The ARS was founded in 1910

WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)—On May 30, the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) of the Eastern United States Board of Directors released a statement congratulating all the students who participated in the ARS of Eastern USA essay contest, and sent its continuing gratitude to the principals and teachers of the participating schools.

Over 150 students from Armenian schools across the eastern U.S. participated in the annual essay competition. The ARS of Eastern USA, sponsors the annual event for Armenian daily and one-day school students to encourage them to think about matters of importance to the Armenian people and how issues impact their young lives.

This year’s essay topic was “What it means to be an Armenian: Past, Present, and Future?”

Essay Contest judging committee was comprised of ARS members from the Greater New Jersey area, who were appointed by the ARS Eastern USA Board of Regional Directors. The ARS Regional Board Liaison was ungerouhi Margaret Babikian.

The 2017 essay contest judges were ungerouhis Carol Kennelly, Sarine Adishian, Natalie Darakjian, Knar Kiledjian, Hilda Baronian, and Talin Mavlian-Barsemian.

According to the statement,  the udging committee members were very impressed by the quality of writings for both the Armenian and the English language essays and commended the students’ efforts.

Participating Armenian One-Day Schools:

Mourad Saturday School, Providence, R.I.
St. Stephen’s Saturday School, Watertown, Mass.
Taniel Varoujan School, Glenview, Ill.
Nareg Saturday School, Ridgefield, N.J.
ARS Zavarian Schools, Detroit, Mich.
Haigazian School, Philadelphia, Pa.
Azezian Yacoubian Armenian School, Conn.
Mesrobian School, Ill.
St. Stepanos Sunday School, Elberon, N.J.

Participating Armenian Everyday Schools:

Armenian Sisters Academy, Pa.
St. Stephen’s Elementary School, Watertown, Mass.

All winners were awarded Amazon gift cards. Congratulations to all.

***
One-Day Schools
Armenian

Grades 3 and 4

1st Place

Lara Telbelian/ARS Zavarian Schools, Detroit, Mich.

2nd Place

Areney Tokmakjian/Taniel Varoujan School, Glenview, Ill.

3rd Place

Sevak Dukenjian/St. Stephen’s Saturday School, Mass.

Grades 5 and 6

1st Place

Talin Chalikian/Mourad Saturday School, Providence, R.I.

2nd Place

Eliz Dedeian/Mourad Saturday School, Providence, R.I.

3rd Place

Vartine Kechejian/St. Stephen’s Saturday School, Mass.

Jacqueline Lucine Schmeizl/Azezian Yacoubian School, Conn.

Grades 7 and 8

1st Place

Alex Varjabedian/Narek School, Ridgefield, N.J.

2nd Place

Ani Ourfalian/St. Stephen’s Saturday School, Mass.

3rd Place

Nare Parseghian/St. Stephen’s Saturday School, Mass.

Giselle Krikorian/Mesrobian School, Granite City, Ill.

One-Day Schools
English

Grades 3 and 4

1st Place

Apcar Simon/Taniel Varoujan School, Glenview, Ill.

2nd Place

Talar Panossian/Taniel Varoujan School, Glenview, Ill.

Sosse Papazian/Taniel Varoujan School, Glenview, Ill.

3rd Place

Sarkis Marrin/St. Stepanos Sunday School, Elberon, N.J.

Alek Banklian/Taniel Varoujan School, Glenview, Ill.

Grades 5 and 6

1st Place

Talar Hovsepian/Haigazian School, Philadelphia, Pa.

2nd Place

Serana Antoine/St. Stephens School, Watertown, Mass.

3rd Place

Lilia Alaverdyan/Taniel Varoujan School, Glenview, Ill.

Grades 7 and 8

1st Place

Isabel Esenyan/Haigazian School, Philadelphia, Pa.

2nd Place

Nina Takvorian/Narek School, Ridgefield, N.J.

3rd Place

Alex Esenyan/Haigazian School, Philadelphia, Pa.

Everyday Schools
Armenian

Grades 3 and 4

1st Place

Talin Halebian/St. Stephen’s Elementary School, Watertown, Mass.

2nd Place

Kakig Minasian/St. Stephen’s Elementary School, Watertown, Mass.

3rd Place

Neshan Shamlian/Armenian Sisters’ Academy, Radnor, Pa.

Grades 5 and 6

1st Place

Zepure Merdinian/ St. Stephen’s Elementary School, Watertown, Mass.

2nd Place

Nairi Bouloutian/Armenian Sisters’ Academy, Radnor, Pa.

3rd Place

Krikor Eskenderian/St. Stephen’s Elementary School, Watertown, Mass.

Grades 7 and 8

1st Place

Aren Dardarian/ Armenian Sisters’ Academy, Radnor, Pa.

2nd Place

Ani Dardarian/Armenian Sisters’ Academy, Radnor, Pa.

3rd Place

Kevork Zeybari/ Armenian Sisters’ Academy, Radnor, Pa.

Everyday Schools

English

Grades 3 and 4

1st Place

Zana Eberlin/Armenian Sisters Academy, Radnor, Pa.

Grades 5 and 6

1st Place

Liliana Yacoubian/Armenian Sisters Academy, Radnor, Pa.

2nd Place

Solal Wanamaker/Armenian Sisters Academy, Radnor, Pa.

ALEPPO, Syria (A.W.)—Thousands of community members celebrated 99^th anniversary of the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia on May 28 in Aleppo.

According to Aleppo-based Armenian news outlet Kantsasar, the celebration took place in the courtyard of the Karen Jeppe Armenian School (Jemaran) featuring Armenian singers Mkrtich Mkrtichyan and Arsen Grigorian from Armenia. Several high-ranking guests and community leaders attended the event.

Below are photos of the celebration, courtesy of Studio Venus and Kantsasar.

Building Transformation Scheduled to Start March 2018

BELMONT, Mass.—On May 18, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) received a grant of $225,000 from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund of the Massachusetts Cultural Council to go toward construction of an elevator and other accessibility features as part of NAASR’s $4.5 million project for its headquarters on Concord Avenue in Belmont. With this grant, NAASR has commitments for 70 percent of the total budget.

