ANCC Condemns Turkey's interference in Canadian freedom of press

The Armenian National Committee of Canada strongly opposes the Turkish Embassy’s call for the resignation of Thomas Saras, president of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada.

“This is a blatantly undiplomatic attempt at quashing freedom of expression in another country,”Jean Meguerditchian, president of the ANCC, said. “The Turkish Embassy outsteps its rights when it exerts pressure on Canadian organizations,” he added.

According to a March 2007 edition of the Canadian Turkish-language newspaper CanadaTurk, the Turkish Embassy has mailed the council recommending that Saras leave his post. In Turkey, speaking of the Armenian Genocide can have one thrown in jail thanks to Article 301 of the Penal Law Code which forbids “insulting Turkishness”. Recently Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who had been prosecuted under the law, was asassinated by shadowy ultranationalist forces for speaking the truth.

The NEPMCC publicly condemned both the murder and the Turkish state for creating and sustaining the oppressive climate that led to it, as well as failing to heed Dink’s claims that his life was in danger.

"Since Turkey can’t enforce its abusive law 301 on Canadian soil, it’s unjustly trying to perpetuate genocide denial through other means, like calling on M. Saras’ resignation,” Meguerditchian said.

In 2004 the Turkish Embassy had exerted pressure on the NEPMCC when the latter passed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide.

“From now on, the ANCC will denounce any future attempt by the Turkish Embassy to outstep its rights,” Meguerditchian said. “Let Turkey deal with its own vast problems regarding freedom of expression before it even considers preaching to others,” he concluded.

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