Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 23:20, 29 July 2005

Justice Commandos against Armenian Genocide (JCAG) is a militant revolutionary organization that seeks to establish an independent and free Armenia and seeks recognition of the Armenian Genocide. It has a publication named "Yerevan".

It is thought to have been established in 1973 in Los Angeles, USA. The organization has a branch in Paris, France.

Some have claimed that JCAG is a military branch of the Dashnak Party. Activities are concentrated in European and North American countries targeting Turkish interests. JCAG claimed responsibility for many killings of Turkish diplomats, as they were seen as official representatives of Turkish state denial of the Armenian Genocide. JCAG also uses the name ARA (Armenian Revolutionary Army).

JCAG differs from the other major Armenian terrorist group, the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) in two important respects: First, JCAG is primarily nationalistic rather than Marxist-Leninist. Therefore it has relied almost exclusively on private support from Armenian communities rather than state-sponsorship from countries hostile to Turkey. Second, the members of JCAG, being very Westernized nationalists, value Western and world public opinion highly and therefore take pains to avoid harming non-Turkish nationals mindful of the potential harm such actions could render the Armenian cause. Nonetheless JCAG has conducted attacks on Turkish targets within the United States.

In fact, very little is known about the memberships of these groups, their internal structures, or their relations with possible sponsor states or with other terrorist groups. What little is known about the Armenian groups indicates that they have been involved in factional disputes and internecine fighting that has reduced their effective presence as terrorist groups since the mid-1980s.

See also

• Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia
• Atilla Altikat, assassinated Turkish military attaché

• Irregular military