NAASR will be undertaking a $4.5 million, top-to-bottom renovation of its aging building in Belmont, Mass.

NAASR’s aim is to transform its building, which has remained virtually unchanged since its purchase in 1989, and to welcome the public with a redesigned bookstore, lounge café, scholars’ conference room, and garden atrium, and solarium, encouraging research, study, lectures, informal gatherings, and professional activities centered around Armenian Studies. The building transformation is being designed by the architectural, design, and engineering firm of Symmes Maini & McKee Associates in Cambridge, Mass.

Renovations to the building, funded in part with this grant, will bring the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by adding an elevator serving all levels, an entry ramp, and accessible rest rooms. The renovation will also add a fourth level (third story) to the building, with a 150-person event hall and state-of-the-art audio-visual technology to allow live streaming and remote participants and presenters from throughout the world.

“This grant is essential in helping to preserve our rare holdings for future generations and make them accessible to all,” said Yervant Chekijian, NAASR’s Chairman of the Board. “With the latest technologies incorporated into the building, we will be able to connect people from around the world and truly become a global center for Armenian Studies.”

The initial reason for NAASR’s capital project was to preserve NAASR’s rare books, periodicals, and archives in NAASR’s Edward and Helen Mardigian Library, one of the top five publicly accessible Armenian Studies libraries in the world, soon to reach 40,000 volumes in diverse languages and alphabets, with holdings dating to the 1600s.

The library has grown to become world class and is a living legacy of culture and history after the Armenian Genocide. NAASR’s holdings are mostly in Armenian, but many are in Turkish, Persian, Russian, French, English, Arabic, and German, and other languages, and NAASR welcomes anyone to browse and study in the library.

The inspiring design and upgraded accessibility will draw professionals, students, scholars, thought leaders, genealogical researchers, and the general public into the building to attend evening programs, study, conduct research, browse the bookstore, and connect with each other.

“We are thrilled and honored to be selected for a Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund grant,” said NAASR Executive Director Sarah Ignatius. “It comes at the exact right moment to motivate people to make our vision a reality. And we are grateful that Massachusetts recognizes the critical importance of supporting capital investments to cultural non-profits.”

Founded in 1955, NAASR is the only national, non-profit organization serving as a bridge between Armenian Studies scholars and the public, to preserve and enrich Armenian culture, history, and identity for future generations. Each year, NAASR hosts over 40 lectures on a wide range of topics from 5th century art to contemporary realities in the Republic of Armenia and the Near East.

NAASR lectures reach a multi-generational audience, which includes students, professionals, and the general public, and encompasses NAASR’s contemporary topics series, supported by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, with programs on Syrian Armenians, Nagorno-Karabagh, Armenian identity, and diasporan involvement in Armenia’s development.

Each year, NAASR awards grants to scholars and recently helped to fund Prof. Taner Akçam’s groundbreaking work uncovering lost evidence about the Armenian Genocide. NAASR also operates one of the largest English-language bookstores on Armenian topics, available onsite and online through NAASR’s website at www.naasr.org.

NAASR’s mission is to foster Armenian Studies and build community worldwide to preserve and enrich Armenian culture, history, and identity for future generations. NAASR achieved its initial ambitious goal of advancing Armenian Studies by raising funds to help endow the first chairs of Armenian Studies at Harvard and UCLA less than 50 years after the Armenian Genocide, and has since gone on to support other endowed positions, which now exist at 13 universities, increasing awareness of Armenian contributions to world culture and civilization, and laying the factual foundation upon which Genocide recognition rests, leading to a new generation relying on NAASR for academic research and connections to the public.

For more information about NAASR visit www.naasr.org or contact hq@naasr.org or 617-489-1610.

When Recep Tayyip Erdogan first came to power as Turkey’s Prime Minister in 2003, he was welcomed by the majority of Turks as a devout Muslim and honest politician, after being ruled by corrupt leaders for several decades.

(L to R) Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Mubariz Mansimov

Regrettably, as time passed, Erdogan and his fellow Islamist Party leaders (AKP) became gradually corrupted. Greed replaced their piety, and the temptation of big money was too hard to resist. The expression, ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” aptly describes the transformation of Erdogan into a corrupt and autocratic leader.

In a lengthy article on the website theintercept.com, Andrew Fishman disclosed the unusual circumstances of Erdogan’s family receiving a $25 million oil tanker as a gift, under a secretive offshore arrangement. This sensational revelation comes a few years after the exposure of Erdogan’s recorded telephone conversations with his son Bilal, during which he advised him how to hide hundreds of millions of dollars in cash obtained mysteriously by Erdogan.

According to Fishman, the oil tanker was donated to Erdogan by Azeri billionaire Mubariz Mansimov back in 2008, as revealed by the European Investigative Collaboration (EIC) network, composed of 49 journalists from 13 media organizations in 16 countries. “Mansimov became a Turkish citizen two years earlier and adopted a Turkish name, Mubariz Gurbanoglu, allegedly at Erdogan’s suggestion,” Fishman reported. Not surprisingly, “after the deal was struck, his business dealings in Turkey took off, including lucrative contracts with state firms.”

Mansimov also befriended Pres. Donald Trump and was an invited guest at the presidential inauguration earlier this year, as a major investor in Istanbul’s Trump Towers. “When the 39 floors of residential and office block of Trump Towers opened in Istanbul in 2009, Mansimov was the first customer — buying eight apartments, including the penthouse,” according to the website: theblacksea.eu.

Fishman’s article on the intriguing and convoluted details of how the 13,000-ton ship was donated to Erdogan was based on the Malta Files, an investigation led by EIC, using a leaked cache of 150,000 documents from a Malta-based provider of legal, financial and corporate services, as well as a scraped version of the Malta Public Register of companies. In 2007, Mansimov purchased the oil tanker Agdash in Russia and registered it in the name of Pal Shipping Trader One, a Maltese holding company. In 2008, Bumerz, a company registered in the tax haven Isle of Man [UK] co-owned by Erdogan’s son (Burak Erdogan), brother (Mustafa) and brother-in-law (Ziya Ilgen) purchased all shares for $25 million. “The next day, that firm took out an $18.4 million loan arranged by Mansimov… Documents show that Mansimov pledged to pay off the entire seven-year loan plus interest in exchange for leasing rights through 2015 (the remaining $7 million of the purchase price was paid by a close personal friend of Erdogan for reasons unknown. Mansimov’s company, which controls two-thirds of Black Sea oil shipping, extended the leasing option through 2020 for $1.2 million a year. All told, the deal amounts to a $21.2 million cash transfer from Mansimov to Erdogan’s family.”

