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April 24th Commemorations of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
27 April, 2016, 03:16
EGAM delegation: commemorations at Haydarpasa
On the occasion of the 101st commemorations of the Armenian genocide, EGAM once again lead adelegation to Istanbul, from April 23rd to April 25th, to pursue its commitment to the fight against genocide denial and to bring solidarity and support to civil society in Turkey, which is needed now more than ever.
In this context, the delegation have been supporting in their fight for an open democracy: imprisoned academics who signed the Academics for Peace petition, MPs of the pro-Kurdish opposition, journalists battling against censorship and lawyers.
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Commemorations on April 24th, 2016
On Sunday April 24th in Istanbul, the EGAM delegation followed an intense programme dedicated to commemorating the anniversary of the Armenian genocide and offering strong support to civil society involved in the fight for justice, recognition and democracy.
The programme included a mass at the Armenian Patriarchate dedicated to the Armenian Martyrs.
Afterwards, the EGAM delegation took the boat to Haydarpasa, in order to trace the route of the Intellectuals – arrested on April 24th, 1915 - who were transported from the Sultanahmet prison in Istanbul. Commemorations were pursued at the Haydarpasa train station from which they were deported, marking a point of no return in the Armenian genocide.
EGAM delegation: Memorial ceremony of Sevag Sehin Balikçi
Then the delegation attended the memorial ceremony of Sevag Sehin Balikçi, a young Armenian assassinated in 2011 on April 24th because of his Armenian identity: an hateful act that showed at that time and still today the significance of racism against Armenian people in Turkey.
Finally, the commemorations ended at Tünel square where many people from both the Turkish and Armenian community, civil society, citizens and Members of the Turkish Parliament gathered with emotion.
EGAM delegation : gathering at Tünel Square
EGAM remains strongly committed to the initiative and will continue to work both in Turkey and Europe, not just on April 24th but throughout the year to ensure that truth and justice are achieved.
To learn more about the initiative and to follow the delegation, click here and here.