[Newmag Summer Fest] “April 13. End and Beginning”. Reevaluating Pain and Loss through Literature (photos, video in Armenian)

Can books and literature, reading and writing alleviate the pain of loss? US-based Armenian author Anahit Khalafyan’s book was the basis of this discussion. The participants of this panel discussion were Anahit Khalafyan, who is Vahan Khalafyan’s cousin, Ani Khalafyan, who is Vahan’s sister and lawyer Artak Zeynalyan. 

Anahit Khalafyan's book "April 13. End and Beginning" presents the real story of her brother Vahan with literary solutions. 11 years ago, on April 13, 2010, Charentsavan police arrested 24-year-old Vahan Khalafyan. A few hours later, the police informed Vahan's family about his death. Only 10 years later, Anahit decided to write down what she lived through. “The book was a chance for me to get rid of the revenge in me. For 10 years, I lived and woke up with revenge in my heart. This was firstly an opportunity to overcome this state of mind.”

This incident was a shock for the whole country. After some time, the family finds out that Vahan was beaten and killed by police officers. The law enforcers claimed that Vahan had committed suicide, while the Khalafyans claimed that he was tortured and killed. Anahit had two goals when writing the book. “The first problem was that I had to be able to overcome that pain, and the second was to make the real details of that painful case public. Such cases should not happen; no one should feel the pain of a loss.”

Several people were convicted after the trials, but according to the relatives, justice was not restored. For 11 years, the Khalafyan family has been fighting for justice; in that struggle, they also respect Vahan's memory. Vahan's sister Ani, took the book in her hand several times, but did not finish it, she was able to read only one or two pages. “As I read two pages, tears began to flow, reliving the past 10 years. We must achieve justice, we must fight, we must unpack what happened in the presence of law enforcement.”

This tragedy is a story not only about being a victim of violence, but also about the struggle for justice. One of the most famous advocates, Artak Zeynalyan, helped the Khalafyan family with professional support on the unachieved road to justice. “There is a saying, which claims that death must serve life. The book serves that purpose. During these years we have fought not only in the courts of our country, but also in the European Court of Human Rights. The case is over in the ECHR; they went to the consultation room to make a decision.”

The book presentation of Anahit Khalafyan’s “April 13. End and Beginning” book was held several days ago. During the evening, a movie in memory of Vahan Khalafyan was premiered. Books and pain have a lot in common. There are hundreds of books that help to overcome terrible grief. For that purpose, Anahit Khalafyan, by publicizing the pain of her family, wanted not only to fight against revenge and pain, but also to achieve justice.