HULIQ.com, SC
April 24 2010
Grandson of Armenian Genocide Leader Calls for Turks to Mourn
Ninety-five years ago today, on April 24, 1915, the Armenian Genocide
began. Today, to commemorate the event, marchers worldwide will be,
and have been, out in force in an attempt to bring an end to Turkey’s
genocide denials, as well as to memorialize the tragedy.
Events are taking place worldwide. In Armenia, events began as early
as Friday night. Tens of thousands of people in Yerevan took part in a
torch-lit procession led by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation to
commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The
marchers carried signs with statements such as `We demand compensation
from Turkey!’ and `The recognition time is now!’
The statement about "recognition" relates to the fact that Turkey has
continued to deny the word genocide is an accurate description of the
events. in Armenia, demonstrators burned a banner with images of
Turkish leaders.
Despite official denials, some Turks call for joining in the memorials
for the tragedy. Hasan Cemal, a famous Turkish journalist and a
columnist of the local Turkish daily Milliyet, has called for Turks to
join Armenians in commemorating the day. Hasan Cemal is the grandson
of Cemal Pasha, who was one of the organizers of the Armenian Genocide
in 1915.
In an article called "I share Armenian’s Pain on April 24" Cemal wrote
the following:
"Today is April 24. April 24, 1915 is one of the shameful pages of the
Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Armenians living and creating for
centuries in Anatolia endured great anguish on the lands they lived;
they stood great pains in their own state: they were eradicated,
slaughtered and subjected to eventual extinction. Some call these
pages of history as deportation, some – as tragedy, some – Genocide,
while others call it Great Calamity. But it cannot be denied.
"But today is April 24, the commemoration day of the Armenians, the
tragedy the Armenian nation suffered on these lands. Thus let’s first
share the Armenian’s grief on April 24, let’s try to feel their pain
in our hearts, let’s equally mourn with Armenians."
In fact, there is support among Turks. Human rights activists and
artists in Istanbul, Turkey commemorated the Armerian Genocide for the
first time on Saturday.
The Armerian Genocide, also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the
Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime, is generally
noted as beginning on April 24, 1915. It ran though 1917, and is
estimated to have resulted in the deaths of between one and one and a
half million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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