,000 MARCH TO MARK ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Daily Breeze, CA
Long Beach Press-Telegram, CA
April 24 2008

About 5,000 people marched today in Hollywood to observe the 93rd
anniversary of what they call the Armenian genocide.

Protesters want the Turkish government to admit responsibility for
the slaughter of about 1.5 million people.

Turkey questions the number of deaths and denies it was a genocide.

Accompanied by police officers who blocked streets, the peaceful march,
organized by the Armenian Youth Federation, traversed Sunset Boulevard,
Western Avenue, Hollywood Boulevard and Normandie Avenue.

The march is to end about 1 p.m., said Los Angeles police Officer
April Harding of the Media Relations office.

At 1:30 p.m. in Montebello, an Armenian Genocide Commemoration
ceremony will be held at Bucknell Park, at which Los Angeles Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa is to deliver remarks.

About 4 p.m., a rally sponsored by the Armenian Youth Federation
is planned for the Turkish Consulate in the 6300 block of Wilshire
Boulevard, Harding said.

Protesters are expected to call on the Turkish government to take
responsibility for the deaths.

More Armenians live in the Hollywood and Glendale areas than in
Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9041372

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANS REMEMBER THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Los Angeles Times, CA
April 24 2008

Many of Southern California's more than 300,000 Armenians will today
gather at memorial services, protests and other events to mark the
93rd anniversary of the Armenian genocide. The striped Armenian flag
was already seen fluttering from cars earlier this week as local
Armenians prepared for the emotional and controversial observance of
the more than million people who died under Ottoman rule in what is
now modern Turkey.

The anniversary has long been denounced by many Turks and others,
who dispute the larger number of deaths or that the genocide even
occurred. Last year, the most recent effort to have the U.S. government
officially recognize the genocide triggered a bitter battle on Capitol
Hill. The animosity lives on, and one of today's events includes a
human rights protest outside the Turkish consulate.

There are also new tensions. On Wednesday, a memorial assembly at Grant
High School in Van Nuys lead to a shouting match between Armenian
and Latino students. Several students were sent home and additional
school district police officers patrol the campus for the remainder
of the week.

Today's memorials, however, remain a source of pride for Armenians,
including a young generation far removed from the pain and suffering
of nearly a century ago.

"A lot of people ask me why we care so much, especially the
youth because we are a few generations out from the genocide,"
twenty-year-old Caspar Jivalagian told the Times Molly Hennessy-Fisk
last year year. "Every Armenian we have it in us, under our skin."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/04/many-of-souther.html

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Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

ARMENIANS MARK ANNIVERSARY OF 1915 MASS KILLINGS
by Mariam Harutunian

France24, France
April 24 2008

Thousands of Armenians gathered Thursday to mark the anniversary of
a 1915 massacre under the Ottoman Empire that Armenia regards as an
act of genocide -- a label strongly rejected by Turkey.

Under bright sunshine in the capital Yerevan, thousands climbed to a
hilltop memorial to mark the 93rd anniversary of the killings, which
led to a mass exodus of Armenians from what is now eastern Turkey.

Tens of thousands take part in the procession every year, including
many from Armenia's widespread diaspora who travel to Yerevan for
the event.

In an address at the ceremony, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian
said his country would continue to pursue international recognition
of the killings as genocide despite Turkey's objections.

"International recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide
is an appropriate and inevitable part of Armenia's foreign policy
agenda," he said.

"The republic of Armenia should double its efforts for the restoration
of historical justice. When it comes to condemning the genocide,
denial has no future, especially today when many countries around
the world have added their voices to the voice of truth," he said.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in orchestrated
killings during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey says 300,000 Armenians and at least an equal number of Turks
were killed in civil strife in 1915-1917 when the Christian Armenians,
backed by Russia, rose up against the Ottomans.

The dispute has been a major obstacle in relations between Turkey
and Armenia.

Ankara recognised Armenia's independence after the collapse of the
Soviet Union in 1991 but no diplomatic relations were established
because of Armenian efforts to have the killings internationally
acknowledged as genocide.

In 1993, Turkey also shut its border with Armenia in a show of
solidarity with its close ally Azerbaijan, which was at war with
Armenia over the Nagorny Karabakh enclave, dealing a heavy economic
blow to the impoverished nation.

The controversy has also complicated relations between EU-aspirant
Turkey and many Western countries, especially those with large ethnic
Armenian communities such as the United States and France.

Many taking part in Thursday's ceremony called on Western countries
to pressure Turkey into recognising the massacres as genocide.

"I lost my entire family at the hands of the Turks," said 80-year-old
Srbuhi Pirumian. "I will never tire of telling our history to my
children and to my grandsons.... The Turks have no place in Europe,
they are dangerous, as long as they do not admit the reality of the
genocide and ask our forgiveness."

More than 20 countries, including Belgium, Canada, Poland and
Switzerland, have officially recognised the killings as genocide. In
2006, French lawmakers voted to make it a criminal offence to deny
that Armenians were victims of genocide.

But many countries, including Britain and the United States, refuse to
use the term to describe the events, mindful of relations with Turkey.