Another source estimated the value of the oil tanker donated to the Erdogan family as $29.64 million. This website also disclosed that the “close personal friend of Erdogan” who paid $7 million for the purchase of the oil tanker is Sitki Ayan, a Turkish businessman.

The newspaper, Malta Today, revealed that Erdogan’s son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, in 2012 set up eight companies in Malta to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes for his company, Calik Holdings, a massive energy, textile and construction conglomerate that earned billions of dollars in public tenders. He also opened four companies in Sweden.

Albayrak, the husband of Esra Erdogan, the President’s eldest daughter, received from a close associate an email in 2011, warning him that the secretive offshore companies are “based on tricking the finance authority; it’s not a secure system. If the finance authority discovers this, it wouldn’t be good for [Calik’s] reputation,” according to Malta Today.

In the end, it turns out that Albayrak did not need a secret offshore network because in 2015 he was appointed by Erdogan as Minister of Energy and Resources. He helped pass the “Wealth Peace Act,” a tax amnesty, which allowed Calik Holdings to repatriate unlimited amounts of offshore cash, tax-free.

Malta Today also reported that Erdogan is grooming his son-in-law Albayrak as his successor. It is not surprising that Albyarak accompanied Pres. Erdogan on his recent trip to the United States.

The reason many foreign companies are registered in Malta is that the country “boasts the lowest effective corporate tax rate [5%] in the European Union and has become a preferred destination for tax avoidance in the EU,” whereas in France, for example, the corporate tax rate is 33.33%, according to Fishman.

It is truly amazing being Armenian…

Not a day goes by without either thinking of the event that just passed or about the next event coming up. Whether it is your next chapter meeting, dance, social or even going to Armenian school this weekend, there is always something.

Asbarez news English editor Ara Khachatourian lecturing at Junior Seminar in Prospect, Pa. (Photo: Dickran Khodanian/The Armenian Weekly)

Today, I spent my day thinking about an event that just passed—the Armenian Youth Federation – Youth organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (AYF-YOARF) Eastern U.S. Junior Seminar—as well as about events coming up next month: the AYF Tri-Regional Seminar at Camp Haiastan (June 8-11), the AYF Junior Athletic Games in New Jersey (June 16-18), and the Homenetmen Navasartian Games in Providence (Fourth of July weekend).

Junior Seminar, for all those who have not attended, is one of the most inspiring events of the year for the Eastern Region. Here, 340 Armenian youth—mainly juniors between the ages of 10-16—gathered to learn about “The Power of Purpose,” this year’s theme. Inspiring speakers from all over the country came to Prospect, Pa. to shed light on important issues, instilling in the youth that no matter what they become in life and no matter where they end up in their careers, they have a purpose and obligation—not only to themselves, but to this organization and to their ancestors.

Not only did they learn, but they also danced and sang—a sight so inspiring to see. Hundreds of juniors dancing the dances and singing the songs of our ancestors. Something so simple, but of such great importance; an ultimate slap to the face to those who thought this would never happen.

On the 99^th anniversary of the establishment of the first Armenian Republic, the AYF-YOARF came together stronger than ever. We know well that our purpose is to carry out the struggle of our ancestors and to continue instilling that same passion into future generations, so that when we celebrate future anniversaries of the independence of Armenia at AYF-YOARF Junior Seminar, it is always done not only with song and dance, but also with purpose.

Garo Tashian is the chair of the AYF-YOARF Eastern U.S. Central Executive.

YEREVAN (A.W.)— On May 30, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Lamberto Zannier held meetings with Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian in Yerevan.

(L to R) OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and Armenian President Serge Sarkisian (Photo: Press Office of the President of Armenia)

In separate meetings with the President and Foreign Minister, Zannier discussed the possibilities for continued cooperation between Armenia and the OSCE following the discontinuation of the organization’s Yerevan office and expressed his regret about its closure.

The OSCE Secretary General also noted that his visit to Yerevan is a sign of the OSCE’s interest in continuing the organization’s engagement with Armenia in line with existing OSCE commitments across all three security dimensions—the politico-military, the economic and environmental, and the human dimensions.

“I would like to see the achievements of the office preserved and built upon as far as possible,” Zannier said.

In a joint press conference with Zannier, Armenian Foreign Minister Nalbandian welcomed the secretary general and the possibility of additional involvement of the OSCE in Yerevan. Nalbandian also stated that Azerbaijan abused its right to veto to block the extension of the Yerevan Office because this act contradicts the vision and goals of the OSCE.

According to Nalbandian, the two also discussed the recent elections in Armenia as well as the assessment of the international observers that monitored the elections.

During the question and answer session, Nalbandian told reporters that the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are expected to visit early June.

“I am not sure whether Azerbaijan will be ready for a visit, but the three Co-Chairs will be visiting Yerevan and Stepanakert in ten days,” said Nalbandian.

When asked whether the May 19 OSCE statement will impact Azerbaijan’s aggression, Nalbandian responded that this statement was the first time that the Co-Chairs pointed out that it’s Azerbaijani violating the ceasefire and opening fire.

“Azerbaijan has constantly been against the creation of an investigation mechanism since it would allow the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs or others involved in the process to point out the party violating the ceasefire agreement,” said Nalbandian, “However, the statement pointing out their violation shows it’s possible even without the mechanism.”

In Zannier’s meeting with President Sarkisian, similar issues, including the Nagorno Karabagh (Artsakh) conflict and its settlement through peaceful process under the auspices of the OSCE Minks Group were discussed.

The closure of the OSCE Office in Yerevan followed months of negotiations and extensive efforts by the 2016 German Chairmanship and the current Austrian Chairmanship to resolve the deadlock on the extension of the office’s mandate.

