YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS. In 1915, the crime perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians was the first genocide of 20th century. The Armenians worldwide commemorate 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Due to the current novel coronavirus pandemic, today, on April 24, the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan is closed for all visitors. The united presence of Armenians around the Eternal Flame this year will be ensured in another way: citizens from Armenia and Artsakh can send sms messages to 1915 number and to +37433191500 number those who live abroad, mentioning their names. The names of the citizens will be screened on the walls of the Memorial.

The extermination of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the World War I is called the Armenian Genocide. Those massacres were perpetrated by the government of Young Turks in various regions of the Ottoman Empire. The first international response to the violence resulted in a joint statement by France, Russia and the Great Britain in May 24 1915, where the Turkish atrocities against the Armenians were defined as “a crime against humanity and civilization”. According to them, Turkish government was responsible for the implementation of the crime.

When WWI erupted, the government of the Young Turks adopted the policy of Pan-Turkism, hoping to save the remains of the weakened Ottoman Empire. The plan was to create an enormous Ottoman Empire that would spread to China, include all the Turkish speaking nations of the Caucasus and Middle Asia, intending also to turkify all the ethnic minorities of the empire. The Armenian population became the main obstacle standing in the way of the realization of this policy. The Young Turks used WWI as a suitable opportunity for the implementation of the Armenian genocide, although it was planned in 1911-1912.

There were an estimated two million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire before the WWI. Approximately one and a half million Armenians were killed from 1915-1923. The remaining part was either islamized or exiled, or found shelters in different parts of the world.

A genocide is the organized extermination of a nation aiming to put an end to their collective existence. Thus, the implementation of the genocide requires oriented programming and an internal mechanism, which makes genocide a state crime, as only a state possesses all the resources that can be used to carry out this policy.

The first phase of the Armenian Genocide was the extermination of the Armenian population started on April 24, 1915 with the arrest of several hundred Armenian intellectuals and representatives of national elite (mainly in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople) and their subsequent elimination. Hereinafter, Armenians worldwide started to commemorate the Armenian genocide on April 24.

The third phase of the genocide is characterized with the exile of the massacres of women, children, and elderly people to the desert of Syria. Hundreds of thousands of people were murdered by Turkish soldiers, police officers, Kurdish bandits during the deportation. The others died of epidemic diseases. Thousands of women and children were subjected to violence. Tens of thousands were forcibly islamized.

The last phase is the universal and absolute denial of the Turkish government of the mass deportations and genocide carried out against Armenians in their homeland. Despite the ongoing process of international condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey fights against recognition by all means, including distortion of history, means of propaganda, lobbying activities and other measures.

On December 9, 1948 the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, according to which, genocide is defined as an international crime and the signing states are obliged to prevent, as well as punish the perpetrators of the genocide.

RECOGNITION

The fact of the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman government has been documented, recognized, and affirmed in the form of media and eyewitness reports, laws, resolutions, and statements by many states and international organizations. The complete catalogue of all documents categorizing the 1915-23 widespread massacre of the Armenian population in Ottoman Empire as a premeditated and thoroughly executed act of Genocide, is extensive.

Below is a brief list presented by the foreign ministry of Armenia of those states and organizations which have acknowledged the Armenian Genocide.

