Armenians of Norway commemorate Genocide

April 25, 2011 - 12:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian community of Norway held commemorative events dedicated to the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

On April 24, the Armenian Cultural Organization uniting Armenians of Oslo and neighboring settlements organized an event in church on the occasion of Easter.

Armenians also visited the house of well-known Norwegian humanist, explorer and friend of the Armenian people Fridtjof Nansen. They laid flowers to Nansen’s tomb located in the yard of the house and lit candles.

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.