Armenians Remember Genocide At Hands Of Turks

Apr 20, 2007

CBS) LOS ANGELES Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the Los Angeles City Council and Armenian leaders gathered Friday to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Turks, which resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million people in 1915.

"Today's remembrance ... will not only keep us all united in our remembrance of the 1.5 million lost souls, it will also help us teach the new generation to prevent injustice and intolerance and will renew our respect for all of humanity," said Archbishop Honvan Derderian, primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church.

Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that about 300,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks, died during civil strife in 1915.

The deaths occurred when Armenians in eastern Anatolia fought for independence and sided with Russian troops invading the crumbing Ottoman Empire during World War I.

"It is important that the next generation of truth tellers is here with us today," Villaraigosa said. "Denial of the genocide is an attempt to instill fear in the hearts of all those who treasure truth. The first condition of justice is recognition of the gravity of the evil done."

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, introduced a resolution in January that asked President Bush to recognize the killings.

In February, the City Council designated the Armenian capital of Yerevan as a sister city to Los Angeles, under a plan spearheaded by Councilman Eric Garcetti.

"Today it may feel long ago, but to think of the 3,000 years of culture and history ... that (the Armenian genocide) tried to wipe from the earth makes us realize that it is part of our present," Garcetti said.

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