US recognition of Armenian genocide is a victory in ‘fight against denialism,’ UN told

Mher Margaryan. (Photo/Twitter: Armenia Mission to UN)
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Updated 27 April 2021
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US recognition of Armenian genocide is a victory in ‘fight against denialism,’ UN told

  • Armenia’s envoy ‘deeply grateful’ to President Joe Biden for acknowledgment of the true nature of atrocities committed during First World War
  • Members urged to ‘end century of indifference and denial’ over the genocide; reminded ‘speeches do not prevent atrocities, timely political action does.’

NEW YORK: The announcement by US President Joe Biden on Saturday recognizing the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces during the First World War as genocide not only honors the victims and their families, it is also a victory in “the fight against denialism and attempts to whitewash past crimes,” the UN was told on Monday.
Mher Margaryan, Armenia’s permanent representative to the UN, added that the decision by the administration in Washington is a contribution “for which we are deeply grateful.”
His comments came during a panel discussion organized by the Armenian mission at the UN to reflect on the legacy of US-based humanitarian organization the Near East Foundation, and the effect it has had on the evolution of humanitarian multilateralism. The foundation, which was established in 1915 to tackle the humanitarian consequences of the Armenian genocide, is one of the world’s oldest international philanthropic organizations.
“We are paying tribute to this outstanding effort, initially established with the support of the American people to help alleviate the suffering of the Armenians,” Margaryan said.
It is estimated that the systematic massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1917 led to the deaths of about 1.5 million people. The killings and mass deportations of Armenians, and other mass atrocities around the world, prompted Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin to coin the term “genocide” and initiate the Genocide Convention, which sets out the legal definition of the term. It was unanimously adopted by the UN in December 1948 and came into force in January 1951.
Margaryan said that although there has been a lot of discussion over the years about the failure of the world to prevent the Armenian genocide, “100 years on, the ability of the international community to properly identify and react to humanitarian crises is still being considerably challenged.”
He added: “Only recently, Azerbaijan and Turkey unleashed brutal, senseless violence against the Armenian people, amid the global pandemic, in an attempt to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force with the involvement of foreign terrorist fighters and mercenaries, accompanied by numerous, extensively documented war crimes.”
The envoy said the continuing detention of prisoners of war and civilian hostages by Azerbaijan, in contravention of international humanitarian law, as well as “the widespread, state-led campaign of dehumanization of Armenians (show that) genocidal ideology does not merely belong to history.”
Savita Pawnday, deputy executive director of the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect, said that genocide denial “aggravates the injuries of the past and sows the seeds of future injustice.”
While conceding that Biden’s recognition of the Armenian genocide was largely symbolic, she said that accepting the truth of genocides can help to prevent their recurrence, and is a first step toward securing justice for survivors and other victims and acknowledging the patterns of discrimination that can lead to genocide.
“Finding solutions becomes easier (with acknowledgment of genocides), whereas denial aggravates the injuries of the past and sows the seeds of future injustice (in a) world where 18 million people are currently displaced by conflict and war,” Pawnday said.
She called on all UN member states to officially recognize the Armenian genocide and “end one century of indifference and denial.”
One form denial can take, she added, is the characterization of atrocities as a “humanitarian crisis.”
“We all know that current humanitarian crises cannot be solved by blankets and bandages alone,” said Pawnday. Addressing the UN in general, she added: “Speeches do not prevent atrocities. Timely political action does.”
She highlighted the persecution of the Muslim Rohingya population in Myanmar in recent years by the military junta in the country, during which more than 700,000 Rohingya were forced to flee across the border to Bangladesh. She said it was once described by a deadlocked UN Security Council as “‘a humanitarian crisis taking place in Bangladesh’ rather than a genocide perpetrated by the Tatmadaw.”
Pawnday added: “In the multilateral sphere, viewing the crisis through a humanitarian lens is seen as apolitical and a neutral way to build consensus. Yet the reality on the ground is that humanitarian assistance is deeply political.
“The international community has become complicit in giving some perpetrators a free pass. The failure of the Security Council to adequately respond to the 2017 genocide of the Rohingya has created a climate of impunity that the generals exploited.
“The February coup is the price that the people of Myanmar are going to be paying for very long time for the international community’s failure to uphold human rights and to hold those generals accountable.”
Sarah Lea Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now and the moderator of Monday’s event, said it had been painful for the Armenian diaspora to have to “beg” for US recognition of the genocide.
But she added: “I am very grateful that (Biden) has finally taken this step, taking the genocide issue off of the political table.”
Khatchig Mouradian, a lecturer in Middle Eastern, South Asian and African studies at Columbia University in New York, challenged the widespread implicit perception of Armenians as passive recipients of violence on the one hand, and of western humanitarianism on the other.
In his book, “The Resistance Network,” he demonstrates how Armenians coordinated a “robust self-help, humanitarian resistance effort” even during the darkest hours of the genocide.
Ultimately, he said, this effort raised tremendous funds, particularly from US schools, families and Congress. He described it as “one of the bright spots of a dark history.”
Armenian activists are a crucial part of the story and should not be sidelined in the way they traditionally have been, Mouradian added, because they were the intermediaries and activists who defied fear and the Ottoman authorities, and through whose efforts aid reached those who were suffering.
“It is important to integrate this in the narrative because it has a lesson,” he said. “Every time the accomplishments of human rights organizations are being counted, it is a helpful exercise to ask: What about the local activists and humanitarian workers? Is their work being suppressed or erased from the narrative?”
This, he said, is important not only when it comes to holding the perpetrators of atrocities to account, it also helps to determine the form and future of humanitarian actions.
“What kind of world we’re going to (pass on to our) children is very much conditional on how we see ourselves — as individuals or groups or organizations — intervening,” said Mouradian.
“Do we see ourselves as leaders, and the locals are supposed to work for us and follow us as we engage in humanitarian action? Or do we stand next to the locals, allowing them to chart their own future?”
Hugo Slim, a researcher at Oxford University, called for changes to the current global humanitarian system, which he described as an “imperial, Western club system, financed almost entirely by OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries and driven in New York and Geneva by the Western groups.”
He added: “It is operated colonially by a big group of big agencies who dominate the resources and policy, and who function as an imperial elite upon a subject people around the world. Governments become contractors to this rather imperial system.”
The Near East Foundation was called The American Committee for Syrian and Armenian Relief when it was founded in 1915. It organized the world’s first major international humanitarian relief operation, supported by the US government, in response to reports of the atrocities against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. It helped save more than 132,000 Armenian orphans and more than a million refugees, and helped establish more than 400 hospitals, schools, orphanages and processing centers for refugees.
Renamed the Near East Foundation in 1930, the pioneering organization defined many of the strategies employed by leading international humanitarian groups.

