US judiciary attempted to politicize Armenian Genocide issue

PanARMENIAN.Net - US Federal Appeals Court's decision prohibiting descendents of Genocide victims to file suit against foreign insurance companies for unpaid claims can be viewed as an attempt to politicize Armenian Genocide issue, RA NAS Oriental Studies Institute Director, Turkish studies specialist Ruben Safrsastyan told a news conference in Yerevan. "It's still hard to say whether it was done on purpose, but we can definitely state that Turkish lobby of United States played a big role here," he said.



Armenian organizations in United States and Armenian community are required to undertake concrete and abrupt steps to declare American court's decision null and void, the expert finds. "If US Administration and Congress declare they haven't recognized Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire, it doesn't mean Armenian society and academic circles agree to such position. I am well-aware that American historians have many times acknowledged and condemned Armenian Genocide," Safrastyan stressed.



US Federal Appeals Court recently ruled that Armenian Americans descended from victims of the 1915-18 massacre by Ottoman Turks can't sue foreign insurance companies for unpaid claims because the U.S. government doesn't legally recognize that an Armenian genocide occurred



Two years ago, Justice Christina Snyder from California district court made a decision enabling Genocide victims' descendants to file claims against German insurance companies. However, on August 20, the decision was repealed.