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee's endorsement of a resolution
labelling the killings as genocide last October sparked fury in Ankara,
which recalled its ambassador to Washington.

Under intense pressure from the White House, the authors of the bill
later asked Congress not to hold a debate on the issue.

http://www.france24.com/en/20080424-armenians-mark-anniversary-1915-mass-killings?q=node/1423090//2

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Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE STILL CASTS A LONG SHADOW OVER HISTORY
By Herout Kerjilian

Press & Sun-Bulletin, NY
April 24 2008

Armenians worldwide today commemorate the 93rd anniversary of the first
genocide of the 20th century, when on April 24, 1915, the Turkish
government embarked on a planned and systematic ethnic deportation
and massacre of the Armenian population of Anatolia with the purpose
of annihilation and extermination of the Christian Armenian nation
and ethnic cleansing of them from their ancestral lands of 3,000 years.

The Turkish process was so horrific that it led Raphael Lemkin to
campaign against such heinous crimes and coin the word "genocide"
based on the Armenian experience.

Armenians -- from the first Christian nation in the world -- have,
over the centuries, contributed much to human civilization. However,
it is little comfort to them that their catastrophe gave the world the
word "genocide." One would think that the Turks would be ashamed that
their "murder of a nation," as the American ambassador to Istanbul
at the time, Henry Morgentau, and The New York Times labeled it,
contributed to the creation of that word.

As a matter of fact, one would expect Turkey to be uncomfortable
having the singular dubious distinction of being the only nation in
the world to have executed three genocides: the Armenian, Pontian
Greeks and the Assyrians -- all Christian. Yet unlike Nazi Germany,
the Turks vehemently deny that they ever committed a genocide and,
using their geopolitical importance, have successfully thwarted the
passage of resolution No. 106 by Congress -- U.S. recognition of the
Armenian genocide.

Twenty-three European countries and 40 U.S. states, including
New York, have recognized it. Besides denying the genocide, the
Turks further claim they are the original inhabitants of Anatolia
(historic Armenian Highlands) and, in a recently published history
book, a Turkish professor claims that all these "so-called" Armenian,
Greek and Assyrian churches and monuments in Anatolia were built by
original Turks who were Christian before converting to Islam.

An article published in a recent Binghamton University alumni
newsletter stated that Turkey is a great democratic country, and that
Binghamton University is very proud to be associated with it. Have
the writers or contributors of this article talked with the Armenian,
Greek or Kurdish refugees in our area?

How can a so-called democratic country deny, even today, the existence
of 15 million Kurds in Turkey and disallow the teaching of any Kurdish
language or letting them practice their cultural heritages?

Our own government will not recognize this tragic event under the
guise of not offending an important ally and partner in the war
against terrorism. Yet, Turkey's decision not to allow us to enter
Iraq from the north created, in former Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld's words, a vacuum which allowed the al-Qaida and the Iraqi
insurgency time and space to organize, which led to today's mess in
Iraq and the unnecessary deaths and injury of thousands of American
soldiers and Iraqis.

As Nazi Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel has said in connection with the
Armenians, "genocide denial is the last act of genocide." We believe
that all people of conscience in this country believe in the values
this country stands for and encourage our government to do what
is right and moral by allowing Congress to pass resolution 106 --
something President Bush promised the Armenian-American community
during his presidential campaign but went back on once he became
president.

On April 27 at 12.30 p.m., please join the Armenian community of
Broome County as we commemorate the 93rd anniversary of this tragic
genocide. The event will take place at the Armenian monument site
at corner of Conklin Avenue and South Washington Street Bridge in
Binghamton.

Kerjilian is a Binghamton resident.

http://www.gbhealthandwellness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080424/OPINION/804240330/1005/OPINION

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Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBERED MEREDITH BLAKE

Greenwich Time, CT
April 24 2008

When Hermon Hosvepian was forced by Ottoman Turkish soldiers to
march through the Syrian desert without food or clothing with her
two daughters, all she could do was focus on staying alive.

Her husband had been taken from their home and killed. And during
the grueling march across the desert, one of her daughters died and
one night, while she slept, the other one was taken.

Her daughter Catherine Papalian, who was born in the United States,
recounted this story yesterday at a flag raising held outside town
hall to memorialize the victims of the Armenian Genocide, when 1.5
million to 2 million Armenians living under Turkish rule within the
Ottoman Empire were killed or starved to death from 1915 to 1923.

This morning more than 40 people, most of Armenian descent, gathered
in front of Town Hall and shared stories about their parents and
grandparents who survived.

Sara Mushegian, who organized the event, said her grandparents were
able to escape, spending years in the protective custody of American
authorities in Constantinople. But others were not as fortunate. George
Papailian's father's first wife killed herself, out of fear, knowing
the fate that lay ahead, he said.

"There are so many horror stories," said Harry Nakashian, who said
his mother, at 11 or 12, remembered opening the door of her house,
and saw five children dead in a street, who out of thirst, drank some
kind of toxic fluid and died.

Nakashian's father never could talk about the atrocities, he said.

Mushegian said that organizing the flag raising, honoring the victims
and survivors of the genocide is an important part of Armenian
heritage.