 


Ceasefire talks put Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia in the spotlight, so what’s next for the nuclear power plant?

Updated 33 min 1 sec ago
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Ceasefire talks put Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia in the spotlight, so what’s next for the nuclear power plant?

  • Zelensky said the discussion with Trump had focused specifically on the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
  • It has been under Russian control since the early days of the war, making it unclear what future US involvement could look like

KYIV: During a call between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, the US leader apparently suggested Volodymyr Zelensky consider transferring ownership of Ukraine’s power plants to the US for long-term security, according to a US statement.
Briefing the media later, Zelensky said the discussion with Trump had focused specifically on the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, ZNPP, in southern Ukraine.
While the facility remains connected to Ukraine’s energy grid without producing electricity, it has been under Russian control since the early days of the war, making it unclear what future US involvement could look like.
Who controls the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant?

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is one of the world’s 10 largest and Europe’s biggest. Located in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, Russian forces occupied it shortly after Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
While Russia declared the region annexed in fall 2022, its largest city, Zaporizhzhia, remains under Ukrainian control.
Ukraine has accused Russia of stationing troops and weapons at the plant and using it as a launchpad for attacks across the Dnipro River. Russia denies this, accusing Ukraine of shelling the facility.
How many nuclear power plants does Ukraine have?
Besides Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine operates three active nuclear power plants, which generate the majority of the country’s electricity following sustained Russian attacks on thermal and hydroelectric plants.
These facilities are located in southern, western and northwestern Ukraine, away from frontline areas.
What did Trump and Zelensky discuss and are there negotiations over Zaporizhzhia’s fate?

During their call on Wednesday, Trump suggested that Zelensky should consider giving the US ownership of Ukraine’s power plants to ensure their long-term security, according to a White House statement from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
“American ownership of those plants could be the best protection for that infrastructure,” Trump suggested, according to the statement.
Zelensky later told journalists their conversation focused on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and the following day, made it clear that “the issue of ownership” of the other three plants was never discussed.
“All nuclear power plants belong to the people of Ukraine,” he said.
Zelensky said that when they discussed Zaporizhzhia, the US leader had inquired about the facility’s future. “Trump asked my thoughts on the plant,” Zelensky said. “I told him that if it is not Ukrainian, it will not operate. It is illegal.”
Even though ZNPP is a state-owned plant, Zelensky acknowledged that if the US were to claim it from Russian control, invest in it and modernize it, Ukraine might consider it. “That is a separate question, an open one,” he said.
What is the current state of Zaporizhzhia’s nuclear plant?

