The Inconvenient Armenian Genocide.
With the one hundredth anniversary
of the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population in 1915, it is refreshing to
hear a world leader in the form of Pope Francis describe these appalling events
for what they were. How numerous Turkish Governments continue to refer to the
death of 600,000 to 1,500,000 million people as a mere tragedy is beyond belief.
Driven from their home at gun point, old men, women and children forced to walk
half way across the Near East to a location in the Syrian desert without food
or water is not the action of a civilised people. Little wonder few survived
their experience, many shot, raped and killed in route. To rub salt into the
wounds of the Armenians their homes were then declared abandoned by the
Government who subsequently sold them for their own
profit.
The recently published book ‘An
Inconvenient Genocide’, by Geoffrey Robertson Q.C. analysis the evidence, Laws
of Genocide, and details of these events and leaves any fair minded reader with
only one conclusion. Likewise the German Government of the day despite numerous
reports from missionaries, consuls and other foreign representatives chose to
disregard the information and made no attempt to put a stop to the slaughter. This
charade has gone on for one hundred years and needs to stop. In Turkey anyone
who raises the question is prosecuted with a likely jail sentence. What is the
Turkish Government afraid of reparation why the denial, they accept that these
events happened but refuse any responsibility.
The Australian, American and
British Governments are no better, they likewise refer to these events as a tragedy,
how one can call the forced death of 600,000 to 1,500,000 people a tragedy is beyond
belief, yet this is what I believe our Foreign Minister Julie Bishop remarked.
These Governments don’t wish to upset the Turkish relationship which they
consider more important than the closure of the cleansing for the descendants
of their lost forbearers.
One would have hoped that both
our Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister could have had the decency to
attend the one hundredth commemoration in Yerevan while in Turkey for Anzac
Day. After all it is only next door and the fear of the Allies landing in Gallipoli
prompted the Turks to round up the Armenians for fear they may assist the
Western Allies on day before the landing. Still we should not expect our
political masters to study history.
