Assembly: irreversible trend has commenced in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - An irreversible trend has commenced in Turkey, said Executive Director of the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).



"Over 12,000 people in Turkey want history to be recorded truthfully, having already signed the internet-based petition apologizing for what they call the 'Great Catastrophe' that befell the Armenians of Ottoman Turkey in 1915. This public apology is a first step in that direction and will inevitably lead to Turkey coming to grips with its genocidal past," Bryan Ardouny said.



"This process was encouraged in 2003 by the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), which concluded that "the Events [of 1915], viewed collectively, can thus be said to include all of the elements of the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention."



Noting the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden next month and Obama's statement from October which read, "Joe Biden and I believe that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence," Ardouny said, "They are both on record as supporting Turkey's reconciliation with its past, and affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. Coupled with Obama's recent selection of Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, the Obama-Biden Administration has an opportunity to clearly affirm the Armenian Genocide and, at the same time, help Turkey reverse its policy of denial. It will also send a message that the U.S. will no longer shelter Turkey from criticism if it continues to persecute leading intellectuals by invoking Article 301 of its Penal Code."



Some 14 thousand people have already signed the online public apology for the Armenian Genocide.