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The International Recognition of the Armenian Genocide: Memorial, Political, and Geopolitical Stakes of a Decades-Long Unfinished Struggle
internatioanal conference, 23-25 october
16.10.2024
On October 23-25, an international conference titled "The International Recognition of the Armenian Genocide: Memorial, Political, and Geopolitical Stakes of a Decades-Long Unfinished Struggle " will be held at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.
FROM CUP NATIONALISM TO NAZISM: THE SURVIVORS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AT THE FOREFRONT OF RESISTANCE MOVEMENT
Internatioanal Conference
12.10.2024
This conference is organized jointly by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation, the French Embassy in Armenia and the French Institute in Armenia (Institut français d'Arménie) and the French theatre company Saté – Atre.
Paper proposals must be submitted in English and French, the official languages of the conference, to ( resistance@genocide-museum.am ) by December 15, 2024. Each proposal should include the paper’s title, an abstract of no more than 500 words, and a brief biography. We look forward to your valuable contributions!
Young Researchers from AGMI Participate in International Workshop in Tbilisi
11.10.2024
From September 30 to October 2, Satenik Matosyan, Anna Kazaryan, and Elen Hakobyan from the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) participated in the "Global History" Event Series, where they presented their research topics. The workshop was organized by the Georgia Branch of the Max Weber Foundation and included young scholars from both Georgia and Armenia.
The AGMI researchers presented their work on the following topics:
Satenik Matosyan: "The Deportation and Massacre of Armenians in Van Province (1914-1915)";
Anna Kazaryan: "The Deportation and Massacre of Armenians in Erzurum Province (1915-1916)";
Elen Hakobyan: "Coexistence and Conflict in the Nakhichevan District in the 19th-20th Centuries."
Delegation from Arzamas Municipal Okrug of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Visits the Armenian Genocide Memorial
09.10.2024
On October 9, a delegation from Arzamas Municipal Okrug, led by First Deputy Chief of Staff Mikhayil Gusev, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. The delegation from the Russian Federation was in Armenia to participate in the celebrations marking the 2709th anniversary of the founding of Etchmiadzin.
Lusine Abrahamyan, Deputy Director for Museum Affairs at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, along with museum tour guide Zhanna Melkonyan, welcomed the guests. They guided the delegation through the Memorial Complex, offering insights into its history and significance. Special attention was given to the three khachkars at Tsitsernakaberd, dedicated to the Armenians who perished in massacres orchestrated by the Azerbaijani government in Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku in the late 20th century. Mrs. Melkonyan also highlighted the lives of five freedom fighters interred before the Memory Wall, who lost their lives in the struggle for Artsakh, underscoring the continuing relevance of the Armenian Genocide in the context of ongoing persecution and violence against Armenians.
The delegation paid tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide by laying flowers at the Eternal Flame and observed a moment of silence in memory of the innocent martyrs.
THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM TO REMAIN OPEN DURING RENOVATION
08.10.2024
Renovation of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex will commence in October 2024, funded by the state budget of Armenia. The project will proceed in two main stages to ensure that commemorative events and activities are not disrupted, as 2025 marks the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
In the first phase, improvements will focus on the irrigation system for the green spaces surrounding the Memorial, including the installation of a drip irrigation system. This phase also includes the construction of a reservoir and a pumping station.
During the initial construction of the Memorial and previous renovations, drainage systems were not installed, which led to rainwater seepage, erosion of structural supports, and leaning pillars—posing risks of rockfalls.
Donation from the Armenian Diocese of Canada to AGMI
05.10.2024
As part of their pilgrimage to Armenia for the re-consecration of the Holy Etchmiadzin Mother Cathedral and the blessing of the Holy Myron, Mr. Meguerditch Kanondjian, Chairperson of the Diocesan Council, and Mr. Ohan Ohanessian, former Chairperson of the Diocesan Council, visited the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) and met with the director Edita Gzoyan.
During their visit, they generously donated funds for the improvement of the Institute's sound system.
Chief of NATO's International Military Staff, Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak, Visits Armenian Genocide Memorial
05.10.2024
On October 3, a delegation led by Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak, Chief of NATO's International Military Staff, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial during his working visit to Armenia.
Lusine Abrahamyan, Deputy Director for Museum Affairs at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), welcomed the delegation and guided them through the Memorial Complex, providing insights into its historical significance. She shared the stories behind the three khachkars at Tsitsernakaberd, which are dedicated to Armenians who perished during massacres orchestrated by the Azerbaijani government in Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku in the late 20th century. She also highlighted the lives of five freedom fighters interred at the Memory Wall, who lost their lives during the struggle for Artsakh's survival, emphasizing the continued relevance of the Armenian Genocide in light of modern-day persecution and violence against Armenians.
Open Lecture at AGMI
04.10.2024
On October 3, Professor Bernd Braun, director of the Friedrich Ebert Memorial in Heidelberg and a history professor at the University of Heidelberg, delivered an open lecture at the AGMI Conference Hall. The lecture, titled “The Reichstag and the Armenian Genocide during the First World War,” was attended by researchers from Armenia and Germany.
During his presentation, Professor Braun presented the discussions surrounding the Armenian Genocide in the Reichstag of the German Empire, which was an ally of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. He highlighted the efforts of MP Karl Liebknecht to address the issue of the extermination of Armenians and his attempts to prevent it, which were unfortunately ignored due to Germany’s political interests.
REGARDING THE REPAIR OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL
03.10.2024
On October 3, the Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), Edita Gzoyan, and the architect of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex, Sashur Kalashyan, provided details to the press regarding the upcoming major repairs to the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex.
In her statement, Dr. Gzoyan highlighted a longstanding issue: during both the construction and previous renovations of the Memorial, a water drainage system had not been installed, leading to severe problems. Rainwater has seeped into the sloping gables for decades, causing erosion and increasing the risk of rock movement and collapse. She also noted similar drainage issues within the museum building itself.
INTERCESSION PRAYER AT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL
28.09.2024
On September 28, with the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, delegations and representatives from various Christian churches and inter-church organizations, in Armenia for the reconsecration of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin and the blessing of the Holy Myron, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial. They were accompanied by bishops from the Mother See and diocesan leaders of the Armenian Church.
Dr. Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), warmly welcomed the international guests and guided them through the Memorial complex, sharing its history and significance.
KOMITAS VARDAPET - 155
26.09.2024
Today is the 155th anniversary of the birth of the renowned composer, musicologist, folklore collector, and teacher Komitas Vardapet (Soghomon Soghomonian, 1869-1935).
***
"I was born on September 26, 1869 in the city of Kütahya in Asia Minor. My father was Gevorg Soghomonian of Kütahya and my mother was Taguhi Hovhannisian of Brussa.
I was baptized three days after my birth and named Soghomon.
I became an orphan in my childhood; my mother died on March 15, 1870 and my father, on May 17, 1879. After my par¬ents’ death I was brought up by my paternal grandmother Mariam. She was a second mother for me and seriously took care of my future.
I had no sister or brother and remained the only-begotten son.”
Komitas Vardapet, "Autobiography"
Nagorno Karabagh (Artsakh)
19 september, 2023
19.09.2024
Around 120,000 Armenians were forcibly displaced from the Republic of Artsakh as a result of Azerbaijan's military aggression one year ago, on September 19, following nearly ten months of blockade, physical and psychological violence, oppression, decades of anti-Armenian propaganda, and hatred.
With the clear memory of the violence that began in the early 1900s and occurred in several waves over different historical periods, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of Armenians, and with a full understanding of the aggressor's genocidal intent, the Armenians of Artsakh had no other choice than to leave their homeland within just a few days.
The ten-month blockade, which according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was a genocidal act aimed at creating conditions that would lead to the physical destruction of ethnic Armenians or cause them physical harm, was followed by another crime against humanity—forced displacement.
Jassim Mohammad Aboud, The President of the Federal Supreme Court of the Republic of Iraq, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
11.09.2024
On September 11, the President of the Federal Supreme Court of the Republic of Iraq, Jassim Mohammad Aboud, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial, accompanied by the President of the RA Constitutional Court, Arman Dilanyan.
Dr. Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), warmly welcomed the delegation and guided them through the Memorial complex, providing insights into its history and significance.
The guests placed flowers at the Eternal Flame and observed a minute of silence in honor of the innocent victims of the genocide. Dr. Gzoyan then accompanied the guests to the Memory Wall, which contains small containers of soil taken from the graves of 19th and 20th-century foreign public figures, politicians, intellectuals, and missionaries who protested the massacres and deportations of Armenians by the Ottoman government. The guests listened with great interest to the story of Faiz El-Ghusein, an Arab lawyer and a witness to the Armenian Genocide, and his pro-Armenian advocacy.