During the office’s operation, Zannier visited to meet with staff and pay tribute to their professional work. It had been established in 2000 and its activities included assistance to police reforms and support for reviewing the national regulatory frameworks affecting business activity and the lives of citizens.

STEPANAKERT, Artsakh—Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) Executive Director/CEO Zaven Khanjian recently visited Artsakh, where he met with several high-ranking officials and had the opportunity to review the progression of the association’s projects in Artsakh.

Khanjian at a Stepanakert kindergarten (Photo: AMAA)

On May 22, Khankian visited AMAA’s Camp Bedrosian in Shushi, Artsakh, where renovations and refurbishments are underway. The camp is adding green spaces, opening new lanes, landscaping the playground, and making renovations inside the buildings, in preparation for the upcoming camp season. After reviewing the renovation process, Khanjian, visited AMAA’s Bilezikian Kindergarten where he met with Diana Danielyan, Director of the Kindergarten and the Senior Director of Shogh Day Care Center, housed in the Kindergarten. Khanjian reviewed the education and learning process at both the Kindergarten and the Day Care Center, praised the work, and reiterated AMAA’s support of continued improvements to the Kindergarten and Center.

Khanjian next visited AMAA’s Stepanakert office as well as the Baghdikian Kindergarten next to the Center. At the Baghdikian Kindergarten, the children are educated, well-nourished, take naps in comfortable beds, and have playtime in the adjacent playground.

On May 23, Khanjian visited the Honorable Ashot Ghulyan, Speaker of Artsakh’s National Assembly. Mr. Ghulyan warmly welcomed the Executive Director and highly commended the humanitarian mission the AMAA carries in Artsakh. Khanjian expressed his delight witnessing the continuous developments in the economic and social life of the people of Artsakh. He confirmed AMAA’s commitment to continue its humanitarian projects in improved facilities and expanded services where needed. They also discussed the current situation on Artsakh’s eastern border and relations with the diaspora.

The AMAA delegation with Artsakh leaders (Photo: AMAA)

On the same day, Khanjian met with Archbishop Barkev Martirosyan, Prelate of the Diocese of Artsakh. Khanjian thanked the Archbishop for his spiritual leadership of the people of Artsakh and expressed confidence in the strengthening of the continued cordial and brotherly relations between the Armenian Apostolic and Evangelical Churches.

That evening, Khanjian, accompanied by AMAA representatives in Armenia and Artsakh, visited the President of Artsakh Republic, His Excellency Bako Sahakyan. The President noted with satisfaction AMAA’s historic presence in Artsakh and the different educational, social, youth support, and humanitarian aid programs that it implements. Khanjian reiterated AMAA’s commitment of continued and elevated support of the people of Artsakh through its various programs.

The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Inc. is seeking a new Executive Director.

The successful candidate must demonstrate ability to function within a not for profit, with entities in 27 different countries.

The Executive Director is responsible for establishing and executing major goals and objectives for the organization: implementing policies established by the Central Executive Board (CEB); providing leadership, direction, and guidance of organization’s activities; analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness of all organizational operations; developing and maintaining organizational structure and effective personnel; coordinating major activities through subordinates and appraise assigned personnel; and representing the organization to regulatory bodies, other agencies, community and civic organizations, donors, funders, supporters, and the public.

Candidates must have strong verbal and written communication skills and must be fluent in Armenian and English to be considered.

A master’s degree is also required to be considered.

For a complete job description please e-mail: ceb@ars1910.org

Candidates must e-mail a resume/CV and two (2) recommendation letters to ceb@ars1910.org

YEREVAN (A.W.)—Armenia’s Health Minister Levon Altunyan told reporters on May 31 that he had received instructions from the country’s leadership to declare a war on tobacco and to reduce the number of smokers in Armenia by 30-40 percent.

An Armenian advertisement discouraging smoking

According to a number of Armenia-based news outlets, Altunyan said that smoking will be banned in public spaces, including restaurants and bars, with no separate closed rooms for smokers. Taxes on tobacco products will be raised as well, according to the Minister.

Altunyan added that after the approval of the program, legislative work will begin in the government in the near future and amendments will be made in Nov. 2017.

During the press conference, which took place at the United Nations Yerevan Office on World No Tobacco Day, Alexander Bazarchyan, the director of the National Healthcare Institute, said that a new program for the fight against tobacco has been developed and has submitted to the government. Its main components are legislative changes, the improvement of healthcare services, better informing citizens, and international cooperation.

According to Bazarchyan, the changes would also prohibit advertising tobacco products and would force companies to include photographs on their warning labels.

Senior Republican Serves on House Appropriations Committee; Leads Congressional Caucus on Religious Minorities in the Middle East

PASADENA, Calif.—Friends and supporters of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) gathered in Pasadena, California on May 26, to offer their support for a champion of Armenian Causes in the U.S. House of Representatives, Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebr.).

Longtime ANCA supporters Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Hoori Melkonian served as Chairs for the event honoring Congressman Fortenberry.

The Congressman, who serves on the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, has been a stalwart ally in the ANCA’s efforts to direct U.S. refugee assistance to Armenians fleeing violence in Syria and Iraq.

The event honoring Congressman Fortenberry was hosted at the home of ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian and his wife, Mireille, and was chaired by longtime ANCA supporters Frank and Hoori Melkonian.  The gathering drew a diverse and bi-partisan crowd, eager to learn more about Congressman Fortenberry’s leading role in Congress with respect to safeguarding the at-risk Christian communities in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere across the Middle East.

“Special thanks to Frank and Hoori Melkonian for chairing our evening with Representative Fortenberry, and our heartfelt appreciation to all those who joined in offering a warm Armenian welcome to Southern California for our great friend from Nebraska,” remarked ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian.  “No one in Congress is doing more to protest the atrocities against Christians across the Middle East, or to offer America’s protection to those being persecuted for no reason other than their faith.”

ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian introducing Congressman Fortenberry before a diverse crowd of ANCA leaders and supporters

Hamparian added: “Our community’s support for Congressman Fortenberry’s leadership in defense of Christians across the greater Middle East reflects the geographic breadth of our ANCA outreach, the broad scope of our policy priorities, and the fundamentally bipartisan nature of our Capitol Hill advocacy.”

