Human Rights A Day

Genocide strikes Armenian people.During World War I, the Ottoman Empire (most of that area is now Turkey) worried about a Russian invasion. Ottoman Turks felt threatened by Russia’s support for Ottoman Armenians’ desire for an independent state. They decided to round up, then execute or deport, all of the estimated two million Armenians within their borders. The slaughter began on April 24, 1915. Many Armenians died during forced marches into the deserts of what are now Iraq and Syria. Most of the killings and deportations took place between 1915 and 1917, but reports indicate they continued until 1923. How many were actually killed, and whether the events constituted “genocide,” remain topics of debate. Turkey acknowledges 300,000 dead, but refuses to call it systematic killing or genocide, arguing that not just Armenians were targeted. Armenians themselves say they lost 1.5 million people, and remain horrified that the debate over whether it was genocide continues. After years of debate in Canada, Members o