ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Between April 24, 1915 and the year 1923 1,5 million persons were murdered to hands
of the Ottoman Empire. This it is the Armenian version, the nationality of the victims.
Turkey denies the above mentioned genocide and speech of a civil war that was joined
by a famine that they ended up by killing to between 300.000 and 500.000 Armenians
and some other Turks. 100 years have happened and Armenia does not yield in his
intention of which the genocide is recognized internationally. Now the battle is
diplomatic.
The topic is so sensitive that quite that one who speaks about " Armenian genocide "
risks being censured by Turkey. The last prominent personage who dared to mention the
phrase was the dad Francisco, who spoke about the " atrocious and crazy extermination
" of the Armenians that, he remembered, " generally it comes considered as the first
genocide of the 20th century ". The reaction of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, it was to arrange the retirement of his ambassador in the Vatican. This way the
things, officially, the Armenian genocide has been recognized more or less explicitly by
the parliaments of 22 countries: Europeans, as France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Greece
or Russia, and Latin Americans (Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile and Bolivia).
Since mecionamos, this episode is not any more than the last one than a long billiard
cue tells the history of clashes Of Turkey and those who speak about " Armenian
genocide ". Let's check some precedents:
ARMENIANS IN THE EMPIRE
Between the last years of the 19th century and beginning of the XXth, approximately
two millions of Armenians were living in the Ottoman Empire, current Turkey. The
relation that they were supporting with the places was cordial, managing to reach even
political important positions. Nevertheless, the empire already was not the same of
before. The big European, principally catholic powers, they had snatched big territories
originating that million Muslims were escaping and they were sheltering in regions next
Eastern Europe and Asia.
To this increasing religious conflict there was adding the deplorable economic situation
for which atravezaban the Ottomans. With these elements the aggressions against the
Armenians, who were living in situation of dhimmis - Christian that live under the laws
of a Moslem leader paying a special tax - they were increasing. Before this situation the
Armenians decided to join in organizations as the Revolutionary Federation Armenia or
the Party Hunchack, which were asking for the intervention of the European powers in
order that they support them. It was this association the one that originated the bloody
episodes. Thousands of Armenians were murdered in violent clashes registered in 1891,
1896 and 1909.

THE DEPORTATIONS
The participation of the Ottoman Empire in the First World war was desastroza. A
resounding defeat before the Russians had had echo in the whole continent. In spite of
that the mainspring was the unsuccessful strategy applied by his personal details, the
Ottomans attributed the fault to the Armenians, arguing that had realized missions of
espionage for Russia. These accusations coincided with the raisings of the Armenian
organizations with several cities of the current Turkey. Taking advantage of the
situation, the local authorities decided to act.
On April 24, 1915, Ottoman forces captured 250 intellectual and leading Armenians in
current Istanbul. The group was deported to Ankara to be executed. The Ottoman
Empire had initiated an ethnic cleanliness that then would be normada in the Law of
Movement and Reaccession, approved one month later.
With exception of Istanbul and Smyrna, for opposition of the local authorities before the
measure, the Armenians were chased by the whole Turkey. Even those who were
serving for the imperial army were forced to deliver his weapon. Diverse historians code
the total of deported persons in approximately one million and a half persons. The
groups were separated by ages and sex then to be deported to the deserts of Syria.
Nevertheless, they were few ones those who really were coming alive. The majority of
Armenians died in the way that was crossing Anatolia's extensive steppe. Without food
or water, the deported persons had to overcome, in addition, diseases or assaults of
Kurdish, Turkoman bands and circasianas, those who were murdering them to kidnap
the women.
GENOCIDE?
One of the points that major polemic has generated concerning this historical episode is
the name that receives. For it we gathered three different points of view: that of United
Nations, Armenia and Turkey.
1) United Nations
According to the article 2 of the Convention of the United Nations for the
Prevention and the Sanction of the Crime of Genocide, celebrated in 1948, it is
considered to be a genocide to the following acts:
A) Members' Slaughter of the group.
B) Serious Injury to the physical or mental integrity of the members of the group.
C) Intentional Submission of the group to conditions of existence that have to
transport his physical, total or partial destruction.
D) Measures destined to prevent the births in the bosom of the group.
E) Move for force of children of a group other one.
Nevertheless, the last official declarations of the ONU with regard to the topic,
produced one day later to those of the Pope Francisco, referred to a " atrocious
crime " and not to a genocide. " The General Secretary of the ONU is completely to
so much of the delicate nature of the characterization of the happened in 1915 (...)

An investigation of collaboration will strengthen our collective determination to

prevent that there return to happen in the future atrocious similar crimes ",
announced Stepahne Dujarric, spokesperson of Ban Ki-moon.
2) Armenia
The position of Armenia throughout the years has been the same: the committed to
beginnings of the 20th century was a genocide. The last official pronouncement on
the topic was at the expense of the president Serge Sargsian. " The genocide is a
failure of the international community and his impunity is the premise for his
repetition ", said the Armenian agent chief executive. Sargsian added that the denial
of Turkey to recognize the fact as a genocide would propitiate a new wave of
national hatred and to re-live through the historical conflicts. " The denial of the
genocide contains elements of a new wave of national hatred and is accompanied in
many occasions of intolerance and justification of the genocidios committed ", he
assured.
3) Turkey
With the same safety that another protagonist of the history, the Turkish
Government has devoted itself to reject the name of genocide. The official version
and historical offer for Turkey is that during the First World war, many Armenians
died, as Turks, and massacres were committed on both parts as consequence of the
interethnic violence. The most recent pronouncement in the matter was the offered
one to the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on having answered to the Pope
Francisco. " I will not allow that historical events should be taken out of his course
and turned into a campaign against our country and our nation ", it affirmed
Erdogan.