Yellow Ribbon Campaign to Protest Genocide Denial
Yellow Ribbon Campaign to Protest
Recall of Ambassador Evans and Genocide Denial
In the end, we will remember not the words
of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
19 April 2006
Yerevan, Armenia – In response to the imminent recall of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans for publicly acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, a "Yellow Ribbon Campaign" has been planned for April 24, 2006. The campaign is also in response to a number of recent instances in which high-ranking foreign diplomats in Armenia have denied the Armenian Genocide.
Organized by Armenian-Americans in Armenia and Friends, a newly created, ad-hoc group based in the Armenian Republic, the grassroots campaign will take place at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan. The monument is dedicated to the 1.5 million victims of the Genocide of the Armenians perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1923.
On April 24, 2006, when hundreds of thousands of marchers will converge on the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in commemoration of the victims of the Genocide, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign will commence by participants tying yellow ribbons on 100-meter long ropes stretched along the walking path leading to the Genocide Monument.
"During the last number of years, we have witnessed public denials of the Armenian Genocide by several diplomats," said Paula Devejian, a member of the group. "Such politically motivated actions are offensive and insulting. By attempting to dismiss the indisputable fact of the Armenian Genocide, those engaged in denial insult the memory of the victims, their descendents and the Armenian nation as a whole. In our present-day reality of a free and independent Armenian Republic, Armenians throughout the world feel the pain of denial even more when it's perpetrated by representatives or leaders of countries that are otherwise acknowledged as friends and allies of Armenia."
According to Devejian, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign was put into motion following what is widely regarded as the Bush Administration's retribution against Ambassador Evans for publicly labeling the events in Ottoman Turkey at the beginning of the 20th century as "genocide". Soon after the Ambassador's comments, (made in statements to Armenian-American leaders in February 2005), the U.S. State Department forced Evans to publicly retract his statements and apologize, then coerced the American Foreign Service Association into an unprecedented move of rescinding the prestigious "Constructive Dissent" award he was granted, and now subsequently, the Ambassador is being recalled from his post and forced into early "retirement".
"It is difficult to see a great ally and friend of Armenia like the U.S. as an objective and unbiased mediator in the Nagorno-Karabagh peace process and Armenian-Turkish relations when our government is subject to Turkish pressure and blackmail, and resorts to censorship. We are amazed that the United States would allow a third country to affect the bilateral relations between itself and Armenia." said Devejian.
"We believe that the American Government must be the standard bearer of free speech and human rights, and we are concerned that its actions against Ambassador Evans amount to less than an adequate commitment to these principles."
The newly formed group also cited examples of foreign diplomats denying the Armenian Genocide while holding posts in Armenia, including Israeli Ambassador Rivka Cohen, who in 2002 dissociated the Armenian Genocide from the Jewish Holocaust, thereby questioning the fact of the Genocide; and U.K. Ambassador Thorda Abbott-Watt, who in 2004 denied the Genocide, causing outrage in Armenia and Armenian communities throughout the world.
"Such disrespectful acts against the Armenian people and nation will continue if we do not put an end to the complacent acceptance of such politically motivated diplomatic denial by these countries. States have an obligation to understand that the promotion of democratic values, principles and true freedom come through their own actions and examples," Devejian explained. "The Yellow Ribbon Campaign is an expression of protest against Genocide denial and punishment of free speech. It is an impassioned, peaceful call by Armenians from all walks of life for fairness and justice, in both political and humanitarian terms."
# # #
Armenian Americans in Armenia and Friends
Yerevan, Armenia
Contact e-mail: genocide_ribbon@yahoo.com
Recall of Ambassador Evans and Genocide Denial
In the end, we will remember not the words
of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
19 April 2006
Yerevan, Armenia – In response to the imminent recall of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans for publicly acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, a "Yellow Ribbon Campaign" has been planned for April 24, 2006. The campaign is also in response to a number of recent instances in which high-ranking foreign diplomats in Armenia have denied the Armenian Genocide.
Organized by Armenian-Americans in Armenia and Friends, a newly created, ad-hoc group based in the Armenian Republic, the grassroots campaign will take place at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan. The monument is dedicated to the 1.5 million victims of the Genocide of the Armenians perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1923.
On April 24, 2006, when hundreds of thousands of marchers will converge on the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in commemoration of the victims of the Genocide, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign will commence by participants tying yellow ribbons on 100-meter long ropes stretched along the walking path leading to the Genocide Monument.
