Can we bring any changes?

18/01/2008

An open letter to Turkish and Armenian intellectuals

by Hovhannes Nikoghosyan,
Managing Editor of “Actual Policy” Journal
He can be reached at hnikoghosyan@gmail.com

A year has passed since we do not have Hrant Dink among us. Naturally, a one-year-term is a good standpoint to try to analyze what major changes we have in Turkey regarding “freedom of speech” issue, and also in the Turkish-Armenian relations to a certain extent. Unfortunately I did not know Hrant Dink in person, but the idea he has left for us is very much actual and just.

Being one of major and most important freedoms of all civil societies all over the world, “freedom of speech” is the one to be most of all pressured by Governments. During 2007, after Hrant Dink was slain, other Turkish intellectuals were deprived of this basic human right under the controversial 301 article of Turkish Penal Code. But now this article is being amended by Turkish legislature. According to the drafted law those who will disobey the “301” will be charged only in case the Justice ministry agrees with it. It is not difficult to imagine the sad consequences if a minister, judge or a prosecutor will be appointed to a position not being in a friendly atmosphere with free-thinking in Turkey.

I hope somebody will agree with me: no matter what laws exist in Penal Codes, it is more important how they are enforced and utilized. So, the main point is to enforce the right laws at right wrongdoing, if there is such.

We need the mentality of Turkish lawmakers and other authorities, including judicial ones, to change their mentality and not the law been amended, because only in this way we can guarantee the freedom of speech.

For us in Armenia and for Diaspora Armenians worldwide the 2007 showed that nor Armenians neither Turks are ready for open dialogue concerning mutual past. We could not move forward highly announced statements and assurances by state high officials. The most recent fact is that Turkish authorities and lawmakers did not accept the invitation to take part in Parliament hearings on Armenian-Turkish relations on December 19-20, 2007 in Yerevan.

Yes, today we should rather acknowledge that we are not ready to improve our relations at the moment and even after our recent mutual tragedy: murder of Hrant Dink.

But the thing that truly disturbs me today most of all: can we stop our relations from worsening? This is the very issue to work and think over seriously.

For instance, can we organize 2 bilateral conferences in 2008 – in Ankara and in Yerevan – to discuss openly all concerned issues in bilateral agenda? Do we want this? And do we need this? Hope somebody will answer positively.

I deeply believe we need to stop making useless political statements and stop lying to international community. Let us think a bit seriously. What can be done to stop worsening our existing ties and demonizing one another?

The author is Managing Editor of “Actual Policy” Journal. He can be reached at hnikoghosyan@gmail.com

I would like to ask a very simple, ordinary question.

Republished on the occasion of the first anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink.

By Ahmet Altan
May 9, 2005

http://www.gazetem.net/ahmetaltan.asp
Translated by the Zoryan Institute

I would like to ask a very simple, ordinary question.

Would you wish to be an Armenian in 1915?

No, you wouldn't

Because now you know you would have been killed.

Please stop arguing about the number of murdered or the denials or theattempts to replace pain with statistics.

No one is denying that Armenians were murdered, right?

It may be 300,000, or 500,000, or 1.5 million.

I don't know which number is the truth, or whether anyone knows the true number accurately.

What I do know is the existence of the death and pain beyond these numbers.

I am also aware how we forget that we are talking about human being when we are passionately debating the numbers.

Those numbers cannot describe the murdered babies, women, the elderly, the teenage boys and girls.

If we leave the numbers aside, and if we allow ourselves to hear the story of only one of these murders, I am sure that even those of us who get enraged when they hear the words "Armenian Genocide" will feel the pain, will have tears in their eyes.

Because they will realize that we are talking about human beings.

When we hear about a baby pulled from a mother's hands to be dashed on the rocks, or a youth shot to death beside a hill, or an old woman throttled by her slender neck, even the hard-hearted among us will be ashamed to say, "Yes, but these people killed the Turks."

Most of these people did not kill anyone.

These people became the innocent victims of a crazed government powered by murder, pitiless but also totally incompetent in governing.

This bloody insanity was a barbarism, not something for us to take pride in or be part of.

This was a slaughter that we should be ashamed of, and, if possible, something that we can sympathize with and share the pain.

I understand that the word "genocide" has a damningly critical meaning, based on the relentless insistence of the Armenians' "Accept the Genocide" argument, or the Turks' "No, it was not a genocide" counterargument, even though the Turks accept the death of hundreds of thousands of Armenians.

And yet, this word is not that important for me, even though it has significance in politics and diplomacy.

What is more important for me is the fact that many innocent people were killed so barbarically.

When I see the shadow of this bloody event on the present world, I see a greater injustice done to the Armenians.

