Recognition now!

Haytoug magazine about Kurds and Armenians

2009-07-08T04:01:00.000-07:00

Anti-Defamation League: We Do Not Deny Genocide

2008-08-30T04:41:00.001-07:00

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: WE DO NOT DENY GENOCIDE
Abraham H. Foxman National Director

Wicked Local
http://home.wickedlocal.com/2008/08/25/anti-defamation-league-we-do-not-deny-genocide/
Aug 25 2008
MA

With the appointment of a new boss for the New England region of
the Anti-Defamation League, the question of whether his organization
effectively denies the Armenian Genocide is again front and center.

On Friday, the ADL released another statement on the Armenian
Genocide. Readers, please take a look.

At least one Armenian-American advocate has found the statement
"disingenuous" on these grounds: The letter does not address the
fact that the ADL lobbies against Congress calling the deaths of 1.5
million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks "genocide."

No Place for Hate Date: August 22, 2008

Through our partnership, communities have implemented thousands of No
Place for HateÂ® activities, which have engaged tens of thousands of
Massachusetts residents. Additionally, No Place for HateÂ® training
has provided cities and towns with the framework and the support to
respond to hate crimes when they do happen. Our network of No Place
for HateÂ® communities is critical to building a welcoming, inclusive
and safe Massachusetts for all residents.

We are deeply concerned by ongoing questions about our organization's
position with regard to the Armenian Genocide. ADL has never denied
the tragic and painful events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire
against the Armenians, and we have referred to those massacres and
atrocities as genocide. All of ADL's anti hate programs classify
genocide as the ultimate crime against humanity.

There is simply no basis for the false accusation that we engage in
any form of genocide denial, and we believe this characterization of
ADL crosses the boundary of acceptable criticism and falls into the
category of demonization.

It is our sincere hope that this clarifies our position, and that we
can continue to work together to bring this awareness and education
to communities throughout the Commonwealth.

Genocide Denial Issue Sent Back To Policy-Making Board

2008-08-30T04:40:00.000-07:00

Genocide Denial Issue Sent Back To Policy-Making Board
By BRIAN H. KEHRL

The Mashpee Affirmative Action Committee has passed back to the
selectmen the question of the town's continued participation in a
program linked to an organization that some residents claim denies the
occurrence of a historical genocide. In what seemed like a political
hot potato maneuver, the chairman of the affirmative action committee
sent the Mashpee Board of Selectmen a letter last week arguing that,
since the selectmen make up the town's "policy making entity." they
should make the decision about the No Place for Hate program, its
sponsorship by the Anti-Defamation League, and the organization's
refusal to recognize the Armenian genocide in the early 20th century. A
group of residents asked selectmen last month to sever the town's ties
to the No Place for Hate program. 

Selectmen in turn asked the
affirmative action committee, the local sponsor of the pro-tolerance
program, to consider the issue and bring a recommendation back to
them. Despite the controversy, the affirmative action committee this
week continued its pursuit of a grant through the No Place for Hate
program. The committee is currently seeking contributions that would
match a $1,000 grant from the ADL. John J. Cahalane, chairman of the
board of selectmen, said this week that the issue would likely not be
on the agenda of the board's upcoming meeting, on Monday, other than
to acknowledge the board's receipt of the correspondence from the
affirmative action, committee. He said board members are still
researching the matter and are in need of more information before they
can come to a decision. "We are not ready for it yet is basically what
it is," he said. "It is not a priority subject right now by any
means. "Mr. Cahalane said he reviewed the No Place for Hate program
proclamation, which describes a pledge to combat racism, bigotry,
prejudice, and bias, and found he did not disagree with anything in
it. "You read that proclamation and there is no way you could disagree
with it," he said. "It is a national issue, and there is a lot of town
business for us to consider.

We have never before gotten into national
issues, and we haven't discussed yet if we want to now," Mr. Cahalane
said. The Anti-Defamation League, which hosts the No Place for Hate
program, has not only refused to acknowledge that the Turkish
slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians during World War I is
unequivocally "genocide," but it lobbied against a Congressional
resolution that would have identified it as such, Shahkeh Yaylaian
Setian told selectmen last month. Calling the ADL "genocide deniers,"
Ms. Setian implored the selectmen to cut the town's relationship with
the national organization. "[Participants in the No Place for Hate
program] have been duped by ADL, because ADL has not been transparent
about its work to deny the Armenian genocide," she said. Mashpee first
joined the program in 2000, then let its membership lapse because of a
lack of participation, and then re-earned membership last year. The
affirmative action committee never met to discuss the question of
sending the issue back to selectmen, but Town Manager Joyce M. Mason
said this week that it is the chairman's prerogative to make such a
decision without a public meeting. "After careful consideration of the
role of the volunteer members for both the Affirmative Action
Committee and the No Place for Hate Program, of which the members are
to conduct activities and events only, along with the fact that the
Board of Selectmen is the policy making entity, it is recommended that
the request of Shirley Setian relative to the Armenian Genocide
recognition by the Anti-Defamation League and the Town's further
involvement in their No Place for Hate Program be sent back to the
Board of Selectmen," according to the memorandum, written by Chairman
Janice Rhoden.

No Gold Medals For War, Occupation & Genocide

2008-08-30T04:39:00.002-07:00

NO GOLD MEDALS FOR WAR, OCCUPATION & GENOCIDE
By Gideon Polya

MWC News
http://mwcnews.net/content/view/24830/42
Aug 27 2008
Canada

Olympic Medal Tally Analyzed

The top dozen countries in terms of 5 or more Gold medals were the
host nation China (#1, 51 Gold medals), the US (#2, 36), Russia (#3,
23), the UK (#4; 19; the next Olympic host nation), Germany (#5,
16), Australia (#6, 14), South Korea (#7, 13), Japan (#8, 9), Italy
(#9, 8), France (#10, 7), Ukraine (#11, 7), the Netherlands (#12,
7), Jamaica (#13, 6), Spain (#14, 5) and Kenya (#15, 5).

The outcome of the Olympic Games as measured by the Olympic Medal
Tally of the marvellous athletes involved is heavily determined by
a number of major factors as briefly set out below.

1. Wealth i.e. how much countries invest in particular sports. This
is best illustrated the remarkable success of China (#1 for Gold
medals), as well as that of the US (#2), UK (#4) and Australia (#
6). China invested billions in the Olympic Games and both the UK (the
next host) and China made intelligent "investment decisions" that are
reflected in their Success. Australia did disproportionately well in
terms of population size due to its sports-mad culture and massive
investment in science-based sports training through the Australian
Institute of Sport.

2. Population i.e. the size of the genetic pool from which the athletes
are drawn. The biggest gene pools in the top dozen are those of China
(#1, 2005 population 1.3 billion), the US (#2, 300 million) and Russia
(#3, 140 million).

3. Population genetic factors. Thus West African or West
African-derived people (notably from the Caribbean and the Americas
e.g. Jamaica, #13) do very well at short-term endurance events such as
boxing and short-distance running while East African-derived people
(notably from Ethiopia and Kenya, #15) do very well at long-term
endurance events such as long distance running. However the bell-shaped
curve of "numbers" versus "attainment" for each country for particular
sports means that many other countries and regions can also deliver
athletics champions.

4. Sports culture and "cultural sport" are extremely important. Thus
Australia (#6) is sports-mad with a high level of participation. China
(#1) has stepped up participation in sports. As indicated under
population genetic factors above, particular populations go for what
they are good at (e.g. long-distance running for East Africans). While
most countries have joined the "World Game" of football (soccer),
the "top 15" at Beijing included 8 top football countries, namely
Russia (#3 in the Gold Medal Tally), the UK (#4), Germany (#5),
Italy (#9), France (#10), the Ukraine (#11), the Netherlands (#12)
and Spain (#14). Wrestling and weightlifting are major "cultural
sports" in a swathe of Middle East and Asian countries from Turkey
to Mongolia. In contrast, cricket was not an official Olympic event
but is an extremely important sport in the UK (#4) and Australia (#6)
as well as in countries not in the "top 15", notably India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.

5. Serendipity was important in many event outcomes. Thus astonishing
baton-change failures by the Jamaican women and US men allowed lesser
competitors to gain medals. Some swimming events were decided by as
little as 0.01 second.

