Over the past 35 years–Mourad Topalian has been on the front lines of the fight against Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide–Azerbaijan’s onslaught on Nagorno Karabakh–the oil industry’s campaign to isolate Armenia–and–all too often–even the misguided policies of our own White House and State Department.
Against this powerful opposition and at great personal sacrifice–Mourad Topalian has advanced the Armenian Cause and championed the increased involvement of Armenian-Americans in the American. political process.
In October of last year–Mourad was accused by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) of actions dating back to events of more than 20 years ago. In response to these charges–the Mourad Topalian Defense Committee was formed and has been hard at work building community-wide support for Mourad’s defense. Since October–a tremendous number of community members have rallied around Mourad Topalian and the Defense Committee.
The Defense Committee views the actions taken against Mourad as a deliberate effort by the US government to intimidate Armenian Americans from advancing the Armenian Cause. The US government’s interest in silencing Mourad casts a shadow over this entire prosecution–calling into question the motives of the prosecution as well as his ability to receive a fair trial in the face of the tremendous resources being brought to bear against him by the federal government.
The goals of the Defense Committee are to ensure that Mourad receives a fair trial–to bring into the open the real motivations behind this prosecution–and to clear Mourad of all the ATF’s charges against him.
The Defense Committee calls on the community to join together in supporting Mourad – the son of an Armenian Genocide survivor who has given us everything he has–his time–his endless energy–and his tireless devotion.
The stakes are high. The US government wants to send Mourad to jail for more than 30 years. They want to make an example of Mourad for having the courage to stand up against the State Department–the Pentagon–the oil industry–the Turkish and Azeri governmen’s–and all the other interests who want to bury the Armenian Genocide–isolate Armenia–and abandon Nagorno Karabakh.
The Mourad Topalian Defense Committee is committed to ensuring that this prosecution neither intimidates nor silences Mourad or any other member of our community actively involved in advocating the just rights of the Armenian nation. We need to ensure that this highly visible and effective advocate for the Armenian-American community is not silenced and that those who represent our community are not punished for standing up against the shameful US policy of complicity in the Turkish government’s denial of the Armenian Genocide.
As American citizens–we cannot let ourselves be intimidated or allow our own government to deny us our right to work to change misguided foreign policies which serve neither U.S. interests nor the values of the American people.
Join us in ensuring that Mourad’s constitutional rights are safeguarded and that he is afforded the opportunity to defend himself against the resources being brought to bear against him by both the federal authorities and the foreign interests who seek to benefit from this prosecution.
He has been there for us when our community has needed him–without hesitation–always working for the justice that we deserve as a people and a nation.
Now he–and the cause he serves–need your help.
Send your contribution today to the Mourad Topalian Defense Committee.
Checks made payable to the Mourad Topalian Defense Committee may be mailed to the addresses listed below.
Mourad Topalian
Defense Committee
PO Box 461
Chagrin Falls–OH 44022
Mourad Topalian
Defense Committee
P.O. Box 10353
Glendale–CA 91209