Since falling under Russian control, the plant’s conditions have deteriorated. While its six reactors have been shut down for years, they still require power and qualified staff to maintain cooling systems and safety features.
Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear operator, said that after Russian forces took over, Ukrainian personnel were forced to sign contracts with Russian authorities and take Russian citizenship. Those who refused faced abduction or threats, forcing thousands to flee, leaving the facility understaffed and harder to manage.
The collapse of a dam in June 2023 further jeopardized the plant’s cooling systems, which relied on water from the reservoir. In response, plant administrators dug wells, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Zelensky said extensive repairs would be needed before the plant could operate again, estimating the process could take at least two years.
The IAEA has repeatedly warned the war could cause a radiation leak. While the plant no longer produces electricity, it still holds large amounts of nuclear fuel, requiring constant cooling.
Regular blackouts caused by the fighting have disrupted the facility, though power has been quickly restored each time.
IAEA experts permanently stationed there still face restricted access, with Russian authorities blocking some inspection requests, according to IAEA head Rafael Grossi.
Is any kind of deal imminent?
Zelensky said the discussions with Trump on restoring Zaporizhzhia were a positive step, but cautioned that no one would work at the plant if Russian forces remained stationed nearby.
Control over the plant is likely to remain a legal and logistical challenge, intertwined with a highly divisive issue for both warring sides: control over the land itself. Russian troops hold the area, while Ukrainian forces are separated from it by the Dnipro River and more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) of terrain.
“Simply handing over the plant while everything within a meter of it remains occupied or armed by Russia — no one will work under such conditions,” Zelensky said after the call with Trump. “It’s impossible.”
He said there would be no way to operate securely in such a scenario. “That would mean that the plant could start operating tomorrow, only to be blown up by the Russians the following day.”


UK police chiefs warn of increased Islamophobia as British government defunds Tell Mama service

Updated 20 March 2025
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UK police chiefs warn of increased Islamophobia as British government defunds Tell Mama service

  • Tell Mama, the UK’s leading anti-Muslim hate-monitoring service, faces imminent closure unless the decision is reversed

LONDON: Senior police officials have issued a warning that the British government’s plans to cut funding for Tell Mama, the UK’s leading anti-Muslim hate-monitoring service, could severely impact efforts to tackle Islamophobia.

The charity, which has been entirely funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government since its establishment in 2015, faces imminent closure unless the decision is reversed, The Times reported on Thursday.

Earlier this year, Tell Mama recorded the highest number of anti-Muslim hate incidents in its history.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has urged the government to reconsider, stressing the charity’s “invaluable” role in providing police forces with critical data.

The NPCC, which has a data-sharing agreement with Tell Mama, says the organization’s work has been instrumental in preventing hate-fueled social disorder.

“This research lays bare the hostility and abuse faced by many in our Muslim communities,” said Mark Hobrough, NPCC lead for hate crime and chief constable of Gwent police.

“Our longstanding and trusted relationships with key partners like Tell Mama have been invaluable amidst these events, and I am confident that the strength of our partnerships will continue to help us reassure communities and bring hate crime offenders to justice.

“We all have a right to live our lives free from targeted abuse, and I would urge anyone who suffers anti-Muslim hate crime to report it to the police or to Tell Mama.”

Experts in policing and hate crime have echoed concerns about the consequences of defunding Tell Mama. Mike Ainsworth, chair of the National Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime for Policing and Criminal Justice, warned against downplaying the seriousness of Islamophobia in Britain.

“Tell Mama have provided the clearest picture we have of the extent of anti-Muslim hate crime and prejudice in the country,” he said. “It’s an uncomfortable picture to look at, but it is essential that we do not look away.

“The figures are stark, but they help us understand the scale of the problem and what we must do to move forward. Tell Mama have provided the foundations that government departments and the legal justice system must build on to restore trust and confidence.”

Tell Mama’s founder, Fiyaz Mughal, expressed frustration over what he saw as a failure by British ministers to appreciate the organization’s vital role in tackling hate crime.

“Tell Mama has worked tirelessly with many police forces in the United Kingdom,” he said. “We have met with officers from every corner of the country and met committed, dedicated, and true professionals who have tried to get victims of anti-Muslim hate access to justice.

“They are the unsung heroes with the victims themselves, and some people, including a handful of politicians, reduce our work to numbers and figures and disrespect the whole picture of the range of activities, statutory agencies, and the good men and women in law enforcement in our country that we work with on a daily basis.”