Lusine Abrahamyan, AGMI’s Deputy Director for Museum Affairs, led the delegation through the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. Following the tour, Mr. Jassim Mohammad Aboud left a note in the Memory Book for Honored Guests. Dr. Gzoyan then presented Mr. Aboud with Arabic books about the Armenian Genocide and expressed her gratitude for his visit.
Xavier Bettel, Deputy Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
09.09.2024
Xavier Bettel, Deputy Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on September 9 during his official visit to Armenia. He was accompanied by RA Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan.
Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Edita Gzoyan, welcomed the guests and guided them through the Armenian Genocide Memorial, explaining the history of its creation. The ministers of both countries laid wreaths at the Memorial to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide, and the visiting dignitary placed flowers at the Eternal Fire, observing a minute of silence in honor of the innocent martyrs of the genocide.
International Association of Genocide Scholars passes Resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh
06.09.2024
The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), which includes the "Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute" Foundation as a member, has passed a resolution regarding Artsakh.
IAGS Resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh
Recognising the killing and other violence, including torture, against Armenian civilians;
Recognising the detention of political leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh;
Acknowledging the expulsion under threat of mass violence of the remaining 100,000 ethnic
Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023;
Acknowledging the history of anti-Armenian hate speech and expressions of genocidal intent
from Azerbaijani media, political and military leadership, religious leaders and other sources;
Recognising that Azerbaijan has taken ethnic Armenian soldiers and civilians prisoner, some of
whose whereabouts remain unknown;
Recognising the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan;
School Years in the Memories of Armenian Genocide Survivors
31.08.2024
"We had a school with bright windows, two large rooms, and a corridor-like room in the middle. We started attending at the age of 6. I was 10 years old when I recited Tourian's Drdunchk (Grievance) on the church stage."
— Sargis Alemyan, Berdak village, Kharberd, born in 1903
"I only attended school for a year. On the first page of our book, there was a big cross and the words ‘Cross, bless me!’ I was so happy; my cousin Grigor would take me to school every day. The first thing that struck me was that all the pupils were boys, and the teachers were also men. There was no corporal punishment. All we did during the day was sing, dance, and exercise."
— Garnik Banyan, Kyurin, born in 1910
President of the House of Representatives of Uruguay, Ana Olivera, and Vice-President Pedro Khisdonyan Visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex
29.08.2024
On August 29, Ana Olivera, President of the House of Representatives of Uruguay, and Pedro Khisdonyan, Vice-President of the House of Representatives, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. They were accompanied by Sargis Khandanyan, head of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of Armenia, and Mariam Gevorgyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Uruguay.
Lusine Abrahamyan, Deputy Director for Museum Affairs at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), welcomed the delegation and guided them through the Genocide Memorial Complex, providing insights into its historical significance. She also shared the stories behind the three khachkars at Tsitsernakaberd, dedicated to Armenians who perished in massacres orchestrated by the Azerbaijani government in Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku in the late 20th century. Additionally, she recounted the lives of five freedom fighters interred before the Memory Wall, who lost their lives during the struggle for Artsakh's survival, highlighting the ongoing relevance of the Armenian Genocide in light of contemporary persecution and violence against Armenians.
Mrs. Olivera paid tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide by laying a wreath at the memorial. The delegation then laid flowers at the Eternal Fire and observed a minute of silence in honor of the innocent martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.
International Journal of Armenian Genocide Studies 2023
issues 1 and 2
24.08.2024
Read the following articles in the latest 2 issues of the International Journal of Armenian Genocide Studies, published by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation:
International Journal of Armenian Genocide Studies, Vol. 8 No. 1 (2023)
• Bedross Der Matossian, Representing the 1909 Adana Massacres in Armeno-Turkish: Garabed Artinian and the Case for a Historical Reading
• Regina Galustyan, A Step towards Identity Construction or Genocide? Ideological Transformations and Propaganda in the Ottoman Empire in 1911-1913
• Theofanis S. Malkidis, The Greek Genocide and Smyrna’s Catastrophe: An Overview
• Dirk Roodzant, The Fall of Christian Smyrna Through Dutch Eyes in 1922
Ts՚eghaspanagitakan Handes (Journal of Genocide Studies) 2023
17.08.2024
The latest two issues of Ts՚eghaspanagitakan Handes (Journal of Genocide Studies), published by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation, include papers and articles presented at the international conference held in September 2022, titled “Smyrna in the Context of the Armenian and Greek Genocides: Annihilation, Arson, and Deportation (September 1922).”
The following articles (in Armenian) are featured in the first issue:
• Armen Ts. Marukyan, Comparative Analysis of the Armenian Genocide (Mets Yeghern) and the
Massacre of the Armenian and Greek Population in Smyrna
• Verjiné G. Svazlian, The Izmir Calamity and the Historical Memory of the People
• Dora G. Sakayan, Document or Literary Work?
Karapet Hatcherian’s Diary about the Smyrna Disaster
• Artsvi H. Bakhchinyan, Smyrna Catastrophe in the Memoirs of Armenian Actors
Descendant of Armenian Genocide Survivor, Hip-Hop Performer, and Therapist Mark Toureille Visits AGMI and Shares His Story
09.08.2024
Recently, American-born Armenian hip-hop performer and therapist Mark Toureille visited the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) with his mother, Dayan Kupelyan, as part of his first visit to Armenia. Dayan, whose roots trace back to Marash, joined Mark in sharing their family's history—passed down orally through generations—with Shushan Khachatryan, head of AGMI’s Armenian Genocide Victims’ Documentation and Data Collection Department.
During their conversation, Mrs. Kupelyan shared intriguing details about the attempted screen adaptation of the 1930s novel 40 Days of Musa Dagh. She revealed that in 1934, her mother, a witness and survivor of the Armenian Genocide, was part of a consulting group for the film’s preparation by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. However, due to Turkish pressure, the American company ultimately abandoned the project. The film would have been the second Hollywood production about the Armenian Genocide, following the 1919 film Auction of Souls, which depicted the life of fourteen-year-old Arshaluys Martikian (Aurora Mardiganyan), a Genocide survivor.
GENOCIDE OF THE ASSYRIANS: SAYFO
August 7 is the Day of Commemoration for the Victims of the Assyrian Genocide
07.08.2024
The Assyrians are one of the ancient peoples of the Middle East. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Assyrians were mainly habituated in the Western Armenian provinces of Van (mainly Hakkari district), Diarbekir, Bitlis, Kharberd, as well as in Aleppo, Mosul,Urmia and Salmast regions of Iran. About one million Assyrians lived in the mentioned areas, with a common language, cultural and national traditions, which were politically, militarily and religiously subordinated to their spiritual leader, Patriarch Mar-Shimun.
At the beginning of World War I, under the guise of mobilization, thousands of young Assyrian young male were recruited into labor battalions and later killed. At the same time, the destruction of Assyrian villages, the deportation of women, the elderly and children to the Mesopotamia desert began. Assyrian girls and women were forcibly taken into Turkish and Kurdish harems. Many were forced to convert to Islam. Attempts of resistance were made in some places, but in vain.
THE GENOCIDE OF THE YAZIDI PEOPLE
August 3 is the Day of Remembrance of the Yazidi Genocide
03.08.2024
The Yazidis are one of the oldest ethnic and religious communities in the Middle East. Most of them live in northwestern Iraq, and the settlement of Sinjar (Shingal/Shangal) is of great historical importance, as there are dozens of Yazidi shrines and other historically or culturally significant sites in this area.
In the summer of 2014, militants of terroristic entity Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), based in Deir Zor, launched an offensive in northern Iraq, gaining control of a predominantly Yazidi, Christian-populated area approaching Sinjar.
AGMI FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2024 LEMKIN SCHOLARSHIP FOR FOREIGN RESEARCHERS
02.08.2024
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute foundation announces 2024 LEMKIN SCHOLARSHIP program for foreign young researchers and PhD candidates. Raphael Lemkin scholarship is intended to extend research on the Armenian Genocide, promote multilayered research of the theme and engage young scientists.
The program will enable one up to 40-year-old foreign PhD students or young researchers who specialize in the field of genocide research and work on their doctoral thesis, to spend one month in Armenia and conduct their research at the archives of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, as well as other local scientific institutions and libraries.
