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SCLSNJ
Presented by George S. Yacoubian, Jr., Ph.D., LL.M., Founder and Executive Board Chairman of Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR).
During the second half of the 19th century, Armenia fell under the rule of the Ottoman Turks. By the 1890s, young Armenians began to press for political reforms. The despotic Sultan responded to their pleas with brutal persecutions.
The outbreak of war in 1914 provided the perfect opportunity to solve the “Armenian Question” once and for all. As a prelude to the coming action, Turks disarmed the entire Armenian population under the pretext that the people were naturally sympathetic toward Christian Russia. At this time, approximately 40,000 Armenian men were serving in the Turkish Army. Their weapons were confiscated, and they were put into slave labor battalions or used as human pack animals.
By the end of April 1915, the stage had been set for the final solution to the Armenian Question. The decision to annihilate the entire population came directly from the ruling triumvirate of ultra-nationalist Young Turks. Men, women, and children were walked to secluded areas and murdered outright. Those not killed immediately found death by deportation. By the time the killings had been completed, more than 1.5 million Armenians had been slaughtered.
There were far-reaching implications for this first genocide of the 20th century. The presenter will address the implications for future generations, including reparations, the influence on other genocidal events during the 20th and 21st centuries, international criminal and human rights law, and orphan relief.
Will you need a special accommodation? If so, please contact the library and provide at least two weeks notice prior to the event date and the library will make every effort to honor all requests. Thereafter, requests will still be considered and may have less of a chance of being honored.