Some 50 international scholars of Genocide and Diaspora Studies have issued a formal statement, which appeared in the latest issue of the journal Genocide Studies and Prevention (Vol. 6, No. 3), endorsing the work of the Zoryan Institute in systematically combating the policy of denial by the Turkish State and keeping the truth of the Armenian Genocide at the forefront of attention of scholars, educators, opinion and policy-makers, and the public at large.
“We wish to express publicly our great appreciation for the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies and its parent organization, the Zoryan Institute, for their thirty years of academic work in the field of genocide and human rights studies. In the face of the continuing problem of genocide in the twenty-first century, the Institute is to be commended for its service to the academic community and is recognized by scholars for providing leadership and a support structure in promoting the cause of universal human rights and the prevention of genocide. We urgently call upon all foundations and organizations worldwide concerned with these issues, as well as individuals committed to preventing this heinous crime, to provide financial support for this world class academic institution. If the Institute is to continue its invaluable scholarly and educational undertakings, it must secure its financial foundation by raising funds for an endowment and its annual operations,” the declaration says.
“For the past thirty years, the Institute has maintained an ambitious program to collect archival documentation, conduct original research, and publish books and periodicals. It also conducts university-level educational programs in the field of Genocide and Human Rights Studies, taking a comparative and interdisciplinary approach in its examination of the Jewish Holocaust, the Cambodian Genocide, and the Rwandan Genocide, among others, using the Armenian Genocide as a point of reference. In the process, using the highest academic standards, the Institute has strived to understand the phenomenon of genocide, establish the incontestable, historical truth of the Armenian Genocide and raise awareness of it among academics and opinion-makers.”
“We appeal to the global community, foundations, organizations, business leaders, and national and international institutions to show their tangible and generous support for this highly respected academic institution,” says the document signed by Varouj Aivazian (University of Toronto), Israel W. Charny (Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide Jerusalem, Israel), Vahakn N. Dadrian (Zoryan Institute Conesus, New York), John Evans (Former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Washington, DC) and others.