6. Socio-economic and geopolitical factors such as war, occupation,
devastation and genocide were extremely important. Thus of the "top
15" countries only China (#1), Jamaica (#13) and Kenya (#15) were
not involved in the invasion and occupation of other countries in the
21st century and Russia (#3) only recently invaded Georgia (and then
mostly withdrew) in response to genocidal, civilian targeting, US- and
Israeli-backed Georgian invasion of South Ossetia and destruction of
the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali during the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games. All 11 of the other "top 15" countries have been variously
involved in the ongoing Iraqi Genocide (post-invasion excess deaths
2 million, refugees 4.5 million) and/or the ongoing Afghan Genocide
(post-invasion excess deaths 3-6 million, 4 million refugees). In
contrast, lack of performance at the Beijing Olympics can be directly
related to colonial, neo-colonial or current devastation by imperialist
powers. Thus Occupied Afghanistan and Mauritius (which hosts the poor
people who were 100% ethnically cleansed from Diego Garcia by the UK
and the US) each won a Bronze medal but Occupied Iraq (soccer Asian Cup
winner in 2007), Occupied Haiti, Occupied Somalia, Occupied Palestine
and Pakistan (whose Waziristan villages are being bombed by the US)
gained no medals of any kind.

For a detailed breakdown of Beijing Olympics involvement by country
see here: for the latest on the Beijing Olympics medal tally -
subject to drug tests - see Yahoo.

The superb Beijing Olympics finished with China leading the World in
the Olympic medal tally (51 Gold, 100 Total) over the US (36, 110),
Russia (23, 72), the UK (19, 47), Germany (16, 41), Australia (14,
46), South Korea (13, 31), Japan (9, 25), Italy (8, 28), France (7,
40), the Ukraine (7, 27), Netherlands (7, 16), Jamaica (6, 11), Spain
(5, 18), Kenya (5, 14), Belarus (4, 19), Romania (4, 8), Ethiopia (4,
7), Canada (3, 18), Poland (3, 10), Hungary (3,10), Norway (3, 10),
Brazil (3, 15), Czech Republic (3, 6), Slovakia (3, 6), New Zealand
(3, 9), Georgia (3, 6), Cuba (2, 24), Kazakhstan (2, 13), Denmark (2,
7), Mongolia (2, 4), Thailand (2, 4), North Korea (2, 6), Argentina
(2, 6), Switzerland (2, 6), and Mexico (2, 3). I'll call this Group
A - the group of countries that generally includes the top past
Olympics performers and all the countries we expect to score gold
medals because of national wealth and size (China, the US, the UK,
Germany, Japan, Italy, France and the Ukraine), wealth coupled with
keen sporting traditions (Australia, Netherlands, Spain, Belarus,
Romania, Canada, Poland, Hungary, Norway, Brazil, Czech Republic,
Slovakia, New Zealand, Argentina and Switzerland) and much poorer
countries with well-established track records in particular sports
that relate to the genetic predispositions of their populations
(e.g. Ethiopia and Kenya in long-distance running and Cuba and Jamaica
in short-distance running).

These successful countries were followed by a number of countries
(I'll call this Group B) who only gained 1 gold medal, namely Turkey
(1 Gold, 8 Total), Zimbabwe (1, 4), Azerbaijan (1, 7), Uzbekistan (1,
6), Slovenia (1, 5), Bulgaria (1, 5), Indonesia (1, 5), Finland (1, 4),
Latvia (1, 3), Belgium (1, 2), Dominican Republic (1, 2), Estonia (1,
2), Portugal (1, 2), India (1, 2), and Iran (1, 2). Group B contains
many countries that don't lead the world in general sporting prowess
but which are both very keen about and very good at particular sports
such as football (Turkey, Belgium, Portugal and Iran), weightlifting
and wrestling (Turkey and Iran) and cricket (Zimbabwe and India).

My Group C contains countries that obtained no Gold medals but which
nevertheless scored Bronze and/or Silver medals, namely Armenia (6
non-Gold medals), Sweden (5 non-Gold medals), Croatia (5), Lithuania
(5), Chinese Taipei (4), Greece (4), Nigeria (4), Austria (3), Ireland
(3), Serbia (3), Algeria (2), Bahamas (2), Trinidad and Tobago (2),
Colombia (2), Kyrgyzstan (2), Morocco (2), Tajikistan (2), Chile (1),
Ecuador, (1), Iceland (1), Malaysia (1), Netherlands Antilles (1),
Singapore (1), South Africa (1), Sudan (1), Vietnam (1), Afghanistan
(1), Egypt (1), Israel (1), Mauritius (1), Moldova (1), Venezuela
(1), and Togo (1).

Group C is similar to Group B in that it contains some countries with
well-known expertise in particular sports notably short-distance
running (Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, and Bahamas), long-distance
running (Algeria), tennis (Croatia, Serbia, Sweden, and Austria),
football (Sweden, Croatia, Serbia, Greece, Nigeria, Columbia),
weightlifting (Armenia), wrestling (Armenia, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan) and winter sports (Sweden and Austria).

Finally, my Group D contains countries who sent athletes to the
Beijing Olympics but which gained no medals at all, namely Albania,
American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Antigua/Barbuda, Aruba, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darusallam, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African
Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cyprus,
CÃ´te D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Djibouti, Dominica, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Fiji,
Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iraq, Jordan, Kiribati, Kuwait,
Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Macedonia (FYROM), Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall
Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Mozambique,
Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman, Pakistan,
Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,
Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rwanda, St Kitts/Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent
and Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi
Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia,
Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Timor Leste, Tonga,
Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vanuatu,
Virgin Islands, Yemen and Zambia.

All the Group D countries (with the exception of Peru and Saudi Arabia
and the tiny European principalities of Andorra, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Monaco and San Marino) have been subject to European
colonial occupation and its horrendous consequences in the post-war
era.

For a detailed history of the US contribution to this carnage see
William Blum's "Rogue State". For a detailed history and "body
count" of this horrendous burden of war, occupation, devastation
and genocide imposed by the "democratic Nazi" imperialist powers
since 1945 see "Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1905":
http://mwcnews.net/Gideon-Polya. 1990-2005 avoidable deaths (excess
deaths,deaths that should not have happened) in non-European countries
total 1.2 billion, this including a Muslim Holocaust involving 0.6
billion avoidable deaths.

It is useful to sum the 1950-2005 excess deaths in all the countries
occupied by foreign occupiers in the post-war era - country-by-country
analysis. Most of the perpetrators have been European countries and
are listed below alphabetically with both their number of Gold Medals
from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and their "body count" of 1990-2005
excess deaths in the countries they occupied as major occupiers for
some time in the post-war era (excluding Germany and Japan as occupied
countries): Australia (14 Gold, 2.1 million in Papua New Guinea and
Solomon Islands); Belgium (1 Gold, 36.0 million); Ethiopia (4 Gold,
1.8 million in Eritrea); France (7 Gold, 142.3 million); Indonesia
(1 Gold, 0.694 million in Timor Leste); Iraq (0 Gold, 0.1 million
in Kuwait); Israel (0 Gold, 23.9 million); Netherlands (7 Gold,
71.6 million); New Zealand (3 Gold, 0.04 million in Samoa); Pakistan
(0 Gold, 52.2 million in Bangladesh); Portugal (1 Gold, 23.5 million);
Russia (23 Gold, 37.1 million); South Africa (0.7 million in Namibia);
Spain (5 Gold, 8.6 million); Turkey (1 Gold, 0.05 million in Cyprus);
the UK (19 Gold, 727.4 million); and the US (36 Gold, 82.2 million).

For the record, neither China (51 Gold medals, Iran (1 Gold medal)
nor India (1 Gold medal) have occupied any other country over the
last few centuries.

If there were Gold Medals for War, Occupation and Genocide, the
leading Gold medallists scoring over 1 million on this 1990-2005 excess
mortality score would be, in descending order, the UK, France, the US,
Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, Belgium, Israel, Portugal and Spain
... or if Gold, Silver and Bronze were given for "total body count"
the UK would get Gold, France the Silver and the US the Bronze.

