Publication on Armenian Genocide to be presented in Canberra

October 20, 2014 - 10:46 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Human rights lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson QC, will be launching his latest publication at the National Press Club in Canberra, the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) reports.

"The Inconvenient Genocide: Who now remembers the Armenians", published by Random House, is a groundbreaking publication where Geoffrey Robertson presents a compelling argument based on fact, evidence and his knowledge and expertise of international law, proving beyond doubt that the horrific events that occurred in 1915 do indeed constitute genocide, ANC Australia says.

Robertson is a leading human rights lawyer and a UN war-crimes judge. He has been Counsel in many notable Old Bailey trials, has defended hundreds of people facing death sentences in the Caribbean, and has won landmark rulings on civil liberty from the highest courts in Britain, Europe and the Commonwealth. Robertson is the Head of Doughty Street Chambers, a Master of the Middle Temple, a Recorder and visiting professor at Queen Mary College, University of London.

The presentation, which is being held at one of the most prestigious events in Australia, coincides with the start of ANC Australia’s Advocacy Week in Canberra.

Robertson’s research and publications on the Armenian Genocide have been instrumental in shifting the denialist policy, which had been adopted for many years by the United Kingdom.

Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia, Vache Kahramanian remarked: “The launch of Mr. Robertson’s latest publication will go a long way in altering the position adopted by the Australian government on the Armenian Genocide.”

The Armenian National Committee of Australia has been working with Geoffrey Robertson’s international team on the promotion of his latest publication.

Geoffrey Ronald Robertson QC is a human rights barrister, academic, author and broadcaster. He holds dual Australian and British citizenship. Robertson is a founder and joint head of Doughty Street Chambers.

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.