The Armenian Weekly. In our current state of continued isolation, one could easily assume from the title that this week is focused on our social/medical readiness. However, that is not my intent. Perhaps because we all need a mental break from our constant absorption of COVID-19 related news or simply because it is difficult to avoid the Genocide topic in April, I feel compelled to address another issue concerning our collective readiness as concerned Armenians. It pertains to our journey for justice and whether we are taking the necessary step today to prepare ourselves as a community and individually.
We can start by reviewing the milestones or segments of our journey. If we examine the history of the diaspora in a broad sense, the first 50 years were less a period of political activism and more connected to survival and community building. The following 50+ years have enabled the emergence of public political activism and advocacy directed primarily at the RECOGNITION of the Armenian Genocide.
Rebuilding our dream required two fundamental elements in our national foundation: a viable international community and, in the presence of Turkish denial, a compelling advocacy process to secure the public acceptance of the genocide by the international community. There is no doubt that incredible success has been secured on both accounts. Our international diaspora is strong, influential and relevant especially with the emergence of an independent Armenia joining the world of nations in 1991. In my view, the success of the recognition process has been so significant that essentially the first phase of the battle has been won. Today, with the exception of Turkey and a few of their close friends, no one questions the veracity of the Genocide. This doesn’t mean that all have formally recognized it, but there was a time just a few short decades ago that many politicians and scholars openly questioned the facts. The current reality is a world where recognition takes on not only formal governmental acknowledgment, but also academic and scholarly institutions, teaching curriculum in secondary schools and the media. Fueling this resurgence has been a remarkable infrastructure of scholarly work and research. We have indeed come a long way on this journey.
There are several questions, however, that have hovered above us for at least the last few decades. What is the end point? How do we define justice? When will the psychological burden of succeeding generations be lifted? To my knowledge, I have never seen a comprehensive study of the views of Armenians both in the diaspora and in Armenia on this matter. As a result of years of community interaction, it is clear there are a few different perspectives on what constitutes justices. For some Armenians, the formal recognition by the major nations of the world is closure. The argument here is the trauma caused by an indifferent world is somewhat eradicated when that world acknowledges the crime. It restores some level of dignity and collective self-esteem.
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Another perspective is focused on the acknowledgement of Turkey as the successor government (many would argue a direct participant given the atrocities committed under Ataturk). Those who subscribe to this view are seeking an acknowledgement and “apology” from the Turks that the Genocide happened and sincerity from the perpetrators. With an acknowledgement, some consider the matter closed. Within these two schools of thought are “pragmatists” who argue that pursuing the matter further is unrealistic and continues the victim mentality of our nation.
For many decades, these were purely academic debates as the journey was in its infant stages, and without substantial progress in the recognition phase, it was theoretical. Well, that reckoning moment is approaching as the major powers of the world have joined the truth. Even in the United States where since President Reagan uttered the G-word in 1984 and avoidance of the term has been policy since then, 49 out of 50 states and both houses of Congress have formally recognized the Genocide. From a recognition standpoint, it is a new day as the walls of denial are collapsing. Yes, Turkey continues to double down on its denial rhetoric, but there are fewer nations listening in each succeeding year. Turkey is painfully aware of the failure of their strategy and somewhere in that 1,000-room palace in Ankara, they are preparing for Plan B.
The success of the recognition work begs the question for all of us to prepare for the next phase of our journey. In the view of a growing voice, that era is defined as the REPARATIONS period. Dialogue on this important phase has grown over the last several years with forums, lectures and white papers. In 2015, respected academic Henry Theriault was a participant in an Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)-sponsored commission to study reparations for the Armenian Genocide. It is well worth reading as a personal preparation. This is a complex phase which will require the best of our advocacy and legal skills as a nation. Genocide has been declared a crime by the nations of the world who signed the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948. In our case the operative term is punishment. This is why the recognition phase is so important. It is not only for our dignity, but as a precursor to identify the Armenian experience as a Crime of Genocide. This enables legal and political proceedings in the form of reparations (usually in the form of monetary compensation and/or territorial). Subscribing to this perspective essentially means that you support the concept of Turkish punishment for the crimes committed.
Acknowledgements and apologies are not the end. In the last 10 years, this theme has become more prominent in the public with academic and communal dialogue about the Armenian Genocide. It should and must become a mainstream topic for our communities. It is a complex topic that is a marathon in and of itself and therefore requires each of us to prepare with knowledge and awareness. This is a time for all Armenians to advance their capabilities in order to contribute from a financial, legal, political and educational perspective.
Thus far, our legal proceedings have been limited to personal litigation against Turkey and insurance companies. The Great House of Cilicia did initiate legal proceedings a few years ago against the Republic of Turkey seeking the return of the former seat of the Catholicos in Sis (Koran), Cilicia. Legal proceedings advanced cautiously in order to avoid negative precedents in the courts. We have seen some evidence of this risk as the Antelias suit did not exhaust the Turkish lower courts (usually a European recommendation) and was dismissed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) without appeal by a single judge.
We must work together to succeed. A significant variable in this process will be the position of the Republic of Armenia. Prior to 1991, the diaspora had a free hand in dealing with the issue of recognition. They conducted extensive lobbying in various nations and coordinated activity. As a sovereign and recognized country, Armenia is looked upon now as the legitimate voice of the Armenian nation by the world’s nations. This alters the dynamics and makes the Diaspora/Armenia collaboration a requirement for any progress. Of course, this assumes Armenia feels ready to pursue this legal and diplomatic work on the world stage. Armenia lives in a different geo-political reality than the diaspora. When will Armenia possess the political self-confidence in reparations work is a critical question that needs to be answered while we are in the preparatory period. Would Armenia make territorial claims on Turkey in the courts in addition to monetary compensation? Would Armenia renounce the Treaty of Kars/Moscow which created the reality of the territorial losses? Would such a claim create a further escalation in bilateral relations? These are significant questions that will be answered in the future.
Today is a preparation period—one reserved for public education, infrastructure building and Diaspora/RoA dialogue. Engaging the general community both here in the diaspora and Armenia on this subject is the responsibility of our community organizations. In 1965 during our re-awakening, the issue of recognizing the Armenian Genocide was legitimized. After 50 years of a scholarly foundation and astute advocacy, the ride has clearly turned toward the truth. Work must continue to prevent regression, but we can appreciate substantial progress. I believe we will look back at this time frame as the moment of transition to the next phase in our journey for justice. It is not a date on the calendar, but rather a transformation of first our thinking and then our actions. Just as our parents gave my generation the flag of recognition to carry forward, we will give the flag of reparations to the succeeding generations. Passing a responsibility requires preparation to succeed and a commitment to the long term. It all starts with a vision.
In the 19th century, our people suffered terribly at the hands of oppressors and their vision of freedom. First it came with defenders and then with a republic. Our people in Artsakh suffered for decades with the vile Azeri occupation. They prayed and fought for their freedom. There was a time when the Genocide was forgotten by the world, and the Turkish criminals rejoiced. But Armenians did not forget and organized to convince an ambivalent world to accept the truth. Now we begin another challenge.
What is the endpoint of justice? Reparations for the crimes committed will free our people of being victims. Each one of these challenges is a miracle. We will pray and work for another miracle during this era as we did in 451, 1918, 1991 and countless other times. Probability of success, we have learned, is a statistic that we can change.
Stepan Piligian
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