Kazakhstan hosts events to mark Genocide 95th anniversary

April 25, 2010 - 09:22 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Kazakhstan hosted events series to mark 95th anniversary of Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire.

Commemorative events were held in the cities of Kustanay and Astana, with Armenian Embassy in Kazakhstan participating. Documentaries on Armenian Genocide were screened.

Armenian Genocide 95th anniversary was marked in Bishkek. Despite strained political situation in the country, Nairi NGO organized a memorial event in Armenia's honorary consulate in Bishkek.

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.