A ceremonial event took place at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Tsitsernakaberd on June 24 to honor renowned jurist and human rights advocate Raphael Lemkin on his birthday. A vessel containing soil from his grave in New York was laid in the Memorial Wall, with a memorial stone dedicated to his name.

This tribute pays respect and gratitude to the man who first defined the targeting and killing of people based on national identity as a crime against humanity within scientific and legal discourse. Significantly, the memorial was installed in the year marking the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Armenpress reports.

Thanks to Lemkin’s efforts, the first international convention on the prevention and punishment of genocide was adopted on December 9, 1948.

Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, noted in her speech that the memorial stone is an act of gratitude to Lemkin for his role in globalizing awareness of the Armenian tragedy.

“He was the one who managed to express the entire horror experienced by the Armenians in a single word, laying the foundation for international pursuit of justice,” Gzoyan stated, adding that Lemkin's work has left an indelible mark on Armenian history.

Witold Repetowicz and Narek Poghosyan also delivered speeches during the ceremony.

In April, Editha Gzoyan announced at a press conference that in 2025, the name of French naval commander Louis Dartige du Fournet, who initiated the rescue of nearly 4,000 Armenians from Musa Dagh, will also be added to the Memorial Wall.

The 100-meter basalt wall features inscriptions of hundreds of localities whose Armenian populations were massacred or forcibly deported during the Ottoman Empire's genocidal campaign.

Since 1996, the Memorial Wall has housed vessels filled with soil from the graves of foreign figures who played key roles in genocide recognition and international awareness efforts. Among those honored are Fridtjof Nansen, Pope Benedict XV, Giacomo Gorini, Anatole France, James Bryce, Johannes Lepsius, Franz Werfel, Armin Wegner, Henry Morgenthau, Hedwig Büll, Fayez al-Ghusayn, Karen Jeppe, Jakob Künzler, Bodil Biørn, Maria Jacobsen, Alma Johansson, and Clara Barton.