Society 10:03 24/04/2021 Armenia

Armenians worldwide commemorate 106th anniversary of Armenian Genocide

Armenians worldwide commemorate today, April 24, the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, also known as Medz Yeghern (Մեծ Եղեռն) – the first horrendous crime against humanity in the 20th century. On this day in 1915 hundreds of Armenian intellectuals were rounded up, arrested and later executed.

The term "genocide" was coined by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1944, whose family was one of the victims of the Jewish Holocaust. By defining this term, Prof. Lemkin sought to describe Nazi politics of systematic murder, violence and cruelty and atrocities committed against the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as well.

On December 9, 1948, the United Nations approved the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Convention defines genocide as an international crime, which signatory nations undertake to prevent and punish.

What is the Armenian Genocide?

The extermination of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and the surrounding regions during 1915-1923 is called the Armenian Genocide.

Those massacres were masterminded and perpetrated by the government of Young Turks and were later finalized by the Kemalist government.

The First World War gave the Young Turks the opportunity to settle accounts with Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire, thus implementing the decision of the secret meeting of 1911 in Thessaloniki. The plan was to tukify the Muslims and to exterminate the Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. Talaat Pasha (Interior Minister), Enver Pasha (Minister of Military Affairs), Djemal Pasha (commander of the Palestinian Front), Behaeddin Shakir Bey (Young Turk Central Committee member) and others were among the orchestrators of the project.

Intending to annihilate Armenians, they wanted to eliminate the Armenian Question. Armenia and Armenians were an obstacle on the way of the project of the Young Turks. Their dream of “Great Turan” was to stretch from the Bosphorus to Altai. During the First World War the Young Turks perpetrated massacres against Assyrians, Greeks and Arabs living in the Ottoman Empire.

In February 1915 the military minister Enver Pasha ordered to eliminate the Armenian soldiers serving in the Army. On April 24 and the following days 800 Armenians were arrested in Constantinople and exiled to the depths of Anatolia. Armenian writers, journalists, doctors, scientists, clergymen, intellectuals including Armenian members of the parliament were among them. A part of them died on the way of the exile, while others died after reaching there. The first international response to the violence resulted in a joint statement by France, Russia and the Great Britain in May 1915, where the Turkish atrocities against the Armenians were defined as “a crime against humanity and civilization”. According to them, Turkish government was responsible for the implementation of the crime.

Why was the Armenian Genocide perpetrated?

When WWI erupted, the government of the Young Turks adopted the policy of Pan-Turkism, hoping to save the remains of the weakened Ottoman Empire. The plan was to create an enormous Ottoman Empire that would spread to China, include all the Turkish speaking nations of the Caucasus and Middle Asia, intending also to turkify all the ethnic minorities of the empire. The Armenian population became the main obstacle standing in the way of the realization of this policy. Besides, the constitution restored after the Revolution of 1908 promised equal rights to all citizens of the Ottoman Empire. Armenians enthusiastically embraced this opportunity, however the change of status of previously deprived Armenians increased the hostility of the Turks towards Christians. This hostility was formed long ago, as even in the conditions of deprivation Armenians of the Ottoman empire provided unprecedented social, cultural and economic development. The genocide was a means to suppress this ascent, as well as to seize the Armenian wealth created during decades.

The Young Turks used WWI as a suitable opportunity for the implementation of the Armenian genocide, although it was planned in 1911-1912.

How many people died in the Armenian Genocide?

There were an estimated two million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire before the First World War. Approximately one and a half million Armenians were killed from 1915-1923. The remaining part was either islamized or exiled.

The mechanism of implementation

A genocide is the organized extermination of a nation aiming to put an end to their collective existence. Thus, the implementation of the genocide requires oriented programming and an internal mechanism, which makes genocide a state crime, as only a state possesses all the resources that can be used to carry out this policy.

The first phase of the Armenian Genocide was the conscription of about 60,000 Armenian men into the Ottoman army, their disarmament and murder by their Turkish fellow soldiers.

The second phase of the extermination of the Armenian population started on April 24, 1915 with the arrest of several hundred Armenian intellectuals and representatives of national elite (mainly in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople) and their subsequent elimination. Hereinafter, Armenians worldwide started to commemorate the Armenian genocide on April 24.

The third phase of the genocide is characterized with the exile of the massacres of women, children, elderly people to the desert of Syria. Hundreds of thousands of people were murdered by Turkish soldiers, police officers, Kurdish bandits during the deportation. The others died of epidemic diseases. Thousands of women and children were subjected to violence. Tens of thousands were forcibly islamized.

The fifth phase is the universal and absolute denial of the Turkish government of the mass deportations and genocide carried out against Armenians in their homeland. Despite the ongoing process of international condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey fights against recognition by all means, including distortion of history, means of propaganda, lobbying activities and other measures.

Information and photos from the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute official website.



