History:
In Armenia and Turkey (both then the ottoman empire) between 1915 and 1923, by order of the government, between 1,000,000 and 1,500,000 Armenians and 300,000+ Greek Assyrians were killed by Turkish and Kurdish forces, in the first holocaust of the 20th Century. All property was taken from non-Muslims living within the empire. Intellectuals were the first to be targeted, being arrested and subsequently executed en masse. Then, ordinary people were forced out of their homes and forced to walk hundreds of miles over desert and mountainous terrain, with no food or water, killing hundreds of thousands. The rest were killed in the indiscriminate massacres that took place within this period, and it is known of 25 major extermination camps, where thousands died. Witnesses claim to have seen mass killings, including the gassing of two schools of Armenian children, and the burning of as many as 5,000 Armenians, or indeed entire villages.
Turkish Denial and Propaganda:
Immediately after the Genocide, Turkey admitted to the massacres, and set up courts to put many of those responsible on trial for pursuing a war which was not ‘Millet’
(the term 'Millet' in the context of Ottoman history means a religiously defined people) and effectively illegal butchery, however, the sentences were not officially carried out as those sentenced escaped to Germany, who refused to release them to Turkey. They were later assassinated by Armenian students, whose defence in court was that they were carrying out executions. They were released. After this time, however,
Turkey radically changed its stance on the genocide, and began denying it ever happened, despite infallible proof, and began using propaganda to stir up hatred of any who opposed the denial, and of Armenians in general.
Article 301 and the Murder of Hrant Dink:
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code is a controversial law which allows the government to sentence someone who ‘offends Turkishness’ or the Turkish government to up to 3 years in jail, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 6 months. This includes stating one's belief in the Armenian Genocide.
In 2007, shortly after being sentenced to 6 months in jail for ‘offending Turkishness’ under article 301, and 2 months after the release of Screamers, a documentary about the band System Of A Down’s campaign to gain recognition for the genocide, in which he was interviewed, he was shot in the head 3 times at point blank range by Ogün Samast, a 17-year old Turkish nationalist. I urge you to watch the documentary ‘Screamers’ as well as doing your own research on the subject.
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| Hrant Dink (September 15, 1954 - January 19, 2007) |
Refugees, Immigration and Recognition:
Many fled the horrors of the genocide, and as many perished at the hands of Ottoman forces. Now, over 1,500,000 Armenians live in America and 3,000,000 in Russia. An estimated 18,000 also live in the UK. Worldwide, 21 countries and 42 U.S. states have now recognised the Armenian Genocide, including California, France and Germany. The UK, however, has yet to formally recognise the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians during and immediately after World War One. This is because
they fear offending Turkey, and ruining trade relations. This cowardice and putting money before human life is despicable. If a minister were to deny the murder of 6 million Jews during the Second World War, they would likely be asked to step down; however many live in ignorance of, or simply deny this forgotten holocaust. And that is what they do. In many states, denying the holocaust and the Armenian Genocide both merit arrest and sentence, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 months in Germany or 6 months in Romania. The UK fails its duty both to the Armenians who died in or survived; or are descendents of those who were prosecuted in the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923, and to humanity as a whole by ignoring this mass slaughter in the interests of preserving an ‘Aryan’ race and destroying another ‘inferior’ one.
Denying Genocide:
Denying genocide leaves room for extremists to commit it again. Time and again, world leaders have said ‘Never again’ to these awful crimes, and yet since 1923, there have been
over 20 cases of genocide or alleged genocide. Hitler himself believed, on reflection of the Armenian Genocide, that the Nazis would be able to get away with the holocaust, and some historians believe that he was ‘inspired’ by the actions of the ottoman Turks in WW1, as he is quoted as saying several times:
“Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”
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You need to create an account on Youtube and say that you are over eighteen to see Screamers, the documentary. Here's the link:
Armenians
1,500,000 DEAD
Jews
6,000,000 DEAD
Cambodia
2,000,000 DEAD
Bosnia
200,000 DEAD
Rwanda
800,000 DEAD
Darfur
400,000 DEAD
... and counting
Libya
?
