Spanish city of Santa Margarida recognizes the Armenian Genocide

(horizonweekly.ca) The Spanish city of Santa Margarida has officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, Press Service of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

The decision of the City Council reads, in part:

“Considering that some governments, including those of Turkey and Spain, do not acknowledge the Armenian Genocide,

Considering that the crimes against humanity have no statute of limitation,

Taking into consideration that the Armenian the Armenian people have not received any economic, territorial or humanitarian reimbursement,

Taking into consideration that the Armenian Genocide is a precedent for the Holocaust, the genocides in Rwanda and the Balkans,

The City Hall decides to support the genocide recognition and reimbursement, to demand from the Spanish Government to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and organize the passage of this decision to international structures.”

Remembering the Armenian Genocide 1915

Remembering the Armenian Genocide 1915
By Canon Patrick Thomas

Publication Date April 2015
Publisher: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst

(horizonweekly.ca) 2015 is the centenary of that Armenian Genocide. In this moving and powerful account of the suffering undergone by Armenians, Patrick Thomas draws on eye-witness material from a wide variety of sources. He shows why it remains profoundly important to acknowledge and remember this first major genocide of the twentieth century.

Author Biography:

Canon Patrick Thomas
Canon Patrick Thomas

Canon Patrick Thomas has spent much of the past ten years studying Armenian history, culture and religion. In 2013 he was designated ‘Honorary Pastor to Armenians in Wales’ by the Armenian Primate of Britain and Ireland. Dr Thomas is Vicar of Christ Church, Carmarthen, Canon Chancellor of St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire, and a member of the Anglican Oriental Orthodox International Commission.

European People’s Party Youth Recognize Armenian Genocide

(asbarez.com) BRUSSELS—The 10th Congress of the Youth of the European People’s Party (YEPP) adopted a Resolution recognizing and condemning the genocides of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.

In the Resolution the YEPP calls on the member states of the European Union and the Council of Europe, as well as the international organizations to recognize and restore the historic justice in memory of the victims of the genocides of Armenians, Pontic Greeks and Assyrians.

“All interested parties recognize the genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians, and accept April 24 and May 19 as the Days of Remembrance of the Armenian and Greek Genocides,” the document reads.

The 10th Congress of the Youth of the European People’s Party was attended by more than 250 young leaders from more than 40 countries, including the Youth Organization of the Republican Party of Armenia headed by its President Karen Avagyan.

The Resolution submitted by the Greek party was adopted unanimously and was backed by delegates of the countries that have not yet recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Global realities and challenges were in the spotlight of the YEPP Congress held under the slogan “A stronger Europe in a Changing World.

YEPP is the largest youth organization in Europe, which brings together more than 1.6 million young people from 57 political parties representing 40 countries.

Canadian Senate Reaffirms Recognition of Armenian Genocide

(horizonweekly.ca) OTTAWA (May 13, 2015) – The Canadian Senate reaffirmed today its recognition of the Armenian Genocide by reiterating support for Motion 44, first approved in June 2002.

“By formally recognizing the Armenian genocide, Canada lives up to the principles that we have promoted throughout the world. Any country that desires to suppress its past, any country that does not confront its past head on, seriously risks a failure to liberate itself from its own history” stated Sen. Thanh Hai Ngo in his declaration.

On the heels of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide he added that “this heinous crime remains unanswered, since Turkey refuses to recognise it. The Senate of Canada has not been indifferent to the atrocities committed during the Armenian genocide. We have to promote justice, human rights, tolerance, and peaceful co-existence between nations because it is the right thing to do. It is my honor to speak before this Chamber on the Centennial Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and to reaffirm our strong commitment towards Motion 44, as passed in June 2002.”

Speaker of the Senate, Honourable Leo Housakos marked the solemn occasion of the Armenian Genocide and greeted the Ambassador of Armenia Mr. Armen Yeganian and members of the Armenian Community sitting in the Gallery, at the opening of the session. Other Senators joined their colleagues reaffirming the Upper Chamber’s commitment towards human rights, international justice and peace.

The reaffirmation of this historic motion was realized through the collective effort of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Canada.

Willoughby City Council in Australia recognises the Armenian Genocide

(anc.org.au) SYDNEY: Willoughby City Council, in Sydney’s North Shore, has passed a motion recognising the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia).

