Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Public holiday celebrating in 24 April

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Also called| Armenian Genocide Memorial Day
Observed by|

* Armenia
* State of California[1]
* Canada[2]
* France[3]
* Argentina[4]

Type| National
Significance| Commemoration of the Armenian genocide
Date| 24 April
Frequency| Annual

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (Armenian: Մեծ Եղեռնի զոհերի հիշատակի օր, romanized: Mets Yegherrni zoheri hishataki), also known as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day,[5] is a public holiday in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (before the flight of its Armenian population) and is observed by the Armenian diaspora on 24 April.[5][6] It is held annually to commemorate the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915, a series of massacres and starvation of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottomans. In Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, hundreds of thousands of people walk to the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial to lay flowers at the eternal flame. This day is also called "Armenian Martyrs Day".[7]

## History

[edit]

Genocide memorial in Saint Sarkis Cathedral, Tehran

The date 24 April commemorates the deportation of Armenian intellectuals on 24 April 1915 from Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). The first commemoration, organised by a group of Armenian Genocide survivors, was held in Istanbul in 1919 at the local St. Trinity Armenian church.[8] Many prominent figures in the Armenian community participated in the commemoration. Following its initial commemoration in 1919, the date became the annual day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide.[8]

The 1965 Yerevan demonstrations saw 100,000 demonstrators come onto the streets of the Soviet Armenian capital on 24 April to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the start of the Ottoman genocide.

On 9 April 1975, the US House of Representatives passed Joint Resolution 148 designating 24 April as a "National Day of Remembrance of Man's Inhumanity to Man".[9] The Resolution commemorated victims of genocide, especially those of Armenian ancestry who succumbed to the genocide perpetrated in 1915. The resolution however failed to pass in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee due to President Gerald R. Ford’s strong opposition to what he saw as a threat to the country's strategic alliance with Turkey.[10]

In 1988, Soviet Armenia formally adopted 24 April as a public day of commemoration.[11]: 215  In 1997 in the US, the California State Assembly declared 24 April as a "Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923, and for the victims of the Sumgait Pogroms of 1988 and Baku Riots of 1990".[11]: 232

In 2007, Argentina passed National Law 26199, designating 24 April as "Day of Action for Tolerance and Respect Among Peoples", in which Armenian Argentines are excused from work.[4][12] In 2015, the House of Commons of Canada unanimously passed Motion M-587, proposed by Brad Butt, marking April to be Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month, and designating 24 April as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day.[13]

In 2019, France marked its first national commemoration of the genocide,[14][15] with French president Emmanuel Macron declaring 24 April "a national day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide", fulfilling a campaign pledge. In 2021, US President Joe Biden recognized the genocide on 24 April, fulfilling a campaign pledge.[16][17] On 14 May 2024, the Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay unanimously approved a bill that declares 24 April of each year as "Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day".[18]

## See also

[edit]

* 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
* Armenian genocide denial
* Armenian genocide recognition
* "I Apologize" campaign
* National Sorry Day
* Truth and reconciliation commission
* Vergangenheitsbewältigung

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "State of California Commemorates the Armenian Genocide". Armenian National Committee of America. 21 April 2005.
2. ^ "April 24 Declared Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in Canada". Asbarez. 28 April 2015.
3. ^ "Macron Declares April 24 Commemoration Day of Armenian Genocide in France". The New York Times. Reuters. 5 February 2019. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021.
4. ^ a b "Ley 26199". Infoleg.
5. ^ a b Jones, Adam (2010). Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction. Taylor & Francis. p. 156\. ISBN 9780203846964.
6. ^ Hovannisian, Richard G., ed. (1992). The Armenian Genocide: History, Politics, Ethics. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 339\. ISBN 9780312048471.
7. ^ "Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide". The Armenian Church, Eastern Diocese of America. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
8. ^ a b "At the Origins of Commemoration: The 90th Anniversary Declaring April 24 as a Day of Mourning and Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide". Armenian Genocide Museum. 10 March 2009.
9. ^ "United States House of Representatives Joint Resolution 148". Armenian National Institute. 9 April 1975. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
10. ^ Gunter, Michael M. (15 April 2011). Armenian History and the Question of Genocide. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 76\. ISBN 978-0-230-11059-5. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
11. ^ a b Bloxham, Donald (28 April 2005). The Great Game of Genocide: Imperialism, Nationalism, and the Destruction of the Ottoman Armenians. Oxford University Press. p. Google Books PT10. ISBN 978-0-19-150044-2.
12. ^ The Armenian Mirror-Spectator (22 September 2016). "Argentina's Catamarca Province Recognizes Armenian Genocide". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
13. ^ "Brad Butt – Private Members' Motions – 41st Parliament, 2nd Session". Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
14. ^ "France marks first national commemoration of Armenian genocide". France 24. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
15. ^ "France dedicates first Armenian genocide commemorations – 24.04.2019". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
16. ^ Liptak, Kevin (24 April 2021). "Biden officially recognizes the massacre of Armenians in World War I as a genocide". CNN. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
17. ^ "Statement by President Joe Biden on Armenian Remembrance Day". The White House. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
18. ^ "Uruguay House of Representatives approves bill declaring April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day". Public Radio of Armenia. 15 May 2024.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

