“Armenia can appeal Genocide issue to International Court of Hague”

“Armenia can appeal Genocide issue to International Court of Hague”
Armenia can appeal the issue of Armenian Genocide to the International Court of Justice, researcher of Open University of Berlin Tessa Hofman, who arrived in Armenia to attend Crime of genocide, prevention, condemnation and elimination of the consequences” international conference, said.“Murder, annihilation are certainly conducted by Ottoman Empire,” Ms. Hofman said adding that claims of “cold genocide” can also be introduced to the international court of Hague.
Referring the recognition of Armenian Genocide by Germany, Ms. Hofman said yet from 2005 three political figures support the process but it is still undeveloped.
Source: Panorama.am

Istanbul Armenians comment on killing of Armenian girl and Turk

Istanbul Armenians comment on killing of Armenian girl and Turk
December 14, 2010 13:05
Killing of an Armenian girl and a Turk in Istanbul evoked a response of the Armenian community of Turkey. The Vatan newspaper published some of the comments.
“There are different views regarding mixed marriages in the Armenian community. Some treat this positively, some of the Armenians – negatively. I respect both positions,” said Aram Ateshyan, Deputy Patriarch of the Constantinople Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic church, condemning the crime.
According to him, groom had Christian roots but the family turned to Islam in the beginning of 20 century.
In his turn, Petros Sirinoglu, Chairman of Board of Trustees of the Armenian Surb Prkich (Holy Savior) hospital in Istanbul, stressed that such crime should not have been committed in 21 century.
“Murders in the name of religion and honor are unacceptable. Unfortunately, the killed girl is Armenian. In the past representatives of previous generation opposed marriages with Muslims but they expressed their protest by words,” he added.
Grigor Agabaoglu, representative of the Gedikpasha Armenian church of Istanbul, considers unacceptable behavior of girl’s family. “The groom has Christian roots. They are Armenians who had to turn to Islam in 1915 in order to survive,” he said.
On December 12, corpses of Armenian Sonaya and Turk Zakeriya were found in the car in Istanbul.
Girls’ brother confessed to killing sister and brother-in-law who insulted him and his traditions.
News from Armenia - NEWS.am

National Geographic Channel to broadcast film about Holy Spear kept in Armenia

National Geographic Channel to broadcast film about Holy Spear kept in Armenia
December 11, 2010 - 17:21 AMT 13:21 GMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Legend of the Holy Spear program will be broadcast by National Geographic Channel. It will include parts shot in Armenia (Etchmiadzin, Khor Virab, Garni and Geghard). Today there are three Spears (kept in Vatican, Austria and Armenia) claiming to be the Holy Spear. According to the program announcement placed on the channel official website, the film of When Rome Ruled series makes an attempt to discover if any of them could have been present at the crucifixion. The film tells about Armenia as the first country, which adopted Christianity as a state religion. The program will be aired by the channel on December 12 and 14. The monastery of Geghard is a unique architectural construction in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name commonly used for the monastery today, Geghard, originates from the spear which had wounded Jesus at the Crucifixion, and which is said to be brought to Armenia by Apostle Jude, called here Thaddeus, and stored amongst many other relics. Now it is displayed in the Etchmiadzin treasury. NOTE TO ALL:Please delete my address before forwarding this to others. If you forward this email, please delete the forwarding history, which includes my email address and maybe others. It is a courtesy to me and others who may not wish to have their email addresses sent all over the world. Erasing the history helps prevent spammers from mining addresses and prevents viruses from being propagated. If at all possible, send email to others under Blind Copy. Thanks=

Turks file lawsuit against American university for recognizing Armenian Genocide

Turks file lawsuit against American university for recognizing Armenian Genocide
December 11, 2010 12:06
ôhe Turkish Coalition of America filed a lawsuit against the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, which is part of the University of Minnesota.
“This Center has a website for students and researchers which suggests, among other things, recommended readings. It also indicates that other texts on these subjects are “unreliable”, beginning with the texts of the Turkish Coalition,” reads the statement by Meir Waintrater, editor in chief and publisher of L’Arche, a French Jewish monthly magazine.
This fact has angered Turkish lobbyists and they filed a lawsuit against the university, its president, and educator Bruno Chaouat, who directs the Center. “They have been defamed, they say, they are being denied the right to speak,” Waintrater says.
“All this may seem far, very far, from us. In reality, we are directly concerned. Not only because the academic in question, Bruno Chaouat, is a French citizen. What happens today in Minneapolis could occur tomorrow in Paris, if we are not careful,” he says addressing French Jews.
April 24, 2001 is declared Armenian Remembrance Day in the State of Minnesota under proclamation as of March 16, 2001. The State of Minnesota recognized Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire.


