Azerbaijani War Crimes to Be Presented to European Officials

Arman Tatoyan, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) speaking to reporters on Jan. 18, 2017 (Photo: Photolure)

YEREVAN (ArmRadio)—The Armenian Human Rights Defender’s (Ombudsman) office on Wednesday presented their findings on the Azerbaijani attack near the village of Chinari on December 29, 2016. Investigation was initiated when the Human Rights Defender’s Gegharkunik regional office departed to the Chinari village the day of the attack.

Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said the attack, which left three Armenian servicemen killed, was carried out under the conditions of no threat to the Azeri side on the part of Armenian forces.

Tatoyan presenting the Human Rights Defender’s Office findings on Chinari attack (Photo: Photolure)

The Ombudsman said there are no military units or any other military objects on the territory of the settlement, which comes to prove that the peaceful population was targeted in the attack.

He said the attacks continued in January, and added that the kindergarten and the school of Chinari were targeted on January 3.

The Ombudsman’s report also refers to the firing in the January 13 firing in the direction of the Voskepar-Baghanis highway.

Knesset Must Recognize Armenian Genocide says Israeli Speaker

Armenia’s National Assembly Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Artak Zakaryan (left) meets with Israeli Knesset Speaker Yuli-Yoel Edelstein in Jerusalem on Jan. 19, 2017 (Photo: parliament.am)

JERUSALEM, Israel—Israeli Parliament (Knesset) Speaker Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, received on January 19 Armenian delegation, led by Artak Zakaryan, the National Assembly’s Foreign Relations Committee Chairman.

Edelstein during the meeting underlined the importance of interparliamentary relations and expressed readiness to improve cooperation in the cultural, economic, agricultural and tourism sectors, according to the press office of Armenian Parliament. Edelstein also highlighted the importance of developing ties between Armenian and Jewish communities.

Speaking about Armenian Genocide recognition in Israel, Edelstein stated the “that sooner or later, the Knesset should recognize the Armenian Genocide.”

“I am not so proud of the fact that Israel had not yet recognized the Armenian Genocide,” said Edelstein, mentioning that there has been recent progress in that direction.

Zakaryan during the meeting discussed implementation of mutually beneficial projects. He presented the situation on the region and Armenian position in respect to the settlement of existing conflicts.

Concluding the meeting, Edelstein wished the Armenian parliament success in the upcoming elections.

Dink’s Widow Says Punishing Murderers Important for Turkey’s Democracy

Rakel Dink giving an address during Hrant Dink commemoration in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2017 (Photo: Berge Arabian)

ISTANBUL—Rakel Dink on January 19 gave an address at the 10th commemoration of the assassination of her husband Hrant Dink in Istanbul. The full text of the address can be read below.

English translation provided by Burcu Becermen for Agos newspaper.

***

10 years. Easier said than lived… Exactly 10 Years. Without you, it has not been easy at all. Being without you, not having my beloved one with me, and above all, being separated from him by a heinous plot has caused even more pain, sorrow and heartache.

What do I have to say to those who have been suffering for the last 20, 30, 40 years? What do I have to say to those whose children have been murdered?

In the last 10 years, I have learned by living and experiencing what it really means to feel a pang of grief, how my tears could wet my bread and how salty they are. Thanks to the divine grace, I have learned how to cope with hatred and anger. Every time I think of your absence, it burns my body like a fire. I burn and burn so much that I cannot contain the flames under my skin.

So much has happened in 10 years. Oh my darling. Malatya massacre, İskenderun, Sevag Balıkçı, Roboski, Gezi events, Suruç, Diyarbakır, Sur, Mardin, Nusaybin, Cizre, Şırnak, Tahir Elçi, Ankara, July 15th, Maçka, İzmir, Gaziantep, Ortaköy, Airport attack and the war in the Middle East. Operations, terror, and what not… The country has turned into a bloodbath. Some wanted to shower in human blood. A nightmare has swept the country. People started to fear and suffocate. People have been humiliated due to their identities; their dignity has been dishonored and despised.

