Armenia supports Catholicosate's lawsuit against Turkey

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Over 1,000 attendees of the Armenia-Diaspora Conference in Yerevan, organized by the Diaspora Ministry,cheered loudly when Catholicos Aram I of theGreatHouseof Cilicia made the surprising announcement that theCatholicosatewould file a lawsuit in a Turkish court demandingthe return of its properties confiscated during the 1915-1923 Genocide. His Holiness explained that before taking this important decision, he had consulted with international legal experts during the past two years.

As reports "Armenpress" the Publisher and Editor of "California Courier" Harut Sassounian stated this in his new article. The article runs as follows:

“Stating that remaining indifferent towards the violation ofArmenian rights is tantamount to treason, the Catholicos urged Armenians totake thegenocide issue out of the narrow confines ofgenocide recognitionand condemnation, and transcend the mindset that genocide recognitionis theultimate goal of the Armenian Cause.Considering that it is high time to transferArmenian demands from Turkey to the legal field, His Holiness announced that the See of Cilicia would file shortly a lawsuitwith the Constitutional Court of Turkey, seeking the return of its erstwhile headquarters, the Catholicosateof Sis. Should the Turkish Court reject the lawsuit, which is likely, the Catholicosate will then appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, said the Catholicos. He also expressed the hope that this lawsuit wouldpave the wayfor other legal demands from Turkey for the return of public, private, and religious properties belonging to Armenians.

While this is great news to all those who have been advocating for years taking legal action against Turkey, such lawsuits requirepainstaking preparation by top notch international lawyers. Moreover, regardlessof how justone's cause may be, no onecan guarantee a positive outcome in court, given variousexternal influences on the judiciary, and technicalities usedas an excuse forrejecting alawsuitemanating froma century-oldgrievance.

The Catholicos hinted at some of these obstacles in his remarks, acknowledging that "the framework of international law is notthat favorable to our Cause." More alarmingly, he seemed to dismiss the devastating effectthe loss ofsuch a court case would have on the Armenian Cause by claiming that "if we lose the lawsuit, we would still be winners, because we would have reminded the genocidaire and the international community that the Armenian people continues to demand its rights, no matter how much timehas elapsed since theGenocide." The Turkish government would certainly exploitsuch a negative judgmentbymisrepresenting its victory around the worldasa rejection ofallArmenian genocide claims.

Going beyondthe Catholicosate's initiative,His Holinessurged the Armenian government to file its own lawsuit against Turkey in the International Court of Justice (World Court), where only states have the right to sue. At theinternational Armenian lawyers' conference sponsored by the Diaspora Ministry last year, a task force was formed under the auspices of the Gagik Haroutunyan, Chief Justice of Armenia's Constitutional Court, to study the legalramifications of filing a lawsuit against Turkey in the World Court. The task force is reportedly assessing the various legal options available to the Republic of Armenia.

Giventhe Armenian government'scautious approach to suing Turkey, it was quite surprising that Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, during the Sept. 20, 2014 Armenia-Diaspora conference, when asked by a reporter about his reaction to thenewsthat the Catholicosate of Cilicia wouldfile a lawsuit against Turkey, enthusiastically and without hesitation responded: "there could be no twoopinions about it. Such an important initiative must only be supported."

Coincidentally, the conference attendees were handed the executive summary and introduction of alengthy report entitled, "Resolution with Justice: Reparations for the Armenian Genocide." Funded initially by a grant from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the report was prepared by the Armenian Genocide Reparations Study Group, composed of Alfred de Zayas, Jermaine O. McCalpin, Ara Papian, and Henry C. Theriault. George Aghjayan served as a consultant. The extensive report examines the case for reparations from legal, historical, and ethical perspectives.

It is clear that on the eve of the genocide centennial,severalserious effortsareunderwayto seek justice throughvariouscourtsfor the massive human and economic losses suffered by the Armenian people during the 1915-1923 Genocide.”