Turkish human rights defender who acknowledged Armenian Genocide nominated for Nobel Prize

Several Swedish MPs have applied to the Nobel Peace Committee with the proposal to give the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to famous Turkish human rights defender Ragip Zarakolu.

As the Turkish Evrensel website informs, the Swedish MPs mentioned in their proposal that Zarakolu published materials on the Armenian Genocide and the Kurdish issue which are taboos in Turkey. He has been sentenced for that publications several times.

One month ago Zarakolu has sent a letter to the Turkish parliament calling them to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.

“Yes, Turkey must face its history. It is not only an obligation towards the victims but also a duty for securing healthy way of thinking for the society. The acknowledgement of the genocide will not belittle Turkey but will strengthen it,” Zarakolu wrote.

Ragip Zarakolu is a known human rights defender and publisher in Turkey. Many materials on the Armenian Genocide have been published in his Belge publishing house. On February in 2011 Zarakolu visited Armenia.


(2012-02-03/news.am)