It is as if mothers give birth to their children just to bury them. They encourage people to have more children, but no one thinks of protecting the right to life of those who are born. Yet murders that are committed day and night, such as murders of workers and women, do not count as political murders. No one takes the blame and responsibility.

Under the power of terror and the terror of the ones in power, it is once again the peoples who pay the price. The way you name what is happening does not change the thing that is happening to us. The terror waged by the states that declare war against terror comes to the same thing. This state becomes the US in Abu Ghraib, Russia in Aleppo, Turkey in Southeast Anatolia and Syria against opposition… One day the winds blowing from north seed death on its lands and the other day the winds blowing from south… Yet, it is always us, the peoples, who end up reaping this cursed harvest… Bodies of babies are coming ashore… Can there be anything more terrible than this?

I call out to the sky and earth… Mountains and seas… Rise and witness. Bear witness to the bloodshed on these lands. For people are silent and silenced. They are dying and being killed. We are too exhausted to mourn after them. Violence and tyranny have already gotten beyond borders. Reasons are eclipsed, and the reasonable ones have been exterminated.

Mountains and seas, skies and earth… Rise and bear witness. Bear witness to the history and the present day. To the deadly sins, to the abundance of murders, to the undoing of people. Bear witness to the plots, lies, endless arrogance and recklessness of the Evil. Bear witness to those who distort justice, and to all abominable incidents happened on these ancient lands.

“Utterly Meaningless!” says the Teacher, and continues: “I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves… I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces… I acquired fame and I became greater by far than anyone lived before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor…And this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”*

So much has happened in 10 years. They gave us a case. We went to courthouses. They laughed at us, insulted us; they told us to “Love it or Leave it.” They first claimed that “There is no organization behind the murder,” then the Supreme Court ruled that “There is an organization, but limited to a number of nationalist young people.” Then one day, all of a sudden, within the state which committed the crime, concealed and finally tried to make benefit out of it, one of the many alliances has collapsed… The organization consisting of a couple of nationalist young people has been replaced by FETÖ. At one stage, they pretended as if Ergenekon is to blame, but it just slightly touched our case. Each and every time, the state leaves its tail on the crime scene and says, “Heree is the evil.” Both right and wrong. When are we going to stop dealing with the molted skin of the snake and start to chase after the snake itself?

Once again, we ask the very same question we asked 10 years ago…

Those who made him a target, who threatened him, who said “Hrant, you are the target of our rage,” those who released statements on behalf of the General Staff; when are they going to face justice?

Crime scene footage is once again put into circulation. They say that 10 years ago, around this time, on this very spot, there were more gendarmerie officers than the civilians. We just wait to see when this years-long investigation will come to an end.

We said it before, we will say it again. This murder was committed by a well-known perpetrator. The perpetrator of this murder seems to be the state with all its ranks. Conscience of this people needs nothing else than the shameful theater that has been performed in the last 10 years to understand who is the perpetrator.

If the state is not the perpetrator, then it has the responsibility to sort through the perpetrators within itself. What is sacred is not the state, it is the human being. What is sacred is life.

For the last 10 years, the state has been sacrificing what is sacred for these lands. Just as it did 100 years ago and afterwards for the last 100 years… My sisters and brothers. A state cannot be worthy of these lands unless it regards all lives, regardless of nation, race or belief, as sacred.

It gives me great pain to be here today, to share the pain of my husband who was murdered 10 years ago and to talk about his murder case. Yet, this case is a very significant cause for the democratization of the country.

My husband used to value the conscience of people rather than that of the courts. The only thing that still gives us hope, in the midst of all that happened, is that the people has condemned this crime in their own conscience.

This case is one of the keys to Turkey’s democratization. If you are going to make use of it, it’s all yours, as long as you use it for this purpose.