Tell Mama has yet to receive £500,000 from last year’s government grant. While discussions about a potential six-month extension to its funding are ongoing, there is no guarantee the charity will be able to continue its operations.

Despite the widespread criticism, the government has maintained that it remains committed to tackling religious hatred.

An Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Religious and racial hatred has absolutely no place in our society, and we will not tolerate Islamophobia in any form.

“That’s why we will tackle religiously motivated hate crime and provide a comprehensive service to monitor Anti-Muslim Hatred, so we can deliver on the government’s Plan for Change mission for safer streets.

“We will soon be opening a call for grant applications to ensure we can meet the challenges communities face today and continue to provide support for victims, with further detail to be set out in due course.”


Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old

Updated 20 March 2025
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Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old

  • 8-year-old victim died after battling for her life for almost a week in hospital
  • New law halves investigation and trial time, removes DNA test requirement

DHAKA: Bangladesh passed a new law on Thursday, expediting the investigation and trial process in rape cases. The move follows nationwide outrage after an eight-year-old girl was raped and subsequently died from her injuries.

The girl, from Magura in southwestern Bangladesh, was staying at the house of her elder sister-in-law when the incident took place in early March. She was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka in a critical condition and died six days later.

The news of her death sparked protests across the country. As her body was taken for burial in Magura, thousands of people gathered in the city to participate in her funeral prayers.

An absentee funeral was also held for her at Dhaka University, followed by a protest march.

The incident resulted in mounting pressure on the government to reform laws related to rape and the safety of women and children.

The first law to be amended was the Women and Children Repression Prevention Ordinance, which was passed by Bangladesh’s Advisory Council — the highest institution of its interim government led by Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus.

“To ensure speedy trial and punishment of rape suspects, this reform was necessary. It will also help in ensuring proper investigation,” Azad Majumder, the chief adviser’s deputy press secretary, told Arab News.

The new law reduces the investigation period of rape cases from 30 days to 15 days and the time for completing the trial from 180 days to 90 days.

Under the law, a special tribunal will be dedicated to handling child rape cases.

Judges will also be allowed to proceed with trials based on medical certificates and circumstantial evidence without requiring DNA tests. The tests were previously mandatory for the trial to begin, even though samples were not always available as it often takes time for victims or their families to register a case.

“Earlier, the trial process had to wait for the DNA profiling report of the accused. But now the trial can begin based on circumstantial evidence,” Majumder said.

The rape of minors is punishable by death in Bangladesh.

More than 5,600 reports of the rape of girls aged below 18 were filed across the country in the past 10 years, according to data from Ain o Salish Kendra — a key women and children’s group in Bangladesh. However, the numbers are unlikely to reflect reality as many victims do not report the crime.

Part of the problem, according to advocate Elina Khan from the Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation, is the slow response by police.

“The investigation process demands extra care and attention. Sometimes, our police stations don’t respond immediately to rape cases. If their responses were quick, evidence collection would be easier and investigation would also take less time,” she told Arab News.

“Authorities should also improve logistical preparations in court, especially to protect the child from emotional distress and psychological harm during the hearing. The child should be brought to court with care, considering the psychological impact on the victim.”

She said she also expected more accountability from law enforcement officials if the new law was to have any effect.

“The ordinance doesn’t say anything about what will happen if an investigation officer fails to complete the investigation process within the guided timeframe. Investigators should be held accountable for failing to investigate within the time,” Khan said.

“We have the appropriate human resources in this regard. We just need to engage them all. If we can ensure the proper application of the law, monitoring from the authority and accountability of the responsible persons, justice can be swiftly delivered.”


Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old

Updated 20 March 2025
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Bangladesh passes new women, child protection law after rape and death of 8-year-old

  • Eight-year-old girl died after battling for her life for almost a week in hospital
  • New law halves investigation and trial time, removes DNA test requirement

DHAKA: Bangladesh passed on Thursday a new law expediting the investigation and trial process in rape cases, following nationwide outrage after the rape of an eight-year-old girl who died of her injuries.

The girl from Magura was staying at the house of her elder sister’s in-laws, when the incident took place in early March. She was admitted to hospital in critical condition to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka, where she died after six days.

The news of her death last week set off protests across the country. As her body was taken for burial in Magura, thousands of people gathered in the city to participate in her funeral prayers.

An absentee funeral was also held for her at Dhaka University, followed by a protest march.

The incident resulted in mounting pressure on the government to reform laws related to rape, and women and children’s safety.

The first law to be amended was the Women and Children Repression Prevention Ordinance, which was passed by Bangladesh’s Advisory Council — the highest institution of its interim government led by Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus.

