‘Your demands are our demands’: Turkish Human Rights Group Sends Letters to Etchmiadzin, Antelias
By Weekly Staff // Posted on April 24, 2012 in News // 270 Comments // 
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ISTANBUL, Turkey (A.W.)–The Committee Against Racism and Discrimination of the Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights Association sent letters today to the Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II and the Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I, expressing solidarity with their demands for truth and justice. Below is the full text of both letters. For more details and continued coverage, visit our Facebook page.
A Turkish citizen holds the photograph of Armenian poet Daniel Varoujan, who was a victim of the Armenian Genocide. (Photo by Khatchig Mouradian)
His Holiness Aram I
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia
Antelias, Lebanon
Your Holiness,
Today is the 24th of April, 2012, the 97th anniversary of the arrests of the Armenian intellectuals of Istanbul, which represents the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.
As a result of the process of genocide which began with the arrests in Istanbul on April 24, 1915, the Cilicia Catholicosate, which has not only been one of the spiritual centers of the historic Western Armenia for hundreds of years but which also represents its cultural and social identity, was forcibly displaced to Lebanon from the lands where it belonged. As defenders of human rights in Turkey, we are writing this letter to you to express our belief that it is in these lands that your Catholicosate belongs.
We are writing this letter to you in order to say that we bow in shame and in respect before the memory of the Ottoman Armenians who were massacred and dispossessed of all their riches, of all their richness of every kind, and effectively, even of the vestiges of their past. We are addressing our letter to you to declare that we remain the defenders of the usurped rights of the children and the grandchildren of the victims who survived massacre and were dispersed to all corners of the earth.
On Aug. 31, 2011, you sent a letter to the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey regarding the legislative changes concerning the restitution of some of the properties of non-Muslim foundations. You wrote, “The Armenian people will remain the rightful owners of the innumerable churches, hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, cemeteries, and various religious and public properties confiscated by the Turkish state in the days of genocide in 1915.” You then added, “The Armenian people will remain the rightful owners of the houses, businesses, and properties of their ancestors who were victims of the genocide which was planned and perpetrated by the Ottoman-Turkish government.”
In your letter, you declared that the Armenian people will never abdicate their demands on Turkey for justice regarding the Armenian Genocide, and for the restoration of human rights. You wrote, “Dear Prime Minister, your declarations regarding justice and human rights will only be documented when you recognize the Armenian Genocide.”
We are writing this letter to address you and thus all the Armenians in the world, to state that your demands voice the requirements of the most basic human rights, and that they are also our demands.
On April 24, 2011, the same day that we were commemorating in Istanbul the 96th anniversary of the arrest of the Armenian intellectuals, Sevag Şahin Balıkçı was shot dead while on mandatory military duty in the Turkish Army in the city of Batman. Officials gave misleading information and manipulated witnesses in order to declare the death an accident. Further inspection and investigations have since pointed to premeditated murder. The murder of Sevag Şahin Balıkçı is evidence that there has been no life security for Armenians since 1915, that the process of genocide is ongoing, and that the denialism of 97 years perpetuates genocide.
In the 97th year of the process of genocide, which began with the arrests in Istanbul on April 24, 1915, and which included the annihilation of the Armenians as well as the Assyrians and Greeks of Anatolia, we are writing this letter to directly address you and the children of the victims of the Armenian Genocide around the world, whom you represent. We hereby declare our belief that it is only after the recognition of the genocide and the restitution of and/or compensation for the confiscated property of Armenians that justice can be established.
Your humble servants,
Human Rights Association, Istanbul Branch
Committee Against Racism and Discrimination
TURKEY
***
His All Holiness Karekin II
Catholicos of All Armenians
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
Your Holiness,
Today is the 24th of April, 2012, the 97th anniversary of the arrests of the Armenian intellectuals of Istanbul, which represents the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.
