8. 8 • ABAKA • LUNDI 6 FEVRIER 2012 / MONDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2012
Pénalisation du négationnisme... Six Arméniens blessés dans une explosion à Moscou
Suite de la page 7
Cette conclusion en forme d’apothéose d’un combat totalement inégale a
quelque chose de miraculeux en regard des forces en présence. Il s’agit de la vic-
toire inespérée du pot de terre contre le pot de fer, de David contre Golliath, du
roseau contre le chêne. La justice a gagné, en dépit des menaces d’autorités
turques mauvaises et vociférantes qui n’ont rien réussi d’autre qu’à montrer leur
vrai visage sur la scène internationale. Elle a gagné, malgré le chantage commer-
cial exercé sur la France, les mises en garde diplomatiques, les propos insensés
du Premier ministre Erdogan. Elle a gagné, n’en déplaise à l’invraisemblable
cabale médiatique enclenchée contre ce texte à partir des sophismes répandus
par un quarteron d’historiens, pour reprendre le mot de Bernard-Henri Lévy
dans Le Point. Elle s’est imposée, nonobstant l’acharnement de messieurs Adler,
Badinter et Nora, la hargne et l’obstination militante, on ne peu plus suspecte,
dont ils ont usé pour combattre cette loi. Elle l’a emporté contre toutes ces
forces de toute nature et cette ruse aussi qui s’est déployée contre les Au moins deux personnes sont mortes et 39 autres ont été blessées quand
Arméniens - car c’était tout de même un peu eux la cible, en particulier quand on une explosion causée par une fuite de gaz naturel dans le restaurant italien Il
leur tressait des fleurs pour mieux les enterrer. Contre cet incroyable mur Pittore, dans la capitale russe.
d’ignorance, d’incompréhension, de mauvaise foi et d’hostilité, la justice a triom- Tel que rapporté par l’ambassade d’Arménie à Moscou, parmi les personnes
phé ! blessées dans l’explosion et l’incendie qui a suivi, il y a Roma Markossian, (24
ans), Yelena et Victoria Aghajanov (âgés de 52 et 30 ans), Nika Aghajanova (3
ans), Siranouch Yeghussian (36 ans) et Felix Mkrtchian (14 ans). Seuls trois
d’entre eux ont été hospitalisés, mais tous étaient, dit-on dans un état stable. Le
propriétaire du restaurant est aussi un Arménien.
L’Unesco commémore l’Arménie
L’Unesco commémorera en 2012, le musicien (vers 1712-1795), le 500e
1 650e anniversaire de la naissance de anniversaire du premier livre imprimé
Mesrop Machtots, inventeur de l’alpha- arménien (1512) et le 1 400e anniver-
bet arménien (vers362-440), le 300e saire de la naissance d’Anania de
anniversaire de la naissance de Sayat- Shirak, savant (612-685).
Nova (Harutioun Sayatian), poète et
L’Arménie pourrait changer de fuseau horaire
Le ministère arménien de l’Economie a annoncé le projet de changement de
fuseau horaire de l’Arménie et l’abandon de l’heure d’hiver d’ici deux ans.
L’Arménie se trouve actuellement dans le fuseau de l’heure GMT +4. Selon le
Il est encore sans doute un peu trop tôt pour envisager toutes les consé- ministre de l’Economie Dikran Davtian, le fuseau horaire GMT +3 serait plus
quences de ce vote. Mais on peut d’ores et déjà dire qu’en dehors de l’hommage opportun pour l’Arménie. « En harmonisant notre fuseau horaire, selon les spé-
qu’il représente pour les victimes du premier génocide par ordre chronologique cialistes, cela nous permettra de faciliter les affaires avec la Russie et l’Europe,
du XXe siècle, qui n’ont que notre mémoire pour seule sépulture, et indépen- ainsi que le tourisme ». Notons qu’à partir de cette année, la Russie abandonne
damment de ce que cet acte de respect symbolise pour leurs descendants et les le passage des horaires « hiver-été ».
générations suivantes, cette décision du Parlement est grosse de multiples inci-
dences politiques. En Turquie tout d’abord où l’Etat ne pourra pas échapper Hrant Dink... intégralité parce qu’il y a un manque
encore longtemps à une révision de son histoire et à l’inévitable examen de de volonté politique d’enquêter sur
Suite de la page 7 le fond.