"I feel it's my duty," she said. "It's about raising awareness. People
know a little, but they don't really know."

During the event, First Selectmen Peter Tesei read a proclamation
declaring April 24 Armenian Martyrs' Day. The flag, with the colors
of red, blue and orange, was raised with the sounds of the Armenian
national anthem.

April 24, 1915, holds special significance since it was the day
that the Turkish government placed under arrest over 200 Armenian
community leaders in Constantinople. It is seen as the start of the
government-ordered genocide.

http://www.greenwichtime.com/ci_9048184

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Massachusetts (US)

ARMENIAN STUDENTS ORGANIZATION REFLECTS ON 1915 GENOCIDE, HOLDS CANDELIGHT VIGIL
Jess Sacco

The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, MA
April 25 2008

PrintEmail Article Tools Page 1 of 1 Yesterday, as the evening
approached, students of the Armenian Students Organization (ASO)
gathered on the steps of the Student Union to recognize the 1915
Armenian Genocide in a commemorative candlelight vigil.

Each year, Armenians, as well as others in the community, come together
to pay their respect and remember those who were lost.

"The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman
Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of nearly
2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children
were killed, 500,000 survivors expelled from their homes, and which
succeeded in the elimination of the over 2,500-year presence of
Armenians in their historic homeland," according to the Armenian
National Committee of America.

April 24, 1915 signifies the day that the Ottoman Empire, under the
rule of Turkey, began the first genocide of the 20th century.

"We [Armenians] still believe the genocide is going on even though it
happened 93 years ago," said junior and vice president of the ASO,
Steve Keshishian. "The [Turkish] government denies it, so we can't
even begin to move on because we're still fighting for the world to
recognize that it happened."

As the ceremony continued, members of the ASO read stories of those
who survived the genocide, as well as giving a brief history of the
event. Students welcomed those who had gathered to listen to light
a candle, symbolizing the commemoration of the genocide.

"It's important to remember the past," said freshman and member
Charles Beyrouthy. "The past influences the future, and it influences
political leaders and leaders who are in high stature. [The event]
is a testament to those who were victimized in such a crime."

Another goal of yesterday's event was for people to acknowledge and
appreciate their Armenian ancestors and backgrounds.

"Nobody knows Armenia was the first Christian Nation, that we have
a very ancient culture," said Keshishian. "We commemorate this every
year on this day all around the world, [taking] a moment of our lives
to remember those who passed away and get word out about our legacy."

"My parents taught me to love and respect my heritage," said
Beyrouthy. "I think it's a heritage that is very rich in culture and
in general. It is a big part of my life."

The ASO, a new group on campus, plans to continue the event in the
future and has hopes of advertising it more, and doing things on a
much bigger level.

"Whether we had two people or 200 people [today], this was something
that was going to be going on in my head. I did what I wanted to do,
make my peace and move on with it," said Keshishian.

http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper874/news/2008/04/25/News/Armenian.Students.Organization.Reflects.On.1915.Genocide.Holds.Candelight.Vigil-3349247.shtml

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Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

WE WILL NEVER FORGET: IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Arek Horozyan

Los Angeles Loyolan, CA

http://media.www.laloyolan.com/media/storage/paper803/news/2008/04/24/Opinion/We.Will.Never.Forget-3346472.shtml

April 24 2008

To an Armenian, the words "Armenian Genocide" evoke many horrific
memories of the early 1900s. To many others, these two words have
either never been heard of or have been heard in passing and have
gone in one ear and out the other. But what should these two words
mean to everyone? To answer this question, one must know some the
early history of the 20th century.

There were many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire in the 20th
century.

The Ottoman Empire was a multiethnic empire which included areas of
historic Armenia. However, by the beginning of the 20th century it
had become a shrunken state, mostly made up of the territories in
the Middle East. Even though it was still multinational, the Ottoman
Empire tended to favor the Muslims -- after all, its official religion
was Islam. The Ottoman Empire thus treated the Christians and xxxs
that lived in its empire as second class citizens.

The government was overthrown in 1908 by a group of reformists who
called themselves the Young Turks. Seeing that a multiethnic empire
was one cause of its downfall, the Young Turks decided to convert
all of its inhabitants to Islam, especially the Armenians who were
the largest of the Christian minorities living in the empire.

Since the Armenians wouldn't easily convert to Islam, the Young
Turks decided that genocide was the best way to get rid of the
Armenians. After WWI began, the Young Turks took this as an apropos
moment to get rid of its Armenian population. The fact that they did
this systematically constitutes this event as genocide. First, the
Armenians in the army were disarmed and killed. Then, on April 24,
1915, the Armenian political leaders and intellectuals were rounded
up and mysteriously vanished - never to be heard from again.

All of the remaining Armenians were forced to march through the deserts
of Syria with no food or water, most of them dying in the process.

