Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Germany
 Tuesday 2:31 PM EST


Rights group: Istanbul police break up memorial for Armenian killings

Istanbul

DPA POLITICS Turkey history Armenia  Rights group: Istanbul police break
up memorial for Armenian killings Istanbul
Police in Istanbul broke up a memorial on Tuesday
commemorating the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire during World War I, a leading human rights group said.



Police objected to the terms "genocide" and "massacre," which were
employed by speakers at the event, according to the Turkish
Human Rights Association (IHD).

Armenians regard the killings as genocide and have demanded
recognition from Turkey, which denies the term, saying there were
many deaths on all sides during the brutal war.

April 24, the day deportations of Armenian intellectuals began in
Istanbul in 1915, is marked as a memorial day. In recent years,
rallies and marches have been held in Istanbul.

"Police did not allow the memorial to take place and briefly detained
three of our members for holding placards that included banned
words," an IHD spokesperson told dpa.

The Istanbul police department was not immediately available to
comment.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan released a written statement
saying Turkey continues to "share the pain" and "remember the Ottoman
Armenians who lost their lives during the fierce and harsh conditions
of the First World War."

A number of nations around the world, including Germany, France and
the Netherlands, have recognized the killings of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire as "genocide."