AGMI to host international conference of Adana massacre

PanARMENIAN.Net - In an effort to reveal the unknown pages of Armenian Genocide and its consequences Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) is hosting an international conference with a broad scope of issues related to genocide and its consequences. In the frames of the two-day conference held in Yerevan, Armenia from April 20th to 21st, 2009, the AGMI press office reports.



The speakers will have the opportunity to present their papers and share their knowledge about the massacre in Adana province and in the city of Adana itself in spring 1909.



In 1908, the Young Turkish revolution brought some hope for change for the Empire's Christian minorities. However, the initial euphoria and hopes for equal rights for Muslims and Christians were dashed in brutal slaughtering of Armenian population in Cilicia and its center Adana. This massacre revived the fear of the same approach of Ottoman leaders towards ethnic minorities, particularly Armenians.



The Adana massacres of April 1909 became a symbolic prelude for the state orchestrated and executed genocide policy against the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. Marginal cleansings were carried out even earlier, during the Hamidian massacres in 1894-1896. This resulted in the killing of 300.000 Armenians, annihilation and eviction of the Armenian population from their native lands.



The study of Adana pogroms reveals several interesting issues, particularly in terms of crime investigation, reparation and involvement of Turkish regular army in the massacre. These tragic events resonated with the events of the earlier attacks on the Armenians and brought back the feeling of the coming catastrophe.



The massacre in Adana and nearby regions left indelibly painful memoirs among Armenians. Armenian intellectuals and public organizations involved in humanitarian assistance to all those who suffered brutalities and lost property were affected by these atrocities.



The Adana massacres heralded a large-scale extermination policy, which was implemented shortly after the breakout of the WWI. This resulted in the genocide of Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during 1915-1922.