Dr Gideon Polya, MWC News Chief political editor, published some
130 works in a 4 decade scientific career, most recently a huge
pharmacological reference text "Biochemical Targets of Plant Bioactive
Compounds" (CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, New York & London, 2003),
and is currently writing a book on global mortality ---

Turkey Decries Toronto School Board Genocide Course

2008-08-30T04:39:00.001-07:00

EuropeNews, Denmark Aug 27 2008

The killings of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 is being taught alongside
the Holocaust & 1994 Rwandan genocide

In a letter to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the province's
Ministry of Education, the Turkish Embassy has voiced strong objections
to a Toronto District School Board decision to teach students that
the killing of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 was genocide.

The lessons will come in a new course entitled "Genocide: Historical
and Contemporary Implications" that will be launched with the start
of the new school year in September. The course's three case studies
include the Ottoman's killing of Armenians in 1915, the Holocaust
and the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Although the Canadian Parliament approved a motion in 2004 recognizing
the killings as genocide, the Turkish government has long disputed
the description.

The idea of teaching a course on genocide was first raised three years
ago by a Toronto board trustee, but has since been met with controversy
on all sides. Aside from Turkish objections, the Ukrainian Canadian
Congress advocated that the Holodomor should be included in the course,
and the Muslim Canadian Congress accused the board of religious bias.

As the controversy escalated over what was and wasn't included in
course material, the school board decided earlier this year to strike
a review committee. After a few public meetings, the panel concluded
that the course reading list would need to be approved by a panel of
historical experts.

It's unclear how the Armenian killings were included in the Toronto
school board course proposal, but the inclusion of one book in
particular, Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide by Barbara
Coloroso, sparked outrage.

At one point the review committee had agreed to remove Ms. Coloroso's
book from its reading list, which in turn prompted outcry from the
literary community and a letter from Penguin Canada president David
Davidar to the school board defending Ms. Coloroso's credentials as
an educator.

This past June, after months of debate, committee and public review,
the school board decided to include Ms. Coloroso's book as a text
examining the psychology of genocide, and on June 2 gave final approval
for the course to go ahead in 11 Toronto high schools, reaching about
300 Grade 11 students.

Turkish Outrage

That has prompted a backlash from the Turkish Embassy as well as
members of the Turkish community.

"This is a pedagogical thing and goes against traditional Canadian
principles of objectivity, and this is a matter of history...which
should really be immune to political pressures," said Yonet Tezel,
first counsellor at the Turkish Embassy. "That's something for
Canadian educational institutions to consider themselves, we don't
need to remind them of that.

"The school board's decision to go ahead anyway and teach it as
genocide, it's very objectionable, that's why Turkish parents are
concerned, and I sympathize with them."

Mr. Tezel said the Turkish Embassy has communicated its concern to
colleagues at the Department of Foreign Affairs and to provincial
officials that as the school year commences, Turkish Ambassador
Rafet Akgunay will continue to raise his concerns through diplomatic
channels.

The Council of Turkish Canadians has also expressed its disapproval,
especially of the inclusion of Extraordinary Evil.

Lale Eskicioglu, executive director of the Council of Turkish
Canadians, launched a formal complaint against the Toronto District
School Board in November. Ms. Eskicioglu also started a petition,
which she said has collected 12,000 signatures.

"It cannot be taught as genocide," she said. "You can teach it as a
dispute or under Ottoman history maybe, but you cannot teach it in
the same category with Holocaust and Rwanda. This is a very serious
crime. You cannot accuse a nation or its people of that which amounts
to slander and hate propaganda because it's not correct."

For Ms. Eskicioglu, this is a personal plight, and a situation in
which she feels she and her fellow Turks have been wronged.

"Why should my daughter, alongside with her Armenian friends, sit in
the same classroom and hear one-sided inaccurate versions of history,
which is categorized with the worst crime in the world?" Ms. Eskicioglu
asked.

http://europenews.dk/en/node/13407

Sweden’s refusal to recognize Armenian Genocide to harm Turkey

2008-06-14T09:42:00.001-07:00

12th june

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Vahagn Avedian, Chairman of the Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden, told PanARMENIAN.Net that he addressed an open letter to Swedish MPs to point out some major flaws in the stated arguments, mentioning that the Foreign Committee members are either poorly informed on the existing data, reports, conventions and resolutions or they simply disregard the broad information which strongly contradicts their assertions.

“The UNCHR Whitaker Report from 1985, the resolutions issued by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), the UN Genocide Convention, its background and meaning, along with the petition signed by over 60 world leading Holocaust and Genocide scholars were some of the attachments as evidence for the erroneous and misleading information the report suggested. But, the debate on June 11 proofed that the decision had nothing to do with the presented facts.

The more the debate went on, the more it was revealed that no MP could explain, less defend, any of the above mentioned arguments, save for maybe the last one. During the debate, Member of Parliament Hans Linde (Left), talking about the arguments stated in the document repeatedly asked the members of the alliance parties to explain the argumentation in the report and answer three simple and straight forward questions, namely 1) Who are these researchers disagreeing on the reality of the 1915 genocide? 2) If the 1915 genocide can not be recognized due to the chronology of the 1948 UN Convention, how come then the Holocaust is recognized? 3) Why should the fear of extremists inside Turkey dictate the freedom of speech in the Swedish Parliament? None of the defendants could give an answer. This actually might be the only light in the otherwise some what embarrassing situation that the MPs were faced with when trying to evade the questions in whole. Mats Sanders (Moderat/Conservatives) had, literally nothing to add but to refer to the report text. Alf Svensson (Christian Democrats), in regard to the “disagreement among researchers”, was asked to name only one serious researcher who renounces the 1915 genocide. He defended the proposition by stating that he “believes in the information they receive from the Foreign Services… I believe that this is the truth, and if it is proven otherwise, then I am truly sorry.” I am not quite sure if Mr. Svensson really believes in what he stated in that sentence. But then again, who, if not a Christian Democrat would safeguard issues such as moral, human dignity, and stewardship.

Mats Pertoft (Green), one of the co-authors of the motions, pointed out that the 1915 genocide was no different from the climate issue. For couple of years ago, there was a disagreement among researchers about the global warming, but now, even though there are some who still disagree, there is a consensus on the issue among an overwhelming majority of the researchers. The same applies to the 1915 genocide. Mentioning the petition signed by genocide experts, Pertoft joined Linde in urging the MPs to at least deny recognition on political basis and refrain from abusing the name of science and renouncing facts. A day earlier, I, together with Linde and Pertoft, partook in a debate broadcasted live by the Assyrian Satellite TV Station Suroyo. The TV station had invited several other MPs representing the “no” side, but in vain. No one was willing to participate. Linde’s radio debate on the subject, scheduled for the morning of June 11, was also canceled since the MP defending the Foreign Committee proposition had backed out in last second. Maybe, just maybe, the text of the petition, sent to all members of parliament, made a difference by stating that “Today, the data and information about the Genocide of Armenians, Assyrians and Pontic Greeks are so extensive that no serious politician can honestly cite insufficient or inconclusive research as an excuse to avoid recognition.” This was at least true in the case of those who chose not participate in any of the debates, rather than compromising their honesty by being forced to follow their party line and defend their denial of a genocide.

Two politicians defied their parties. Yilmaz Kerimo (Social Democrat), an ethnic Assyrian was one. The other, Lennart Sacrédeus (Christian Democrat), going against his party line, took the podium defending a recognition of the 1915 genocide and ended his statement by adding: “I know that we will stay here again in one year debating the very same question…Turkey will be hit by bad will for every debate in every parliament where this question is deeply associated with Turkey. I think that we acknowledge and can understand the background for why the issue is locked in Turkey; but the truth will set you free and it applies to Turkey and the legacy after Atatürk.” The truth will set you free, but Swedish politicians today displayed that they are neither ready to acknowledge the truth nor willing to set Turkey free from its dark burdensome past.