Congressman Fortenberry—the Co-Chairman of the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus—has emerged as a leading voice in Congress in protecting vulnerable Christians, Yezidis, and other faith-based populations in the Middle East.  In March of 2015, Congressman Fortenberry, working with U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), who is of Armenian and Assyrian heritage, secured the unanimous adoption of a bipartisan measure, H.Con.Res.75, designating ISIS atrocities as genocide. This resolution, along with a parallel effort in the Senate, effectively prevented the Obama Administration from moving forward with its plans to issue a genocide designation properly citing Yezidis but, without justification, excluding any mention of Christians.  Three days after the passage of H.Con.Res.75, then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned ISIS for committing genocide against Christians, Yezidis, and Shia Muslim minorities.

Congressman Fortenberry was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004 to serve Nebraska’s First Congressional District.  Currently serving on the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, he previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he placed particular focus on human rights concerns.  The Congressman resides in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife, Celeste, and their five daughters.

From the Armenian Weekly 2017 Magazine Dedicated to the 102nd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

Thursday was a school day in Chunkush. The children who normally filled its streets with laughter were instead busy with their lessons.

In the village center, a shopkeeper sold yarn to a customer. A few young men lingered outside a dry goods store. And a pair of mostly even-tempered state security agents shadowed me. Otherwise, the streets were empty.

Ulash Altay plays on a tree in the garden in front of his home in Chunkush. Ulash is a descendant of the only known genocide survivor of Chunkush (Photo: Matthew Karanian)

It would have been easy to bypass Chunkush. I suspect that most travelers don’t give this village a second thought. But most travelers in this part of the world aren’t interested in Armenians, either. I was traveling with a small group of Armenian scholars for whom Chunkush is a gem among the treasures of Armenian history.

Chunkush sits in the remote hard scrabble landscape between Kharpert and Diyarbakir. This village was, until 1915, part of the fabric of Western Armenia. Today, it’s largely unknown to outsiders.

Armenian Chunkush had existed almost since forever and was destroyed in a moment in 1915. Ten thousand Armenians—the entire population of the village—were killed. The region around the village became a mass grave.

It has now been 102 years since the start of the genocide known to many as the Armenian Holocaust, and identified by most Armenians as the Medz Yeghern, or Great Crime. After all this time, Chunkush still exists. But today it is a Kurdish-populated village in Turkey. Chunkush has been mostly cleansed of its Armenian identity.

I had first visited Chunkush in 2014 to see what was left of our Armenian cultural heritage. I saw the ruins of a monastery, two churches, and a centuries-old neighborhood.

I returned in 2017 to see who was left. Chunkush is home not only to the ruins of ancient Armenian buildings. Chunkush is also home to a family that is descendant of a survivor of the Armenian Genocide.

This is how I met Ulash Altai.

Ulash Altai is an 11-year-old boy who lives in Chunkush with his mother and grandmother. His father had been part of the household, too, until his death a few months ago.

When I met Ulash on that Thursday morning in March, he told me that he would celebrate his 12^th birthday the very next day. He was supposed to be in school, but on this day, the day before his birthday, he had left school early. He had learned that a group of Armenian Americans was visiting his grandmother. He wanted to be home to meet us.

Ulash isn’t a teenager yet, and he didn’t quite have the maturity to say this. But I would like to suppose that Ulash wanted to meet us for many of the same reasons we had wanted to see his family. I would like to believe that he wanted to learn about his past, that he wanted to start building a bridge to his future.

For the past two decades, I have traveled throughout Western Armenia to document the remnants of our homeland. I’ve recorded our churches, our forts, our ghost towns. But it was not until I met young Ulash that I really appreciated how bridge building has also been a significant, even if unintended, part of my research trips.

When we Armenians visit Western Armenia, we don’t go as tourists. We don’t go to have fun. Instead, we go to learn about our past and to see where our grandparents were from. But we accomplish much more than this. We also build bridges to the future with the people who today live in our homeland.

These people, sometimes Kurds, sometimes Turks, are some of the people who use our churches as barns and warehouses. These are the same people who might be tempted to see Armenian ruins as quarry material or as the locations of phantom buried treasure.

And sometimes the people we meet are the so-called “Hidden Armenians” of Turkey. These Hidden Armenians may be full-blooded Armenians who have converted to Islam. Or they may be Turks and Kurds who recall that they had a grandmother who was Armenian.

Our presence, even if brief, is a reminder that we care about our homeland and that we care about the welfare of the Armenians who still live there—whether they are Christian or not, and whether they call themselves Armenian, or not. Our presence in Western Armenia, even if for only a day or a week, is a reminder to the local residents of our shared past.

In Chunkush, this shared past includes Sirahayats, an Armenian monastery, and its surviving church, Sourp Astvatsatsin. The English language translation of Sirahayats is “the monastery that looks out lovingly.” This monastery is located on a hilltop just a few hundred feet from the home of Ulash. I imagine that the ruins of Sirahayats do indeed look out lovingly on Ulash’s modest home.

It was near this monastery a few years earlier that members of my group of Armenian American scholars had first met Ulas’s father. While in the nearby town square, a middle-aged man from Chunkush had approached them. “I see that you’re interested in old Armenian history,” he observed. He said this in Turkish, or at least he said words to that effect. “Well then, you should meet my mother in law.”

This man’s name was Recai. He was a stranger and he could have been many things, but he wasn’t a liar. He really did have a mother-in-law. Her name was Asiya. And, it also turns out, she really was old and she really was Armenian. Her role in the history of the Armenians of Chunkush was more than we could have imagined.

Asiya pauses with her grandson Ulash, during a visit from the author. Ulash is the sole surviving son
of Recai Altay, a Kurdish activist who was killed while incarcerated in Turkey last year.
(Photo: Matthew Karanian)

Asiya had been born in Chunkush in 1920.

