Voice of America
April 23 2005

Armenians Remember the Death of Their Countrymen
By Ernest Leong
Washington D.C.

For Armenians, April 24 is a significant date. It’s when Armenians
remember the death of 1.5 million of their countrymen who they say
were systematically exterminated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire almost
a century ago. It’s a crime Turkey denies.

Hundreds gathered recently in Sacramento, capital of the U.S. state
of California, to remember their Armenian ancestors who were either
killed or died from starvation between 1915 and 1923. Armenia says
this was the intentional result of forced relocations by Turkey’s
nationalist government.

Turkey says there was no plan to wipe out Armenians, but many Western
historians and politicians believe there was.

California State Senator Jackie Speier says, “Many Armenians were
taken from their homes and were executed. Many others, um, spent
many years marching through the desert.”

Feelings and memories remain strong in the Armenian community.
Father Yeghia Hairabedian of the Armenian Orthodox Church says, “My
Great Aunt was one of them. One of my great aunts, when she was two
years old, she died on the death march, starving and begging for food.”

There are approximately 500,000 Armenian-Americans living in
California. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed
a bill officially recognizing April 24 as a commemoration day for
what some call the “Forgotten Genocide.”

Armenians claim it began on April 24, 1915, with the Turkish
government deporting and massacring the minority population of
Armenian Christians. Turkey denies this, saying any atrocities were
at the hands of rogue groups and individuals, and not sanctioned by
the government.

It’s an issue Turkey would like to put behind it. This coming October,
Turkey begins talks on possible entry to the European Union.
The problem is, some European politicians, especially in France,
agree with Armenia’s views.

Organizers in Armenia expect 1.5 million people, representing the
number they say died in the genocide, to converge on the capital,
Yerevan.