Free Republic

April 24 marked the 102nd anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Armenians around the world – as well those in the international community who care about human rights – remembered the 1.5 million victims of the genocide and paid homage to their legacy. The Armenian Genocide began on April 24, 1915, when the Ottoman Turkish government ordered the deportation of approximately 250 Armenian intellectuals.In the meantime, Turkey has been in a period of political turmoil – particularly following last year’s abortive coup. Since then, the mass dismissal of academics from universities seems to have become the norm in Turkey. According...

Yes, until World War II, the Medz Yeghern of 1915 was unprecedented not only in the history of our people, but in the entirety of humankind. An entire people, an entire nation coming from the depths of millennia was killed, was dying.We condemn genocide [genotsid] or zhoghovrtasbanutiun with all our heart and soul.There is and there cannot be either juridical justification or any motion of prescription for genocide.Genocide, be it the horrifying slaughter of Armenians in Der or in the banks of the Euphrates in 1915, or the torturing death by massacre of the other peoples during World War II...

Today, we remember and honor the memory of those who suffered during the Meds Yeghern, one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century.  Beginning in 1915, one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.  I join the Armenian community in America and around the world in mourning the loss of innocent lives and the suffering endured by so many. As we reflect on this dark chapter of human history, we also recognize the resilience of the Armenian people.  Many built new lives in the United...

US President Donald Trump (File photo). Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has slammed comments made by US President Donald Trump on the 102. anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, saying it contained “misinformation and false definitions”.Speaking at a commemoration event on Monday, Donald Trump, using the Armenian term – Meds Yeghern – for the genocide said it was “one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century.”“We must remember atrocities to prevent them from occurring again. We welcome the efforts of Turks and Armenians to acknowledge and reckon with painful history, which is a critical step toward building a foundation for a...

In a letter dated April 21 and addressed to the Armenian National Committee of America Western Region (ANCA-WR), Wyoming Governor Matthew H. Mead has recognized the Armenian Genocide and praised the work of Armenian American grassroots. “The atrocities of both the Armenian and Jewish Holocausts were unimaginable,” reads Governor Mead’s letter, “but it is important for all to remember—history must not repeat itself.” ... “I congratulate the Governor for his courageous stance on this moral issue amid lavish anti-Armenian lobbying in Wyoming, which has included all-inclusive junkets to the dictatorship of Azerbaijan by legislators across our nation, who should know...

Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) publicly apologized for not properly acknowledging the Armenian Genocide during her tenure under the administration of U.S. resident Barack Obama. Almost every Armenian-American family was touched in some way by the genocide. Ongoing Turkish denial makes the genocide an open wound… I am very sorry that, during our time in office, we in the Obama administration did not recognize the Armenian Genocide,” Power said in a series of tweets. .... Power has faced much criticism for her silence on Obama’s failure to recognize the Armenian Genocide, and had refused to publicly...

Being a celebrity is often associated with having a certain lifestyle. Fame often brings fortune, privileges, and opportunities—whether they are career-related or not. Celebrities are thought to have an “easier” life, in which they get special treatment wherever they go—well, except for celebrities in Turkey who are Armenian, Greek, Kurdish, Jewish, or members of any other ethnic or religious minority. Sometimes, even being associated with them is considered unacceptable.Ayhan Işık, for example, was the most beloved Turkish leading actor in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He was also a movie producer, director, script writer, singer, and painter. He was nicknamed by...

Today, members of the California Legislature commemorated the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, even as the United States of America continues to turn a blind eye to the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians. “We commemorate the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to remember the 1.5 million souls lost and to celebrate the Armenian’s contributions to California,” stated Assembly member Adrin Nazarian. “Through vigilance and education we can banish genocide to our history books.” “Armenian-Americans have not only survived, they have thrived and enriched the fabric of our communities. The genocide is about real people and real stories. For me...

the Armenian genocide, an event Turkey does not recognize. “One and a half million people were killed in the most brutal fashion, and I knew nothing about it, and that’s not uncommon ... The fact that this Armenian genocide happened and no one was ever held accountable may have provoked other genocides since.” At least 26 countries recognize the deaths as genocide, but in Turkey it is reportedly illegal to bring up the event.

Bedkhem Church's intricate decoration makes it one of the jewels of Isfahan. The Bedkhem (Bethlehem) Church is an Armenian Apostolic church in the Julfa quarter in Isfahan, Iran. The city itself, Isfahan, is nicknamed Nesf-e Jahān, “Half of the World,” so that puts this church “in the center of the world.”Armenians have had a presence in what is modern-day Iran for thousands of years, interacting with the ancient Persian empire and, later on, with Shia Muslim rulers. In the early 1600s, the ruler Shah Abbas I forced Armenians out of what had been considered their ancestral lands and relocated them...

