Turkish-Armenian MP: We live in the year 1915, it's April 24

November 4, 2016 - 18:09 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - MP of Armenian origin Garo Paylan condemned the arrest of pro-Kurdish leaders, saying "it's April 24, 1915 in Turkey," Sputnik-Armenia reports.

1.5 million Armenians were killed in the Genocide of 1915, which started on April 24 when Ottoman forces rounded up and destroyed several hundred intellectuals in Constantinople.

"We live in the year 1915, it's April 24! We will not allow our fascists to burn our country, our youth again," Paylan tweeted.

The two co-leaders of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party have been detained along with other MPs. Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were detained at their respective homes "as part of a counter-terrorism inquiry," security sources said.

At least nine other MPs from the People's Democracy Party (HDP) were also taken into custody.

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.