Turkish intellectuals who apologized for Armenian Genocide receive threats

PanARMENIAN.Net - Employees of Agos Armenian-Turkish bilingual newspaper are well acquainted with the Turkish intellectuals, who apologized for the Armenian Genocide, said the editor of the Armenian sector of Agos.



"Media somehow obtained the statement that was supposed to be promulgated on January 1, 2009. Nevertheless, they will continue their action," Bagrat Estukyan told a news conference in Yerevan today.



"These people present their personal viewpoint of the problem and do not impose it on anyone," he said.



Mr. Estukyan informed that several days after the publication of their letter, the intellectuals started receiving threats and offending messages.



A group of Turkish intellectuals have apologized for the "great disaster that Ottoman Armenians suffered in 1915."



Professors Baskan Oran and Ahmet Insel, journalists Ali Bayramoglu and Cengiz Aktar personally apologized for the 1915 events.



The group is asking other people to sign the petition, which reads as follows: "I cannot conscientiously accept the indifference to the great disaster that Ottoman Armenians suffered in 1915, and its denial. I reject this injustice and acting of my own will, I share the feelings and pains of my Armenian brothers and sisters, and I apologize to them."



The campaign initiators have underlined that first they will collect signatures from intellectuals and they will then open a secure website to collect signatures.