Istanbul hosts rally to commemorate Armenian Genocide

Istanbul hosts rally to commemorate Armenian Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square hosted a rally in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

The rally participants were holding pictures of outstanding Armenians murdered on April 24, 1915, urging Turkey to face its history, Tert.am reports.

As human rights lawyer Sezgin Tanrıkulu stressed during the rally, it was thanks to the MP of Armenian decent Garo Paylan that the parliament of Turkey commemorated the slain representatives of the Armenian intellectual elite.

In his earlier address, Paylan demanded a parliamentary probe for investigating the killing of Krikor Zohrab, Ohannes Vartkes Serengülyan, Nazaret Dagavaryan, Garabed Pasayan, Isdepan Çiraciyan, Onnik Tertsakyan [Arsak Vramyan] and Hampartsum Boyaciyan, spotting their graves and restoring the honor of those who served for the Chamber by holding proper burials for them.

Participating in the rally were the members of Turkey’s Republican People's Party and Peoples' Democratic Party, as well as the Jewish "anti-racist" organization.

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.

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