Although the Young Turk government took precautions not to have
eyewitnesses, there were still many who reported to their native
countries about the atrocities they witnessed in the Ottoman
Empire. One such witness was Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. Ambassador to
the Ottoman Empire. Morgenthau wrote, "When the Turkish authorities
gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving
the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this well, and,
in their conversations with me, they made no particular attempt
to conceal the fact." Another historical example is Adolf Hitler,
who in justifying his invasion of Poland, referred to the Armenian
Genocide by saying to his generals, "Who, after all, speaks today of
the annihilation of the Armenians?"

Armenians all over the world commemorate the genocide on April 24 of
each year. Thousands of Armenians march down streets, pass out fliers,
lobby in Washington D.C. and so forth, all to being more attention
to the genocide in order to have the US recognize it as an official
Genocide. Many college students do their part as well. Julia Balian,
one of the Armenians at LMU says, "My family is directly affected by
the genocide. Because of the Turks' actions I never knew my uncles and
aunts on my father's side." Sedda Antekelian, another LMU student,
says, "The Armenian Genocide was a tragic event that should be
recognized by everyone. If we don't recognize it, what prevents it
from happening again?"

Today LMU will have activities on campus to to make the LMU community
more aware of the Armenian genocide that occurred from 1915-1923. They
will also be having a candlelight vigil at 8:30 pm at Foley Pond to
commemorate the 1.5 million Armenians killed.

This is the opinion of Arek Horozyan, a senior biology major from
Playa del Rey, Calif. Please send comments to [email protected].

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

ARMENIA'S ANGELS
Vicken Babkenian

The Australian

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23594423-21147,00.html

April 25 2008
Australia

AT the same time as Australian troops landed at Gallipoli on April
25, 1915, another event of historical importance was taking place in
Turkey: the Armenian genocide. The Gallipoli landing took place one
day after the mass arrest of Armenian leaders in Istanbul, which is
known as the beginning of the genocide.

"Who, after all, remembers the annihilation of the Armenians?" were
Adolf Hitler's famous words before he embarked on his heinous crime
of the Holocaust.

One group who remember the Armenians are a handful of Australians who
were at the forefront of the relief effort, yet their stories have
been largely hidden. Not one Australian historian has devoted any
attention to these remarkable Australians, who have been forgotten
along with the "forgotten genocide".

For example, Edith Glanville from Haberfield, Sydney, lost her son
Leigh, from the 1st Battalion, who died in battle at Gallipoli. Thus
began her extraordinary journey with the Armenian people.

Glanville was the first woman justice of the peace in NSW and founded
both the Quota and Soroptimist clubs in Australia. Most notably she
was honorary secretary of the Armenian Relief Fund of NSW from 1922,
and became a driving force in raising more than $100,000 worth of
supplies (about $19 million in today's value) within months.

Other members of the relief fund included Charles Lloyd Jones, the
first chairman of the ABC; and Oscar Lines, the general manager of
the Bank of NSW. Glanville was so concerned about the plight of the
Armenians that she ended up adopting an Armenian orphan.

Former Menzies cabinet minister and British high commissioner Thomas
White was a prisoner of war during World War I in Turkey. As a
witness to the Armenian genocide, he later returned home and joined
the Armenian relief effort.

Another prominent Australian, the Rev J.E.Cresswell from Adelaide's
Congregational Church (now the Uniting Church), was national secretary
of the Armenian Relief Fund of Australasia in the 1920s.

Witnessing the plight of Armenian refugees in Syria in 1923, Cresswell
said: "Over 6000 are here. The sights within these caves are beyond
words. No words seem adequate to describe the misery that must be
the portion of these poor people."

He oversaw relief programs from port to destination, including setting
up an Australian-funded orphanage for 1700 children who survived the
genocide in Antelias, Lebanon.

That site is now one of the holiest for Armenians, the Catholicosate
of Cilicia.

In 1918, Sydney mayor James Joynton Smith set up the Armenian Relief
Fund, which included prominent philanthropists and business people
such as the Griffith brothers, one of the largest suppliers of tea
and coffee in Australia, and the Elliot brothers, one of the nation's
biggest pharmaceutical groups.

This fund, with the help of many Sydneysiders, raised hundreds of
thousands of dollars to help the Armenians, all when Australians
were already sacrificing so much during World War I. Even prime
minister Billy Hughes promised that free freight would be provided
by commonwealth steamers for any contribution to the fund.

These are just some of the hundreds of Australian stories of
generosity, hope and moral decency that have been unearthed. In
the words of Robert Manne: "In world history there is an intimate
connection between the Dardanelles campaign and the Armenian genocide."

So, as we reflect on the sacrifices of brave Australians who landed
on those distant shores, let's also remember those Australians who
lost loved ones and, through the kindness of their hearts, were able
to save others.

Vicken Babkenian is director of the Australian Institute for Holocaust
and Genocide Studies.

