Kurdish recognition of the Armenian genocide

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This article is containing material with Kurdish recognition of the denied Armenian genocide that took place in 1915 in the Ottoman empire.

The Kurdish communities, political parties and newspapers worldwide has several times recognized the Armenian genocide. The beginning of the Kurdish history in the 20th century begins with the Armenian genocide and the sad fact that the Kurdish people as individuals and tribes participated under the Ottoman command.

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[edit] The recognition of Kurdish organisations and newspapers

  • The Center of Halabja against Anfalization and Genocide of the Kurds (CHAK) welcomed the recognition of genocide against the Armenian people. The motiviation from CHAK was:

This recognition will help us all to have a broader understanding of past crimes and present us with the possibility of a peaceful and brighter future.[1]

  • In 2006, CHAK published an article about the Armenian genocide called "Armenian Genocide: Turkey To Target". [2] and over 10 articles regarding the genocide have earlier been published. [3]
  • The Kurdish newspaper Ozgur Gundem Kurdish apologized to the Armenian people for silence and complicity in the Armenian Genocide. The Ozgur Gundem website at the same time also had a detailed publications on the genocide, hardships and sufferings of the Armenian people.[4]
  • In the beginning of February, 2008, the Kurdish newspage published an article about Turkey committing another genocide and this time against the Kurds. In this article, they referred to the Armenian genocide.

Turkey’s double standard is very obvious when the Turkish President sending friendly messages to Europe and presenting the democratic side of secular Turkey while restating on fighting the PKK. Turkey has to apologize for the Armenian genocide instead of committing another massacre in Iraqi Kurdistan.[5]

  • Ara Alan, Secretary General of Kurdish Youth Club in Atlanta (USA) held a speech in remembrance of the 92nd anniversary of Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turks. The speech was given in Georgia State Capitol building addressing Armenian Americans, Senators, Congressmen, sheriffs, Judges and representatives of Mayor of Atlanta, and Georgia State Governor.[6]
  • On the 24th April, 2007 on the hour of commemuration of the Armenian genocide in Stockholm, several Kurdish youths from different organisations participated with their own signs after while the head of the Kurdish National Union held a speech about the importance of recognition. One sign was - Kurds that condemns the crimes against our fellow beings and neighbours - We remember and regret the Genocide![7]
  • The Kurdish bookshop SaraDistribution is selling the book Bati Ermenistan (Kürt Ilishkileri) ve Jenosîd (Western Armenia (Kurdish Relations) and genocide)[8]
  • Sakine Madon is a Kurdish journalist settled in Stockholm,Sweden involved in many questions, some of them is the Kurdish question and the Armenian genocide. The Turkish community of Sweden reported her to the police for insulting Kemal Ataturk and for speeking about the Armenian genocide. Turkish media was reporting false articles about her after this and even that the King of Sweden apologized for her behaviour.[9]
  • Dilsa Demirbag Sten is a Kurdish journalist from Sweden. In 2006, Dilsa wrote an article in Dagens Nyheter about the Kurdish involvement in the genocide against the christians, her grandmothers stories and how she still had nigthmares from the Armenian women's getting raped and murdered. She also wrote that Turkey should recognize the killings as a genocide and that the genocide is also a part of Swedish history because of the 5.000 Armenians settled in Sweden.[10]

[edit] Recognition in Kurdish politics

Kurdish Cavalry in January 24 - 1915 see image detail for explication
Kurdish Cavalry in January 24 - 1915 see image detail for explication
  • The Kurdish Parliament in Exile, April 1997, passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

In the resolution, this was said: The blueprints of and the logistics for this genocide being prepared ahead of time, they employed Hamidiye Alaylari from Kurdish tribes (Similar to the present day Village Guards system who kill our people) to commit history’s, until then unknown, Genocide. In this Genocide, millions of Armenians and Assyrian-Syrians were killed, and millions others were deported from their homes and land and scattered to the four corners of the world.[11] Further on in the resolution: Today is the 82nd anniversary of the genocide committed against the Assyrian-Syrian and Armenian peoples. Sharing the agony caused by this process, I find the Ottoman State and their collaborators the Hamidiye Alaylari, formed by some Kurdish tribes, responsible for this crime before history and I condemn them with abhorrence. Zubeyir Aydar Chairman of the Executive Committee[12]

  • The former leader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan wrote a personal letter to the president of Armenia, Robert Kocharian where he congratulated him to his post as president and at the same time hoped for the genocide to be recognized.

