Արևելահայերեն
Արևմտահայերեն
РусскийSeveral Turkish NGOs to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
Several events commemorating the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be held in Turkey.
According to evrensel.net, Turkey’s Human Rights Union (İHD), the European Social Anti-Racist Movement (EGAM), the Platform against Racism and Nationalism and the New Awakening Armenian organization have announced their programs of events.
The members of the organizations talked about the programs during a press conference hosted at the Jezayir sessions hall in Istanbul.
On April 24, a commemorative event will be held at the Haydarpasha railway station of Istanbul where Armenian intellectuals were taken 101 years ago and never returned. The participants of the event will hold photos of victims of the Armenian Genocide and will perform Armenian psalms and the songs of Komitas. On the same day, at the Armenian cemetery of Shishli, members of the organizations will pay their respects to Sevag Balikci, who was killed while serving in the Turkish army on the day marking the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. A commemorative event will also be held at Tunel Square of Istanbul in the evening.
During the press conference, Vice-President of EGAM Harout Palanjian stated that denial of the Armenian Genocide can’t change the reality.
“Turkish intellectuals have visited Armenia and apologized for the crimes that their ancestors committed, and the Turkish state must do the same. Accepting the mistakes made in the past is the only way to reconcile with other nations,” he said.
Lawyer of the Human Rights Union Ere Keskin emphasized that modern-day Turkey was created based on the ideology of genocide, and to this day, attempts are made to legitimize those atrocities. The lawyer stated that the state can rid itself of the sin of genocide by recognizing the Armenian Genocide and making reparations.
Another member of the EGAM Beniamin Abtan said last year’s commemorative events had instilled hope that Turkey might take the path to democracy, but all hope was gone due to the tension that has been existing in the country for the past year and the war that the state has unleashed against the people.
“From now on, we have to be more active in Turkey. We must not limit ourselves to commemorative events. We need to lead a more active struggle for recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” Abtan added.
