Ankara's Public Prosecutor to forgo pressing charges against Armenian apology campaign initiators

PanARMENIAN.Net - Ankara's Public Prosecutor is reported to forgo pressing charges against a group of Turkish intellectuals who, late last year, asked the public in Turkey to sign a petition, which read, "My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers and sisters. I apologize to them."



When the petition first appeared, the Assembly welcomed the development, noting that an "irreversible trend" had commenced in Turkey. "This is another step in the right direction," stated Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "The Assembly continues to urge Turkey to come to terms with its genocidal legacy and to open a new chapter in relations with Armenia," Ardouny continued. "We continue to be concerned that there will be a backlash. There is a long way to go yet, but this is definitely a positive step, especially in light of the well known abuses of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code to muzzle citizens for acknowledging the historical truth."



In a very short period of time, the petition garnered over 28,000 signatures and marked a real breakthrough in the progression of encouraging developments that builds on the visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Armenia at the invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, and the independent legal report issued by the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) that concluded that the events of 1915 constituted genocide under the criteria set forth by the United Nations Genocide Convention.