conscience qu’elle appelle. Si l’AKP d’Erdogan, qui a déçu tous ceux qui voyaient
en lui une alternative possible au Kémalisme, ne se donne pas les moyens de Une autre indication de la réti-
changer très vite son fusil d’épaule, d’autres forces dans le pays se chargeront ait incombé à la famille Dink de cence du gouvernement à mettre
de lui demander des comptes. À trois ans de 2015, Ankara est plus que jamais au découvrir quatorze appels télé- tous les faits en lumière est l’empris-
pied du mur. Soit la Turquie persiste à se faire complice du génocide, au risque phoniques des suspects Mustafa onnement de Nadim Sener, qui avait
de perdre tout crédit moral sur la scène mondiale, soit elle consent enfin à Ozturk et Salih Hacisalihoglu, est publié un livre sur la gestion gou-
reconnaitre ses crimes et à ouvrir une nouvelle page de ses relations avec l’enti- une indication que la recherche de la vernementale du procès de Hrant
té arménienne. justice est une tâche ardue dans le Dink.
Pour l’Arménie également, cette décision revêt une importance primordiale. système judiciaire turc. L’avocate Les tribunaux, les procureurs et
Encerclée par le blocus turco-azerbaïdjanais, cette loi brise au niveau internatio- Cetin a également accusé la police les journalistes, en Turquie,
nal l’isolement qu’elle subit au plan régional. Elle met dans la lumière sa situa- « d’obscurcir intentionnellement la poussent de l’avant en dépit de
tion et convoque l’attention sur ce pays assiégé au fin fond du Sud Caucase, petit preuve. » toutes les machinations que les insti-
par sa surface et sa démographie, mais grand par son histoire et son courage. Plus révélatrice encore est la con- tutions de l’État portent contre la
Enfin, cette loi est à l’honneur de la France et elle s’inscrira comme un fession d’un autre suspect, Yasin vérité et le peuple. Personne ne pou-
moment fort dans l’histoire des combats pour la justice. Hayal, qui a déclaré : « J’ai été utilisé vait imaginer un tel développement
Si la défaite est orpheline, la victoire a beaucoup de pères, et à l’heure de par la République turque et main- en Turquie il y a cinq ans.
bilans il faut bien sûr remercier toutes les personnalités qui, indépendamment tenant ils veulent m’éliminer. Ma vie Les grandes causes requièrent de
des politiques qu’on ne peut tous citer, ont rendu possible cette issue positive. est en danger et l’Etat sera respons- grands martyrs. Socrate, le Christ,
Au premier rang d’entre elles se trouvent Bernard-Henri Lévy, Serge Klarsfeld et able s’il m’arrivait quelque chose. » Jeanne d’Arc et Galilée ont payé de
Yves Ternon. Des Turcs également, comme Ragip Zarakolu scandaleusement Il a fait d’autres aveux incrimi- leur vie pour défendre leurs mes-
jeté en prison, Erol Ozkoray et tant d’autres militants des droits de l’homme. nants : « Je ne savais que Tancel [un sages. Leur sang s’est avéré être le
Comment ne pas témoigner en cet instant aussi de la gratitude au PS qui, mal- autre suspect] était un agent de nutriment nécessaire pour aider à la
gré le peu d’enthousiasme de ses élus au moment crucial du vote, en a tout de l’Etat. Je l’ai respecté parce qu’il germination de leur philosophie.
même permis le succès, se montrant ainsi cohérent avec ses engagements pas- était le chef de Alperen Ocaklari [un Dink a prématurément cru que la
sés. Un cortège de prises de position qui ont jalonné les actes de justice pour le groupe d’extrême-droite]. Je l’ai ren- Turquie avait suffisamment changé
peuple arménien, et dans la lignée desquels continue de s’inscrire avec panache, contré en 2002 et il m’a présenté à de pour accepter sa mission. Ce n’était
constance et courage François Hollande son actuel leader. nombreuses personnes, y compris pas encore le moment, mais son
Mais également, et sans doute surtout, comment ne pas remercier Nicolas les agents de police. » martyre va certainement mener vers
Sarkozy, ce président de la République française qui a su non seulement trouver Le procès semble ne mener nulle ce changement lorsque nous commé-
les mots qui touchent lors de son voyage en Arménie, mais qui les a mis en pra- part. Les développements dans les morons sa mort à l’occasion du cen-
tique jusqu’à rendre possible la prohibition du négationnisme, volet politique du prochains jours pourraient être un tenaire du génocide en 2015, en com-
génocide de 1915, sur le territoire national. nouveau sursaut. Selon les avocats pagnie des 1,5 millions de martyrs
On ne peut l’oublier. de la famille de Hrant Dink, la arméniens.
Bravo et merci à tous. bureaucratie et les institutions résis-
Ara Toranian tent à résoudre l’assassinat dans son Traduction N.P.
