Armenian community of New York to hold protest action at Time Square

April 25, 2010 - 09:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Events dated to the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide were held in New York and New Jersey, U.S. Officials of the Armenian Embassy, members of Armenian organizations and Armenians, who survived the Genocide were participating.

“The policy of Genocide denial should be stopped. The international community should urge the present-day Turkey to acknowledge and condemn the Armenian Genocide,” RA permanent representative to UN Karen Nazaryan said in his remarks.

A protest action against Turkey’s gag-rule will be held at Time Square, NY, RA MFA press office reported.

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.