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FUND FOR GENOCIDE RESEARCH
Yugoslavia, Belgrade, 27 marta 24/I,
tel/fax: (381-11) 323-8790, (381-11) 334-7758
E-Mail MilanBulajic@yahoo.com
Symposium
REMEMBERING ARMENIAN, GREEK, SERBIAN, JEWISH AND ROMA (GYPSY) VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE
Belgrade
22-24. APRIL 2005
Genocide is the most severe crime against Humanity and International Law. It is frequently a consequence of the crime against peace which occurs at times when great world powers attempt to achieve world domination.
The 20th century is marked by Genocide. In 1915, Turkey committed Genocide on Armenian and Greek populations. During World War II, Croatian Nazis known as Ustasha committed a Genocide in the system of Concentration Camps of Jasenovac. Literally hundreds of thousands of Eastern Orthodox Serbs, as well as Jews, Romas and some Croatian anti-fascists were bestially murdered.
On 22 April 1945, a few surviving inmates made a heroic break through and liberated themselves from Jasenovac. The day of April 22 is declared Victims of Genocide Remembrance Day. The Council of the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church decided that every year on that day, a holy liturgy will be held with prayers for the souls of the victims of Genocide.
At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, from 1894 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire committed a Genocide on the Christian population of the Near East, in Asia Minor between the Black Sea and the Meditteranean. The estimate is that some 3.5 million Christians were murdered during that period. Sultan Abud Hamid started a state Genocide against Armenian Christians in 1893. By 1896 some 300,000 Armenians were brutally murdered. In a repeated massacre in 1909, some two hundred Armenian villages were pillaged. Only in Adan, district of Cilicia, between 20,000 and 30,000 Christian Armenians perished.
During World War I, the Ottoman Empire, in alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, was resolved to fulfill the plan of "Turkey to the Turks." This plan of building "Greater Turkey" (so called "Turan") included complete elimination of all Christiansthe Greeks, Armenians, Syrians and Nestorianswho constituted some 10% of the population of the country. The pogrom started on 24 April 1915. The Turkish Government deported 1,800,000 Armenians, some two-thirds of the entire Armenian population. They were send on a March of Death, Southward through the Syrian desert and to East Anadolia, the Asian part of Turkey. The desert was the scene of massacre, rape, starvation and dehydration, which is how most of these poor people perished. Over 1.5 million Christian Armenians were thus murdered. This included some 4,000 priests and bishops. The Turks tried to forcefully convert Armenian children. Those who forsook their Christian roots and became Muslims were allowed to live, but now under new Muslim names. This was but a repetition of what the Ottoman Turks did over centuries to the Serbian population as they forcefully converted kidnapped Serbian children into Janissaries.
After they cleansed the Armenians, the Turks turned their attention toward the Greeks. In the town of Smyrna, the Turkish conquerors went from house to house. There they raped and murdered the Greek owners and then pillaged and burned their houses. French, British and American ships were at bay and witnessed the carnage but were sure not to interfere. The American Consul, though, compared the destiny of Smyrna to the Roman destruction of Carthagina.
To this day, the Turkish Government did not acknowledge its responsibility for the crime of Genocide perpetrated on the Greek and Armenian populations. This behavior enabled even Hitler to try to excuse his own act of Genocide and Holocaust by saying: "Who ever mentions Armenians today?"
On 18 June 1987, the European Parliament issued a decision to bind acceptance of Turkey to the Union on the condition that the Turkish Government should acknowledge its Genocide perpetrated on the Armenians. Mr. Roberto Kalderoli, the Italian Minister for Reform, went so far as to say in December of 2004 that eventual acceptance of Turkey into the European Union "would be a crime against our History and against our Christian heritage."
Today, 60 years after Genocide perpetrated against the Orthodox Serbs, Jews, and Romas in Nazi Croatia, there is no recognition of that fact. Without this basic recognition, it is impossible to understand the roots and the causes of the events of the last few years of the 20th century as they happened on the grounds of the former Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, in the trials conducted in Croatian capital of Zagreb in 1986 and 1999, both Dr. Anrija Artukovif, who was Minister of Interior of the Ustasha (the Croat Nazi) Government and Mr. Dinko akif, who was a commander of Jasenovac Concentration Camp, were sentenced only for common acts of murder and not for the crimes of Genocide.
