HARTFORD, Conn. — The Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Connecticut will hold its annual program on the 108th anniversary of the Genocide on Saturday, April 22 at 11 a.m. The event will take place at the historic Connecticut House Chamber at the State Capitol (210 Capitol Avenue, Hartford). The commemoration is returning to the State Capitol after an absence of three years because of COVID restrictions.
The keynote speaker will be Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). His talk is titled, “Current Crisis in Artsakh: The Genocide Continues.” In his role at the ANCA, he serves as the national advocacy organization’s point-person with the Biden Administration, US Congress, the media and the Washington, DC foreign policy community. He has testified before Congress, lectured at the National Defense University, the Foreign Service Institute and USAID. He has been quoted by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, AP and Reuters; he has appeared on CNN, BBC, RT, Al Jazeera and many other media outlets.
The mission of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Connecticut, in addition to honoring the memory of the one and a half million victims as well as survivors of the Armenian Genocide orchestrated by the Ottoman government in 1915, is to support programs and events and inform the public and remember the Genocide. It is in the process of establishing a suitable permanent Armenian Genocide memorial. The committee also assists in the legislative mandate to provide genocide related curricula in public schools. Additionally, the committee seeks to present information about developments across the Diaspora and in Armenia.
Melanie Kevorkian Brown, chairperson of the committee, expressed gratitude to the Connecticut General Assembly for resuming the post-COVID hosting of the annual commemoration and commended the Connecticut Genocide Commemoration Committee for its diligence in conducting its annual commemoration.
Attorney Harry N . Mazadoorian, a longtime member of the committee, pointed out that “even though the Armenian Genocide took place more than 100 years ago and thousands of miles away, it remains critical to recognize those tragic events today. Genocide unrecognized is genocide continued.” He also pointed to the current situation in Artsakh where neighboring Azerbaijan continues physical aggressions, human rights violations, a blockade and cultural desecration against ethnic Armenians.
State auditor and committee member John C. Geragosian of New Britain, Connecticut will serve as Master of Ceremonies at the commemoration. He stated that informing the public about the Genocide is particularly critical this year in light of the present hostilities by Azerbaijan against historic Armenian lands, as well as the continuing war in Ukraine.
The program will conclude with the Martyrs’ Service, which was created in 2015 on the occasion of the centennial of the Genocide and the canonization of the martyrs. Clergy from Armenian churches in Connecticut will participate in the service. A reception will follow the commemoration.
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