TRIAL OF JOURNALISTS OPENED IN TURKEY OWING TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
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PanARMENIAN.Net
07.02.2006 22:40 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Trial of 5 journalists indicted for insulting state
judicial bodies of the country and putting pressure upon them will
start in Turkey today. Last September 4 correspondents of the Radical
newspaper and correspondent of the Milliyet newspaper condemned the
decision of the Turkish court banning the conference on the Armenian
Genocide. In case the journalists admit their guilt, they may face
imprisonment from 6 months to 10 years. "I did not do anything,
I merely exercised my right for freedom of speech and stated that
the conference was necessary and the court hampered establishment of
democracy," stated correspondent of the Milliyet Hasan Cemal. He urged
the Turkish authorities to encourage "change of mentality" in judicial
institutions, as well as reform article 301 of the Criminal Code of
Turkey, which provides for punishment for "insulting state judicial
institutions of Turkey" that many intelligentsia representatives were
charged with. Charges against Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk were brought
in compliance with that article. According to BIA NGO, which is engaged
in freedom of speech and journalists' rights, proceedings on criminal
cases are instituted against 29 journalists and publishers by now,
reported RFE/RL.
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IFEX, Canada
Int'l Freedom of Expression eXchange
Feb 8 2006
While free expression advocates hailed a Turkish court's decision in
January to throw out defamation charges against author Orhan Pamuk,
a dozen other court cases involving journalists and publishers who
face similar charges are ongoing. This month, IFEX members are helping
to focus international attention on their cases by sending observers
to the trials.
Norwegian PEN has sent a delegation to Istanbul to monitor the trials
of individuals including Hrant Dink, the editor of an Armenian
magazine, and five journalists accused of "interfering" with the
judiciary for criticising attempts to ban a conference on Armenians.
The trials of the five journalists are also being observed by the
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), who has called for the charges
against Murat Belge, Haluk Sahin, Erol Katircioglu, Ismet Berkan and
Hasan Cemal to be dropped.
All are being charged under Article 288 of Turkey's penal code with
attempting to influence the outcome of a trial through their writings.
All except Berkan also face prosecution under Article 301 for publicly
denigrating "Turkishness" and the institutions of the Turkish state. If
convicted, they could face prison terms of six months to 10 years.
The charges stem from the journalists' columns in the newspapers
"Radikal" and "Milliyet", which strongly criticised Turkish court
rulings banning an academic conference last year on the killing of
Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Four publishers are also due in court for allegedly violating Article
301 of the penal code, says the International Publishers Association
(IPA).
Ahmet Onal, owner of the Peri publishing house, is being charged for
publishing a book by Murat Coskun entitled "The language of suffering:
Woman". Fatih Tas is charged with insulting the Turkish military
for publishing a translation of a book by John Tirman, entitled:
"Spoils of War: The Human Cost of America's Arms". The book documents
human rights abuses committed by the Turkish military against Kurds.
Abdullah Yildiz of Literatur publishers faces several years in
jail for publishing "The Witches of Smyrna" by Greek writer Mara
Meimaridi. The novel is set during the last years of Ottoman rule
in Izmir (Smyrna), and in some passages describes the city's Turkish
quarters as dirty. Mr. Yildiz has been charged with "denigrating the
Turkish national identity."
Ragip Zarakolu, co-founder and owner of Belge publishing, is charged
with "insulting and undermining the State" for publishing a book
by Dora Sakayan entitled: "Garabed Hacheryan's Izmir Journal: An
Armenian Doctor's Experiences" and a book by George Jerjian called
"History Will Free Us All - Turkish-Armenian Conciliation".
Last month, free expression advocates scored a victory when an
Istanbul court dismissed charges against Orhan Pamuk. Pamuk had been
charged with offending the Turkish state after he was quoted in a
Swiss magazine as saying "One million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were
killed in [Turkey], and nobody but me dares talk about it."
His trial drew widespread international attention and led senior EU
officials to criticise Turkey for failing to adequately reform criminal
defamation laws (see http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/71817/).
According to International PEN, roughly 60 writers, publishers and
journalists have been brought before the courts in Turkey in the past
year, many charged under Article 301.
The Article states that "A person who explicitly insults being a Turk,
the Republic or Turkish Grand National Assembly, shall be imposed to
a penalty of imprisonment for a term of six months to three years."
