April 23, 2019 - 10:27 AMT
Powerful torchlight procession will mark Armenian Genocide anniv.

The traditional torchlight procession commemorating the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be held on April 23 - on the eve of the day Armenians honor the memory of the innocent victims each year.

This annual procession is the symbolic part of the struggle for the global recognition of the mass killings.

Prior to the launch of the march, which usually involves thousands of participants, the youth usually pay tribute to the 1.5 million innocent victims of the first Genocide of the 20th century with a moment of silence.

Carrying Armenian tricolors and torches and chanting national songs, the protesters process towards Tsitsernakaberd where the Armenian Genocide memorial is nestled.

Armenians commemorate the mass killings on April 24 because on that date in 1915 a group of Armenian intellectuals was rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. On April 24, Armenians worldwide will be commemorating the 104th anniversary of the Genocide which continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.