This case is also the case of detained journalists and deputies who have found themselves in jail deprived of their own freedom while they were seeking for truth and struggling for peace and freedom. May God let them to reunite with their beloved ones very soon.

Today, in this dark era, those who console themselves thinking that “we are lucky that our people is in power,” please do not be mistaken assuming that the ones in power is on your side. Those whom you selected to govern this country with all good intentions have turned into Men of State, though they were children of people once. They have already forgotten their promises. Now, they are now trying to make you accomplices to their crimes. You do not deserve this. We do all deserve much better. And I do hope we will achieve what is much better.

Love means doing things for the others. When you walk in the path of love, you will have heartaches for sure. Yet, love is the strongest psychological warfare. Love responds to evil with benevolence. Without love, there is no faith.

Dress yourselves with love.

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”**

Let the ones who love God also love themselves and their neighbors.

Dear friends. We are here together with you for the last 10 years. We said that we have become relatives in pain. We have shared our stories, we have listened to each other. Yet, during these 10 years, so many more stories full of pain, sorrow and tear have been written, thousands of them, tens of thousands of them…

It is not only about living together, what really matters is to live happily and equally. And to live freely and with dignity… Come, let us do away with the restlessness of doves in this country. Come, let us not sacrifice doves any longer. As my Chutag said:

Come, let us first understand each other…

Come, let us first respect each other’s pain…

Come, let us first let one another live.

* Ecclesiastes 2:4-11
** 1 Gospel of John 4:20

A Decade After Hrant Dink’s Assassination

Hrant Dink

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

“Today we remember the 10thanniversary of Hrant Dink’s assassination… and we pledge, to once and for all, topple the criminal government.” This daring and bold statement comes from Pakrad Estukian, the editor of the Armenian section of Agos newspaper, whose founder and editor, Hrant Dink, was gunned down in front of its offices on January 19, 2007.

Dink’s murder became that singular turning point for the Turkish-Armenian community, which, since the Genocide, had been seeking its rightful place in Turkish society and immediately grew into a powerful catalyst for the empowerment of those Armenians who stayed in Turkey after the Genocide and lived under the yoke of oppression and injustice.

Yet the injustice of the assassination also resonated beyond the Armenian community in Turkey and became a uniting force—and rallying cry–for those segments of Turkish society that yearned for democracy and respect for human rights. The fact that tens of thousands of the people spilled into the streets of Istanbul with the slogan “We are All Hrant Dink” spoke volumes of the oppression plaguing not just minorities in Turkey, but the larger Turkish society.

Dink’s corpse in front of the Agos offices after his assassination

In his humble and understated manner, Dink was able to challenge the Turkish government’s intolerance and became one of the first modern-day Armenian writers to use the term Armenian Genocide. His outspokenness earned him praise from around the world, but also was charged for “insulting Turkishness” and received a six-month suspended sentence.

During the past ten years, we have also witnessed the inner-workings of the quagmire that is the Turkish justice system, which has not been able find the guilty party(ies) to the murder. The reason for this farce has been the sheer fact that the judiciary in Turkey operates on the whims of the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose alliances du-jour determine the guilt or innocence of criminals.

Tens of thousands of Turks commemorate Dink by saying “We are all Hrant Dink”

First there was a lone gunman theory, then the crime was blamed on Ergenekon, known as Turkey’s deep state, and now that Erdogan has declared war on the Gulen movement, whose members led the security forces at the time of Dink’s assassination, the court is hearing evidence that the state’s security forces ordered the hit—a conclusion that could have been reached from the onset.

However, it can be said that Dink’s tenacity and his belief that, above all else, justice must prevail set a precedent that has guided  Armenians in Istanbul, and throughout Turkey, to advance certain national issues that were once deemed taboo within Turkish society.

The Nor Zartonk movement, which sprung up as a direct result of the Dink assassination, has been able to successfully advance issues of importance to the Armenian community in Turkey, one of the most visible of which was the return of Camp Armen to its rightful owners—the Armenian community.

