Editor’s note: Award-win- ning author/Scholar Prof. Andrew Demirdjian wrote the below article in early 2019. It is noteworthy that in 2025-2026 California Su- perior Court decisions have validated Prof. Demird- jian’s assertions. In 2019, on Armenian Blessed Christmas Day, I read an alarming news in the USA Ar- menian Life Magazine (Issue Dec. 28-Jan. 3, 2019), stating a death threat against Mr. Appo Jabarian, the Executive Publisher and Managing Editor of the above-men- tioned publication, for his editorial about Catholi- cos Karakin II and Primate Hovnan Derderian. Out of a sense of being a member of the Armenian com- munity, I would like to express my own perspective on this event surrounding the attempt to silence Mr. Jabarian by some of the followers of these two cler- gymen. As a disclaimer, let me state that I am neither for nor against the two celergymen mentioned above for I have not investigated the allegations of their misconduct. However, I would like to unequivically state that the death threat against Mr. Jabarian to si- lence him flies sqaurly against the tenets of democ- racy and of civil society. More specifically, it goes against the freedom of the press. Since I write and publish community oriented articles, I have come to know Mr. Jabarian quite well. He has been a consiencsious publisher and a writer to bring to our attention the world events per- taining to Armenia and its larger Diaspora for many years. For example, without his publication I would not have learned about what is going on in Azerbaijan’s current scandal pertaining to Aliyev’s daugh- ters buying a house in London for $75M. To silence the press, or create a press blackout, would leave us in the dark. Democracies do not function in the darkness. The press is the beakon to help us navigate through society’s challenges and opportuities, good news and bad news, local or in- ternational events, and so on an so forth. I bet those against Jabarian were indignant when they had heard about the beastual silencing of the journalists such as Hrant Dink, Jamal Khashoggi and others in a grusome way. Rather than be premitive and use the sword to disagree with the press, use the mighty pen to correct the press in a cilvilized fashion. Shooting the messenger, metaphorically speaking, is a long- established practice among dictators and insecure politicians the world over. This type of practice is medieval and it should be eradicated from a civil society of Armenia and its vast Diaspora. When the U.S.Founding Fathers are mentioned, most of us probably think of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and, these days, Alexander Ham- ilton. There is another founder whose legacy is not widely publicized nor was a monument, a memorial or a Broadway musical produced in his honor. Yes, no monument for James Madison, but one of his legacies is freedom of the press. Madison is credited as one of the Founding Fathers who had put news- paper protection in the First Amendment. Madison also has left behind words that protect U.S. citizens in the Bill of Rights. To refresh our memory of James Madison, Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836), let me briefly mention that he was an American statesman and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He is also hailed as one of the Fathers of the Constitution for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the United States Conthere are two ways for the news to reach us: either fast and fairly accurate through the press or slow and usually distorted through interpersonal communications (i.e., rumor). In the Western society, we depend on the press to bring us the news. Therefore, it is a crying shame, if not a barbarism, to threaten the press for doing a fairly thankless job to keep us abreast of what is happening in our world. Common cause believes the press must be protected as an institution from attacks by public officials and other disgruntled citizens. Unfortunately, the free press has been recently under constant attack by the Trump Administration. This situation makes the present a critical time to educate the public about the importance of an independent press that can report on issues without bias and with full transparency. Armenians have to do the same thing in order to educate those who are still cave dwellers. That a democracy cannot function without a free press is a truism. I am sure that Catholocos Karakin II’s followers are nice people as they are free to be loyal to him and to protect his image. Likewise, Mr. Jabarian has the unalienable right to report the news about him or even criticize him. Without the news we the people would be igrnorant of events and issues; witout constructive criticism, we would ultimately regress; without the press we would be in the dark. Not too many of us have the time and the talent to do what the likes of Mr. Jabarian who contributes to our community almost everyday. Armenians everywhere need more like Mr. Jabarian and his fellow publishers and editors for they give their community back more than they take from them. This kind of quality of character we should breed into our new generations to come if we want Armenia to suvive and thrive. To try to silence a community voice is a shameful act –by any standards or an unacceptable behavior no matter from which angle you look at it. Again, I appreciate those who are protecting our clergymen’s persona, but to try to silence the press by threats of physical violence is primitive, mis- guided outlook, to say the least. Mr. Jabarian has been the eyes, the ears and the voice of our community for so many years. His publication has been Armenian nation’s mirror. Among many of his professions, he is also a consumate journal- ist who believes firmly in activism. Without Appo Jabarian, Dr. Dikran Abraha- mian, Jerry Tutunjian, Garen Yegparian, and Harut Sassounian to cite a few of our community publishers and journalists, we would be in the dark vis a vis our nation’s status, fellow Armenians, friends, aquaintences including our enemies. Join the fight to defend the freedom of the press and Mr. Jabarian for he has been dedicated to the Armenian nation’s progress and the Armenian Cause for so long by not letting democracy die in darkness!