International Christian Concern finally reacts to the Azerbaijani vandalism in Nakhichevan. It has been over a month since about 100 Azerbaijani soldiers destroyed the surviving monuments of the ancient Armenian cemetery of Old Julfa (hin Jugha), but UNESCO has not condemned the vandalism yet (European Parliament did so on 19 January 2006).

Photo: Few of the many khachkars of Old Julfa before the destruction

Azerbaijani Soldiers Desecrate Armenian Christian Cemetery

The Washington, DC-based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org, has recently been informed that the government of Azerbaijan has destroyed an irreplaceable medieval Armenian Christian cemetery in the Djulfa region of Nakhichevan.

This act of cultural “cleansing" continues the spirit of the Armenian Genocide – an attempt by the Muslim countries in the region to erase all memory of a thriving Christian culture that has existed in the Caucasus area since the fourth century AD. Although this atrocity is on the same level as the Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in 2001 and the desecration of Jewish cemeteries throughout Europe, the US State Department has remained silent.

"We are profoundly troubled by the Azerbaijani government's desecration of the Armenian Christian cemetery in Djulfa – particularly the destruction of irreplaceable carved stone crosses, many over a thousand years old," said ICC president Jeff King. "The shocking videotape of the systematic demolition of this treasure of world Christian heritage documents for all to see a deliberate act of hatred against a long-persecuted Christian nation and – more broadly – an affront to all Christians around the world."

In mid-December of 2005, roughly 200 Azerbaijani soldiers were caught on videotape using sledgehammers to demolish a sacred site of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The cemetery dates back to the 7th Century and was once home to as many as 10,000 khatchkars (intricately carved stone-crosses). Sadly, this attack, which followed previous demolitions in 1998 and 2002, effectively destroyed this site – erasing forever a true treasure of world heritage.

In the years following the 1915 genocide of over 1.5 million Armenian, Hellenic, and Assyrian Christians, Azerbaijan and Turkey have sought to eradicate the historical memory of the thriving Christian presence in the Caucasus and Anatolia. The Christian Armenian legacy in this part of the world dates back to the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew and, later, Armenia's conversion to Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD.

To watch the video of the destruction: http://www.hairenik.com/HairenikTV/

– from http://www.aina.org/news/20060126101557.htm

Last week I informed about Turkish denier Holdwater’s (Hold Water) first “global” success! The “mysterious” author of the hatesite www.tallarmeniantale.com had published an “article” in Global Politician (see The Recognized Expert).

Photo*: Holdwater finds out his article was removed. "Why did not I sign it as Ilyas Botas?" wonders he/she/it

Holdwater’s “success” did not last that long. Global Politician, as Maral Der Ohanesian informs in a letter, has removed Holdwater’s “masterpiece” from its website and from the archives.

Similar removal was done by the Jewish Advocate about a month ago. This newspaper had published an article about the Armenian genocide, calling the murdered Armenians “alleged victims.” But the article was soon removed from the website and from the archives.

Both Global Politician and the Jewish Advocate, by the way, had published materials on the Armenian genocide before publishing denialist lies. It seems they both admitted their mistakes by removing the denialist writings.

*This photo is artistic conception. Hold water is not as cute (in reality) as the above emoticon.

UPDATE: In a private letter to Harut Sassounian, Global Politician explained the reason why Holdwater's article was removed: "We didn't think it was fair for him to publish under a pseudo-name, while everyone else reveals their name."

Shrjadardz is one of the best Armenian magazines I have ever encountered. To understand what I mean, visit http://www.hayastan.com/shrjadardz/ and read the previous issues for free. Apparently, for financial reasons this great periodical is not being currently published, so Blogian is hoping for the support of its readers to the magazine.

Shrjadardz in financial difficulties

Shrjadardz All Armenian Magazine was born in Armenia in 2004.

For several months the magazine has not been published due to financial problems. But since many readers are requesting the rebirth of Shrjadardz, donations are now accepted to continue publishing the magazine. Besides distribution of hard copies, all the issues of Shrjadardz will be available for free download at Hayastan.com.

