The Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Connecticut will hold a virtual ceremony this month to mark the 106th anniversary of the event, according to a release.
The event, set for 10:30 a.m. via Zoom, will remember those who died and also those who survived, the release said.
“For decades Armenians around the world have gathered together in April to honor the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923,” Southern Connecticut State University professor Armen Marsoobian, a member of the Genocide Commemoration Committee and vice president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, said in the release. “In 2020 the pandemic interrupted our customary Hartford State Capitol commemoration but this year we are grateful to virtually gather to commemorate the martyrs of the genocide.”
Attorney Harry N. Mazadoorian of Kensington said in the release that this year’s program is the first since the 2019 recognition of the Armenian Genocide by both houses of Congress.
Speakers at the program will include Tatul Hakobyan, an Armenian reporter and author based in Yerevan, Armenia; and Lilly Torosyana, who has been based in Armenia since shortly before the 44-day war with Azerbaijan in 2020 over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
John C. Geragosian, Connecticut state auditor and a member of the committee, will serve as master of ceremonies, the release said, adding that Geragosian stated the committee this year is particularly interested in informing the public about the 44-day war and its aftermath.
The flag of the Republic of Armenia will fly over the state Capitol for a week and the raising of the flag will be presented to event attendees by video, the release said, and the Armenian-American community is hopeful that President Joe Biden will also recognize the 1915 events as genocide.
The April 24 program will begin with a special Martyrs’ Service, the release said, in which clergy from four Armenian churches in Connecticut will participate, the release noted. The commemoration program will follow the service.
Registration is required to obtain the Zoom link; to register,v isit .