Students to honor 90th anniversary of genocide

By NYRIE KARKAZIAN

Through massacre, rape, religious persecution, bloodshed and tears, the Armenian people managed to stay alive, not only as a people, but also as a proud, independent Christian nation.

Sunday marks the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915; it will be commemorated at Fresno State in the free speech area today at 1 p.m.

“Every year, during the week of April 24, the Armenian students hold a commemoration to show the world and the Armenian community that we will never forget those who innocently lost their lives during the genocide of 1915,” said Hakop Tataryan, president of the Armenian Students Organization.

In the early 1900s, the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire fell into a campaign organized by the Young Turk government to exterminate all Armenians. On April 24, 1915, hundreds of Armenian officials and clergy were summoned to Istanbul and murdered.

Left without leaders, the Armenian people were next to die in the government’s savage plan. Men were evacuated from their homes and were either sent to the front lines of war or worked to death. Only women, children and the elderly remained in the villages, helpless and unarmed.

The people were told to prepare for a temporary “relocation,” and could only bring what they were able to carry. They hesitantly obeyed, but little did they know they were being led straight to a death march.

During these death marches across Anatolia, the people were raped, starved, dehydrated, kidnapped and murdered. Very few survived, and most who made it to their destination, the Syrian dessert of Der Zor, were shot on site.

“The topic is especially important now, because Turkey is trying to enter the European Union,” Tataryan said. “One of the things holding them back is their denial of the Armenian Genocide.”

In honor of the 1.5 million people massacred, a group of about 14 people marched 215 miles from Fresno to the Capitol in Sacramento, where they held a rally.

“The main goal is to bring recognition to the Armenian Genocide,” said Sevag Tateosian, who attended the rally. “We went to get the attention of President Bush and his administration because they haven't recognized it yet.”

Along with the commemoration, a documentary on the genocide will be shown in McLane Hall, Room 121 at 7:30 p.m., followed by a candle light vigil.