Yellow Ribbon Campaign

The Yellow Ribbon Campaign is an effort by American-Armenians living in Armenia to call for an end to the silence of our friends about the Armenian Genocide.

Press Release

Yellow Ribbon Campaign

In the end, we will remember not the words of our
enemies, but the silence of our friends.
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

During the last few years we have witnessed several disturbing examples of diplomats and representatives who have publicly denied the Armenian Genocide.

• In 2002 Israeli Ambassador to Armenia Rivka Cohen made a statement disassociating the Armenian Genocide from the Jewish Holocaust, thereby questioning the fact of the Armenian Genocide.
• In 2004, the United Kingdom Ambassador to Armenia, Thorda Abbott Watt, twice denied the Armenian Genocide during her tenure, causing outrage among Armenians both in Armenia and the Diaspora.

The third instance differs from the previous two examples in that the Ambassador of one of our ally nations was punished by that same country for speaking the truth;

• Last year U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans held meetings with Armenian Diaspora communities in the United States. During these meetings, Ambassador Evans had the courage to call for an end to word games, expressed his conviction for calling things by their name and called for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Following these statements, several punishments by the U.S. State Department ensued: initially the Ambassador was forced to publicly "take back" his words and to apologize. Now, and most hurtful to us is the fact that Ambassador Evans is being recalled for speaking out the whole truth about the Armenian Genocide.

Such disrespectful actions against the Armenian nation will continue if we do not put an end to such diplomatic denial by these nations.

The Yellow Ribbon Campaign has been organized to shatter the silence surrounding the Armenian Genocide.

Why a Yellow Ribbon Campaign? Because the color yellow signifies hope for the future. With this campaign we appeal to the world, specifically to the nations we consider our friends, to end such insensitive policies and silence towards the pain of an entire nation.

In this regard, we would like to remember the poignant words spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends…a time comes when silence is betrayal."

We call out to the Armenian nation to join this campaign.

Organized by Armenian-Americans in
Armenia and Friends

How to Participate in the Yellow Ribbon Campaign:

On April 24th, along the right side of the road leading to the Genocide Monument there will be five rows of 100 meter long ropes. As a sign of participation, those who would like to join this campaign should tie a yellow ribbon, which will be distributed on the spot by the organizers.