Topic of the day 09:30 23/04/2015

International Federation for Human Rights adopts manifesto on Armenian Genocide

On the day that marks the centenary of the Armenian genocide, the first genocide of the twentieth century, FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights) and its member organisations in Armenia, CSI (Civil Society Institute) and in Turkey, IHD (Insan Haklari Dernegi), HRFT (Human Rights Foundation of Turkey), pay tribute to the memory of its victims, according to a statement published on fidh.org.

In the continuation of the closing declarations of the FIDH Congresses in Yerevan in 2010 and Istanbul in 2013, and on the occasion of the commemoration of the centenary of the Armenian genocide, the organisations adopted the following manifesto.

Preamble

Recalling the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide;

Considering that crimes of genocide affect the very essence of humanity, defy imagination and are a profound affront to the human conscience;

Affirming that the worst atrocities continue to affect the consciousness and the trauma caused can be more effectively analysed with time; that crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity are a threat to international public order and affect the entire international community; that it is inconceivable for the law of “oblivion” to be applied to crimes committed against the community of nations and humanity itself; that these crimes are by their nature imprescriptible;

Recalling that about 1,5 million Armenians perished in the genocide at the beginning of the 20th century, among which numerous were executed and 1 million died during the enforced deportation and transfer of the Armenian people from the Anatolian part of the Ottoman Empire; and that numerous Armenians were subject to physical or mental harm;

Considering that the exact conditions of their death and the location of their remains are, for the vast majority of victims, unknown, and that the families and descendants of these victims could not grieve, these enforced disappearances can be qualified as continuous crimes under Article 8 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance;

Recalling that the right of victims and their descendants to truth, justice and reparation is fundamental and indispensable to lasting peace and any process of reconciliation;

Recalling the dangers of hate speech and negationist discourse concerning international crimes perpetrated, while calling for respect for freedom of expression which is an essential vehicle for respect for human rights;

Recalling the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law (Resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 16 December 2005), and the second and third paragraphs of its preamble in particular.

Manifesto

FIDH and its member organisations in Armenia and Turkey, CSI, IHD and HRFT:

1. Pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide which haunts the memory of humanity;

2. Salute the role of the “just” who saved Armenian lives during the genocide;

3. Solemnly call on Turkey to officially recognise its responsibility in the crime of genocide of Armenian populations, organised and perpetrated by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire;

4. Call on Turkey to cease its official policy of denial and to meet the cost of reparations due for the harm sustained and the suffering endured by the victims, their descendants and the Armenian community as a whole;

5. Affirm that this recognition alone, which is essential to the task of memory, will enable Armenia and Turkey to re-establish a relationship of trust and engage in a process of reconciliation between the two States; a process in which civil society on both sides is already engaged;

6. Urge Turkey to work towards a normalisation of its relations with Armenia, without preconditions, in particular by opening the common border;

7. Urge the Turkish government to counter hate speech and stigmatisation of Armenians that its policy of denying the genocide helps sustain;

8. Consider that complete fulfilment of human rights, particularly the protection of rights and political freedoms, is essential to break taboos and promote dialogue and exchange; and call on civil society in Armenia and Turkey to campaign for grievances to be addressed, and to contribute to building and promoting relations between the two societies;

9. Call on Turkey and Armenia to ratify the Statute of the International Criminal Court and to incorporate its provisions into their domestic law, thereby clearly indicating their willingness to fight impunity for international crimes and to guarantee regional and international security and peace;

10. Remind governments around the world, members of the United Nations Security Council as well as the European Union and Council of Europe’s member states that the best way of preventing further crimes lies in fighting impunity for past ones; to this end, urge the international community to support this manifesto and intercede with the Turkish and Armenian governments, so that ad hoc mechanisms are put in place to satisfy the need for truth, justice and reparation for the genocide committed against the Armenians. 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