News from Armenia - NEWS.am

Armenian president reaffirms intention to recognize Karabakh in case of Baku’s aggression

Armenian president reaffirms intention to recognize Karabakh in case of Baku’s aggression
December 10, 2010 16:50
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan delivered a speech at the Dec. 10 meeting of CIS Heads of States held in Moscow.
“In case Azerbaijan launches new hostilities, Armenia will have no choice but to recognize independence of Nagorno-Karabakh de jure and ensure security of its population by all means possible,” Sargsyan said, ITAR-TASS reported.
President Sargsyan also recalled that the five-sided statement was issued by the Minsk Group, the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents at the OSCE summit in Astana. “The statement mentions that peaceful resolution by means of negotiations has no alternative while making decision to establish stability, peace and mutual understanding between nations based on the UN and OSCE documents,” the Armenian leader noted. “Russian President, French Prime Minister and U.S. Secretary of State stated use of force and threats are unacceptable and any attempts to use force will make impossible peaceful resolution of the conflict,” he said, adding “Armenia strongly objects to resolution of the conflict by military means.”
The Armenian leader also commented on issues related to CSTO. He also informed of CSTO states’ intention to create more efficient crisis management mechanism. According to him, the CSTO documents will be amended. “Tragic events in Kyrgyzstan revealed a number of problems regarding prompt measures,” he stressed.
News from Armenia - NEWS.am

New born Turkish child called Hrant after Hrant Dink

17:02 10/12/2010 » SOCIETY
New born Turkish child called Hrant after Hrant Dink
The family of Olmez who live in Turkish state of Hakkari called their new born child Hrant after renowned Turkish journalist of Armenian origin, editor-in-chief of “Agos” daily Hrant Dink, who was murdered on January 19, 2007.

According to “Ermenihaber.am” news web site fathering three children Zeki Olmez said: “Murder of Hrant Dink deeply made us upset. We love him very much. And as our family name – Olmez, means immortal, we decided to make Hrant’s name immortal.”

Source: Panorama.a

ANCA WR urges Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule vote on H.Res. 252.

ANCA WR urges Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule vote on H.Res. 252.
December 7, 2010 - 19:43 AMT 15:43 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - ANCA WR (Armenian National Committee of America Western Region) issued an address urging Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Schedule a Vote on H.Res. 252. before the House adjourns.
The address says,
“The Honorable Nancy Pelosi will have the unique opportunity to end her term as Speaker of the House of Representatives with a strong moral stand.
She holds the power to schedule a floor vote on legislation urging the United States President to accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide, to recall the proud history of United States intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide, and to make sure that the lessons of this atrocity are used to help prevent future crimes against humanity.
The Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.252) introduced by Representative Adam Schiff and 76 of his colleagues in March 2009 was approved by the Foreign Affairs Committee chaired by Representative Howard Berman in March of this year. The resolution was reported out of committee on September 22nd for consideration by the entire House of Representatives.
H.Res. 252 has gained the co-sponsorship of 148 House members. The actual number of House members willing to vote for the measure is much higher.
This past summer, Speaker Pelosi, consistent with her long record in support of Armenian Genocide recognition, committed to schedule a vote on H.Res. 252 - a vote that she described as an expression of the American conscience - as soon as it was clear this human rights measure enjoyed the support of a majority in the House of Representatives.
The spirit of the victims of Genocide and the voices of the survivors and their progeny are calling on the Speaker to bring this resolution for a vote before the 111th Congress adjourns in the next 10 days. Armenians and all the world deserve to know where each member of the U.S. House of Representatives stands on this vital expression of our common American conscience.
There are some members of the House who do not want to face their conscience and would prefer avoiding having to take a stand against a clear case of genocide. As in the past, they will offer every manner of excuse - some old and others invented for this occasion. The fact remains, however, that none of these excuses should be allowed to prevent the elected representatives of the American people from the long overdue opportunity to vote up or down on the Armenian Genocide Resolution.
The Speaker's decision to bring H.Res. 252 to a vote will represent a victory over the forces of denial, just as its adoption by the full House will stand as a triumph of the truth.
As you know, a vote on Armenian Genocide resolutions by the entire House or Senate has been blocked for more than a quarter century. Every manner of obstacle has been thrown in the way of their adoption in 1985, 1987, 1990, 2000 and 2007 - ranging from foreign threats and domestic pressure to parliamentary tactics and procedural motions. We look to the Speaker to make sure that 2010 is the year this measure is brought to the floor and adopted by the full House of Representatives.
We know Speaker Pelosi to be a woman of conscience and call upon her to schedule a vote on H.Res.252 before the House adjourns.”