Tamara Sevunts, Actress in "Daybreak," Visits Armenian Genocide Museum
31.07.2024
Tamara Sevunts, who portrayed a survivor of the Armenian Genocide in the New York play "Daybreak," recently visited the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI). The play, based on the lives of Varter Nazarian-Deranian and Elmas Sarachian-Boyadjian, two friends who survived the genocide and dedicated themselves to aiding displaced Armenians, is a testament to their resilience and heroism.
Decades after the genocide, the descendants of Varter and Elmas sought to preserve their ancestors' stories for future generations. Elmas’ granddaughter, playwright Joyce Van Dyke, first brought their story to the stage in 2007 with "Deported: A Dream Play." The play premiered in Boston in 2012 and was later revised as "Daybreak" in New York in 2018.
AGMI Presents 2023 Publications
27.07.2024
On July 25, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) held a presentation for its 2023 publications in the museum's conference hall. AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan welcomed attendees and introduced the publications, highlighting that they were initiated during the tenure of former AGMI Director Harutyun Marutyan. Mrs. Gzoyan emphasized the importance of the unique memoirs of Armenian Genocide survivors preserved in the AGMI archives.
Harutyun Marutyan presented the 2023 issues of the Journal for Genocide Studies and the International Journal of Armenian Genocide Studies, noting the increasing focus on Artsakh in the English-language journal. Editors of the memoirs shared brief speeches about the lives and biographies of the survivors, stressing their significance for genocide studies.
Delegation of Judeo-Christian Union "Save Armenia" Visits Armenian Genocide Memorial
26.07.2024
On July 25, a delegation from the Judeo-Christian Union "Save Armenia," led by Dr. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial. The delegation comprised prominent leaders from the US evangelical community and experts from non-governmental organizations based in Washington. Officially established in 2024, the union aims to unite Christian communities worldwide in support of Armenia.
During their visit, the delegation toured the Armenian Genocide Museum with AGMI tour guide Elen Hakobyan, exploring both permanent and temporary exhibitions. AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan then guided them to the Armenian Genocide Memorial, providing insights into its creation and significance.
EXCLUSIVE REPLENISHMENTS AT AGMI IN RECENT MONTHS
25.07.2024
In recent months, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) has received over 4,300 unique materials, which were presented today in the conference hall of the museum. Some donor families were also invited to the event. In her opening speech, Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum, emphasized that acquiring new materials, studying them, and popularizing them have been central to the museum’s mission since its foundation. She highlighted that this time, the donations came from a broad geographic range, including Armenia, France, Lebanon, the USA, Russia, and Greece.
A significant portion of the newly acquired materials includes original photographs taken during the Armenian Genocide and the Hamidian massacres. Among these, approximately 60 photos related to the heroic battle of Musa Dagh were donated to AGMI by Craig Simonian, an American Armenian. French-Armenian photographer Arshak (Max) Sivaslian contributed a substantial collection of photos depicting episodes from both the 1992 and 2016 Artsakh wars.
“SCHOLARS FOR SCHOLARS”
AGMI Researchers Receive Awards Named After Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian
23.07.2024
For the fourth time, AGMI researchers were honored with awards named after Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Director of Armenian Studies at California State University, Fresno. The awards recognized excellence in categories such as best journal article, best book or chapter, and other significant contributions. Professor Der Mugrdechian personally presented the awards during a ceremony at AGMI's conference hall.
In his speech, Harutyun Marutyan, head of the Department for the Study of Repressions of Armenians, thanked Professor Der Mugrdechian for his continued encouragement of AGMI researchers.
“Teaching the Topic of the Armenian Genocide” Teachers’ Summer School Concludes
19.07.2024
From July 16 to 18, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) hosted its sixth annual summer school, "Teaching the Armenian Genocide," for history teachers. Approximately 40 teachers from Yerevan and surrounding regions, specializing in "Armenian History" and "Social Sciences," participated in the three-day event.
AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan and Educational Programs Department Head Inessa Stepanyan welcomed the participants. Roxanne Makasdjian, Head of the American GenEd organization, gave a brief introduction to the organization. American teachers Kerry Flynn and Kristina Shiranian, members of GenEd, shared their experiences teaching the Armenian Genocide.
CHAIRMAN OF TBILISI CITY COUNCIL GIORGI TKEMALADZE VISITS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL COMPLEX
18.07.2024
On July 18, Giorgi Tkemaladze, Chairman of the Tbilisi City Council, led a delegation to visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. He was accompanied by First Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Armen Pambukhchyan, City Council members, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Armenia George Sharvashidze.
Lusine Abrahamyan, Deputy Director for Museum Affairs at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), welcomed the delegation and guided them through the Genocide Memorial Complex, providing insights into its historical significance. She also shared the stories behind the three khachkars at Tsitsernakaberd, dedicated to Armenians who perished in massacres orchestrated by the Azerbaijani government in Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku in the late 20th century. Additionally, she recounted the lives of five freedom fighters interred before the Memory Wall, who lost their lives during the struggle for Artsakh's survival, highlighting the ongoing relevance of the Armenian Genocide in light of contemporary persecution and violence against Armenians.
Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha was graciously hosted hosted at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute
17.07.2024
Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha, India's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia, was graciously hosted by Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), on July 16th. During her visit, Ambassador Sinha explored the temporary exhibition hall featuring "Armenian Woman: Victim and Heroine of the Armenian Genocide". This exhibition provided profound insights into the lives of Armenian women in Western Armenia and other Armenian-populated regions of the Ottoman Empire, showcasing exquisite handicrafts, jewelry, and costumes from various regions.
Through the personal stories highlighted in the exhibition, Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha gained a deeper understanding of the hardships endured by Armenian women during the Armenian Genocide, as well as their remarkable resilience. She expressed sincere concern that the atrocities depicted in the museum are not just historical events but tragically continue in different parts of the world today.
AGMI Director’s Advisor Mihran Minassian Participates in International Conference in the U.S.
17.07.2024
Mihran Minassian, advisor to the AGMI Director, participated in the 9th international conference of the International Network of Genocide Scholars (INoGS) titled “Genocide and Survivor Communities: Agency, Resistance, Recognition.” The conference took place at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles from June 23 to 26, attracting approximately 120 scholars from around the world.
At the conference, Mr. Minassian presented his paper titled "Documenting the Testimonies of Armenian Genocide Survivors in Syria (Based on Personal Experience)."
U.S. Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya Visits Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex
14.07.2024
On July 14, Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary of State of the United States, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex accompanied by Kristina Kvien, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.
AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan welcomed the guests and guided them through the Genocide Memorial Complex, providing insights into its historical significance.
Mrs. Uzra Zeya paid respects by laying a wreath at the memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Following this, the delegation placed flowers at the Eternal Fire and observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the innocent martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.
THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM-INSTITUTE COMPLETES TRAINING PROGRAM FOR AMERICAN TEACHERS
13.07.2024
From July 7 to 13, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute conducted a training program for 15 American teachers in collaboration with the Genocide Education Project organization. This program, now in its third iteration, incorporated valuable feedback and requests from previous participants.
The training sessions were held at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and the American University of Armenia, following a lecture-practical training format. Participants engaged with the topic of the Armenian Genocide from historical, legal, and socio-psychological perspectives. The program underscored the enduring impact of genocide, state impunity, and Turkish denialism on the current political and economic landscape in the Republic of Armenia. Dedicated sessions also addressed the Artsakh issue.
Georgian Minister of Defence Irakli Chikovani Visits Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex
12.07.2024
On July 12, Irakli Chikovani, Minister of Defence of Georgia, led a delegation to visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. He was accompanied by Arman Sargsyan, Deputy Minister of Defence of Armenia, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Armenia George Sharvashidze.
AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan welcomed the delegation and provided a guided tour of the Genocide Memorial Complex, detailing its historical significance.
General Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Austria visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
11.07.2024
Arnold Kammel, the General Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Austria, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on July 11. Leading a delegation including Dr. Arnold Kammel, Director of Defense Policy at the Ministry, the visit was accompanied by Colonel Arakelyan, Head of the Department of International Military Cooperation of the RA Defense Ministry.
The delegation was welcomed by Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, who provided an overview of the Memorial Complex's history.
Mr. Arnold Kammel laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide and placed flowers at the Eternal Fire, observing a minute of silence in honor of the innocent victims of the genocide.
The delegation of the Permanent Committee on Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
08.07.2024
The delegation of the Permanent Committee on Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on July 8. They were accompanied by Maria Karapetyan, a member of the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, Victor Biyagov, RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Jaap Frederiks, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Armenia.
