TAAL and Coalition of Organizations Condemn ATAA
Truth And Accountability League’s (TAAL) Joint Statement with Multiple Armenian and Non-Armenian Civil Society NGOs Condemning ATAA and its Affiliates
Denial is the Last Act of a Genocide
August 9, 2023
The Truth And Accountability League (TAAL) is joined by twenty-five Armenian, non-Armenian, as well as allied civil society NGOs and twenty-two prominent leaders to shed light on the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) and its affiliates as Armenian Genocide denialists that should be condemned and not recognized, and ask that leaders in both public and private sector disengage from the ATAA and its affiliated entities.
Genocide denied is genocide repeated.
After 108 years, Armenians face genocide again with Azerbaijan’s siege on the Republic of Artsakh (formerly Nagorno-Karabakh), fully supported and facilitated by the Turkish government. Azerbaijan has blocked the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia and the rest of the world. 120,000 Armenians, and 30,000 children, have been without food or medicine; some have died from malnutrition.
The blockade has continued despite international pressure, including a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in December, decrees by the International Court of Justice in the Hague, resolutions and declarations by the Parliament Assembly of the Council of Europe, European Parliament, and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, among others.
Several international organizations have issued genocide warnings, including the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, Genocide Watch, and Philos Project, among others.
We also urge federal, state, and local governments, universities and colleges, media companies, and all other public and private institutions to refrain from associating with ATAA and its affiliates and condemn genocide denial.
The statement can be read in full below
The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), along with its affiliate organizations, systematically deny the occurrence of the Armenian Genocide. They orchestrate these denialist activities across their nationwide network, manifesting a concerted effort to refute historical fact. Prominently featured on their website's main page is a section titled the ‘Armenian Issue,’ which, unfortunately, presents a series of misleading statements that negate the reality of the Armenian Genocide. In addition, their affiliate organizations frequently convene events dedicated to promoting methods to deny the genocide.
As of 2023, governments and parliaments of 34 countries, including the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Mexico, have formally recognized the Armenian genocide. Three countries — Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan — deny that there was an Armenian genocide.
The ATAA and its affiliates appear to prioritize the denial of the Armenian Genocide and its associated atrocities as a central objective. They project an image of an organization that celebrates diversity and identity, while concealing their underlying denialist agenda. An examination of their expansive list of affiliates reveals a broad, nationwide network committed to perpetuating denialist rhetoric concerning the Armenian Genocide.
As representatives of Armenian-American organizations, many of us descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors, as well as allied civil society NGOs, we implore leaders in both public and private sectors to disengage from the ATAA and its affiliated entities. Rather, condemnation of these denialist organizations is more appropriate. We urge leaders to stand on the right side of history, recognizing the undeniable facts of the Armenian Genocide, and to refuse any endorsement of organizations that promote denialist perspectives.
List of Affiliates of ATAA
Turkish American Association of Alabama - TAAA
Turkish American Association of Arizona - TAA-AZ
American Turkish Association of Arkansas - ATA-AR
Turkish American Association of California - TAAC
- TAAC San Jose (Silicon Valley) Chapter
- TAAC San Francisco Chapter
- TAAC Sacramento Chapter
- TAAC Monterey Chapter
Association of Turkish Americans of Southern California - ATASC
- ATASC Los Angeles Chapter – ATASC – Los Angeles - LATAA
- ATASC Orange County Chapter – ATASC – Orange County - OCTAA
- ATASC Ventura County Chapter – ATASC – Ventura - VATAN-SC
- ATASC San Diego Chapter – ATASC – San Diego - ATASC – SD
- ATASC Philanthropic Chapter – Turkish American Ladies League - TALL
- ATASC Special Project Chapter – Ataturk Memorials Chapter - ATAMLA
- ATASC Special Project Chapter – Turkish Women Initiative - TWI
Empowering the Turkish – American Community - ETAC USA
