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.

Ukraine | Donetsk Luhansk, Artsakh | Aliyev in Moscow | Euronest in Yerevan | Ep #125 - Feb 27, 2022 [EP125]

Posted on Monday, Feb 28, 2022 | Category: Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Iran, China, Artsakh, Genocide, Economy, Geopolitics, Lebanon, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

Guest(s):

ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 27, 2022

Topics:

  • Developments in the Ukraine Crisis
  • Donetsk, Luhansk. Artsakh?
  • Aliyev in Moscow
  • Euronest in Yerevan

Guest:

  • Pietro Shakarian
  • Yeghia Tashjian Host:
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan

Episode 125 | Recorded: Sunday, February 27, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220227.html

Ukraine | Heritage Destruction | NKR Law | Arresting Arayik | IRI results | Ep #121 - Feb 20, 2022 [EP121]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 20, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, China, Ukraine, Iran, Artsakh, Economy, Genocide, Armenian Church, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 20, 2022

Topics:

  • Ukraine: Biden’s Tunnel of Crisis
  • Azeri Commission to Destroy Armenian Heritage
  • Artsakh Law on Occupied Territories
  • Azerbaijan Wants to Arrest Artsakh President
  • IRI Poll Results Revisited

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 121 | Recorded: Sunday, February 20, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220220.html

Ukraine | Heritage Destruction | NKR Law | Arresting Arayik | IRI results | Ep #121 - Feb 20, 2022 [EP121]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 20, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, China, Ukraine, Iran, Artsakh, Economy, Genocide, Armenian Church, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 20, 2022

Topics:

  • Ukraine: Biden’s Tunnel of Crisis
  • Azeri Commission to Destroy Armenian Heritage
  • Artsakh Law on Occupied Territories
  • Azerbaijan Wants to Arrest Artsakh President
  • IRI Poll Results Revisited

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 121 | Recorded: Sunday, February 20, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220220.html

Political Topics with Edmon Marukyan | Ep #120 - Feb 18, 2022 [EP120]

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Genocide, Azerbaijan, Economy, Artsakh, Armenian Genocide, Russia, Human Rights, USA, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union | Series: cog

Political Topics with Edmon Marukyan - February 18, 2022

Topics:

  • Constitutional Change Commission
  • Artsakh Law on Occupied Territories
  • State of Bright Armenia Party
  • Turkish-Armenian Normalization

Guest:

  • Edmon Marukyan, who is a lawyer by profession and the leader of the Bright Armenia party (Լուսավոր Հայաստան). He was a member of the fifth, sixth and seventh convocations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from 2012 till 2021. He’s also a member of the newly formed commission to amend the constitution.

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
 Read More

Political Topics with Edmon Marukyan | Ep #120 - Feb 18, 2022 [EP120]

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Genocide, Azerbaijan, Economy, Artsakh, Armenian Genocide, Russia, Human Rights, USA, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union

Political Topics with Edmon Marukyan - February 18, 2022

Topics:

  • Constitutional Change Commission
  • Artsakh Law on Occupied Territories
  • State of Bright Armenia Party
  • Turkish-Armenian Normalization

Guest:

  • Edmon Marukyan, who is a lawyer by profession and the leader of the Bright Armenia party (Լուսավոր Հայաստան). He was a member of the fifth, sixth and seventh convocations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from 2012 till 2021. He’s also a member of the newly formed commission to amend the constitution.

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
 Read More

Ukraine Crisis | Vahagn Khachatryan for President | New IRI Poll Results | Ep #118 - Feb 6, 2022 [EP118]

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, China, Azerbaijan, Genocide, India, Economy, Iran, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh, Georgia, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 6, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:10 The Continuing Ukraine Crisis
    • Putin in Beijing, Erdogan in Kyiv, Pashinyan at Olympic Diplomacy?
  • 23:44 Civil Contract Nominates Vahagn Khachatryan for President
  • 41:21 New IRI Poll Results
  • 58:57 Rants

Guests:

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

Episode 118 | Recorded: Sunday, February 8, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220206.html

Ukraine Crisis | Vahagn Khachatryan for President | New IRI Poll Results | Ep #118 - Feb 6, 2022 [EP118]

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, China, Azerbaijan, Genocide, India, Economy, Iran, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh, Georgia, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 6, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:10 The Continuing Ukraine Crisis
    • Putin in Beijing, Erdogan in Kyiv, Pashinyan at Olympic Diplomacy?
  • 23:44 Civil Contract Nominates Vahagn Khachatryan for President
  • 41:21 New IRI Poll Results
  • 58:57 Rants

Guests:

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

Episode 118 | Recorded: Sunday, February 8, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220206.html

Legal & Human Rights Developments in Armenia - Ruben Melikyan | Ep #117 - Feb 4, 2022 [EP117]

Posted on Friday, Feb 4, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Human Rights, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Russia, Turkey, China, Iran | Series: cog

Guest(s):

Legal & Human Rights Developments in Armenia A Conversation with Ruben Melikyan

Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakh’s Human Rights Ombudsman, and prior to that he was rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the “Path of Law” NGO. Իրավական ուղի in Armenian.

Topics:

  • Introduction
  • Decisions of the International Court of Justice
  • Turkish-Armenian “Normalization”
  • More Constitutional Changes
  • Civil Contract Appoints new HR Ombudsman for Armenia
  • Continuing Harassment of Opposition Leaders
 Read More

Legal & Human Rights Developments in Armenia - Ruben Melikyan | Ep #117 - Feb 4, 2022 [EP117]

Posted on Friday, Feb 4, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Human Rights, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Russia, Turkey, China, Iran

Guest(s):

Legal & Human Rights Developments in Armenia A Conversation with Ruben Melikyan

Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakh’s Human Rights Ombudsman, and prior to that he was rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the “Path of Law” NGO. Իրավական ուղի in Armenian.

Topics:

  • Introduction
  • Decisions of the International Court of Justice
  • Turkish-Armenian “Normalization”
  • More Constitutional Changes
  • Civil Contract Appoints new HR Ombudsman for Armenia
  • Continuing Harassment of Opposition Leaders
 Read More