23.04.16 - George Clooney attends 2nd Global Forum ‘Against the Crime of Genocide’

George Clooney on Genocide: Calling things by their names will take time

April 23, 2016 - 13:09 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prominent Hollywood actor George Clooney on Saturday, April 23 participated in the 2nd Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide in Yerevan.

“This is my first visit to Armenia. I am glad to be here and participate in this event,” Clooney said.

In response to Washington Post’s David Ignatius’ question on the motivation behind his visit to Armenia, Clooney said: “I was born in a time when people actively fought for their rights, and I was brought up in these principles. I try to use my fame to help people.”

Characterizing genocides as massacres is not right, Clooney said.

“The ability to call things by their proper names will take time, but you can’t deny what happened,” he said.

World-famous actor, director and producer George Clooney arrived in Armenia on Friday, April 22 to attend the inaugural Aurora Prize event in Yerevan.

The prize was created by three prominent philanthropists of Armenian descent Vartan Gregorian, Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan.

On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, an Aurora Prize Laureate will be honored each year with a $100,000 grant as well as the unique opportunity to continue the cycle of giving by nominating organizations that inspired their work for a $1,000,000 award. Recipients will be recognized for the exceptional impact their actions have made on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes.

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.