WATERTOWN, MA — The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA ER) today released its newest publication, “A Century of Human Rights Violations in Turkey.”

“A Century of Human Rights Violations in Turkey,” has assembled news accounts from throughout the 20th century. It documents the clear pattern of brutal — often deadly — measures to repress and silence speech and political thought from Ottoman times to the present Turkish Republic.

As the booklets documents, “The 20th century began in Turkey with the Ottoman government’s cleansing of minorities and indigenous groups living in the Ottoman Empire. Turkey’s ethnic groups suffered a century of persecution aimed at eliminating or reducing not only their political influence but also their absolute numbers-and, ultimately, any evidence of their millennia-old presence in the region . . . As the 20th century came to a close, Turkey’s repressive policies against various ethnic groups remained in force. The pattern of oppression continues to this day.”

“This is a very important compilation which documents Turkey’s complete disregard for basic human rights,” stated Sharistan Ardhaldjian, chairperson of the ANCA ER. “The international community must urge Turkey to break its vicious cycle of human rights violations and initiate a program of reform including Turkey’s recognition and admission of the genocidal, discriminatory, and inhumane episodes of its history,” concluded
Ardhaldjian.

To obtain a copy of the 24-page booklet, send $8.00 (to cover publication and shipping costs) to the ANCA ER (80 Bigelow Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472).

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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