Bolivian Legislative Assembly adopts resolution on Armenian Genocide

December 1, 2014 - 09:25 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Legislative Assembly of Bolivia unanimously passed last week a resolution in solidarity with the Armenian people to condemn "the denialist policy regarding the genocide and crimes against humanity suffered by the Armenian nation."

According to Prensa Armenia, Senator Zonia Guardia Melgar, acting chairperson of the Senate of Bolivia, explained that "the document was adopted unanimously both by the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, with the approval of the Foreign Ministry".

"We offer our full support, solidarity and comradeship to the Armenian people, in line with State Constitution, which says no to discrimination, violation of human rights and genocides," she said.

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.