Day: April 22, 2024

The Pasadena Armenian Coalition hosted an Armenian Genocide Commemorative Event on Sunday, April 21, Pasadena Star-News reports.

The event, at the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument at Memorial Park, paid tribute to the resiliency of survivors of the Armenian Genocide. It commemorated the more than 1.5 people who lost their lives 109 years ago during the World War I human catastrophe in the Ottoman Empire.

For the Pasadena group, this year’s theme was “Resilience in the Face of Genocide — Then and Now.”

It was intended to draw the public’s attention to the Armenian community’s continued demands that the Republic of Turkey “properly” acknowledge its crimes against the Armenian population.

The event also highlighted how failure to acknowledge and punish genocide may result in it happening again, organizers said.

It was a solemn commemoration, with the broadcast of testimonials of Armenian Genocide survivors. It also included  poems and songs sung by students of local Armenian schools.

The Pasadena Armenian Coalition, a 30-member coalition consisting of every Armenian non-profit organization within Pasadena, seeks to promote cultural awareness of the history and contributions of the Armenian-American community across the San Gabriel Valley community.

The Istanbul Governor’s Office has announced a ban on a public remembrance event for the victims of the Armenian Genocide, the Bianet Turkish news agency reported.

Organized by the April 24 Commemoration Platform, the event was scheduled to take place in the Kadikoy district on April 24.

This decision marks the continuation of a policy from previous years, where similar applications by the platform were denied.

The ban has been criticized by various human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Association (İHD), which has been vocal in its efforts to commemorate the genocide annually.

Despite the prohibition, the İHD’s Committee Against Racism and Discrimination plans to hold a press briefing, titled “Recognize, Apologize, Compensate,” at their headquarters in Taksim, Turkey on the same day.

Additionally, a forum discussing the necessity of confronting genocide, titled “Genocide: Why is confrontation a necessity?” will be held on April 23 by the “Stop Racism and Nationalism” initiative at Nostalji Cafe in Sisli.