A torchlight procession marking the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide took place in the Lazarev district in Sochi.
The Yerkramas newspaper reports that over 300 people participated in the procession, which was organized by the Armenian youth movement. The participants were carrying posters, reading: “Genocide is a crime against humanity”, “No forgetting, no forgiving”, “Only repentance will save Turkey”.
The procession finished in the village of Volkonka, near a cross-stone memorial to Armenian Genocide victims. Besides the leaders of the Armenian youth movement and representatives of the Sochi chapter of the Union of Armenians of Russia, local government officials took part in the procession.
During World War I, the Turkish authorities accused Armenians of showing favor to Russia and used it as a pretext for declaring the Armenian population the nation’s enemy. Many historians consider the events in 1915-1923 as a state-sponsored massacre, genocide. The Armenian side claims over 1.5 million victims, half of the Armenians early in the 20th century.
Many states have recognized the Armenian Genocide. Uruguay was the first to do it in 1965. The Armenian Genocide has since been recognized by Russia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, as well as by 42 of the U.S. states. The Armenian Genocide has also been recognized by Vatican, the European Parliament, and World Church Council.
The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives approved an Armenian Genocide resolution on March 4.
