Dr. Taner Akcam, the Turkish historian who spoke at GCC on April 7 at the invitation of the Armenian Student Association, was denied the opportunity — along with other Turkish scholars — to speak in Turkey when authorities forced the postpontment of a conference on the Armenian question.

“We must end this treason, the spreading of propaganda against Turkey by citizens of Turkey,” said Minister of Justice Cemil Cicek on May 24, the day before the conference was to open at Bosphorus University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Akcam is the first Turkish historian to openly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and did so at Glendale College to an audience of more than 200 students, faculty and staff in the Student Center.
He lectured on Turkish nationalism, the Armenian Genocide ande obstacles to democratization in Turkey.

Dr. Levon Marashlian is a professor of history at Glendale Community College.