Unified Young Armenians' (UYA) Official Condolences on the Tragic Passing of Allen Yekikian

On behalf of Unified Young Armenians (UYA), we send our sincere and heartfelt condolences on the tragic death of Allen Yekikian, a young and visionary activist for the Armenian Cause. No doubt, this is not only a loss for the Yekikian family, but also one for the entire Armenian Nation. His legacy and his work will continue. He will not be forgotten.

May 9: 21st Anniversary of Shushi's Liberation

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Aroutin Hartounian: A Response to El Vaquero's Letter to Editor Titled "Armenians Have Achieved Some, Not All, Goals"

My name is Aroutin Hartounian, and I am the president of the Unified Young Armenians (UYA), a 501 (c) 3 non-profit youth organization based in City of Glendale which for over a decade has tirelessly worked for the promotion of human rights, including but not limited to bringing forth the issue of the Armenian Genocide and demanding justice for this most heinous crime against the mankind.

Many within the community are aware of my background, my work, and my involvement in a number of organizations including the Rotary, the Glendale Police Department's Community Police Partnership Advisory Committee (C-PPAC), and others. Many are also aware that as the president of the Unified Young Armenians, I am responsible for organizing a number of Armenian Genocide commemoration events in Southern California.

As an alumni of Glendale Community College, I was disheartened to see the "letter to editor" published in El Vaquero titled "Armenians Have Achieved Some, Not All, Goals." The ideas put forth in the letter concerning the Armenian Genocide and the quest for historical justice was at a minimum ludicrous. At worst, the article was racist and filled with hatred vis-à-vis the Armenian community. It was an uneducated, unprofessional, and futile attempt at altering history. The ideas presented in that article were in line with the denialist and hatemongering propaganda of the governments of Turkey and Azerbaijan, their paid lobbyists, and their allies.

Secondly and more importantly, the letter published both in the electronic and paper copy of the El Vaquero was attributed to "Aroutin Hartounian," which matched both my first and my last names. It is noteworthy that in the recent past, there have been numerous amateurish yet concentrated efforts made in an effort to discredit me, my work of over a decade, and my beliefs which have been very clearly put forth in a number of forums, including during the various events, in a number of articles, and as apparent from the official position of Unified Young Armenians. This fake "letter to editor" is a continuation of the futile attempts to discredit me. For the sake of clarity, while the name of the individual alleged to have written that article matches both my first name and last name, I have NOT written this article and I do NOT agree with any part of that article.

It is professional and good faith practice for any newspaper to first verify the identity of the individuals sending in the "letter to editor" by contacting him or her via phone, asking his or her address, etc., before publishing a piece. While El Vaquero does not have any such verification procedure in place, this unfortunate episode will perhaps serve as a learning experience for the paper and it will hopefully revise its policy as it pertains to the publishing of such letters.

Returning to the article itself, if such an individual with the exact first and last name in fact does exist, and he holds such outlandish and racist ideas and beliefs, this surely would be a whole different topic to consider. In that case, we should categorize that letter as a futile attempt at a short lived publicity and fame. However, to combat such moral decay, as a society we would need to bring potent anti-racism programs back to our schools. That, of course will be the best case scenario.

In a second scenario, unless there is another individual with the same first and last name who the El Vaquero can successfully verify to have written this racist piece, this is nothing but a pure crime of identity theft. Surely, using the modern law enforcement tools, using the IP address logged in the email which the "letter to editor" was sent, the criminal will be found and will be brought to justice.

However, it is noteworthy that this is NOT a first. This latest act of desperation comes only days after attempts to create fake profiles on facebook and other social media networks bearing my information. This attempt also bears the same modus operandi of a number of entities which we have closely monitored in the last years. In one such episode, hackers from Azerbaijan hacked my personal accounts and attempted to publicize my personal and private information.