We are writing this letter to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, which represents all the Armenians in the world, in order to say that we bow in shame and in respect before the memory of the Ottoman Armenians who were massacred and dispossessed of all their riches, of all their richness of every kind, and effectively, even of the vestiges of their past. We are addressing our letter to you to declare that we remain the defenders of the usurped rights of the children and the grandchildren of the victims who survived massacre and were dispersed to all corners of the earth.
The denial of the genocide by Turkey has lasted for 97 years, not only as a state policy but also as a socially pervasive view. We are writing this letter to you so as to declare that the denial of a crime against humanity, such as genocide, is a transgression of human rights, which itself leads to other transgressions and feeds enmity and hate.
You visited Istanbul in 2006 on the invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Your visit met with attacks against your person and your See by proponents of hate in Turkey, due especially to a reply you gave in the press conference. You said, “For our people, the genocide is not a matter of investigation; it is a factual event that took place, and must be recognized as such.” Your words were themselves subjected to an investigation under article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, whose legitimacy we contest in the most absolute terms.
We are writing you this letter to state that we share the views you voiced in the press conference in their entirety. As defenders of human rights, we deem the campaign against you by proponents of enmity and hate, as well as the investigation initiated by the Turkish judiciary, to be an attack against human rights.
On April 24, 2011, the same day that we were commemorating in Istanbul the 96th anniversary of the arrest of the Armenian intellectuals, Sevag Şahin Balıkçı was shot dead while on mandatory military duty in the city of Batman. Officials gave misleading information and manipulated witnesses in order to declare the death an accident. Further inspection and investigations have since pointed to premeditated murder. The murder of Sevag Şahin Balıkçı is evidence that there has been no life security for Armenians since 1915, that the process of genocide is ongoing, and that the denialism of 97 years perpetuates genocide.
In the 97th year of the process of genocide, which began with the arrests in Istanbul on April 24, 1915, and which included the annihilation of the Armenians as well as the Assyrians and Greeks of Anatolia, we are writing this letter to directly address you and the children of the victims of the Armenian Genocide around the world, whom you represent. We hereby declare our belief that it is only after the recognition of the genocide and the restitution of and/or compensation for the confiscated property of Armenians that justice can be established.
Truly yours,
Human Rights Association, Istanbul Branch
Committee Against Racism and Discrimination
Turkey
From the UN website regarding the ICJ:
“The States concerned (Turkey in this case) must also have access to the Court and have accepted its jurisdiction, in other words they must CONSENT to the Court”s considering the dispute in question. This is a fundamental principle governing the settlement of international disputes, States being sovereign and free to choose the methods of resolving their disputes.”
Why on earth would Turkey consent to a trial? The government may be denialists, but they aren’t stupid.
There are contentious cases which ARE binding and require consent of both parties, and advisory opinions- which I do not believe are binding.
Avery
Turkey/Turks are realistic enough to understand that the joining the EU for Turkey is now a pipe dream. Being realistic is one of the major difference between Armenians and Turks. There are many reasons why Turkey won’t be admitted but the most important one is there is no more a Soviet union and unti muslim attitude of the EU is rising and muslim people of the EU are not aware that they are harming their interest by not condemning terrorism
serko
good, we seem to be getting somewhere. I agree that the Turks e.g. in Bulgaria probably were seen by the majority population as colonisers or the decendants of colonisers. However the war in 1877-78 went much further than simply securing a victory for the Russian and Bulgarian forces and establishing – or re-establishing – the Bulgarian state. Close to one million Turks fled and some 250.000 died. These are crimes for which to my mind the Bulgarian governments have never apologized. The turks should have been allowed to stay as residents for several hundred years. Indeed the rights of Turks, now Bulgarian citizens, were shortly after the war guaranteed in the Bulgarian constitution. Whether this should also be called a genocide is a tricky question, but to my mind the most reasonable answer is yes, since the developments obviously contained many “Srebrenitsa”s. Turks and jews were massacred as such in no small numbers. The Turks in Bulgaria must also be considered a “protected” group according to the Convention. The acts of the Russian forces, the Cossacks and the Bulgarian paramilitary groups seems to have had as its goal to destroy – in whole or on part – this group by killing members of the group and by “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”. The latter by making people flee headlong to safe their lives in the autumn and early winter of late 1877, which the perpetrators must have known must lead to mass death. Ther violence also was “part of a manifest pattern of conduct directed at the protected group”. True, Bulgarians were also targeted, but that is another question. I belive the same kind of reasoning might be applied to the Cicrcassian case. At least I never saw any convincing arguments against such a position. – But the sad part of this theme is if one category of victims holds against another category of victims that “we suffered genocide but you suffered ONLY crimes against humanity”.
