On 15 March 2006, several Armenian and non-Armenian organizations organized demonstrations against the “Talaat Movement” in Paris, Marseille and Valence.

“Talaat Movement” is an organization composed of several Turkish nationalists, who are honoring the main perpetrator of the Armenian genocide, Talaat.

Below are some photographs from the events (via www.yevrobatsi.org).

Members of the Anti-Semitism League at the Parisian demonstration

Historian Yves Ternon joins the Parisian event (more photos at http://www.yevrobatsi.org/st/item_report.php?r=7&id=195)

Marseille's event (more photos at http://www.yevrobatsi.org/st/item_report.php?r=7&id=192)

Valence (more photos at http://www.yevrobatsi.org/st/item_report.php?r=7&id=193)

Effective 1 April 2006, Armenia will use new, four-digit zip codes for postal addresses.

Haypost

The list of new codes in English here, the list in Armenian here.

About twenty nationalist Turks “honored” the general perpetrator of the Armenian genocide, Talaat Pasha, on 15 March 2006 in Berlin. These Turks had previously declared that about 5 million Turks were going to participate in the “commemoration.” More people “counter-commemorated” the Turkish Hitler.

Below is a press release received from Tessa Hoffman (Germany), through Armworkshop.

Berlin, March 15, 2006

Press Release

Berlin. – After the Administrative Court of Berlin lifted the ban of two manifestations by Turkish nationalists in Berlin, planned for March 15 and 18, the public commemoration of Mehmet Talat took place today at Berlin-Charlottenburg’s Steinplatz. About twenty Turks commemorated the assassination of Talat by laying a wreath on the snowy ground of a public square, not far from the place, where the previous Home Minister and chief of the Ottoman government, Talat, was shot 85 years ago.

At the same time about 40 participants of a vigilance, staged by the Arbeitsgruppe Anerkennung – Gegen Genozid, für Völkerverständigung (Working Group Recognition – Against Genocide, for International Understanding) protected the near by Memorial for the Nazi Victims, because this memorial had been misused by Turkish nationalists in 2005 in order to place a wreath for Talat. They gathered under the slogan “No Veneration of Turkish perpetrators of Genocide in Germany!” The vigilance lasted two hours and was supported by representatives of Greek and Aramean/Assyrian associations under the slogan “With one Voice against the Turkish Genocide!”

As the Working Group learnt from a legal expert of the Berlin Police Force, the head of the Berlin police force had meanwhile appealed to Berlin’s Supreme Administrative Court in order to have the ban of the demonstration on Saturday, the 18th of March, re-established. A court decision is expected on Friday morning.

The main question for Berlin’s legal decision is the culpability of genocide denial. So far, the German penal law prohibits the denial of the Shoah, the genocide of the European Jewry, but not the denial of other genocides.

This is a reason why our human rights organisation demands the penalization of genocide denial in national and international law.

After the final destruction of ancient Armenian cemetery in Old Julfa (Nakhichevan) in December of 2005, the Azerbaijani army has “converted” the cemetery to a rifle range.

Just a decade ago, thousands of beautiful head stones (khachkars), some as old as the 8th century, were standing in Old Julfa (Hin Jougha).

March, 2006

March, 2006

March, 2006

The same site during the 1998 destruction

(photos via www.aga-online.org, copyright Armenian Prelacy of Tabriz)

As reported in Merkur Online German publication (14 March 2006), the Berlin administrative court has lifted the Police ban on the demonstrations. Therefore, the “Talaat pasha demonstrations” will take place.

Several Turkish-German organizations are among those who will be counter-demonstrating against the “Talaat Movement.”

I fear there is going to be violence in Berlin in the coming days, since many Germans, Armenian, Kurds and Turks are very angry about the Turkish nationalists who want to honor the perpetrator of the Armenian genocide.

Mourn Armenia! Mourn Armenian nation and mourn world civilization!

