Powerful torchlight procession pays tribute to Armenian Genocide victims

April 23, 2017 - 20:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The traditional torchlight procession commemorating the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide started in central Yerevan on Sunday, April 23.

This annual procession is the symbolic part of struggle for the recognition of the mass killings.

Prior to the launch of the march, the youth paid tribute to the 1.5 million innocent victims of the first Genocide of the 20th century with a moment of silence, then burnt a Turkish flag to protest Ankara's denialist policy.

Carrying Armenian tricolors and chanting national songs, the protesters processed towards Tsitsernakaberd - the Armenian Genocide memorial.

Some three dozen countries, as well as a number of regional government bodies and international organizations have recognized the Genocide. Turkey still denies.

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.