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EUobserver.com, Belgium
Feb 8 2006
08.02.2006 - 10:22 CET | By Teresa Kuchler A Turkish court on Tuesday
(7 February) began hearing five prominent journalists accused of
insulting the country's courts, in a case closely watched by Brussels
The high-profile trial will test the relationship between Turkey and
the EU, which has called for judicial reforms and increased rights
to free expression in Turkey.
Five columnists from leading Turkish newspapers face possible jail
sentences of between six months and 10 years for comments they made
about a court decision to cancel a conference about the massacres of
Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
A group of European Parliament observers is attending the courtroom
in Ankara, worried about what seems to be yet another attempt to curb
freedom of expression by the Turkish government.
The trial begins only weeks after the controversial trial of
award-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, accused of "public denigration of
Turkishness", a case described as a litmus test of Turkish commitments
to liberty of expression, was dropped.
Mr Pamuk, whose case drew heavy attention from international media had
been charged by prosecutors after telling a Swiss paper in an interview
"30,000 Kurds and one million Ottoman Armenians were killed in Turkey
and no-one dares to talk about it."
An Istanbul court however referred the case to the justice ministry
which had to rule on whether it was in accordance with a new penal
code, adopted by Turkey in the run-up to the opening of accession
talks with the EU last October or not.
Turkish justice minister Cemil Cicek rejected responsibility for the
case, prompting the court to drop the charges.
Defenders of free speech in and out of Turkey on the starting day of
the latest trial, said that the Pamuk case has not been fully dealt
with, opening up the possibility for a series of similar cases.
"This resolution of the Pamuk drama does not really bring a lot of
resolution to the other cases, because nobody really stood up for
freedom of expression," a European diplomat told media outside the
court in Ankara.
Brussels watching the use of 301 The columnists have been prosecuted
under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code which forbids Turkish
citizens from denigrating the Turkish identity, the Republic, the
Grand National Assembly, the government, the judicial branches or
the military.
Human rights organisations, intellectuals and the commission have
expressed concern at the frequent referral by Turkish authorities to
Article 301, to prosecute human rights defenders, journalists and other
members of civil society peacefully expressing dissenting opinions.
Late last year human rights watchdog Amnesty International reported
that there are over 60 pending cases of journalists, writers and other
intellectuals who have spoken against the inviolable institutions
mentioned in Article 301.
The European Commission has urged Ankara to revise Article 301,
saying it does not safeguard freedom of expression in its current form.
Enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn in December urged the Turkish
government to make it clear to the country's prosecutors and judges
that Article 301 of the new penal code should be interpreted fully
in line with the European Convention of Human Rights.
"Considering the number of recent prosecutions, it appears that the
new Penal Code does not provide sufficient protection for the freedom
of expression", he added.
At the court in Ankara on Tuesday, dozens of nationalist Turks
protested against EU pressure on Turkey to make provisions for more
rights to freedom of speech.
The judge ordered two nationalist lawyers who had pushed for the trial
against the journalists to be removed after a fight in the courtroom,
according to Turkish media.
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By Benjamin Harvey in Istanbul
The Independent/UK
08 February 2006
The trial of five Turkish journalists charged with insulting the
country's courts began yesterday with the judge ordering two lawyers
to be removed after a fight broke out in the courtroom.
The trial will test the relationship between Turkey and the European
Union, which has called for judicial reforms and increased rights to
free expression in Turkey as part of its negotiations on possible EU
membership. A group of European Parliament observers was attending
the journalists' trial.
Dozens of nationalist Turks protested against the EU pressure on
Turkey to increase freedom of speech.
The reporters had criticised a court's decision to shut down a
conference in Istanbul about the mass killings of Armenians by Turks
during the Ottoman Empire. The conference in September went on despite
the court order to close it down after organisers changed the venue
at the last minute. It was the first time the issue was publicly
discussed in Turkey.
In criticising the court, the reporters were trying to influence the
outcome of a trial and insulted the court system, the prosecutor's
indictment said.
The judge ordered two nationalist lawyers, both of whom had pushed
for the trial against the journalists, to be removed after a fight.
The court later adjourned the trial until 11 April to study the case.
The five journalists named in the indictment are Murat Belge, Hasan
Cemal, Ismet Berkan, Haluk Sahin and Erol Katircioglu.
