Article Two of the UN Convention on Genocide of December 1948 describes genocide as carrying out acts intended 'to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group'.
In 1915, over a million died when the Turks rounded up and deported Armenians to the Syrian desert and elsewhere where they were killed or died from starvation or disease.
If that doesn't satisfy the UN criteria for the mass killing of Armenians as a genocide then nothing does despite what Turkey say who refuse to accept that atrocities were committed but argue that there was no systematic attempt to destroy the Armenian people and bristle when the terminology used describes it as so.
Turkey has now recalled its envoy to Germany in protest against German MPs declaring the 1915 massacre of Armenians during WWI was 'genocide' with Turkey calling the vote: 'an example of ignorance and disrespect' and the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the resolution would have a seriously affect on relations with Germany, and that the government would consider further measures in response to the vote, expected to mean the deal struck in March where Turkey agreed to take back migrants arriving on Greek islands.
It ends a busy week for the Turkish President who began the week with the claim that men and women are not equal and birth control was treason before spending mid-week berating the USA for supporting the Kurds in Syria and then ending it threatening Germany over its decision to recognise the Armenian genocide.
Someone should tap Erdogan on the shoulder and point out that he is making some very powerful enemies.
1 comment:
It matters because the Turks seem to be trying to downplay it, to rewrite history, so to call it a genocide makes it historically accurate.
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