"During the last number of years, we have witnessed public denials of the Armenian Genocide by several diplomats," said Paula Devejian, a member of the group. "Such politically motivated actions are offensive and insulting. By attempting to dismiss the indisputable fact of the Armenian Genocide, those engaged in denial insult the memory of the victims, their descendents and the Armenian nation as a whole. In our present-day reality of a free and independent Armenian Republic, Armenians throughout the world feel the pain of denial even more when it's perpetrated by representatives or leaders of countries that are otherwise acknowledged as friends and allies of Armenia."
According to Devejian, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign was put into motion following what is widely regarded as the Bush Administration's retribution against Ambassador Evans for publicly labeling the events in Ottoman Turkey at the beginning of the 20th century as "genocide". Soon after the Ambassador's comments, (made in statements to Armenian-American leaders in February 2005), the U.S. State Department forced Evans to publicly retract his statements and apologize, then coerced the American Foreign Service Association into an unprecedented move of rescinding the prestigious "Constructive Dissent" award he was granted, and now subsequently, the Ambassador is being recalled from his post and forced into early "retirement".
"It is difficult to see a great ally and friend of Armenia like the U.S. as an objective and unbiased mediator in the Nagorno-Karabagh peace process and Armenian-Turkish relations when our government is subject to Turkish pressure and blackmail, and resorts to censorship. We are amazed that the United States would allow a third country to affect the bilateral relations between itself and Armenia." said Devejian.
"We believe that the American Government must be the standard bearer of free speech and human rights, and we are concerned that its actions against Ambassador Evans amount to less than an adequate commitment to these principles."
The newly formed group also cited examples of foreign diplomats denying the Armenian Genocide while holding posts in Armenia, including Israeli Ambassador Rivka Cohen, who in 2002 dissociated the Armenian Genocide from the Jewish Holocaust, thereby questioning the fact of the Genocide; and U.K. Ambassador Thorda Abbott-Watt, who in 2004 denied the Genocide, causing outrage in Armenia and Armenian communities throughout the world.
"Such disrespectful acts against the Armenian people and nation will continue if we do not put an end to the complacent acceptance of such politically motivated diplomatic denial by these countries. States have an obligation to understand that the promotion of democratic values, principles and true freedom come through their own actions and examples," Devejian explained. "The Yellow Ribbon Campaign is an expression of protest against Genocide denial and punishment of free speech. It is an impassioned, peaceful call by Armenians from all walks of life for fairness and justice, in both political and humanitarian terms."
# # #
Armenian Americans in Armenia and Friends
Yerevan, Armenia
Contact e-mail: genocide_ribbon@yahoo.com
posted by Raffi K. at 7:49 AM
6 Comments:
Well I am Turkish so I will probably get blasted by saying this, but you guys do realize that most people in Turkey are aware of the things that happen back then. We know that a lot of Armenians died and most of us have remorse of the things that happened. I am not going into the whole genocide discussion, because there isn’t anything to discus if people already made up their minds (this goes both ways). But I kind of wished that there where better ways to resolve this situation then what is happening now with the whole hating each other guts thing.
Yellow ribbon is a bad idea. There is a yellow ribbon campaign already, I think they are either protesting or supporting troops in iraq, not sure. I see it on the cars all the time. Why cant we have a tricolor ribbon campaign.
And to the turkish comment above: I don't hate you personally, but I do have this feeling that your country is built on a bunch of horrible deeds that no one bothered to inasmuch as aknowledge, not even take responsibility for. It is hard for me to shake a turkish hand when I know that my grandparents grew up in orphanages because some other turkish hand put their families to death.
Tim
About shaking a hand, who it's attached to is more important than the hand.
Raffi, you think you can save Evans' ass by censoring "unpatriotic" comments on your blog? How pathetic.
I allowed the last comment to remind people that I do moderate comments, and have absolutely no policy on which I accept, and which I reject. :-)
Now specifically to this anonymous commenter:
1) Do you think I care if you are offended I didn't like your comment, when you're too scared to even sign your post?
2) I have no idea what you think you wrote that was so "unpatriotic" I couldn't stand to see it posted - but that had nothing to do with it at all :-)
3) Relax and have a nice day!
no you wont get blasted because you are admitting the genocide. i have to say i have a lot of hate in my heart, and i dont like it, its like poison. but hearing the stories of my grandparents only fills me with revenge, except when people like you come out. so this is how you end the hate, admit your wrongdoing and the hate will go away
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