Our crime today is not to allow the present Armenians even to grieve for their cruelly killed relatives and parents.

Which Armenian living in Turkey today can openly grieve and commemorate a murdered grandmother, grandfather or uncle?

I have nothing in common with the terrible sin of the past Ittihadists, but the sin of not allowing grief for the dead belongs to all of us today.

Do you really want to commit this sin?

Is there anyone among us who would not shed tears for a family attacked at home in the middle of the night, or for a little girl left all alone in the desert during the nightmare called "deportation," or for a white-bearded grandfather shot?

Whether you call it genocide or not, hundreds of thousands of human beings were murdered.

Hundreds of thousands of lives snuffed out.

The fact that some Armenian gangs murdered some Turks cannot be an excuse to mask the truth that hundreds of thousands of Armenians were murdered.

A human being of conscience is capable of grieving for the Armenians, as well as the Turks, as well as the Kurds.

We all should.

Babies died; women and old people died.

They died in pain, tormented, terrified.

Is it really so important what religion or race these murdered people had?

Even in these terrifying times there were Turks who risked their lives trying to rescue Armenian children.

We are the children of these rescuers, as well as the children of the murderers.

Instead of justifying and arguing on behalf of the murderers, why don't we praise and defend the rescuers' compassion, honesty, and courage?

There are no more victims left to be rescued today, but there is a grief, a pain, to be shared and supported.

What's the use of a bloody, warmongering dance around a deep pain?

Forget the numbers, forget the Armenians, forget the Turks, just think of the babies, teenagers, and old people with necks broken, bellies slashed, bodies mutilated. Think about these people, one by one.

If nothing moves in you when you hear a baby wail as her mother is murdered, I have nothing to say to you.

Then add my name to the list of "traitors."

Because I am ready to share the grief and pain with the Armenians.

Because I still believe there is something yet to be rescued from all these meaningless and pitiless arguments, and that something is called "humanity."

* * * * The Original in Turkish * * * *

Soykirim...

Çok basit ve siradan bir soru sormak istiyorum.

1915 yilinda bir Ermeni olmak ister miydiniz?

Istemezdiniz.

Çünkü öldürüleceginizi biliyorsunuz simdi.

Öldürülenlerin kaç kisi oldugunu iddialarla ve inkarlarla tartisip, yasanan bütün acilari rakamlara indirgemeyi bir yana birakin.

Ermenilerin öldürüldügünü reddeden kimse yok, degil mi? Üç yüz bin kisi, bes yüz bin kisi, bir milyon kisi ya da bir buçuk milyon kisi.

Rakamlarin hangisinin tam gerçegi gösterdigini bilmiyorum, kesin rakami bilen biri var mi ondan da emin degilim.

Bildigim, bu rakamlarin arkasinda insanlarin, ölümlerin ve acilarin oldugu.

Rakamlari sehvetle tartisirken aslinda insanlardan bahsetmekte oldugumuzu unuttugumuzun farkindayim yalnizca.

O rakamlar öldürülen bebekleri, kadinlari, yaslilari, delikanlilari, genç kizlari anlatmiyor bize.

Eger bu büyük rakamlari bir kenara birakip öldürülen insanlardan yalnizca bir tanesini n hikayesinin bize anlatilmasina izin versek, bugün "Ermeni soykirimi" lafini duyunca öfkeden çildiranlarin bile içlerinin aciyacagina, gözlerinin yasaracagina eminim.

Çünkü o zaman insanlardan söz edilmekte oldugunu farkedecekler.

Annesinin kucagindan kopartilip taslara çarpilarak öldürülen bir bebegi, bir dagin yamacinda kursuna dizilen delikanliyi, ince boynu sikilarak bogulan bir yasli kadini bize anlattiklarinda "onlar da Türkleri öldürmüslerdi" demekten en tas kalplilerimiz bile utanir.

Onlarin çogu kimseyi öldürmemisti.

Iktidarlarini cinayetlere yaslamis, insafsiz oldugu kadar beceriksiz bir yönetimin tutuldugu bir cinnetin kurbani oldular onlar.

Bu kanli cinnet ne övünebilecegimiz ne paylasabilecegimiz bir vahset.

Bu, utanacagimiz ve mümkünse acisini paylasacagimiz bir katliam.

Ermenilerin, atalarinin yasadigi dramlari bile neredeyse bir kenara birakarak "soykirim oldugunu kabul edin" diye tutturmalarindan, Türklerin de yüz binlerce insanin ölümünü kabul ederken bile "hayir, asla soykirim degildi" diye diretmesinden bu "soykirim" sözcügünün lanetli bir önemi oldugunu seziyorum.

