Concert marking Genocide 98th anniversary held in London

April 26, 2013 - 19:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On April 24, a concert marking the Armenian Genocide 98th anniversary was held in London’s St Yeghiche Church.

Head of the British Armenian community Ara Palamoudian delivered a speech, with the concert featuring works by Komitas, Babajanyan, Clarke, Beethoven and Chopin.

Prelate of Armenian Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland, Bishop Vahan Hovhannisyan offered a prayer upon completion of the event.

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.