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Capitol Hill

REP. SCHIFF VOWS TO CONTINUE FIGHT TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

US Fed News
April 24, 2008 Thursday 1:06 AM EST

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. (29th CD), issued the following news
release:

At an event on Capitol Hill last night in honor of the 93rd Anniversary
of the Armenia Genocide, Rep. Adam Schiff vowed to continue to lead
efforts in Congress to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Rep. Schiff
is the sponsor of "The Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the
Armenian Genocide" resolution (H. Res. 106) which calls on the
President to "ensure that the foreign policy of the United States
reflects appropriate understanding" of the "Armenian Genocide" and to
"accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation
of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide." His remarks from last night's
event are below:

"I'm Congressman Adam Schiff and I'm very proud to represent one of the
largest Armenian communities in the country. Ninety-three years ago,
a million and a half people lost their lives for the simple reason
that they were Armenian. It began with a round-up of intellectuals. It
continued with forced marches in the desert; women and children,
parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles perished. Whole families
were lost. Almost an entire people were lost.

"Ninety-three years later we still fight in the greatest democracy
on earth to recognize the plain facts of what took place. We have
witnesses; some of them are here today. There are fewer and fewer
witnesses left, though, and while there are witnesses among us we have
the strongest moral imperative to recognize what they went through
and what their families went through.

"We have the strongest moral imperative to call that loss exactly what
it was - without equivocation, without mitigation - a genocide. And we
will fight until we succeed. We have a moral imperative and we have
a very practical imperative as well. And the practical imperative
is this, although this genocide took place ninety-three years ago,
there is also a genocide taking place today half-way around the
world. And we cannot have the moral authority we need to stand up
and ask the world to take action against that genocide if we don't
have the courage and the moral rectitude to recognize this genocide
and indeed every genocide.

"So this must change, this will change, the fight will go on, we will
prevail. I ask your help and God's help that we prevail in time for
the survivors to see justice done in their name."

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230078.html

REP. COSTA ISSUES STATEMENT ON 93RD ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

US Fed News
April 24, 2008 Thursday

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif. (20th CD), issued the following news release:

Today, Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) made the following statement
on the Floor of the House of Representatives regarding the 93rd
anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide.

Costa is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and supported
H. Res. 106, a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide in the
United States, when it came before him in Committee last October.

"Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 93rd anniversary of
the start of the Armenian Genocide, which was the first genocide of
the 20th century and sadly, the template for a cycle of genocide that
continues to this very day.

"It is, by any reasonable standard, established history that between
1915 and 1923 the Ottoman Empire systematically killed an estimated
1.5 million Armenians and drove hundreds of thousands of others into
exile from their ancestral homeland. The record of this atrocity is
well documented in the United States Archives and has been universally
accepted in the International Association of Genocide Scholars and
the broader historical and academic communities.

"However, there is still debate around the world, including here in our
nation, on whether this incident actually qualifies as genocide. On
April 26, 1915, the New York Times reported on the first reported
purges of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. Later in 1915, the Times ran
a front page article about a report from the Committee on Armenian
Atrocities discussing exactly what was happening to Armenians in
Turkey. 'The report tells of children under 15 years of age thrown
into the Euphrates to be drowned; of women forced to desert infants in
their arms and to leave them by the roadside to die; of young women
and girls appropriated by the Turks, thrown into harems, attacked or
else sold to the highest bidder, and of men murdered and tortured.'

"One can debate specific historical incidents, but growing up in
Fresno, California, the land of William Saroyan, I heard stories
shared by grandparents from the Kezerian, Koligian and Abramhian
families about being forced to leave their homes, the stories of the
long marches, and the random murders. Clearly, they believed there
was a systematic approach to eliminate the Armenian communities in
places that had been their homes and farms for centuries. My Armenian
friends believe this systematic approach was among the first genocides
of the 20th century, and so do I.

"Around the world, in the single, longest lasting and far-reaching
campaign of genocide denial, Turkey seeks to block recognition of this
travesty. It's against the law to even mention the Armenian Genocide in
Turkey. The Armenian Genocide involved the issue of man's injustice to
mankind, and it continued to occur throughout the 20th century in the
Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and now in Darfur. As leaders,
we must confront this and not allow Turkey to continue to stand alone
and ask us to believe that the Armenian Genocide was not genocide.

"In standing up to this policy of denial, we, of course, honor the
martyrs of the genocide and we encourage our Turkish allies and
friends to come to terms with their past. And, in a very powerful
and significant way, we reinforce our own vital role, as Americans,
in leading the international community toward unconditional opposition
to all instances of genocide.

"Last October, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed H. Res. 106,
a resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the United
States. Unfortunately, this bill has yet to come before the full
House for a vote. Supporters of this resolution are constantly told
that now isn't the time to recognize the genocide, that scholars,
not Congress, should determine if this event was genocide, or that
passage of this resolution will hurt our relationship with Turkey. I
could not disagree more with these statements.

"First, there is never a 'right time' to recognize
genocide. Ninety-three years have passed since the start events
occurred, and we cannot wait around for a convenient moment to
recognize this truly catastrophic historical event. Secondly, the
scholars have spoken and the historical record is clear and thoroughly
documented. And finally, we have seen over and over again that Turkey's
warning of disastrous consequences are dramatically overstated. In
fact, in nearly every instance, Turkey's bilateral trade has gone up
with each of the countries that have recognized the Armenian Genocide -
including Canada, Italy, France, Russia, and Belgium.

