SYDNEY: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) has welcomed the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) recent screening of a documentary entitled ‘Journey to my Homeland’, in which the Armenian Genocide was referred to accurately, minus the denialist qualifier ‘alleged’.
ANC Australia condemned the ABC last month for screening a documentary called ‘Family Footsteps – Armenia’, in which the narrator constantly used the term ‘alleged’ when referring to the Armenian Genocide.
The ABC denied any wrongdoing in their response, claiming the Armenian Genocide was a disputed fact, despite letters of protest from the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the Hon. Maxine McKew MP (ALP), the Hon. Joe Hockey MP (LIB) and offended members of the Armenian-Australian community.
However on Sunday October 5th, the ABC broadcast a different documentary entitled ‘Journey to my Homeland’, during which internationally-acclaimed Opera Singer and Diasporan-Armenian Isabelle Bayrakdarian travelled from Canada to Armenia where she held operatic concerts and explored her ancestral homeland.
During this documentary Bayrakdarian visited the Armenian Genocide Museum and discussed the tragedy of the Armenian Genocide. Throughout the program the events of 1915 were accurately described as the ‘Armenian Genocide’, thus reaffirming the ABC’s position regarding the Armenian Genocide and the incontestable historical truth of that fact.
ANC Australia president Mr. Varant Meguerditchian said: “Although the ABC has not formally acknowledged the original offence it has somewhat redeemed itself in the eyes of Armenian-Australian community.â€
“ANC Australia pledges to maintain close monitoring of ABC broadcasts relating to the Armenian Genocide and expects that the ABC’s references to the Armenian Genocide will henceforth continue to be a factual description of those events,†he added.
