>From: Press Agency Ozgurluk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Subject: "[Ozgurluk.Org]" Turks deny genocide on Armenians > > >Turks deny genocide on Armenians > >Through the ages Armenian people travelled around the world as traders >en businessman and setlled themselves everywhere. After the genocide by >the Turkish army in 1915 there came a massive migration, which spread >the Armenians all around the world. Approximately 5000 of the 4 million >Armenians living in the diaspora live in The Netherlands, with Almelo as >`capital'. In the town of Assen history became painfully present last >year, when an Armenian initiative for a memorial statue for the genocide >met with very angry Turkish reactions from The Netherlands and abroad. >We wrote this reconstruction and translation because we think it is >important to show how the arguments from the Turkish mobilisation work >and the Armenian Issue is nowadays a very actual matter in other >European countries as well. The recognition of the Armenian genocide by >the Turks and their government we see as crucial in the proces of >reconciliation and living together in harmony in a multicultural >reality. > >Point of argue; 1915-1916 > >The Armenian community exists of migrants and refugees from Turkey, >where they are still being treated as second-range citizens, and >second-and third generation Armenians, children of the victims of the >Turkisch genocide on the Armenians. Armenians are mainly christian and, >according to researchers, well-integrated in the dutch society. (1) > >Turkey removed the genocide of 1915-1916 from the history-books. The >Turkisch authorities deny every responsability for the systematic murder >on 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey rather talks about human displacement, >or about wardeaths, and emphasizes that there were also Turkish >casualties and deaths. The Ottoman regime in those days feared that >Armenians and Kurds could occupy the eastern provinces of the empire. >The solution for this problem was in their eyes to `Turkify'. Turks and >muslims-immigrants came from Bulgaria and Macedonia - expelled as a >result from earlier wars at the Balkan - were forced to settle in the >east. That was only possible when there was some space created for those >groups. Armenian property massively was seizured and the genocide was >bureaucraticly organised. For the genocide existed special army-forces. >Nobody was to kill Armenians without permission, who killed them at the >wrong place was to be punished. (2) > >Two million Armenian christians were deported to concentrationcamps >along the river Eufraat in the Syrian desert. During these transports >most of the people died. Beside denying the genocide, Turkey is >constantly questioning the amount of victims. Scientist estimate the >figures of victims between 800.000 and 1.5 million. Turkey denies also >that it was a political target, the systematic killing of Armenians. The >last critical point is that Turkey, founded as a republic in 1923, not >wants to be responsable for the deeds of the Ottoman empire. According >to Turkey-expert Zurcher is the denieng the same as Germany would state >not to be responsable for the crimes of the Third Reich. Anyway, the >first claims for compensation by Armenians are presented to the Turkish >government. > >Memorial > >The Armenian Nicolai Romachuk from Assen initiated the plan in the >summer of 1999 to raise a memorial statue. It will be a cross, made out >of stone from the mountains of Armenia, to be placed along the public >way. Romachuk wants to commemorate his parents, grandparents and >countryman at the annual memorial-day, the 24th of april. (4) At the >town-hall of Assen they refuse the application, but the wrong letter is >sent out to Romachuk and he gets permission. After a strong conversation >between Romachuk and the town-hall, Romachuk agrees with a much smaller >memorial cross, a place on a grave-yard and an inscription in which >nothing refers to the genocide. > >A storm of protests from within the Turkish community is the result. The >local Turkisch centre, which is full of nationalists, mobilises >strongly. Even the Turkisch embassy and consulate protest. A >country-wide Turkish organisation wants to take juridical action against >the statue. They even threat to take the case as high as the >International Court of Justice in The Hague. (5) The Turkish-dutch >magazine Dunya speaks of the `Hate-monument' and mobilises for a big >demonstration at may the 13th 2000. (6) > >Town Hall Assen > >The formal objections from the Turkish community are not taken into >account because they were presented too late. The mayor of Assen then >makes new rules for monuments for etnic minorities in her town. >Furthermore she longs the time for objections with four weeks. A >protest-petition is handed over by the Turkish community, which says: >``The society of Assen is a modern community, in which a discussion >about the past doesn't fit.'' (7) > >The Armenian Sosi Bayatian, member of the Armenian comite 24 april, is >angry: ``Without the passage about the genocide, the monument doesn't >mean anything to us. Why say it didn't happen? The Netherlands have >enough evidence and documentation about it. In Brussel, France and >England, everywhere the term genocide occurs on the Armenian monuments. >I don't see why the mayor of Assen is so afraid.'' > >Assen is worried of attacks at the monument, which will be carried out >by the Turkish fascist Grey Wolves. Untill now nothing happened, the >demonstration of the 13th may was cancelled. In the magazine Dunya there >are threats to remove the stone, if it is ever placed. Other >organisations also say there will be violent actions when the monument >is rised. (8) > >At the 24th of april the monument is blessed in the Armenian church in >Almelo. Again there are protests, now from Grey Wolves in Almelo. >According to them this monument will disturb the relations between Turks >and Armenians. (9) > >In the meantime 994 appaels are deliverd at the Town hall of Assen, but >also 903 appeals in favour of the monument. In august Turks from the >Netherlands and abroad sent mail-bombs to members of the parliament, >news-papers and the city-council. The town-hall and some members of the >city-council had to change their electronic adresses. > >What now? > >At the 18tg of august 380.000 autographs are presented by the Turkisch >community to the loco-secretary of council of Assen. Also Turks from >Austria and the United States came to Assen to hand over autographs. At >the end of oktober, the city-council gets an advise of a commission >which researched the case. It says that there must be a new apllication >for the monument and it is forbidden to have commemorations at the >statue. Furthermore wants the commission researched whether the parents >of Romachuk really died in the period 1910-1920. At the end of november >fortunately common sense rules and the city-council decides that it is >allowed to place the monument at the grave-yard and that the appeals are > not be honoured. The country-wide organisation Turkish Forum is very >angry and wants to battle the decision `by all democratic means'. They >also want to see evidence from the mayor of Assen for the genocide. And >last but not least, he raises the plan for a Turkish monument for the >Turkish victims during the period 1906-1922, killed by Armenians. At the >21th of december an apllication is officially delivered at the Town hall >of Assen. > >In other parts of the world > >In the United States the recognition of the Armenian genocide is also a >hot item. When the Commission of Internal Relations and Human Rights of >the house of Parliaments signed a resolution to recognise the genocide, >Turkey reacted furious. She threatened to withdraw the rights of the US >army to use the bases at Incirlik in Turkey, from which the US bombs >Irak, and to break the oil-embargo against Irak. It worked, Bill Clinton >and the US congres blokked the resolution. In the state of California >however, it is now possible to file claims against insurance-companies >in Europe and Asia, who sold property of Armenians during the genocide. > >The European Parliament also didn't bring a similar resolution into >practise, however they agreed on it in 1987, but with a small majority >they decided at the 15th of november that Turkey should recognise the >genocide on the Armenians if it wants to be member of the European >Union. This will definitely be continued. > >Halfway oktober at least 5000 Turks demontrated in Berlin against the >various resolutions. An other reaction of the Turkish state was the >founding of a so-called study-centre on the Armenian claims. Hilmar >Kaiser, a german researcher, who held various lectures about the >Armenian genocide and the systematic charactre, was banned from the >Ottoman archives in Istanbul. > >Vice-prime minister Devlet Bahceli, a Grey Wolf, declared: ``We will >never forgive those who criminalise and slander Turkey in front of the >world. (...) The problems we face when the claims are filed are >desastrous. We\have to take strong measures.'' (10) > >In the meantime in Sydney, Australia, a genocide monument was opened. At >the 11th of november the French Senate recognised the genocide, despite >a heavy Turkish delegation and a letter from Turkish president Sezer. In >Italy something similar is ocurring at the moment. > >Support > >NAVO-ally and candidate-member of the European Union Turkey is not to be >insulted, as stated by spokesman De Bruin of the Ministry of Foreign >Affairs: ``We have to consider the advantages against the disadvantages. >We surely have a disadvantage if we take stand for recognition of this >genocide.'' This is not according the European Resolution of 18 july >1987, in which Turkey is very explicited condemned for the genocide. >(11) > >Turkey proves time on time that she not able to counter the facts about >the genocide on the Armenians. Turkey only reacts with power and >threatens to cut off military and economic ties with countries who are >willing to recognise the genocide. > >The intolerant and irreconcilable attitude of parts of the Turkish >community in the Netherlands is unacceptable, even when it is Turkish >government policy. De present government in Turkey, the so-called >`social-democrates' of prime-minister Ecevit (responsable of the >invasion of Cyprus in 1975) en the MHP-Grey Wolves of Bahceli, are very >afraid of the claims by the Armenian genocide-victims and future claims >of for example Kurds. On top of that, a recognition of the Armenian >genocide, is against the proud, chauvinist and nationalist feelings of >most of the Turks, a result of the indoctrination of the teaching of >Ataturk. > >Nowadays the scientific and historic proves of the existence of the >genocide are sufficient enough. If people want to work on reconciliation >between Turks and Armenians, Turkey will have to recognise the genocide >and maybe this recognition will have a democratic effect on the Turkish >government. The Turkish community in the Netherlands can contribute to >this proces, instead of being stucked in hatred, conservatism and >ultra-nationalist policies and continues to let themselves be lead by >the Turkish government. A powerful protest of anti-racism organisations >in the Netherlands, and elsewhere in the world, may contribute to an >open discussion about this subject, without hatred and threats. > >Jeroen Bosch, member of Anti-Fascist Action > >Onze Wereld januari 2000 > >NRC 27/5 2000 > >Volkskrant 9/5 2000 > >At the 24th of april 1915, the Turkish government of Enver Pasja >executed between 600 and 1500 Armenian intellectuals (ND 12/5 2000) > >DC 7/3 2000 > >Dunya 8-14 april 2000 > >ND 12/5 2000 > >KN 26/5 2000 > >Tubantia 26/4 2000 > >TDN 11/10 2000 > >KN 26/5 2000 >-- >Press Agency Ozgurluk >In Support of the Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Struggle in Turkey >http://www.ozgurluk.org >DHKC: http://www.ozgurluk.org/dhkc > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for geopolitics. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