The debate lasted over three hours, during which the present audience agreed upon one certainty: no one of those recommending the rejection of a recognition could, based on the alleged arguments in the report, explain, less defend their case. It was soon obvious that there simply were no sustainable arguments to be given to explain why Sweden can not recognize the 1915 genocide. The “no” was purely a political decision for maintaining good relations with Turkey, nothing else. But could such a decision actually benefit Turkey? Or Sweden? Or EU? In my opinion, similar decisions and signals are nothing but doing Turkey, and not least oneself, a disservice. What kind of message do we send to a Turkey in urgent need of reformation and democratization when we tell them that it is actually acceptable to cover up crimes and deny facts and the truth? What kind of a democracy does Sweden and EU nourish in Turkey? Notwithstanding, I can not imagine a single Armenian who would not welcome, by European measures, a reformed and democratized Turkey as their neighbor. The same would apply to Assyrians, Greeks, Kurds etc. But, the kind of signals which the Swedish Parliament today sent surely cause more damage to the Turkish process of becoming a more open society than the opposite.

Another paradox in Sweden became evident, namely the existence of the Living History Forum, a government agency created in the wake of the International and Intergovernmental Genocide Conference in Stockholm, 2004. On their web site the mission of the agency is described as follows: “The Living History Forum is a government agency which has been commissioned with the task of promoting issues relating to tolerance, democracy and human rights – with the Holocaust as its point of reference. By spreading knowledge about the darkest sides of human history, we want to influence the future.” The Living History Forum lists the 1915 genocide as one of the genocides in the 20th century and educates the Swedish society about what really happened in the Ottoman Empire during WWI. It seems highly ironic that the Swedish Government and politicians do not practice what they preach. “By spreading knowledge about the darkest sides of human history, we want to influence the future.” Suddenly, Darfur makes total sense. The world which Swedish politicians, or any other politicians for that matter, shape by influencing the future with their denial of genocide is the kind where we do speak of, not a historic, but an ongoing genocide, that in Darfur; and we will most certainly experience yet many more.

The phrase: “history must be left to historians” is often used by the Turkish state and those politicians around the world who do wish to avoid treading Turkish toes by recognizing the 1915 genocide. I did not realize until today how true that phrase is. Actually, I totally agree with the Turkish state on this one: history must be written by historians, not politicians. Today, however, Swedish MPs wrote their own new version of the history, a revised alternative suiting their political agenda, denouncing a broad data and consensus put forward by the expert scholars in the field. I hope that Swedish leaders, as well as all political leaders, would in future leave the research to researchers and base their decision making on presented facts put forward by scholars. Sacrédeus’ prophecy will be fulfilled as the 1915 genocide will most certainly be discussed in the Swedish Parliament again and again. As an answer to the last question I got in the TV debate, about how we will continue when the highly expected rejection in the Parliament comes, I replied “We will go on remembering the genocide of 1915, even after its recognition. We have already started the preparation for the manifestation on April 24, 2009, which, as the last two years, will take place in front of the Swedish Parliament. But, I hope that this time, instead of calling upon the Parliament to recognize the genocide, we will thank the MPs for having recognized it,” Vahagn Avedian said.

On June 11, a long debate took place in the Swedish parliament in regard to the Foreign Committee report on Human Rights, including five motions calling upon the Swedish government and parliament to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.

On June 12, 2008, the Swedish parliament, with the votes 245 to 37 (1 abstain, 66 absent), rejected a call for recognition of the 1915 genocide in the Ottoman Empire. On June 11, a long debate took place in the Swedish Parliament in regard to the Foreign Committee report on Human Rights, including five motions calling upon the Swedish Government and Parliament to officially recognize the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

In its answer (2007/2008:UU9), a majority consisting of the ruling alliance parties together with the Social Democrats (opposition party) proposed rejecting the motions, whereby the Green (Miljöpartiet) and the Left (Vänsterpartiet) parties announced their reservations, forcing the Parliament to have a debate in the main chamber before the proposal was voted on.

The argumentation for why recognition should be rejected was based on four main assumptions: “no particular consideration regarding the Armenian situation has ever been in form of an UN Resolution, either in 1985 or any other occasion; the Committee understands that what engulfed the Armenians, Assyrian/Syrians and Chaldeans during the reign of the Ottoman Empire would, according to the 1948 Convention, probably be regarded as genocide, if it had been in power at the time; there is still a disagreement among the experts regarding the different course of events of the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The same applies to the underlying causes and how the assaults shall be classified; [in regard to the development in Turkey] in the time being, it would be venturesome to disturb an initiate and delicate national process.”

"Christians in Ottoman Empire" international conference to be held in Canada in 2009

2008-06-14T09:41:00.001-07:00

13 june

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Canada-based Union of Middle East Christians has organized a reception to honor Arman Hakobian, Armenia’s Charge d’Affairs in Canada, who answered numerous questions of the attendees during the event, the RA MFA press office reported.

The Union is hopeful that the Armenian Embassy will sponsor the “Christians in Ottoman Empire” international conference that will be held in Montreal in 2009.

The Union of Middle East Christians includes the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Churches, Chaldean and Assyrian Orthodox Churches and a number of others.

Ukrainians irked over genocide snub

2008-06-14T09:40:00.001-07:00

13 june

Ukrainians irked over genocide snub
1932 Holodomor left off T.O. board's list of atrocities

By BRETT CLARKSON, SUN MEDIA
June 13, 2008



Leaders of an "insulted" Ukrainian community last night blasted the
Toronto District School Board for approving a genocide class that
doesn't include the 1932-33 Holodomor in its list of three atrocities
to be studied in-depth.

The TDSB last night unanimously approved the course design for the
Grade 11 genocide class, which will focus mainly on three mass murders
-- the 1915 Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, and the 1994 Rwandan
genocide.

But a board superintendent, Nadine Segal, said other genocides,
including the current Darfur crisis as well as the Soviet-engineered
Ukrainian Holodomor famine, will be touched upon in a broader, survey
context. Students will have the opportunity to choose other genocides
for independent study, Segal said.

The three atrocities studied in-depth will introduce the students to
the concept of genocides and crimes against humanity to give them the
tools to look critically at the world and its atrocities, she said.

"There's certainly no attempt to undermine anybody's tragedy or to
suggest that anyone's suffering is less important than anyone else's,
by focusing on the three that we did," Segal said.

The Ukrainians at the packed meeting last night were angered by the
decision because they want the Holodomor to be a core area of study in
the course, while members of the Turkish-Canadian community were upset
over the inclusion of the Armenian genocide.

"We're insulted as a worldwide Ukrainian community, and we're insulted
as a local community," said Markian Shwec, president of the Ukrainian
Canadian Congress Toronto branch. "We have 100,000 people in Toronto,
over 1.2 million Canadians are of Ukrainian descent, and we're being
refused the opportunity to teach one of the worst tragedies of mankind
(as a core component), so we are insulted."  The 50 or so
Turkish-Canadians, who carried placards that read "Stop Armenian Hate
Propaganda!", said Turks dispute the genocide claim, and that the 1.5
million Armenian deaths were a result of war and two million Muslims
in the Ottoman Empire also died.

"I don't want our kids to be subjected to this kind of hate
propaganda," said Ali Bukey, 52, a Turkish-Canadian.

But Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National
Committee of Canada, disagreed.

"These people are ultra-nationalists who are propagating the Turkish
government's policy of denial," Babikian said. "These people don't
represent the Turkish-Canadian community. They are extremists."

The class, which will be offered in 12 high school across the city in
September, is the first of its kind for the school board.

TDSB approves high school course on genocide

2008-06-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

13 june

Toronto - A controversial high school course on genocide has been
unanimously approved by the Toronto District School Board.

The Globe and Mail reports about 50 protestors waved Turkish flags and
picket signs outside the board's North York office Thursday night
objecting to the inclusion of the Armenian genocide as one of the
course's three-case studies.

Meanwhile, a group of Ukrainian-Canadians sat in meeting to support
the inclusion of the Ukrainian genocide.

Board members say they hope the new course will help promote
cross-cultural understanding and awareness of the dangers of
stereotyping and prejudice.

RICHARD HOVHANNISIAN TO GIVE LECTURE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

2008-03-30T11:21:00.002-07:00



Noyan Tapan
March 28, 2008

Richard G. Hovannisian, a professor of Armenian and Near Eastern
History at the University of California, Los Angeles, will present
two lectures about Armenia in the Florida Atlantic University. The
first lecture, entitled "The Armenian Genocide as a Prototype,"
will take place on April 2 in the Senate Chambers of the Student
Union of Florida Atlantic University. The second lecture, entitled
"The Changing Landscape of Historic Western Armenia," will take place
on April 6 in the Grand Palm Room of the Student Union Building.

CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO TAKE PLACE IN JERUSALEM

2008-03-30T11:21:00.001-07:00

Noyan Tapan
March 28, 2008

JERUSALEM, MARCH 28, ARMENIANS TODAY - NOYAN TAPAN. A symposium on the
commemoration of the Armenian Genocide will take place in the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem on April 29. As they report from the local
Armenian community, professor Israel Charney will be the main speaker.

HPRB APPROVES CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM IN WASHINGTON

2008-03-30T11:20:00.002-07:00

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.03.2008 14:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a public hearing convened on March 27, the
Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), which is charged with
responsibility for the protection, enhancement and perpetuation of
properties of historical, cultural and aesthetic merit in the District
of Columbia, in a unanimous vote gave concept approval for the Armenian
Genocide Museum of America (AGMA). The plans call for restoring the
exterior of the historical bank building, modifying the interior to
accommodate the museum exhibits, and building a new glass structure
next to the historic bank, which will be surfaced with native Armenian
stone to complement the bank building, AGMA told PanARMENIAN.Net.

HPRB Chairman Tersh Boasberg complimented AGMA and its team for their
care in developing a project, "that~Rs what historic preservation is
all about," adding that AGMA~Rs plans for the structure to deal with
the Armenian Genocide were "exciting."

Van Krikorian, chairman of the museum building and operations
committee, opened by thanking HPRB members for the interest they have
taken in the project. He stated that AGMA is excited about the project,
and is moving forward with special "sensitivity to the history of the
building," and stressed that AGMA wanted to preserve the historical
building in which it will be housed, especially considering our
experience from the Genocide and Armenians~R own sensitivity to
preserving important historical structures. He thanked the HPRB and
those who had contributed for their involvement and assistance.

Upon hearing principal architect Gary Martinez present in detail
the proposed museum and the restoration plans for the former bank
building located two blocks from the White House, HPRB also commended
AGMA for the team assembled to create what it described as a "highly
imaginative project." HPRB described the museum plans as "dramatic"
use of the historically-designated building. Details of some sensitive
interior issues remain to be worked out as the development progresses,
and AGMA indicated its flexibility in working with the HPRB in that
process.  HPRB Commission members and staff had several questions
and constructive comments.

Earlier in the week, the AGMA planning team made presentations to
the DC Preservation League and the Advisory Neighborhood Committee~Rs
Community Development Committee (ANC-CDC). The DC Preservation League,
a community-based organization, strongly endorsed the project and
its representative Patrick Burkhardt called the proposal to locate
a museum in the historic building a "textbook marriage." The ANC-CDC
also endorsed the project.

Following the unanimous vote, Krikorian again thanked the HPRB, the
AGMA staff, architects, exhibit planners, and project managers, adding
"this is a great day for all of us committed to opening a first class
Armenian Genocide Museum in Washington." HPRB Chairman Boasberg closed
the hearing by saying that the Armenian Genocide Museum project will
"add to the kind of vitality that historic preservation can provide"
in the heart of downtown Washington, with a benefit for the District
of Columbia as well as national and international audiences.

The former National Bank of Washington has interior and exterior
designations on the National Register of Historic Places. Only a
dozen privately-owned structures in the capital city have such a
high level of historic designation. The bank building is slated for
complete restoration and renovation, as well as application as the
exhibit space for AGMA. HPRB concept approval and enlistment of local
community support registered two certified milestones in opening the
museum on schedule.

HPRB commissioners are appointed by the mayor of the District of
Columbia. The presentation they heard was prepared by the firm of
Martinez & Johnson Architecture, whose talents and experience in
rehabilitating especially ornate historic buildings was noted. The
architectural team was supported by representatives from Gallagher &
Associates contracted by AGMA as its exhibit design firm, the Armenian
National Institute serving as the research arm of the museum project,
and by the project management firm of Regan Associates.

Martinez & Johnson Architecture and Gallagher & Associates have been
working on the development of the museum project since mid-2007. Regan
Associates joined the planning team in February of this year. Among
several museum and other projects led by the firm, most recently
Regan Associates completed the Orientation Center, Education Center,
and Museum at Mount Vernon Estates, the home of President George
Washington.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE

2008-03-30T11:20:00.001-07:00

armradio.am
28.03.2008 17:07

Upon the initiative of Armenia, on March 28 in Geneva the UN Human
Rights Council adopted the Resolution on "Prevention of Genocide." This
was the first resolution on prevention of genocide ever adopted in
the UN Human Rights system.

The Resolution is the continuation of Armenia's previous initiative
in the UN in the direction of genocide prevention and is aimed at
discussing the synchronization of the activity of mechanisms addressing
the issue of early prevention, elaboration of the early warning signs,
the practical level of genocide prevention.

The adoption of the resolution is characteristic also with regard to
the fact that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the International
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

This resolution that enjoyed broad support was co-authored by 58
countries, including all the EU member states, Switzerland, Austria,
Argentine, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Norway and others.

KNESSET PANEL TO CONSIDER RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

2008-03-30T11:18:00.001-07:00


By Shahar Ilan, Haaretz Correspondent

KarabakhOpen
27-03-2008 10:55:40

The Knesset decided Wednesday that a parliamentary committee will hold
an unprecedented hearing on whether to recognize the World War I-era
mass murder of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. The
decision to hold a hearing, which was proposed by Meretz Chairman
Haim Oron, was approved by a 12-MK margin. The government did not
oppose the motion. The Knesset House Committee will decide whether
the issue will be handed over to the Knesset Education Committee,
as Oron wants, or to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as
requested by Yisrael Beiteinu MK Yosef Shagal. The latter generally
holds hearings behind closed doors. Advertisement Oron wants the
committee to recognize the Armenian genocide, pointing out that similar
recognition has been afforded recently by the French parliament and the
United States Congress. "It is appropriate that the Israeli Knesset,
which represents the Jewish people, recognize the Armenian genocide,"
said Oron. "It is unacceptable that the Jewish people is not making
itself heard." The Meretz MK added that he raises the proposal every
year ahead of Armenian Genocide Day, which falls on April 24. Minister
Shalom Simhon, who represented the government in the Knesset debate,
did not object to sending the issue to committee. Simhon said the
Jewish people have a special sensitivity to the issue and a moral
obligation to remember tragic episodes in human history, including
the mass murder of the Armenians. Nonetheless, Simhon added that,
"in the course of time this has become a politically charged issue
between Armenians and Turks ? and Israel is not interested in taking a
side." Shagal warned that recognizing the killings as a genocide could
have repercussions for Israel's diplomatic relations with Turkey, as
well as the fate of tens of thousands of Jews who live in Azerbaijan.

UPCOMING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION IN MONTEBELLO

2008-03-21T08:36:00.001-07:00




       This April 24 marks the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.  As in previous years, the Armenian nation will commemorate
the martyrs of the Genocide.  By commemorating Armenians pay tribute to
their ancestors. This has also become a tradition for the new
generation, in order to keep alive the torch of the Armenian struggle
until its just and complete resolution.

       Today, the Turkish government not only denies the Genocide, but
also spares nothing to revise history in an effort to confuse the
world.  The more Turkey continues this denialist policy, the more we, as
Armenians, must demonstrate strong will and commitment.  Thus, while our
cause is symbolically represented by April 24, it cannot be limited to
commemorations on that day.  Our multi-faceted cause demands continuous
work, coordination, and a united spirit between Armenia and the Diaspora.

       Manifesting our united spirit, this year the Armenian Genocide
United Commemoration Committee has decided to organize a pilgrimage to
the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Monument at Bicknell Park in Montebello,
California.  Each participant will be given a chance to place a flower
in memory of the victims, and join our brothers and sisters in the
homeland, who traditionally make the same pilgrimage to the
Dzidzernagapert Martyrs Memorial Complex.

       The Armenian Genocide United Commemoration Committee will
provide free transportation to those who wish to participate in this
program.  The pilgrimage will continue every year, in order to make it a
tradition.