Julfa in March of 2006. Received on 14 March 2006 from the Armenian Church of Tehran, Iran via e-mail.

The photo you are looking at was taken in March 2006 and shows what is left from a place where only ten years ago thousands of medieval head stones (khachkars) existed. Stones, beautifully carved with hand tools; and head stones in memory of people buried in this place.

Jugha just a couple of decades ago…

This is, or I should say this was, Jugha (now Julfa), an Armenian cemetery that dates to the 8th century. A registered UNESCO landmark, this world wonder is forever lost thanks to the vandalistic policy of the Azerbaijani government.

Azerbaijani soldiers caught on tape cleansing the last monuments of Old Jugha in December of 2005

Woe to us, woe to us, woe to us…

One of the few khachkars that will never be destroyed. This one is in an open museum in St. Echmiadzin. Thousands of similar monuments are forever gone thanks to the Azerbaijani government.

Not only Google has already removed its sinister advertisement of “Talaat Pasha Movement,” but also the Berlin Police has banned “Talaat Pasha Movement” demonstrations in Berlin.

According to Mein Berlin, an online German publication, on 13 March 2006 the head of Berlin Police prohibited some nationalist Turks to “honor” the main perpetrator of the Armenian genocide, Talaat Pasha, who was shot in 1921 in Berlin.

Turkish nationalists, headed by former Northern Cyprus President Denktash, were planning to lay flowers on the street where Talaat was shot by an Armenian survivor. Both of the upcoming events, 15 and 18 March, were banned with the explanation that they violated #189 Criminal Code, which prohibits denigration of the memory of the dead (aka, the victims of the Armenian genocide).

The person on the right is the main perpetrator of the death of about 1.5 million Armenians. Some nationalist Turks think he is a hero. The poster is from the official website of those Turks.

Several German organizations, headed by Tessa Hoffman, were going to protest the “Talaat Movement” demonstrations. On the other hand, as The Anatolian Times reports from Istanbul on 13 March 2006, “500 Turks will depart for Berlin on the morning of March 18th to attend the ‘Berlin, Talat Pasha Movement’ Rally.”

According to the Turkish publication, “All legal permits have been obtained for the protest and security measures were taken.” Among those 500 Turks are Labor Party leader Dogu Perincek, Honorary Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals Vural Savas, Research & Rescue Team (AKUT) Chairman Nasuh Mahruki, former rector of the University of Istanbul Dr. Kemal Alemdaroglu, Dr. Zekeriya Beyaz and Dr. Alpaslan Isikli.

Perhaps, they will all be arrested if they attempt to participate in the banned demonstration.

United Press International reports on 13 March 2006 that if Azerbaijan restarts a war against Armenia, the latter can blow up Azerbaijan’s oil resources in a blink.

So watch your loud mouth, Azerbaijan. Armenia has really loud bombs that can fly all over to your capital.

(from www.voanews.com)

Armenian SCUDs threaten Azeri oil sites

BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 13 (UPI) — Since the collapse of communism in 1991, Azerbaijan has moved closer to NATO and the United States as its oil exports have soared.

Azerbaijan is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace affiliate program and has hopes of joining the alliance.

Austrian Eutema Technologie Management GmbH EMTECH project manager Martin Marek says that Azerbaijan's main adversary, Armenia, has deployed Soviet-era Scud-B ballistic missiles in the disputed Upper Karabakh region, which are capable of striking Baku's oil facilities.

On March 13, AssA-Irada news agency quoted Marek as saying, "The Scud-B missiles are aimed at oil fields, pipelines and refineries in Azerbaijan, which could bring about a disaster."

On Aug. 23, 1997, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs quoted Science Applications International Corp. Strategic Assessment Center analyst Glen E. Howard as saying that Russia had shipped Armenia as many as 32 Scud-B ballistic missiles and eight launchers as part of a Russian 1994-1996 arms deal worth $1 billion.

