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Armenian Student Association at UCLA
Kerckhoff Hall, room 146
Campus Mail Code 164006
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Armenian Graduate Student Association at UCLA
Kerckhoff Hall, room 316
308 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024
PRESS RELEASE
November 12, 2007
Contact: Gayane Khechoomian - [email protected]
Over 150 students gather to protest US Representative Jane Harman at UCLA
Community outraged at Congresswoman's retreat on human rights legislation
Los Angeles, CA - The University of California, Los Angeles community
protested Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA 36th district), during her
visit to the university on November 10th, from 6-7 PM.
Over 150 students joined the protest outside the Tom Bradley
International Hall next to campus, filling up the streets with their
large numbers and loud chants.
The Armenian Students' Association and the Armenian Grad Students'
Association at UCLA hosted the protest and were joined by fellow
students from campus as well as the Armenian Youth Federation, the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Shant Student Association, and
members Ferrahian High School's UCLA Model United Nations team.
`Having the UCLA community together protesting Harman's hypocritical
actions sent a strong message,' Chris Khachatryan, President of the
ASA at UCLA, added, `This goes beyond the issue of the Armenian
Genocide, because it is about putting humanity over politics, whether
it is Darfur, Rwanda, or the Jewish Holocaust.'
Nurit Katz, President of the Graduate Student Association at UCLA,
Michelle Lyon of the Undergraduate Student Association at UCLA,
Katrina Garcia of the Darfur Action Committee at UCLA, as well as Arek
Santikian on behalf of the Armenian community at UCLA delivered
remarks in support of the protesters during the evening's event.
"Our representatives need to have the courage to do the right thing by
voting on this resolution now and not allowing threats to get in the
way of upholding American Values and taking a stand against genocide,"
said Katz in her address.
Harman was visiting UCLA to receive the Jacoby International Award,
given to individuals who have enhanced international and intercultural
understanding through volunteer or professional endeavors.
The UCLA community and constituents of the Congresswoman are outraged
at Harman's actions regarding House Resolution 106, which seeks to
affirm the United States' record on the Armenian Genocide.
While publicly endorsing House Resolution 106, the Congresswoman
secretly authored a letter which was released publicly on October 3,
2007 in which she urged the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee to prevent consideration of the legislation.
`Saying that it's not the right time is an extremely dangerous
argument,' argued Raffi Kassabian, Executive Officer of the AGSA at
UCLA. `It gives inconsistent allies like Turkey the political muscle
to bully the United States and allows our foreign policy and freedom
of expression to be dictated by foreign powers,' he added.
The government of Turkey has been engaged in an ongoing campaign of
genocide denial and has remained maliciously opposed to this and
similar resolutions in the past. In its efforts to defeat H.Res.106,
Turkey has spent millions of dollars on high-priced lobbyists and
public relations firms in an attempt to intimidate the US Congress
into avoiding consideration of the resolution.
###
ATTACHED PHOTO: Students gather outside Bradley International Hall to
protest Congresswoman Harman's visit to the UCLA campus on November
10th. (credit: Meline Kyurkchyan)
Kerckhoff Hall, room 146
Campus Mail Code 164006
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Armenian Graduate Student Association at UCLA
Kerckhoff Hall, room 316
308 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024
PRESS RELEASE
November 12, 2007
Contact: Gayane Khechoomian - [email protected]
Over 150 students gather to protest US Representative Jane Harman at UCLA
Community outraged at Congresswoman's retreat on human rights legislation
Los Angeles, CA - The University of California, Los Angeles community
protested Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA 36th district), during her
visit to the university on November 10th, from 6-7 PM.
Over 150 students joined the protest outside the Tom Bradley
International Hall next to campus, filling up the streets with their
large numbers and loud chants.
The Armenian Students' Association and the Armenian Grad Students'
Association at UCLA hosted the protest and were joined by fellow
students from campus as well as the Armenian Youth Federation, the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Shant Student Association, and
members Ferrahian High School's UCLA Model United Nations team.
`Having the UCLA community together protesting Harman's hypocritical
actions sent a strong message,' Chris Khachatryan, President of the
ASA at UCLA, added, `This goes beyond the issue of the Armenian
Genocide, because it is about putting humanity over politics, whether
it is Darfur, Rwanda, or the Jewish Holocaust.'
Nurit Katz, President of the Graduate Student Association at UCLA,
Michelle Lyon of the Undergraduate Student Association at UCLA,
Katrina Garcia of the Darfur Action Committee at UCLA, as well as Arek
Santikian on behalf of the Armenian community at UCLA delivered
remarks in support of the protesters during the evening's event.
"Our representatives need to have the courage to do the right thing by
voting on this resolution now and not allowing threats to get in the
way of upholding American Values and taking a stand against genocide,"
said Katz in her address.
Harman was visiting UCLA to receive the Jacoby International Award,
given to individuals who have enhanced international and intercultural
understanding through volunteer or professional endeavors.
The UCLA community and constituents of the Congresswoman are outraged
at Harman's actions regarding House Resolution 106, which seeks to
affirm the United States' record on the Armenian Genocide.
While publicly endorsing House Resolution 106, the Congresswoman
secretly authored a letter which was released publicly on October 3,
2007 in which she urged the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee to prevent consideration of the legislation.
`Saying that it's not the right time is an extremely dangerous
argument,' argued Raffi Kassabian, Executive Officer of the AGSA at
UCLA. `It gives inconsistent allies like Turkey the political muscle
to bully the United States and allows our foreign policy and freedom
of expression to be dictated by foreign powers,' he added.
The government of Turkey has been engaged in an ongoing campaign of
genocide denial and has remained maliciously opposed to this and
similar resolutions in the past. In its efforts to defeat H.Res.106,
Turkey has spent millions of dollars on high-priced lobbyists and
public relations firms in an attempt to intimidate the US Congress
into avoiding consideration of the resolution.
###
ATTACHED PHOTO: Students gather outside Bradley International Hall to
protest Congresswoman Harman's visit to the UCLA campus on November
10th. (credit: Meline Kyurkchyan)