       Our national consciousness demands that every Armenian
participate not only in commemorative activities, but also become active
in the pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

ANTI-GENOCIDE ACTIVISTS VISIT HUNDREDS OF CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES DURING ADVOCACY DAYS IN WASHINGTON

2008-03-21T08:35:00.000-07:00



armradio.am
19.03.2008 11:46

Over 100 anti-genocide activists from across the nation joined
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and the Genocide
Intervention Network (Gi-Net) for their second annual "End the Cycle
of Genocide" campaign held in Washington, DC.

The three day program, hosted for the second year in a row by the ANCA
and the GI-Net, puts community human rights advocates directly in touch
with dozens of legislators and every single Senate and House office
in support of practical legislative initiatives to stop the genocide
in Darfur and end Turkey's ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide.

"It was so wonderful to participate with the Genocide Intervention
Network once again this month to advocate on these important human
rights issues," commented ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director,
Karine Birazian. "It was exciting to see new and familiar faces
throughout the region participate. We will continue to work to build
momentum and push genocide legislation forward in Congress."

Birazian, along with activists from the Eastern Region, spent three
days on Capitol Hill meeting with various members of Congress as
well as distributing informational folders on the Armenian Genocide
and the genocide taking place in Darfur, and highlighting legislation
pertaining to these matters. Eastern Region activists including those
from Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia visited close to
300 offices in the House of Representatives and over 60 offices in
the Senate.

Eastern Region activists met with over 50 congressional offices,
including Members of the House Committees on Foreign Affairs,
Intelligence, and Homeland Security many of whom are cosponsors of
H. Res. 106.

Those in attendance took part in a reception on Wednesday evening
during which several representatives spoke out on this important
issue and stressed the need to continue to lobby and push forward for
genocide recognition. At the close of the Advocacy Days, activists
were invited to tour the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Washington, DC.

NUMEROUS ANTI-GENOCIDE ACTIVISTS VISIT CONGRESSMEN AND DISTRIBUTE INFORMATIONAL FOLDERS CONCERNING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

2008-03-21T08:34:00.000-07:00



Noyan Tapan
March 20, 2008

WASHINGTON, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. Over 100
anti-genocide activists from across the nation joined the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) and the Genocide Intervention
Network (Gi-Net) for their second annual "End the Cycle of Genocide"
campaign held in Washington, DC from March 12-14th.

The three day program, hosted by the ANCA and the GI-Net, puts
community human rights advocates directly in touch with dozens of
legislators and every single Senate and House office in support of
practical legislative initiatives to stop the genocide in Darfur and
end Turkey's ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide.

ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Karine Birazian, along with
activists from the Eastern Region, spent three days on Capitol Hill
meeting with various members of Congress as well as distributing
informational folders on the Armenian Genocide and the genocide taking
place in Darfur.

STEPHEN FEINSTEIN, GENOCIDE SCHOLAR, PASSES AWAY

2008-03-18T13:14:00.001-07:00



AZG Armenian Daily
11/03/2008

Toronto, Canada-It was with shock and great sadness that we at the
Zoryan Institute learned of the passing yesterday of our colleague and
friend, Stephen Charles Feinstein. His departure marks the loss of an
important scholar, great educator, active associate of this institute,
and strong friend of the Armenian people. His death, while speaking
at a local Jewish Film Festival, caught everyone by surprise, as,
aged only 65, he seemed robust and full of energy. He was taken to
hospital where he died of an aortic aneurism that resulted in cardiac
arrest. His wife Susan was with him the entire time.

In the words of Vahakn N. Dadrian, Zoryan's Director of Genocide
Research, "His selfless and very effective involvement in the promotion
of studies that went beyond focused Holocaust themes and incorporated,
in particular, the Armenian Genocide, was a monument to his sublime
humanity. We will all sorely miss him."

As a Holocaust specialist, Steve was quick to appreciate the
significance of the interconnections between the Holocaust and
the Armenian Genocide. He worked energetically to introduce the
Armenian Genocide into the curriculum and public programs of the
University of Minnesota, creating, among other things, a very useful
teacher's resource kit and producing in conjunction with Minnesota
Public Television an award-winning documentary film, "The Armenian
Genocide: 90 Years Later." Under his supervision, the CHGS's website
(www.chgs.umn.edu) became a rich and valuable source of reliable
information on all aspects of the Holocaust and genocide.

Prof. Feinstein was the Director of the Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies since 1999, as well as an Adjunct Professor of
History at the University of Minnesota. Previously, he had taught
in the Dept. of History at University of Wisconsin-River Falls for
thirty years until retirement.

He had received a Ph.D. in Russian and European History from New York
University in 1971,and an MA in European History and Art from there in
1966. Steve had a scholarly interest in the artistic representation
of genocide. He wrote and lectured about it, organized art exhibits,
and his site provides a rare showcase for the art of Jewish, Armenian,
and other genocides.

In 2003, he helped organize a partnership between the University of
Minnesota and the International Institute for Genocide and Human
Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) to run the
highly regarded annual Genocide and Human Rights University Program
simultaneously in Minneapolis and Toronto. The partnership provided
official accreditation to the program in both locations. He served
both as Co- Director of the program and taught in it at both locations.

"In all my dealings with Steve, I found him to be both visionary in
seeing the benefits of collaboration between our two organizations,
as well as eminently practical in helping to overcome the inevitable
obstacles to such undertakings. He will be missed not only for his
vision and his scholarship, but also for his leadership in field
of genocide studies as a master educator," said Greg Sarkissian,
Zoryan's President.

Stephen sought to foster scholarly research and increase public
knowledge about the history and politics of ethnic and national
conflict in the eastern Mediterranean, with the hope that the
knowledge developed would contribute to reconciliation among the
diverse peoples of the region. In this respect, he collaborated through
the CHGS with scholars such as Eric Weitz and Taner Akcam on several
research projects with various other institutions around the world,
including the Zoryan Institute.

Always a man of conviction in the defence of truth, Stephen Feinstein
was one of the prominent signatories to the famous statement of 126
Holocaust scholars at the Thirtieth Conference on the Holocaust and
the Churches in 2000 "affirming that the World War I Armenian Genocide
is an From left to right: Houry Koolian, Sonia Bal, Greg Sarkissian,
Stephen Feinstein, Roger Smith incontestable historical fact and
accordingly urge the governments of Western Democracies to recognize
it as such."

Roger W. Smith, Chair of Zoryan's Academic Board, in remembering his
late colleague, stated that "Steve, whom I knew for many years and
worked with in many contexts, was one of the finest persons I have
ever known: he had integrity, intellect, generosity, and a universal
perspective that included all peoples. He knew a great deal about
tragedy and suffering, but transcended them with humanity and that
ever present sense of humour."

"Steve was well known for his numerous contributions to the field,
through his own research, teaching, public lecturing, organizing
conferences and publishing, and particularly through the help and
support he provided to countless students and scholars in their
respective efforts," commented George Shirinian, Executive Director
of the Zoryan Institute.

"He was outstanding for his countless efforts at outreach and
networking with others in the field. His collaboration, irrepressible
humour, benevolence and warm friendship will be greatly missed by
all of us at the Zoryan Institute."

Steve leaves his wife Susan, two children, and two grandchildren. The
funeral will be held at Temple Beth-El in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota,
Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM. The family has requested that any memorial
donations be directed to the Center for Holocaust and Genocide

ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC., 255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310,
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9, Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736
E-mail: zoryan@zoryaninstitute.org, www.zoryaninstitute.org

A GREAT EXPERT ON GENOCIDE DIES ON THE JOB

2008-03-18T13:13:00.002-07:00


Edwin Black

The Cutting Edge
http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=345
March 12 2008
DC

Of one America's most knowledge experts on genocide suddenly passed
away a few days ago.

Historian Stephen Feinstein, 65, died on the job last week during a
presentation at the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival. Feinstein lapsed
mid-sentence during his remarks. His wife reportedly rushed to his side
and summoned paramedics. But at the hospital nothing could be done to
repair what was close to an aortic aneurism. The loss to his family,
to his friends, to the community and to scholarship will be permanent.

As the founder and director the University of Minnesota's Center for
Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Feinstein was a expert on the unlimited
darkness surrounding humanity's greatest atrocities-the effort to
destroy an entire people by means of genocide. His collection of
books and articles was on the finest. His cavernous knowledge of the
small but important details was as encyclopedic. As smart as he was,
he was never afraid to learn more, and raced toward new facts the
way a thirsty man runs toward water.

