Discrimination against Armenian Church and community living in Turkey continues

PanARMENIAN.Net - His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, met with over a dozen Members of Congress last week on issues of concern to the Armenian faithful, including the moral imperative of America adopting a principled stand on the Armenian Genocide and against all instances genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)



The Prelate discussed the state of the Armenian Church in the Eastern United States and reminded Members of the historic repression of Christians under Ottoman rule, culminating in the genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians from 1915-1923. He noted that, following the Genocide, many Armenians found a safe haven on U.S. shores, and that their descendents today comprise a large portion of Armenian parishes throughout the country.



His Eminence went on to explain that discrimination against the Armenian Church and the remaining Armenian community living in Turkey continues, citing the Article 301 restrictions against free speech regarding the Armenian Genocide, amongst a number of other repressive laws. He also discussed the destruction of Armenian churches and cultural icons in present day Turkey and Azerbaijan, citing the lack of a meaningful U.S. protest of Azerbaijan's decimation of the 1,300 year-old Armenian cemetery in Julfa, Nakhichevan. His Eminence and the ANCA delegation noted that, despite several requests, the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan has yet to investigate the matter or even to visit the site.