Over 500 Armenians of Tbilisi hold rally in front of Turkish embassy in Georgia

April 25, 2010 - 09:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - More than 500 Armenians of Tbilisi held a rally in front of the Turkish embassy in Georgia, reaffirming the will and commitment to the universal struggle for justice and demanding the Armenian Genocide recognition. Not all of the rally participants are descendants of the massacres survivors, but history and grief are common for all Armenians.

The event was organized by the Armenian Community of Georgia, Armenian Cooperation Center of Georgia and Union of Armenian Students of Georgia.

A representative of the Assyrian community also came to share the pain of the Armenian people and to express words of support.

Later, at the Chess House the Armenian community commemorated the Genocide victims. A documentary on the Armenian Genocide was screened, as well as essays, entitled “I remember 1915” were presented by students of Tbilisi schools.

On the eve of April 24, a torchlight procession of several dozen young men and women of Armenian descent was organized. The march ended with a rally in front of the Turkish Embassy in Georgia.

On April 12, the Armenian organizations of Georgia addressed the Georgian President and parliament, urging to consider recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

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.