Genocide denial as a form of racism: Turkey’s responsibility under public international law

Abstract

After the 200 years of devastating wars between the Ottoman Empire and Iran, most of the historical Armenian lands came under Turkish rule. From that time Armenians formed the largest non-Muslim population in the Ottoman Empire, where they maintained socially and legally subordinate but peaceful coexistence until the rise of Turkish nationalism in 19 th century. Armenian massacres began from the late 19th century under the rule of Abdul-Hamid II, resulting in the death of nearly 100.000-300.000 Armenians. The events of World War I gave the opportunity to Turkish nationalists to implement their plan of extermination of the Armenian population. Under the special plan, the Turkish authorities first disarmed and killed the male population of the Ottoman Empire. On April 24, 1915, the Armenian elite and community leaders were arrested and murdered. Those who were not immediately killed were forced to death marches. The overall number of slaughtered is estimated from 1 to 1.5 million. The denial of the crime began almost immediately. This denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Republic of Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, continues to this very day. Armenian Genocide denial refers to outright refutation, minimization, or trivialization of aspects of the Armenian Genocide, which is clearly motivated by racism and anti-Armenian bigotry. Whether written or spoken, articulated by Turkish authorities, Turkish society, or pseudo- academicians, Armenian Genocide denial implies lies, manipulation of facts, and anti- Armenianism.This denialistic policy of Turkish authorities excites public anger and resentment toward the Armenian population. As a result, “Armenian” remains a term of abuse and surveys indicate that Armenians are the most hated people in Turkey, and 73% of Turkish children think Armenians are “bad people”. The issue is very actual for the Republic of Armenia, as Genocide recognition constitutes one of the main dimensions of the Republic’s foreign agenda. The denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Republic of Turkey is an obstacle towards the implementation of the policy- goal. History has finished its role in the scene - the historical information, different archives proved the Armenian Genocide. The turn is for the legal experts.