Genocide
Last updated: June 11, 2026
The Armenian Genocide of 1915 represents one of history’s first systematic mass killings of a civilian population, in which Ottoman Turkish forces and local militias killed approximately 1.5 million Armenians and displaced hundreds of thousands more from their ancestral homelands in Anatolia. Perpetrators used massacres, deportations into desert conditions, and starvation as deliberate instruments of elimination. Survivors scattered across the globe, establishing diaspora communities in the Middle East, Europe, North America, and beyond. Turkey has denied the genocide for over a century, refusing to acknowledge the Ottoman state’s intent to destroy the Armenian people, a position that shapes contemporary Turkish-Armenian relations and regional politics. Genocide denial remains an official Turkish state policy backed by legal penalties in Turkey itself for those who acknowledge the historical record, complicating efforts toward Turkish-Armenian normalization and historical justice.
The ethnic cleansing of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) in September 2023 displaced more than 150,000 Armenian inhabitants from the enclave in a matter of hours, following Azerbaijan’s 24-hour military offensive on September 19–20, 2023. Unlike the 44-Day War of 2020, which ended in a ceasefire with Russian peacekeepers deployed, the 2023 operation resulted in complete displacement of the Armenian population and the effective erasure of Armenian self-governance in a territory that had been ethnically Armenian for centuries. Azerbaijan’s destruction of Christian heritage sites, including damage to the Stepanakert Cathedral documented in early 2026, compounds the physical and cultural dimension of the cleansing. The international community, including Western governments and human rights organizations, provided minimal diplomatic pressure or consequences for the displacement, contrasting sharply with rhetoric regarding other contemporary conflicts. Through works like photographer Erhan Arik’s Horovel project and the documentary Ojakh: On the Other Side of Silence, artists and documentarians have recorded the personal stakes of Armenian memory and continuity—capturing testimony from elderly Armenians whose families originated from historic Armenian regions and reflecting on how identity and community persist despite rupture and loss.
The concept of genocide denial has become inseparable from Armenian political consciousness. Turkey’s refusal to acknowledge the 1915 genocide shapes the terms on which Armenia negotiates peace with Azerbaijan and Turkey, as recognition remains a precondition for many Armenians and diaspora organizations seeking justice and historical truth. The speed and completeness of the 2023 displacement from Artsakh has prompted scholars and Armenian analysts to assess whether the term genocide applies to the 2023 events, a question with legal, moral, and political dimensions. Arthur Martirosyan examined in January 2026 the long-term consequences of the Baku pogroms, connecting historical violence to ongoing patterns of threat and displacement. Whether international law will address either the 1915 genocide or the 2023 cleansing through accountability mechanisms remains uncertain, leaving Armenia in a position where historical memory and contemporary survival are bound to geopolitical outcomes beyond Armenian control.
Groong episodes that include this tag
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Genocide.
Benyamin Poghosyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 16 [EP195]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 27, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Ukraine, Geopolitics, Israel, Genocide, Georgia, Middle East | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Benyamin Poghosyan , Chairman of the Yerevan based think tank Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies.
“Aliyev’s strategy is ’no Armenians, no problems’. What is our strategy?” -Benyamin Poghosyan
Topic:
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 16th day.
This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this
Read MoreBenyamin Poghosyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 16 [EP195]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 27, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Ukraine, Geopolitics, Israel, Genocide, Georgia, Middle EastGuest:
- Benyamin Poghosyan , Chairman of the Yerevan based think tank Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies.
“Aliyev’s strategy is ’no Armenians, no problems’. What is our strategy?” -Benyamin Poghosyan
Topic:
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 16th day.
