Italy’s Ravenna recognizes Armenian Genocide

October 29, 2015 - 13:56 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Italian city of Ravenna recognized the Armenian Genocide on October 22, Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

As Ravenna’s City Council stated in its resolution, “Taking into account the appeal by the Union of Armenians in Italy and the fact that the Armenian Genocide was recognized by the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, the European Parliament, the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Pope Francis (in his speech during a Mass commemorating the Armenian Genocide centennial at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 12), the City Council of Ravenna recognizes the Armenian Genocide and expresses its solidarity with the Armenian people on the Genocide centennial.”

City Council of Ivrea in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy and the regional council of Marche recognized the Armenian Genocide on October 12 and October 6, respectively. Besides, the parliament of Italy’s Tuscany adopted a resolution acknowledging the Genocide on March 25 this year.

Over 30 Italian cities have recognized the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated at the hands of the Ottoman government in 1915.

Italy recognized the Genocide in 2000: the denial is criminalized.

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.