Beneficiary Bank:
HSBC BANK ARMENIA
Yerevan, Armenia
Swift Address: MIDLAM22
Correspondent Bank in USA:
HSBC Bank USA
New York, US
Swift: MRMDUS 33
Chips://CP:108
Beneficiary Bank A/C No. 000-05145-4

Name : “UNITE OF RENAISSANSE” PATRIOTIC PUBLIC ORGANIZATION A/C No: 001-213040-101/ “Shrjadardz” monthly.

– from http://www.hayastan.com/shrjadardz/)

Turkish nationalists are set to “honor” Talaat, the chief organizer of the Armenian genocide, who was assassinated by Armenian survivor and nemesis Soghomon Tehlirian in 1921.

Talaat, who was sentenced to death penalty by Turkish military tribunal for war crimes, escaped to Berlin as a result of a secret English-Turkish deal that basically traded English prisoners with Turkish war criminals (the Turkish criminals were under English jurisdiction). Talaat pasha, the former head of the interior ministry of Turkey, escaped to Berlin and changed his name. He was, nevertheless, found by Tehlirian and assassinated. Tehlirian was recognized non-guilty by the German court, and, in essence, it was more of a trial of Talaat himself than of his assassin.

Photo: Talaat's memorial in Istanbul

In 1944, Hitler gave order to transfer Talaat’s ashes to Turkey, the president of which at the time was one of the organizers of the Armenian genocide, as well.

Photo: A Turkish nationalist, member of the Grey Wolves (Bozkurt) terrorist organization, is "honoring" the grave of Enver Pasha, one of the organizers of the Armenian genocide. Talaat's memorial can be seen on the far left (from a Turkish website)

Since then, there is memorial to that murderer in the “hill of liberty” in Istanbul, next to the tomb of Enver pasha, another chief of the Armenian genocide, whose ashes were given to Turkey by the Taliban regime of Afghanistan in the 1990s. There is a boulevard in Turkey's capital, Ankara, in "honor" of Talaat.

Photo: Turkish map showing "Talat pasha bulvari" (Talaat Pasha Boulevard) in Ankara (from www.turquie-memoire.com)

Harout Sassounian, the publisher of California Courier, in his 26 January 2006 editorial is writing:

Just last week, a new denialist group was formed consisting of 50 Turkish parliament members, retired generals, former ambassadors, leaders of political parties, university presidents, professors, editors, non-governmental organizations and a former beauty queen! The group calling itself "Great Project – 2006" is headed by Rauf Denktash, the former leader of the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Its members had their first meeting in Istanbul last week and announced that their inaugural activity would be held in Berlin on March 18-19, under the banner of "Operation Talaat Pasha." They plan to honor Talaat, the mastermind of the Armenian Genocide, on the 85th anniversary of his assassination by Soghomon Tehlirian in Berlin. The honoring of Talaat by Turks is as despicable as the honoring of Hitler by neo-Nazis!

Fanatical Turks do not seem to realize that by their actions, rather than championing the Turkish cause, they are dishonoring their own people and helping to further publicize the Armenian Genocide throughout the world. These Turks are Turkey’s worst enemies!

Sassounian's article is at http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?titl…s_Worst_Enemies.

Once upon a time at www.day.az/forum (perhaps the most tolerant Russian-language Azerbaijani forum), one of the users opened a topic about the ordinary Azerbaijanis who risked their lives to save Armenians in Baku and other cities of Azerbaijan in 1988 and later.

It turned out that many family members of some Azerbaijani users had saved Armenian lives during the pogroms in Azerbaijan. The Armenian users of the forum called these people heroes and thanked them.

In return, an Azerbaijani user opened a topic seeking information about “Armenians who saved Azerbaijanis in Armenia” during the same years. The Armenian users, indeed, explained that there was no need to “save Azerbaijanis” in Armenia, since there were no pogroms or attacks against them in Armenia. The Azerbaijani users were disappointed, so Armenians tried harder to remember something. The only incident recalled was the potential attack against the Azerbaijanis of the city Masis, the Armenian population of which had stood up against any possible pogroms against their Muslim neighbors.

