Important Q&As from an interview with Serouj Aprahamian from Armenian National Commitee of America

What do you think of the genocide in general?

The genocide of the Armenian people between 1915 and 1923, at the hands of Ottoman Turkey, represents one of the most horrific and brutal crimes of human history. The systematic and centralized campaign of the Turkish authorities led to the deaths of over 1.5 million innocent Armenian men, women and children, and the exile of an entire nation from its historic homeland.

This became the first genocide of the twentieth century but, unfortunately, not the last. Similar techniques of mass murder and extermination used by the Ottoman perpetrators were later employed by other genocidal regimes such as the Nazis, Pol Pot, the Hutus militia in Rwanda, and the current government of Sudan in Darfur.

Today, despite an indisputable collection of documentary evidence and academic consensus, the modern state of Turkey claims the Armenian Genocide never occurred and spends millions of dollars every year on public relations and lobbying to prevent countries such as the United States from officially commemorating and recognizing the historic facts of the Armenian Genocide.

This denial of the Armenian Genocide makes the world a more dangerous place by setting the precedent that genocide can be committed with impunity. Adolf Hitler, the architect of the Holocaust, on the eve of his 1939 invasion of Poland, justified his actions to his generals with these chilling words: “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

For the sake of all victims of genocide and preventing future crimes against humanity, it is a must that we affirm clear historical facts and recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Would you call the events a tradgedy or a genocide? Why?

It is extremely important to refer to the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 as genocide. To call it a “tragedy” is to use an evasive and euphemistic term that seeks to distort the full moral, historical, and legal implications of Turkey’s deliberate campaign against the Armenian people.

An earthquake is a tragedy, a death in the family is a tragedy, an unexpected misfortune is a tragedy; but a genocide is something different. A genocide is the planned and systematic attempt to exterminate a distinct group of people. It is a specific type of crime with both moral and legal implications. In fact, Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term ‘genocide,’ repeatedly invoked the Armenian case as a definitive example of genocide in the 20^th century.

If we are to end the cycle of genocide, we must, as a nation, speak with moral clarity about such matters and unequivocally reject genocide denial. We must not be afraid to use the proper term that obviously characterizes what happened to the Armenians.

Do you think that the U.S. had a proper response to the genocide? Why or why not?

Some of the most valuable documentation on the Armenian Genocide comes from US consuls and diplomats stationed throughout the Ottoman Empire during World War I. This, of course, includes US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, who referred to what was happening to the Armenians as “a campaign of race extermination” and led protests against the genocidal policies of the Young Turks. Because of this, our own United States National Archives and Record Administration contains numerous pages of thorough documentation on the Armenian Genocide, which remains available today for viewing by any interested party.

In addition, American organizations such as Near East Relief, chartered by an Act of Congress, contributed millions of dollars of aid to Armenian Genocide survivors. Concerned Americans from throughout the country contributed to this relief effort and sought to come to the aid of what they referred to as the “starving Armenians.” President Woodrow Wilson also encouraged such efforts and supported measures to relieve the plight of Armenian Genocide survivors.

Such protests by U.S. personnel and the major humanitarian effort in response to the Armenian Genocide form a proud chapter of American history. We should honor this history by recognizing the facts of the Armenian Genocide and commemorating the generous relief efforts of American citizens.