This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this
Read MoreYeghia Tashjian | Artsakh Blockade | Relations with Russia | Role of the Armenian Government | Draft 'Peace' Proposals | Weekend Protests in Artsakh [EP194]
Posted on Monday, Dec 26, 2022 | Category: Politics, Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, NATO, Ukraine, Iran, China, Georgia, Lebanon, Syria, Human Rights, Economy, Genocide, Israel, Middle East, India | Series: wir
Guest:
Topic:
- The Artsakh Blockade
- The Role of the Armenian Government
- Relations with Russia
- Latest Draft of “Peace” Proposal
- Weekend Protests in Artsakh
Episode 194 | Recorded: December 26, 2022
Yeghia Tashjian | Artsakh Blockade | Relations with Russia | Role of the Armenian Government | Draft 'Peace' Proposals | Weekend Protests in Artsakh [EP194]
Posted on Monday, Dec 26, 2022 | Category: Politics, Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, NATO, Ukraine, Iran, China, Georgia, Lebanon, Syria, Human Rights, Economy, Genocide, Israel, Middle East, IndiaGuest:
Topic:
- The Artsakh Blockade
- The Role of the Armenian Government
- Relations with Russia
- Latest Draft of “Peace” Proposal
- Weekend Protests in Artsakh
Episode 194 | Recorded: December 26, 2022
Edgar Elbakyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 13 [EP192]
Posted on Saturday, Dec 24, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Genocide, Human Rights, Georgia, Israel, Ukraine | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Edgar Elbakyan , a political scientist and social thinker based in Yerevan, Armenia. He is a co-founder of the Armenian Project non-profit organization, which contributes to enhancing Armenian national civil society.
“The problem is not resources or power, the problem is how you put forward your goals”
Topic:
The blockade of Artsakh is now 13 days old. More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). Supermarket shelves are empty. Essential medicine is running out.
On Friday, December 23, thatâs yesterday, a meeting between
Read MoreEdgar Elbakyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 13 [EP192]
Posted on Saturday, Dec 24, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Genocide, Human Rights, Georgia, Israel, UkraineGuest:
- Edgar Elbakyan , a political scientist and social thinker based in Yerevan, Armenia. He is a co-founder of the Armenian Project non-profit organization, which contributes to enhancing Armenian national civil society.
“The problem is not resources or power, the problem is how you put forward your goals”
Topic:
The blockade of Artsakh is now 13 days old. More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). Supermarket shelves are empty. Essential medicine is running out.
On Friday, December 23, thatâs yesterday, a meeting between
Read MoreVaruzhan Geghamyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 11 [EP191]
Posted on Friday, Dec 23, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Genocide, NATO, Georgia, Human Rights, Syria, Ukraine, European Union, Middle East, India | Series: cog, video
“Turkish threats are going to disappear only when there is no Armenia” - Varuzhan Geghamyan
Guest:
Topic:
- We continue our coverage of the crisis in Artsakh by developments in the UN Security Council as well as Turkish and Iranian concerns in the region.
- More than 120 thousand people, including 30 thousand children, are under siege. Today is the 11th day of the crisis.
- This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between ANN/Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian
Varuzhan Geghamyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 11 [EP191]
Posted on Friday, Dec 23, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Genocide, NATO, Georgia, Human Rights, Syria, Ukraine, European Union, Middle East, India“Turkish threats are going to disappear only when there is no Armenia” - Varuzhan Geghamyan
Guest:
Topic:
- We continue our coverage of the crisis in Artsakh by developments in the UN Security Council as well as Turkish and Iranian concerns in the region.
- More than 120 thousand people, including 30 thousand children, are under siege. Today is the 11th day of the crisis.
- This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between ANN/Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian
Aram Orbelyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 11 [EP190]
Posted on Friday, Dec 23, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, European Union, Genocide, NATO, Ukraine | Series: cog, video
“Current Armenian government blames everyone, but themselves, Azerbaijan and Turkey.” -Aram Orbelyan
Guest:
- Aram Orbelyan , an international law specialist, who is an attorney and managing partner at Concern Dialog law firm, and PhD in Public international law. Mr. Orbelyan lectures at the Academy of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia, and lectured public international law at French University of Armenia. Mr. Orbelyan was Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia between 2011 and 2014.
Topic:
This is Day 11 of the complete blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. More than 120 thousand
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