• Initiatives taken by the international community for the recognition of the Armenian genocide. Dark green zones: national governments that have recognized the genocide. Light green zones: countries where political parties, provinces, or municipalities have recognized the genocide, independently of the national government. Source: CFLM, Creative Commons

Justice and the Armenian Genocide : fighting denial

  • Exhibition United against genocide: Understand, question, prevent
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Exhibition United against genocide: Understand, question, prevent

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Justice and the Armenian Genocide : fighting denial

The Turkish state has formally denied that the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire ever took place. It has attempted to erase all traces and to suppress those who challenge its claim. Since 1926, the Turkish penal code has banned any insult to “Turkishness” which refers to the Turkish nation.

Despite amendments in 2008, Article 301 of the code remains controversial. In 2005, Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink was arrested in virtue of the article. Numerous other journalists and writers were also denied freedom of expression. Such was the case of Orhan Pamuk, Nobel laureate in literature. The charges against him, however, were dropped for technical reasons.