"Genocide is not something that can simply swept under the rug and
forgotten. We need leaders around the world to not only recognize it,
but to condemn it so the world can truly say "Never Again." The United
States cannot continue its policy of denial regarding the Armenian
Genocide, and I encourage passage of H. Res. 106 to recognize the
Armenian Genocide in our nation."

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230079.html

REP. MARKEY COMMEMORATES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

US Fed News
April 24, 2008 Thursday

Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass. (7th CD), issued the following
statement:

Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), entered the following statement
into the Congressional Record commemorating the 93rd anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide:

"Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the ninety-third
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

"In September of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson spoke of his vision
of a future Armenia. He said, 'Armenia is to be redeemed...So that
at last this great people, struggling through night after night of
terror, knowing not when they may come out into a time when they can
enjoy their rights as free people that they never dreamed they would
be able to exercise.'

"The Armenian people finally have the ability to enjoy the rights
that President Wilson hoped they would have so many years ago, and
for that we are all thankful.

"The nights of terror that President Wilson spoke about, the Armenian
Genocide, was the first genocide of the twentieth century. It was
the opening chapter of what was arguably the most violent period
of human history. In the decades following this initial Genocide,
the world witnessed genocidal acts against the xxxs and against
the Roma in World War II, and subsequently in Cambodia, Rwanda,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, and in too many wars to list here. Today, the
world is witnessing genocide yet again in Darfur.

"There is no more important way to commit ourselves to preventing
the genocides of the future than to commemorate and never forget the
genocides of the past. As such, I would like to note my continuing
support for House finally passage of H.Res. 106, the Affirmation of
the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution. In
my view, it is long past time for the United States to officially
recognize the massacre of one and a half million Armenians in early
in the twentieth century for what it undeniably was: a genocide.

"Countries all around the world have adopted similar resolutions to
ensure that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people are
properly recognized as genocide. Canada, France, Switzerland, Greece,
and Poland have passed resolutions affirming the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide. Properly recognizing the Armenian Genocide here
in America is essential to ensure that all past genocides are never
forgotten and all future atrocities are never permitted. This House
must afford the proper recognition to the Armenian Genocide. We must
do so not only because of our solemn obligation to recognize those
that were lost, but also because of our duty to those that can still
be saved.

"I yield back the balance of my time."

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230080.html

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Connecticut (US)

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBERED
By Meredith Blake

Greenwich Time, CT
April 25 2008

Sara Mushegian releases the Armenian flag as it is pulled up
the... (Helen Neafsey/Staff photo)"1"When Hermon Hosvepian was
forced by Ottoman Turkish soldiers to march through the Syrian desert
without food with her two daughters, all she could do was focus on
staying alive.

Her husband had been taken from their home and killed. And during the
grueling march across the desert, one of her daughters died and one
night, while she slept, the other one was taken and never seen again.

Hosvepian's daughter Catherine Papalian, who was born in the United
States, cried as she recounted the story of her mother and sisters
yesterday at a flag raising held outside Town Hall to memorialize
the victims of the Armenian Genocide, when 1.5 million to 2 million
Armenians living under Turkish rule within the Ottoman Empire were
killed or starved to death from 1915 to 1923.

More than 40 people, most of Armenian descent, gathered and shared
stories about their parents and grandparents, who survived.

Sara Mushegian, who organized the event, said her grandparents were
able to escape, spending years in the protective custody of American
authorities in Constantinople. But others were not as fortunate.

George Papailian's father's first wife killed herself out of fear,
knowing the fate that lay ahead, he said.

"There are so many horror stories," said Harry Nakashian, who said
his mother, at 11 or 12, remembered opening the door of her house
and seeing five children dead in the street.Nakashian's father never
could talk about the atrocities, he said.

Mushegian said that organizing the flag raising, honoring the victims
and survivors of the genocide is an important part of Armenian
heritage.

"I feel it's my duty," she said. "It's about raising awareness. People
know a little, but they don't really know."

During the event, First Selectmen Peter Tesei read a proclamation
declaring April 24 Armenian Martyrs' Day. The flag, with the colors
of red, blue and orange, was raised with the sounds of the Armenian
national anthem.

April 24, 1915, holds special significance as it was the day that
the Turkish government placed under arrest more than 200 Armenian
community leaders in Constantinople. It is seen as the start of a
government-ordered genocide.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230064.html

PRESS RELEASE
Date: April 29, 2008
Armenian National Committee of America
Eastern Region
122 W. 27th St., Floor 12
New York, NY 10001
Contact: Karine Birazian
Tel: 917-428-1918

CONNECTICUT ARMENIANS GATHER AT STATE CAPITOL IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

--Representative John Geragosian (D-25) presents proclamation from
CT Governor

Hartford, CT- On Saturday April 26, 2008, over 120 Armenians
gathered at the Hartford State Capitol for a commemorative service
in recognition of the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America, Eastern Region.

The program included an invocation from the local Armenian
Churches; recognition of Armenian Genocide survivors in the
Connecticut area; remarks by Rep. John Geragosian (D-25); and
presentation of a proclamation by the Governor (full text below);
as well as remarks and singing by the youth and requiem service.
Greg Kuo from the Genocide Intervention Network, gave an
informative update on the actions GI-Net is taking to have the
teachings of genocide in the school system.

