On November 17, 2008 Professor Guenter Lewy filed a defamation suit against the Southern Poverty Law Center, Inc., and writer-editor David Holthouse in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia , supported by the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund - TALDF. TALDF seeks to preserve and promote open discourse about issues significant for Turkish Americans, including the characterization of the events bearing on the World War I deaths of Ottoman Muslims and Armenians. According to TALDF, as in the case of Professor Lewy, the organization defends the rights of those who face intimidation, harassment, and other forms of discrimination for disagreeing with Armenian allegation of genocide or for promoting a balanced view of Turkey in the United States.
Among other works, Professor Lewy is author of The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide (University of Utah Press , 2005), which concludes that the evidence to support the popular allegation of genocide in the Armenian case is inconclusive.
According to TALDF press release, the defamation claims pivot on twin false assertions made by Defendant Holthouse in an article published in the Summer 2008 issue of Intelligence Report entitled, “State of Denial: Turkey Entices U.S. Scholars, Law Makers to Cover Up Armenian Genocide.” The first claim was based on the false statement in the Report that Professor Lewy was on the payroll of the Government of Turkey in exchange for compromising his scholastic integrity in disputing the Armenian allegation of genocide. The second claim by the writer was that Professor Lewy deceived his readers or audiences by failing to disclose the money he had received from the Government of Turkey to shape his view of the Armenian claim. The false statements also insinuated that Professor Lewy had violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act by failing to register with the Department of Justice as a mouthpiece for the Government of Turkey. According to TALDF, Professor Lewy is seeking damages to clear his good name and to send a message that sham accusations of being on the take is not an acceptable substitute for reasoned and civil debate over genuine historical controversies. Professor Lewy is being represented by attorneys Bruce Fein and David Saltzman on behalf of the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund.
TALDF Represents Lewy in Defamation Lawsuit
2009 and Prior
- TCA's Turkish Universities Faculty Tour Endsread more
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- Amb. James Jeffrey meets with leaders of Turkish American organizationsread more
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- Senator C. Hagel underscores importance of US-Turkey alliance, praises Ataturkread more
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- TCA Awards $100,000 Grant to Chaldean Federation of Americaread more
- Congressional Study Group on Turkey, co-sponsored by TCA.read more
- TCA's Turkish Universities Faculty Tour to US Minority Universities Endsread more
- Turkish Coalition of America donates two ambulances to Mexican Red Crossread more
- Turkish American Community Letter to President Obamaread more
- Turkish American Community PanelApril 14, 2008 - Washington, DC TCA spo...read more
- Turkish Coalition of America Congratulates Barack Obamaread more
- TASSA-Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) Joint Workshopread more
- TALDF Represents Lewy in Defamation Lawsuitread more
- United Negro College Fund Special Programs Visits Turkeyread more
- TCA honors the Honorable Albert G. Huntington, Mayor of Historic Madisonread more
- TCA Supports Bosnian American and Macedonian American Community Groupsread more
- Congresswoman Virginia FoxxSeptember 14, 2007 - Washington, DC Con...read more
- TCA and the Turkish American Association of Northern Texas jointly host a workread more
- PA - TCA, ATAA and the Pittsburgh Turkish American Associationread more
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- Turkish Coalition of America Announces Ahiska Turks Assistance Grantread more
- United States Association of Former Members of Congress' Turkish Study Group Cread more
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- Turkish American Legal Defense Fund Establishedread more
- Turkish Cultural Foundation lunch and lecturesread more
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- Turkish American Congressional Internship Programread more
- TCA participated in a workshop organized by ATAAread more
- Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) and TCA President Lincoln McCurdy meetread more
- Congressional Study Group on Turkey completes Annual Seminarread more
- TCA hosted a lunch for a delegation of the Turkish Parliamentread more
- TCA sponsored a panel discussion in Washington, DCread more
- TCA and Turkish Americans for Informed Policyread more
- Third Annual Conference of the Turkish American Scientistsread more
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