They face prison terms between six months and 10 years if convicted.
The trial of five Turkish journalists charged with insulting the
country's courts began yesterday with the judge ordering two lawyers
to be removed after a fight broke out in the courtroom.
The trial will test the relationship between Turkey and the European
Union, which has called for judicial reforms and increased rights to
free expression in Turkey as part of its negotiations on possible EU
membership. A group of European Parliament observers was attending
the journalists' trial.
Dozens of nationalist Turks protested against the EU pressure on
Turkey to increase freedom of speech.
The reporters had criticised a court's decision to shut down a
conference in Istanbul about the mass killings of Armenians by Turks
during the Ottoman Empire. The conference in September went on despite
the court order to close it down after organisers changed the venue
at the last minute. It was the first time the issue was publicly
discussed in Turkey.
In criticising the court, the reporters were trying to influence the
outcome of a trial and insulted the court system, the prosecutor's
indictment said.
The judge ordered two nationalist lawyers, both of whom had pushed
for the trial against the journalists, to be removed after a fight.
The court later adjourned the trial until 11 April to study the case.
The five journalists named in the indictment are Murat Belge, Hasan
Cemal, Ismet Berkan, Haluk Sahin and Erol Katircioglu.
They face prison terms between six months and 10 years if convicted.
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Friday, September 23, 2005
A LETTER FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GENOCIDE SCHOLARS
President Vice-President Secretary-Treasurer
Israel Charney Gregory H. Stanton Steven Jacobs
(Israel) (USA) (USA)
TO PRIME MINISTER RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN
TC Bashabanlik
Bakanlikir
Ankara, Turkey
June 16, 2005
Dear Prime Minister Erdogan,
We are writing you this open letter in response to your call for an
`impartial study by historians' concerning the fate of the Armenian
people in the Ottoman Empire during World War 1.
We represent the major body of scholars who study genocide in North
America and Europe. We are concerned that in calling for an impartial
study of the Armenian Genocide you may not be fully aware of the
extent of the scholarly and intellectual record in the Armenian
Genocide and how this event conforms to the definition of the United
Nations Genocide Convention. We want to underscore that it is not
just Armenians who are affirming the Armenian Genocide but it is the
overwhelming opinion of scholars who study genocide: hundreds of
independent scholars, who have no affiliations with governments, and
whose work spans many countries and nationalities and the course of
decades. The scholarly evidence reveals the following:
- On April 24, 1915, under cover of World War 1, the Young Turk
government of the Ottoman Empire began a systematic genocide of its
Armenian citizens, an unarmed Christian minority population. More
than a million Armenians were exterminated through direct killing,
starvation, torture, and forced death marches. The rest of the
Armenian population fled into permanent exile. Thus an ancient
civilization was expunged from its homeland.
- The Armenian Genocide was the most well-known human rights issue
of its time and was reported regularly in newspapers across the
United States and Europe. The Armenian Genocide is abundantly
documented by thousands of official records of the United States and
nations around the world including Turkey's wartime allies Germany,
Austria and Hungary, by Ottoman court-martial records, by eyewitness
accounts of missionaries and diplomats, by testimony of survivors,
and by decades of historical scholarship.
- The Armenian Genocide is corroborated by the international
scholarly, legal, and human rights community:
1) Polish jurist Raphael Lemkin, when he coined the term genocide in
1944, cited the Turkish extermination of the Armenians and the Nazi
extermination of the Jews as defining examples of what he meant by
genocide.
2) The killings of the Armenians is genocide as defined by the 1948
United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide.
3) In 1997 the International Association of Genocide Scholars, an
organization of the world's foremost experts on genocide,
unanimously passed a formal resolution affirming the Armenian
Genocide
4) 126 leading scholars of the Holocaust inluding Elie Wiesel and
Yehuda Bauer placed a statement in the New York Times in June 2000
declaring the incontestable fact of the Armenian Genocide and urging
western democracies to acknowledge it.
5) The Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide (Jerusalem) and the
Institute for the Study of Genocide (NYC) have affirmed the
historical fact of the Armenian Genocide.
6) Leading texts in the international law of genocide such as William
A. Schabas's Genocide in International Law (Cambridge University
Press, 2000) cite the Armenian Genocide as a precursor to the
Holocaust and as a precedent for the law on crimes against humanity.
