By Hye Etch

Introduction

he Armenian genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century, perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish government against its defenceless and law-abiding citizens, the Armenians, a Christian minority in a Muslim state.

This was a campaign instigated and carried out by a legitimate government against its loyal Christian subjects. Its aim was to loot, destroy and seize Armenian properties and businesses, and the complete annihilation of an advanced and culturally superior civilisation.

For more than a quarter of a century, the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Abdul Hamid II and later under the rule of the Young  Turk regime suffered unspeakable abuse, torture, massacres and  persecution. This resulted in the rape, murder and deportation of more than 1.5 million Armenians from their historic homeland, and the distruction of a 3000-year-old heritage and rich culture.

In spite of all the evidences and the eye witness accounts recorded during those horrible years by foreigners and survivors of the genocide, the Turkish government denies to this date that such atrocities and mass murders have taken place, and refuses to admit the guilt and accept the responsibility.

Every year, on April 24 Armenians all over the world commemorate the murder of their nation. The murder of 1.5 million innocent and defenceless children, women, elderly and men. This is also the date on which in 1915 the Turkish government arrested over 200 Armenian poets, intellectuals, religious and community leaders in Constantinople and imprisoned them in the interior of Anatolia, where most were summarily executed.

This chapter is dedicated to the memory of all those Armenians who suffered terrible atrocities and were murdered during the Armenian genocide. This is an introduction to the first genocide of the 20th century, its context and legacy. You will learn about the atrocities and oppressions that the Armenian nation had to suffer under the Turkish rule. A detailed account of the events during 1913-1916 by the former American Ambassador to Turkey - Henry Morgenthau, describes the situation in Turkey. 

A special page has been dedicated to the eye witness accounts and stories recorded during and after the Armenian genocide by foreigners, missionaries and survivors of the genocide. And last but not lest you can read about the punishment of the murderers; declarations of recognition (by governments and individuals) in favour of the Armenian genocide; and the demands of the Armenian nation.

Please be advised that some of the material in this chapter contains strong graphic descriptions of the atrocities and massacres which took place during the Armenian genocide, and that they may not be suitable for the faint-hearted.

Pictures and illustrations are provided, as visual aids to assist the reader to better understand their subject. By clicking on an image, an enlarged version will be displayed accompanied by a caption.

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