ragnar naess
I tend to think that the primary reason why the Balkan war of 1877-78 went further than simply securing a victory for the Russian and Bulgarian forces and re-establishing the Bulgarian state was that in April of 1876 the Turks brutally suppressed the Bulgarian uprising in which, according to various estimates, from 15,000 up to 100,000 innocent peasants were butchered. Events came to be known as “Bulgarian horrors” in the European press.
I don’t understand the logic behind this: “The Turks should have been allowed to stay as residents for several hundred years.” If someone breaks in your house and settles there forcefully, will you allow him or his descendants to stay there for good?
Neither the Balkan nor the Cicrcassian case qualifies as genocide by the scholarly community. More often than not I see war atrocities, ethnic cleansing, etc. when depicting these cases in the literature.
I think why the Armenian case stands out as genocide except for other obvious reasons, is the fact that Armenians were not at war with the Turks and were subjects of the same state. The genocide definition doesn’t touch upon this, but experts and informed people can make a distinction.
Serko,
I am sure, you noticed how easily and naturally the term “genocide” came out of Ragnar’s mouth when he discussed Balkan Turks and Circassians.
I don’t know from how long ago you have been following his “contributions” to these pages, but he has never been able to utter the same word regarding Armenians. You know why? Because, he argues, there is no evidence of genocidal intent by Young Turks when they uprooted almost the entire Armenian population and ordered them to march to desert no food, water, or any other supplies, ordered them to be murdered, tortured, and humiliated.
“Whether this should also be called a genocide is a tricky question, but to my mind the most reasonable answer is yes…” he says, because, you know, the genocidal intent is extremely clear when it comes to his buddies.
Of course Armenians were at war with Ottoman Turks. Their leaders have proudly stated this obvious fact to allies and their friends, fully expecting a reward! Why is this well documented and elephant-size truth so hard to face?
ADDENDUM to Sella,
You see,I have undertaken a very tough task ,trying to by and by pursuade/convince our BBB’s(bishops,bosses and benefactors) which in an orerly fashion read as the clergy/spiritual leaders, politicalo chieftains and benefactors-also sort of bosses in their own right) said description is as to explain what ARA Baliozian(Canadian armenian writer intellectual) defines as to our present self elected or at the most by their friends,NOT PUBLIC.
That:- We need TO CONSOLIDATE OUR….BOTH HUMAN RESOURCES,THAT ACCORDING TO ME RESIDES IN OUR HUGE COLLECTIVITIES OF OVER A 100,000 Professional Colleagues Assoc. members. Plus through them…
OUR ECONOMIC POWER……………….A NATIONAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND…
Only then we can throw our weight around so to say and take up important isseus such AS ORGANIZE A R E P A T R I A T I O N…
then also fund all necessary programmes here in Diaspora to help make our Tahd stick!!!
otherwise, rhetoric is free…all can get on band wagon and indeed PROPOSE OTHER SUCH plans.
the Armenian is Centrifugal does not as a rule cooperate.Exceptions in thsoe above where,also not so HARMONIOUS,what is more they do not represent the thick of our people the PCA´s
best Hasgcoghin
Tiger
there is an anormous amount of ATASE documents referred to in the literature. A Turkish historian told me in august 2011 that you can get documents from the military archives but that there is a lot of red tape. Serko, my answer to you did not get through re the applicaiton of the convention to various historical atrocities. Sella, your answer reagarding the ICC……..hmmm. but my motivation for following this debate diminishes if my posts dont get through
{” but my motivation for following this debate diminishes if my posts dont get through”}
Oh Dear, Oh Dear: isn’t that truly tragic. ArmenianWeekly moderator is interfering with Turkophile Denialist Norwegian Professor’s “freedom” to disseminate Armenian Genocide denialist disinformation. How dare those “inbred” Armenians ?