9. LUNDI 6 FEVRIER 2012 / MONDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2012 • ABAKA • 9
French Senate votes to
ABAKA
E N G L I S H S E C T I O N
criminalize Genocide denial
MONDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2012
Hrant Dink: A martyr
to his cause
ditional thinking; he opted to educate
By Edmond Y. Azadian Turkish society instead of blaming it.
His position was that Germany came
Hrant Dink proved to be a figure to terms with its past because it is a
larger than life. His frame, while slen- civilized nation, thus Turkey had to be
der, cast a giant shadow. He inspired educated first in order to be able to
confidence and radiated power and accept the past more objectively. His
determination. He used to suck the air ear was to the ground and he could
out of the room as he entered a place. hear the footsteps of the future.
But his legacy came to match and sur- Five years in the making, his mes-
pass his attributes while he was living. sage has gained tremendous ground;
He was gunned down five years ago the Turkish media, scholars and politi-
PARIS — The French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the denial of the
on January 19, 2007. He was silenced cal activists today are discussing freely
Armenian genocide today, despite threats and bullying from the Turkish state.
at that moment but his message res- the issue of the Armenian Genocide as
The bill passed by 127 votes against 86.
onates even louder today throughout well as a host of historic injustices per-
The bill, drafted by member of French General Assembly Valerie Boyer, ren-
Turkey and beyond. His assassination petrated against the minorities. The
ders denial punishable with a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros ($58,000).
was a spectacular event, but what fol- Genocide issue has become an agenda
“This day will be written in gold not only in the history of friendship between
lowed was even more spectacular, item for national discourse in Turkey,
the Armenian and French peoples, but also in the annals of the history of the
although unexpected; thousands of penal code article 301 not withstand-
protection of human rights,” said Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edward
people demonstrated in Istanbul in ing. At the present time, there is a tug-
Nalbandian, reported Reuters.
protest, chanting “We are Hrant Dink,” of-war between the liberal society and
During the proceedings, members of the French Senate spoke powerfully and
“We are Armenian.” a reluctant government, which is
vocally in support of the bill. They noted that the bill is not directed against any
He was an iconoclast of sorts. When resisting the inevitable avalanche of
specific country, and that it is merely an effort to honor the memory of genocide
he began publishing his weekly, Agos, change. Everyday quantitative change
victims and struggle against hate speech.
in 1996, he had to break certain tradi- is being converted to qualitative
On the other hand, those who opposed the bill did so on the grounds of
tions. He had to overcome certain change. The thrust of Dink’s message
opposing memorial laws in general, and noted that the French Senate is not a
established modus operandi in the has come to transform the entire
courthouse and is not a place to legislate history.
community and then even more so Turkish society.
The Senate first voted to confirm the constitutionality of the bill. The Senate
throughout the rest of Turkey. As if Armenians had not given
also voted down four proposed amendments.
The Armenian press was at a critical enough martyrs, Hrant Dink came to
French-Armenian intellectuals and artists—including Charles Aznavour,
point in Turkey when he founded add one more to the number of the 1.5
Serge Avedikian, Simon Abkarian, and Levon Sayan—had issued a call to the
Agos. The major dailies, Marmara and million sacrificial lambs, but this has
French Senate to pass the bill.
Jamanak, were losing readership, not been one sacrifice which is poised to
Thousands of French-Armenians gathered in front of the Senate building to
necessarily because of a decline in bring justice to all the previous mar-
express support for the bill.
quality but mainly through the retreat tyrs. The “deep state” in Turkey was
Nearby, a Turks crowd had gathered. More than an hour before the voting,
of the Armenian language. To switch implicated in Dink’s assassination.
however, the crowd started to disperse. The Turkish newspaper Radikal, ran an
from Armenian to Turkish, or to any Right after the journalist’s murder, the
article on its website titled, “The Turks went home, the Armenians have started
other language, was considered a police had glorified the 17-year-old
celebrating.”
betrayal, but in the meantime, because gunman, Ogun Samast, snapping pho-
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had urged the French Senate on
of the language barrier, the Armenian tos with him in front of the Turkish
Jan. 20 not to pass the bill, noting that it would constitute “a black stain on
youth was deprived of the message. flag. That already indicated how deep
France’s intellectual history.”
