The Armenian Mirror-Spectator has received a protest letter from the Turkish Embassy, dated June 28, 2011, regarding the publication of the obituary of the late Vergin Mazmanian, who was a vocal witness of the Armenian Genocide until her last breath at the age of 103.
It seems that one statement in that obituary has touched some raw nerves at the Turkish Embassy, as evidenced in the letter, which we have reproduced here below. Rauf Alp. R. Denktas, counselor and spokesman for the embassy, finds “reckless and irresponsible” the statement in the obituary that at one point Ms. Mazmanian had been harassed by the Turkish Embassy.
It is very good news that Turkish Embassy monitors Armenian publications by paid staff members and reacts immediately to statements which contain “falsehoods” in their judgment.
Ms. Mazmanian is no longer alive. Common sense dictates that criminals have more reason to falsify facts than their victims. But, Mr. Denktas goes further to counsel us “to promote civility.”
Turning back the tables, we are entitled to ask how much of that “civility” did the Turks exercise in murdering Ms. Mazmanian’s parents, along with 1.5 million Armenians?
They certainly may regret that Vergin was left alive to embarrass the Turks for the rest of her long life.