If they don’t behave we, proud Quisling disciples of Turkish Denialists, might “dispose of” more Armenians, if you get my drift, homes.
Ragnar,
You do not expect me to take at face value what you & your unnamed Turkish historian friend have said.Especially when the historian is unnamed & God knows he could be working for USAK (ex. Maxime Gauim)or other Turkish government sponsored/backed organization.Well I believe I can say that he is lying or not telling you the truth & you are passing the news at face value without checking it.
Please read this article by Markar Esayan titled ’1915, new ethics and new paradigm’ published in TZ on 23/12/2011, where he writes:’The General Staff Archives for Military History and the Strategic Studies Center (ATASE) are still closed. There is no use blocking the process, saying, “You open yours first, then I’ll open mine.”
This is the site for the whole article & in case you cannot access it please inform so that I copy & paste it in whole.
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-266585-1915-new-ethics-and-new-paradigm.html
sorry, I see my message got through after all. I must be getting old……
… I am glad you finally realized it.
to correct misunderstandings which I by the way have done many times, Gina, there are no good reason to deny that Armenians suffered genocide. This is not a case of saying yes or no to “genocide” which is a much too simple procedure. — But if we talk about genocide in the juridical sense, we would like to specify perpetrators. Now we see that the ICTY deemed that Srebrenica was an example of genocide, and certainly there were instances in 1915-16 in which Armenians were targeted and killed, and killed as such. The killing of 2000 “christians” mentioned by Talaat in his message to dr. Reshid is one thing. But the evidence for a genocidal role of the ittihadist leadership is quite another thing. Even if we disagree about the conclusion, I believe we must concede that, Serko. There are too many telegrams from Istanbul ordering people not to harass Armenians, too much money used for food for Armenian deportees to substantiate a simple documentation that the intent simply was to kill Armenians.
The reality which led to the gruesome consequences for Armenians is more complex. — On the other hand there are aspects of the ittihadist policies that indicate that the real aim was to produce a mortality that would take the lives of the majority of the Armenians, for instance the impossibility of settling people in the area designed. The area could not support 600.000 to one million new residents But historians disagree on the ittihadist intent regarding the Armenians, it is a myth that all agree on the genocide thesis and that all those who dont are cranks or paid by the Turks- – About the rising in Batak in Ottoman Bulgaria a lot has been written, and it may well be the “reason” why the Russians and the Bulgarian units went much further than just securing a territory for a new Bulgarian state. But this “reason” does not necessarily enter into the question of whether acts in the autumn of 1877 qualify as genocide. Now you may say that the “reason” demonstrates that the intent was ethnic cleansing, not genocide. But as we admitted earlier, genocide may well be an aspect of ethnic cleansing. The removal of the Armenians from Anatolia was also a case of ethnic cleansing. So I cannot follow your logic, unless you simply follow the “lawyers’ method” and cite all the arguments that bolster your case and not the counterarguments. — About the right of the Turks to stay: it follows the laws of domicile and the principles these laws are based on ,as nearly all countries today use it. These were people whose ancestors had stayed for centures in the same place I am very surprised that you cannot see this point. And the guaranteeing of the rights of Turks who still lived in Bulgaria shows that the Bulgarians of the time, the responsible ones who wanted Bulgaria to appear as a ivilized country in the eyes of the world, realized that Ottoman suzerainty is one thing, it may be removed, and the rights of residents is another
Serko, I agree that the fact that Armenians were Ottoman citizens is relevant for the perception of what happened as either “atrocities” or “extermination”. Atrocities against civilians committed by an invading army is – possibly – more commonly seen as something else. But for me it is more important that research – apart from McCarthy’s “Death and Exile” – has simply not been interested in describing and classifying atrocities committed against Ottoman Muslims. That is why the question is more open and the question whether these also were victims of genocide should be asked. If Srebrenica is the yardstick, what are we too conclude (unless we have a blueprint in our heads….)?