In May-June 1996, Armenian personnel were trained to operate Scud-Bs at Russia's Kapustin Yar firing range. Scud-Bs have a range of 200 miles.

Marek observed that Western investment in Azerbaijan reinforces the current "de-facto independent status of Upper Karabakh," and that "Baku is also aware that if the war resumes, these companies will freeze their investments in the country."

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

According to Zaman’s “'Genocide' Course for Teachers in the US” article (13 March 2006), The Federation of Turkish-American Associations (FTAA) will promote a thousand Turkish restaurants in the United States to join the denialist campaign regarding the Armenian genocide.

Zaman explains, “As part of their activities, they will assemble a box to include three CDs, one will contain the Armenian Reality, and the others will have information about Turkey and will reflect the lives of Turks residing in the US. The evil eye, as part of the unique Turkish tradition, will also be added to this box bearing the slogan, ‘Not Turkey, but Turkiye’ together with a tulip motif. Customers at Turkish restaurants will be presented with this box, as part of the new project initiated by the FTAA.”

I think FTAA should publish “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Perpetrating and Denying Genocide.” That would be the only way FTAA could contribute to genocide awareness.

Now, when one does not find arguments to say that the Armenian genocide did not take place, one can just take the phrase “Young Turks” and exchange it with “Armenian gangs.”

This is apparently the case in a Zaman article, “20 Methods Armenian Gangs Used to Torture Turks,” written by Recai Morkoc.

The article states, “The [Armenian] gangs were responsible for crucifying and staking women and men, nailing people up on poles.” Doesn’t the writer know that it would be a blasphemy for Christian Armenians to crucify people the same way their lord Jesus Christ was tortured?

The American “Ravished Armenia” poster was also known as “Crucified Armenia.” Similar phrases have perhaps “inspired” Turkish fabricators in denialist campaigns.

20 Methods Armenian Gangs Used to Torture Turks
By Recai Morkoc, Erzurum
Published: Monday, March 13, 2006
zaman.com

Apparently, Armenian gangs employed 20 different methods to torture Turks.

Betul Aslan, a tutor at Ataturk University, wrote in her book, which she prepared based on memories, documents, and excavations, titled "Armenian Incidents in Erzurum," reveals the torture methods employed by Armenian gangs against Turks.

Aslan believes Russia is responsible for the genocide. Her evidence is based on Russia releasing declaration number 13, in which they provided Armenians with weaponry, ammunition, and food. Aslan says, "Armenians ceased the opportunity when the Europeans used minorities to achieve their goal of bringing down the Ottoman Empire after 1850. Empowered by the West, the Armenians committed atrocities in 1918" and the West also played an active role in these atrocities.

Armenian writer Antranik Celebyan writes, in his book titled "Antranik Pasa," the Armenians under control of Sivas resident Murad, Colonel Moral, and Dr. Bogosyan vengefully attacked houses and committed illegal acts when retreating in the face of Turkish forces.

American, British, Russian, and especially Ottoman sources indicate that Turks suffered various forms of torture. Dr. Erol Kurkcuoglu, assistant professor at Ataturk University, stresses Ohannes Apresyan, an Armenian, wrote about the atrocities in his memoir.

Apresyan wrote how they killed Turks in the following: "After Russia withdrew from the war, we took with us about 3,000 Turkish soldiers as war prisoners. We mercilessly killed 2,000 soldiers during our recession to “Kara Kilise” (Black Church). The brutality made me sick, but I could not object to it."

According to researchers the following are just some of the tortures committed by the Armenian gangs:

The Armenian gangs smashed the skulls of innocent defenseless civilians, beheading them with swords, and burnt people, villages and cities.

They killed children in front of their mothers, cut the fingers and arms off young girls, and raped both girls and women. They slashed the stomachs of pregnant women and physically removed their unborn babies.

The gangs were responsible for crucifying and staking women and men, nailing people up on poles. They also ripped children in two with horses and placed live people into sacks and dragged them along the ground behind horses.