Edita Gzoyan, Director of AGMI, warmly welcomed the guests and guided them through the Genocide Memorial complex, providing insights into its history and significance. She also shared the stories behind three khachkars erected at Tsitsernakaberd in memory of Armenians who perished in massacres orchestrated by the Azerbaijani government in Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century. Additionally, she recounted the stories of five freedom fighters interred near the Memory Wall, who lost their lives during the Artsakh conflict. Mrs. Gzoyan underscored the link between the Armenian Genocide and contemporary instances of persecution and violence against Armenians, addressing historical and legal dimensions of the Artsakh issue while condemning Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian actions and propaganda.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway has committed to assisting in the translation and publication of handwritten memoirs by Norwegian missionary Bodil Katharine Bjorn, who witnessed the Armenian Genocide
06.07.2024
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway (the Embassy Tbilisi Small Grants 2024) will fund the translation and publication of approximately 1,000 pages of Bodil Katharine Bjorn's handwritten memoirs and letters. Bjorn, a Norwegian missionary who witnessed the Armenian Genocide, left behind a personal archive that was recently brought to the attention of Norwegian relevant authorities by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI). The archive, donated by her grandson Jussi Bjorn several years ago, has prompted a collaborative effort between AGMI and the Norwegian side to translate her writings from Norwegian into English and publish them.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has approved and pledged support for this initiative. This project will assess the historical and cultural significance of Bjorn's memoirs in shedding light on the Armenian Genocide and fostering the enduring friendship between the Armenian and Norwegian peoples.
STUDENTS FROM RUSSIA ARE CONDUCTING THEIR PRACTICE AT AGMI
04.07.2024
Russian students from the Faculty of Humanities at the National Research University "Higher School of Economics" are currently interning at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI). Nine students are participating, with eight joining remotely and one attending in person. During an online welcome session led by AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan, she extended her best wishes for their internship, expressing the museum's interest in the collaboration and its aspirations for future cooperation.
After the welcome, the students took a virtual tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum, exploring both permanent and temporary exhibitions. Harutyun Marutyan, Head of the AGMI Department of Repressions of Armenians in Artsakh, Nakhichevan, and Azerbaijan's other regions, conducted an online session with the students. He discussed the history of the Armenian Genocide Memorial's construction and its significance in commemorating the events of the Armenian Genocide.
A bipartisan congressional delegation led by Senator Roger Wicker recently visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
03.07.2024
Accompanying Senator Wicker were Sargis Khandanyan, Chair of the Armenian NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, Lilit Makunts, Ambassador of Armenia to the United States, and Kristina Kvien, US Ambassador to Armenia. Also part of the delegation were Republican Joe Wilson, Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, Democrat Ben Cardin, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and others.
The guests were welcomed by Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, who provided an overview of the Memorial Complex's history. Senator Roger Wicker laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide, followed by the delegation members laying flowers at the Eternal Fire and observing a minute’s silence in remembrance of the genocide victims.
NEWLY RECEIVED ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS AT AGMI
29.06.2024
Armenian Ambassador to Italy Tsovinar Hambardzumyan, who visited the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute on June 29th, generously donated exclusive archival documents pertaining to the Hamidian massacres to the museum's collection. These significant documents were received from Don Vincenzo Masolo, a monk and lecturer at the seminary in Chieti, Italy. AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan expressed sincere gratitude for this donation, highlighting that this marks the second occasion RA Ambassador to Italy Tsovinar Hambardzumyan has contributed valuable archival materials to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. She further announced that AGMI researchers will meticulously study and subsequently publish these documents.
The Armenian Ambassador to Italy elaborated that the archival materials primarily consist of Italian documents related to Salvatore Lilli, an Italian Franciscan monk who bore witness to the Hamidian pogroms and was blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1982.
Hollywood actor Joe Manganiello visits Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex
19.06.2024
Hollywood actor, producer, director Joe Manganiello on May 29 visited the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum, accompanied by Zareh Sinanyan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs.
Terviz Rose Darakjian, Manganiello’s maternal great-grandmother, survived the Armenian Genocide. Her husband and seven children were killed by the Turks, and the 8th drowned while fleeing across the Euphrates River. Shortly after these events, Terviz’s ninth child, Sirarpi, the grandmother of Manganiello, was born. The actor talks about his great-grandmother from Kharberd with great excitement and admiration.
SUREN MANUKYAN PARTICIPATED IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
19.06.2024
A conference titled “Perspectives on the Genocide Convention - 75 Years Later” was held at the Washington branch of the University of Southern California on June 3 and 4.
Suren Manukyan, head of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) V. Dadrian Comparative Genocide Studies Department also attended.
The world is still witnessing many genocidal crimes 75 years after the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Although genocide prevention measures have been developed, the threat of genocide persists in many countries and regions of the world.
The Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of the National Council of Austria, Nikolaus Scherak, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
18.06.2024
The Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of the Austrian National Council, Nikolaus Scherak, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial, on 18 June, accompanied by the Deputy Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs, Rustam Bakoyan.
Lusine Abrahamyan, AGMI Deputy Director for Museum Affairs, welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them round the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. Emphasising the connection with the Armenian Genocide, Mrs. Lusine Abrahamyan also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival, emphasising the connection between what happened then and the Armenian Genocide.
This article, co-authored by Shushan Khachatryan, AGMI senior researcher and Hayk Hakobyan and Garnik Harutyunyan, Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran- Institute senior researchers, appeared in the prestigious journal, Scrinium: Journal of Patrology and Critical Hagiography
14.06.2024
The article “Identification and Identity: Quest for the Armenian Martyrdom Sites in the Modern Times” by Shushan Khachatryan, AGMI senior researcher and Matenadaran senior researchers Hayk Hakobyan and Garnik Harutyunyan was published in the perstigious journal Scrinium: Journal of Patrology and Critical Hagiography (editor-in-chief: Basil Lourié), which is indexed in the international scientific databases (1 Quartile).
This article puts written and collected ethnographical material that appear in various sources and are the results of field work, as well as new conclusions, into circulation. This brings the canonisation of the victims of the Armenian Genocide forward, using the example of the discovery of relics and burial sites of the martyrs killed during the Lenin-Stalin repressions, their veneration by the public and examples of their parochialisation.
The authors, in this article, have brought together reference sources of a number of Armenian Genocide mass burial sites, emphasising the imperative of the search for them, the stories of the clergy who were targeted and killed for not denying Christianity during the Lenin-Stalin repressions, their burial places and the memories associated with them among Armenians.
Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
11.06.2024
The delegation headed by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister of France, President of the “Leaders for Peace” organization, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on June 11, accompanied by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies.
Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Edita Gzoyan welcomed the guests and accompanied them to the Armenian Genocide Memorial, presenting the history of the creation of the memorial.
Brazilian researcher at the AGMI
08.06.2024
Julia Tordeur, a PhD Candidate at the Getulio Vargas Foundation School of Social Sciences (CPDOC) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, conducted one-month research at the AGMI, supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship. Her research centers on the stories of Brazilian Armenian women, who are descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
Julia Tordeur graciously shared her insights and accomplishments from her time in Armenia, particularly at the AGMI.
- What is your research about?
– My research is titled: “The Women Who Survived the Desert: An Oral History of Armenians in Diaspora.”
Mayor of Aix-en-Provence, France, Sophie Joissains visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
05.06.2024
The delegation led by the Vice President of the French Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur Department, Mayor of Aix-en-Provence Sophie Joissains visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial.
Lusine Abrahamyan, AGMI Deputy Director for Museum Affairs, welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them round the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. Emphasising the connection with the Armenian Genocide, Mrs. Lusine Abrahamyan also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival, emphasising the connection between what happened then and the Armenian Genocide.
ANNOUNCEMENT
“Teaching the Topic of the Armenian Genocide” Educational Programme
VI Summer School for Teachers
04.06.2024
The “Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute” Foundation is organising a three-day summer school for Armenian history teachers titled “Teaching the topic of the Armenian Genocide,” on July 16-18, 2024.
This summer school may be attended by public middle and high school Armenian history teachers, who should apply presenting the importance of their participation in the programme.
Application responses will be given at least 15 days before the start of the summer school.
A conference was held at the AGMI titled " Interdisciplinary Approaches to Turkish-Azerbaijani Armenophobia"
01.06.2024
I was young, but remember it very well. I stuffed my toy dolls in a tin box. Mama put some food on top of them and put the box on a cart. We were going to get in the cart, to sit down down and move, when it turned over...
Marie Yerkat, born in Adabazar in 1910
It was only then that I noticed that Shaké had her little doll with her, held to her chest. My eyes filled with tears and I asked my grandma that we return and take my doll too. But she bent down and kissed my cheeks saying that, when we arrived in the first city we came to, she would buy me a big doll. She began to describe the big and beautiful dolls to be found there to me.