16:09
Reporter accuses Armenian authorities of crackdown on dissent
Chairman of the Civic Consciousness NGO, founder of AntiFake.am media outlet, political prisoner Narek Samsonyan wrote an open letter-inquiry to...
15:30
Varsen Aghabekian named Palestine's state minister
Armenian Varsen Aghabekian has been appointed Palestine's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, WAFA reported....
14:54
Ameriabank named Best Bank in Armenia for 2024 by Global Finance
Ameriabank has been named the Best Bank in Armenia by Global Finance magazine in its 31st annual awards for the World’s Best Banks....
14:35
MP Tigran Abrahamyan blasts Pashinyan for threatening Artsakh leaders
Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan has decried Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements in which he slammed Artsakh’s...
13:59
Queen Camilla says Kate is 'thrilled by all the kind wishes and support'
Princess Kate is "thrilled by all the kind wishes and support" after sharing her cancer news, Queen Camilla has said. The...
13:35
MP Levon Kocharyan warns of false statements
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Levon Kocharyan has warned his supporters over false and misleading statements being disseminated on his...
13:08
Armenian expert warns against land handover to Azerbaijan
Political scientist Suren Petrosyan warns that the handover of four border villages in Tavush Province to Azerbaijan would pave the way for the...
12:43
Yerevan Bus head resigns
Yerevan Bus CJSC Director Hovhannes Manukyan has stepped down. "I've submitted resignation today," he said in a social...
12:23
Police raiding homes of Armenian opposition group members
The Armenian authorities are searching the homes of members and supporters of the opposition group National Democratic Pole as well as its...
11:47
Armenian leadership seeking rupture of ties with Russia, Lavrov says
The Armenian leadership is messing up relations with Moscow for no good reason, TASS quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as...
11:30
Today marks Good Friday
The week leading up to Easter or Holy Resurrection is called Holy Week (in Armenian Avak Shabat). During this period, the Armenian Apostolic...
11:15
Political prisoner Narek Samsonyan addresses open letter-inquiry to U.S. ambassador
Chairman of Civic Consciousness NGO, founder of AntiFake.am media outlet, political prisoner Narek Samsonyan wrote an open letter-inquiry to...
11:00
ARF calls for consolidation to save Armenian statehood
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) Bureau issued the following statement on Thursday: "In recent weeks, Nikol...
17:12
She said yes: Marriage proposal at Hayat Project concert in Gyumri
A young man proposed to his beloved at a Hayat Project concert in Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city. In a video posted online, the...
16:45
Opposition MP slams Pashinyan's Artsakh statements
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Ishkhan Saghatelyan has expressed support to the Artsakh government in exile following Armenian Prime Minister...
16:04
MP Aghvan Vardanyan visits arrested activists
MP Aghvan Vardanyan, who represents the opposition Hayastan faction, on Thursday visited the Armavir Penitentiary where activists Vazgen...
15:36
Armenian opposition MP visits border villages
Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan has visited the villages of Voskepar and Baghanis in Tavush Province adjacent to the border areas demanded by...
15:04
Ex-Yerevan mayor setting up new party
Former Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan is setting up a new party in the near future, his team has confirmed to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service....
14:36
Armenia to send 29.94 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza
Armenia will deliver 29.94 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza ravaged by the conflict with Israel. The decision was approved at a cabinet...
14:07
Expert: Pashinyan decided to terrorize Artsakh leaders
Political analyst Suren Surenyants has criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements on Artsakh leaders at a cabinet meeting on...
13:35
Analyst: The West doesn't care about Armenia
The West wants Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign a peace treaty as soon as possible and Armenia's territorial losses do not matter to it,...
13:06
Moscow concerned over anti-Russian bias of Armenia-EU-US meeting
The Armenia-EU-US meeting scheduled for April 5 is causing Moscow’s concern as Washington and Brussels are openly discussing its...
12:37
Pashinyan: Some circles displaced from Karabakh take actions threatening Armenia's security
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warns that the actions taken by “some circles” forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)...
12:04
Artsakh dissolution decree was 'the only way' to save people, president says
President Samvel Shahramanyan claims his decree ordering the dissolution of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic was the “only...
11:30
Japanese supplement products recalled after two deaths and over 100 people hospitalized
Health supplement products believed to have caused two deaths and sickened more than 100 people have been ordered to be taken off store shelves...
11:15
Today is Holy Thursday
The week leading up to Easter or Holy Resurrection is called Holy Week (in Armenian Avak Shabat). During this period, the Armenian Apostolic...
11:00
Upcoming Armenia-US-EU meeting not directed against any third party – Foreign Ministry
The high-level meeting scheduled for April 5 in Brussels is aimed at strengthening Armenia-EU-US cooperation and is not directed against...
17:00
Azerbaijan's team opts out of Sambo World Cup in Yerevan
Azerbaijan's national team will not participate in the Sambo World Cup to be held in Yerevan, Armenia, Azerbaijani Sambo Federation official...
16:45
Biden calls Putin 'butcher'
US President Joe Biden has disparaged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the second time in two months, publicly calling him a...
16:30
Armenian parliament speaker defends land handover to Azerbaijan
Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has defended the plans to hand over border villages in Tavush Province to Azerbaijan. He...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}