EAFJD calls to seek reparation along with recognition of Genocide

September 23, 2014 - 14:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The executive director of European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) believes that new countries will adopt a law to criminalize denial of genocides ahead of the Armenian Genocide centennial.

“Those who recognized the Armenian Genocide, will, most possibly, pass the law to criminalize its denial,” Bedo Demirchyan told RFE/FL Armenian Service, further urging for international recognition of the crime against humanity.

Commenting on Aram I’s petition to the Turkish court for return of the Sis catholicosate, Demirchan announced Diaspora organizations’ decision to demand compensation, along with recognition of the atrocities.

According to the EAFJD official, the independence referendum in Scotland improved European approach to the peoples’ right to self-determination.

“A year after President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement about joining the Russian-dominated Customs Union, Brussels became more understanding about the reasons behind the decision,” Demirchyan said.

Demirchyan also hailed the Armenian leader’s presence at a NATO summit in Wales, suggesting Yerevan seeks to maintain its ties with the West despite abandoning the EU association agreement to some extent.

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.