Aghavni Poghosyan, born in in Adabazar in 1907
They would buy beautiful dolls for me, brought from abroad. They would spare no expense and bought one for half a gold piece. It was from Europe, in a beautiful box, and I remember it to this day. She would close her eyes when I put to bed, then she would open them. Mama wouldn't always hand it to me but, during the war, she ignore that…
Veronika Berberyan, born in the town of Bogazlyan in 1907
A conference was held at the AGMI titled " Interdisciplinary Approaches to Turkish-Azerbaijani Armenophobia"
31.05.2024
A conference titled "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Turkish-Azerbaijani Armenophobia" was held in the AGMI conference hall on May 30-31. Researchers from the AGMI, RA NAS Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Matenadaran, Armeno-Russian (Slavonic) University’s Institute of Oriental Studies and the Armenian Association for Analytical Psychology participated.
The event was part of the RA MօESCS Higher Education and Science Committee's scientific theme "The origins, current state, and objectives of Turkish-Azerbaijani Armenophobia (interdisciplinary approaches)."
Dr. Edita Gzoyan, Director of AGMI highlighted, in her opening speech, that while previous studies have always discussed various manifestations of anti-Armenian sentiment and Armenophobia, this was the first time that a conference took an interdisciplinary approach to the subject.
George Logothetis, Executive Chairman of the Libra Group, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
30.05.2024
George Logothetis, Executive Chairman of the Libra Group, led a delegation visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, accompanied by Tatevik Stepanyan, Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Affairs of the RA, on May 30, 2024.
Lusine Abrahamyan, AGMI Deputy Director for Museum Affairs, welcomed the guests and accompanied them to the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. She also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organised by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival. She emphasised the connection between the Armenian Genocide and contemporary acts of persecution and violence against Armenians.
UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
Der-ez-Zor, 1918
28.05.2024
Spring had arrived... that night I attended Mrs. Lucia's child’s birthday party. There was obvious commotion in the house. I kissed grandma’s hand and congratulated her grandson on his birthday. He said that his birthday had passed long ago and didn't know why they were making extra expense.
They had set a beautifully table and, later that night, three well-dressed young men and two young ladies arrived and took the seats of honour. Ms. Lucia closed the courtyard door and said, “Now we can talk freely, Artashes is ours and, though he is young, we trust his discretion…”
Georges Siffredi, President of the Hauts-de-Seine department of France, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
27.05.2024
Georges Siffredi, President of the Hauts-de-Seine department of France, led a delegation visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, accompanied by Deputy Governor of Tavush Province Narek Ghushchyan, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France, Mr. Olivier Decottignies, on May 27, 2024.
Edita Gzoyan, AGMI Director, welcomed the guests and accompanied them to the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. She also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival. She emphasised the connection between the Armenian Genocide and contemporary acts of persecution and violence against Armenians and also referred to the historical and legal aspects of the Artsakh issue, describing Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian actions and propaganda.
EVENTS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE GREEK GENOCIDE
25.05.2024
A series of events dedicated to the memory of the Greek Genocide victims, co-organised by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and the Union of Greek Communities of Armenia, took place from May 19-25.
A commemoration event was held in the Greek community centre’s garden in the town of Alaverdi, Armenia on May 19, to honour Pontic Greek Genocide victims. Flowers were laid near the khachkar memorialising the victims of the genocide during the event and a memorial service was conducted by Father Mikael Shaghoyan, the community pastor.
The event was attended by AGMI researchers Narek Poghosyan and Tehmine Martoyan and speeches were delivered by the head of the Alaverdi community Davit Ghumashyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Greece to Armenia Christos Sofianopoulos, President of the Union of Greek Communities of Armenia Maria Lazareva, a representative of the Greek "AKMI" community, the director of the Greek Medical Center "Hellen Med" Simon Zakharov, AGMI senior researcher Tehmine Martoyan and others.
TWO-DAY INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP AT AGMI
24.05.2024
The event series titled "Global History" was jointly launched by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation and the Georgia Branch Office of the Max Weber Foundation in the AGMI confernece hall on May 23-24. The participants included Armenian and Georgian students and young scholars who were selected for the programme. They visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex and museum, where Regina Galustyan, an AGMI researcher, presented the museum exhibition, prior to the start of the events.
A panel discussion titled "Comparative Histories of Genocides and the Development of International Law,"then took place in the conference hall, chaired by Dr. Edita Gzoyan, AGMI Director. Prof. Dr. Annette Weinke (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany), Prof. Dr. Hilly Moodrick-Even Khen (Ariel University, Israel) and Dr. Suren Manukyan (Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Armenia) gave speeches.
POSTGRADUATE ADMISSION ANNOUNCEMENT
23.05.2024
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation is accepting applications for the full-time PhD programme for the academic year 2024-2025 (RA government decision No. 701 of 16 May 2024).
Applications must be made between May 27 and June 20, 2024. The following required documents must be submitted to the AGMI Foundation at 8/8 Tsitsernakaberd Highway, Yerevan:
• BA and MA degree diplomas or certified specialist or ordinator diploma and their supplements (for those who received higher education in foreign countries - a document on the equivalence of their education)
CHARLES AZNAVOUR (1924-2018)
ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 100TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
"We are born to die, but until then we must live" - Charles Aznavour
22.05.2024
Charles Aznavour, a well-known singer, songwriter, poet, author, film actor and public figure, would have been 100 years old on May 22, 2024.
Charles Aznavour was born in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district of Paris on May 22, 1924. His parents, Michael (Misha) and Knar Aznavourian were both survivors of the Armenian Genocide and artists, Knar being an actress, while Misha was a singer. They first met in Constantinople, where Misha was performing and Knar was writing cultural articles for an Armenian newspaper.
Claude Wiseler, President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
22.05.2024
Claude Wiseler, President of the Chamber of Deputies the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, led a delegation visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, accompanied by Ruben Rubinyan, Vice President of the Armenian National Assembly and Tigran Balayan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Luxembourg, on May 22, 2024.
Edita Gzoyan, Director of the AGMI, welcomed the guests and accompanied them to the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation.
Mr. Claude Wiseler laid a wreath at the memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, after which the guests laid flowers at the Eternal Fire and observed a minute’s silence in memory of the innocent martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.
Carol Spahn, Acting Director of the US Peace Corps, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
21.05.2024
Carol Spahn, Acting Director of the US Peace Corps, led a delegation visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex, accompanied by Joanne Fairley, Peace Corps Country Director in Armenia.
AGMI director Edita Gzoyan welcomed the guests and accompanied them to the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. She also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival. She emphasised the connection between the Armenian Genocide and contemporary acts of persecution and violence against Armenians and also referred to the historical and legal aspects of the Artsakh issue, describing Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian actions and propaganda.
PONTIC GREEK GENOCIDE
19.05.2024
The Greek Parliament, in its sitting of February 24, 1994, designated May 19 as Commemoration Day for the Victims of the Greek Genocide. This date was chosen because it marked the arrival of Mustafa Kemal in Samsun. The Greek Genocide is also remembered on September 14, marking the deliberate extermination of Armenians and Greeks in Smyrna, followed by the city's burning in 1922. Approximately 353,000 Greeks lost their lives in the genocidal campaign against the Pontic Greeks. Many Greeks were forcibly converted to Islam, while those who survived sought refuge in Greece and other countries worldwide.
Museums Night in the Armenian Genocide Museum – 2024
18.05.2024
May 18 is International Museum Day. The Armenian Genocide Museum has, since 2014, joined European Museums Night. This year the event was held on International Museum Day with the theme “Educational and Research Museums”.
Visitors to the Armenian Genocide Museum had the opportunity to explore its permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as attend two public lectures. The first speaker was Regina Galustyan, a researcher in the AGMI V. Dadrian Department of Comparative Genocide Studies, who presented a lecture titled "Methods of Armenian Genocide Implementation: Deportation". The second speaker was Tehmine Martoyan, Senior Researcher in the AGMI Department for Armenian Genocide Victims and Survivors Documentation and Research. She presented a lecture titled "The Extermination of Armenians and Greeks of Smyrna: Testimonies of Eyewitness Survivors".
Events Dedicated to the Memory of the Victims of the Greek Genocide
17.05.2024
May 19
Commemoration event in Alaverdi. Laying of a wreath in memory of the victims of the Greek Genocide. Alaverdi Greek Center
May 23
12:00- Why Remember? Why Commemorate?