We would also note that scholars who advise your government and who
are affiliated in other ways with your state controlled institutions
are not impartial. Such so-called `scholars' work to serve the agenda
of historical and moral obfuscation when they advise you and the
Turkish Parliament on how to deny the Armenian Genocide. In preventing
a conference on the Armenian Genocide from taking place at Bogacizi
University in Istanbul on May 25, your government revealed its
aversion to academic and intellectual freedom - a fundamental
condition of democratic society.
We believe that it is clearly in the interest of the Turkish people
and their future as proud and equal participants in international,
democratic discourse to acknowledge the responsibility of a previous
government for the genocide of the Armenian people, just as the
German government and people have done in the case of the Holocaust.
Approved unanimously at the sixth biennial meeting of
The International Association of Genocide Scholars
June 7, 2005, Boca Raton, Florida
Contact:
Israel Charney, President, International Association of Genocide
Scholars; Editor in Chief, Encyclopedia of Genocide.
Gregory H. Stanton, Vice President, International Association of
Genocide Scholars; President, Genocide Watch; James Farmer Visiting
Professor of Human Rights, University of Mary Washington;
genocidewa...@aol.com
#########################
#########################
126 HOLOCAUST SCHOLARS AFFIRM THE INCONTESTABLE FACT OF THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE AND URGE WESTERN DEMOCRACIES TO OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE IT
At the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Scholar's Conference on the
Holocaust and the Churches Convening at St. Joseph University,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 3-7, 2000, one hundred twenty-six
Holocaust Scholars, holders of Academic Chairs and Directors of
Holocaust Research and Studies Centers, participants of the Conference,
signed a statement affirming that the World War I Armenian Genocide is
an incontestable historical fact and accordingly urge the governments
of Western democracies to likewise recognize it as such. The
petitioners, among whom is Nobel Laureate for Peace Elie Wiesel, who
was the keynote speaker at the conference, also asked the Western
Democracies to urge the Government and Parliament of Turkey to finally
come to terms with a dark chapter of Ottoman-Turkish history and to
recognize the Armenian Genocide. This would provide an invaluable
impetus to the process of the democratization of Turkey.
Below is a partial list of the signatories:
Prof. Yehuda Bauer
Distinguished Professor
Hebrew University
Director, The International Institute of Holocaust Research
Yad Vashem, Jerusalem
Prof. Israel Charny, Director
Institute of the Holocaust and Genocide, Jerusalem
Professor at the Hebrew University,
Editor-in-Chief of The Encyclopedia of Genocide
Prof. Ward Churchill
Ethnic Studies
The University of Colorado, Boulder
Prof. Stephen Feinstein, Director
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
University of Minnesota
Prof. Saul Friedman, Director
Holocaust and Jewish Studies
Youngston State University, Ohio
Prof. Edward Gaffney
Valparaiso University Law School
Prof. Zev Garber
Los Angeles Valley College
Prof. Dorota Glowacka
University of King's Collage
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Dr. Irving Greenberg, President
Jewish Life Network
Prof. Herbert Hirsch
Virginia Commonwealth University
Prof. Irving L. Horowitz
Hannah Arendt Distinguished Professor
Rutgers University, NJ
Rabbi Dr. Steve Jacobs
Temple Sinai Shalom
Huntsville, Alabama
Associate Editor of The Encyclopedia of Genocide
Prof. Steven Katz
Distinguish Professor
Director, Center for Judaic Studies
Boston University
Prof. Richard Libowitz
Temple University
Dr. Marcia Littell
Stockton College
Exec. Director, Scholars' Conference
On the Holocaust and the Churches
Franklin Littell
Emeritus Professor
Temple University
Prof. Hubert G. Locke
Washington University
Co-founder of the Annual Scholar's Conference
On the Holocaust and the Churches
Dr. Elizabeth Maxwell
Executive Director of the International Scholarly
Conference on the Holocaust, London, England
Prof. Erik Markusen
Southwest State University, MN
Prof. Saul Mendlowitz
Dag Hammerskjold Distinguished Professor
of International Law
Rutgers University
Prof. Jack Needle, Director
Center for Holocaust Studies
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, NJ
Dr. Philip Rosen, Director
Holocaust Education Center of the Delaware Valley
Prof. Alan S, Rosenbaum
Dept. of Philosophy
Cleveland State University
William L. Shulman, President
Association of Holocaust Organizations City University of New York
Prof. Samuel Totten
The University of Arkansas
Assoc. Editor of The Encyclopedia of Genocide
Prof. Elie Wiesel
Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities
Boston University
Founding Chairman of the United States
Holocaust Memorial Council
Nobel Laureate for Peace
I hereby declare that the originals of these one hundred and
twenty-six signatories are on file in my office. All affiliations
supplied are for identification purposes only.