On a more positive note, I want to thank the City of Glendale, the Glendale Community College, and the communities living the Southern California who have been supportive of Unified Young Armenians and the mission which it has pursued. Because of the amazing work of the justice seeking individuals around the world, the Armenian Genocide has received wider recognition by governments, scholars, and institutions. Today, more than ever, the world is condemning the Turkish Government for committing the most heinous crime of Genocide against the Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians. Furthermore, unlike the author of the fake "letter to editor" titled "Armenians Have Achieved Some, Not All, Goals," today the world properly condemns the Turkish Government for the crimes of those leading it during the Armenian Genocide, from 1896 to 1923. A heinous crime was committed. As there are no statutes of limitation for the crime of murder when one person is killed, how can any entity have the audacity to say that the murder of more than 1,500,000 people should be treated less severely? There was a crime, and therefore there must be a punishment. The Turkish Government must be brave enough to accept its past and pay just reparations to the Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians. The modern Turkish Government has been unjustly enriched by illegally taking over the belongings of the Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians. Under any fair legal system, the victims of unjust enrichment must be placed in the same position as they were before they were subjected to that crime.

It is especially significant that while the governments of Turkey and Azerbaijan, and their allies, are spending millions of dollars on lobbyists in United States to alter history, brave and righteous Turkish scholars, activists and authors are supporting the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and are calling for the payment of just reparations, a position which is shared by me and my friends and colleagues at Unified Young Armenians.

Lastly, we are confident that it is the firm and widespread support of Unified Young Armenians by the public, elected officials, academics, and organizations that creates the sense of jealousy and desperation which leads to such childish attempts. Such attempts can only strengthen our resolve. We pledge to continue our work with ever greater dedication, vigor, and commitment.

Regards,

Aroutin Hartounian
President
Unified Young Armenians (UYA)

A Big "Thank You" on Behalf of Unified Young Armenians (UYA)

As the president of the Unified Young Armenians (UYA) and on behalf of Organization's leadership, I would like to thank each and every single one of our supporters, donors, and members who made the Sunday's telethon a success. Without them and their continued support of the UYA's mission over the last twelve years, we would not be where we are today.

Those who donated on Sunday (as well as in the last telethon) have once again demonstrated their appreciation of the Movement's value and their dedication to the Cause. They have given us the resources to continue fighting for human rights and historical justice. We are humbled by their trust and support.

We are also thankful to our guests and supporters, be it those who live in the US or those living in Armenia. We thank the Telethon's production team, Taguhi Tracy Oganyan, Arshak Baregam, Vartan Untamed Akopyan, Aram Ter-Martirosyan (ConnectTo Communications) and Partydj Karen, without whom the telethon would not have been possible. This team of selfless individuals worked hard day and night to put together what we all witnessed on Sunday. We are thankful to High Vision TV (Mr. George Asadorian), Best Tv (Mr. Bagrat Sargsyan & Mr. Vahag Sargsyan), New Wave Television (Mr. Ara Kazaryan), Aabctv Channel (Mr. Vrej Agajanian) for broadcasting the telethon last Sunday.

We thank our long time mentors and supporters including Ms. Nune Avetisian, Mr. Steven Juliet Hovagimian, Ms. Lucy Kalfayan, Mr. Hovik Gabikian, and Mr. Hovannes Balayan. These individuals have always been there for UYA over its decade long history.

We also thank the individuals* and organizations below:
His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian
His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Congressman Adam Schiff
CA Assemblyman Mike Gatto
LA Councilman Eric Garcetti
Councilmember Ara Najarian
Councilmember Laura Friedman
Councilmember Zareh Sinanyan
Former Councilmember and Current Glendale City Treasurer Rafi Manoukian
GUSD Board President Nayiri Nahabedian
GUSD Board Member Greg Krikorian
Glendale City Clerk Ardashes "Ardy" Kassakhian
Armen Armenchik Gondrachyan
Vakhtang Vic Darchinyan
Narbeh Nalchachian
V & K Financial Services (Vilen Tavatyan)
Allied West Paper (The Ovanessian Family)
Hi Star Auto
Car City
1in.am (Arman Babajanyan)
Flawless Laser Center
Vartan Gharpetian
GUSD Board Member Dr. Armine Gharpetian
Garo Ghazarian, Esq.
Dr. Nubar Janoian
Hovhannes Shahbazyan
Harut Hagopian
Maria Cozette
Gagik Badalyan
Karen Boksian
Artur Madoyan
Vitamin Club
Vardan Amolikyan
Sako Zelveyan
Bedros Hajian
Karen Boksian
Hasmik Khachatryan
Levon Ter-Petrosyan
Eve Olve (Yeva Haryants)
Vito Gasparyan
Arno Mrtchyan
Seroj Avoyan
Done
Davit Tovmasyan
Martik Hovakimian
Gor Vardanyan (and the Docando Federation)
Gokor Harutyunyan
Sako Chivichian
Chuko
Louise Gill
Harout Balyan
SEIU 721
Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ռամկավար Ազատական Կուսակցութիւն)
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (SDHP) (Սոցիալ Դեմոկրատ Հնչակյան Կուսակցություն) 
Armenian Bar Association 
Loyola Law School Armenian Law Student Association
United Armenian Council of Los Angeles
Allo Luv
Net Cafe
Best Choice Bail Bond
Calstar Plumbing & Rooter
Beno Blanko (and G Spot Hookah Catering)
And others...