Thank you, Gina. I was suspecting, but now I see what’s going on.
Vtiger
I dont accept any statements on face value in any case, so in this we agree. I downloaded the article from “Todays Zaman” of 231211. Thank you. Fine article. Regarding ATASE documents they abound in the literature, so I dont think it can be a matter of the archive simply being close to researchers. But there may of course be a political screening of applicants. In the section on libraries and archives at the University of Bilkent ATASE is presented in the folllowing way:—–quote—
The Askeri Tarih ve Stratejik Etüt Başkanlığı Arşivi (ATASE) houses primary sources for research into the military history of the 19th and 20th centuries. The collections, composed of documents dealing with combat, operations, intelligence and logistical support, encompass all military operations that the Ottoman Empire engaged in after the Crimean War (1853-1856) and those in which the Turkish Armed Forces took part during the Republican era. With regard to the approximately 10 million documents in these rich collections, researchers are required to use the copies that are installed on CDs at the archive. Another important point for the researcher to bear in mind is that access permission to ATASE entails a security investigation which takes one to two months. For this, researchers should submit the following documents during the application process:
an application form making clear the subject and aim of the study
6 copies of the applicant’s identity card
an academic reference taken from the institution to which the researcher belongs
6 personnel information cards
2 passport-size photographs.
unquote
The “security investigation” sounds strange because “Ottoman History” ended in 1923, and it is hardly reasonable to imagine that there may be security risks connected to the information provided. —-There were problems with acess to archives which had been said by authorities to have been opened by the beginning of the 90-ies. These were brought up by Ara Sarafian and other researchers, and after the year 2000 researchers like Kaiser and Sarafian reported that there were few problems, and the personnel acted professionally.
But I will ask my Turkish contacts about the reasons behind the “security investigation”
Ragnar,
Thank you.You can directly email Markar Esayan & ask him to clarify this point in his article & compare with your contacts’ information.For me open archives means open for all with no security hurdles & available on the web.
gina
I am afraid the tendency to classify dialogue partners as supporters or enemies instead of answering arguments is in the end a liability for the Armenian cause. Possibily it functions as a means to galvanize the last cohorts of stalwart believers I understand your feelings, but you are still not able to cite me correctly. Instead you seem to want to classify me according to a stereotype of denier, or hidden denier. Well, you are free to do so……..
Ragnar Naess,
Stay humble and stop pretending you understand more than you actually do. I never called or classified anyone as enemy, so do not put words into my mouth.
And what “last cohorts of stalwart believers” are you talking about? I understand your feelings, too. Your imagination is taking you too far.
Of course, you would like to give validity to your “academic” career, which would be non-existent without a debate about Armenian Genocide. So let’s pretend there is a real debate (in fact, there isn’t) and it’s actually growing so you can feel yourself important.
The only reason you have any audience at all is because Turks need people like you to obscure history. And one does not have to be an academic of high caliber to serve the purpose. All you need is a desire to serve them. So you fit right in.
FYI, there is no and there will be no cohorts of believers in the “genocide” of Balkan Turks and Circassians. So pick a different topic and stay humble.
serko
you write…..”… that in April of 1876 the Turks brutally suppressed the Bulgarian uprising in which, according to various estimates, from 15,000 up to 100,000 innocent peasants were butchered. Events came to be known as “Bulgarian horrors” in the European press.unquote.
Tetsuya Sahara of Meiji University wrote an article on this episode named “Victim oriented journalism and the Batak incident”. It is in a book on the Berlin Treaty and the Ottoman Empire. If I find the reference I will send it. The book should be printed by now.
{I agree that the word “genocide” should not figure as prominently in the Armenian accusations against Turkey as it does. However, to simply scrap the word does not make sense. There is a real debate on whether a genocide occurred.} (Rangar Naess @Hurriyet 2011-9-12)
Not a hidden Denier: a highly sophisticated, “new, improved” denier.