I also welcome and endorse the passage of a resolution in the Belgian Senate calling on the Turkish government in Ankara to recognise the reality of the Armenian holocaust perpetrated by the last Ottoman regime in 1915-19.[13]. Further on in the letter: The massacres during the First World War which shocked the civilised world then became a precedent for an even more appalling and destructive demonstration of genocide of the Jewish people by the German Nazis in the Second World War. Let us recall Hitler’s response to a critic of the "final solution" of the Jewish problem: "Who complained about the Armenians?"[14]

  • A recognition by the People's Congress of Kurdistan (Kongra-Gel) of Caucasus was made by the Caucasus

represetant Heydar Ali. In a interview with Onnik Krikorian, 13th September, 2004. In this interview, Heydar said:

Armenia's position is more favorable towards the Kurds because 1.5 million Armenians were killed during the Genocide. However, to deny the Kurdish identity in Armenia is a violation of international human rights obligations but yes, you are right. It is well known that throughout history, Kurdistan and the Kurds have been divided and that this is a special policy conducted by very powerful countries in the world to weaken us. The division between Kurds and Yezidi is another manifestation of this.[15]

Political map showing countries which oficially recognise the events as genocide.
Political map showing countries which oficially recognise the events as genocide.
  • On the 23th April, 1995, the Pariament of Kurdistan in Exile released a press release where they condemned the Ottoman empire and their collaboration with the Kurds and the genocide in general as a inhuman act. Zubeyir Aydar, Chair of the Executive Council wrote in the press release:

We Stand For The Brotherhood Of The Peoples Of The World In addition to the Kurds, there are Armenians and Assyrians living in Kurdistan. The invasion and occupation of their lands have adversely affected all three constituent peoples. The implementation of divide and rule policies have resulted in internal feuding. The natives of millenniums have fought one another and forced each other to migrate. ... On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman administrators began a policy of annihilating the Armenians and the Assyrians. This was a plan long in the making, meticulously carried out with the aid of some tribal Kurds who were organized into an auxiliary force, the 'Hamidiye Alaylari' or Hamidiye Brigades, of the Istanbul government. Today, a similar force has been established, the 'Koy Koruculari' or village guards. In that singular act of brutality at the turn of the century, millions of Armenians, Assyrians, and Kurds were murdered and many more were forced to embrace the coldness of diaspora. [16]

[edit] Kurdish politicians

  • Gulan Avci, the Chairman for the Liberal Immigrant Federation in Stockholm is famous for her involvement in the Kurdish and Armenian questions. Gulan supported the US congress resolution for Armenian genocide resolution with motivation "It is important because it will give peace among the souls of the Armenian people..."[17].
    January -1915 Armenians and Cossack (Russian) soldiers waiting for Kurdish Cavalry; see image detail for explication
    January -1915 Armenians and Cossack (Russian) soldiers waiting for Kurdish Cavalry; see image detail for explication
    She has also criticised that Kurds that speak Kurdish in Turkey is prosecuted and that thoose whom speak about the genocide is thrown into jail[18]

[edit] Recognitions from individuals and in popular culture

  • The number one Kurdish singer Sivan Perwer has in front of individuals expressed himself several times about the Armenian genocide as a mistake, in a interview Sivan did with Freemuse.org about artist censorship he spoke about the genocide as something the Turks want to do against the Kurds as well.[19]
  • Kurds has set up petitions to recognize the massacres on the Christians in the Ottoman empire as a genocide and a Facebook group is created called "Kurds Recognize the Armenian Genocide"[20]
  • The Kurdish comedian Özz Nujjen is famous in Sweden, he has several times mentioned the denial of the Armenian genocide in Turkey. [21]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Kurdish CHAK welcomes the recognition of genocide against the Armenian people
  2. ^ Armenian Genocide: Turkey To Target
  3. ^ CHAK articles regarding the Armenian Genocide
  4. ^ Kurds Apologize For Complicity in Armenian Genocide
  5. ^ Turkey is not far from committing Kurdish genocide
  6. ^ Kurds and Armenian Genocide (youtube)
  7. ^ 2007 Folkmordet på Armenierna demostration- Kurdiskt inslag
  8. ^ SaraDistribution.com
  9. ^ Sakine Madon: En otäck nationalism
  10. ^ Erkänn folkmordet (Dagens Nyheter)
  11. ^ The Kurdish Parliament in Exile recognizes the Armenian genocide
  12. ^ The Kurdish Parliament in Exile recognizes the Armenian genocide
  13. ^ PKK Chairman's letter to Kocharian
  14. ^ PKK Chairman's letter to Kocharian
  15. ^ Recognition by the People's Congress of Kurdistan
  16. ^ Parliament of Kurdistan Regarding Assyrian/Armenian Genocide
  17. ^ Turkiet, erkänn folkmordet och lös kurdfrågan
  18. ^ Moses barn säljer som smör
  19. ^ Sivan Perwer about the Armenian genocide
  20. ^ Kurds Recognize the Armenian Genocide (FaceBook Group)
  21. ^ In his speech he mentions Hrant Dink, recognizes the Armenian Genocide, talks about the limited freedom as an minority and about the kurdish situation.

[edit] External links