Armenian Genocide victims commemorated in Istanbul

April 24, 2010 - 17:58 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Istanbul hosted a commemoration ceremony for Armenian Genocide victims on April 24.

The action participants chanted “Never Again”, holding up portraits of Armenian writers who were killed during the Genocide.

The ceremony was organized by Turkey’s Human Rights Association, AFP reported.

Another ceremony is due today on Istanbul’s Taksim Square. Representatives of Turkish intellectual elite called to share the pain of Armenian nation by joining in the action.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.