Dr. Stephen Feinstein, Director,
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
University of Minnesota
rich murphy
http://www.turkses.com/index.asp
Turkish Daily News
08.07.2003
'Opening door to Armenia is a historical mistake'
The monument, constructed for the memory of 300 Turks, who were burnt
by Armenians in January, 1915, has been unveiled, private Cihan news
agency said on Sunday.
Ataturk University Research Center on Turk-Armenian relations
Vice-director Assistant Professor Erol Kurkcuoglu said that opening
borders to Armenia was a historical mistake.
Stating that a number of unprotected women, children and elderly
sheltered in Halil Efendi Mosque, Kurkcuoglu said that they could not
run away from the massacre and were burned to death.
Noting that via the International Oil Consortium Agreement, a window
would be opened to Armenia as the oil in the Caspian region would reach
the Mediterranean through the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, Kurkcuoglu said:
"The Armenians killed 519,000 Turks in the eastern and southeastern
Anatolia region between 1915-1919. They acted as spies to the Russian
armies and helped the invasion in eastern Anatolia. Between 1973-1995,
our 41 diplomats in 21 countries died martyrs. When all these events
were taken into consideration, opening a border to Armenia is a
historical mistake. The doors should be opened for friends."
Ardahan Governor Mustafa Yigit said that those, who were bringing the
so-called Armenian genocide to the surface, were miserable people.
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Whole Plan Strewn by Armenian Bodies
PETROGRAD, March 19.-A telegram from Urumiah, Northwestern Persia, says
that prior to the evacuation of towns between Julfa and Tabriz the
Turks and Kurds, who were retreating before the Russian advance,
pillaged and burned the villages and put to death some of the
inhabitants.
At Salmaz, Pagaduk, and Sarna orders are said to have been given by the
Turkish Commissioner for the destruction of the Towns.
All the Armenian inhabitants of Antvat were collected and, according to
this message, 600 males were put to death, and the women, after being
compelled to embrace the Mohammedan faith, were divided into parties
and sent to various interior towns.
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EUROPARLIAMENT URGES TURKEY TO LIFT BLOCKADE, RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE
The European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee approved January 23
a draft report by M. Per Gahrton (European Greens, Sweden) defining
European relations with the nations of the southern Caucasus.
The report urges Turkey to lift its nine-year blockade of Armenia and
reiterates the 1987 European Parliament call for Turkey to recognize
the Armenian Genocide.
Mister Gahrton's report, entitled "European Union's relations with the
South Caucasus, under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreements,"
urges the European Union to step up initiatives to assist the
development of the countries of the Transcaucasus--Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia--and stresses the key role that Russia, Iran and Turkey
play in ensuring peace in the region.
In this regard, Paragraph 12 of the resolution stipulates that: "The
European Parliament calls upon Turkey to take appropriate steps in
accordance with its European ambitions, especially concerning the
termination of the blockade against Armenia; reiterates in this
respect the position in its resolution of 18 June 1987 recognizing the
genocide upon Armenians in 1915 as a fact and calls upon Turkey to do
the same."
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TO ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND END ILLEGAL BLOCKADE
-- Letter, Spearheaded by Rep. Costa, Addresses
Turkey's Occupation of Cyprus and its Ongoing
Restrictions on Christian Communities
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) was joined by fifty-eight
U.S. House colleagues today in calling on Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice to provide an update on U.S. diplomatic efforts to
end Turkey's ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide, lift its
blockade of Armenia, and end its military occupation of Cyprus,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
"Armenians Americans in California's Central Valley and throughout
the nation thank Jim Costa, as well as Michael Bilirakis, and all
those who joined with him in sending this powerful message to the
Administration," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the
ANCA. "We are gratified by the growing Congressional pressure on
Turkey to abandon its hostile attitudes and actions against
Armenia, Cyprus, and Greece, and will continue to work to ensure
that these issues remain at the forefront of the U.S.-Turkey
relationship until they are resolved in a just and durable manner."
