On June 29, 1992, President Levon DerBedrosian publicly ordered Hrair Maroukian out 
of Armenia, citing anti-government activities.  For twenty-six years, Hrair Maroukian has 
been the leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.  It is, perhaps the first time in 
the history of this hundred year old, semi-secret organization that one of its leaders has 
been forced into the public limelight.  Since his expulsion, Hrair Maroukian has been 
traveling throughout the international Diaspora trying to convince the Armenian public 
and his compatriots that President DerBedrosian’s action was unjustified.


In an unprecedented two part interview with Edward K. Boghosian, which appeared 
concurrently in the August 15 and August 22nd issues of the Armenian Reporter, Mr. 
Maroukian went on to explain his side of the story.  I don’t ever remember an ARF leader 
going public.  Under normal circumstances, I would have considered Mr. Maroukian’s 
willingness to be interviewed, a step in the right direction, but knowing this 
organization’s mode of operation, I am inclined to think that his willingness to be 
interviewed as because he got caught with his hands in the ‘cookie jar.’



When Armenia first proclaimed her independence, Hrair Maroukian and the ARF 
(Armenian Revolutionary Federation) with their seventy-five year battle cry of "Free and 
independent Armenia," had the inside track toward establishing themselves as a worthy 
ally to this new Republic.  However, being a worthy ally wasn’t  what the ARF wanted.  
They wanted to govern.  For some reason, they felt that they were the government in 
abstentia during Armenia’s subjugation under Soviet rule.  However, when they saw that 
the people of Armenia wanted to live as a democracy, they started to become concerned.  
Ironically, they began joining forces with some of Armenia’s deposed Communists as 
well as with some of the Diaspora opposition.  It was no longer a matter of patriotic 
dedication; it was play for power and control.  Today, since the issue of independence, 
flag and national anthem was effectively resolved by Armenia’s elected government, the 
ARF suddenly found themselves stripped of their old battle cries.  Without losing 
momentum they started adopting the liberation of Karabagh as their new battle cry.  
Today, they are using the Karabagh issue to divide and overthrow Armenia’s first 
democratically elected government.


For the last fifty-nine years, our North American churches and communities have been 
divided because of the on-going indifferences between our opposing political factions.  In 
all of that time, I have not seen any of our political leaders (including the ARF) take the 
initiative in getting their political indifferences resolved.  It was always, "it is not us, it’s 
them."  I’m sure if the people of Armenia had any intention of giving the ARF or any of 
our Diaspora politcals a say in their new government, they probably reconsidered when 
the Iron Curtain came down and they saw the devastation that our politicals had fostered 
upon the entire Diaspora.  Unfortunately, the ARF has never been a unifying force.  They 
were and still remain the most divisive force in the Diaspora.  Thank God they haven’t 
succeeded in infecting Armenia.


Since Hrair Maroukian took over the leadership of the ARF twenty-six years ago, the 
organization has changed dramatically.  What we once a primarily nationalistic 
organization governed by a party dictatorship, now seems to have reverted back to being a 
National Socialist organization.  And if they had been empowered to govern, I believe 
that Armenia would have become a dictatorship under Hrair Maroukian.  


Joseph Vosbikian