Setback for Armenian political prisoners
1985 1985-08Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 12 →
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12 SOCIALIST ACTION AUGUST 1985 TORONTO-On the eve of the May 2 Ontario election, the province's attorney-general reimposed attempted-murder charges against three jailed Armenian political prisoners awaiting trial in Ottawa.
The recent "preferred indictment" overturned an earlier preliminary hearing ruling that had brought Harout Kevork, Raffic Balian, and Haig Gharakhanian to trial on a lesser "conspiracy to commit murder" count. The charges arose from the Ottawa shooting of Turkish diplomat Kani Gungor in 1982.
The three Armenian activists, partisans of a unified, socialist Armenia and opponents of terrorism, are expected to go on trial on Sept. 23. They have been held in detention since March 12, 1984.
The continuing persecution of the three, denial of bail, and the new indictment are part of an effort by the authorities to produce a scapegoat in their "war on terrorism".
These repressive measures fall in line with the current anti-Armenian hysteria campaign generated by the media and right-wing politicians. Unfortunately, right-wing Armenian nationalists have recently fueled this reactionary campaign.
On March 12 three members of the so-called Armenian Revolutionary Army seized the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa, killing a Pinkerton guard. Soon after, in the days leading up to April 1, Toronto was convulsed by a massive subway bomb hoax which was put forward by a mysterious group called the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Our Homeland.
Kevork, Balian, and Gharakhanian have nothing to do with these right wingers. They've repeatedly denounced the latest round of terrorist actions. But the three activists are a convenient target for the Canadian authorities, espe Return to 3435 Army St.
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Many see the harassment of the activists, and of the Armenian community as a whole, as an act of appeasement by the Canadian government toward its NATO ally and nuclear-reactor customer Turkey. The right-wing Turkish government still refuses to acknowledge the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians.
The Committee in Defense of Armenian Political Prisoners is demanding that the charges be dropped and the activists freed, with full compensation for wrongful prosecution and detention. Contributions to the defense fund or requests for more information should be forwarded to: Committee in Defense of Armenian Political Prisoners, 350 Seneca Hill Dr., Apt. 1703, Willowdale, Ontario M2J 4S7.
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