ANC UK Newsletter April 2023 - Armenian National Committee of United Kingdom

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ANC UK Newsletter
April 2023

Armenian Genocide Commemoration Events in London

Get involved in the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Events in London
Write to your MP to urge the UK government to recognise the Armenian Genocide and to alert them of Azerbaijan’s latest aggression against Armenia and Artsakh and their state policy of ethnic cleansing
Lord McInnes questions the Government on Lachin Corridor Closure
Baroness Cox questions the Government on Azeri aggression against Armenia and Artsakh

Armenian Genocide Commemoration Events 2023

April 24th marks the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Please see above the Armenian Genocide commemoration events being organised in London this year. We would like to ask you to make every effort to attend as many of these as possible and show support for our nation, especially in light of the current Azerbaijani military aggression, it’s expansionist and ethnic cleansing policy and the Blockade of Berdzor Corridor. It’s a time to pay tribute to the memory of those who perished during the first genocide of the 20th century that claimed the lives of 1.5 million innocent Armenians massacred by the Ottoman Empire, while also raising awareness about the Armenian Genocide which to this date continues to be denied by the Turkish government. We remember and demand justice for the atrocities committed.

The Armenian Genocide Commemoration events include the Annual March on Saturday 22 April, Divine Liturgy at Saint Yeghiche Armenian Church on Sunday 23 April, Protest against the continued blockade of Artsakh in front of the Embassy of Azerbaijan and a Vigil outside of the Embassy of Turkey both on Monday 24 April, as well as the wreath laying ceremony by Parliamentarians on Wednesday 26 April 2023.

In addition, we are organising a joint event for the parliamentarians, with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Genocide Prevention and Crimes Against Humanity on 26 April where parliamentarians will participate in a discussion on “Forgotten Genocides”. The discussion will cover Armenian (past and present), Uighur, Ahmadi, West Papua, Yazidi, and Tigray genocides. Discussions will be held on historic, legal and policy aspects of genocide.

Write to your MP!

Please write to your MP to urge the UK government to join other countries in formally recognising the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide has been recognised by the United States, Canada , France, Germany and most of the European countries, as well the devolved parliaments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). Global Britain must follow its allies and formally recognise the Armenian Genocide.

Please also write to your MP to alert them of (1) the inhumane, illegal blockade of Artsakh which denies the human rights of the 120,000 population of Artsakh; and (2) Azerbaijan’s latest military attack against Armenia in Tegh, which resulted in four innocent Armenian soldiers being killed. We have prepared a draft email which takes less then 30 seconds to fill out if you would like to alert your MP of the blockade of Artsakh – please follow this link to send it: https://ancuk.org.uk/take-action/write-to-your-mp/.

*Photo of David Ghahramanyan

How to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide on your social media page

This Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day is of critical importance, as Armenians face renewed persecution and ethnic cleansing over the past months. To help raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide on social media, repost the images above with the following hashtags: #ArmenianGenocide #NeverAgain #RecognisetheArmenianGenocide #JusticeforArmenians

For your caption, you can use the following examples:

Example 1: Today we commemorate the 108th anniversary of the #ArmenianGenocide, which saw the systematic murder and ethnic cleansing of over half of the Armenian, Assyrian, Greek and other minority populations of the Ottoman Empire. I stand with my constituents #RecognisetheArmenianGenocide

Example 2: Every year on 24th April we remember the 1.5 million victims of the #ArmenianGenocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. #RecognisetheArmenianGenocide #JusticeforArmenians

Example 3: I stand with my British-Armenian community and call upon our government to finally recognise the #ArmenianGenocide and correct a 108-year injustice. #NeverAgain

Please see our website for more details:

https://ancuk.org.uk/take-action/raise-armenian-genocide-awareness/

Lord McInnes to ask His Majesty’s Government on Lachin (Berdzor) Corridor closure

Lord McInnes of Kilwinning, Scottish Conservative politician and member of the House of Lords and Vice Chair for the APPG for Armenia asked His Majesty’s Government what steps it has taken since 1 March regarding the closure of the Lachin Corridor. The question is currently awaiting response from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He received the following reply from the Minister.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon – The UK Government has repeatedly called for immediate action to re-open the Lachin Corridor and restore the flow of goods and people into Nagorno-Karabakh. In a statement to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 2 March, our Ambassador stated that the parties to the conflict must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict and to resolve all outstanding tensions. The UK Government will continue to emphasise this message in further official engagement with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months.

On 27 and 30 March 2023 Baroness Cox asked His Majesty’s Government a number of important questions in relation to Azeri aggression against the Republics of Artsakh and Armenia

Baroness Cox, member of the House of Lords and Vice Chair of the APPG for Armenia, asked His Majesty’s Government the following questions:

1. What representations the Government has made to the government of Azerbaijan in respect of reports of open fire from Azerbaijani combat positions on Armenian civilians completing agricultural work in the villages of Sos, Tagavard, and Machkalashen on 23, 24 and 26 March.

2. Further to the ruling of the International Criminal Court on 22 February that the government of Azerbaijan must end the blockade of the Lachin corridor, what representations His Majesty’s Government is making to the government of Azerbaijan regarding the opening of the Lachin Corridor.

3. What representations the Government plans to make to the government of Azerbaijan for the immediate release of all Armenian Prisoners of War.

4. Further to reported violations of human rights in Azerbaijan recorded by Amnesty International and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), what plans they have, if any, to introduce more comprehensive sanctions on Azerbaijan than the 1992 OSCE arms embargo, refined in 2014.

5. What plans the Government has made, if any, to request that the UN send a fact-finding mission (1) to determine, and (2) to report on, the detention conditions of Armenian Prisoners of War in Azerbaijan.

6. What plans the Government has made to work with international partners to arrange the deployment of UN Peacekeepers in Artsakh.

7. What discussions the Government has made with government of Azerbaijan about opening of Lachin Corridor in both directions, further to the International Court of Justice’s Order of provisional measures on the application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; and what assurances they have received from the government of that country on the matter.

Please give today to help our campaigns

To continue our ever growing work in lobbying we urgently need funds to have paid staff. All our efforts are done on voluntary basis. Please donate so we can carry on working for the Armenian Cause and raise concerns of the British Armenian community.

Why Donate?

The Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom (ANC-UK) is the largest and most influential British-Armenian political grassroots organisation.

Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Britain and affiliated organisations around the world, ANC-UK actively advances the concerns of the British-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.

The work achieved by ANC-UK is currently on a volunteer basis. However, we are hopeful that in the coming years through the financial support of our community, the ANC-UK chapter will have the necessary funds to open a full-time office employing an Executive Director and a part-time Administrative Assistant.

Setting up an ANC-UK office will allow for our organisation’s goals to be achieved as they have been throughout the diaspora in the United States of America, Canada, Australia and Europe.

As a grassroots organisation, we rely upon you, our community and friends for financial assistance to advance our cause. Your donations support our goal of having a full-time office, to advocate on issues important to all British-Armenians and the Armenian cause.

Thank you for your consideration of our request for your support.

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