Last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for having dedicated, hardworking, and patriotic members who went above and beyond the call of duty to make the UYA telethon a success. Each one of them deserves recognition and a standing ovation.

Sincerely,

Aroutin Hartounian
President
Unified Young Armenians (UYA)

*The names above are only a portion of the individuals who have stood by us during these last telethons. We apologize for any omissions and assure you that such omissions were not intentional.

From Hitler to Aliyev, Nothing Much Has Changed

Official Unified Young Armenians (UYA) Statement on Murder of Major Vahe Avetyan

Unified Young Armenians (UYA) condemns the heartless beating of the Armenian Armed Forces Major Vahe Avetyan which led to his death days later. We join the Major’s family and the Armenian civil society, as well as the global Armenian Diaspora in demanding justice for Major Avetyan’s death demanding all parties responsible for this tragedy to be brought to justice.

The murder of Major Avetyan was a huge loss which befell the Armenian Nation. As a nation which has survived the Armenian Genocide, we firmly believe that the Armenian state has a task of protecting the life and liberty of every single Armenian. No Armenian shall be killed in his homeland. While a civilian’s death deserves the strongest of condemnations, the murder of a soldier who is tasked with protection of our nation at a time of war is an even bigger crime. Major Avetyan was not only a soldier, but the head of the ENT Department of the Yerevan Garrison Hospital. This murder robbed the Armenian Armed Forces, the Armenian Homeland, and the Armenian Nation of a valuable and irreplaceable asset. This most heinous crime is nothing short of treason and the perpetrators need to be prosecuted and punished as such.

While we welcome the resignation of Ruben Hayrapetyan, the affluent businessmen and owner of the Harsnakar Restaurant (at which Major Avetyan was beaten to death) from the Armenian Parliament, we believe that more needs to be done. We demand a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation into this matter. We also demand the maximum punishment for the perpetrators of this crime against the Armenian Nation.

Unified Young Armenians (UYA) remains an independent and apolitical force. We do not field candidates, either in the Diaspora or in Armenia, and make no attempt to garner cheap political points by abusing this tragedy which befell the Avetyan family and our nation. From day one, we have focused on Vahe Avetyan’s murder and have demanded justice for him and his family. Our participation in the rallies held at the Armenian Consulate in Los Angeles were not in support of one political force or another. We were there for Major Avetyan. We were there to show our outrage against the phenomenon of bodyguards daring to murder Armenian military personnel who ironically and in turn are a vital part of the system which provides protection to the same bodyguards’ families, friends, and homes against foreign aggressors.

While there have been many calls for not "politicizing” this tragedy, we refuse to remain silent and not criticize the system which allows a certain group of individuals to kill with impunity. Our condemnation is not limited to leaders or members of one political party or another. This strong condemnation is not playing politics. We hope that one day our homeland will be free of a justice system that turns a blind eye to individuals considered above the law. From the highest office of the land to the poorest laborer, everyone should be equal in the eyes of law. This includes the members of the parliament and their body guards. We will continue working to this end through educational and anti-corruption campaigns which will hopefully shine light on this evil.

For the sake of the past… For the sake of the future…

Unified Young Armenians (UYA)