Keynote speaker ANCA Eastern Region Director Karine Birazian talked


about taking action and being part of the solution. During her
comments she said, "As Samantha Power, Pulizer Prize winner, for
her book a Problem From Hell has discussed on several occasions,
you can either be a bystander or an upstander. I implore all of
you to become upstanders. And not watch another survivor pass
without proper recognition or watch another Darfurian die. We must
continue, as Armenian Americans, to raise our voices about the
truth and ensure that our children will not have to bear witness to
similar atrocities."

Following the special requiem service a "Madagh" was donated by the
St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian Church of the
Holy Resurrection, and St. George Armenian Apostolic Church where
gatherers met with Birazian.

Earlier that week on April 24 community members gathered at the
State Capitol for an annual Armenian flag raising ceremony.
Following the events Geragosian commented: "For years we have been
told that it is 'not a good time' to press for such a resolution.
"Enough is enough; it's time for us to come to grips with what many
nations the world over have already recognized'the 1915 massacre of
Armenian'Turks was a genocide."

As Majority Caucus Chair, Geragosian was elected to the Connecticut
House of Representatives in 1994. Representing the 25th district
located in New Britain he serves on the Appropriations, Insurance &
Real Estate, and Judiciary Committees.
####
Photo Caption #1: Representative John Geragosian (D-25)
Photo Caption #2: ANCA ER Director Karine Birazian

State of Connecticut
By Her Excellency M. Jodi Rell, Governor: an Official Statement

WHEREAS, the Armenian genocide was a horrific, senseless
persecution of millions of innocent Armenian citizens, during which
perhaps as much as half of the population of Armenian was
exterminated; and

WHEREAS, it is critical that we recognize and condemn the Armenian
genocide; and

WHEREAS, the history of the Armenian genocide offers and
opportunity to reflect on the moral responsibilities of
individuals, societies and governments; and

WHEREAS, each year, Armenians throughout the world honor those who
perished from 1915-1923; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of the State of Connecticut should always
remember the terrible events of the Armenian Genocide and remain
vigilant against hatred, persecution and tyranny, and

WHEREAS, the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide each year


provides an opportunity for people to reflect upon our own humanity
and the need to respect all peoples; now

THEREFORE, I, M Jodi Rell, Governor of the State of Connecticut, do
hereby proclaim April 26, 2008, as

A Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide in the State of
Connecticut, in recognition of the 93rd Commemoration of the
Armenian genocide and in memory of its victims, survivors,
rescuers, and liberators.

SIGNED: M. Jodi Rell

http://www.anca.org/press_releases/press_releases.php?prid=1476

Stamford Advocate, CT
April 26 2008


Student to speak on 20th century's 1st genocide

By Patrick McNamee
Special Correspondent
Article Launched: 04/26/2008 01:00:00 AM EDT


History is full of events and tragedies that fade from the public's
mind with passing time. Weston High School senior Anna Guller took
action to ensure 1.5 million lives are not forgotten.

Guller, 18, will read her essay about the Armenian genocide tomorrow
afternoon at its 93rd anniversary commemoration in Times Square in New
York.

It is three days after the annual remembrance day; April 24, 1915, is
considered the date the genocide began.

Guller learned about the 20th century's first genocide while attending
last year's event with her mother.

"It really affected me when an Armenian woman came up to me and asked
me if I was Armenian, and when I told her I wasn't . . . she seemed
surprised," said Guller, who was chosen to read by the
Armenian-American association Knights and Daughters of Vartan. "Right
then, I saw it was because they've gone so long without people
remembering what happened."

The Young Turks, a political party within the Ottoman Empire, carried
out the genocide during World War I in hopes of creating an
exclusively Turkish population.

It is estimated that 1.5 million Armenians living under Turkish rule
died from 1915 to 1923. Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of
Armenians died, but says the figure is inflated and that the deaths
occurred in civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

During last year's commemoration, Guller took photos and spoke with
survivors.

"They told me their stories and what they witnessed; they were
senseless, terrible acts and how they changed their lives. It was very
similar to the Holocaust," Guller said. "Their emotion just brought
the story to a whole new level." Guller was so moved by the
experience that she chose the topic for her college entrance essay,
and said she is thrilled to have the chance to present her essay this
weekend.

"I'm proud and honored that they were touched by what they read. It
was a new experience being able to get first-hand knowledge and
meeting them really changed me," said Guller, who will attend New York
University in the fall.

"I expect that it will be amazing. I want them to see that there are
those who are not Armenian that care about what happened."

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9062097

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

ARMENIA'S 'CHRISTIAN HOLOCAUST'
By David Smith

Jerusalem Post
April 25 2008

In late August 1939, the day before his invasion of Poland, Adolf
Hitler gathered his commanders at his home and informed them he had
placed "death's head" military formations in the east with orders
"to send to death mercilessly and without compassion men, women and
children of Polish derivation and language."

