Armenians shame government for glorifying Nazi Nzhdeh
By Rashid Shirinov
It is no secret that the current Armenian government pursues the policy of nationalism and even Nazism, since the authorities literally glorify the fascist henchmen. The most popular of them in Armenia is Garegin Nzhdeh.
During the World War 2, he was collaborating with the fascists and had a hand in the extermination of the Jews. The proof of the Armenian government’s glorifying of fascism is the erection of a monument to Nzhdeh in Yerevan in 2016.
A group of Armenians who are strongly against such a behavior of the Armenian leadership, has recently made an open appeal, expressing concern over the installation of Nzhdeh’s monument in Yerevan, and in general over the heroization of fascism in Armenia.
“We, a group of Armenians living in different countries, are seriously concerned about the government’s policy of glorification of fascism in Armenia. Recently, in Russian and other media, there has been a hot debate about the installation of a monument to the Nazi henchman Garegin Nzhdeh in the center of Yerevan, promotion of his activities as a heroic example for Armenian youth and society,” the appeal reads.
It further notes that not many in Armenia have the courage to speak out against the state-level glorification of Nzhdeh, Drastamat Kanayan and other fascist henchmen.
“However, we know and often hear the discontent of many Armenians who clearly understand what abyss their motherland is rolling into, but they are afraid to publicly express their opinion on this in Armenia, because this is risky,” the appeal says.
Nzhdeh was an open ideologist of fascism, racism and fierce nationalism. Soon after Hitler came to power in Germany, Nzhdeh created an organization called Segakon which was preaching fascist ideology. In 1942, he created the “Armenian Legion” and started ethnic cleansing of Jews and Gypsies in the occupied territories, as well as carried out many other war crimes.
Nzhdeh was also the organizer and participant of the genocide of Azerbaijanis in the territory of present-day Armenia in the early 20th century.
Given that bosses of the current Armenian government were personally participating in the extermination of Azerbaijani people during the Nagorno-Karabakh war in early 1990s, especially in the Khojaly genocide, it becomes clear why they love Nazi Nzhdeh.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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