Dr. Tessa Hofmann, German armenologist and genocide scholar. Conference Hall of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and on-line.
Ronan Le Gleut, a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Defense and Armed Forces of the French Senate, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
30.04.2024
The delegation headed by Ronan Le Gleut, a member of the French Senate, a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Defense and Armed Forces, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on April 30, accompanied by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies.
Lusine Abrahamyan, AGMI Deputy Director for Museum Affairs, welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them round the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. Emphasising the connection with the Armenian Genocide, Mrs. Lusine Abrahamyan also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival, emphasising the connection between what happened then and the Armenian Genocide.
A group of leading British media representatives had a meeting with Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute
24.04.2024
A group of leading British media representatives, including those from “The Independent”, “The Guardian”, “The Telegraph”, “The Critic”, “UnHerd”, “Adam Smith Institute” news outlets, had a meeting with Edita Gzoyan Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute on April 24. During the meeting the journalists raised questions of interest to them about the creation of the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex and AGMI activities, as well as the role of Great Britain relating to the documentation of the Armenian Genocide and issues concerning the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Questions were also asked about the Armenian people’s perceptions of the forced depopulation of Artsakh and its classification as genocide.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, President of the French “Rebellious France” opposition party visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
24.04.2024
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, president of the left-wing “Rebellious France” opposition party of the French Republic led a delegation that visited the Armenian Genocide Museum.
They toured the museum and became acquainted with the permanent and temporary exhibitions, showing special interest in “Pro Armenia: For you, Armenia” exhibition dedicated to the two months of Francophonie.
The Syrian People’s Assembly delegation visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
24.04.2024
Akram al-Ajlani, Vice President of the Syrian People's Assembly, led a delegation that visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, accompanied by RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Syria Tigran Gevorgyan and Syria's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Nora Arisian on April 24. Lucy Esgenian, head of the Syria-Armenia friendship group of the Syrian People's Assembly was also part of the delegation.
The guests were welcomed by Edita Gzoyan AGMI Director who accompanied the guests to the Memorial complex.
Mr. Akram al-Ajlani laid a wreath near the Genocide Monument and the members of the delegation laid flowers near the Eternal Fire and honoured the memory of the innocent martyrs with a minute’s silence.
The French Senate Franco-Armenia friendship group visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
24.04.2024
Gilbert-Luc Devinaz, head of the French Senate Franco-Armenia friendship group, led a delegation to the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, accompanied by Vladimir Vardanyan, the head of the RA National Assembly Armenia-France friendship group and Olivier Decottignies, Ambassador and Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to the Republic of Armenia on April 24.
The guests were welcomed by Edita Gzoyan, AGMI Director, who accompanied the guests to the Memorial complex.
The members of the French delegation laid flowers near the Eternal Fire and honoured the memory of the innocent martyrs of the Armenian Genocide with a minute’s silence.
The Catholicos of All Armenians paid tribute to the memory of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide
24.04.2024
His Holiness Garegin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, accompanied by the members of the order of monks of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex to commemorate the holy martyrs of the Armenian Genocide on April 24.
After laying a wreath, in front of Eternal Fire, an intercession service for the holy martyrs of the Armenian Genocide took place under His Holiness’ leadership.
High-ranking statesmen of the Republic of Armenia paid tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide martyrs
24.04.2024
RA President Vahagn Khachaturyan, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, RA National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan, RA NA deputies, members of the government, heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Armenia and others paid tribute to the Armenian Genocide martyrs at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial complex.
Hannah Thoburn, senior expert of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
23.04.2024
Hannah Thoburn, senior expert on the staff of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on April 23, accompanied by Christina Kvien, the US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia.
Edita Gzoyan, AGMI Director welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them around the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. She also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival. She emphasised the connection between the Armenian Genocide and contemporary acts of persecution and violence against Armenians and also referred to the historical and legal aspects of the Artsakh issue, describing Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian actions and propaganda.
SOGHOMON TEHLIRIAN’S RELATIVES DONATE VALUABLE MATERIALS TO THE AGMI
20.04.2024
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute hosted Soghomon Tehlirian’s cousins’ granddaughters, Arpi Oskanyan and Anush Oskanyan-Ohanyan on April 20, when they presented the AGMI with Soghomon Tehliryan's unpublished diary and nine photographs which were relics belonging to their family.
AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan thanked them for these exceptional materials, expressing the hope that the diary, in particular, would shed new light on Soghomon Tehlirian’s life, as well as about individual episodes of the Nemesis operation, which belong to the heroic pages of Armenian history. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of Soghomon Tehliryan’s trial in terms of the concept of genocide and the creation of the convention, stating: “Soghomon Tehliryan is ours, but he also belongs to the world.”
Prevention at stake: 109 years since the Armenian Genocide
The AGMI Director delivered a speech in the European Parliament
19.04.2024
Edita Gzoyan, Director of the AGMI participated online in an event which took place in the European Parliament titled “Commemorating the Armenian Genocide. The Road to Modern Day Displacement”, on April 18.
In her speech titled “Prevention at Stake: 109 Years Since the Armenian Genocide” Edita Gzoyan presented the historical basis of the genocide with great thoroughness. She also detailed the court proceedings that took place in those years. According to Gzoyan, what has happened in Nakhijevan and Nagorno-Karabakh was a continuation of the 1915 genocide. According to the speaker, the rhetoric of the leaders of Turkey and Azerbaijan, the discourse of the society of those countries make to think about a genocide. Speaking about the genocide itself, the museum’s director emphasised that it is not only about the loss of human lives. “By targeting desecrating and destroying cultural monuments, people are being deprived of their identity.
New donations to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute
17.04.2024
The AGMI Collections was enriched with two valuable canvases on April 17.
Two valuable works of art titled “Defenders of Zeytun: Alarming Dawn” (1988) by the artist Professor Karen Gasparyan of the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia and a member of the Union of Artists of Armenia and “Turkish Breakfast” (1986) by Varuzhan Vardanyan, Honored Artist of the RA, were presented to the AGMI by the Gasparyan family and Abraham Grigoryan.
COLOGNE URSULINEN REAL SCHOOL STUDENTS AT THE AGMI
17.04.2024
The “Go East” programme that supports youth, implemented within the framework of cooperation between the YSMU “Heratsi” High School and the Federal Republic of Germany’s Cologne Ursulinen Real School, aims to promote the culture of preserving historical memory as a means of excluding future genocides. Its theme this year is “How we remember the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide: a look at Armenia’s and Germany’s past in order to shape and value the present and the future.” The students who arrived in Armenia from Germany as part of the programme were received at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute on April 16.
Regina Galustyan, a researcher at the AGMI V. Dadrian Department of Comparative Genocide Studies, gave the guests a lecture titled “Methods of implementing of the Armenian Genocide: deportation”.
IN CONNECTION WITH THE 135TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF ARNOLD TOYNBEE (1889-1975)
The intermittent sufferings of the Armenian race have culminated in an organized, cold-blooded attempt on the part of its Turkish rulers to exterminate it once and for all by methods of inconceivable barbarity and wickedness... - A. Toynbee, 1915
17.04.2024
Many British figures responded to the tragedy of the Armenian people from the very first days of the implementation of the plan to exterminate the Western Armenians by the Ottoman authorities, known as the Armenian Genocide. Among them was the young scientist Arnold Joseph Toynbee, whose 135th birthday was celebrated on April 14 this year. Later becoming a professor at the University of London (1919-55), he was an outstanding historian and sociologist who received world-wide fame for his 12-volume “A Study of History” published between 1934-61. He was employed in the intelligence department of the British Foreign Office in 1915.
DONATIONS TO AGMI
13.04.2024
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute has quite rich collections and a library which are added to by individual donations from Armenia and abroad. Vardan Hambardzumyan, Executive Director of the YMCA European Alliance, was recently received by the AGMI and presented it, on behalf of Eglantina Lula, the General Secretary of the YMCA Albania, with Albanian books, dictionaries and video recordings made of Armenian Genocide survivors which belonged to Khovasar Chakhmakhchian, a descendant of Armenian Genocide survivors, who taught chemistry in schools and universities in Albania and is now retired.
Jean-Pierre Kotchyan, advisor to the mayor of Saint-Etienne and a descendant of an Armenian Genocide survivor, who visited Armenia and the Armenian Genocide Memorial in November last year, presented the AGMI with another CD of the Armenian Genocide survivors.
