Armenian Genocide

Several events commemorating the anniversary of the Armenian genocide will be held in Glendale over the next several days. The genocide resulted in the murder of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1918. The main local event of the week will be a city-sponsored Armenian genocide commemoration ceremony at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd. The 90-minute event will feature several traditional Armenian dance and musical performances by local students.

It was a week Zareh Sinanyan will never forget. The man who left the Soviet Republic of Armenia as a 14-year-old a quarter century ago took his seat as a Glendale City Councilman on Monday, faced harsh criticism from residents during public comment on Tuesday over hateful comments he posted on the Internet several years ago, attended several community events in his official capacity and then sat down to clear the air. "I engaged people in conversation...

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) on Wednesday once again called on President Obama to officially recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915 - a request that for years has gone unfulfilled amid political pressure from a key NATO ally, Turkey.  The genocide of 1915 to 1918 claimed the lives of roughly 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, which became the modern republic of Turkey. Modern day Turkey disputes that genocide took place, claiming the victims were killed during the violent chaos of World War I and its aftermath.

A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that the federal court system has jurisdiction to hold Turkish banks accountable for seizing land from Armenians during the Armenian Genocide. This ruling was attached to judge Dolly M. Gee's dismissal of a lawsuit brought against the Central Bank of Turkey and T.C. Ziraat Bankasi, which is a Turkish agricultural bank, as well as the Republic of Turkey seeking roughly $65 million in damages. Rajika Shah, one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs, said that despite the dismissal, the judge's ruling handed down late last month was important because it established that if a government takes its own citizens' property during human-rights violations, it isn't immune from being sued in the U.S. courts.

At the first Glendale Unified school board election forum of the season Wednesday night, candidates discussed districtwide diversity, language programs and commemorating the Armenian genocide. About 20 people attended the event hosted and televised by the Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee. All candidates said they supported making April 24 - the day commemorating the Armenian genocide - a non-instructional day, effectively giving students the day off while district staff and teachers work on professional development and other matters.

A U.S. District Court judge ruled this week that an accounting firm can halt what so far have been unsuccessful efforts to contact 16 descendants of Armenian Genocide victims who are due payouts from an insurance fund. Judge Christina Snyder said the numerous attempts by Holthouse, Carlin, and Van Trigt to reach out to the final batch of 159 claimants had been sufficient. There is less than $500,000 left in the settlement account, according to the latest status report filed in court.

More than $1.6 million has been paid out from a compensation fund for descents of Armenian Genocide victims, according to a status report filed in a lengthy lawsuit in U.S. District Court. However, four of the 32 claimants who haven't been paid have died and attorneys are seeking direction from U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder about whether their families - who have verified their lineage to the descendants - should be paid the funds instead. Snyder is also being asked to order banks that handled past transactions from the Axa S.A. insurance settlement fund to check various forms to see if any fraudulent transactions have occurred.

The L'Eden Restaurant & Bar sits on the corner of Tampa and Madison streets in downtown Tampa, about five blocks away from where the Republican National Convention was held this week. The owner and executive chef, Gerard Jamgotchian, sat down with me on Thursday in his nearly empty establishment. “Business has been terrible, just terrible,” he said as two-dozen khaki-clad police officers walked by the large picture windows. “There is no access, no parking.” Jamgotchian, whose grandparents fled the Armenian Genocide near the turn of the century, is from Marseille, France.

While students take a break from their studies, local history teachers are using the summer holiday to brush up on a particularly relevant chapter in history. Working in conjunction with Facing History and Ourselves , an international education organization that seeks to address modern-day moral dilemmas using lessons from the past, Glendale Unified is hosting a five-day seminar examining the historical implications of the Armenian genocide. “The fact that we are able to host this workshop is awesome,” said Nancy Witt, a teacher specialist who helped facilitate the event this week.

About $2.1 million finally will be paid out from a compensation fund for descendants of Armenian Genocide victims that had been ensnared in litigation for more than a year. During a hearing Monday, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder said if attorneys agree on the plan, checks to about 100 claimants should be cut. “Let's get that done sooner, rather than later,” she said. The deal on the payout, reached between a group of attorneys who have sparred over control and accounting of the fund, comes after the firm Holthouse, Carlin and Van Tright verified the claims.