Armenian Genocide Taboo

The Genocide taboo
Isn't it amazing that the Armenian genocide is the second most documented genocide in history but it still is not recognized by Congress. It is considered a crime to deny the massacre of Jewish people in the WWII Holocaust and the Iranian president's call for further historical study of that terrible and trajic period was rightfully reviled at Columbia, whereas successive American governments have for decades blocked the Armenian resolution from passing in the House and yesterday White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe described the events of 1915 as 'one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century,' but believes that the determination of whether or not the events constitute a genocide should be a matter for historical inquiry, not legislation,".This despite the fact that 39 states of the United States have already recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Even Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish Republic in 1923 and revered throughout Turkey, in an interview published on August 1, 1926 in The Los Angeles Examiner, talking about former Young Turks in his country said...
"These left-overs from the former Young Turk Party, who should have been made to account for the millions of our Christian subjects who were ruthlessly driven en masse, from their homes and massacred, have been restive under the Republican rule".


Article 301 is a controversial article of the Turkish penal code which makes it a crime to insult "Turkishness, including any public denigration of the Government of the Republic of Turkey, the judicial institutions of the State, the military or security organizations . Any debate different from the official Turkish line is not tolerated and many outsoken opinions of the Armenian genocide have been prosecuted, imprisoned or in the case of Hrant Dink was assassinated in Istanbul in January 2007, by Ogun Samast, a 17-year old Turkish nationalist. At present this restriction on the freedom of speech in Turkey in the form of article 301 is stalling EU negotiations with the aspiring candidate.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7040171.stm Is recognition of the truth too volatile for the US?
Turkey is a close ally of the US, an important regional player and is also on a quest to join the EU.It will surely have to develop democratically, psychologically as well as economically in order to realise it's EU dream, and this will have to involve a realistic appreciation of it's past history. But when can the truth ever be acceptable? The truth may set you free but you also need the mindset to perceive what it may mean in a positive way, otherwise the likely response is great offence and breaking of ties.
Cengiz Aktar, an academic and commentator in Istanbul, said: “Turkey has made this a question of honour but it has no other policy. We were more flexible on this issue 20 years ago than we are today". When does culpability ever outweigh sensitivities and self-interest in realpolitiks?
The timeline for the Foreign Affairs Committee to vote on the bill is expected to be Nov. 22.
The countries officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide include:
Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela. Although part of the United Kingdom, Wales also officially recognizes the Armenian Genocide. The Parliament of the State of New South Wales, Australia passed a resolution acknowledging and condemning the Armenian Genocide in 1997
International bodies that recognize the Armenian genocide include:
The European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities,[70] the International Center for Transitional Justice, based on a report prepared for TARC, the International Association of Genocide Scholars,[71] the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the World Council of Churches, the self-declared unofficial Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile,[72] and the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal.