Past Events

JOURNALIST HRANT DINK OF ISTANBUL FEATURED AT ARMENIAN BAR ASSOCIATION’S MID-YEAR MEETING IN PHILADELPHIA, OCTOBER 28, 2006

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Hrant Dink, an Armenian journalist from Istanbul, Turkey, was a featured guest and joined a number of judges, lawyers, professors and law students at the Armenian Bar Association’s Midyear National Meeting in Philadelphia, on October 28, 2006 at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown hotel.

Dink is the editor of the Turkish and Armenian language weekly newspaper “Agos.” In 2005, he was convicted of violating Article 301 of Turkey’s penal code for commenting on the Armenian Genocide, and allegedly “insulting the Turkish identity.” The verdict received international attention, since the alleged violation constituted the suppression of free speech by Turkey, a country which is seeking admission to the European Union. Dink received a standing ovation from those in attendance for his principled stand on freedom of speech issues, and the risk he has taken in Turkey to continue his fight for free speech.

Dink was joined by Gregory Magarian, a Professor of Constitutional Law at Villavona, in presenting a lecture on “Free Speech and the Armenian Genocide.” Magarian is a prominent speaker on First Amendment topics and rights of the media, and is a former law clerk to US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

Line Abrahamian, the Associate Editor of Reader’s Digest Magazine Canada, and the author of the acclaimed article on the Armenian Genocide entitled “My Journey from Hate to Hope,” was the keynote luncheon speaker at the conference. Abrahamian’s article is featured in the October, 2006 issue of Reader’s Digest Canada. She captivated the audience with the story of how she came to write the article. The publication has a circulation of eight million.

The controversial area of changing laws in the immigration field was the topic of another lecture at the meeting. Ira Kurzban, past President and former General Counsel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association was a featured guest. Kurzban has been named by the National Law Journal as one of the top 20 immigration lawyers in the United States. He is an adjunct faculty member in Immigration and Nationality Law at the University of Miami School of Law and Nova University School of Law.

Kurzban was joined on the panel by Alice Yardum-Hunter, another nationally recognized expert in the immigration field, and a past lecturer for the Armenian Bar Association. Hunter is a certified specialist in immigration law, has been practicing law for 26 years, and publishes a periodic newsletter on changing trends in the immigration field.

Chairman Frank Zerunyan presided over the meeting, as the group set its agenda for the coming year. In addition, an update was provided by Van Z. Krikorian on the Massachusetts’ Genocide curriculum case of Griswold v. Driscoll. The Armenian Bar assembled a top notch team of attorneys and law firms to file an amicus brief in support of a motion to dismiss the case. The motion has been heard by the court and the ruling was under submission as of the date of the meeting. Krikorian is the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Armenian Assembly. He was present in court for the oral argument on the motion to dismiss, and was able to offer a unique perspective on the case.

The historic city of Philadelphia, referred to as “the Birthplace of America” offered members a chance to take in such historical sites as the National Constitution Center, Independence Hall, Constitutional Hall and the Liberty Bell. Philadelphia claims many world class museums, including the Franklin Institute (one of the world’s greatest science museums), the Academy of Sciences, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Rodin museum and the Philadelphia Art Museum, with an impressive collection of art and a set of stairs made famous by the academy award winning film “Rocky.”

The meeting included a reception at the Powel House, a 1765 Georgian home originally owned by Samuel Powel, one of the wealthiest men in Philadelphia and the first Mayor of the city after the Revolutionary War. The Powels entertained many famous dignitaries including George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and the Marquis de Lafayette. The house is a treasure set in the middle of Society Hill, the historic part of Philadelphia, and provided an excellent venue for the Friday welcome reception.

On Saturday, after the meeting, those in attendance were given a tour of Philadelphia, including a stop at the statue of Young Mher on the grounds of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The statue was a gift from the Armenian American community to its adopted land in 1976 in honor of the Bicentennial. That evening, members enjoyed dinner at the Victor Café in Philadelphia, which is famous for its fine Italian cuisine, and periodic opera pieces sung by the waiters and waitresses, who are all opera students.