Mamdani Acknowledges Armenian Genocide as He Reaffirms ‘Right to Freedom’

By Peter Aitken

Politics Weekend Editor

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday posted a statement acknowledging the Armenian genocide and reaffirming “the right of … all people – to freedom, safety, and self-determination.”

Mamdani in a post on X wrote: “As we honor the 1.5 million Armenians murdered by the Ottoman Empire across modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Armenia, we must refuse to let history repeat itself.”

The Democrat also acknowledged the Nagorno-Karabakh war, which resulted in the expulsion of over 100,000 Armenians from the enclave, “continuing the genocidal campaign that had begun over 100 years prior.”

Newsweek reached out to Mamdani’s office on Friday evening via email for comment.

Why It Matters

The statement follows years of silence by his predecessor, Democrat Eric Adams, who was indicted in 2024 on federal corruption charges—to which he pleaded not guilty, and the charges were ultimately dismissed with prejudice—that involved alleged dealings with the Turkish government. The indictment charged that a Turkish official repeatedly asked for assurances that Adams would make no statement on the genocide, and he did not make any such statements during his administration.

Then-President Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to recognize the genocide, in a 2021 statement: “Each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring.”

Around half a million Armenians live across the United States, according to the 2020 census, with around 360,000 of those counting themselves as purely Armenian.

What To Know

Friday marks the 111th anniversary of the genocide, with the Armenian community of New York City planning its annual demonstration in Times Square to take place on Sunday.

Mamdani, as a former Queens lawmaker, likely had significant engagement with the city’s Armenian population, with two Armenian churches in the borough and thousands living across the city. Manhattan also hosts two Armenian cathedrals out of six across the country.

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a statement on Friday, writing: “As we remember the victims and survivors on this somber anniversary, we honor the strength and resilience of the Armenian people, who have built new lives and thriving communities in all corners of the globe.

“Thousands made their homes in California, and we are immeasurably greater for their contributions.”

California is home to hundreds of thousands of Armenians, with around 53,000 living in Glendale, home to America’s highest percentage of people born in Armenia.

“Shamefully, this community continues to be the target of hateful acts that too often go unreported,” Newsom added. “These, and other ongoing threats to the Armenian people, are painful reminders of the need to not only learn the lessons of history but also to redouble efforts to address discrimination and violence.”

What Is the Armenian Genocide?

The genocide took place from 1915 to 1917, during which the Committee of Union and Progress, led by the “Three Pashas,” orchestrated the displacement and cleansing of the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire.

Estimates vary on the total killed and displaced, with some saying from 600,000 to 1.5 million Armenians died as a result of the government’s actions, which included forced marches. Some historians have asserted that actions against the Armenian population continued after World War I and during the Turkish War of Independence, which occurred in the early 1920s.

The Turkish government that followed the collapse of the Ottoman Empire has continued to deny that a genocide took place, but Adolf Hitler allegedly cited the genocide during a speech in 1939, during which he is believed to have said some variation of: “Who, after all, speaks today of the destruction of the Armenians?”