On Monday 11th May 2015, Willoughby City Council – the municipality that is home to many thousands of Sydney-Armenians, as well as to Armenian churches and community centres – considered the motion, which reads: “Willoughby City Council recognises the genocide of the Armenian, Greek and Assyrians peoples by the then Ottoman Government between 1915 and 1922 and condemns these and all other acts of genocide and crimes against humanity as the ultimate act of intolerance”.

The motion was introduced in what is the Armenian Genocide’s Centenary year by long-standing friend of the Armenian-Australian community, Councillor John Hooper, and was seconded by Councillor Judith Rutherford. It passed unanimously, making Willoughby City Council the second Australian local government to recognise the Armenian Genocide after Ryde City Council.

ANC Australia’s executive director, Vache Kahramanian, addressed the Council meeting to speak in favour of the motion and on the importance of Armenian genocide recognition as a mechanism to prevent future instances of genocide being perpetrated.

Upon passage of the motion, Kahramanian remarked: “I thank Councillor Hooper and Willoughby City’s Councillors for adding their formal recognition of the Armenian genocide. Such motions send the clearest signal that genocide denial has no place in the twenty first century.”

“There is a national movement in Australia towards recognition which will ultimately lead to the Commonwealth Parliament also affirming the historical reality of the Armenian genocide,” Kahramanian added.

The motion adopted by Willoughby City Council comes only weeks after Ryde City Council reaffirmed its long standing position on the Armenian genocide.

The text of the Willoughby City Council motion reads:

That:

Willoughby City Council recognises the genocide of the Armenian, Greek and Assyrians peoples by the then Ottoman Government between 1915 and 1922 and condemns these and all other acts of genocide and crimes against humanity as the ultimate act of intolerance.Z
Willoughby City Council endorses the resolution of the NSW Parliament on 17 April 1997 that it:
recognises and condemns the Genocide of the Armenians by the then Ottoman Government between 1915 and 1922, and designated 24 April of every year thereafter as a day of remembrance of the 1.5 million Armenians who fell victim to the first genocide of the twentieth century;
recognises that Assyrians and Greeks were subjected to qualitatively similar genocides by the then Ottoman Government between 1915 and 1922;
reaffirms its condemnation of the genocide of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks, and all other acts of genocide as the ultimate act of intolerance;
recognises the importance of remembering and learning from such dark chapters in human history to ensure that such crimes against humanity are not allowed to be repeated;
acknowledges and pays tribute to the contribution of the Anzac servicemen who aided the survivors of the genocide; and
acknowledges the significant humanitarian relief contribution made by the people of New South Wales to the victims and survivors of the genocide.

Socialist Youth World Council Adopts Resolution Calling for Armenian Genocide Recognition, Reparations

(armenianweekly.com) YEREVAN — The International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) World Council unanimously passed a resolution on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, condemning the denial of the genocide and demanding justice for the crime. The World Council, which took place in Yerevan and was hosted by the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) of Armenia, adopted the resolution on May 9.

The resolution, which was proposed collectively by the AYF regions represented, states that IUSY supports the “Armenian people’s struggle for the recognition and reparation of the Armenian Genocide by calling upon Turkey to start an immediate process of eliminating the consequences of the Armenian Genocide and initiate a process of restoring the rights of the Armenian people.” It also notes that “IUSY believes this is the only reliable road to reconciliation of the two countries and nations.”

“The fact that the resolution was unanimously passed speaks measures,” said Nairi Khachatourian, who is in Yerevan representing AYF Eastern United States. “IUSY is sending a strong message to Turkey that true reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey can only be built upon recognition, reparations, and real justice.”

Titled, “An Equal World Is Possible,” the IUSY World Council includes participants from 60 countries, with over 160 delegates representing various socialist youth organizations, in addition to over two dozen AYF representatives from Armenia, Artsakh, and the Diaspora.

Earlier that day, participants of the council paid their respects to the 1.5 million victims of the genocide at the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Dzidernagapert.

IUSY delegates paying their respects at the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Dzidernagapert (photo: Patil Aslanian)
IUSY delegates paying their respects at the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Dzidernagapert (photo: Patil Aslanian)

Below is the text of the resolution:

***

PROPOSAL BY THE ARMENIAN YOUTH FEDERATION (AYF)

Resolution on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

The International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY), being a faithful follower of the principles of justice, democracy, equality, and human rights, reaffirms its position on the Armenian Genocide as the world commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first Genocide of the 20th century.

