Turkish Policy Tried to Arrest Armenian MP for Statements on Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - The meeting of Newsxchange international forum opened in Istanbul November 2. Responsible for Haylur information program of the Public TV Company of Armenia Harut Harutyunyan and Information Department Head of Yerkir-Media TV channel, MP, ARF Dashnaktsutyun member Gegham Manukyan took part in it. Turkish PM Erdogan addressing the meeting reaffirmed Turkish official stand that there was no Genocide. In response to Erdogan's statement that owing to the war Armenians of border regions of the Ottoman Empire were merely deported, Gegham Manukyan asked a question how it could happen that Ottoman MP Grigor Zohrap was arrested and killed. He also stated that Istanbul is a city, symbolizing the beginning of the Armenian Genocide by arrests of Armenian intelligentsia on April 24, 1915. Gegham Manukyan urged the Turkish society and especially journalists to study these dark pages of their history and recognize the fact of the Armenian Genocide. During his speech he raised a poster, on which it was written in English, «Turkey should find courage to recognize the Armenian Genocide.» Then Gegham Manukyan was surrounded by policemen, who wanted to take him out of the hall. However, journalists prevented this by asking Manukyan for a news conference. Manukyan repeated his urge in English and Turkish. The organizers of the session stated that if Manukyan is arrested, they will join him, reports the Yerkir.