First, there follows an editorial from the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA), entitled “99 Years of Turkish Genocide”. In the title of this post, we changed this to make it clear that the organised persecution of Assyrian, Greek and especially Armenian Christians reflected both political upheaval and state policy in the multinational Ottoman Empire, with its heady mix of Islamic government, absolute monarchy and rising Turkish nationalism. Kurdish Muslims were also targeted in the same historical period. This was before the establishment of the post-Great War Turkish Republic, which finally overthrew both the Sultanate and its multi-ethnic Empire and the Ottoman Islamic Caliphate that had been legally responsible for the widely condemned persecution and genocide of the distinctive Christian ethnic minorities.
Secondly (scroll down), past the link to AINA, there is a report on the position of the present Turkish government, which does not regard itself as a successor state to the Ottoman Empire responsible for the atrocities. Nonetheless, the Republic founded itself on “nation-state” principles of self-determination of peoples, and following the Greek-Turkish war Greeks (even Turkish-speaking Orthodox) were largely expelled from Anatolia as were most remaining Armenians and Syriacs/Assyrians [Oriental Orthodox/Non-Chalcedonian] Christians. Interestingly, while the Turkish government, officially secularist but dominated by professing Muslims, denies state or ethnic Turkish responsibility for or involvement in a policy of genocide towards Armenians or other defined groups (it denies, too, the fact of genocide) it recognises that atrocities took place and has expressed condolences to relatives, as well as offering descendants the restoration of Turkish citizenship. In the last few years, too, Turkey has invited Syriac Orthodox Christians to return to one of their heartlands in South-Eastern Turkey, and restored (some) expropriated land to the monastery at Tur Abdin. Is this on the way to being a conciliatory gesture to the historic Christian populations, or is it to create, as some have said, a buffer zone between Turkey, Kurds and the Islamists in the Arab world with the Christians once again in the firing line as human shields? As for the Armenian cause, while passions rise high on both sides, with Armenians seeking acknowledgment of the facts by the Turkish government as well as restitution, and Turks defending their own account of history – including the sweeping away of the former state that took the wrong side in the First World War with the aggressors Austria and Germany, leading to its demise and clearing the path to a democratic secular republic – is there progress towards a reconciliation and a healing of memories (as St John Paul would have put it)? First, Armenians are recognising that the atrocities they see as a genocide of which they were, largely speaking, the target also affected ethnic Greeks (and Turkish-speaking Orthodox) and Syriac/Assyrian Orthodox? Secondly, while patriotically defending Turks’ and Turkey’s innocence, is the Republic moving towards acceptance that atrocities did happen, even to beginning to express regrets and to make gestures of amendment, or at least good will? Third, for all the nations directly facing the uncertain actions and intentions of the Russian Federation to the north of the Black Sea and the Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Romanian, Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey itself), there is need for states with both Christian and Muslim histories to come to terms out of mutual security and economic interest; and for all facing the effects of Islamism across their borders (Turkey has erected a temporary wall on parts of its border facing Syria and Iraq), is the threat to democracy, religious liberty and economic stability from without urgently pressing old rivals, with still keenly felt histories of mutual suspicion and war, to find ways to bury their differences and make common cause? BMW
AINA Editorial
99 Years of Turkish Genocide
Posted 2014-04-23 18:41 GMT
(AINA) — On April 24, 1915 the Turkish genocide of Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians began very simply, without pomp and circumstance. “We have made a clean sweep of the Armenians and Assyrians of Azerbaijan.” Those were the words of Djevdet Bey, the governor of Van Province in Ottoman Turkey, who on April 24, 1915 lead 20,000 Turkish soldiers and 10,000 Kurdish irregulars in the opening act of the genocide of Assyrians, Armenians and Pontic Greeks. In three short years, 750,000 Assyrians (75%) would be killed, 1.5 million Armenians and 500,000 Greeks.
On April 24 Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians will commemorate the 99th anniversary of the genocide with vigils, church services, lectures, demonstrations and personal reflection.
Much progress in recognizing the genocide has been made throughout the world since 1915. Many states officially recognize the Armenian genocide. Australia and Sweden have officially recognized the Assyrian genocide — called Seyfo (sword) in Assyrian. The International Genocide Scholars Association Officially Recognized the Assyrian and Greek Genocides (AINA 2007-12-15
But recognition for the genocide by the most important country has not been made. Turkey has not only denied the genocide, but has actively worked to block its recognition throughout the world. In February, 2013 the Turkish EU minister Egemen Bagis compared the Assyrian genocide with the act of masturbation (AINA 2013-02-26).
That the genocide occurred is beyond dispute1. The evidence comes from multiple sources. The genocide was recorded by Arnold Toynbee, famed British historian, as well as countless American and German missionaries. Toynbee’s document runs for more than 600 pages and is entitled, “Arnold Toynbee Papers and Documents on the Treatment of Armenians and Assyrian Christians by the Turks, 1915-1916, in the Ottoman Empire and North-West Persia.” The national archives of the British, French and American states contain a large collection of documents related to the genocide. The Diplomatic French archives, for example, included 45 volumes on the Assyrian question from 1915 to 1940.
There is also the testimony of thousands of Assyrian, Greek and Armenian survivors. Joseph Zaya (1906-2006) survived the genocide. He was born in a village in the Hakkary mountains (presently South-Eastern Turkey). The Ottoman Empire was something he lived in until the age of nine, when, in the face of genocide, he and his family was forced to flee. He remembered it vividly: long marches, hunger, starvation, butchery, impalement, burning.
