Armenian genocide remembrance at the EU parliament

2024-04-23
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Last night, 18th April, an event was held at the European Parliament event hosted by Irish MEP Clare Daly, in Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. The event "commemorating the Armenian genocide: the road to modern day displacement" aimed to continue the annual remembrance of the Armenian genocide but to also shed light on the recent displacement of over 150,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh. "We felt this year was unique, it's the first Remembrance Day since this ethnic cleansing occurred and it feels inauthentic to remember it without shedding light on the horrendous and under acknowledged events of September 2023" said host Barouyr Sevag Demirjian.

The displacement of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh took place following a nine-month long blockade that was highlighted by numerous international organisations and humanitarian institutions. During the blockade Azeri forces allowed no humanitarian aid including food into the disputed region. MEP Clare Daly stated during her speech "what happened there [Nagorno Karabakh] with little or no media headline is just incomprehensible".

April 24th marks the official Armenian Genocide Remembrance date, when under the ottoman empire more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed and their lands cleared to make way for areas of modern-day Türkiye. Despite being acknowledged by numerous governments around the world including the USA, Germany, and France it is still not officially acknowledged by the Irish Government. A current case is before the ICJ regarding the September events in Nagorno Karabakh.

 

Press Release

Tags @claredalyMEP @SocialrightsIreland