Armenian Genocide

Overview

The Armenian Genocide orchestrated by the Ottoman Empire was the systematic annihilation of over 2 million Christian Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks between 1915-1923.

Recognised as the first Genocide of the 20th century, the mass killings of indigenous Armenians saw the removal of a people who had lived on the land for thousand of years.

The Armenian Genocide is commemorated annually on the 24th of April. This day marks the commencement of the Armenian Genocide as the Ottoman Empire began rounding up political, religious, educational and intellectual leaders in Istanbul. Over 200 members of the elite Armenian community were arrested, deported and brutally put to death.

As WW1 loomed, Armenian men were conscripted into the Ottoman Empire to face a brutal death. They were enlisted into forced labour camps, which led to the wholesale killing of thousands of Armenian men.

Women, children and the elderly were deported from their homes to the Mesopotamian and Syrian Desert under a ‘relocation program’. However, along the way thousands were intentionally deprived of food or water, often succumbing to assault and rape, whilst killing squads aimed to ensure there were no remaining survives.

Although some Armenians survived the brutal mass killings, thousands of refugees died of starvation, epidemics and exposure throughout the Middle East. In addition, thousands of children were left orphaned throughout the region and often grew up in Arab or Kurdish families loosing their identity.

Any remnants of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were removed. Armenian properties, school, and Church’s were stolen by the Turkish state and often vandalised and desecrated. The Indigenous Christian populations of the region were also successfully deported. Today, Christian Armenians, Greeks, Pontiacs, Assyrians, Syriac’s and other Christians make up less than 1% of Turkeys population.

To this day, the Ottoman Empires successor state the Republic of Turkey aggressively denies the events of 1915-1923 as Genocide.

ANC-UK Position

The ANC-UK calls on United Kingdom to join over 30 nations worldwide, stand with truth and justice and officially recognise the of mass killings of 1915-1923 as Genocide.

The ANC-UK calls on the United Kingdom to stop supporting Turkeys denial and instead pressure the Turkish government to acknowledge the crimes of its past and delivers a just resolution to all victims and descendants of the Armenian Genocide.

In their May 24, 1915 joint declaration, the Allied Powers, namely Great Britain, France, and Russia had accused the Young Turk regime of crimes against humanity and civilization towards its treatment of the Armenians. The British Empire as part of the Entente was appalled by the treatment of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

The cultural genocide against religious and ethnic minorities are still carrying on to this date in Turkey. Many Armenian Churches are consistently being demolished. Some of these churches go back to 6th Century.

In 1974 UNESCO stated that after 1923, out of 913 Armenian historical monuments left in Eastern Turkey, 464 have vanished completely, 252 are in ruins, and 197 are in need of complete repair.

Although the governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland recognised the Armenian Genocide Britain has not done so. We advocate securing UK recognition of the Armenian Genocide and ensure the appropriate commemoration of the Armenian Genocide within the UK.