Argentina’s Catamarca province recognizes Armenian Genocide

September 17, 2016 - 11:25 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The province of Catamarca, Argentina, on Friday, September 16 joined the National Law 26,199 declaring April 24 every year as the "Day of Action for Tolerance and Respect between Peoples" in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, Prensa Armenia reports.

"The breakthrough that led to the Law was ratified in Catamarca and demonstrates the national and federal perspective acquired in Argentina in the struggle against denial," said Nicolas Sabuncuyan, director of the Armenian National Committee of Buenos Aires.

Article 4 of Law 26,199, enacted on December 13, 2006 and promulgated on January 15, 2007, invites provincial governments to "adhere to the provisions," something that has already been done by 17 Argentine provinces along with the City of Buenos Aires.

The provinces that have already joined the National Law are Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Córdoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Jujuy, La Pampa, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tierra del Fuego.

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.