American Hellenic Institute

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AHI General Counsel Gene Rossides Appears on FOX Affiliate TV Station
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: ANGELIKI VASSILIOU
September 10, 2003 No. 41 (202) 785-8430

AHI General Counsel Gene Rossides Appears on FOX Affiliate TV Station

WASHINGTON, DC—On September 5, 2003 AHI general counsel, Gene Rossides, appeared on the 10 o’clock evening news on KMPH, the FOX affiliate of Fresno, California. Mr. Rossides spoke on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the September 6, 1955 destruction of the Greek Orthodox Christian community in Istanbul organized by the Turkish government. Mr. Rossides called for the establishment of an investigation unit within the Department of Justice that will address the issue of compensation to the victims and their heirs as was done for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

AHI released a statement on September 4, 2003, commemorating the September 1955 atrocities committed by Turkey against the Greek community of Istanbul. The statement triggered the immediate reaction of our longtime supporter and distinguished member, Mr. Harry J. Pappas, President and CEO of Pappas Telecasting Companies, who urged the journalists working within the Pappas Telecasting Companies network to commemorate the horrible event of September 6, 1955. In his e-mail, Mr. Pappas mentioned:

“Seldom do I believe it is necessary for the ownership of these stations to give direct guidance...or more...on matters relating to editorial judgment and matters requiring coverage. This though is one of those times. The relative ignorance of most Americans about the facts of the subject of the Turkish genocide of millions of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and others in the period 1916 to 1923 and the continuing persecution of Christians to this day is appalling. Unfortunately, most of those in the American print and broadcast journalist fraternity are just as uninformed.”

AHI Executive Director, Nick Larigakis stated:

“I applaud Mr. Pappas for initiating this response on behalf of his TV stations. Far too often, it seems to me, that successful Greek Americans in the American mainstream are hesitant to speak out in support of our issues in fear of being chastised by their superiors and peers. Mr. Pappas is very respected in his industry and a leader among his peers. His initiative should be a glaring example to all other Greek Americans who might be in a similar position to either influence or educate our policymakers and the general public on our issues.”

For additional information, please contact Angeliki Vassiliou at (202) 785-84 30 or at angeliki@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our Web site at https://www.ahiworld.org.

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The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) and its affiliate organizations, the American Hellenic Institute Public Affairs Committee (AHIPAC), the American Hellenic Institute Foundation (AHIF), and the AHI Business Network, a division of the AHI, are working together under one roof, to provide a joint program for strengthening United States relations with Greece and Cyprus and within the American Hellenic community.