Canada to host conference on Genocide & mass crimes in Oct

May 22, 2014 - 15:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - University of Moncton in Canada will host an international conference on Armenian Genocide and mass crimes timed to the centenary of the 1915 massacres on October 1-3, Fabula said.

The event will focus on the collective memory of the Genocide and mass crimes, as well as Genocide-related historical, cultural, social and political issues.

The conference will also discuss the role of the Ottoman Empire in the World War I and the Genocide, international assistance, charity missions and organizations.

With Armenian Genocide issue as the focus of the conference, the discussions may also have a comparative aspect.

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.