NEWS

Europa Nostra Award ceremony was held in Istanbul because of the ongoing curfew in Diyarbakir. Speaking at the ceremony, Diyarbakir Surp Giragos Armenian Church Foundation Chair Ergun Ayık said, “We wish we held this ceremony in our church. We miss the good old days.”

The expert report about Diyarbakir Bar Association Chair Tahir Elçi, who was shot dead, is prepared 5 months after the murder. In the report, it is stated that it cannot be “medically or physically” known who shot Elçi.

First Secretary of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP) Thomas Oppermann said, “On June 2, Bundestag will make a decision recognizing the mass killing of Armenians during World War I as genocide.”

101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was commemorated with Aurora Prize, which is one of the most innovative events of the year and named after Aurora Mardiganian, a genocide survivor who witnessed the killing of her relatives. The winner of the prize that was granted for the first time is Marguerite Barankitse (Maggy), who saved hundreds of orphans' lives during the civil war in Burundi.

Surp Giragos Church won 2015 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award for its restoration, but cannot receive it because of the curfew in Sur. The ceremony will be held in Istanbul on May 5.

In the trial of the public officials who are responsible for Dink murder, which was held on April 19, the demand for recusal of the suspects is refused.

HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ, during the group meeting of HDP, apologized for the Armenian Genocide. Yüksekdağ said, “On 101st anniversary of the genocide, we apologize to Armenian people. We apologize to Aunt Elizabeth, to Uncle Krikor. We apologize to our friend, comrade Garo and to our sister Roza.”

Graduated from Köln University History Department, Sandy Zurikyan recently completed her thesis on East Germany and Armenian Genocide. We spoke to Zurikyan, who was also a former culture and arts editor of Agos, about the Armenian Genocide's repercussions in Eastern Germany.

Aurora Prize is given at a ceremony held in Yerevan on April 24. Marguerite Barankitse, who established Maison Shalom Orphanage for children who are orphaned because the civil war in Burundi, is awarded.