CE Commission for Human Rights referred to Armenian Genocide Issue
Historical controversies should not hold human rights hostage. One-sided interpretations or distortions of historical events have sometimes led to discrimination of minorities, xenophobia and renewal of conflict. It is crucial to establish an honest search for the truth, CoE website quotes Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, as saying.
“Coming to terms with history is always essential, but particularly crucial in cases of massive atrocities and human rights violations. Such crimes cannot be ignored without severe consequences. Prolonged impunity or lack of acknowledgment over several generations tends to create bitterness among those who identify themselves with the victims. This, in turn, can poison relations between people who were not even born when the events in question took place” said the Commissioner.
Highlighting past events whose interpretation is still controversial, the Commissioner stresses that more efforts are needed to disclose the truth. “Establishing true accounts of previous human rights violations is indeed essential for building the rule of law in all post-conflict situations. In the immediate aftermath this is crucial to bring those responsible to justice, to compensate the victims and to take actions to prevent the recurrence of these crimes.”
The Commissioner also underlines the importance of a proper education and the need to further those initiatives aimed at fostering multi-perspective history teaching.
Source: Panorama.am
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