Committee in charge of legal recognition of Genocide formed

June 13, 2011 - 18:33 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Western Armenian National Council announced formation of a legal committee in charge of juridical recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The committee will work towards restoration of the rights of Western Armenia's native Armenian population. The entity will take legal steps for Armenian Genocide recognition, raising the issue at national as well as international organisations, a statement obtained by PanARMENIAN.Net said.

“Legal recognition of the fact of Armenian Genocide is a necessity both form historical and legal viewpoints. Genocide recognition is essential to restoration of the rights of Armenian people,” the Council stressed in its 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.