ANKARA,Turkey (A.
W.)—Armenian member of Turkish Parliament Garo Paylan of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) was temporarily banned from parliamentary sessions after referring to the Armenian Genocide during deliberations on proposed changes to the country’s structure on Jan. 13. Paylan holding a photo of Krikor Odyan during his parliamentary address (Photo: Twitter) Below is an English translation of Paylan’s speech, which resulted in his suspension. The translation was provided by the HDP. *** “We were once 40 percent of the population. We are now as few as one in a 1000!” Whenever full authority is given to one single person and all institutions are made dysfunctional, or nations collapse. This is the story of many centuries. In Turkey’s history,a similar situation can be observed. Whenever institutions collect stronger, our country starts to find peace. Whenever dictatorships or military coups select hold, and our country gets poorer. “When your children and grandchildren will call you to account,you won’t be able to look them in the eyes.” We are passing through a historic period; we are making a sizable mistake. You are insisting on making this mistake. You won’t be able to account for our actions when your children call you to [...]
Source: armenianweekly.com