This weekend the Armenian genocide was commemorated, considered the first genocide of the 20th century. Coinciding with the anniversary of this tragedy, US President Joe Biden has decided to officially recognize as genocide the massacres perpetrated against the Armenian population between 1915 and 1923 in the Ottoman Empire. An estimated 1.5 million people were killed in an ethnic cleansing process against Armenians.
The decision of the US Government has brought this event back into the spotlight today, which, despite its historical relevance and the weight it still has in Armenian society, has not been recognized by the entire international community. Besides not recognizing it, there are countries like Turkey or Azerbaijan that still deny it. There is even a state that has not even recognized Armenia as a country. Pakistan, as a “form of solidarity” with Baku for the conflicts it has had with Yerevan, does not consider Armenia a nation.
The Armenian population was part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, just like the Greeks or the Assyrians. Two communities that share a common history with Armenians, as both suffered mass killings and deportations at the hands of the Young Turks organization during the same period of time. Armenians in the Ottoman Empire did not enjoy the same rights as the Turkish population, so from 1890 they began to protest demanding equality. Four years later, with the aim of suppressing the demonstrations, the so-called “Hamidian massacres” began, the main antecedent to the genocide. These systematic killings would last until 1986. They are known for Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who ordered the killings.
Within the background it is also necessary to highlight the massacre of Adana in 1909, the southern city of the country in which between 15,000 and 30,000 Armenians were tortured and killed. Starting in 1914, the Ottoman authorities began a smear campaign against the Armenians, whom they considered “a threat to national security.” Soon after, the first mass killings began in small Armenian towns, where the Ottoman forces met little resistance.
The Armenian genocide began in the framework of the First World War, after the Ottoman defeat against the Russian Empire in the Battle of Sarikamish in January 1915. From this moment the Young Turks, who did not recognize their own failure, began to blaming the Armenians and accusing them of conspiring against the Ottoman Empire. For this reason, Armenian soldiers and other non-Muslims were removed from the army and killed, becoming the first victims of the genocide.
On April 24 of that year, Talat Pasha, a member of the Young Turks and one of those directly responsible for the genocide, ordered the arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals. This is the date chosen to commemorate the genocide since it is considered that with the arrest of these intellectuals the mass murders against the Armenian population began.
A month after the arrests, the deportations began. On May 29, 1915, the “Temporary Deportation Law” was approved, by which the Ottoman Government has the right to deport anyone who is considered a threat to the nation. This is when the great tragedy of the Armenian people really begins, a tragedy unfairly dealt with by an international community that is not aware of what it still means for Armenian identity. Descendants of survivors who have to endure, as many countries still have not recognized the suffering that their relatives experienced.
Thousands of Armenians were transferred to concentration camps in the Syrian desert, although many died in the so-called “death marches” due to thirst, hunger or fatigue. Those who managed to arrive alive had to face inhumane conditions, where food and water were lacking. They were also victims of murder, torture and rape.
The New York Times newspaper was one of the first media outlets to report on the massacres. In 1915 he published several articles explaining the events, calling them a “racial extermination planned and organized by the Government.” In August of that year, he published a news item reporting that “one million Armenians were killed or exiled.” The American newspaper collected testimonies that claimed to have found hundreds of bodies and bones in the fields of Anatolia. The conditions in which the survivors, who looked like “living skeletons”, were also described from Syrian cities.
American recognition brings hope to a people who still seek justice and international support. Only about thirty countries recognize the Armenian genocide. Many states do not do so because of the consequences it can have on relations with Turkey, as happened for years in Washington. Ronald Reagan was the first American president to speak of the Armenian genocide, but he did not officially acknowledge it for fear of Turkish reprisals. Something similar happened with Barack Obama, willing to take the historic step but conditioned by Turkey, a key NATO ally.
The large Armenian community residing in the United States has celebrated Biden’s decision as he commemorated the anniversary of the genocide. Between the joy at Biden’s statements and the excitement at remembering family members who suffered the genocide, the Armenian people feel a little more supported by international society.
Armenian activists in the United States have thanked the government for its historic decision, in addition to standing up to Turkey. “With this recognition, Washington has conveyed that it will no longer allow human rights to be treated as a commodity that can be negotiated with Turkey,” said Alex Galitsky, communication director of the United States National Committee of Armenia. Galitsky also points out that this recognition should have been done “a long time ago.”
“This statement by President Biden gives us hope that our cause can still continue,” said Nora Hovsepian, chair of the Armenian National Committee and a descendant of survivors of the genocide. However, they stress that this is not all, that their struggle will continue. This decision is just a fundamental step towards achieving the justice and international recognition that they have long longed for.