Not crude like others, who outright deny the AG. One of the new, insidious, very dangerous breed that build elaborate explanations as to why what happened was a tragedy, but, you know “there was no Genocide; everyone else suffered, not just Armenians; including Turks; millions of Turks were also killed in the war” (…very clever: conflate war deaths with premeditated murder).
Throw in everything unrelated, including the kitchen sink: Balkans, Bulgarians, Circassians, Klingons, the price of eggs in China.
Keep repeating “Armenians suffered; Turks also suffered; everybody suffered; no Genocide; everybody suffered; wartime tragedy; no Genocide; everybody suffered…..”.
Engage Armenians in endless and fruitless debates and discussions; dilute the uniqueness of the Genocide; form commissions to study something; deflect to peripheral issues…run out the clock.
Exhibit A (above): read what the man wrote himself; decide if he is a Denier or not.
Avery,please continue on reading the Hurriyet
I don’t understand why you comment on these pages if your only goal is to phrase out if someone is a denialist or not.
ragnar naess,
I agree with Avery completely.
What happened to Turks in Balkans have no relation to Armenians.
In 1915 April 24, the Turkish Gendarmerie collected Armenian intellectuals and murdered them. After cutting the head of Armenian nation they started to kill and deport the rest. Now Turkish citizens live in the houses of Armenians and use their properties. What do you have to say about this?
As you know, millions of Germans died but it did not prevent Germans from recognizing Jewish Holocaust.
serko
the book is
Yavuz, M. H., & Sluglett, P. (2011). War and diplomacy: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and the Treaty of Berlin. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
I sent this mail today
Dear Markar Esayan,
in your very interesting article on a “New ethics and new paradigm” of december 23, 2011 you mention that the ATASE archive is not open. Now I see that there are a lot of references to ATASE documents in the literature on 1915. In the presentation of “Ottoman studies” in the website of Bilkent University, in the section on “Libraries and Archives”, it is indicated that the ATASE archive is open to researchers but that they have a “security control” that may take one to two months. I have the following questions: Is the information on the Bilkent University’s website misleading? Is there a political screening of researchers who want to use the archive? Do you have examples of this, or can you give me references to articles in which this question is treated?
Best wishes
Ragnar Naess
Oslo, Norway
There is an interesting new article @TZ written by a retired Turkish military judge. It is worth reading.
The subtle slant of the article is to put the blame of the AG on Germany, at least in large part. (no problem: we can work with that; don’t look a gift horse in the mouth).
But the interesting part is what is written between the lines, in the process of trying to shift the blame.
Some excerpts:
{“ These documents testify to the sheer magnitude of the forced relocation of Armenians for eventual destruction,”} Yep, it says the so-called “relocation for security purposes”, shouted about by the Denialist Drones, was a master plan for eventual destruction – Genocide.
{“ Thousands of Christians who were forced to work in these battalions were not paid and were not provided with adequate nutrition, and they would lose their lives under hard climatic conditions. This compulsory military service model destroyed the most efficient groups of ethnic and non-Muslim minorities, and this model was further assisted by confiscations and compulsory taxes. Thus, the wealth of these minorities was confiscated, and their shops were looted.”}
{“ As wealth and commerce were Turkified and Islamified,…”}: Wealth and commercial infrastructure created by Christians over centuries was simply stolen.
{“ The government decided to confiscate all properties of those who were forced to migrate. Another method was to force Christians to become Muslims”}
{“ and Turkish soldiers using cudgels upon women in advanced pregnancy..”}
The language used in the article is mild compared to what we all know actually happened to pregnant Armenian women, for example.
(much worse that simply hitting them with clubs). It is understandable: they can only write so much in a mainstream Turkish publication.
But admitting – in a roundabout way – that the AG was planned and carried out is quite a step for a retired Turkish military judge.
[German militarism’s connivance with Committee of Union and Progress
by Ümit Kardaş]
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-280848-german-militarisms-connivance-with-committee-of-union-and-progress-by-umit-kardas*.html