Sergey Teryan
On the occasion of his 100th birthday
12.04.2024
Today marks Sergey Teryan’s 100th birthday. An Armenian inventor and technical sciences candidate, he was born in the village of Banants (in the Gardman county of Utik province of historical Greater Armenia, now in Azerbaijan). He dedicated his entire life to raising the issues of his native world of Gardman and its people.
Some years ago Sergey Teryan handed over, from his personal archive, his handwritten memoir and exclusive archival materials concerning the construction of the “Artsiv” (Eagle) fountain-monument dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Patriotic War in the village of Banants and the story of its destruction overnight by the Azerbaijani authorities, comprising photos, documents, manuscripts. etc. to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.
Sergey Teryan was chairman of the organising committee for the monument’s and the architect was Rafael Israelyan. Unfortunately, the official opening of the monument never took place as the Baku authorities, stating that it symbolised General Andranik, labeled the monument in the form of an eagle as "Dashnak" (ARF) and, on the night of July 26, 1969, having turned the village and surrounding area lights off beforehand, demolished the memorial.
PARTICIPANTS OF THE “ROOT AND SPROUT” COMPETITION AT THE AGMI
10.04.2024
The presentation-discussion of the work of three participants of last year’s “Root and Sprout” creative competition took place in the AGMI conference hall on April 6. Edita Gzoyan, Director of the AGMI, made a speech of welcome, in which she greatly appreciated the students’ work and encouraged them to do more in-depth research in the future.
Inessa Stepanyan, responsible for AGMI educational programmes, Ani Manukyan, author and organiser of the “Root and Sprout” creative competition and Tehmine Martoyan, AGMI senior researcher, all made speeches.
Students and teachers from different schools participated in the event. The first work was presented by Serin Agapi Sipan, an “Anania Shirakatsi” international scientific and educational complex student, who was awarded the “Best work” nomination last year and received the Suren Hanesyan prize.
President of the Bouches-du-Rhône Department and Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis Martin Vassal visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
10.04.2024
The delegation led by the President of the Bouches-du-Rhône Department and Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, Martin Vassal, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial, on April 10, accompanied by the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of France to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies.
Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Edita Gzoyan welcomed the guests and accompanied them to the Armenian Genocide Memorial.
Mrs. Martin Vassal laid a wreath at the memorial complex, after which the accompanying guests put flowers at the Eternal Fire and observed a minute’s silence in memory of the innocent martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.
FOREIGN ARCHIVES ARE THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION AT THE AGMI
09.04.2024
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute has, in recent months, initiated studies of large and small archives in different countries in order to make scientific research more active.
AGMI researchers Regina Galustyan, Anna Kazaryan and Shushan Khachatryan visited the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, in December 2023, with Regina Galustyan and Anna Kazaryan making a return visit there in March 2024. They went to study Armenian documents stored in the National Archives of Tbilisi and the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia. These related to to the settling of Armenian refugees and orphans in various places in the Caucasus after the Armenian Genocide and the activities of humanitarian organizations. They also examined documents concerning the foreign policy of the viceroyalty of the Caucasus relating to the Armenians as well as Russian-language newspapers published in Baku in 1914-1918, copies of which are unavailable in the Republic of Armenia and which may have references to episodes of the Armenian Genocide.
Narek Poghosyan, an AGMI researcher, was sent to New York in March 2024 to study the archive collection belonging to lawyer Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term “genocide”, which is held in the main branch of the New York Public Library in Manhattan.
LIDICE INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FINE ART EXHIBITION AWARD CEREMONY AT THE AGMI
06.04.2024
According to the beautiful tradition already established, the award ceremony for Armenian participants in the 51st Lidice International Children's Fine Art Exhibition was held in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute on April 4. This year the international exhibition was titled “Dance”.
Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, welcomed the participants and attendees to the exhibition, saying, “I am glad to welcome you and be your host at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. This beautiful event is a unique tribute to the memory of the innocent children killed by the German Nazis in the Czech village of Lidice, as well as to the memory of the innocent children killed by the Turks during the Armenian Genocide. It is no coincidence that the conclusion of the competition takes place in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.”
ADANA 1909: 115 YEARS AFTER THE ARMENIAN HOLOCAUST
04.04.2024
The massacres that took place in the Adana and Aleppo provinces in April 1909 were the second stage of the organised massacres and mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. It appeared in the city of Adana and the surrounding areas in all its inhumanity and brutality and happened several months after the Young Turk coup, coinciding with a counter-revolution carried out by supporters of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The Adana massacres clearly showed that, in this sense and despite the change of Turkish regimes and mutual internal disagreements, the policies adopted to solve the Armenian question and dealing with Armenians remained unchanged.
The Adana massacres began on April 1, when a previously prepared and armed Turkish mob rushed into the city's streets, squares, and neighbourhoods and began massacring Armenians. The first wave of massacres lasted for three days. They resumed on April 12, continuing for a further two days. The Turkish army, although it allegedly arrived at that time to “restore order and the rule of law” also participated in the massacres alongside the mob.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
The International Recognition of the Armenian Genocide: Memorial, Political, and Geopolitical Stakes of a Decades-Long Unfinished Struggle
30.03.2024
The conference will take place on October 23-25, 2024, at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Yerevan, Armenia.
The conference is organized jointly by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation and the Laboratoire MIMMOC (Mémoires, Identités, Marginalités dans le Monde Occidental Contemporain) of the University of Poitiers, France.
The conference announcement is attached.
Chairman of the Education, Science and Youth Affairs Committee of Parliament of Georgia Givi Mikanadze, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
28.03.2024
The delegation led by the Chairman of the Committee on Education, Science and Youth Affairs of the Parliament of Georgia, Givi Mikanadze, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial On March 28, accompanied by RA NA Deputy Narek Babayan and Georgia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia, Giorgi Sharvashidze.
The delegation was greeted by Lusine Abrahamyan, AGMI Deputy Director for Museum Affairs, who narrated the history of the creation of the Memorial complex. She also presented the guests with the history of the three khachkars placed in the Tsitsernakaberd area in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak) and Baku in the last century organised by the Azerbaijani government, and the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of Memory Wall during the Artsakh war, emphasising the connection between what happened then and the Armenian Genocide.
The France-Armenia friendship group of the French National Assembly visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
27.03.2024
The delegation headed by Anne-Laurence Petel, the head of the France-Armenia friendship group of the French National Assembly, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on 27 March, accompanied by Vladimir Vardanyan, the head of the Armenia-France friendship group of the RA NA, and Olivier Decotigny, the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of France to Armenia.
AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them around the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. She also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival. She emphasised the connection between the Armenian Genocide and contemporary acts of persecution and violence against Armenians and also referred to the historical and legal aspects of the Artsakh issue, describing Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian actions and propaganda.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
25.03.2024
The delegation led by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on March 25, accompanied by Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan, Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan, RA Ambassador to Georgia Ashot Smbatyan and Georgian Ambassador to Armenia Giorgi Sharvashidze.
AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them around the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. Mr. Irakli Kobakhidze laid a wreath at the memorial complex, after which the accompanying guests put flowers at the Eternal Fire and observed a minute’s silence in memory of the innocent martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.
OPENING OF TWO TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS DEDICATED TO THE TWO MONTHS OF “FRANCOPHONIA” AT THE AGMI
22.03.2024
The first two temporary exhibitions, dedicated to the francophone areas of the world, titled “PRO ARMENIA: FOR YOU ARMENIA” and “THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN FRENCH ARMENIAN ARTISTS’ WORKS” were opened in the AGMI temporary exhibitions’ hall on 21 March 2024.
The opening ceremony was attended by Andrew Turner, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Armenia, Gabriel Chamberjian, President of the "Pyunik" Foundation, Artur Stepanyan, Director of the National Archives of Armenia, Suzanna Khojamiryan, director of the Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Art, Maya Grigoryan, director of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, professors and students of the French-Armenian Vocational Training Centre and others.
NORA ARISIAN, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA, VISITS THE AGMI
19.03.2024
Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, received Nora Arisian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Syrian Arab Republic to Armenia at the AGMI today.
Ms. Arisian congratulated Edita Gzoyan on her election as the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, wishing her new successes in fulfilling her high and responsible mission.
PRESS RELEASE
19.03.2024
Two temporary exhibitions, dedicated to the francophone areas of the world, titled “PRO ARMENIA, FOR YOU ARMENIA” and “THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN FRENCH ARMENIAN ARTISTS’ WORKS” will be opened by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute at 16:00, 21 March 2024.
The “PRO ARMENIA, FOR YOU ARMENIA” exhibition presents the humanitarian efforts made by France and the French people directed at saving the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire.
