How much do you know about the Armenian Genocide?
The Armenian Students Association are outside the MU now
The Armenian Students Association are currently demonstrating outside the MU in an effort to raise awareness for the Armenian Genocide.
Commemorated officially on April 24th, the genocide was committed by the Ottoman Turkish government from 1915-1922 in an effort exterminate the Armenian race.
Last week was Armenian Genocide Awareness Week, marking it’s 101st anniversary. The group have laid out posters and are answering questions from passers by.
Haig Baghdassarian, a junior studying Animal Science, is among the demonstrators.
He said: “We’re hear to inform the public about what happens to the Armenian people. 1915 the Ottoman Empire did a mass killing, germicide, if the Armenian people. 1.5 million people. The empire before WW1 was big, but they were crumbling.
“The Armenian were wealthy people, merchants, doctors etc. the empire needed money, so they decided to kill the Armenians to get land and money. Religion was Muslim, Armenians were basically Christian.”
Although this was the first genocide of the 20th century, killing 1.5 million Armenians, it is still not recognized as a genocide by the Turkish government, American government, and many other global powers.