The Armenian Genocide opened a whole new circle of genocides that were encouraged by the impunity of the perpetrators of the first genocide as well as inspired by its techniques and genocidal methods.

Genocide is a crime under international law contrary to the spirit and aims of the IUSY. This is why:

IUSY condemns the genocide against the Armenian people which was planned and carried out by the Ottoman Empire and various regimes in Turkey in 1915-23. During these years more than 1.5 million Armenians, living in their ancestral homeland (what is largely known as Eastern Turkey today), were brutally exterminated; their heritage was confiscated and largely destructed. The small number of Armenians who survived was spread all over the world.

IUSY strongly condemns the denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish government as well as all the attempts of the Republic of Turkey to mute and bribe every initiative that is aimed at the recognition and reparation of the Armenian Genocide. IUSY believes that the denial of the genocide is a double crime that ought to be punished and has nothing in common with the right of freedom of expression.

IUSY supports the Armenian Youth Federation’s (AYF) and the Armenian people’s struggle for the recognition and reparation of the Armenian Genocide by calling upon Turkey to start an immediate process of eliminating the consequences of the Armenian Genocide and initiate a process of restoration of the rights of the Armenian people. IUSY believes this is the only reliable road to reconciliation of the two countries and nations.

IUSY sees education as one of the most vital and constructive ways of fighting any form of extremism. With this, we call upon our member organizations to spread the knowledge of the Armenian Genocide, because only by knowing and condemning past genocides can we prevent new ones from taking place.

Luxembourg parliament votes to recognise Armenian genocide

Luxembourg Wort – (CS/CBu) The Luxembourg parliament on Wednesday unanimously voted to officially recognise the Armenian 195 – 1918 killings during the Ottoman Empire as genocide.

The CSV had introduced the motion in parliament.

The vote came despite protest from the Turkish community in Luxembourg which warned of an oversimplification of facts, adding that it was not up to politicians but to historians to decide the implications of the mass killings during WW1.

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn commented that Luxembourg with Wednesday’s decision was sending a clear signal. “We bow our heads to the dreadful suffering of the Armenian people,” he said.

However, Asselborn also commented that the recognition of the killings as genocide was not a “hostile act” towards Turkey, but a call for reconciliation between the two countries.

The text of the resolution can be find here.

Toronto City Council Passes Armenian Genocide Recognition Motion

(horizonweekly.com) Toronto City Council voted today, on Motion MM6.7 which reads: “City Council recognizes the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to honour the memory of the men, women and children who died.”

Jim Karygiannis, City Councilor Ward 39 – Scarborough-Agincourt
Jim Karygiannis, City Councilor Ward 39 – Scarborough-Agincourt

The motion was brought forward by Councillor Jim Karygiannis (Ward 39) and, through strong support from longtime friends of the Armenian community, achieved the two-thirds majority required for a procedural motion to avoid being referred to the Executive Committee. At that point, Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7), who was the recipient of a fundraising campaign during the 2014 municipal election by deniers of the Armenian Genocide, put a hold on the item to prevent it from going straight to a vote. The item was brought up later in the Council meeting where Councillor John Campbell (Ward 4) tried to kibosh the motion by moving “receipt” instead of adopting the recommendation. The attempt failed and the motion ultimately passed 26-4 with Councillors Campbell, Mammoliti, Berardinetti (Ward 35), and Shiner (Ward 24) voting against.

The motion reads:

“2015 marks the centenary of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian Genocide, the 1st genocide of the 20th century, took place between 1915 and 1917.

On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Government arrested over 200 Armenian community leaders in Constantinople. They were sent to prison in Anatolia, where most were summarily executed.
Thereafter, thousands upon thousands were subjected to forced labour, massacred or deported.

The Armenian Genocide was the systematic extermination by the Ottoman Empire of its minority Armenian subjects. This atrocity took place during and after World War I in which 1.5 million Armenians were executed.

Recognizing this tragic chapter in history, in 2004, then Mayor David Miller proclaimed April 25, 2004, as Armenian Genocide Day in Toronto.”

Recommendation

Councillor Jim Karygiannis, seconded by Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, recommends that:

1.  City Council recognize the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to honour the memory of the men, women and children who died.