At the time of Asiya’s birth, her mother was a 15-year-old genocide survivor—she was born in a town near Chunkush and was the only known survivor of the genocide who was still living in Chunkush. Five years earlier, during the summer of 1915, when the appointed time for killing the Armenians of the Chunkush region had been reached, Asiya’s mother had been 10 years old.

This little girl was standing alongside her neighbors, at the edge of a precipice, waiting her turn to be bludgeoned and pushed into the seemingly bottomless pit known as the Dudan Gorge. Locals today recall the Dudan Gorge, which is located a short march from Chunkush, as the place were 10,000 Armenians fell to their deaths.

This 10-year-old girl waited, but her turn to die never arrived. Instead, she was spared by a Turkish soldier who took pity on her, and who snatched her from death. He took her as his child bride.

Within just five years, roughly the time it took for that 10-year-old Armenian girl to mature, that Turkish soldier would become Asiya’s father.

Asiya’s long life has been marked by two traumas: first from the fear that she would be victimized because of her Armenian heritage; and second from her knowledge that her father had participated in killing every Armenian in Chunkush—every Armenian except for the girl who would become her mother.

Asiya is nearly 100 years old now, and for almost a century, her Armenian heritage has been perhaps the worst-kept secret of Chunkush.

Her son-in-law Recai—Ulash’s father—was killed last year. Sources describe him as a political prisoner who had been serving time for his support of Kurdish issues. A bomb—some say an ISIS bomb—struck his holding cell.

Asiya with her late son-in-law Recai (Photo: Matthew Karanian)

Now his son Ulash is his family’s bridge back in time to the world that existed in 1915, the time when Ulash’s great grandmother stepped back from the abyss, literally, to survive the genocide.

Sirahayats, the ancient Armenian monastery that looks out lovingly at Ulash’s home, is today at risk of destruction.

So also is Sourp Garabed, the grand cathedral that is close to the center of the village.

Asiya pauses with her grandson Ulash, during a visit from the author. Ulash is the sole surviving son of Recai Altay, a Kurdish activist who was killed while incarcerated in Turkey last year. (Photo: Matthew Karanian)

Is it reasonable to expect that Ulash’s appreciation of his ancestry, encouraged by his grandmother, and also by visits from Armenians, may inspire him to take a stand to protect these sites? I believe it is.

People such as Ulash may even take a stand to protect the Armenians in their midst. If this happens, then we Armenians will have helped to build the most important bridge of our time.

BAKU, Azerbaijan (A.W.)— Azerbaijani investigative journalist Afghan Mukhtarli, who vanished from Tbilisi, Georgia on May 29, is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment in Baku.

Afghan Mukhtarli (Photo: Facebook)

Mukhtarli was found on May 30 in Baku and put in Azerbaijani custody after what he described to his lawyer as a cross-border abduction, according to Amnesty International.

According to activists and his lawyer, Mukhtarli is in the custody of the Investigative Unit of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan. His wife had reported him missing on May 29. The couple had gone into exile in Georgia in 2015 amid fears for their safety over his investigations into Azerbaijani President Illham Aliyev’s alleged links to corruption.

“This is a deeply sinister development in a country known for its long crackdown on journalists and human rights defenders,” said Levan Asatiani, Amnesty International’s Campaigner on the South Caucasus, who is currently in Tbilisi. “Afgan Mukhtarli must be immediately and unconditionally released and protected from torture and other ill-treatment.”

Asatiani stressed that Mukhtarli has been detained solely for his work as a journalist.

After briefly speaking to Mukhtarli in Baku, his lawyer stated that Mukhtarli was abducted in Tbilisi by plain clothed men who spoke Georgian. The men tied up the journalist in the car, took him to the outskirts of Tbilisi and beat him. They then changed cars twice before taking him across the Azerbaijani border.

Mukhtarli added that as they crossed the border, 10,000 euros were placed into his pockets, so that Azerbaijani police could charge him with trespassing and smuggling. Ill-treatment continued in Azerbaijan according to the journalist.

“It seems that the Georgian authorities were also complicit in Afgan Mukhtarli’s abduction and forced return to Azerbaijan,” said Asatiani. “His family told Amnesty International that he has often been followed by Azerbaijani-speaking men on the streets of Tbilisi, indicating that he has been under surveillance for some time.”

Asatiani called on the Georgian government to investigate what happened and to hold those who were responsible accountable.

Meanwhile following Mukhtarli’s resurfacing in Baku, both the Georgian Ombudsman and the Interior Ministry released statements on the matter.

On May 30, the Public Defender of Georgia called on Georgian law enforcement to urgently respond to the case in order to bring justice and punish those responsible. He added that the Georgian government should ensure the full protection of the rights of all people living in the country.

“All persons living in Georgia should have a sense of security and lawful and fair treatment,” read a part of the statement. “There should be no suspicion that the state turns a blind eye to a crime or neglects the disappearance of Afgan Mukhtarli.

On May 31, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs launched an investigation, according to their statement.

“In connection with the case of Azerbaijani journalist, Afgan Mukhtarli, Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched investigation on the fact of illegal restriction of freedom, article 143 of the Criminal Code,” read the statement.

The Georgian authorities have begun communication with Azerbaijan to address the matter and to provide further information.

In 1944, Soviet Armenian writer Gevorg Abov wrote a poem entitled, “Menk Chenk Moratsel” («Մենք չենք մոռացել» – “We Have Not Forgotten”). In his poem, he criticized the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and its entire membership for being traitors of the Armenian nation and its people.

In his poem, Abov criticized the ARF and its entire membership for being traitors of the Armenian nation and its people. (Graphic: Rupen Janbazian)

“Menk Chenk Moratsel” touched a nerve with renowned Armenian author Andranik Tzarukian. His response to Abov came in the form of a lengthy, powerful poem entitled, “Tught ar Yerevan” («Թուղթ առ Երեւան» – “Letter to Yerevan,” 1945).

Although Abov had addressed his poem to the entire ARF, Tzarukian felt it was his responsibility to respond and to disclaim Abov.

On the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia (1918-1920), the Armenian Weekly announced that it will be periodically publishing the English translation of “Tught ar Yerevan.”

Below is the translation of Abov’s “Menk Chenk Moratsel” (“We Have Not Forgotten”).

