Today in 1915 signaled the beginning of a tragic event that would forever haunt human history.
We, as individuals, as a collective society in this smaller and smaller world, should never forget the massacre of the Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman gendarmes. In the wake of all the spilled blood, lay the remains of over 1 million Ottoman Armenians and a memory that stirs the past and the present.
The debate of the genocide is still a vibrant political issue. Turkey denies it and is prepared to go lengths to construct its own narrative. In 2006, the Turkish writer and Nobel laureate Orphan Pamuk was sent to court for acknowledging the genocide. Turkey later dropped the charges. He was lucky. A year later, journalist Hrant Dink was murdered for saying the same thing.
Today in Brussels, around 500 Armenians will be marching in front of the European Commission. It is time for the world to recognize and accept what happened all those years ago. Turkey, especially, needs to recognize this dark chapter and make peace with it.
3 Comments So Far»
Mr. Nielsen writes only one side of the story. During, before and after the World War 1, US press always wrote this one side of the story, it was dirty politics. It still goes on. Here in Turkey, we lived a different side of this story, some 400.000 Turks massacred by Armenians, and total 3.500.000 Turks -mostly civilians- massacred on previous Ottoman lands during the same period. We can come close to a truth only if we try; truth is the most difficult and hard to earn valuables in our lives. Thank you for reading my comment.
Thank you for the comment. I think you’re right, there is indeed numerous sides to a story and we can approach truth only through sincere efforts. But herein lies the problem.
If Turkey would be more receptive to open dialogue and frank discussions, there would be greater understanding. But under Turkey’s very vague and broad Article 301, individuals can be punished for expressing a view that does not follow the Turkish narrative. This is a mistake. Not only does it hinder dialogue but also brushes aside by way of disassociation, the other sides of this long and terrible story.
See Article 301 http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGEUR440352005
I agree with you that Article 301, although improved lately, is still being used to punish freedom of expression. I am not proud of that, and I know that our democracy has a long way to go. But Mr. Nielsen, please try to deny the Armenian view in Armenia, please do, and see what happens. Freedom of expression is even worse there. Armenian deportation issue, from the beginning has been used dishonestly by all sides involved, and the world politics will not permit to overcome this dishonesty for a long time to come. Let me give you an example. All the Hollywood movies on Russia portrayed Russian women as fat, manly, unattractive females, we believed this view. It was only after the Glasnost we became aware that we have been living next to a country populated with the most beautiful women on earth. This is how our awareness is constantly manipulated by dirty politics and power games. Thank you.
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