They made me target again – Garo Paylan

In an interview with Tert.am, Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish parliament who was temporarily banned from sessions over recent remarks, shared his comments on the scandal surrounding his personality, justifying his position on the Armenian Genocide.

Paylan said that the scandal rose after he said, at the debate over constitutional reforms, that the Turkish authorities annihilated four nations – Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and Jews – in the early 20th century.

“What I said to them was that we made up 40% of the population then - instead of the 0.9% now. I referred to those events as ‘genocide’ and said ‘you can use any wording you like’.”

Paylan, who represents the pro-Kurdish Democratic Party in the Majilis, was suspended from three sessions after the controversial speech. His statements were later removed from the sessions’ protocols.

“Sadly enough, they made me a target again. I am in danger. But everybody else is in danger in Turkey,” he said, expressing concerns over deeper anti-nationalist sentiments in the wake of the constitutional referendum.

The proposed amendments, if adopted, will doom dissidents to silence, establishing a fascist regime in the country, the lawmaker noted.

He added that the Armenians in Turkey and he personally are concerned about the community’s future. “My concern is not limited only to the Armenian community; I am concerned also about the other religious minorities.”

Paylan said he was suspended after nationalists’ threats to vote down the constitutional reforms if he wasn’t punished. “It wasn’t normal,” he added.

But despite the dominating attitudes, Paylan says he has supporters among the democrats, as well as the Armenians in the country.

Paylan added that he is committed to work in the same way in parliament after facing the sanctions. “After the assassination of Hrant Dink, people are afraid to use ‘genocide’. So what we now need is a new generation which will have the brevity to speak about genocide in parliament, and through the media – newspapers and television,” he said.