***

We Have Not Forgotten

Mother with lost son,
Sons orphaned,
Famine-haunted
Phantasms
In our ravaged land…
By whose betrayal?
We have not forgotten!

Who had sold
To the ravenous wolf
Our people and
Nailed to the rock
Bleeding and naked
Young and the old?
We have not forgotten!

You! Dahsnak hounds,
Who forced the Armenian
Peasant to his knees
And emptied your Mauser
Up his heart…That,
We have not forgotten!

You had spread both
Blood and blaze
For the blood-thirsty
Black Moloch of yours
To share a tidbit
Of his vast plunder…
That, we have not forgotten!

That you turned
Into the gory
Hounds of war
Of vile Fascism, licking
The bloody paw
Of the hyena…
We have not forgotten!

We do not forget,
That we shall banish you
From the face of the earth
Along with Fascism
With no trace of you left…
No!
We have not forgotten.

Gevorg Abov
Yerevan, 1944

Translated by Tatul Sonentz-Papazian and Rupen Janbazian

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (A.W.)— On May 30, the Turkish government imposed curfews in more than 40 villages in southeastern province of Diyarbakir as part of what it called a security operation against the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).

On May 30, the Turkish government imposed curfews in more than 40 villages in southeastern province of Diyarbakir as part of what it called a security operation against the Kurdish Workers’ Party. (Photo: Kurdistan Insider)

The curfews in 43 villages in Lice, Hani, Kocakoy and Dicle districts started at 7:00 a.m. local time, and will remain in place until further notice, according to a statement by a government office.

Security forces will conduct an operation in rural areas to “neutralize” PKK fighters. The operation also aims to destroy PKK’ bunkers, arm depots, and anti-aircraft gun emplacements, as well as seize weapons and ammunition, according to an Al-Jazeera report.

At least 2,844 people have been killed in the renewed clashes since July 20, 2015, according to the International Crisis Group that is monitoring the conflict.

The PKK has been calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey since its formation in the late 1970s. It launched an armed struggle against the Turkish state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have since been killed in the conflict.

Senior U.S. House Transportation Committee Member Backs ANCA Efforts to Directly Connect Armenia with Los Angeles

WASHINGTON—A senior member of the U.S. House Transportation Committee has warmly welcomed discussions between Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) regarding the establishment of direct flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Yerevan (EVN).

U.S. House Transportation Committee senior member Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) warmly welcomes recent ANCA efforts to initiate direct flights between LAX and Yerevan.

Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), a nationally respected legislator with a long track record of leadership on a broad array of ANCA-backed policy priorities, represents California’s 32nd Congressional District, home to the ANCA San Gabriel Valley chapter and a large and active Armenian American community.

“I am encouraged that the ANCA and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) have begun a welcome dialogue on establishing a direct LAX to Yerevan flight,” shared Congresswoman Grace Napolitano.  “As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Aviation, I look forward to lending my support to this creative initiative to explore how to directly connect Armenia with Los Angeles. I commend the ANCA and LAWA for taking the first steps in this regard,” she added.

“The ANCA San Gabriel Valley chapter is proud that Congresswoman Napolitano is backing the ANCA’s goal of establishing a direct flight between LA and Yerevan,” remarked Levon Kirakosian.  We are equally proud to have a long working relationship with Congresswoman Napolitano, which dates back to when she was first elected in 1992 as a member of the California State Assembly and her subsequent election to the U.S. Congress in 1998,” added Kirakosian.

The Congresswoman, who serves on the Transportation Committee’s Aviation Subcommittee, is a leading national voice on aviation issues. This Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor, commerce, and international issues.  All programs of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), except for research activities, are within the purview of the Subcommittee.

Earlier this month, the ANCA met LAWA officials about launching direct flights between the United States and Armenia, an ANCA policy priority that will – in addition to saving travelers time and inconvenience – substantially boost tourism, increase business travel, expand cargo traffic, and strengthen U.S.-Armenia bilateral economic relations.  The discussions with LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint and Deputy Executive Director and Chief of External Affairs Trevor Daley provided an opportunity for a positive and constructive exchange of views about the practical steps needed to establish direct air service between LAX and Zvartnots Airport (EVN) in Yerevan. The ANCA was represented by Chairman Raffi Hamparian and long-time community leader Zanku Armenian, who has extensive experience in the commercial aviation industry, having worked with each of the major U.S. airlines on bilateral aviation agreements and a range of aviation-related regulatory and policy issues.

The ANCA is calling on the U.S. Department of Transportation to support a public-private partnership regarding establishing U.S. to Armenia flights, involving U.S. airlines and relevant government agencies, among them the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and Transportation Security Administration. These direct flights would include both passenger and cargo traffic.

California’s 32nd District covers several cities and communities in the San Gabriel Valley, including: El Monte, West Covina, Covina, Baldwin Park, Azusa, Duarte, Irwindale, Industry, La Puente, Avocado Heights, West Puente Valley, Valinda, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Monrovia.

WASHINGTON (A.W.)—An Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) delegation met with the Armenian Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Grigor Hovhannissian, on May 25 in Washington, D.C.

The delegation was comprised of ARF Bureau member Khatchig Mouradian and members of the ARF Eastern U.S. Central Committee George Aghjayan, Hovsep Avakian, and Hayg Oshagan.

A broad range of issues were addressed during the meeting including Azerbaijan’s escalation of violence on the border, economic ties between the United States and Armenia, as well as the upcoming 100th anniversary of the founding of the First Armenian Republic.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both parties pledged to continue an open dialogue on issues important to the Armenian-American community.

As if it wasn’t enough that we are deprived of eating apricots grown in our and their native soil unless they’ve gone through Turkey’s economic system.

A worker preparing fresh pomegranate juice in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo: Jessica May H)

As if it wasn’t enough that our own community members are among the biggest distributors of Turkish produced goods.

As if it wasn’t enough that Turkish goods even have a huge presence in the Republic of Armenia.

As if it wasn’t enough that meat in Lebanon often comes from Turkey (or at least used to).

As if it wasn’t enough that textiles from Turkey are heavily represented in the U.S.  Have you tried buying towel not made in Turkey?  Last time I checked, it was damn near impossible.