Archival Photo: The Tamanian Armenian division celebrating victory by Armenian dance (kochari) after entering Berlin on 9 May 1945. About 600,000 Armenians from Soviet Armenia (the population of which was less than 2 million at the time) alone participated in the destruction of the Nazis during WWII.

The Armenian users proudly admitted they did not have stories of saving Azerbaijanis to share, since there had not been need (though they could have mentioned about the Armenian rescue of Azerbaijani girls from fire in 1995 in Moscow, despite the ongoing conflict).

Having the above information in my mind, I decided to write here about an interesting incident that I read about yesterday. Tribune reporter Jan Jona’s “Remembrance: Mershiewsky survived Soviet-era strife” tells us of a Ukrainian immigrant who witnessed many sufferings in her life; “Mershiewsky had survived the Bolshevik Revolution, the Terror Famine in Ukraine, a life of religious persecution and a German labor camp.”
The story goes on to tell, “[f]rom 1929 to 1932, Josef Stalin forced peasants living in Ukraine, then called the "bread basket of Europe," to give their grain to the government. Historians differ on his motive, but the result was the Terror Famine, during which at least 5 million people died of starvation. Some estimates are as high as 10 million to 14 million [Ukraine recently qualified this action as genocide; many genocide scholars think so too-Blogian].
Mershiewsky was rescued by Armenians who lived in Kharkhov. She was taken to Armenia but returned to her hometown in the late 1930s.”
Mershiewsky, 93, was buried on 13 January 2006 in her new home, America.

p.s. Armenians regretfully mention their rescues of their would-become assassins, like Talaat (who soon became the organizer of the Armenian genocide), Ataturk (who later forced the last survivors of the Armenian genocide out of Izmir and other cities in Turkey), but they don’t like sharing their stories of saving ordinary people. Maybe, it’s time to change the “tradition”?

A Sunday blast of a pipeline at the Russian-Georgian border cut gas to Georgia and Armenia, world newspapers report.

Apparently the blast happened a few hours ago (though the news is already all over the world). I just called my sister in Armenia. She said they still have gas. Armenia is apparently using its emergency gas reserves.

Georgia and Armenia are struggling with a sudden loss of natural gas supplies and reduced electricity as temperatures plummet.
[…]
Explosions disrupted pipelines from southern Russia to Georgia, which relies on its bigger neighbour for supplies. Armenia also uses Russian gas, delivered via Georgia.
[…]
Armenia was using its emergency gas reserves, AP reported.
-from http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/world/nati…-gas060122.html

via www.genocide.com

European Parliament Accuses Azerbaijan in Violating UNESCO World Heritage Convention

The European Parliament resolution on the European Neighbourhood Policy (2004/2166(INI)) “[c]alls on the Azerbaijani authorities to put an end the demolition of medieval Armenian cemeteries and historic carved stone crosses in southern Nakhichevan, which is in breach of the terms of its 1993 ratification of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.”

Approved on 19 January 2006, the response to the Azerbaijani vandalism condemns the destruction of the last monuments of the ancient Armenian cemetery of Old Julfa (Hin Jugha). The resolution also reminds Azerbaijan that the latter ratified the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 1993, which prohibits vandalism against world heritage monuments.

About 100 soldiers of the Azerbaijani army destroyed the last traces of the beautifully carved headstones of Old Julfa in December of 2005. The video of the destruction is available at www.julfa.cjb.net.

The ancient Armenian cemetery of Old Julfa was a world-known cultural treasure containing thousands of medieval headstones. The Azerbaijani government destroyed most of these headstones in the early 2000s, and the final destruction was accomplished in December of 2005.

Despite undeniable evidence and criticism from around the world, the Azerbaijani government has continuously denied destroying the Christian headstones of Old Julfa. UNESCO has not addressed the vandalism.

The European Parliament resolution is available at http://www.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade3?TYP…P&L=EN&LSTDOC=N.

Jerusalem Post (“The First Word: The Jewish center must hold,” 19 January 2006) has David Wolpe’s column on Judaism and Jewish issues.