Ama gene de, bu sözcük politikada ve diplomaside nasil bir önem tasirsa tasisin benim için büyük bir önem tasimiyor.

Masum insanlarin vahsice öldürülmüs oldugu gerçegi, bu gerçegin adindan daha önemli benim için.

Bu büyük dramin günümüze düsen gölgesine baktigimda ise Ermenilere yapilan bir baska büyük haksizligi görüyorum.

Yakinlarini zalimce cinayetlere kurban vermis olanlarin bugün bu aci için yas tutmalarina izin vermemek bizim suçumuz.

Bugün Türkiye'de hangi Ermeni öldürülen büyükannesi, dedesi, amcasi için açikça yas tutabilir?

Ittihatçilarin isledigi korkunç günahla bir ortakligim yok ama yas tutmalarina bile izin verilmemesinin günahi bugün hepimize ait.

Bu günahi islemek istiyor musunuz gerçekten?

Aranizda bir geceyarisi evi basilan bir ailenin öldürülmesine, annesini kaybeden küçük bir çocugun tehcir denilen o mahserde yapayalniz kalmasina, ak sakalli bir Ermeni dedesinin vurulmasina göz yasi dökmeyecek kimse var mi?

Adina ister soykirim deyin ister demeyin, yüz binlerce insan öldürüldü.

Yüz binlerce hayat söndü.

Ermeni çetelerin de Türkleri öldürmüs olmasi Ermenilerin öldürülmüs oldugu gerçegini gözlerden saklayacak bir mazeret olmamali bence.

Insan vicdani öldürülen herkes için, Ermeniler için, Türkler için, Kürtler için yas tutabilir.

Bana sorarsaniz tutmalidir da.

Bebekler öldü, kadinlar, yaslilar öldü.

Aci çekerek, aglayarak, dehsete düserek öldüler.

Öldürülenlerin irklari ve dinleri gerçekten o kadar önemli mi sizin için? O korkunç zamanlarda bile Ermeni çocuklarini kurtarmaya çalisan, bunun için kendi hayatini tehlikeye atan Türkler vard Biz, öldürenlerin çocuklari oldugumuz kadar kurtarmaya çalisanlarin da çocuklariyiz.

Öldürenlerin vahsetine sahip çikmak yerine kurtaranlarin merhametine, dürüstlügüne, cesaretine neden sahip çikmayalim?

Bugün kurtarilacak kurbanlar yok ama kurtarilacak, sahip çikilacak, desteklenecek bir yas var.

Agir bir yasin çevresinde kanli bir totem dansina dalmanin nasil bir yarari olacagini düsünüyorsunuz?

Rakamlari unutun, Ermenileri unutun, Türkleri unutun, boyunlari kirilan, karinlari desilen, vücutlari parçalanan bebekleri, gençleri, kadinlari yaslilari düsünün yalnizca.

Bütün o insanlari tek tek düsünün.

Içinizde en küçük bir kipirti bile olmuyorsa, annesi öldürülürken aglayan bir bebegi düsündügünüzde gözünüzde bir dirhem gözyasi belirmiyorsa, size söylenecek bir sözüm yok.

O zaman benim adimi "hainlerin" arasina yazin.

Çünkü ben öldürülen onca insanin yasini Ermenilerle birlikte tutmaya hazirim.

Bütün bu acimasiz ve anlamsiz tartismalarin ortasinda hala kurtarilacak bir sey olduguna ve ona da "insanlik" dendigine inaniyorum çünkü.

9 Mayis 2005, Pazartesi

Ankara barred Turkish historians from visiting Armenia

19.12.2007
PanARMENIAN.Net

The Armenian parliament has sent a special invitation to Turkish scholars and journalists to participate in hearings on the Turkish-Armenian relations, chairman of the permanent committee on external relations Armen Rustamian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

“The Turkish government spoke out against the arrival of Turkish scholars. We provided a firm guarantee of security but Ankara decided that their presence would be inexpedient. For our part, we expressed readiness to travel to Turkey for similar hearings dedicated to cancellation of article 301,” Rustamian said.

2-day hearings on the Turkish-Armenian relations opened in the RA National Assembly December 19.

! Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to «PanARMENIAN.Net».

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.

A long open letter to Turks

from Raffi Kojian

I'm writing this letter after reading Mustafa Akyol’s open letter to Armenians. I think his was a well written, thoughtful letter that helped many Armenians to understand an open minded Turks position and thoughts. This letter, I hope, will help you understand us. I hope that I can show you what your government has been doing to you as well, and the consequences.


Contents

1 Background
2 The Genocide
3 What to do today
4 Conclusion


Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.