He assured his commanders the world would not long condemn them,
justifying his brutality by asking rhetorically, "Who, after all,
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" Hitler was
referring to the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turkish
forces beginning in April 1915. Until today, the Turkish government
denies the authenticity of both Hitler's statement and the genocide
itself.

Tel Aviv University professor Israel Charny, chief editor of the
Encyclopedia of Genocide, insists the statement was recorded by "an
indisputably serious" Associated Press correspondent, and that other
remarks were made by Hitler that "confirm that the Armenian genocide
was an active guiding concept in the monster's mind."

Kevork Kahvedjian, son of Jerusalem photographer and Armenian genocide
survivor Elia Kahvedjian, explains his father was personal testimony
to the genocide and its savagery. "When it started, he was only five
years old, but he remembered it very clearly. Especially the last
year of his life he remembered it..." Kevork continually slipped
into the first person while recounting his father's story, as if it
had happened to him: "I used to see lots of dead people, piles of
them. Some had been burned. Until today I remember the smell of burned
flesh," he narrated, detailing the death march through the desert.

He remembered the sound of the German cannons pounding the city, then
a lull of about a month before the Turkish soldiers entered his home
and took Elia, his mother, a sister and two brothers - one brother
was just a few months old. Two older brothers had already been hanged.

"Soldiers came and started pushing my mother. She tried to go back
to the house but the soldiers hit her with rifle butts and she had
to take the children and start walking." The Armenians were allowed
only what they could carry. They walked for weeks through the desert
of Deir Zor with soldiers on both sides. The soldiers offered neither
food nor water, but the prisoners ate some plants and drank brackish
water on the way.

After weeks of carrying her six-month-old baby, Elia's mother,
exhausted, set the infant in the shade of a tree and abandoned him,
hoping some kind person would find him. The older sister, about 12
years old during the march, was abducted. Elia found her 18 years
later and discovered she had been forced to serve in a harem.

In a wadi, near the end of the trek, "I heard my mother say, 'Today,
I think they're going to kill us.'" It happened that that a Kurd
was passing by. She called the Kurd and told him, "Take this boy and
go." The Kurd took Elia and the boy remembered, "At the top of the
hill we turned around and saw the soldiers killing everyone." The
Kurd took Elia, burned his clothes, gave him medicine for dysentery,
and sold him to a blacksmith, who eventually sent him away. Elia
sought refuge in a Syrian convent. In 1918, when the war was over, the
American Near East Relief Foundation began to gather Armenian orphans
and distribute them in its orphanages throughout the Middle East.

Elia was transferred to Lebanon, then to Nazareth in 1920. There,
one of the teachers was a photographer and Elia worked for him. Elia
learned the photography trade and became a prominent photographer. Many
beloved pictures of early 20th-century Jerusalem were taken by Elia;
the album, Through My Father's Eyes, celebrates his work.

Turkish authorities strive to discredit accounts such as Elia's,
although his testimony is confirmed by an abundance of contemporary
journalism, eyewitness accounts by statesmen such as American
ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Henry Morgenthau, as well as German
and Austrian documentation.

Charny claims there was "most certainly" a religious element in
the persecution of the Armenians, the first empire to embrace the
faith. (Armenia officially adopted Christianity as the state religion
in 301 CE, about 25 years before the Roman Empire did so.) "There are
even some who want to refer to this period overall as 'The Christian
Genocide,' because the victims of the Turks' genocide were not
only Armenians but also Assyrians and Greeks," he explains. Still,
he is reticent to use that term as it "could seem to remove from
the Armenian community their hard-won gains for recognition of the
genocide of their people."

According to Charney, "What stands out about the denials of the
Armenian genocide is that for many years, the full power of the
Turkish government has been devoted to denials of the genocide. Turkey
literally spends millions on advertising agencies and on publicity
efforts. It also throws the considerable weight of its government
behind coercing denials from other countries, with threats to the
United States of not allowing American military planes to use Turkish
air space or threatening to pull out of joint NATO military exercises,
as well as with threats of major economic retaliation should or when a
country, such as France, confirms recognition of the Armenian genocide.

"Israel is regularly the object of threats by the Turks and,
regrettably to say the least, for many years has kowtowed to these
threats. But then too so has the stronger United States"

MK Haim Oron (Meretz) proposed in March that the Knesset appoint a
committee to consider recognizing the Armenian genocide, adding,
"It is unacceptable that the xxxish people is not making itself
heard." Although the measure passed, MK Shalom Simhon (Likud)
responded, "this has become a politically charged issue between
Armenians and Turks, and Israel is not interested in taking sides."

Many Israelis are eager for their country to recognize the
genocide. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem will hold an event titled
"A Symposium in Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide" at its Givat
Ram campus on April 29 at 6:30 p.m. Both Kevork Kahvedjian and Charney
will speak.

Israel will eventually recognize the genocide, insists Kevork, who
manages his father's business, Elia Photo Service, in Jerusalem's
Old City. Kevork, named for the baby left under a tree in the desert,
believes, "One day they are going to say, 'Yes, it happened.' If not
now, then in 50 years!"

Otherwise, Armenians worry, states that refuse to recognize the
genocide risk rendering Hitler's rhetorical question a reality.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1208870483112