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ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
Nouse, UK
May 6 2014
By Katy Sandalls | Tuesday 6th May 2014
Defining genocide is never an easy job, especially when the event
happened nearly 100 years ago and the last remaining survivors are
nearly gone. This however is the situation that Turkey findsitself
in now. Last week, Turkey came the closest it has ever done to
acknowledging the devastating events that took place in Armenia in
1915 under Ottoman rule.
Startlingly little is known about the Armenian genocide in comparison
to other comparable tragedies such as the Rwandan genocide of 1994
or the mass extermination carried out by the Nazis. The facts of the
case are not nearly as clear, with many people still trying to make
excuses for the event. What is known is that from around April 1915
onwards Armenians were massacred and deported by the Ottoman Empire
in frightening numbers.
Though still refusing to acknowledge officially the term 'genocide',
the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his sympathy
to the families of those involved in the systematic killings which
are thought to have claimed the lives of around 2 million Armenians
with many men being worked to death and many women and children being
marched across the Syrian desert.
Armenia's reaction to the statement was one of condemnation, with
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian accusing Turkey of "utter denial"
and calling on Turkey to finally acknowledge the facts surrounding the
event that it has been denying for nearly a century. As far as the
international community is concerned the statement is an impressive
step forward for Turkey. But the issue itself is still rather raw,
with formal recognition of a genocide as having taken place being
slowly pushed through against strong Turkish objections.
Whilst many nations such as France, Cyprus and Canada officially
recognise the existence of the genocide, many more have yet to make
an official stance, with Denmark going so far as saying that it is
not the job of politicians but of historians to decide whether an
event was a genocide or not.
Interestingly, within Britain it is only England that has not
officially recognised the event as a genocide, with Westminster
reluctant to define the event retrospectively, while Wales, Scotland
and Northern Ireland have all declared a genocide to have occurred.
It appears unlikely that Turkey is going to acknowledge the event any
time soon with little pressure internally to do so. Indeed, in Turkey
it is still actually illegal to talk about what happened in Armenia.
They also maintain that the events taking place during the First World
War killed many ethnic Turks, and that the events themselves were just
skirmishes in the war. Some members of Turkey's People's Liberation
Party deny that the event even took place, calling it a wedge created
by the Armenians, intended to cause tension in the area. The debate
comes at a time when relations between Turkey and Armenia are still
problematic and borders are still shut. The centenary of the genocide
next year will be telling of just how much things have changed,
with increased political pressure on Turkey sure to feature.
http://www.nouse.co.uk/2014/05/06/armenian-genocide-recognition/
Nouse, UK
May 6 2014
By Katy Sandalls | Tuesday 6th May 2014
Defining genocide is never an easy job, especially when the event
happened nearly 100 years ago and the last remaining survivors are
nearly gone. This however is the situation that Turkey findsitself
in now. Last week, Turkey came the closest it has ever done to
acknowledging the devastating events that took place in Armenia in
1915 under Ottoman rule.
Startlingly little is known about the Armenian genocide in comparison
to other comparable tragedies such as the Rwandan genocide of 1994
or the mass extermination carried out by the Nazis. The facts of the
case are not nearly as clear, with many people still trying to make
excuses for the event. What is known is that from around April 1915
onwards Armenians were massacred and deported by the Ottoman Empire
in frightening numbers.
Though still refusing to acknowledge officially the term 'genocide',
the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his sympathy
to the families of those involved in the systematic killings which
are thought to have claimed the lives of around 2 million Armenians
with many men being worked to death and many women and children being
marched across the Syrian desert.
Armenia's reaction to the statement was one of condemnation, with
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian accusing Turkey of "utter denial"
and calling on Turkey to finally acknowledge the facts surrounding the
event that it has been denying for nearly a century. As far as the
international community is concerned the statement is an impressive
step forward for Turkey. But the issue itself is still rather raw,
with formal recognition of a genocide as having taken place being
slowly pushed through against strong Turkish objections.
Whilst many nations such as France, Cyprus and Canada officially
recognise the existence of the genocide, many more have yet to make
an official stance, with Denmark going so far as saying that it is
not the job of politicians but of historians to decide whether an
event was a genocide or not.
Interestingly, within Britain it is only England that has not
officially recognised the event as a genocide, with Westminster
reluctant to define the event retrospectively, while Wales, Scotland
and Northern Ireland have all declared a genocide to have occurred.
It appears unlikely that Turkey is going to acknowledge the event any
time soon with little pressure internally to do so. Indeed, in Turkey
it is still actually illegal to talk about what happened in Armenia.
They also maintain that the events taking place during the First World
War killed many ethnic Turks, and that the events themselves were just
skirmishes in the war. Some members of Turkey's People's Liberation
Party deny that the event even took place, calling it a wedge created
by the Armenians, intended to cause tension in the area. The debate
comes at a time when relations between Turkey and Armenia are still
problematic and borders are still shut. The centenary of the genocide
next year will be telling of just how much things have changed,
with increased political pressure on Turkey sure to feature.
http://www.nouse.co.uk/2014/05/06/armenian-genocide-recognition/