William Schabas, Sarkis Shahinian awarded for contribution to Armenian Genocide recognition

April 12, 2010 - 12:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On April 10, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on awarding individuals who made a considerable contribution to the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

According to presidential press office, the 2009 President’s award was given to Director of the Irish Center for Human Rights William Schabas for the scientific substantiation of the Genocide and initiatives on counteracting its denial.

The award was also given to Chairman of Switzerland-Armenia Association Sarkis Shahinian for initiating the process of official recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Switzerland and contribution to the adoption of the law envisaging criminal liability for denying the first genocide of the 20th century.

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.