November 19, 2014
The websites of several Armenian-Canadian organizations were hacked on Nov. 16 and Azerbaijani propaganda was placed on the sites, reports the Armenian National Committee of Canada. Among the sites attacked were the "Horizon" weekly and the ANCC website. The latter has called on Canadian, provincial and regional governments to strongly condemn such heinous and racist acts.
"We need the Canadian governmental actors to publicly condemn these acts as they are becoming more and more frequent. This is not the first time that Armenian-Canadian websites have been violated by Azeri and Turkish hackers," said Dr. Girair Basmajian, president of the ANCC. "Other similar violent incidents took place in 2008, where members of Armenian youth organizations were threatened with sword and blood by Turkish and Turkic ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves."
November 19, 2014
The websites of several Armenian-Canadian organizations were hacked on Nov. 16 and Azerbaijani propaganda was placed on the sites, reports the Armenian National Committee of Canada. Among the sites attacked were the "Horizon" weekly and the ANCC website. The latter has called on Canadian, provincial and regional governments to strongly condemn such heinous and racist acts.
"We need the Canadian governmental actors to publicly condemn these acts as they are becoming more and more frequent. This is not the first time that Armenian-Canadian websites have been violated by Azeri and Turkish hackers," said Dr. Girair Basmajian, president of the ANCC. "Other similar violent incidents took place in 2008, where members of Armenian youth organizations were threatened with sword and blood by Turkish and Turkic ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves."
The ANCC said the latest attack is "all the more troubling as it took place only days after the Nov. 12 brutal shooting of an unarmed helicopter in Nagorno Karabakh Republic, killing all three Armenians on board. "This is yet another example of Azerbaijan violating the peace treaty of 1994," added Dr. Basmajian.
"On the eve of the Centennial of the Genocide of the Armenians, it is appalling that more violence is being directed against Armenians. We seem to be witnessing an escalation of violence here on Canadian soil as well," said the president of ANCC.
The ANCC also pointed out that after "last spring's dangerous action by Ottawa police in allowing provocative Turkish protestors to confront and disrupt the Armenian community's annual Genocide commemoration events by celebrating and dancing with loud music, we are particularly concerned that Canada be proactive in not tolerating or encouraging confrontation. Armenian Genocide deniers should not be given permission by Ottawa Police to silence a peaceful commemoration event."
As a country advocating peace and human rights Canada should step up, take action and prevent any escalation of violence, said the ANCC.