Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Bipartisan Congressional Caucus Sends Letters to Albright,Turkish President
by Assyrian International News Agency (AINA)
Posted: Thursday, December 21, 2000 at 08:08 PM CT

AINA - In two letters (text of letters) dated December 12, 2000, six United States Congressmen joined the growing international outcry over the upcoming December 21 trial of Father Yusuf Akbulut in Turkey. Fr. Yusuf, an Assyrian priest from the Syriac Orthodox Church in Diyarbakir, Turkey, was arrested in October on charges of inciting racial enmity for affirming the Ottoman Turkish holocaust of Assyrians, Armenians, and Greeks in 1915 (AINA,11-23-2000 and 12-4-2000).

The letter were addressed to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer of Turkey. The Congressman describe the case against Fr. Yusuf as "a matter concerning freedom of conscience." The letters continue that "We understand that the subject of atrocities committed by the Ottomans during World War One remains a delicate one in Turkey. Nonetheless, we feel that disputes about the historical record should not be used as an excuse for denying any person their right of freedom of speech and conscience." The letters bluntly warned that the "United States expects its allies to respect the right of freedom of expression for all human beings."

The bipartisan letters were spearheaded by Congressman Rod Blagojevich of Illinois who has established a solid record of advocacy on behalf of Assyrian human rights issues. The other signers included Representatives John Porter, Frank Wolf, Michael Capuano, Ray LaHood, and Anna Eshoo, an Assyrian Congresswoman from California.

The US Congressional letters follow growing international scrutiny of Fr. Yusuf's case by the Swedish (AINA, 12-12-2000), and German parliaments. Following vociferous complaints, several international observers are scheduled to attend Fr. Yusuf's trial including Monika Brudlewsky, Angelika Graf, and Claudia Roth, members of parliament as well as Gabriele Yonan, an internationally recognized scholar and author on the Assyrian Holocaust of 1915. (AINA, 12-04-2000)

Turkey's universally recognized poor human rights record has often been cited as an impediment to entry into the European Union (EU). Fr. Yusuf's pending trial appears destined to be viewed by the international community as a barometer of whether Turkey has begun to moderate its brutal suppression of its minorities and human rights.

Fr. Yusuf's upcoming trial has also served to galvanize Assyrian, Greek, and Armenian grassroots efforts into previously unprecedented coordination. Action alerts, petitions, and protest letters initiated in the internet based AINA and Atour.com websites have led to over one thousand protest letters to the Turkish government and human rights organizations. In addition, numerous protests in several European cities, including Enschede, Holland, home of a large Assyrian population, drew large crowds demanding Fr. Yusuf's release.

Courtesy of the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) https://www.aina.org

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