Armenian Genocide Commemorations to Be Held in Ankara

18 Groups in Turkey Co-sponsor Event Featuring Multiple Voices from Diaspora

ANKARA, Turkey (A.W.)—A series of Armenian Genocide commemorations will be held in Ankara on April 24-25 featuring writers, artists, and human rights activists from the Armenian Diaspora and Turkey.

The commemorations are co-sponsored by 18 human rights groups and political organizations from Turkey, including the Human Rights Association, Dur-De, and the leading pro-Kurdish political party HDP. (For a complete list, see the flyer.)

On April 24, a reading of the names of genocide victims and a candlelight vigil will be held on Sakarya Caddesi. On April 25, commemoration programs will be held at the historic Armenian quarter and in Ayash, where many Armenian intellectuals arrested on April 24 were exiled to.

The two-day program will culminate in a commemoration event in Ankara on the afternoon of April 25 featuring Alternative Radio founder and director David Barsamian, actress Arsinee Khanjian, filmmaker Eric Nazarian, scholar and activist George Aghjayan, Armenian Weekly editor Nanore Barsoumian, genocide education activist Roxanne Makasdjian, and scholar Khatchig Mouradian, alongside colleagues from Turkey.

“A hundred years after the genocide silenced Armenian intellectuals and leaders, Armenians will reclaim their voice during these commemorations in Ankara,” Mouradian said. “We struggle for a day when that voice will ring beyond commemoration sites and dates.”