The Armenian Genocide: Almost a Century of Denial

By Lili Gevorkian on April 24, 2014

 

Ninety-nine years ago on April 24 marked the beginnings of what would become known as the Armenian Genocide. In 1915 the Ottoman Empire arrested and later executed hundreds of Armenian leaders in Constantinople. The Armenian male population was methodically reduced, disarmed from recruitment in the Ottoman Army and subject to slavery. The Young Turks’ true intentions were brought to light and administered in 1915-1918 under the guise of the WWI.  In 1920, the Turkish government came back with renewed force to exterminate the remaining Armenians. This lasted until 1923  and then the 1.5 million massacred Armenians were silently tucked under the rug by the Turkish government. Armenians were deported, abducted, starved, tortured, and almost entirely annihilated. They were removed from their homes and sent on death marches across deserts, resulting in death from dehydration, hunger, and brutality.

Death marches across the Syrian desert.

Women, children, and the elderly were abused in atrocious ways. Armenian wealth was stolen, land destroyed, and a culture disembodied. The horrendous acts are, until this day, being denied as a genocide and further attempting to silence the voices of living descendants.

The international community was aware and condemned the doings of the Young Turk leaders. The end of the war brought forth rightful accusations of wartime crimes. American, British, and German governments aided in documenting as much as they could as support. Despite these attempts, nothing substantial was done against the Ottoman Empire to serve justice for all the Armenians who had perished and for those barely surviving out of the concentration camps. The postwar Turkish governments never made restitution to the Armenian people.

The Armenian people have demanded recognition for almost an entire century and are still fighting to hear the Turkish government admit the genocide they committed. The Turkish prime minister recently spoke out concerning the “inhumane” events of 1915 but did not truly acknowledge the black mark in history. His refusal to use the term “genocide” which, by definition, was truly what occurred, further angers the living children and grandchildren of the victims.

Genocide is the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group. The resources necessary to carry out such a plan requires systematic planning and machinery to perform it and often only a government is capable of implementing such a state crime. The two phases of the killings were strictly committed for the purposes of removing Armenians from the earth, not as a “by-product” of World War I.

President Obama has also avoided using the word “genocide” in commemorating the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915. Despite sharing “that the Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence” Mr. Obama has chosen to side with Turkey to preserve relations with the foreign government. It’s disappointing to hear someone who promised to recognize the Armenian genocide upon coming into the presidential office turn the other cheek. The history is there and will remain, always.

 

1915 Armenian Genocide Memorial

On a final note:

“Referring to the Armenian Genocide, the young German politician Adolf Hitler duly noted the half-hearted reaction of the world’s great powers to the plight of the Armenians. After achieving total power in Germany, Hitler decided to conquer Poland in 1939 and told his generals: ‘Thus for the time being I have sent to the East only my ‘Death’s Head Units’ with the orders to kill without pity or mercy all men, women, and children of Polish race or language. Only in such a way will we win the vital space that we need. Who still talks nowadays about the Armenians?’ ”

We are still here, we are resilient, we are strong, and we are proud.

May the 1.5 million Armenian people who perished rest in peace. We will never forget.

Please view the video above to learn more about the Armenian Genocide.

Thank you for reading.

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