THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA DEMANDS REPARATIONS

FOR THE HUMAN AND MATERIAL LOSSES RESULTING FROM THE ADANA MASSACRES

The Conference on the Adana Massacres concludes in Antelias, Friday 30 October 2009

The Conference on the Adana Massacres concludes in Antelias, Friday 30 October 2009   The Conference on the Adana Massacres concludes in Antelias, Friday 30 October 2009

The Conference on the Adana Massacres concludes in Antelias, Friday 30 October 2009

10/29/2009 

 

The weeklong events 24-30 November 2009, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the massacres in Adana came to its conclusion with a three-day symposium. The agenda included study of bibliographies and references on the tragedy; statistics on the number of victims and inventories on material loses by the Holy See of Cilicia, the Armenian Catholic and Protestant communities and the Armenian population.

 

At the end of the symposium the participants asked the Catholicosate of Cilicia, itself a victim of the tragedy to demand reparations from Turkey on behalf of the Armenian people. The symposium also recommended that the Catholicosate publish the proceedings of the symposium, as Adana Massacres were the rehearsal to the Genocide of 1915.

 

It is worth mentioning that the Armenian Affairs Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has contributed to the expenses of this conference.

 

In his closing remarks His Holiness Aram I stressed the need “to move from recognition to compensation”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“WE DEMAND REPARATIONS FOR THE HUMAN AND MATERIAL LOSSES RESULTING FROM THE ADANA MASSACRES”

 

Said His Holiness Aram I

at the Opening of the Commemorative Symposium

Photo exhibition of the massacres in Adana and the unveiling ceremony of stone cross in Antelias, Wednesday 28 October 2009   Photo exhibition of the massacres in Adana and the unveiling ceremony of stone cross in Antelias, Wednesday 28 October 2009

Photo exhibition of the massacres in Adana and the unveiling ceremony of stone cross in Antelias, Wednesday 28 October 2009  Photo exhibition of the massacres in Adana and the unveiling ceremony of stone cross in Antelias, Wednesday 28 October 2009

Photo exhibition of the massacres in Adana and the unveiling ceremony of stone cross in Antelias, Wednesday 28 October 2009  Photo exhibition of the massacres in Adana and the unveiling ceremony of stone cross in Antelias, Wednesday 28 October 2009

Photo exhibition of the massacres in Adana and the unveiling ceremony of stone cross in Antelias, Wednesday 28 October 2009

10/28/2009 

 

On Wednesday 28 October in the evening the symposium to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Adana Massacres began, with the participation of community and political leaders, clergy, historians, researchers, international law experts and the descendents of the victims, who came from different parts of the world.

 

The symposium began with a Requiem Service in memory of the martyrs, presided over by His Holiness Aram I and celebrated by the members of the Brotherhood of the Catholicosate. Following the Service the participants were led to the Cilicia Museum for the opening of an exhibition of 60 photographs from the archives of the Catholicosate depicting scenes of the massacres of Adana.

 

 In his opening speech, Catholicos  Aram I said that the current symposium will bridge the past, the present and the future. He continued: “As Armenians we should set aside our differences and unite in our just claims for reparation for the Adana Tragedy. Demand for justice is not constrained by time. We must ensure that the consequences of the genocides are recognised and remedied. In Adana we lost 30.000 lives, the massacres left us with widows, orphans, destroyed churches, homes, schools, farms, mills and everything else that touched the peoples’ livelihood. Hence, today on behalf of all Armenians we demand compensation from Turkey for those losses inflicted upon our people”.

 

After the exhibition, the participants took part in the erection of a Khatchkar (stone-cross) in the yard of the Catholicosate in memoriam of the victims.

The symposium in Antelias will continue until the end of the week.

 

 

 

 

ANTELIAS TO HOST CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION

ON THE ADANA MASSACRES

Adana massarce 1909 - Adana Ruins and robbed safes in the Armenian quarter  Adana massarce 1909 - An Armenian victim of the Cilician massacre

Adana massarce 1909 - An Armenian woman from Adana, having been tortured and maimed by knife wounds  

Adana massarce 1909 - Armenian Children from Adana, from whose bodies, pieces of flesh were ripped off with cotton hooks and whose kneecaps were severed  Adana massarce 1909 - The Armenian quarter of Adana, razed and plundered

Adana massarce 1909- The ruins of Adana (Cilicia), 1909  Adana massarce 1909 - Over three thousand Armenian refugees sought refuge with the Protestant church in Bakhche (Cilicia)

Adana massarce 1909 - Two workers of the Assistance Association accompanying three local workers in the burying of the highly decayed corpse of an Armenian victim of the Cilician massacre    Adana massarce 1909 - After the massacre: Armenian widows and orphans in Tarsus

Adana massarce 1909 - The destroyed Armenian quarter of Adana

01/29/2009 

 

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the massacres of Adana (1909-2009), His Holiness Aram I said: “this sad page in the contemporary history of the Armenian nation should be remembered with due importance and seriousness.” He then continued, “in 2009, the Catholicosate of Cilicia will organize a conference, an exhibition, and will oversee the publication of books and documents related to the Adana massacres.

 

Based on this decision, the Catholicosate informs the community organizations, academic institutions, scholars and the general public of the following plans:

 

1)      During October 29-30 2009, a conference will be held in Antelias, dedicated to the Adana massacres under the leadership of His Holiness Aram I. All those interested in participating in the event should contact the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

 

2)      A Special Committee, in cooperation with The Department of Armenian Studies of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, will screen and sponsor publications related to the Adana massacres. The Catholicosate invites researchers, scholars, writers and all those who possess relevant works are invited to submit their proposals to the Catholicosate.

 

3)       We invite all Armenians in the community who own valuable artifacts, photos and archive documents that relate to the Armenians of Adana and their massacre, to make them available to the Catholicosate for the planned exhibition.

 

The deadline to receive all materials is 31 March 2009. All contacts and enquiries should be addressed to:

                           Bishop Nareg Alemezian

Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia

Department of Ecumenical Relations

P.O.Box: 70 317

Antelias, Lebanon

Tel: +961-4-410001, +961-3-486943

                           Fax: +961-4-417 971

E-mail : ecumcil@armenianorthodoxchurch.org

 

Organizing Committee

 

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