First the desert was dead and lifeless; only the wind blew over sand dunes, and from time to time caravans passed by. Then it was filled with sounds. At first the sounds were strange, shuffling, as if someone were dragging their feet on the sand, sinking ankle-deep. Then the sounds became tangible, the desert revived, vibrating under the weight of hundreds of thousands of bare, wounded legs. And then there came to be heard moans, cries, and endless shots.

There remains little time before the Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide victims, and Turkey, true to herself, is hastily trying to prove the world, the Armenians and perhaps herself that after all she is not an heir to the Ottoman Empire. It proves to be difficult, almost impossible, but the Turks are trying.

The incredible happened: French Senate passed the bill criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide. The bill passed with 127 votes for, 86 against, with the total number of voters being 213. The bill renders denial punishable with a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros. It shall come into force upon being signed by President Sarkozy, who is hardly probable to change his mind at the last moment.

On December 22, 2011, French National Assembly passed a bill criminalizing public denial of the Armenian Genocide. If passed and signed into law by the Senate, the bill would impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire. On this day, almost all Armenians celebrated a minor national victory. Almost all…

The Israeli Knesset once again tabled the issue of the Armenian Genocide recognition. On May 18, at a plenary session, the Knesset brought to a vote the question of passing the Genocide recognition issue to the Committee of Education, Culture and Sports headed by Alex Miller (NDI). The initiative was unilaterally approved, with 20 people voting in favor. Initiator of the ballot was native of Lithuania, Zahava Galon (Meretz), who picked up the “Armenian baton” from the retired fellow party member Haim Oron.

Russian archives contain documents on the WWI. There are many among them referring directly to the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. Thousands of dispatches, evidences of witnesses and recollections of survivors testify that the atrocities committed against the Armenian nation were tantamount to Genocide.

On the threshold of the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, PanARMENIAN.Net continues publishing stories of Genocide survivors. The stories were provided by the office of U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), who initiated the Armenian Genocide Congressional Record as an effort to parallel H. Res. 252, the Congressional resolution he introduced to recognize and commemorate the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. Congressman Schiff is the primary sponsor of H. Res. 252, the Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the Armenian Genocide, which calls on the President and the U.S. Government to properly recognize the atrocities that occurred in the beginning of the 20th century and resulted in 1.5 million deaths, as Genocide.

My failure to stop the destruction of the Armenians had made Turkey for me a place of horror, and I found intolerable my further daily association with men who, however gracious and accommodating and good-natured they might have been to the American Ambassador, were still reeking with the blood of nearly a million human beings, Henry Morgenthau, American ambassador to Turkey in 1913-1916 recollects in his story.

On the threshold of the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, PanARMENIAN.Net launches a commemoration project to present some stories of Genocide survivors. The stories were provided by the office of U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), who initiated the Armenian Genocide Congressional Record as an effort to parallel H. Res. 252, the Congressional resolution he introduced to recognize and commemorate the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. Congressman Schiff is the primary sponsor of H. Res. 252, the Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the Armenian Genocide, which calls on the President and the U.S. Government to properly recognize the atrocities that occurred in the beginning of the 20th century and resulted in 1.5 million deaths, as Genocide.

This photograph taken in Yerevan in 1926 tells the story of an Armenian family from Van villayet of the Ottoman Empire. Aram O. Manukyan (in the center), Haykanush (left to him), Mariam (right to him), their daughters Arshaluys and Mayranush… Three years later, third daughter Siranush was born.