BEIRUT: Lebanon's Haigazian University has announced the publication of "The Genocide against the Armenians 1915-1923 and the Relevance of the 1948 Genocide Convention", authored by Prof. Alfred-Maurice de Zayas with a preface by the International Commission of Jurists, Geneva on the occasion of the 95th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

The 106-page book is written by the renowned legal expert Dr.iur. et phil. Alfred de Zayas, who is a professor of international law in the Geneva School of Diplomacy in Switzerland and has served as senior lawyer in the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and as Secretary of the Human Rights Committee.

In this concise book, Professor de Zayas argues that the Genocide Convention did not create the rights of the Armenians to reparation, nor the obligation of Turkey to assume its erga omnes responsibilities to the Armenians and the world. These rights and obligations existed from the outset and were recognized in articles 144 and 230 of the Treaty of Sevres. The non-implementation of the provisions of this Treaty by Turkey does not affect the rights and obligations derived from the historical fact of the genocide.

The book convincingly argues how the Genocide Convention strengthened the pre-existing rights of the Armenians, rights which have not diminished because of lapse of time. The book further outlines the issues of State succession and the continuing Turkish obligation to make reparations to the descendants of the victims. Beyond restitution and compensation, the book focuses on the right of the Armenian people to their cultural heritage, including their churches and monasteries in ancient Armenian lands, based on the fact that the human right to one's cultural heritage is stipulated in international law and relevant UNESCO resolutions. Finally the problem of negationism is addressed from the human rights perspective as a violation of human dignity, because all human beings, including the Armenians have the right to truth, to their identity and history.

The book can be ordered from:

1. Lebanon: Haigazian University
   P.O. Box 11-1748, Riad El Solh, 1107 2090 Beirut, Lebanon
   Tel: 961-1-349230/ 1 extension: 344 E mail: publications@haigazian.edu.lb
   
2. North America: AMAA (Armenian Missionary Association of America)
   31 West Century Road, Paramus, NJ, USA
   E mail: amaa@amaa.org
   
3. France: Librairie Orientale H. Samuelian
   51, rue Monsieur-le-Prince F-75006 Paris Tel. 01 43 26 88 65