CBS 2, CA
April 21 2007
Armenians Remember Genocide At Hands Of Turks
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(CBS) LOS ANGELES Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the Los Angeles City
Council and Armenian leaders gathered Friday to commemorate the 92nd
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Turks, which
resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million people in 1915.
"Today’s remembrance … will not only keep us all united in our
remembrance of the 1.5 million lost souls, it will also help us teach
the new generation to prevent injustice and intolerance and will
renew our respect for all of humanity," said Archbishop Honvan
Derderian, primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church.
Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that about 300,000
Armenians, and at least as many Turks, died during civil strife in
1915.
The deaths occurred when Armenians in eastern Anatolia fought for
independence and sided with Russian troops invading the crumbing
Ottoman Empire during World War I.
"It is important that the next generation of truth tellers is here
with us today," Villaraigosa said. "Denial of the genocide is an
attempt to instill fear in the hearts of all those who treasure
truth. The first condition of justice is recognition of the gravity
of the evil done."
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, introduced a resolution in January that
asked President Bush to recognize the killings.
In February, the City Council designated the Armenian capital of
Yerevan as a sister city to Los Angeles, under a plan spearheaded by
Councilman Eric Garcetti.
"Today it may feel long ago, but to think of the 3,000 years of
culture and history … that (the Armenian genocide) tried to wipe
from the earth makes us realize that it is part of our present,"
Garcetti said.
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