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Here are ten things you should know about the Armenian 'genocide'

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  • Here are ten things you should know about the Armenian 'genocide'

    Raw Story
    April 12 2015

    Here are ten things you should know about the Armenian 'genocide'

    April 12, 2015
    Elizabeth Whitman


    This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Above,
    members of an Armenian community in Romania hold banners in downtown
    Bucharest April 24, 2012, during a rally observing the anniversary of
    the beginning of the mass killings of Armenians within the Ottoman
    Empire.Reuters/Bogdan Cristel

    It's been 100 years since the Armenian genocide began and Ottoman
    Turks started killing as many as 1.5 million Armenians over the course
    of several years, primarily in what is now eastern Turkey. The
    genocide is commemorated April 24 every year, but the descriptive term
    itself remains the subject of fierce controversy. Below are 10 key
    facts to know about the Armenian genocide.

    1. Most estimates indicate between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians
    died at the hands of the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1918. In an
    attempt to keep Armenian men from joining forces with the Russians
    during World War I, Ottoman authorities deported them to Iraq and
    Syria. Many starved to death or were killed.

    2. The U.S. refuses to officially call it a genocide, out of deference
    to its ally Turkey. During his U.S. senate and presidential campaigns,
    President Barack Obama promised to use the word "genocide" to describe
    the mass killing. In 2008, he said, "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." As president, however, Obama has yet to declare it a
    genocide.

    3. A few U.S. politicians have proposed legislation or resolutions
    that would officially recognize the Armenian genocide as such, but
    Turkey has rejected these efforts. In 2014, the Senate Foreign
    Relations Committee adopted a resolution to label the massacre a
    genocide, and Turkey quickly condemned it. In March, four members of
    Congress also proposed legislation to recognize the genocide.

    4. Turkey claims the number of deaths is exaggerated and that they
    came about not because of genocidal policies targeting Armenians but
    because of civil war. According to Agence France-Presse, Turkish
    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for an impartial review of
    the events and said, "If the results actually reveal that we have
    committed a crime, if we have a price to pay, then as Turkey we would
    assess it and take the required steps."

    5. Armenians in the diaspora are hopeful that this could be the year
    Obama recognizes the genocide. Aram S. Hamparian, executive director
    of the Armenian National Committee of America, told the Los Angeles
    Times "very senior people in the White House" told him that the
    administration would thoroughly review the matter this year, for the
    first time since 2009.

    6. The genocide is officially commemorated April 24, the date in 1915
    when the Young Turks arrested about 200 leaders in the Armenian
    community and later executed them. The date is frequently marked with
    rallies and marches in Armenian communities around the world.

    7. The modern-day Armenian diaspora is estimated to encompass 10
    million people, and its members are scattered all over the world, from
    Europe to Asia to North America.

    8. The dispute over the term "genocide" still plays out in courts. In
    January, attorney Amal Clooney, representing Armenia, faced off
    against Armenian genocide denier Dogu Perincek in the European Court
    of Human Rights. The court had overturned Perincek's 2007 conviction
    for denying the genocide, on the grounds that it violated his right to
    free speech, and Armenia was appealing that decision.

    9. When the genocide happened, it was largely condemned by the
    international community, but no country took action directly against
    the Ottoman Empire for the genocide. However, some governments
    sponsored reports to document what the Armenians had gone through.

    10. Massacres of Armenians during the genocide didn't occur in Turkey
    alone. Armenians were killed in Syria, as well. This map illustrates
    the routes many Armenians were forced to follow during "death
    marches," not only throughout Turkey but also into Iraq and Syria.


    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/04/here-are-ten-things-you-should-know-about-the-armenian-genocide/

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