An Inconvenient Genocide: 100 years of denial ‘Truth is the daughter of time’

Why me? Personal – family history Great-grandfather killed by the Turks Upbringing – 24 th April anniversary Pride in heritage Remember – I am giving a partial account

Why bother with a faraway time & place? 1915lasting shadow Iran (S), Turkey (W), Georgia (N), Azerbaijan (E) Volatile! Crossing-place Realpolitik in 2015: Turkey-Syria-Iraq-Iran EU membership? Unresolved (European) war A 2 nd death for the victims Innate ‘rightness’ of recognition

Genocide – what Genocide? Ottoman empire falling apart Armenians seen as ‘5 th columnists’ (Jews) Turkey felt had to make an example 1948 – UN Convention on Genocide Turkey – un-Turkishness law France – AG Denial = unlawful

So what happened around 1915? Contested Armenians say: 1-1.5m systematically killed Turks say: massacres on both sides Direct Proof Personal testimony – trustworthy? Contemporary speeches & writing Living survivors/recorded testimony

Proof – the schism Henry Morgenthau, U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire ( ) “When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this well, and, in their conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to conceal the fact." Turkish President Erdogan (2014) “The incidents of the First World War are our shared pain, ”Erdogan said, adding that millions of people of “of all religions and ethnicities” died during the war”

Proof III Geoffrey Robinson QC legal opinion (dated ) Robewrtson-QC-legal-opinion-on-Armenian-Genocide.pdf. Robewrtson-QC-legal-opinion-on-Armenian-Genocide.pdf Page 38 section 93 Geoffrey Robinson “reaches the inevitable conclusion that the treatment of the Armenians in 1915 answers to the description of genocide.” Amal Clooney clooney-turkey-armenian-genocide/ clooney-turkey-armenian-genocide/

Legacy Why does it matter – 100 years ago……? Still a geopolitical ‘powder keg’: Syria-Iraq Nagorno Karabakh Cyprus – internal EU border? Diaspora – as big as Armenian population 15,000 Armenian refugees from Syria (2015) Obama B. (Senator) G word online “British Ministers, Parliament and People have been misled” Geoffrey Robertson QC legal opinion

Here comes the Pope, Kim Kardashian & Cher "Pope's Armenia 'genocide' comments infuriate Turkey….So furious, that a Turkish cabinet minister blamed the remarks on the Pope's nationality." Channel 4 News up/display/playlistref/ up/display/playlistref/ “Kim Kardashian in Armenia: Reality TV star and family's trip to Yerevan raises eyebrows - and global awareness of genocide” Independent Putin, Hollande to attend 100 th commemoration President Erdoğan: European parliament decision that 1915 killings = genocide goes ‘in 1 ear and out from the other’ Guardian

PLUCK System of a Down ‘Politically Lying Unholy Cowardly Killers’

Questions & responses….

References Akcam, T. (2006) A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility, Metropolitan Books Akcam, T. Speech Of Turkish Historian: Armenian Genocide at Amsterdam University (2006) YouTube accessed Balakian, P. (2003) The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response, HarperCollins Keane, F. (reporter) (2003) Armenia - The Betrayed, BBC2 Sunday, 26 January, accessible at Lang, D.M. and Walker, C.J. (1976) The Armenians, Minority Rights Report, No. 32 Papazian, D.R. (1994) A Review Essay, available online Obama B. (Senator) Discusses Armenian Genocide …available online Robertson G. (2009) Was there an Armenian Genocide? London: Doughty Street Chambers, available online The Republic of Armenia & Republic of Turkey (2010) Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia & the Republic of Turkey, available online turkey_protocol.pdfhttp:// turkey_protocol.pdf TURKISH Prime Minister TALKS ABOUT ARMENIAN "GENOCIDE“ accessible at Walker, C.J. (2005) Visions of Ararat: writings on Armenia, London: I.B.Tauris