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:13
Public figure accuses Armenian authorities of attempting to intimidate him
Public figure Hovhannes Avetisyan, an expert in public finance management, accused the Armenian authorities of repression and crackdown on their...
16:34
Iran's supreme leader threatens Israel and US with 'crushing response'
Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday threatened Israel and the U.S. with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its...
16:15
Armenia offers condolences to Serbia over tragic collapse at railway station
Armenia has extended condolences to Serbia following the tragic collapse at a railway station, which killed at least 14 people and...
16:00
Armenian lifter Alexander Lazaryan crowned junior European champion
Armenian weightlifter Alexander Lazaryan bagged a gold medal at the European Junior and U23 Championships being held in Raszyn, Poland, from...
15:36
Spiritual leaders urged to raise awareness on injustice against Artsakh Armenians ahead of COP29
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia, His Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI of the Armenian Catholic...
15:00
Showers possible in Yerevan on Sunday
Clear weather is expected in Armenia on Saturday and later next week. Rain is forecast for some parts of the country on Sunday and Monday,...
14:35
Catholicos Aram I, Ocampo discuss issues related to Artsakh
Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on Friday contacted His Holiness Catholicos Aram I by...
13:53
Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan reportedly targeted for UFC 311 on January 18
Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan rematch is the only fight that makes sense in the lightweight division at the moment. The champ is running...
13:27
Armenian Genocide denial risks new tragedies, MP warns
Opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan blasted Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan’s latest genocide remarks as dangerous for Armenia’s...
12:46
Urgent action needed to safeguard integrity of COP29 as fossil fuel influence looms large in Baku, report warns
We are days away from the start of COP29 in Azerbaijan. After previous hosts Egypt and the UAE, many had hoped for a more promising (and less...
12:30
Armenian church marks Feast of All Saints
The Armenian Apostolic Church on Saturday celebrates the Feast of All Saints, also called All Saints' Day. The day...
12:01
Paris Masters: Khachanov through to semi-finals
Russian-Armenian Karen Khachanov won against Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, the No 8 seed, 6-2, 6-3 to move into the last four of Paris Masters at...
11:30
Analysis: Aliyev's daughters reportedly control business empire worth over $13 billion
Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East...
11:00
Armenia's Milena Khachatryan wins silver at U23 European Championships
Armenian weightlifter Milena Khachatryan grabbed a silver medal at the European Junior and U23 Championships being held in Raszyn, Poland, from...
17:23
Russia urged to press for release of Armenian prisoners held by Baku
Opposition MP Artsvik Minasyan urged Russia to press for the release of Armenian prisoners, including Artsakh’s military and political...
16:45
Opposition MP: Armenian leadership 'legitimizes' Azeri crimes
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) staged a protest outside the UN office in Yerevan on Friday, demanding immediate action to secure...
16:04
Temperatures to drop in Armenia from Sunday
Clear weather is expected in Armenia on Friday, Saturday and later next week. Rain and snow are forecast for some parts of the country on...
15:36
FC Urartu joins calls for Armenian football chief's resignation
FC Urartu has joined the Armenian national team and Premier League fan movements and clubs in demanding the resignation of the current...
15:21
Protesters outside UN office demand release of Armenian prisoners in Baku
Protesters gathered outside the UN office in Yerevan on Friday to demand the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war and...
14:45
'Brat' is Collins Dictionary's word of the year
Collins Dictionary has declared “brat” – the album title that became a summer-living ideal – its 2024 word of the...
14:21
Armenian Genocide Museum head blasts Mirzoyan's remarks
Historian Hayk Demoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, lambasted Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan for...
13:36
World Youth Chess Championships underway in Brazil
The FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2024 are being held in Florianopolis, Brazil, from October 29 to November 9. After the third round,...
13:04
Russia says it is unhappy with Turkey's arms supplies to Ukraine
Russia is "surprised" that Turkey continues to supply Ukraine with weapons while trying to act as a mediator in the conflict between...
12:36
Spain floods death toll rises to 158
At least 158 people have died in Spain's worst flooding disaster in generations as rescuers battle odds to find survivors, BBC News...
12:17
Yerevan subway overcrowded in morning rush hour
The Yerevan Metro was overcrowded on Friday morning as passengers struggled to reach work and classes from the Garegin Nzhdeh station. The...
11:35
Armenia to host UN Biodiversity Conference in 2026
Armenia will host the next UN Biodiversity Conference of the Parties in 2026, the Ministry of Envionment reported. "In 2026,...
11:16
Lifter Emma Poghosyan crowned junior European champion
Armenian weightlifter Emma Poghosyan has clinched a gold medal at the European Junior and U23 Championships being held in Raszyn, Poland,...
11:01
Paris Masters: Khachanov edges out Popyrin to move into quarter-finals
Karen Khachanov moved into the quarter-finals of Paris Masters by defeating Australian Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (5), 6-4 at the Accor...
17:12
Biden bites baby dressed as chicken at Halloween event
U.S. President Joe Biden playfully bit a stable of adorable, dressed-up tots during a Halloween celebration at the White House on...
16:57
Opposition factions seek parliament debate on Armenian prisoners
The opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions have initiated an emergency parliament debate on a draft statement calling for the release of...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}