Gravestones believed to be removed from the Armenian cemetery in the Beybasi neighborhood in the city of Erzincan were recently discovered scattered nearby, Istanbul-based Agos newspaper reported.How were they discovered? By chance, while making room for a new field in the city.Agos published this photo of the scattered remnants of the gravestones (Photo: Agos) The gravestones, which have Armenian cross-stones (khachkars) and letters on them, together with human bones, have been removed and scattered around the area for years.  Some locals told Agos that there is also an Armenian church in the city, though it has largely been destroyed over the years....

WASHINGTON, DC — Historians and researchers studying the Armenian Genocide will have a chance to use over 5000 publications in the Armenian Genocide library in Washington, DC Voice of America reported. The opening ceremony of the Armenian National Institute’s (ANI) Genocide library was held on April 5. The Armenian and English books presented here provide detailed information on the Armenian Genocide. ... Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan also attended the library opening ceremony. He welcomed the creation of the library and the cooperation prospect with Armenia.

The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet recently reported that the historic Surp Asdvadzadzin (Mother Mary/Meryem Ana) Armenian church in the city of Kayseri will be turned into a library and “book café.” According to the report, the project has a budget of six-million Turkish liras.The exterior of the Surp Asdvadzadzin Armenian church in Kayseri “The church became deserted years ago as there was no longer an Armenian congregation,” according to Hurriyet. The church was then used as an exhibition center, a municipal police station, and a sports center.The 2015 Human Rights Violations Report by Turkey’s Association of Protestant Churches stated: “The Istanbul...

Prior to the Armenian genocide of 1915, the Turkish southeastern town of Derik used to be an important center for Armenian and Assyrian/Syriac Christians. Today, only one Armenian woman remains: Yursalin Demirci. ... The Armenians of Derik were first subject to massacres and deportations in 1915. The remnant Armenians emigrated from Derik in later years due to various pressures. Because of these reasons, there is no longer an Armenian community in the town. The doors of the Surp (Saint) Kevrok Armenian Church were not opened at Christmas this year. And the church bell no longer rings. “I miss the old...

From National Geographic, this exclusive:   For the first time in centuries, scientists have exposed the original surface of what is traditionally considered the tomb of Jesus Christ. Located in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, the tomb has been covered by marble cladding since at least 1555 A.D., and most likely centuries earlier.“The marble covering of the tomb has been pulled back, and we were surprised by the amount of fill material beneath it,” said Fredrik Hiebert, archaeologist-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, a partner in the restoration project. “It will be...

The world should never forget or minimize the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians, Pope Francis declared Saturday even as he urged Armenians to infuse their collective memory with love so they can find peace and reconcile with Turkey. Turkey, though, didn’t budge. In its first reaction to Francis’ recognition of the 1915 “genocide,” Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli called the comments “greatly unfortunate” and said they bore the hallmarks of the “mentality of the Crusades.” Francis began his second day in Armenia by paying his respects at the country’s imposing genocide memorial and greeting descendants of survivors of the 1915...

BERLIN, June 2 (UPI) -- Turkey recalled its ambassador in Berlin after German lawmakers approved a resolution declaring the World War I mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a genocide. Ambassador Huseyin Avni Karslioglu is expected to travel back to Turkey on Thursday, after the German Parliament declared the 1915-16 killings of some 1.5 million Armenians a deliberate act of ethnic cleansing. Germany's ambassador to Turkey has also been summoned. The move comes just hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of "repercussions" from the vote. The German resolution is considered a touchy one for long-term relations between...

The German parliament has passed a symbolic resolution recognizing the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as a "genocide." The resolution was passed with a "striking majority" said President of the German Bundestag Norbert Lammert, with only one politician voting against it and one abstaining. Between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians, and other minorities, are estimated to have been killed by what was then-Ottoman Turkey during World War One. ... Germany's resolution is likely to place a strain on relations between Berlin and Ankara, and follows a recent migrant deal between Turkey and the European Union, in which Germany...

German lawmakers' planned vote to recognize the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide, will test the "friendship" between Berlin and Ankara, Turkey said Thursday, according to AFP. The resolution "will amount to a real test of the friendship" between the two nations, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. "Some nations that we consider friends, when they are experiencing trouble in domestic policy attempt to divert attention from it," he said at a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AKP). "This resolution is an example of that." He stopped short of threatening Germany with political and economic retaliation,...

“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming America…” ALL OF A SUDDEN… • All of a sudden, Islam is now taught in schools. Christianity, prayer, and the bible are banned in schools. • All of a sudden, we must allow Muslim prayer rugs everywhere and allow for Islamic prayer in schools, airports and businesses.• All of a sudden, we must stop serving pork in prisons because Muslims don’t eat it.• All of a sudden, we are inundated with lawsuits from Muslims who are offended by American culture.• All of a sudden, we must allow Muslim burkas to be worn...