Feinstein fearlessly devoted himself to the spectrum of the evil,
from the Holocaust, to the decimation of the American Indian, to
the Turkish genocide against Armenians, to the current systematic
mass murders in Darfur. He was fearless because he stood up to the
politics of genocide. Although pressured and threatened by Turkish
elements, he refused to desist in publicizing and documenting the
Ottoman genocide against Armenians. When the USHMM in Washington
tried to dismiss the Nazi-allied pogrom against Iraqi Jews, known as
"the Farhud," Feinstein refused to back down. When it came time to
shine a bright light on the Carnegie Institution's financial and
scientific support for Nazi eugenics, he worked vigorously.

I knew him as a close friend, a man who responded instantly by email,
but never carried a cell phone... a man who was as knowledgeable as any
about current events, but refused to subscribe to cable TV... a man
who invited me as a University lecturer on more than one occasion to
Minneapolis, but refused to let me stay in a hotel, instead insisting
I be a guest in his own home.

Like all his friends, I knew Feinstein's other side. When one spends
your entire day studying the most depressing aspects of history,
two unstoppable feelings grip you. Sometimes your clinical academic
stride is suddenly pierced by jolting disconsolation. Sometimes you
relieve the pressure with jokes. Feinstein was a ceaseless jokester.

That made him so human in a field of inhumanity, and helped those
around him know that his view held that progress required rising
above it-and that meant breaking free from the paralysis of evil
deeds. Once he and I shared a meal of Mongolian yak in a Minneapolis
ethnic restaurant. He never let me forget it, making yak jokes at
almost every turn.

Since obituaries by friends can be objective only to a point, let me
confess the following. I have worked closely with literally hundreds
of historians and experts around the world. They have their names
engraved in granite in the great centers of learning, from Berlin to
Jerusalem to London. But the ones I trust the most can be counted on
one hand: Bob and Sam and a few others. Feinstein in Minneapolis was
amongst those five. We have lost him today, but history will remember
his work for a long time.

Memorials may be sent to the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies,
University of Minnesota Foundation, Box 70870, St. Paul, MN 55170.

ANTI-GENOCIDE ACTIVISTS END FIRST DAY OF CAPITOL HILL ADVOCACY

2008-03-18T13:13:00.001-07:00



armradio.am
13.03.2008 11:11

Activists from more than a dozen states spread out across Capitol
Hill today for the first of three days of non-stop anti-genocide
advocacy, capped with an evening reception featuring powerful remarks
by outspoken Congressional human rights leaders, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

The three day program, hosted for the second year in a row by the ANCA
and the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net), puts community human
rights advocates directly in touch with dozens of legislators and every
single Senate and House office in support of practical legislative
initiatives to stop the genocide in Darfur and end Turkey's ongoing
denial of the Armenian Genocide.

The day began with an early morning briefing in the Aramian Conference
Room at the ANCA national headquarters and powerful welcoming remarks
by Jackie Kanchelian-Speier, a veteran of the California legislature
and currently a leading candidate running in the Special Election to
fill California's 12th Congressional District. If elected, former
State Senator Speier will become the second Armenian American in
Congress, alongside Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA). In her remarks,
she touched on her long experience in advocating Armenian American
issues and urged the gathered activists to remain vigilant and act
effectively in seeking to end the cycle of genocide.

Among the legislators in attendance at the Capitol Hill reception
on Wednesday evening were Representatives Jim Costa(D-CA), Rush Holt
(D-NJ), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Betty McCollum (D-MN), James McGovern
(D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Laura Richardson
(D-CA), and John Tierney (D-MA).

The expanded program, titled the "End the Cycle of Genocide: Grassroots
Capitol Campaign," is taking place from March 12th through 14th. Having
completed a full day of meetings, the activists will continue their
visits on Thursday and Friday, including a tour of the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial and Museum.

The activists called for a broad range of steps to end the Darfur
Genocide, among them increased funding for peacekeepers, divestment
from Sudan, and support for a comprehensive regional peace, as well,
of course, for the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H.Res.106 and S.Res.106).

AMERICAN PROFESSOR DENIES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CLAIMS

2008-03-18T13:11:00.002-07:00



Turkish Daily News
March 13 2008

The alleged Armenian genocide never happened and foreign reporters at
the time wrote false stories about things they never saw, said Justin
McCarthy, an American professor, at a conference titled "Enemies of
the Truth" Tuesday.

McCarthy, author of the book, "The Ottoman Peoples and the End
of Empire, 2001" said, "Western reporters wrote that thousands of
Armenians were killed by the Turks in Sasun between the 1890s and 1912,
however it is impossible to report what happened from Sasun to Kars
in Britain on the same day. It used to take a week to go from Sasun
to Kars," and added, "how did those reporters manage to report all
that on the same day if they had never been there?"

"Western reporters were liars, they only talked to missionaries and
Armenians and never wrote about the Turks killed in the region,"
he said. "Those who lie about history are enemies of the truth and
they have reasons for doing this," said McCarthy and added that those
reasons were propaganda, getting an Armenian state in the region or the
donations that they received. McCarthy also complained about Western
newspapers, which published and still publish the false statistics
of the 1890s, according to which around one million Armenians lived
in eastern Anatolia. "If those statistics are right, the Armenian
population in the region should be larger than the Turks, Kurds and
other minorities, but they were not," said McCarty, adding that those
statistics, which were said to be Ottoman, in fact were not. "Ottomans
never counted people using their nationalities.

The basis was being Muslim or non-Muslim," he said.

ARMENIAN WOMAN HAVING EXPERIENCED GENOCIDE TURNS 100 IN URUGUAY

2008-03-18T13:11:00.001-07:00



Noyan Tapan
March 13, 2008

MONTEVIDEO, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The International
Women's Day, March 8 was distinguished by a unique event in the
Armenian community of Uruguay: Ovsanna Agirmayan Kakosian turned 100
on that day.

Spiritual leaders, relatives, and friends visited her. An entertainment
was organized in a warm atmosphere, and to the accompaniment of
Armenian music Mother Ovsanna danced with her friends.

Speaking to Diego Karamanukian, the Director of Radio Arax, Mother
Ovsanna said: "I was born in Hachn, when I was seven we became
migrants, I lost my parents in Der Zor, in consequence of it with my
younger brother we were admitted to the AGBU orphanage and learnt
there. Then I married Panos Kakosian. Because of the slaughter we
moved to Kirkuk and Monsul in Iraq, then to Beirut. "My brother told
that when working in the bread factory he saw a dog with a paper
fixed to its neck, which warned them to leave the place quickly,
as a slaughter of Armenians had been planned," Mother Ovsanna told.

Conveying her behest to the youth, the 100-year-old Armenian women,
who has experienced the Armenian Genocide, said: "I wish the new
generations to love the Armenian nation and to keep the Armenian
language."

SENATOR CLINTON PLEDGES TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE IF ELECTED

2008-02-09T09:53:00.003-08:00

armradio.am
04.02.2008 10:25

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), a cosponsor of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution (S. Res. 106), urged Congress to adopt this critical
human rights legislation, saying if elected president, she would
speak candidly about the events of 1915.

Clinton is the second presidential candidate, following Senator
Barack Obama (D-IL), to issue a statement on the Armenian Genocide
in the past week. She is currently the only presidential candidate
to cosponsor the resolution.

Clinton said she has twice written to President Bush urging him
to properly characterize the crimes as genocide in his annual
commemorative statement.

"Our common morality and our nation's credibility as a voice for
human rights challenge us to ensure that the Armenian Genocide be
recognized and remembered by the Congress and the President of the
United States," Clinton stated.

"If the mass atrocities of the 20th Century have taught us anything
it is that we must honestly look the facts of history in the face in
order to learn their lessons, and ensure they will not happen again,"
she continued.

"It is not just about the past, but about our future."

Turning to the atrocities in Darfur, Clinton said that the U.S. "must
close the gap between words and deeds" to prevent such modern-day
crimes, adding, "As President, I will work to build and enhance
U.S. and international capacity to act early and effectively to
prevent mass atrocities."