As if it wasn’t enough that processed, canned, foods from tomato paste to dried fruit produced by Turkey somehow underprice those of other Middle Eastern countries.

As if it wasn’t enough that the money generated by Turkey’s lucrative food export industry ended up funding, through Erdogan’s machinations, Daesh/ISIS which has caused so much destruction, death, and misery in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and their environs, including to Armenians living there.

Now, we have Azerbaijan to deal with, too, in the same category.  The Azeri-apples-in-Armenia fiasco may have been just the tip of the iceberg.  I don’t mean that there are likely other such instances of which we’re unaware—no doubt there are.  I mean that Azerbaijan seems to be entering the foodstuffs-export business in a big way.

According to ITE Food & Drink, Azerbaijan’s Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association (AMTIIA) was recently (August 2016) formed.  It has already racked up a big win by arranging for its member companies to be able to export their produce to X5, Russia’s second largest food retailer.  This should be seen in the context of Russia’s search for alternative sources of fresh produce since its ban on European imports in the post-Crimea-reclamation era.  According to a brief, April 12, item on Azerbaijan State News Agency’s site, the country has increased its fruit and vegetable exports by 73% in the first quarter of the year.

The same tide that raised Armenia’s boat of exports to Russia seems to be helping the Azeris, too.  All of this would elicit a shrug and get filed in the “what’re-ya-gonna-do” category but for one aspect.

Just a few days ago I bought a bottle of pomegranate juice.  Only after it was consumed did I discover that the juice was produced in Russia, with fruit imported from Azerbaijan!  So now, we have to watch out for disguised Azerbaijani products in addition to direct Azerbaijani imports on top of all the Turkish goods entering the U.S.  Just what we needed!  How much does that hurt?  Pomegranates are probably second only to apricots in the Armenian fruit “pantheon” in their symbolism and importance.  Now, they’re being tainted by Azerbaijan.

The brand of juice in this case was Beneli.  Watch out for it, and let’s start being alert to other such products on our grocery store shelves.  Remember, the money you spend on such items pays for the bullets killing Armenian soldiers on our eastern front.  Baku knows their oil-and-gas reserves are starting to wind down and other sources of revenue are being developed.

Let’s complain loudly whenever we notice such items.  Convey to retailers that such products are unwanted, offensive, and might lead to your discontinuing your shopping from that store.

YEREVAN (A.W.)—Armenian President Serge Sarkisian reappointed three members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) to the government’s new cabinet on May 31. Levon Mkrtchyan, Davit Lokyan, and Artsvik Minasyan, who were part of the previous cabinet as Ministers, were reappointed as Ministers of Education and Science, Territorial Administration, and Environmental Protection respectively.

(L to R) Levon Mkrtchyan, Davit Lokyan, and Artsvik Minasyan,

On May 11, the ARF and the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) signed a memorandum on the formation of a political coalition. Negotiations between the two parties began soon after the results of the April 2 Parliamentary Elections were announced, in which four political parties and blocs—the RPA, the Tsarukyan bloc, the Yelk bloc, and the ARF—garnered enough votes to be represented in Parliament.

After months of negotiations, the ARF and the RPA signed a “Political Cooperation Agreement” on Feb. 24, 2016, at the Armenian presidential palace in Yerevan

In the 2017 Parliamentary Elections, the RPA won 58 seats while the ARF won seven. The ARF is represented in Prime Minister Karapetian’s current cabinet by three ministers in line with the Feb. 2016 cooperation.

Mayor Tells the Armenian Weekly Two Homes Were Damaged

BAGHANIS, Armenia (A.W.)—On the night of May 31, Armenia’s Baghanis village of the Tavush province was shelled by Azerbaijani forces.

Both Baghanis village Mayor Narek Sahakyan and Armenian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan confirmed the attack.

Baghanis Mayor Narek Sahakyan (Photo: Tert.am)

Though Hovhannisyan told reporters that there were no damages as a result of the shooting Baghanis Mayor Narek Sahakyan of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) told the Armenian Weekly that the roof of one home and the gutter of another were damaged in the shelling.

Sahakyan added that the situation at the border is currently calm and that the Armenian Armed Forces are in control of the situation.

On June 1, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that Azerbaijani forces had destroyed an Artsakh Defense Army observation tower, along with military equipment, on the Artsakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact (LoC). A video was also included in their statement.

Shortly after the Azerbaijani statement was released, the Artsakh Defense Ministry published a statement calling the Azerbaijani announcement misinformation and a product of the country’s “military propaganda.” The statement added that the situation at the LoC is under the control of the Artsakh Army.

By Aris Govjian

Special for the Armenian Weekly

On May 30, major news and entertainment outlets across the internet began sharing a revelation in the scientific community—the genetic material of ancient Egyptians being found to belong to the original peoples of Asia Minor and Europe.

Nearly every source which shared these research findings performed a bizarre sleight-of-hand.  While it accurately reported the newly identified DNA as belonging to the native populations of Asia Minor; they then went onto erroneously and sloppily describing it as Turkish ancestry.

On May 30, major news and entertainment outlets across the internet began sharing a revelation in the scientific community—the genetic material of ancient Egyptians being found to belong to the original peoples of Asia Minor and Europe.

By eliding the fact the region was populated by civilizations with a direct line to modern day Greeks and Armenians of Asia Minor, these reports erase thousands of years of history in the cradle of civilization by way of convoluted, racist appropriation of the core of any human being: DNA.

Rather than simply referring to the native populations of modern day Anatolia in their articles, the careless reporting unwittingly supports an agenda by a corrupt Turkish political majority who openly deny—and at times glorify—the disturbing violent actions perpetrated against the natives of Turkey.

The disturbing act of blatantly appropriating the ancestral DNA of peoples belonging to a region and attributing it to their colonizers is beyond insulting—it is inhumane.  Doing so obscures history and pollutes scientific inquiry.

When publications such as the Washington Post employ lazy or politically circumspect journalism, more sensationalist sources perpetuate overt misuse of scientific data. When journalists allow themselves to play crooked reporters, they aid criminals robbing the land, culture, and now the DNA of a victim.