Concerning the Armenian Genocide, the letter notes that, "few
tragedies in our shared history are as comprehensively documented
as the fate of more than 1.5 million Armenians living within the
Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923." The letter goes on to stress that,
"We believe that only by acknowledging the Ottoman Empire's
genocidal legacy, can Turkey fully return to the community of
nations."
With regard to Turkey's blockade of Armenia, the letter notes that,
"despite violating international law and condemnations on behalf of
the United States and the European Union, Turkey continues to
impose its blockade against Armenia, now in its twelfth year." It
goes on to note that "overall, this policy acts against the
interests of the European Union and is counterproductive to U.S.
interests to support broad engagement with the nations of the South
Caucasus to help them 'remain independent, and [to] become
democratic, stable, and prosperous partners of the United States.'"
The letter goes on to cite "significant concern regarding Turkey's
progress in the realm of human rights." Congressional co-signers
specifically noted the numerous prosecutions of Turkish journalists
and authors, including Hrant Dink and Orhan Pamuk, for perceived
insults to the Turkish State related to the discussion of the
Armenian Genocide. Pamuk's trial, set for Friday, December 16th,
is being following closely by international human rights
organizations.
"Our foreign policy must require Turkey to be accountable for its
actions against Armenia and Cyprus," commented Rep. Costa following
the release of the letter. "This letter demonstrates that Congress
will continue to push for this accountability while supporting
Turkey's efforts at reform. It is my hope that this bipartisan
effort, which I am heading up and includes the support of over 50
of my colleagues, will send a strong message to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice."
In a "Dear Colleague" letter circulated on November 3rd, Rep. Costa
urged his House colleagues to cosign the letter calling on
Secretary Rice to "address a number of concerns regarding the
Republic of Turkey's beginning negotiations for admission into the
European Union." ANCA chapters and activists across the U.S., in
cooperation with the American Hellenic Institute, worked to help
secure support for the measure.
House Members joining Rep. Costa in cosigning the Congressional
letter to Secretary Rice are: Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Joe Baca (D-CA),
Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), Tim Bishop (D-NY),
Jeb Bradley (R-NH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), John
Conyers (D-MI), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Michael Ferguson (R-NJ),
Barney Frank (D-MA), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ),
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rush Holt (D-NJ), William Jefferson (D-LA),
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Dennis Kucinich (D-
OH), James Langevin (D-RI), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Nita Lowey (D-
NY), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-
MA), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), James McGovern (D-MA), Michael
McNulty (D-NY), Martin Meehan (D-MA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ),
Michael Michaud (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes
Norton (D-DC), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Donald
Payne (D-NJ), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Richard Pombo (R-CA), George
Radanovich (R-CA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Steven Rothman (D-
NJ), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Tim Ryan (D-
OH), Jim Saxton (R-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Joe Schwarz (R-MI),
David Scott (D-GA), Christopher Shays (R-CT), Brad Sherman (D-CA),
Hilda Solis (D-CA), Mark Souder (R-IN), Ted Strickland (D-OH),
Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Visclosky (D-IN), Diane Watson (D-
CA) and Anthony Weiner (D-NY).
The complete text of the Congressional letter to Secretary Rice is
provided below.
#####
TEXT OF CONGRESSIONAL LETTER TO SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZA RICE
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary
United States Department of State
2201 C Street, Northwest
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Madame Secretary:
As the Republic of Turkey begins to negotiate for membership in the
European Union, it is vital that the United States continue to work
to advance its interests as a friend and partner to both the
European Union and the Republic of Turkey. Therefore, we request
that you provide us with an update on the State Department's
efforts to address the following concerns:
Blockade Against Armenia. Despite violating international law and
condemnations on behalf of the United States and the European
Union, Turkey continues to impose its blockade against Armenia, now
in its twelfth year. The EU has repeatedly called upon Turkey to
lift the blockade, and the European Parliament has declared the
normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations a precondition for
Turkey's accession to the organization. As you know, Turkey and
Azerbaijan are the only states that engage in a blockade of a
fellow Council of Europe state.
