İHD Statement on Armenian Genocide: 'Denial Does Not Change This Reality'

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The İHD held its statement for the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in its building after the police prevented the rights defenders to hold the statement on Sultanahmet Square in İstanbul, a place of smybolic importance regarding the genocide.

İHD Co-Chair Eren Keskin read the press statement which is followed by speeches from Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Garo Paylan, European Grassroots Antiracist Movement (EGAM) Chair Benjamin Abtan, and MP Mireille Clapot, the deputy chair of the Foreign Affairs Commission at the parliament of France.

Before reading the statement, Keskin criticized the police response to the press statement on the Sultanahmet Square, saying, "As the İHD İstanbul Branch, we have been regularly holding statements on the Armenian Genocide and the genocide against Christian peoples in 1915 since 2005."

CLICK - Commemoration of Armenian Genocide Prevented by Police

"The cursed legacy of the genocide"

Keskin then read the statement for the commemoration of the genocide:

"Yes, the grave human right violations that were conducted and is being conducted in this country are the cursed legacy of the genocide which the Republic has been built on.

"The genocide against the Christian peoples, Syriacs/Assyrians, Greeks in the Asia Minor and in the Mesopotamia and its denial justified the state breaking its own laws and steering away from the law and this mind of the state maintained its dominance through the history of the Republic. What we call 'the cursed legacy of the genocide' is this mind of the state.

"We are again living under the power of unlawfulness. We are again getting through a period of grave human rights violations. The cursed legacy is continuing in new forms.

"Today is April 24th. The anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. But the reaction to commemorating the genocide is strong. Even declaring a day of commemoration is not tolerated."

"Denial doesn't change the reality"

"Yet we are at the city where the genocide was meticulously planned and where its first sign was given. Denial doesn't change this reality.

"Here, the place we are at now, is one of the hundreds, thousands of crime scenes in this country.

"The Armenians of İstanbul was gathered at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts you see there. From here, they were brought to Sarayburnu, then Haydapaşa. And from there, they were made to begin the journey of death."

"Unlimited unlawfulness continues today"

"What we call the cursed legacy of the genocide, unlimited unlawfulness, in other words, continue today in new forms.

"We know that we may see a thousand more forms of this legacy. But, the struggle of us, the human rights defenders, the anti-racists, anti-genocidists and anti-denialists will also continue in a thousand forms.

"Even if there is just one human rights defender left, even if there is just one anti-racist left, the spirit against the genocide and the denial will not be absent from this region.

"We once more respectfully revere before the memories of the victims of the Armenian, Syriac/Assyrian, Greek victims of the genocide; as the grandchildren of the perpetrators of the genocide, utter our shame for not being able to prevent the genocide to continue with denial and new destructions for generations."

MP Paylan: 'As a deputy of Turkey, I feel shame'

HDP MP Garo Paylan made a speech after Keskin.

"A hundred and four years ago and a few kilometers from where we are right now, 238 Armenian politicians, intellectuals, writers were detained from their homes at night; they were gathered in Sultanahmet first, then exiled to Çankırı and Ankara, a big part of them were massacred.

"Every single one of those 238 people had dreams, the Armenian MPs at the Assembly of Representatives, just like me, had dreams; they had the requests of equality, freedom and justice. But those dreams did not get a response. The junta of the period who could not work a solution tried to crush the demands for equality and justice with a genocide.

"The Armenian people was exiled in the Anatolia, like what happened to my family, they were massacred just outside the city or massacred on the road of exile.

"The Armenian people has been demanding justice for 104 years but the Republic of Turkey has been insisting on the denial for 104 years.

"Because the Republic of Turkey considers the perpetrators of the genocide as heroes. After 104 years, I once more damn the perpetrators of the genocide who are said to be heroes now.

"As a deputy of Turkey, I feel shame for seeing the names of Talat Pasha, Enver Pasha on streets."

EGAM Chair Abtan: 'They even ban the candles today'

EGAM Chair Benjamin Abtan said the following:

"We are here for the Armenian people who were wiped out 104 years ago. These activists who bravely tried to commemorate the genocide here faced such obstacles for the first time.

"I was ashamed by what the state did while we came together for the purpose of dignity, honor and commemoration.

"What kind of a state can be scared from this? What kind of a leader can be scared of this?

"We, as the international delegation, came here to support the people who put up a struggle.

"There is no way other than recognizing the differences in the society of Turkey, and this is a reality.

"There is no other solution for the society of Turkey other than recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The Genocide is a reality and the people who died because of racism must be remembered."

MP Clapot: 'The situation became worse'

Mireille Clapot made the following remarks:

"It is important to remember what the victims lived; bringing the history to present day is important for new genocides not to occur.

"The obstacles became worse than the past years, today's commemoration was banned. Maybe it will get worse from now on.

"The situation of the human rights is really becoming worse despite the lift of the state of emergency. Many people like Osman Kavala, Yiğit Aksakoğlu experience this. In my opinion, this is a global situation. As a member of the parliament of France, I am here to support the rights activists.

"Intellectuals, MPs who defend the human rights should not live in fear. They should be protected, not tried. I expect this from the government of the Republic of Turkey. (PT/VK)