Parliamentary Resolutions, Laws and Declarations

• Resolution by the People's Council of the Syrian Arab Republic on recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire - February 13, 2020
• Unanimous resolution of the U.S. Senate recognizing and condemning Armenian Genocide -December 12, 2019
• Resolution of the U.S. House of Representatives approving U.S. position on Armenian Genocide -October 30, 2019
• Position of the Assembly of the Republic (the Parliament of Portugal) on its position on the Armenian Genocide -April 26, 2019
• Initiative of the chamber of deputies of Italy encouraging the government of Italy to recognize Armenian Genocide - April 10,2019
• Decree of the President of France Emmanuel Macron recognizing April 24 as a National Memorial Day of Armenian Genocide -April 10, 2019
• Resolution of the Chamber of Deputies of the parliament of Czech Republic condemning and recognizing Armenian Genocide and other crimes against humanity -April 26, 2017
• Resolution of the Parliament of Denmark recognizing Armenian Genocide -January 26, 2017
• The Senate of France confirmation of the bill criminalizing the negation of Armenian Genocide -October 14, 2016
• Resolution of the Knesset Committee on education, culture and sport of the State of Israel - August 1, 2016
• Resolution of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany - June 2, 2016
• Resolution of the Senate of the Republic of Paraguay - October 29, 2015
• Resolution of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Belgium - July 24, 2015
• Resolution of the Federal Senate of the Federal Republic of Brazil - May 29, 2015
• Resolution of the Parliament of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg - May 6, 2015
• Statement of State Duma of Russian Federation on the Armenian Genocide Centennial - April 24, 2015
• Statement by the President Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck - April 23, 2015
• Statement of the ‪‎Austrian Parliament on the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire - 22 April, 2015
• European Parliament Resolution dedicated to the Centenary of the Armenian Genocide - 15 April, 2015
• Czech Republic, Resolution of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies of Parliament on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide Centenary - April 14 2015
• Resolution of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile - April 14, 2015
• Statement by Holy Father Francis during the Mass at the Vatican - April 12, 2015
• Bolivia's Senate and the Chamber of Deputies Resolution - November 27, 2014
• Sweden Riksdag Resolution - March 11, 2010
• MERCOSUR, Joint Parliamentary Committee Resolution - Nov 19, 2007
• House Committee Resolution - October 10, 2007
• Chile, Senate Resolution - July 07, 2007
• Argentina, Law - January 15, 2007
• Argentina, Senate Special Statement - April 19, 2006
• Lithuania, Assembly Resolution - December 15, 2005
• European Parliament Resolution - September 28, 2005
• Venezuela, National Assembly Resolution - July 14, 2005
• Germany, Parliament Resolution - June 15, 2005
• Argentina, Senate Resolution - April 20, 2005
• Poland, Parliament Resolution - April 19, 2005
• Netherlands, Parliament Resolution - December 21, 2004
• Slovakia, National Assembly Resolution - November 30, 2004
• Canada, House of Commons Resolution - April 21, 2004
• Argentina, Senate Declaration - March 31, 2004
• Uruguay, Law - March 26, 2004
• Argentina, Draft Law - March 18, 2004
• Switzerland (Helvetic Confederation), National Council Resolution - December 16, 2003
• Argentina, Senate Resolution - August 20, 2003
• Canada, Senate Resolution - June 13, 2002
• European Parliament Resolution - February 28, 2002
• Common Declaration of His Holiness John Paul II and His Holiness Karekin II at Holy Etchmiadzin, Republic of Armenia - September 27, 2001
• Prayer of John Paul II, Memorial of Tsitsernakaberd - September 26, 2001
• France, Law - January 29, 2001
• Italy, Chamber of Deputies Resolution - November 16, 2000
• European Parliament Resolution - November 15, 2000
• France, Senate, Draft Law - November 7, 2000
• Lebanon, Parliament Resolution - May 11, 2000
• Sweden, Parliament Report - March 29, 2000
• France, National Assembly Draft Law - May 28, 1998
• Belgium, Senate Resolution - March 26, 1998
• Lebanon, Chamber of Deputies Resolution - April 3, 1997
• House of Representatives Resolution 3540 - June 11, 1996
• Greece (Hellenic Republic), Parliament Resolution - April 25, 1996
• Canada, House of Commons Resolution - April 23, 1996
• Russia, Duma Resolution - April 14, 1995
• Argentina, Senate Resolution - May 5, 1993
• European Parliament Resolution - June 18, 1987
• House of Representatives Joint Resolution 247 - September 12, 1984
• Cyprus, House of Representatives, Resolution - April 29, 1982
• House of Representatives Joint Resolution 148 - April 9, 1975
• Uruguay, Senate and House of Representatives, Resolution - April 20, 1965
• Senate Resolution 359 - May 11, 1920
• Congress Act to Incorporate Near East Relief - August 6, 1919
• Senate Concurrent Resolution 12 - February 9, 1916
• France, Great Britain, and Russia, Joint Declaration - May 24, 1915

International Organizations 

• Parliament of Andean Community of Nations (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú)September 20, 2016.
• International Organization of La Francophonie, Statement of Secretary-General - April 24 2015
• The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity - April 9, 2007
• Human Rights Association of Turkey, Istanbul Branch - April 24, 2006
• International Center for Transitional Justice Report Prepared for TARC - February 10, 2003
• European Alliance of YMCAs - July 20, 2002
• Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly Declaration - April 24, 2001
• Human Rights League - May 16, 1998
• Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly Declaration - April 24, 1998
• The Association of Genocide Scholars - June 13, 1997
• Kurdistan Parliament in Exile - April 24, 1996
• Union of American Hebrew Congregations - November 7, 1989
• UN Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities - July 2, 1985
• Permanent Peoples' Tribunal, Verdict of the Tribunal - April 16, 1984
• World Council of Churches - August 10, 1983
• UN General Assembly Resolution - December 9, 1948
• UN War Crimes Commission Report - May 28, 1948