* The Official Armenian Genocide Centennial Website (in English)

* v
* t
* e

Armenian genocide

Background|

* Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
* Armenian question
* Turkish nationalism
* Hamidian massacres (1894–1897)
* Young Turk Revolution (1908)
* Adana massacre (1909)
* Balkan Wars (1912–1913)
* 1914 Armenian reforms
* 1914 Greek deportations
* Congress at Erzerum
* Ottoman Empire in World War I
* Battle of Sarikamish

Genocide|

* Causes
* Deportation of Armenian intellectuals on 24 April 1915
* Tehcir Law
* 20 Hunchakian gallows
* Confiscation
* Forced labour
* Mass rape
* Concentration camps
* Deir ez-Zor
* Ra's al-'Ayn
* Terminology

| By region|

* Adana
* Aleppo
* Bitlis
* Diyarbekir
* Erzurum
* Harput
* Muş
* Sivas
* Trebizond
* Van

|

Demography|

* Pre-genocide population
* Genocide casualties
* Post-genocide population
* Hidden Armenians
* Survivors
* Vorpahavak

Resistance|

* Armenian militia
* By location
* Zeitun
* Van
* Musa Dagh
* Urfa
* Shabin-Karahisar
* Azakh
* Rescue of Armenians
* Turkish opposition

Perpetrators|

* Committee of Union and Progress
* Talaat
* Enver
* Djemal
* Djevdet
* Reshid
* Bahaeddin Şakir
* Special Organization
* Iğdır Millî Cumhuriyeti [tr]
* Kars
* Aras
* Oltu Şura Hükûmeti [tr]

International response|

* May 1915 Triple Entente declaration
* Imperial Germany
* Press coverage
* Foreign aid and relief
* Near East Foundation
* National Armenian Relief Committee

Prosecution|

* Courts-martial
* Malta exiles
* Operation Nemesis
* Assassination of Talaat Pasha
* Treaty of Lausanne

Cultural depictions|

* Ravished Armenia (book, film)
* The Forty Days of Musa Dagh
* The Promise
* others

Aftermath|

* Witnesses and testimonies
* Recognition
* United States
* Reparations
* Denial
* Hidden Armenians
* Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
* 100th anniversary
* Memorials
* Tsitsernakaberd
* notable visitors

Related|

* Late Ottoman genocides
* Greek genocide
* Assyrian genocide

* Armenian genocide and the Holocaust
* Assassination of Hrant Dink
* Hitler's Armenian reference

* v
* t
* e

Public holidays in Armenia

* New Year's Day (1–2 January)
* Christmas Day (6 January)
* Army Day (28 January)
* Artsakh Revival Day (20 February)
* International Women's Day (8 March)
* Motherhood and Beauty Day (7 April)
* Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (24 April)
* International Workers' Day (1 May)
* Shushi Liberation Day (8 May)
* Victory and Peace Day (9 May)
* Republic Day (28 May)
* Constitution Day (5 July)
* Vardavar (variable July)
* Sparapet Day (12 September)
* Independence Day (21 September)
* Armenian Earthquake Memorial Day (7 December)
* New Year's Eve (31 December)

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