Dink’s funeral in the Sisli district of Istanbul

Emboldened by Dink and his relentless advocacy, someone like Garo Paylan has emerged as the torchbearer of a movement that not only advances Armenian Genocide recognition by Turkey, but also advocates for democratic norms, equality and human rights for all minorities. As a parliament member representing the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), this perch has allowed the words Armenian Genocide to be uttered from the dais of the Turkish legislature and he has loudly presented the case for basic human rights for the Kurdish population in Turkey.

Yet, as the saying goes, the more things change the more stay the same. The current climate in Turkey is extremely oppressive. Using the July coup as a cover, Erdogan and his regime have accelerated their policy of persecution of dissent and minorities, throwing thousands in jail and shutting down media outlets. Just this past weekend, Paylan was suspended for three parliamentary session for, once again, addressing the issue of Genocide during a legislative debate on constitutional reforms.

Possibly, the most significant legacy of Dink’s murder was the unifying effect it had on Armenians throughout the world, be they in Armenia, Artsakh for the Diaspora. It created a window, through which the plight of the Armenians in Turkey became as critical an aspect in our national agenda, adding an important priority and a consequential voice to the pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

It also emboldened Armenians in Turkey to reclaim their national aspirations and advance our collective cause where it counts—in Turkey, whose government still denies the Armenian Genocide and persecutes and prosecutes those who stand up for truth and justice.

Dink’s crusade and his untimely death also have allowed his successor, Pakrad Estukian, to mark the anniversary of his death calling for a collective effort to “topple” the criminal regime in Turkey.

On this day, let us pledge to advance Dink’s cause of fighting injustice and advancing human rights.

Garo Paylan Suspended from Turkish Parliament for Referring to Genocide

ANKARA, Turkey (A.W.)—Armenian member of Turkish Parliament Garo Paylan of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) was temporarily banned from parliamentary sessions after referring to the Armenian Genocide during deliberations on proposed changes to the country’s constitution on Jan. 13.

Paylan during his address to Parliament on April 21, 2016, during which he called for an investigation into the killing of Armenian members of the Turkish Parliament during the Armenian Genocide (Photo: Garo Paylan Facebook page)

In his speech, Paylan said four communities—Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and Jews—had been “lost” and “driven from these lands in large massacres (and) genocides,” according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

“We used to account for 40 percent [of the country’s population]. Now we are barely one out of a 1,000. It seems likely that something happened to us. I define this as a genocide,” Paylan said in his speech. According to some sources, the part of the speech was removed from the parliamentary minutes.

Shortly after his address, videos began circulating online, showed parliamentarians from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and other parties angrily interrupting Paylan’s speech. Below is a video of Paylan’s speech.

“Yesterday, when the constitutional changes were being discussed in parliament, I wanted them to draw lessons from the past. A monistic constitution was introduced a century ago. Diversities were ignored. We lost four nations during WWI. We lost Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, and Jews. I mentioned that if we make same mistakes, we may live with same pains,” Paylan told Turkey-based news outlet Dihaber. “I know very well what happened to my people. I wanted to point out the mistakes which were made in the past,” Paylan added.

According to some sources, Paylan has been suspended from attending thee parliamentary sessions. “This hasn’t happened in the past. This is the first time in the parliament’s history,” Paylan told Dihaber about his suspension. “This was a message to us. If, after this, we do not do what they say, they will silence our voices,” he added.

The Armenian Weekly is following the story and will provide further details in the coming days.

Mkhitaryan Credited for Manchester United’s Upturn in Fortunes

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Photo: Getty Images)

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been credited as the key player in Manchester United’s upturn in fortunes.

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (Metro)—The Armenian was initially frozen out by Jose Mourinho but since being brought into the fray has excelled. It’s coincided with a run of results that sees Manchester United unbeaten in 11 Premier League games and on a nine-game winning run in all competitions.

