Tweet
TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY SHOULD REMOVE LIES FROM ITS WEBSITE AND ISSUE APOLOGY
by Harut Sassounian
asbarez
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
Turkish officials have been misrepresenting the facts of the Armenian
Genocide for years. Even though this is saddening and even sickening,
it is not surprising. Wrongdoers usually cover up their guilt and
proclaim their innocence.
What is truly surprising is that the descendants of victims of the
Armenian Genocide, having been accustomed to such Turkish distortions,
no longer see the need to put up a vigorous fight against denialist
"historians," politicians, diplomats, and reporters.
Why is it that descendants of the Jewish Holocaust go to great lengths
to counter denialist historians, neo-Nazis, and other revisionists,
while Armenians seem to be oblivious to those who distort their own
tragedy? Is it because they are simply tired of hearing the same old
Turkish lies year after year or do they feel powerless to put an end
to these distortions?
Earlier this year, the House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a
resolution on the Armenian Genocide by a slim 23-22 majority.
Regardless of what excuses the 22 members came up with for voting
against this resolution, the fact is that when the time came to stand
up and acknowledge the truth, they did not have the moral fortitude
to be counted among the righteous! Instead they chose to side with
the liars, deniers, and mass murderers!
And what has been the Armenian reaction to the despicable behavior
of these 22 members of Congress? No outrage was expressed by Armenians!
Not a single Armenian official condemned these scoundrels in Congress.
Where is the organized effort by Armenian-Americans to target for
defeat the Congressmen who voted against the Armenian Genocide
resolution and are running for reelection on November 2nd?
Imagine what would have happened if a single member of Congress had
voted against a resolution on the Holocaust! Would Israel's leaders and
Jewish-Americans have remained silent? They would have rightly done
everything in their power to ensure that such a member of Congress
is not reelected!
The question is not whether the Armenian-American community is as
influential or powerful as the Jewish-American community. Regardless
of its actual political prowess, the Armenian community must mount
a vigorous campaign to defeat its political opponents. Once word
spreads in Congress that anyone who votes against the Armenian
Genocide would be targeted for defeat, those immoral and spineless
members of Congress would quickly conclude that denying the Genocide
for a fistful of Turkish Liras is not in their own best interest!
Here is another blatant example of genocide denial that has gone
unnoticed and unchallenged by Armenians and the international
community. The Turkish Foreign Ministry's website includes countless
distorted statements on the Armenian Genocide. The website provides
deceptive responses to innocently-worded questions, such as: "What
happened in 1915? What is the total number of the Armenian deportees?
Did all the Armenian deportees die? Is it a crime to describe the
events of 1915 as 'genocide' in Turkey and are the ones whom (sic)
argue this exposed to legal investigation?"
On its website, the Turkish Foreign Ministry goes to absurd lengths
in a vain attempt to make Turkey look good by claiming that "Turkey
is the only country where the events of 1915 can be discussed in a
free manner!"
The website also makes the false claim that "there is no one in Turkey
now who has been tried or prosecuted due to the reason that he/she
described the events of 1915 as 'genocide.'" The Turkish Foreign
Ministry conveniently forgets that Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was
tried and found guilty for using the word "genocide" in an interview.
He met a worse fate than serving a jail term. He was shot and killed!
Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk was also charged under the infamous
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code ("Insulting Turkishness")
for stating that one million Armenians were killed! After intense
international pressure, however, the charges against Pamuk were
dropped, and subsequently reinstated! Many other Turkish journalists
and writers have been taken to court for writing about the Armenian
Genocide.
There should be a concerted effort by Armenian officials, Diaspora
Armenians, and the international community, demanding that the Turkish
government immediately remove those insulting lies from the Foreign
Ministry's website and issue an apology to Armenians.
Until then, no Armenian official should have any contact or meetings
with Turkish leaders. Just imagine if the German Foreign Ministry's
website stated that the Holocaust never happened! Would Israel's
leaders have carried on business as usual with Germany?