Clinton also pledged to improve U.S.-Armenia relations and address the
issues facing the two nations including, increasing trade, fostering
closer economic ties, fighting terrorism, strengthening democratic
institutions, pursuing military partnership and deepening Armenia's
cooperation with NATO.

If elected, she would expand assistance programs to Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh, and increase cooperation on regional concerns,
such as a fair and democratic resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

"The Assembly thanks Senator Clinton for her longstanding support
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution and for calling on Congress to
adopt legislation properly recognizing the first genocide of the 20th
century," said Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "It is in the best
interest of this country, and the entire global community, to remember
the terrible lessons of 1915 and ensure they are never repeated."

LA LAWYER BATTLES GIANTS FOR ARMENIAN 'GENOCIDE' HEIRS

2008-02-09T09:53:00.001-08:00

Agence France Presse
Feb 05 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Lawyer Vartkes Yeghiayan has been waging a long
and hard battle against US and French giants for million-dollar claims
from Armenians dating back to the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.

Thousands of unpaid insurance policy claims have flowed in from the
Armenian diaspora across the globe to Yeghiayan's small legal firm
in Glendale, a Los Angeles suburb with the largest concentration of
Armenians in the US.

In his two-decade crusade, Yeghiayan and a small team of lawyers have
won 37.5 million dollars for clients after settling two cases with
New York Life in 2004 and later in 2005 with French insurers AXA in
California courts.

But the silver-haired, 71-year-old lawyer is pragmatic about his
quest to seek a financial settlement for the heirs of Armenian
account-holders, who lost their lives or assets in the mayhem of
World War I and before the birth of modern Turkey in 1923.

Armenians say at least 1.5 million were killed from 1915 to 1917 in
what they call a campaign of deportation and murder by the Ottoman
Empire. The claims are denied by Turkey, which says hundreds of
thousands died on both sides after Armenians took up arms for
independence.

Several of Yeghiayan's own family members perished, including a
grandfather whose name, however, does not appear on his lists of life
insurance policies which were never honored.

"These are not genocide lawsuits. What we are talking about is
companies making an immoral profit," said the former Peace Corps
assistant director.

"It's not for the money. It's the concept that your grandfather felt
there was a danger and wanted future protection for his family. As one
of the beneficiaries said, 'That's a sentiment I will always cherish.'"

The heirs of 9,500 Ottoman Armenians who had bought policies are
eligible to benefit from the New York Life and AXA deals, which also
have to cover more than seven million dollars in legal expenses and
fees. Any unclaimed funds have been earmarked for Armenian charities
and the church.

Yeghiayan's odyssey started back in 1986 when he was reading the
memoirs of the US ambassador to Ottoman Turkey, Henry Morgenthau.

In a meeting with then interior minister Mehmed Talaat Pasha,
Morgenthau was asked for a list of Armenians who had taken out
insurance policies with American companies. The Turkish minister
argued the Ottoman government was the rightful beneficiary since
there were no heirs.

Morgenthau, who had reported back to Washington on the horrors which
his consuls were witnessing, stormed out of the meeting.

For Yeghiayan, that passage was a moment of revelation.

"That's when I jumped out of bed," says Yeghiayan.

With the enthusiasm of a detective, he launched a massive paper-trail
hunt which took him from the State Department to the National Archives
and finally into the insurers' annual reports and aging archives.

Taking gambles, such as turning down an initial settlement offer, he
courted the help of influential Armenians in California's political
hierarchy to help clear legal hurdles.

In the November 2005 AXA settlement, the largest number of some
9,000 claims came from Armenia, where a poster campaign gave details
about the case and sought claimants, followed by the United States,
and France.

As in the earlier New York Life case, for which the funds have already
been disbursed, claimants from far apart as Brazil, Bulgaria and
Lebanon were also represented.

Under the terms of the settlement, New York Life denied any wrongdoing,
but "concluded that it is in its best interests to settle this action
... in order to avoid the expense, inconvenience and interference
with its ongoing business operations that would result from further
litigation."

But treasure-hunters will be disappointed -- the average award per
policy amounts to a modest 6,000-7,000 dollars in the so-called Class
Action cases.

Undeterred by recent setbacks in court, Yeghiayan now has his sights
set on Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank of Germany.

Deutsche Bank told AFP they "do not comment on pending legal
procedures," but both banks, through their lawyers, have denied any
liability, arguing the suit amounted to "unconstitutional" meddling
in Germany's foreign affairs.

Despite emergency heart surgery in 1999, Yeghiayan has no plans to step
down. "I realize the other side may have 3,000 lawyers and that Vartkes
will not be around forever, but what am I going to do if I retire?"

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT IN WALES SMASHED ON UK'S HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY

2008-02-09T09:52:00.003-08:00

Infoshop News
Feb 6 2008

Contributed by: WorkerFreedom
Views: 51

Armenians and Welsh came together on January 27 to pray for victims
of all genocides on the United Kingdom's Holocaust Memorial Day and
to remember the first anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink,
the journalist killed for raising the issue of the Armenian Genocide
in the Turkish press.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT IN WALES SMASHED ON UK'S HOLOCAUST
MEMORIAL DAY

Armenians and Welsh came together on January 27 to pray for victims
of all genocides on the United Kingdom's Holocaust Memorial Day and
to remember the first anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink,
the journalist killed for raising the issue of the Armenian Genocide
in the Turkish press.

As they gathered they discovered the ornate slate cross on the Armenian
genocide monument (pictured here) smashed into pieces with a hammer
left at the scene. The Armenian Genocide Monument was desecrated on a
symbolic day designated to recall the events, consequences and lessons
of the darkest days of human history in a deliberate and premeditated
act of vandalism.

Kind of sick, don't you think?

The monument in Cardiff is to remember 1.5 million Armenians who were
massacred in 1915. IC Wales reports it caused controversy at the time,
with members of the Turkish community denying the killings amounted
to genocide.

Caerphilly Councillor Ray Davies, who campaigned for the Armenian
monument to be erected, said many people at the service were close
to tears when they saw what had happened.

"The desecration of the monument reminds us that we must always
be vigilant against racism and hatred which is never far from the
surface," he said.

Director of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs Stephen Thomas
said: "It was particularly saddening for the Armenians present that
this happened on the day of the Holocaust Memorial Day. This service
wasn't specific to the Armenians. We were trying to be all-inclusive
about all those historical events where people have been massacred.

It wasn't very helpful in terms of trying to create a bridge and
links between Turkey and Armenia that this was carried out. People
were upset when they turned up and saw what had happened."

Hal Savas, a member of the five-man delegation from the Committee
for the Protection of Turkish Rights, was present at the service.

"Whoever has done it should be ashamed of themselves," he said. "We
would condemn any damage done to any religious monument."

The following is from AZG Armenian Daily.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT DESECRATED ON HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION DAY

The tiny Welsh Armenian community of Cardiff were targeted with a
despicable racist attack on Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27). The
new Armenian Genocide Monument (which was erected by the community
under the leadership of John Torosyan in November ) was desecrated in
the early hours of the morning before important ceremonies were held
today to Commemorate the Holocaust,and to remember Hrant Dink. The
ornate Armenian Cross on the monument was smashed to bits by persons
unknown using a hammer, which was left at the scene of the crime.

Turkish protesters disrupt Holocaust and Hrant Dink Commemorations

One of the Welsh Armenians said: "This is our holiest shrine. Our
grandparents who perished in the Genocide do not have marked graves.

This is where we remember them" Eilian Williams of Wales Armenia
Solidarity said that he blamed the so-called "Committee for the
Protection of Turkish Rights", under the leadership of Hal Savas for
the crime. We shall repair the cross again and again no matter how
often it is desecrated. We also challenge the UK government and the
Turkish Embassy to condemn this racist attack.

The Holocaust commemoration was a gesture of friendship by Welsh
Armenians towards the Jewish and Roma communities During the
Prayers for the Holocaust victims, the said Turkish Committee used
a loud-speaker to disrupt proceedings. Finally Martin Shipton, chief
reporter for the "Western Mail" the national newspaper of Wales gave
his tribute to Hrant Dink (also representing the National Union of
Journalists). The Turkish protesters also disrupted his speech.