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.
Meetings in Prague | Pashinyan Consolidating Power | Personal Rants | Ep 167 - Oct 9, 2022 [EP167]
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Genocide, India, Armenian Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO
Guest:
Topics:
- Meetings in Prague
- Pashinyan Consolidating Power
- Personal Rants
Episode 167 | Recorded: October 10, 2022
US-Armenia Relations | Azerbaijan Maps | Azerbaijan Aggression and War Crimes | Ep 166 - Oct 2, 2022 [EP166]
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 4, 2022 | Category: United States, Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Ukraine, Genocide, Geopolitics, Georgia, China, Armenian Genocide, Economy, Human Rights, India, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir
Guest:
Topics:
- US-Armenia Relations
- Azerbaijanâs Maps and Claims
- Azerbaijan Continues to Occupy Armenia
- Internal Politics in Armenia
Episode 166 | Recorded: October 1 & 3, 2022
US-Armenia Relations | Azerbaijan Maps | Azerbaijan Aggression and War Crimes | Ep 166 - Oct 2, 2022 [EP166]
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 4, 2022 | Category: United States, Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Ukraine, Genocide, Geopolitics, Georgia, China, Armenian Genocide, Economy, Human Rights, India, Nagorno Karabakh, NATOGuest:
Topics:
- US-Armenia Relations
- Azerbaijanâs Maps and Claims
- Azerbaijan Continues to Occupy Armenia
- Internal Politics in Armenia
Episode 166 | Recorded: October 1 & 3, 2022
Opposition restart | Berdzor & Aghavno | "Peace Plan" | Military service | Ep 160 - Aug 28, 2022 [EP160]
Posted on Sunday, Aug 28, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Iran, Economy, Syria, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:02 Opposition movement restarts
- 25:28 Berdzor & Aghavno handover
- 34:43 âPeace Planâ coming?
- 49:54 Newly proposed military service avoidance law
- 54:15 Rant
Guest: Dr. Arthur Khachikyan
Guest(s):
Hosts:
Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 160 | Recorded: Sunday, August 28, 2022
Opposition restart | Berdzor & Aghavno | "Peace Plan" | Military service | Ep 160 - Aug 28, 2022 [EP160]
Posted on Sunday, Aug 28, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Iran, Economy, Syria, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATOArmenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:02 Opposition movement restarts
- 25:28 Berdzor & Aghavno handover
- 34:43 âPeace Planâ coming?
- 49:54 Newly proposed military service avoidance law
- 54:15 Rant
Guest: Dr. Arthur Khachikyan
Guest(s):
Hosts:
Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 160 | Recorded: Sunday, August 28, 2022
August 23 - Declaration of Independence of The Republic of Armenia | Ep #157 - Aug 23, 2022 [EP157]
Posted on Wednesday, Aug 24, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Genocide, Artsakh, Human Rights, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide | Series: cog
Armenian News Network/Groong - August 23, 2022
On August 23, 1990 the Supreme Council of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic proclaimed Armenia as independent.
True, Armenia officially celebrates independence day on September 21, due to the referendum which was held on Sep 21 1991, the following year. But for me, the date of August 23 - the date of the proclamation of the declaration of independence - is no less special.
For it is this document comprised of 12 articles that form the basis for all laws in Armenia and for the constitution itself. From the need to establish historic justice,
Read MoreAugust 23 - Declaration of Independence of The Republic of Armenia | Ep #157 - Aug 23, 2022 [EP157]
Posted on Wednesday, Aug 24, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Genocide, Artsakh, Human Rights, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian GenocideArmenian News Network/Groong - August 23, 2022
On August 23, 1990 the Supreme Council of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic proclaimed Armenia as independent.
True, Armenia officially celebrates independence day on September 21, due to the referendum which was held on Sep 21 1991, the following year. But for me, the date of August 23 - the date of the proclamation of the declaration of independence - is no less special.
For it is this document comprised of 12 articles that form the basis for all laws in Armenia and for the constitution itself. From the need to establish historic justice,
Read MoreAnna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022 [EP153]
Posted on Thursday, Aug 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Iran, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade | Series: cog
Talking with Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022
- Growing up Armenian in Azerbaijan
- Experiencing Armenia as an Armenian from Azerbaijan
- Advocating for Armenian Families and Children
- Thoughts on the condition of Artsakh, and Armenia
- The projects in progress at Astvatsaturian.org, Annaâs 501c3 charity organization.
Guest:
- Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an Armenian-American author, city counselor, human rights advocate, and also a refugee from her original city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which her family fled, as violence mounted against Armenians.
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022 [EP153]
Posted on Thursday, Aug 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Iran, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh BlockadeTalking with Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022
- Growing up Armenian in Azerbaijan
- Experiencing Armenia as an Armenian from Azerbaijan
- Advocating for Armenian Families and Children
- Thoughts on the condition of Artsakh, and Armenia
- The projects in progress at Astvatsaturian.org, Annaâs 501c3 charity organization.
Guest:
- Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an Armenian-American author, city counselor, human rights advocate, and also a refugee from her original city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which her family fled, as violence mounted against Armenians.