From: A. Papazian
by Harut Sassounian
asbarez
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
Turkish officials have been misrepresenting the facts of the Armenian
Genocide for years. Even though this is saddening and even sickening,
it is not surprising. Wrongdoers usually cover up their guilt and
proclaim their innocence.
What is truly surprising is that the descendants of victims of the
Armenian Genocide, having been accustomed to such Turkish distortions,
no longer see the need to put up a vigorous fight against denialist
"historians," politicians, diplomats, and reporters.
Why is it that descendants of the Jewish Holocaust go to great lengths
to counter denialist historians, neo-Nazis, and other revisionists,
while Armenians seem to be oblivious to those who distort their own
tragedy? Is it because they are simply tired of hearing the same old
Turkish lies year after year or do they feel powerless to put an end
to these distortions?
Earlier this year, the House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a
resolution on the Armenian Genocide by a slim 23-22 majority.
Regardless of what excuses the 22 members came up with for voting
against this resolution, the fact is that when the time came to stand
up and acknowledge the truth, they did not have the moral fortitude
to be counted among the righteous! Instead they chose to side with
the liars, deniers, and mass murderers!
And what has been the Armenian reaction to the despicable behavior
of these 22 members of Congress? No outrage was expressed by Armenians!
Not a single Armenian official condemned these scoundrels in Congress.
Where is the organized effort by Armenian-Americans to target for
defeat the Congressmen who voted against the Armenian Genocide
resolution and are running for reelection on November 2nd?
Imagine what would have happened if a single member of Congress had
voted against a resolution on the Holocaust! Would Israel's leaders and
Jewish-Americans have remained silent? They would have rightly done
everything in their power to ensure that such a member of Congress
is not reelected!
The question is not whether the Armenian-American community is as
influential or powerful as the Jewish-American community. Regardless
of its actual political prowess, the Armenian community must mount
a vigorous campaign to defeat its political opponents. Once word
spreads in Congress that anyone who votes against the Armenian
Genocide would be targeted for defeat, those immoral and spineless
members of Congress would quickly conclude that denying the Genocide
for a fistful of Turkish Liras is not in their own best interest!
Here is another blatant example of genocide denial that has gone
unnoticed and unchallenged by Armenians and the international
community. The Turkish Foreign Ministry's website includes countless
distorted statements on the Armenian Genocide. The website provides
deceptive responses to innocently-worded questions, such as: "What
happened in 1915? What is the total number of the Armenian deportees?
Did all the Armenian deportees die? Is it a crime to describe the
events of 1915 as 'genocide' in Turkey and are the ones whom (sic)
argue this exposed to legal investigation?"
On its website, the Turkish Foreign Ministry goes to absurd lengths
in a vain attempt to make Turkey look good by claiming that "Turkey
is the only country where the events of 1915 can be discussed in a
free manner!"
The website also makes the false claim that "there is no one in Turkey
now who has been tried or prosecuted due to the reason that he/she
described the events of 1915 as 'genocide.'" The Turkish Foreign
Ministry conveniently forgets that Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was
tried and found guilty for using the word "genocide" in an interview.
He met a worse fate than serving a jail term. He was shot and killed!
Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk was also charged under the infamous
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code ("Insulting Turkishness")
for stating that one million Armenians were killed! After intense
international pressure, however, the charges against Pamuk were
dropped, and subsequently reinstated! Many other Turkish journalists
and writers have been taken to court for writing about the Armenian
Genocide.
There should be a concerted effort by Armenian officials, Diaspora
Armenians, and the international community, demanding that the Turkish
government immediately remove those insulting lies from the Foreign
Ministry's website and issue an apology to Armenians.
Until then, no Armenian official should have any contact or meetings
with Turkish leaders. Just imagine if the German Foreign Ministry's
website stated that the Holocaust never happened! Would Israel's
leaders have carried on business as usual with Germany?
From: A. Papazian