Paraguay's Senate recognizes Armenian Genocide

October 29, 2015 - 21:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Paraguay's Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide, Yerkir Media reports citing the Armenian National Committee of South America.

The resolution reads: "The Chamber of Senators of Paraguay recognizes the Genocide perpetrated against the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as a crime against humanity."

This year, there was a new wave of recognitions from various congresses and international bodies in South America: the province of Misiones, Argentina, the Latin American Parliament, the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Federal Senate of Brazil, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and also the Argentine Pope Francis.

Other South American states, including Bolivia, Venezuela, Uruguay and other countries, regions and cities have recognized the Armenian Genocide.

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.