Zhirinovsky to address Armenian Genocide memorial rally

April 23, 2010 - 14:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On April 24, the Russian-Armenian Commonwealth and the Union of Armenians of Russia organize “Armenian Genocide is a Crime Against Humanity” rally in Krasnopresnenskaya Zastava square, at the memorial of the Heroes of 1905-1907 Revolution.

RF State Duma Deputy Chairman, LDPR Chairman Vladimir Zhirinovsky, MPs Maxim Mishchenko (Yedinaya Rossiya), Kira Lukyanova (Spravedlivaya Rossiya), leaders of diasporas, youth movements and NGOs will deliver speeches, Russian-Armenian Commonwealth President Yuri Navoyan told PanARMENIAN.Net

The demonstrators will demand official recognition of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Young Turk government. The rally is authorized by Moscow Mayor’s Office.

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.