The Armenian Genocide Reparations Study Group (AGRSG) published its final report, entitled “Resolution with Justice—Reparations for the Armenian Genocide,” on March 30, The Armenian Weekly reports.
In September 2014, the group completed the report, which is a wide-ranging analysis of the legal, historical, political, and ethical dimensions of the question of reparations for the genocide. The report also includes specific recommendations for the components of a complete reparations package.
The AGRSG was assembled in 2007, comprised of four experts in different areas of reparations theory and practice. Funded initially by a grant from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), the members of the AGRSG are Alfred de Zayas, Jermaine O. McCalpin, Ara Papian, and Henry C. Theriault (chair). George Aghjayan serves as a special consultant.
The question of reparations for losses suffered both by individual victims and the Armenian nation as a whole during the genocide has been studied by many scholars and academics over the years. However, the discourse was generally limited and included only abstract notions of territorial and monetary return. Although there have been several examples of valuable works treating the issue, none have approached the topic of reparations with a comprehensiveness and detailed analysis like the one put forth by the AGRSG.
In December 2014, Theriault spoke to The Armenian Weekly about how the project was conceived and executed, as well as some of the challenges the group had faced. According to Theriault, the resolution of the Armenian Genocide issue had to go beyond simply ending denial, and required real long-term justice in the form of reparations, including land.
The final report is available in PDF format on the AGRSG’s website.