Turkish American Cultural Society of Colorado - TACSCO
S. N. England Turkish American Cultural Association, Inc. - SNETACA
Florida Turkish American Association - FTAA
Turkish American Cultural Association of Florida, Inc. - TACAF
Turkish American Cultural Association of Georgia – TACAGA
Turkish American Society of Augusta & Aiken – TASAA
Turkish American Friendship Association of Hawaii – TAFAH
Turkish American Cultural Alliance of Chicago – TACA-Chicago
Turkish American Association for Cultural Exchange – TAACE
Maryland American Turkish Association – MATA
Washington Turkish Women Association – WTWA
Turkish American Cultural Society of New England – TACS-NE
Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan – TACAM
Turkish American Association of Minnesota – TAAM
Turkish-American Association of Greater Kansas City – TAA-KC
Azerbaijan Society of America – ASA
Turkistanian American Association – TAA
Turkish Women’s League of America – TWLA
Turkish Society of Rochester – TSOR
The Society of Turkish American Architects, Engineers and Scientists – MIM
Young Turks Cultural Aid Society, Inc. – YTCA
American Turkish Association of North Carolina – ATA-NC
Turkish American Society of Northeastern Ohio – TASNO
Turkish American Association of Central Ohio – TAACO
Ahiska Turkish American Community Center – ATACC
Turkish American Association of Oklahoma – TAAOK
Turkish American Friendship Society of the United States – TAFSUS
Pittsburgh Turkish American Association – PTAA
American Turkish Association of Houston – ATA-Houston
Contemporary Education Foundation – COEDFO
Turkish American Association of Northern Texas – TURANT
Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington – TACAWA
American Turkish Association of Washington, DC – ATA-DC
Galatasaray DC
Turkish American Association of Wisconsin – TAA Wisconsin
American Turkish Business Development Council – ATBD Council
Turkish American Business Association – TABA
List of affiliate organizations was received from the ATAA website on June 23, 2023, and is archived at this link. The ATAA website is archived here, along with the denialist page archived here.
Signed
Truth And Accountability League
Vic Gerami
Founder & Chair
Armenia Theater
Davit Tadevosyan
Director
Armenian Action Network
Dr. Suzie Abajian
Founder
Armenian Gene Fund
Hripsime Tamazyan
President
Armenian Information Center of USA
Hayk Markosyan
Founder
Armenian National Association
Donald Wilson Bush
President/CEO
Armenian News Network Groong
Asbed Bedrossian
Founder
Americans for Artsakh
Armen Kanayan
President
Armenophobia Organization
Maro Kochinyan
Co-founder
Burbank Unified School District Board of Education
Dr. Armond Aghakhanian
Clerk
Center for Truth and Justice
Gor Mnatsakanyan, Esq.
President
Floridian Armenians
Taniel Koushakjian
Founder & Editor
Free Yezidi Foundation
Olivia Wells
Programs Director
Gagrule.net
Wally Sarkeesian
Founder
HAYREN Partners for Humanity
Bella Gharibian
House of Lords of the United Kingdom
The Baroness Cox
Independent Member
Humanitarian Aid Trust (HART)
Baroness Caroline Anne Cox
Founder President
Knights and Daughters of Vartan, Vahan Lodge
Orange County, CA
Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention
Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, PhD
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Network of Armenian Women
Houri Guldjian
Founder
Nineveh Rising
Christopher Salem
Chair
Society for Armenian Studies
Christina Maranci
President
Southern CA Armenian Democrats (SCAD)
Manuel Magpaian Esq.
President
Dr. Armond Aghakhanian
Founder, Honorary Chair of Southern CA Armenian Democrats
Southern CA Armenian Democrats (SCAD), Orange County Chapter
Dr. Kev Abazajian
President
Strive to Prosper Foundation
Hayk Markosyan
President
Yelaket Information Agency
Anush Zohrabyan
Editor in Chief
Individual Signatories
Armine Hacopian
Vahe Hacopian
Shakeh Kaftarian
Coren Shakarian
Carol L. Shakarian
Alan Shakarian
Judith Saryan
Henrick Vartanian
Nicole Muj
Zarik Hacopian
Sam Kbushyan
Mihran Toumajan
Sven Erik Rise
Garo Ghazarian, Esq.
Dr. Sevada Chamras
Giselle Chamras
Rose Grigoryan
Jacob Bournazian Esq.
Levon Thorose
Peter Bahlawanian
Oksen Babakhanian
Will Paige
Alan Whitehorn
About TAAL
TAAL is a 501©3 non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2020 due to a significant increase in anti-Armenian racism, defamation, hate crimes, and Armenophobia. We monitor and confront bias, disinformation, propaganda, and slander of the Armenian people and culture at the media level, including social media, academics, intelligentsia, and public policy.
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Truth And Accountability League (TAAL)
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