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97th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide to Be Held in Times Square, Sunday, April 22, 2-4 pm

The theme of the Commemoration is "Turkey Is Guilty of Genocide; Denying the Undeniable Is a Crime." Most recently, France has strongly reinforced its position on denying the Armenian Genocide. On Monday, January 23, 2012, the French Senate passed a bill in a 127 to 86 vote to criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide. The bill is scheduled to be signed within the next few weeks by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose UMP party championed the measure to become law. The new bill will punish anyone who denies the Armenian Genocide with a year in jail and fine of 45,000 euros (around $57,000).

Armenian Genocide experts Dennis R. Papazian, PhD, National Grand Commander of Knights of Vartan, and Dr. Arthur Kubikian, former Chairman of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration in Times Square (1999 and 2006), are available for media interviews. Armenian Genocide survivors (ages 99+) are also available to discuss their eyewitness accounts as refugees from the Armenian Genocide. Their painful accounts of the horrendous horrors and mass destruction they witnessed and lived through are critical contributions to world history.

Dr. Papazian comments, "There is no question that when genocide goes unpunished, it makes other perpetrators discount the possibility of being punished for their transgressions. The Turkish government to this day continues to deny the reality of the first genocide of the 20th Century, the Armenian Genocide, which opened the door to all the genocides of the 20th and 21st centuries, including the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. In fact, when Hitler sent his Death Heads troops into Poland at the beginning of World War II, he said, 'Go. Kill without mercy. Who today remembers the extermination of the Armenians?'"

ISSUES TO EXPLORE WITH EXPERTS:

    --  Why do the Armenians and supporters commemorate the Armenian Genocide?
    --  Why is the Turkish government denying the Armenian Genocide and what
        would be the outcomes if the Turkish government acknowledged the
        Genocide?
    --  What major world historical events have taken place in the 20th and 21st
        centuries because of the denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish
        Ottoman Empire and other nations?

The 97th Commemoration is organized by the Mid-Atlantic chapters of Knights & Daughters of Vartan, http://www.knightsofvartan.org, http://www.knightsofvartan.ca, an international Armenian fraternal organization, and co-sponsored by Armenian General Benevolent Union, http://www.agbu.org; Armenian Assembly of America, http://www.aaainc.org; Armenian National Committee of America, http://www.anca.org; Armenian Council of America; and ADL-Ramgavars.

Participating Organizations: Diocese of the Armenian Church, Prelacy of the Armenian Church, Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Presbyterian Church, Armenian Evangelical Church, Armenian Catholic Eparchy for US and Canada, Mid-Atlantic ACYOA, AYF, and Armenian Youth Organizations.

Logos:

http://www.ereleases.com/pic/Knights-of-Vartan.tif

http://www.ereleases.com/pic/Daughters-of-Vartan.tif

Media Contact:

Linda Millman Guller

Ph: (203) 454-9800

Email: mgmarcom@optonline.net

This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Knights & Daughters of Vartan