Armenian Legal Center Announces Property Documentation Database Project

ALC Executive Director Kate Nahapetian outlines road to reparations at ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference in Pasadena, Calif.

(armenianweekly.com) PASADENA, Calif.—Kate Nahapetian, executive director of the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC), announced the ALC’s Property Documentation Database Project while discussing several of ALC’s initiatives and the path to reparations at the Armenian National Committee of America—Western Region (ANCA-WR) Grassroots Conference on Oct. 7.

The Armenian Legal Center announced its project, a database documenting stolen, confiscated, or lost property during the Armenian Genocide, such as homes, orchards, land, bank accounts, insurance policies, bonds, art, jewelry, and other properties.

During the talk, Nahapetian noted that a collection of this information is vital to our efforts to realize reparations, and can act as a reliable source of data that will strengthen the Diaspora’s ability to advocate for justice in the political and legal spheres, as well as future diplomatic discussions or arbitration with Turkey.

Because of the mass violence and destruction associated with the Genocide that resulted in the loss of documentation of properties, the ALC will not only collect physical documentation but also testimonies on properties from survivors or their descendants, which the ALC hopes can eventually be compared with Turkey’s own records.

In a talk co-sponsored by the ALC earlier this year at the George Washington School of Law, Dr. Ümit Kurt, a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, spoke on the issue of Turkey’s property records, noting that they are well-organized and can provide a detailed history to Armenian heirs. Dr. Kurt noted that despite plans in 2005 to make land records public, they still are not because of Turkey’s National Security Committee’s intervention. The abandoned properties and liquidation commissions set up to confiscate Armenian properties also kept meticulous records, he said.

The ANCA-WR conference panel, titled Road to Reparations, included UCLA Law professors Asli Bali and Jessica Peake, who are, respectively, the faculty director and the assistant director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights. Nahapetian noted ALC’s partnerships with law schools, including UCLA Law and University of Southern California’s Human Rights Clinic. Through such partnerships with pro bono attorneys and students, the ALC is examining novel approaches to reparations and the best venues to pursue claims.

The ALC fights to redress human rights violations emanating from the Armenian Genocide that continue to this day and undermine stability in a region that has for far too long been marred by policies founded on genocide, not human rights and justice. ALC promotes scholarship on the legal avenues for addressing the challenges emanating from the Armenian Genocide, in addition to pursuing litigation, while promoting the protection of Armenian cultural heritage through the return of stolen properties and artifacts.

To submit documentation concerning stolen or lost properties from the Armenian Genocide, please visit: https://armenianlegal.org/document-preservation-form/.

The Armenian Legal Center can be contacted with questions or inquiries by emailing kate@armenianlegal.org or calling +1 (202) 742-8702.

Photo: Kate Nahapetian, executive director of the Armenian Legal Center, announces Property Documentation Database Project at the ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference

Genocide Education Project Establishes Course at University of Rhode Island

(asbarez.com) KINGSTON, I.R.—The University of Rhode Island is offering “The Armenian Experience: History and Culture,” a course on Armenian history, at its Kingston campus for the spring 2015 semester, beginning Jan. 26.

As part of its “GenEd-HigherEd” initiative, The Genocide Education Project Rhode Island branch co-chairs, Pauline Getzoyan and Esther Kalajian, developed and proposed the honors seminar course, which went through a rigorous approval process by the university during the fall semester. Getzoyan and Kalajian will teach the course, which will focus on diasporan studies as they relate to the Armenian experience. Topics will include an understanding of genocide and the implications of genocide on culture, identity, and religion.

The course will include a robust offering of guest speakers, including author Chris Bohjalian and filmmaker Talin Avakian, who will speak about “Literature and Film: An Author’s and Filmmaker’s Responsibility to Truth – Exploring history, fiction, and non-fiction;” Tom Zorabedian, Assistant Dean of the URI College of Arts and Sciences and the Harrington School of Communication and Media; Dr. Catherine Sama, professor of Italian at URI, who will speak about Armenians in the diaspora with a focus on Italy and about the subject of genocide in Italian literature and film; George Aghjayan and author/professor Marian MacCurdy, who will be part of a panel discussing “The Aftermath of Genocide: the Issue of Denial and Justice Specific to the Armenian Genocide;” Berge Zobian, owner of Gallery/Studio Z in Providence, RI, who will introduce the students to Armenian art and architecture, pre- and post-Genocide; and Charles Kalajian, who will introduce the students to Armenian musical instruments and the aural tradition of learning music, with assistance from Ken Kalajian and Leon Janikian.

“This course, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, is the realization of a ten-year-long dream for us, as genocide education advocates in the state of Rhode Island,” said Pauline Getzoyan. “Through this course, we intend to convey to students the many layers of history and social experience surrounding the Armenian Genocide and its aftermath. In doing so, we not only honor the memory of the victims, but we seek to help students make more informed choices as they become global citizens confronted with related issues.”

Funding for the course’s guest speakers is being generously provided by the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), Varnum Paul Fund. Additional financial support is generously provided by The Ararat Association of Rhode Island. URI Music Department chair, Joseph Parillo, is credited with promoting the development of the course within the university.

The Genocide Education Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that assists educators in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide, by developing and distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching resources and organizing educational workshops.

Project for Armenian Genocide Museum was announced in Buenos Aires

(Agencia Prensa Armenia).- The City of Buenos Aires will donate a property to the Armenian community for the construction of an Armenian Genocide Museum, according to Undersecretary for Human Rights and Cultural Pluralism Lic. Claudio Avruj.

In dialogue with Prensa Armenia, Undersecretary Avruj stressed the importance of the project “that joins the efforts of both Buenos Aires and Argentina” to recognize the Armenian Genocide and added that it is an initiative that will benefit both the Armenian community and people in general.

Carolina Karagueuzian, director of the Armenian National Committee of Buenos Aires, said that “this will be a collective project that will show the struggle of the Armenian community in the country to keep the memory of the Armenian Genocide alive”, and also “a space for reflection on genocidal practices and the importance of respect for human rights.”

Last April 24 a similar project was launched in Uruguay, with the presentation of the Armenian Genocide Museum Foundation coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Culture together with Uruguayan Armenian organizations in the country .