Armenian Genocide remembrance at Armenian Heritage Park in Boston
The Armenian American community of the greater Boston area gathered on Sunday, April 27, at Armenian Heritage Park to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Following tradition, the event started with prayers by the clergy of the greater Boston Armenian churches. Opening remarks were delivered by George Aghjayan, chair of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), and Anthony Barsamian, former co-chair of the Armenian Assembly of America. The keynote speaker for the event was Karnig Kerkonian, an international lawyer with significant experience in cases before international courts. The program included artistic performances, as well.
In a powerful and emotionally charged speech, Kerkonian detailed the alarming erosion of Armenian national identity, historical truth and territorial integrity, as well as the devastating consequences of appeasement toward Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Kerkonian opened by referencing a letter from Turkish President Erdogan to the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul, in which Erdogan promoted a vision of Turkish-Armenian unity built on a shared history, while simultaneously urging Armenians to “abandon” what he dismissed as “baseless memories” of the Armenian Genocide. Kerkonian condemned Erdogan’s manipulative narrative, reminding the audience that these so-called “baseless memories” are, in fact, the mass graves at Deir ez-Zor, the orphaned children and the brutalized victims of the 1915 genocide.
The speech recounted more recent atrocities inflicted upon Armenians, including the torture and execution of civilians and soldiers during and after the 2020 Artsakh War. Gruesome examples—including a grandfather decapitated alive and a woman horrifically mutilated—highlighted the ongoing brutality Armenians face today, not just as historical facts but as current realities.
Kerkonian strongly criticized Armenia’s post-war leadership, arguing that the nation has shifted from resistance to complicity. He cited Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s troubling public questioning of the Armenian Genocide’s death toll and the legitimacy of genocide recognition efforts, framing such statements as aligning with genocide denial narratives. The government’s apparent willingness to modify Armenia’s constitution and withdraw international court cases against Azerbaijan are further betrayals that would eliminate references to Artsakh and the Armenian Genocide, erasing the legal and historical foundations of the Armenian people’s claims.
Kerkonian stressed the significance of International Court of Justice cases in upholding Armenian rights, including demands to end Azerbaijan’s systemic racial hatred, stop cultural destruction and secure the right of return for Artsakh Armenians. He argued that abandoning these cases would forfeit potential legal victories and moral authority, inviting further aggression rather than securing peace.
The speaker drew historical analogies to emphasize the dangers of appeasement, likening Armenia’s concessions to Britain and France’s 1938 appeasement of Hitler via the Munich Agreement—which emboldened Nazi aggression and led to World War II. Similarly, he warned that each Armenian concession feeds Azerbaijan’s appetite for more demands. Appeasement, he argued, has historically led to not peace but genocide and catastrophic violence.
The speech highlighted how Azerbaijan systematically erases Armenian heritage—renaming ancient Armenian monasteries in Artsakh as “Caucasian Albanian,” blocking access to cultural sites and promoting the notion that modern Armenia itself is “Western Azerbaijan.” This strategic cultural cleansing is compounded by psychological subjugation: the forced abandonment of national truths and the rewriting of Armenian history.
The speaker urged Armenians not to abandon their national story under the false promise of peace. He stressed that enduring peace can only be achieved by defending truth, dignity and historical memory. He celebrated the resilience of Armenians during the 286-day blockade of Stepanakert, hailing courage and unity as the path forward.
Kerkonian closed by reaffirming the inviolable rights of the Armenian people: the right of Artsakh Armenians to return under international protection, the right of Armenian schoolchildren to live free from the threats of Azeri soldiers, the right of POWs and political prisoners to be liberated from Azerbaijani captivity, and the right of Armenians to their history, heritage and national identity. He called for resilience, moral clarity and an unyielding commitment to historical truth as the only way to safeguard Armenia’s survival and dignity.
In short, Kerkonian’s speech was a passionate indictment of appeasement and a stirring call to resist historical erasure, reclaim national agency and preserve the truth in the face of ongoing external and internal threats.
Ara Nazarian, PhD