Someone had to take bold action to the “deep state” went. The subsequent
“We will always remind them of that,” added Davutoglu.
reach out to the youth. The media in trial also demonstrated that they had
In turn, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he
the US had encountered that dilemma received tips on the plot to kill Dink
may not visit France again if the Senate passed the bill, reported Hurriyet Daily
in the 1930s when English-language long before the deed and had not acted
News.
publications appeared to keep the on time. “Five years after the assassi-
On Jan. 18, a French Senate committee had rejected the bill, but the commit-
community informed and cohesive, nation of Hrant Dink, evidence related
tee’s decision was not binding and today’s vote proceeded as scheduled.
through a lingua franca. to the real perpetrators of the crime is
The bill’s passage did not come as a surprise, as both the Left and the Right in
It was Hrant Dink who took that still being covered up,” the Dink family
France had expressed support for it.
bold initiative and began publishing lawyer, Fethiye Cetin has said.
On Dec. 22, the French General Assembly had approved the bill, prompting
Agos in Turkish, reserving some pages The assassin was not a lone gun-
Ankara to withdraw its Ambassador from Paris, only to return a few weeks later.
for the Armenian section. man; there was certainly an organiza-
France adopted a bill officially recognizing the Armenian genocide in 2001.
His message was so powerful that it tion behind him, whose tentacles
went beyond the Armenian communi- extended into the different agencies of
ty; Kurds, Alevis, other minorities and
Turkish intellectuals subscribed to the
the Turkish government. The fact that
the police could not find any phone
Dr. Israel Charny urges Israel
paper, but they also began to con- records between the plotters of the to recognize Genocide
tribute to it. It was a historic and criti- murder, and that it has fallen on the
cal period when taboos were crum- shoulders of the Dink family to discov- In an op-ed piece entitled “A Moral Israel Must
bling down and Turkey, in its bid to er 14 phone calls with the suspects Recognize the Armenian Genocide,” published in the
join the European Union, appeared Mustafa Ozturk and Salih Jerusalem Post Magazine Sunday, Dr. Israel Charny
ready to make major yet painful com- Hacisalihoglu, is an indication that says “Israel must put an end to this charade and fully
promises. Hrant Dink promoted a phi- seeking justice is an uphill battle in the recognize the Armenian genocide.”
losophy that saved not only the Turkish judiciary. Attorney Cetin has “And for us Jews and Israelis, there are added mean-
Armenian cause (which the traditional also made the accusation that the ings: One Israeli Professor at Bar Ilan University once
media served timidly) but also the police “intentionally obscure the evi- characterized the Armenian genocide as a ‘dress
emancipation of Turkish society. In a dence.” rehearsal for the Holocaust.’ We also know that Hitler explicitly built on the
way his message went against the tra- Cont’d on page 10 precedent of the Armenian genocide when he went after us Jews,” says Charny.
10. 10 • ABAKA • LUNDI 6 FEVRIER 2012 / MONDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2012
Armenia, China sign military The German pilgrim’s
cooperation agreement “Planet Armenia” spreads
Armenia’s aroma
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Armenia Defense Ministry said that the two
and China have agreed to continue sides signed an “agreement on bilater-
their mostly unpublicized defense al military and military-technical coop-
cooperation during talks held in eration.” It gave no details of that
Yerevan between senior military offi- agreement.
cials from the two countries. The statement instead quoted
A delegation of the Chinese Ohanian as praising the deal and say-
Defense Ministry led by Major-General ing that the development of Chinese-
Xi Gowei met with Defense Minister Armenian military ties has “promising
Seyran Ohanian and other senior prospects.” His first deputy, Davit
Armenian officials during a three-day Ohanian, called for “the full use of the
visit. existing potential in defense coopera-
A statement by the Armenian tion.” On November 26, 2011 at the Armenian Cultural Union in Hamburg took
place the eighth presentation of the book “Planet Armenia: Pilgrimage to an
Unknown Land” by Dr. Jochen Mangelsen. The 187 pages book was released in
Celebrations in Armenia follow Frankfurt on Main in September 2011 by the “Armenian Media” publishing
house. Best read newspapers and many radio stations contained rave reviews
French Senate vote about “Planet Armenia”.
The opening statement at the Hamburg presentation was made by the presi-
There was a festive mood outside the French embassy in Yerevan as dent of the German-Armenians’ Central Council and the Union of the Armenian
Armenians celebrated the passing of a French law making it illegal to deny the Academics Azat Ordukhanyan, who said that within 2 months the author man-
Armenian Genocide. Many expressed their gratitude to France and French aged to be in 8 cities, travelling from Bremen to Stuttgart, Frankfurt on Main,
President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose party first proposed the bill. Halle, Leipzig, Berlin and Hamburg.