The “THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN FRENCH ARMENIAN ARTISTS’ WORKS” exhibition presents works by the French Armenian artists Levon Tutundjian, Zareh Moutafian, Jansem (Hovhannes Semerdjian), Asylva (Sylva Arakelian) and Jean-Pierre Seferian. All these artists are survivors of the Armenian genocide or are their descendants and whose works have not remained outside the colours of international pain.
FROM YOUNG TURKS TO NAZIS: THE ORIGINS OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE
13.03.2024
RA NA MPs, public figures, scientists, Sumgait massacre witnesses and ordinary citizens paid their respects to the memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organised in the Azerbaijan SSR, on February 28, the day of remembrance of the victims of the massacres and protection of the rights of the deported Armenian population. They laid flowers near the khachkars erected in memory of the victims of the Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak) and Baku massacres organised by the Azerbaijani government.
A scientific meeting-discussion was held in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute conference hall after the flower-laying ceremony. Edita Gzoyan, AGMI Director, greeted the audience, noting that the crimes committed against Armenians on the initiative of and by permission of the Azerbaijani authorities were another consequence of the state's anti-Armenian policy. She added that the same policy, from the blockade of Artsakh to depopulating it of Armenians, was witnessed in our time.
SUMGAYIT POGROM
FEBRUARY 27-29, 1988
29.02.2024
An event titled “From Young Turks to Nazis: The Origins of International Criminal Justice" was held in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute’s conference hall on the 12th of March. Speeches were made, during the event, by Edita Gzoyan, leading researcher and director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation and Christoph Safferling, Professor of Criminal Law, International Criminal Law and International Public Law at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany and Director of the Nuremburg Academy of International Principles.
The speakers presented, in their speeches, the effects the trials against the Young Turks, which started in 1919 and against the Nazis, which began in 1945, had on the formation and development of international criminal justice. The trials against the Young Turks had an important role in terms of recognising the fact and giving a legal assessment of the Armenian Genocide and, what is especially important, the Turks’ own testimonies concerning the Turkish authorities' intention to destroy the Armenians.
Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, Chairperson of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Federal Republic of Germany’s Bundestag, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
27.02.2024
Elizabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, chairperson of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Federal Republic of Germany’s Bundestag, led the delegation that visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex on February 25.
AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them around the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. She also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival. She emphasised the connection between the Armenian Genocide and contemporary acts of persecution and violence against Armenians and also referred to the historical and legal aspects of the Artsakh issue, describing Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian actions and propaganda.
French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
23.02.2024
The delegation headed by the Minister of Armed Forces of France Sébastien Lecornu, who arrived in Armenia on an official visit, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on February 23, accompanied by the Minister of Defense of Armenia Suren Papikyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to France Hasmik Tolmajyan and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Olivier Decotigny.
AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them round the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. She also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival. She emphasised the connection between the Armenian Genocide and contemporary acts of persecution and violence against Armenians and also referred to the historical and legal aspects of the Artsakh issue, describing Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian actions and propaganda.
Missak Manouchian: 1906-1944
The Armenian hero of the French resistance
21.02.2024
Following the decree made by French President Emmanuel Macron on June 18, 2023, the remains of Missak Manouchian, a hero of the French resistance and his wife Mélinée, both survivors of the Armenian Genocide, were interred in France's Panthéon on February 21st 2024, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the execution of Manouchian and his comrades. Misak and Mélinée Manushian became the first foreign individuals to be so honoured alongside French national heroes, thus becoming important symbols of friendship between the Armenian and French peoples.
Missak Manouchian (codename Michel Georges) was born in the city of Adıyaman, Kharberd Province of Western Armenia in 1906. His parents were killed during the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman state. Missak, who was left an orphan with his older brother Karapet (Garabed), were refugees who became inmates of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) orphanage in Jounie, Syria. The Armenian orphans in Syria, in accordance with the agreement reached in June 1925, were taken to France, where Missak began his epic journey. He joined the ranks of the French Communist Party in 1934 and began publishing the Armenian-language weekly newspaper "Zangou".
Manouchian was imprisoned and then released during the German occupation of France (1940-1944) during World War II.
EDITA GZOYAN ELECTED AGMI DIRECTOR
12.02.2024
Edita G. Gzoyan was unanimously elected the new AGMI director by secret ballot during the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian Genocide Museum – Institute Foundation on February 12, 2024.
She holds a PhD (History), was a senior AGMI researcher between 2013-2018 and a leading researcher and Deputy Scientific Director from 2018 onwards.
Ten of the fifteen members of the Board of Trustees, headed by Dr. Raymond Kévorkian, were present at the meeting. Mrs. Edita Gzoyan presented her vision of AGMI development to the Board members, answered their questions and discussed current Foundation-related issues.
She finally expressed her gratitude for their trust, stating that she takes on the role of AGMI director with a strong sense of responsibility.
Serge Barcelini, President of the French "Le Souvenir français" Association, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
03.02.2024
Serge Barcelini, President of the French "Le Souvenir français" Association (established in 1887), headed a delegation visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, accompanied by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France, Mr. Olivier Decottignies, on February 3, 2024.
Edita Gzoyan, acting director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them round the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. She also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival. She emphasised the connection between the Armenian Genocide and contemporary acts of persecution and violence against Armenians and also referred to the historical and legal aspects of the Artsakh issue, describing Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian actions and propaganda.
Markéta Pekarová Adamová, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex
31.01.2024
Markéta Pekarová Adamová, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, accompanied by Ruben Rubinyan, Vice-president of the National Assembly of Armenia, and Arthur Hovhannisyan, head of the Armenia-Czech Friendship Group of the National Assembly of Armenia on January 31, 2024.
Edita Gzoyan, acting director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them to the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation.
Mrs. Markéta Pekarová Adamová laid flowers at the Eternal Fire and observed a minute’s silence in memory of the innocent martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.
Auschwitz (Oświęcim), a symbol of the Holocaust:
January 27 is International Remembrance Day of the Victims of the Holocaust
27.01.2024
Soviet Red Army troops liberated Auschwitz concentration camp and its 7,000 surviving inmates on January 27, 1945. This date was chosen as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.
Death camps
The use of concentration and death camps is one of the characteristic features of the Holocaust. Hundreds of camps were established in Europe, but six of them were particularly deadly: Chełmno, Bełżec, Sobibór, Treblinka, Majdanek, and Auschwitz (Oświęcim).
Auschwitz is of particular importance among these. Of course, more people were killed in Bełżec, Sobibór, and Treblinka combined than in Auschwitz itself. But Auschwitz was larger in size, in administrative structure and staff and in the symbolic meaning it holds for the Holocaust.
THE BAKU MASSACRES
JANUARY 13-19, 1990
19.01.2024
A group of Armenian National Assembly deputies visited Tsitsernakaberd to pay tribute to the victims of the 1990 Baku pogroms. They laid flowers at the khachkar erected in memory of the victims of those massacres organised by the Azerbaijani government.
Out of the 1.7 million residents of Baku, capital of Soviet Azerbaijan, over 200,000 were Armenians. It is noteworthy that, since the beginning of the Karabakh movement, the issue of their safety and future has been linked to the Karabakh conflict by both the Azerbaijani and the top Soviet leadership. Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, during a meeting that took place on February 25, 1988, put the question to Zori Balayan and Silva Kaputikyan, saying, "Have you considered the fate of the 207,000 Armenians living in Baku?"
The National Council of Austria delegation visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
17.01.2024
Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic, Member of the National Council of Austria, headed a delegation visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, accompanied by Shirak Torosyan, the head of the Armenia-Austria Friendship Group of the National Assembly of Armenia, on January 17, 2024.
Lusine Abrahamyan, AGMI Deputy Director for Museum Affairs, welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them round the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation. Emphasising the connection with the Armenian Genocide, Mrs. Lusine Abrahamyan also narrated the history of the three khachkars placed in Tsitsernakaberd in memory of the Armenians who died in the massacres organized by the government of Azerbaijan in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the 20th century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in front of the Memory Wall who died during the Artsakh struggle for survival.
Giorgos Gerapetritis, Greek Foreign Minister visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex
10.01.2024
Giorgos Gerapetritis, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece, led the delegation visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex, accompanied by Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia, on January 10, 2024.
Edita Gzoyan, acting director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, welcomed the guests. She then accompanied them round the Genocide Memorial complex, presenting the history of its creation.
Dear visitor,
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute will be closed on January 6, 2024.
Sincerely,
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation
Dear visitor,
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute will be closed from December 31 till January 2, 2024.
Sincerely,
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation
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