COMMUNIQUE OF THE IRANIAN NATIONAL (POPULAR) FRONT-EUROPE  IN CONNECTION WITH THE 94^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

24^th of April is the remembrance day for the one and a half million Armenian citizens of the Ottoman empire who were brutally massacred in 1915.

The government of the “Young Turks”, in their crusade for reestablishment of a homogeneous new Turkish empire planned this heinous crime in advance and carried it out by mass executions, pogroms, destruction and burning of villages and sending hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens to death marches to the deserts of northern Syria.

At the end of this gruesome plan, Western Armenia – which within the Ottoman state apparatus was known as “Ermeni Eyalati” (Armenian province), was wiped out from the map of the world. 

Until recent times, the Iranian society knew very little about this crime against humanity which occurred in a neighbouring country in Iran. Fortunately, now a growing number of Iranian political organizations as well as intellectuals show growing interest in the subject and, despite the continuing denial of Pan-Turkists, inform the Iranians and the Persian-speaking peoples about this great human tragedy. The “Iranian Committee of 24 April”  in Berlin is the latest example of this development.    

Up to now, the governments and parliaments of about twenty countries, among others, the most important EU states ( France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Cyprus etc), Russia and Canada, as well as European organizations such as The European Parliament (1987), The Paris People’s Tribunal (1985), The International Institute of Genocide Scholars (1997) etc. have recognized the fact of Genocide of the Armenians. In the United States, the presidential candidates have for years, in their pursuit of securing the American-Armenians’ votes, promised them to recognize the Genocide if elected as president in the annual remembrance day of 24 April. Up to now, however, they have reneged on their promise when elected to the office, under pressure from Turkey.

The House of Representatives too has time and again passed the Genocide Resolution and brought it forth to Congress (consisting of the House and the Senate) for approval. At the eleventh hour however, the U.S. presidents have intervened and vetoed the passage making use of their extraordinary presidential powers.

It is to be mentioned here that out of 50 constituent republics of the United States of America, governments and parliaments of 41 States have recognized the fact of Armenian Genocide.

The non-prevention of the Armenian Genocide served as a precedent of later genocides, such as the Holocaust of the Jews, the Anvalization of the Kurds, the genocide of the Cambodian people (by their own government), the genocide of Tutsi’s in Ruanda and the last, but not the least, the Genocide of the people of Darfur which is going on right now in Southern Sudan. It is reported that when Hitler was sending his death squads to Poland to exterminate the Jews, justified his action by saying: “Who remembers today the annihilation of Armenians”?

The policy of continuous denial by Turkey, therefore, is in fact, nothing but a justification of the horrendous crime and paving the way for other crimes against humanity. 

How pertinent it is, in this connection, to remember the eternal verses of the 13^th century Iranian poet and scholar, the great Saadi of Shiraz:

Human beings are like the organs of one body         

which are made of the same material

When an organ gets hurt by the fortunes of life        

other organs too feel the pain.

It should be mentioned that, up to now, a number of high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), among others, a minister, have, in their personal and individual capacity, visited the monument of the 1915 martyrs and laid wreath to the permanent flame. It has been reported that last year, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic visited the monument and showed respect to the memory of the Armenian martyrs in the same way.

However, it should not be forgotten that these actions, whether at personal capacity or encouraged by the government of IRI, cannot be a true expression of the real position of the Islamic Republic towards the abominable phenomena of genocide. The denial of another horrible genocide, that is, the Holocaust of the Jews, and other irresponsible adventures in the international scene, have subjected the country to the risk of attack and intervention by foreign powers. It has also put the security of  the neighbours at serious risk. Such behaviour flies flagrantly in the face of respect to human dignity and rights, though some individual officials within the government may approach the matter differently.       

The Iranian National (popular) Front- Europe (INF-E) condemns this great crime against humanity and offers its condolence to the Armenian government and people.

The INF-Europe calls the government of Turkey to accept its historic responsibility, to recognize and condemn the Genocide on Armenians, to end its economic blockade of Armenia and to establish good neighbourly relations with its eastern neighbor.

The INF-Europe reaffirms once more its commitment to the defence of the rights, the dignity and equality of all humans regardless of their religion, race, nationality, ethnicity and gender.

Long live liberty

Long live peace and friendship between nations

Iranian National (popular) Front-Europe (INF-E)

24 April 2009 (Iranian calendar: 04-02-1388)

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