Sarkozy also received a letter from Armenia’s President Serzh Sarkisian. The book is the result of a several-week journey in Armenia during which the
“Today France has reaffirmed its greatness and power, and its devotion to the author moved from region to region, from monastery to monastery and through
universal human values,” said Sarkisian in his letter. spiritual adventures reached Artsakh. He was challenged by South Caucasus’
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said the French decision was political uncertainty and conflicts as much as by the country’s fantastic legends,
important for history: “This day will be written in gold … in the annals of history history of millenniums, people and culture. The book has rapidly become a best-
for the protection of human rights worldwide, and will further consolidate the seller. A second edition is expected at the end of January.
existing mechanisms of prevention of crimes against humanity.” Dr. Jochen Mangelsen, a journalist, was born in 1942 and worked in Bremen
The French ambassador to Armenia, Henri Renaud, was warmly received by as a radio announcer. He began his journalistic career after studying oratory and
the crowd outside the embassy, where many shook his hand and patted him on drama as well as German language and philology. He married Seda Muradyan.
the back. His daughter, Sona, was baptized in Armenia and in October 2011 got married at
Waving flags and chanting “merci,” the crowd outside the embassy also the Armenian Church of St. Hripsime. Mangelsen’s grandchildren were also bap-
brought banners and postcards saying “France is the Protector of Historical tized at St. Hripsime. According to him the roots that Seda instilled in her daugh-
Justice” and “France is our Friend.” ter’s soul are deeply founded.
The interest of Mangelsen in Armenia goes back to over 40 years when
Mangelsen studied his own, German, history. The holocaust committed to his
Hrant Dink... Another indication of government’s parents’ generation sensitized him to the Armenian Genocide, the impunity of
reluctance to bring all the facts into which, many believe, encouraged the organizers of the Jews’ massacre in
Cont’d from page 9
light is the jailing of Nadim Sener, who Europe. These facts and circumstances served as a basis for Mangelsen’s activi-
had published a book investigating the ty. He created an Armenian-German circle in Bremen then in Hannover,
More revealing is the confession of government’s handling of Dink trial. worked for the “Armenian-German Correspondence” magazine editorial,
another suspect, Yasin Hayal, who has The evidence that the courts, attor- became its co-editor and currently is a media consultant to the German-
said, “I have been used by the Turkish neys and journalists are pushing for- Armenians’ Central Council.
Republic and now they want to elimi- ward in this case is moving ahead Intensive, personally based, politically motivated years of connection with
nate me. My life is in danger and the inexorably despite all the machina- Armenia confirm his love for this country. Mangelsen says, “Armenia, as well as
state will be responsible if anything tions the state institutions bring Artsakh are miraculous countries full of legends, thousand-year-old cultural
happens to me.” against the truth and the people unrav- monuments, deeply affected by Christianity, mythology and the causalities of
He has made other incriminating eling it. No one could imagine such modern history. Conclusion: I have been enchanted with Armenia for about 40
confession: “I never knew Tancel development in Turkey five years ago. years”. The proof of it is also his novel “Ofelya’s long journey to Berlin” pub-
[another suspect] was a state agent. I It is destined that great causes lished in 2001. The book raises the Genocide issue of 1915 - 19 and describes the
respected him because he was the require great martyrs. Socrates, Christ, fate of many Armenian families who live abroad but are unable to forget the hor-
head of Alperen Ocaklari [an extreme Joan of Arc and Galileo paid with their rific events of the past and feel abandoned and forgotten by the world.
rightwing group]. I met him in 2002 lives to uphold their messages. Their Mangelsen describes the upheavals of their lives painstakingly and reflects his
and he introduced me to a lot of fig- blood proved to be the necessary compassion towards a smitten country.
ures, including police officers.” nutrient to help germinate their phi- Afterward, Mangelsen shifts from fiction to travel literature and in 2006 pub-
The trial seems to go nowhere. The losophy. Dink prematurely believed lishes a book about his pilgrimage to Spain. His readers expected that the
developments in the upcoming days that Turkey hand changed enough to Jacob´s pilgrim would also pass through Armenia and Artsakh. At last, in 2010
might be a new beginning instead of accept his mission. However, it was the expectations of the writer’s fans were satisfied: Mangelsen traveled to
the end. According to the Dink fami- not the time yet, but his martyrdom Armenia and Artsakh and summed up his vivid impressions of the Nairian land
ly’s lawyers, bureaucracy and institu- will certainly bring that change, when in his third book which is a pilgrim’s unique love confession to Armenia and
tions resist solving the murder in its we commemorate his death on the Armenians.
entirety because there is a lack of centennial of Genocide in 2015, OFELYA SARGSYAN
political will to move the investigation along with 1.5 million Armenian mar- Flensburg, Germany
along. tyrs.