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AZG Armenian Daily #035, 24/02/2007
Scientist Pursued for Recognizing the Genocide
TANER AKCAM PROFESSOR IS VICTIM OF CAMPAIGN OF INTIMIDATION
Taner Akcam, an expert on the Armenian Genocide and a visiting
professor at the University of Minnesota's Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies, was detained in Montreal by Canadian customs
officials Friday. He was held for more than four hours while officials
investigated a charge of terrorism leveled against him by unknown
persons.
Akcam had been invited to speak at a human-rights symposium at McGill
niversity Law School. A Canadian customs officer showed him copies of
reviews of his new book on the Armenia tragedy, "A Shameful Act," from
Wikipedia.com and Amazon.com that said Akcam was a member of a
terrorist organization.
While being questioned, Akcam was contacted on his cell phone by his
host, McGill professor Payam Akhavan, when he failed to pass
customs. Akhavan called the office of Jason Kenney, secretary of state
for multiculturalism, and Stockwell Day, the minister of public
safety. Akcam's release followed almost immediately.
Akcam, who is a Turk, believes this was part of "a campaign against me
by the Turkish authorities" for speaking out on the Armenian
genocide. "When I was at New York University recently as part of my
book tour, the autograph session was broken up by Turkish
nationalists. They distributed a flier labeling me a terrorist and
claiming that I was responsible for the deaths of Americans in
Turkey."
The same thing happened in December at the Benjamin N. Cardozo Law
School in New York, but with a twist. When e-mails suggested the same
group was going to break up a conference on genocide and law, the
sponsors called the Turkish Consulate in Manhattan to complain. The
next day, Akcam said, a consular official called Cardozo to say there
would be no demonstration. There wasn't.
Akcam said that because of the campaign of intimidation against him he
is fearful for his life when he travels outside the United States. "I
have been forced to cancel five international appearances at academic
conferences, " he said. "Under the guise of freedom of speech, certain
groups are causing me great physical and material harm. It is very
difficult to do my work."
Scientist Pursued for Recognizing the Genocide
TANER AKCAM PROFESSOR IS VICTIM OF CAMPAIGN OF INTIMIDATION
Taner Akcam, an expert on the Armenian Genocide and a visiting
professor at the University of Minnesota's Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies, was detained in Montreal by Canadian customs
officials Friday. He was held for more than four hours while officials
investigated a charge of terrorism leveled against him by unknown
persons.
Akcam had been invited to speak at a human-rights symposium at McGill
niversity Law School. A Canadian customs officer showed him copies of
reviews of his new book on the Armenia tragedy, "A Shameful Act," from
Wikipedia.com and Amazon.com that said Akcam was a member of a
terrorist organization.
While being questioned, Akcam was contacted on his cell phone by his
host, McGill professor Payam Akhavan, when he failed to pass
customs. Akhavan called the office of Jason Kenney, secretary of state
for multiculturalism, and Stockwell Day, the minister of public
safety. Akcam's release followed almost immediately.
Akcam, who is a Turk, believes this was part of "a campaign against me
by the Turkish authorities" for speaking out on the Armenian
genocide. "When I was at New York University recently as part of my
book tour, the autograph session was broken up by Turkish
nationalists. They distributed a flier labeling me a terrorist and
claiming that I was responsible for the deaths of Americans in
Turkey."
The same thing happened in December at the Benjamin N. Cardozo Law
School in New York, but with a twist. When e-mails suggested the same
group was going to break up a conference on genocide and law, the
sponsors called the Turkish Consulate in Manhattan to complain. The
next day, Akcam said, a consular official called Cardozo to say there
would be no demonstration. There wasn't.
Akcam said that because of the campaign of intimidation against him he
is fearful for his life when he travels outside the United States. "I
have been forced to cancel five international appearances at academic
conferences, " he said. "Under the guise of freedom of speech, certain
groups are causing me great physical and material harm. It is very
difficult to do my work."