The article states that it is sacred Jewish obligation to work for the recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Archival photo: Chief Rabbi of Armenia Gersh-Meir Burshtein leading the Jewish community in laying a wreath featuring a yellow Magen David at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan (24 April 2005, from
www.fjc.ru)

Covenantal Judaism teaches a sacred obligation to care for the suffering. Organized Judaism's reaction to atrocities in Darfur, in Cambodia, our championing the recognition of the Armenian genocide, and countless similar causes and efforts, are not strategic, or intended to reflect credit on ourselves. They are sacred Jewish obligations. Jews who care for the Jewish community alone are neglecting the first, most comprehensive covenant.

While for many Jews (Henry Morgenthau Sr., Franz Werfel, Raphael Lemkin, Israel Charny and many others) the awareness of the Armenian genocide has indeed been sacred obligation, for others (Bernard Lewis, Guenter Lewy, Bill Schechter and most of the political leaders of Israel) it has been sacred obligation to deny the Genocide.

Archival photo: Bernard Lewis, the Jewish historian who was fined by a French court for denying the Armenian genocide

What does Mr. Wolpe think of the latter?

I came across to Irish journalist Kevin Sites’ www.hotzone.yahoo.com website. This guy is amazing. He travels all over the Middle East and writes about things that we cannot read in the mainstream media.

He has interviewed Hezbollah members and found out that they are thousands of HIV patients in Iran (who would think that in a such conservative society people even do sex ?).

One of the last articles of Kevin Sites (“We Are Citizens of This Country,” 18 January, 2006) is about the Armenian and the Jews of Iran. The fascinating article tells of a Muslim family attending the Armenian Christmas service. The article also reveals that Christians are permitted to drink in their homes (I did not know this!), while Muslims are prohibited.

Archival photo: Tadei vank (the cathedral of St. Thaddeus) in Iran. This Armenian monument is one of the most ancient churches of the Christian world, and is preserved by the Iranian government.

Coming to the Jews, Sites quotes some Iranian Jews saying that the Iranian administration distinguishes Judaism from Zionism, and that Iran has political problems with Israel, while the Iranian Jews have religious connection (and not political) with Israel. Indeed, Sites also notes that the Iranian Jews might not have the opportunity to say what they think, but apparently Iranian Jews are not in a desperate situation.

…
One man tells me, pouring a glass of Johnny Walker Red whisky over ice, "We have more freedoms than even the Muslims. They would never be able to do this."

Christians are allowed to have alcohol in their homes and sometimes for holiday celebrations, but for the Muslim population it's strictly forbidden.

Others at the party agree, saying they don't face discrimination in Iran and can even travel more freely, usually to Armenia and to the United States…

Iran also has a Jewish minority, which at its peak numbered about 80,000. Shortly after the Islamic Revolution, many immigrated to the U.S. and some to
Israel, leaving a community of about 25,000 today.

Still, it is the largest Jewish community in the Middle East, outside of Israel.

At the Jewish Community Center in Tehran, Dr. Unes Hammai-Lalehzar says the Jewish population has had its ups and downs, but he doesn't believe there's any discrimination from the general public…

I added a comment in Kevin’s website saying that he could have mentioned that Iran is the ONLY neighbor of Armenia that takes care of the Armenian religious monuments, while Armenian churches and cathedrals are raped on regular basis in Turkey, Azerbaijan and even in Christian Georgia.

Associated Press writer Frederic J. Frommer has done research on Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman’s trips, which include visiting Armenia.

Published at KARE11 TV’s website on 19 January 2006, the article states, “such trips would be banned under a proposal by House Speaker Dennis Hastert.”

Photo: Republican Senator Coleman

The article informs, “Coleman's most expensive trip was a visit to Armenia, totaling nearly $21,000. Most of that — $18,560 — was for airfare for Coleman and his wife, Laurie Coleman. The D.C.-based Armenian Assembly of America and the Cafesjian Family Foundation of Minneapolis picked up the tab.”

The senator explained that his visit to Armenia was in America’s interests, since he serves on the foreign relations committee. The Jewish Senator also proudly admitted that he saved taxpayers money by accepting the travel-coverage from the Armenian organizations.

Nothing seems mysterious about a senator visiting another country. What I am puzzled with is the $18,560 amount for airfare. Why did they pay that much for a two-way trip ?