STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(OTTAWA – December 10, 2021) – Today the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) issued the following statement on the occasion of International Human Rights Day (December 10) and the 72nd anniversary of the 1948 adoption of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (December 9).
“Today the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) joins the international community in marking International Human Rights Day and the 73rd anniversary of the 1948 adoption of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
“As the largest and most influential Armenian-Canadian human rights advocacy organization, we stand firm in our resolute belief that all human beings – regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation – are entitled to the same inalienable rights and must be treated equally.
“As an organization that represents the interests of a community whose ancestors were subjected to a genocide and one that continues to be threatened by the same crime – we remain committed to strengthening our advocacy efforts towards genocide remembrance, condemnation and prevention.
“During 2021, the international community witnessed serious human rights violations and genocidal intentions throughout the world. As we continue inviting the attention of the world to condemn the genocidal intentions of the Turkish-Azerbaijani authorities, we remain deeply concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation in Ethiopia.
“Countless acts of rape, mutilation, gender-based violence and other forms of oppression and persecution of the Tigrayan minority have turned the Ethiopian conflict into a major scene of war crimes and horrific human rights abuses.
“We remain particularly concerned by the indifference of the international community and its lack of willingness to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable and by the direct involvement of genocidal states such as Turkey who have been aiding and arming the Ethiopian government.
“We call upon the Canadian Government to adopt a principled stance and take swift action against all genocidal states, and those who continue to commit human rights violations.
“We look forward to continuing our nationwide efforts in contributing to the protection of the fundamental human rights of all peoples and working with various stakeholders to prevent future atrocities and hold perpetrators to account.”
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The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Armenian-Canadian grassroots human rights organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Armenian-Canadian community on a broad range of issues and works to eliminate abuses of human rights throughout Canada and the world.
Contact: Sevag Belian (613) 235-2622 | [email protected]
