Armenian Assembly of America combats obscurantism in Armenian Genocide issue

May 17, 2010 - 16:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On May 18, a meeting-discussion between young people and Hayk Demoyan will be held at the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute.

Yerevan Office of the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly), jointly with Youth NGO, will hold a meeting-discussion with Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute, Hayk Demoyan, on May 18.

“Being concerned over the ongoing denial of the first Genocide by some countries, the Assembly’s Yerevan Office provides young people with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with scientific researches, facts and exclusive exhibits, as well as to ask questions to specialists and finally put an end to obscurantism,” the Assembly said in a statement.

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.