Liverpool legend Didi Hamann believes Mkhitaryan deserves much credit.

‘Mkhitaryan has been a key man in United’s changing fortunes,’ said the German. ‘He’s played a far greater role in the league since the end of November, scoring against Sunderland and bagging the winner at home to Tottenham, and in that time United have won six and drawn two in the league. He’s been excellent playing just off Ibrahimovic and has helped shape United’s style of football.’

Jose Mourinho moved a step closer to a major trophy in his first season as Manchester United manager as goals from Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini secured a first-leg victory over Hull City in the semi-final of the EFL Cup, the BBC reports.

A near full-strength United struggled to break down resilient Hull in a first half in which the hosts had just two shots on target – Mata forcing a good save out of goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic, who also tipped over Paul Pogba’s long-range effort.

The visitors had chances of their own against a side who had won their eight previous games in all competitions, Robert Snodgrass causing problems from set-pieces.

However, Mata got the breakthrough just before the hour mark when he tapped in from Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s knockdown.

Substitute Fellaini scored a second late on, heading in from Matteo Darmian’s cross to put United in command heading into the second leg on January 26.

Is Turkey Considering a Wall Along the Armenia Border?

A 3-meter-high and 2-meter-wide wall sits along the Turkish-Syrian border on Aug. 13, 2015, as taken from Hatay, Turkey. (Photo: Cem Genco/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

YEREVAN (PanArmenian.net)—Various media reports suggest Turkey is going to erect walls on borders with Armenia and Iran.

A similar fence, which measures three meters high and has barbed wires on top, is currently being built on the border with Syria, Ermenihaber.am reports.

According to local media, Turkey is fencing its borders in the framework of the fight against terrorism and smuggling.

The concrete wall being built to stop illegal crossings along the length of Turkey’s 900-km border with Syria will be finished by the end of February, a Turkish official was quoted as saying earlier.

Vatican Archives Reveal Effort to Stop Genocide

ROME, Italy (Rome Reports)—Valentina Karakhanian is one of two researchers from the Vatican Secret Archives who has gathered every document the Holy See keeps on the Armenian Genocide.

Cover of La Santa Sede e lo sterminio degli armeni nell’Impero Ottomano

Karakhanian and co-researcher Omar Viganò compiled their research into a book La Santa Sede e lo sterminio degli armeni nell’Impero Ottomano, which translates to “The Holy See and the Extermination of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.” The book is about the accounts of how the apostolic delegate of former Pope Benedict XV gradually became aware of the tragedy that was being perpetrated and tried to stop it.

“We have tried to organize the documents so that they themselves account for the massacre of Armenians. The protagonists include Armenians, bishops, nuncios, and ambassadors who lived or witnessed the first genocide of the 20th century,” Karakhanian said.

The main character of the book is the pope’s representative, Cardinal Angelo Maria Dolci. It shows how he tried to mobilize the diplomatic corps in Constantinople, denounce what happened and reach the Sultan, without much success.

“The Vatican did what it could, and in some cases what it could not, because the Nuncio went to meet with people who were outside the diplomatic sphere. The apostolic delegate had no right to go to those offices. But he went and showed the delegation’s private documents, because to get to the Sultan it was necessary to show the pope’s signature. He met with ministers, with the Grand Vizier, and with the Sultan. He spoke on behalf of the pope and the Holy See, because he was certain that Pope Benedict XV wanted to help and save these people,” the researcher said.

The first-person accounts from the papal representative give a terribly close-up view of the extermination of Christians expelled from their homes.

“In some regions they have been massacred, others deported to unknown places, left to die along the way. There are mothers who have even sold their own children to save them from death.”

“At one point he understood that the persecution was not specifically against the Armenians, but against the Christians on the territory. The Christians had to be eliminated from that territory. Together with the Armenians, many Assyrians, Chaldeans, Melkites, Maronites were persecuted and murdered … It was the pain and persecution that united them,” Karakhanian said.