“I lost my brother and his wife and four kids right in front of my eyes. Three Kurds and two Turks dragged my brother out and cut off his arms, right in front of me and his wife and kids. They then proceeded to rape his wife and eleven year old daughter, all the while looking at him and taunting him. After which they shot all of them. But they spared me. I don’t know why.”
“During our escape through the mountains,” he continued, “I remember the bodies strewn on both sides of the path. Most women and children were crying but would not dare stop to care for the sick and dead because they knew the Turkish and Kurdish armies were behind them. I remember a child on the side of the road suckling on his already dead mother who had died with her arms around him. That image has haunted me all my life. This is something that we Assyrians should never forget, and the world should not forget it, either.”
No objective inquisitor can deny this horrific genocide occurred, the first of the twentieth century. Yet Turkey’s official policy, which it pursues zealously, is to do exactly that. For Turkey, the genocide did not occur, what occurred was “civil strife.” Turkey even goes as far as claim the Armenians mounted an insurrection and hence it was war and they were only casualties of war. This is not true, but even if it were, how would that explain the massacres of Assyrians and Greeks? They never rose against the Ottoman state. They remained loyal subjects until at last they realized their fate, and only then started literally defending their lives.
Ninety nine years later, most of the world has come to accept that genocide was perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks. Even the Kurds, who did most of the actual killing during the genocide, have admitted it. On April 23, 1995 the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile issued a statement saying “Let history note that we at the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile share the pain of the survivors and their relations. We unequivocally denounce the act and condemn the perpetrators of this inhumanity, the Ottomans and their collaborators of the Kurdish auxiliary forces. We urge you all to do the same” (AINA 4-23-1995).
But Turkey still refuses to come to terms with its past. In November of 2000, an Assyrian priest from St. Mary’s Syrian Orthodox Church in Diyarbakir, Turkey was arrested for affirming the Assyrian genocide of 1915. Fr. Yusuf was interviewed by reporters from the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet during deliberations in the U.S. Congress regarding HR 596, the Armenian Genocide Resolution. The reporters apparently had hoped to quote a Christian priest denying the validity of the Assyrian-Armenian-Greek Holocaust of 1915, but instead were angrily surprised by Fr. Yusuf’s defiant affirmation. Fr. Yusuf’s defiance has itself surprised those who have described him as an otherwise gentle and amicable man of faith. Following the interview, the Hurriyet reporters printed an inflammatory article with a photograph of Fr. Yusuf holding a cross under the headline “A Traitor Amongst Us” (AINA 11-23-2000).
For Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians, the genocide has not ended, it cannot end so long as Turkey denies the genocide. The psychological wounds cannot be healed if the crime is not acknowledged by the perpetrator.
Read online here:
Turkish Government Issues Message Denying Assyrian, Armenian, Greek Genocide
By Rufiz Hafizoglu, http://en.trend.az
Posted 2014-04-23 18:28 GMT
Turkey’s Cabinet of Ministers has spread a message in connection with the events of 1915, the website of the country’s government said on April 23. The message says it is important not to be a captive of historical events and there is need to create a foundation for building a common future.
The events of 1915 were a difficult time not only for the Armenians, but also for Arabs, Kurds and representatives of other nations living in the country, according to the message.
“Nevertheless, it is impossible to use the events of 1915 as a tool of political pressure on Turkey,” the message of Turkish government said. The message says Turkey supports the creation of a joint historical commission to investigate the events of 1915 and expresses condolences to the families of those killed in the events of 1915, including the Armenians. The message highlights that the events of 1915 are common grief.
Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey’s predecessor the Ottoman Empire allegedly carried out “genocide” against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. While strengthening the efforts to promote the so-called “genocide” in the world, Armenians have achieved its recognition by the parliaments of some countries.
Read online report from Trend Axerbaijan at AINA here.
Turkish PM Does Not Acknowledge Armenian Genocide, But Sends Condolences to Families
http://www.armradio.am, Posted 2014-04-23 20:01 GMT
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has highlighted the “shared pain” endured during the 1915 events in an unexpected statement April 23 on the Armenian issue, expressing condolences on behalf of the Turkish state to the grandchildren of Armenians who lost their lives “in the context of the early twentieth century,” the Hurriyet Daily News reports.
In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Erdogan said April 24 carries “particular significance for our Armenian citizens and for all Armenians around the world.”
Arguing that all ethnicities in the late years of the Ottoman Empire lived a hard time full of pains, Erdogan called for a just, humane and conscientious standing to commemorate all pains experienced in that era.
“The incidents of the First World War are our shared pain. To evaluate this painful period of history through a perspective of just memory is a humane and scholarly responsibility.”
Erdogan’s statement also stressed the importance of freedom of expression and respect of plurality regarding history.
“In Turkey, expressing different opinions and thoughts freely on the events of 1915 is the requirement of a pluralistic perspective as well as of a culture of democracy and modernity,” the statement said.
“It is with this hope and belief that we wish that the Armenians who lost their lives in the context of the early twentieth century rest in peace, and we convey our condolences to their grandchildren,” it said.
The statement has been issued in eight languages, including Eastern and Western Armenian.