Remembering Gurgen Margaryan: 10 Years After the Brutal Murder

YEREVAN -- Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and other High-ranking military officials paid tribute to the memory of Armenian  Officer Gurgen Margaryan, who was brutally killed by Azerbaijani Ramil Safarov during NATOsponsored English language courses in Budapest. “Ten years have passed, and we have come here to pay tribute to the Armenian Officer. He was killed only for being Armenian, and the murderer has confessed he had been prepared to kill an Armenian,” Seyran Ohanyan said.

The Defense Minister also visited Yerablur Pantheon and laid flowers at Gurgen Margaryan’s grave. Later he visited Margaryan’s family and talked to his parents.

On this occasion the “Azerbaijan: Crime and Racism without Borders” video-footage in Russian and English has been released as part of the “Common Genocide” project.”

The film presents the story of the brutal murder, the axe-killer’s extradition to Azerbaijan and his glorification.

The Hungarian version of the video will be posted on the web in the near future. The “Common Genocide” project is being realized by the Public Relations and Information Department of the President’s Staff.

On February 19, 2004 Lieutenant of the Armenian Armed Forces Gurgen Margaryan was hacked to death, while asleep, by a fellow Azerbaijani participant, Lieutenant Ramil Safarov, in Budapest during a three-month English language course in the framework of NATO-sponsored Partnership for Peace program.

In 2006, Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary with a minimum incarceration period of 30 years. He was extradited on August 31, 2012 to Azerbaijan where he was greeted as a hero, pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev despite contrary assurances made to Hungary, promoted to the rank of major and given an apartment and over eight years of back pay.Following Safarov’s pardon, Armenia severed diplomatic relations with Hungary.

MOSCOW ALSO HONORS MEMORY OF ARMENIAN OFFICER

GURGEN MARGARYAN KILLED BY AZERBAIJANI RAMIL SAFAROV

Panorama.am -- In the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral of Armenian Apostolic Church in Moscow served a Requiem Mass for Gurgen Margaryan who was killed by Azerbaijani Ramil Safarov.

The Mass, held on February 16, was attended by the representatives of the Union of Armenians of Russia,

public organization of "Russian-Armenian cooperation", the community organizations of Moscow, the cultural association "Ararat", etc. Upon the completion of the Mass the ceremony of laying wreaths and flowers at the crossstone in the courtyard of the temple complex was held.On the same day dead-office for Gurgen Margaryan was served at Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (St. Hovhannes Mkrtich) in Paris. Employees of the Armenian Embassy in France, the NKR representatives, members

of Armenian Organizations in France and local Armenian community were present at the service. Upon completion of the church-service those gathered there marched to Yerevan Park in Paris, where, on behalf of the Armenians of Armenian Republic, NKR and France laid wreaths and flowers at the monument to Komitas. The procession was headed by the RA Ambassador to France Vigen Chitechyan.

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Loussapatz The Dawn [loussapatz.g@gmail.com]

REP. SCHIFF TO HOST CAPITOL HILL EVENT

HONORING AMERICA’S RELIEF EFFORTS TO VICTIMS

OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

WASHINGTON, DC -- On March 3, Rep. Adam

Schiff (D-CA), a lead sponsor of the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution (H.Res.227), will host a Capitol Hill event honoring America's relief efforts to

the victims of the Armenian Genocide, a campaign that helped launch a century of unparalleled U.S. leadership in meeting humanitarian needs around the world. This

event will serve to educate Capitol Hill lawmakers, staff and the community about America’s efforts to help Armenians after they were targeted for genocide, and the

continuing need to provide relief to those suffering around the globe.

The spirit of American care and compassion for the victims of the Armenian Genocide is perhaps best symbolized by the Armenian Orphan Rug, a work of art crafted by young survivors and gifted to the White House by the Near East Relief – a charitable organization inspired by President Wilson and chartered by an Act of Congress. Regrettably, this symbol of American generosity has yet to be released for display by the White House, which caused the cancellation of a planned Smithsonian Institution exhibit of the Rug in December of 2013. It is our hope that the White House will agree to provide the rug for this event, but in the absence of a commitment, the event will go forward nonetheless.

“America’s role in helping Armenian survivors of the first genocide of the 20th Century is a story worth telling and remembering,” said Rep. Adam Schiff. “It’s also important to remind policymakers of the significant role the United States played in assisting the victims of the Ottoman Empire during the dark days of World War I. The Armenian Genocide, which occurred almost 100 years ago, was an event of such catastrophic significance that all nations have a duty to educate their citizens on what took place. Events like this – highlighting America’s important humanitarian role – can only help to convince my colleagues of the importance of finally recognizing the Armenian Genocide.”

In a letter to the President last year urging the display of the rug, Schiff and 32 other Members of Congress wrote: “The Armenian Orphan Rug is a piece of American history and it belongs to the American people. For over a decade, Armenian American organizations have sought the public display of the rug and have requested the White

House and the State Department grant their request on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, Armenian Americans have yet to have their requests granted. We urge you to release this American treasure for exhibition.”

The Armenian Orphan Rug measures 11' 7" x 18' 5" and is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took Armenian girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near East Relief 10 months to weave. The rug was delivered to President Coolidge on December 4, 1925, in time for Christmas, with a label on the back of the rug, which reads "IN

GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE." According to Missak Kelechian, an expert on this topic, the gift of the Armenian Orphan Rug was widely covered in U.S. media, including in the New York Times in 1925 and the Washington Post in 1926. Additional information about the history of the Armenian Orphan Rug is

available in Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian's book, "President Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug," published on October 20, 2013, by the Armenian Cultural Foundation.

More information about the speakers and event will be available in coming weeks, and it is currently scheduled for Monday, March 3rd at 5:00 pm in 2103 Rayburn House Office Building (subject to change).

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Loussapatz The Dawn [loussapatz.g@gmail.com]