All of this explains how it was possible that the Serbian people were targeted for genocide once again at the end of the same century. In the 1990's the Serbs were victims of jihad as Mujahedin pored into Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Croatian government fulfilled its World War II genocidal plan as almost the entire Serbian population, who had lived for centuries as the majority in Krajina and Western Bosnia, was cleansed by Croat armed forces in 1995. The last census in Croatia conducted in 2001 shows that only 4.2% of Serbs are still citizens of that country! In Kosovo and Metohija the Serbian population is again a target. In that Province, under UN supervision, the Albanian terrorists are cleansing all Christian Orthodox, as well as all non-Albanian population, and have destroyed more than 100 ancient Orthodox churches, some dating back to the 14th century. The Albanian terrorists already dare threaten the integrity of the remaining parts of Serbia as well as question the integrity of neighboring Macedonia and Greece.
Neither the President of Croatia Franjo Tudjman nor the President of Muslim part of Bosnia Alija Izetbegovic were charged with Genocide. On the other hand, the entire political leadership of the Serbian peopleall the Presidents of Serbia, Yugoslavia, Republic of Srpska Krajina, Republika Srpska as well as the entire military leadership of the Serbian peoplewere charged with nothing less than Genocide! This was done by the self-declared "International Community" as the Western Governments like to be call themselves.
The Muslim-controlled Bosnian Government is charging the remaining Serbian lands of Serbia and Montenegro with Genocide. In the lawsuit submitted to the International Court, they demand compensation worth between 200 and 300 billion dollars! Croatians who cleansed the Serbian population from large swaths of historicaly Serb-populated Krajina, dared charge the Serbian people with the same.
The complete truth about the Genocide perpetrated in 20th century is not fully known. The responsibility is not acknowledged. The perpetrators are not yet charged and brought to justice for their crimes. This situation enabled a climate in which it was possible that someone like Mr. Ramu Haradinaj, an ethnic-Albanian who committed crimes of Genocide against the non-Albanian population, was declared a Prime Minister of Kosovothe very place where he perpetrated his crimes. The self-declared "International Community" refused to intervene. In 2004 alone, the same "International Community" issued 59 (fifty-nine) orders in NATO-occupied Bosnia, with the express purpose of enslaving the surviving Serbian population that fell under their control. The orders were to single-handedly depose the entire leadership the Serbian people elected in the Republic of Srpska, the remaining Serbian entity in Bosnia. All Ministers as well as generals of the entity were deposed in a dictatorial fashion.
From Serbia, the "International Community" demands surrender of the Yugoslav general who was in charge of suppressing Albanian terrorism in Kosovo and Metohija. This is but another attack on the sovereignty of the Serbian people.
This 21st century started with mass Genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The "International Community" did nothing to protect the victims. They did not even use harsh words to describe this Genocide against the non-Arab population.
On 22 April 2005, it will be 60th anniversary of the day when a surviving few charged to liberate themselves from Jasenovac.
On 24 April 2005, it will be 90th anniversary of the Turkish Genocide perpetrated on Armenians, Greeks and other people.
The Days of 22-24 April 2005 we declare the Days of Remembrance of the Armenian, Greek, Serbian, Jewish and Roma Victims of Genocide.
We ask you for help to commemorate those events.
We plan to organize an International Symposium as well as an Exhibition which would present to the publichere and abroadthe historical roots as well as causes for continued Genocide.
Please respond as soon as possible.
Respectfully,
SERBIAN-ARMENIAN SOCIETY
Boda Markovif, President
ARMENIAN SOCIETY OF BELGRADE (SERBIA)
Miodrag Vartabedijan, Honorary President
SOCIETY OF GREEKS OF SERBIA ;RIGA OD FERE+
Jannis Savas, President
SERBIAN-GREEK FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY
Prof.dr. Miodrag Stojanovif, President
JEWISH-SERBIAN FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY
Academitian Ljubomir Tadif, President
ROMA WORLD PARLIAMENT
Dragoljub Ackovif, Vice-President
SOCIETY OF JASENOVAC SURVIVORS
Smilja Tima, President
COMMITTEE FOR JASENOVAC, SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Archbishop Atanasije Jeftif, President
FUND FOR GENOCIDE RESEARCH
Dr Milan Bulajif, President
The truth belongs to us all.
Feel free to download, copy and redistribute.
Last revised: March 10, 2005
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