“To ensure speedy trial and punishment of rape suspects, this reform was necessary. It will also help in ensuring proper investigation,” Azad Majumder, deputy press secretary of the chief adviser, told Arab News.

The new law reduces the investigation period of rape cases from 30 days to 15 days and the time for completing the trial from 180 days to 90 days.

Under the law, a special tribunal will be dedicated to handling child rape cases.

Judges will also be allowed to proceed with trials based on medical certificates and circumstantial evidence, without requiring DNA tests, which were previously mandatory for the trial to begin, even though samples were not always available, as it often takes time for victims or their families to register a case.

“Earlier, the trial process had to wait for the DNA profiling report of the accused. But now the trial can begin based on circumstantial evidence,” Majumder said.

The rape of minors is punishable by death in Bangladesh.

More than 5,600 reports of rape of girls aged below 18 were filed across the country in the past 10 years, according to data from Ain o Salish Kendra — a main women’s and children’s group in Bangladesh.

The numbers are unlikely to reflect the reality as many victims do not report the crime.

Part of the problem, according to advocate Elina Khan from the Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation, is the slow response of the police.

“The investigation process demands extra care and attention. Sometimes, our police stations don’t respond immediately to rape cases. If their responses were quick, evidence collection would be easier, and investigation would also take less time,” she told Arab News.

“Authorities should also improve logistical preparations in court, especially to protect the child from emotional distress and psychological harm during the hearing. The child should be brought to court with care, considering the psychological impact on the victim.”

She was also expecting more accountability from law enforces for the new law to have an actual effect.

“The ordinance doesn’t say anything about what will happen if an investigation officer fails to complete the investigation process within the guided timeframe. Investigators should be held accountable for failing to investigate within the time,” Khan said.

“We have the appropriate human resources in this regard. We just need to engage them all. If we can ensure the proper application of the law, monitoring from the authority and accountability of the responsible persons, justice can be swiftly delivered.”


Captive Ukrainians address Russian court in emotional statements

Updated 20 March 2025
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Captive Ukrainians address Russian court in emotional statements

  • Moscow has also taken an unknown number of civilians into Russia from occupied Ukrainian territory
  • “I have never served in the Ukrainian army, I served in the Soviet army, more than 30 years ago,” Oleg Zharkov, whom prosecutors want to jail for 19.5 years, told the court

WARSAW: Four Ukrainian men taken captive by Russia at the start of its invasion gave emotional statements in court this week as they faced massive sentences for “seizure of power” and terrorism, Russian media reported Thursday.
Two of the four left the Ukrainian army years before Moscow launched its full-scale attack in 2022, while another had never taken up arms, according to the Mediazona news outlet.
On top of taking thousands of Ukrainian troops captive since launching its 2022 attack, Moscow has also taken an unknown number of civilians into Russia from occupied Ukrainian territory.
“I have never served in the Ukrainian army, I served in the Soviet army, more than 30 years ago,” Oleg Zharkov, whom prosecutors want to jail for 19.5 years, told the court, according to a transcript published by the Mediazona website Thursday.
“It’s no secret that in any military unit not only soldiers work but electricians, plumbers, handymen... People like me.”
The four spoke at a military court in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don late Wednesday, most of whom were captured during the 2022 siege of Mariupol.
All of them served in Ukraine’s Azov battalion — banned in Russia — at various points in time, some of whom worked in civilian roles supporting the army such as cooks or plumbers.
They are among 24 accused of taking part in a terrorist organization and trying to overthrow Russian authorities — despite not living in Russian territory before their arrest. Two of the other 20 were exchanged in prisoner swaps, while one died in custody last year.
Oleksandr Mukhin, facing 22 years, served in the Azov battalion for a year between 2017 and 2018.
“I’m a former serviceman, let’s start from that,” he said. He was working as a security guard when Moscow attacked.
He said he was taken from his home in Mariupol in March 2022 by “some people, beaten, put a sack on my head and taken away.”
“On Russophobia... How can I criticize someone for speaking Russian when I’m a Russian speaker?“
Soldier Mykyta Tymonin said he had seen torture in custody.
“Sitting in Rostov, you do not feel that there is a war between Russia and Ukraine, and in Ukraine people feel it: many people die, children. Many families are forced to go abroad,” he said.
Anatoliy Grytsyk said he had been a soldier his whole professional life and served in Bosnia, Kuwait and Kosovo.
He said his wife had been “shot in the street in front of him.”
“I cannot tell people what I feel, what I went through, what your country did to mine,” he said.
“God forbid you ever feel this.”