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Turkey Should Acknowledge The Armenian Genocide

Yavuz Baydar writes that Turkey should get ahead of the 2015 centennial commemoration of the Armenian genocide by acknowledging it, which would be a game-changer in Turkish politics.
Human rights activists hold pictures of Armenian victims at Taksim square in central Istanbul April 24, 2013, during a demonstration to commemorate the 1915 mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXYYDA

Every year passing, they are more in number. When Turks began commemorating April 24, 1915 — the day symbolizing the mass deportations and annihilation of Ottoman Armenians — four years ago in Istanbul, those who attended the gathering were around 700. Yesterday, in six cities, more than 3,000 were present.

This time the organizers — "Dur De," the anti hate-speech campaign and various human rights groups — were joined by a large foreign delegation comprising 20 anti-racist and Armenian representatives from 15 countries, including the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), Young Professionals from Bulgaria, the "Roma Center" in Romania, and the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement (EGAM).

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