A recent report [1] prepared by the World Bank highlighted the
profound economic impact Turkey's blockade has had upon Armenia.
This continued action on the part of Turkey violates international
law, as well as treaties it signed with Armenia recognized under
the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and the Convention on
Succession of States. It also has a debilitating effect on
Turkey's ability to expand its economy, while allowing its foreign
policy to be held hostage by the interests of Azerbaijan. Overall,
this policy acts against the interests of the European Union and is
counterproductive to US interests to support broad engagement with
the nations of the South Caucasus to help them "remain independent,
and [to] become democratic, stable, and prosperous partners of the
United States." [2] So long as the blockade continues, it will act
against a stated precondition of Turkey's admittance to the EU.
Human Rights. Despite substantial pledges, there remains
significant concern regarding Turkey's progress in the realm of
human rights. While Turkey founded the Human Rights Inquiry
Commission and the Human Rights Coordinating High Committee, Turkey
continues to under fund these programs and undermine their ability
to implement their mission. Last year, the Turkish government
commissioned a report on Turkey's minorities. However, when the
final report criticized Turkey's mistreatment of minorities as non-
compliant with its own treaty obligations, the Turkish government
promptly disowned it amid nationalist threats against its authors.
Also unfortunate is Turkey's failure to abide by the European
Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The European
Commission has expressed disappointment with the progress Turkey
has made in this regard. In the first 9 months of 2004, for
example, Turkish courts tried 416 persons on charges relating to
spoken or written expression. [3] Most recently, Hrant Dink, a
Turkish journalist, was handed a suspended six-month prison
sentence for a newspaper article that insulted Turkish identity.
Moreover, internationally renowned novelist Orhan Pamuk is facing
three years in jail for commenting on the Armenian genocide. The
US Helsinki Commission has properly condemned this prosecution.
Additionally, we condemn Turkey's toleration of assaults against
its Greek and Armenian Orthodox minority, its continuing illegal
closure of the Greek Orthodox Halki Patriarchal School of Theology,
and its illegal seizure of Greek and Armenian Church property.
Occupation of Cyprus: A fundamental requirement for joining the
European Union is for Turkey to recognize all member states of the
EU, including the Republic of Cyprus. Not only has Turkey failed
to recognize Cyprus, but it continues to occupy illegally over 37
percent of the island with a standing force of over 43,000 Turkish
troops after invading the country in 1974 and expelling over
180,000 Greek Cypriots. However, we are concerned about two recent
events that seemingly undermine stated US policy regarding non-
recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). You
recently invited Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat, the recognized leader of the
Turkish-Cypriot community, to formally meet with you in Washington,
DC. Additionally, we feel that the State Department's support for
the travel of U.S. citizens, U.S. government personnel, and Members
of Congress with direct flights to the Tymbou Airport is an
additional cause for concern, as it is not a designated legal port
of entry. The U.S. government should be discouraging U.S.
citizens, U.S. government personnel, and Members of Congress from
entering Cyprus illegally, and not encouraging them to participate
in Turkey's violation of the Chicago Convention. [4]
The Armenian Genocide. Few tragedies in our shared history are as
comprehensively documented as the fate of more than 1.5 million
Armenians living within the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923. The
international community is formally recognizing this event as
genocide in increasing numbers, and the European Parliament
recently passed a resolution stipulating Turkey's recognition of
this event as a precondition for admittance to the EU. We believe
that only by acknowledging the Ottoman Empire's genocidal legacy,
can Turkey fully return to the community of nations. Should Turkey
choose to recognize this event in its nation's history, it will
communicate its commitment to step from the shadows of its past and
bring Turkey squarely in line with the values and possibilities it
stands ready to embrace today.
While the Republic of Turkey continues to make progress in these
areas, as reflected in the decision to open accession talks, we
recognize that the European Union has outlined the above concerns
as symptomatic of their hesitation with Turkey accession. Turkey
is at the crossroads of Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the
Middle East. It has the opportunity to play an important role in
the ongoing developments in the region. We note that Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ministers have made repeated
references to the values that they share with our nation, and that
constructive actions with regard to the outstanding issues noted
above would confirm these statements. Therefore, we restate our
desire that the United States work to bring about these promising
possibilities.
Sincerely,