Wednesday, August 7 2024 16:22

ArmInfo. Armenia today commemorates the victims of the Assyrian genocide by the Ottoman Empire. 109 years ago, on August 7, the massacre of the Assyrian people in the Ottoman Empire began. In light of this, Anzhela Mnatsakanyan, Doctor of Political Sciences, wrote in her Twitter microblog (X): "August 7 is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Assyrian Genocide. On this day, we recall the horrific events of 1915, when the Ottoman Empire burned 3,000 Assyrians alive in churches, destroyed about 100 villages and took the lives of 500,000 to 750,000 Assyrians. Tens of thousands of Assyrians were also deported." The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute also published a piece in honor of the 109th anniversary of the Assyrian genocide.Recognizing  August 7 as the day to remember the victims of the Assyrian genocide, the Museum-Institute highlighted the fact that the Assyrians are one of the ancient peoples of the Middle East. 

"In the late 19th and early 20th century, the Assyrians primarily resided in the Hakyari province of Van in Western Armenia as well as in the provinces of Diyarbakir, Bitlis, Kharberd provinces, Aleppo, Mosul and the Urmia and Salmast regions of Iran. Approximately one million Assyrians lived in the these areas, sharing a common language, cultural heritage and national traditions. They were led by their spiritual leader Patriarch Mar-Shimun in political, military and religious terms," the Museum-Institute noted. 

"The massacre of Syrians was covered in the world press at that time as well as in the memoirs and documents of Western diplomats, missionaries and humanitarians. However, they were subsequently forgotten for a long time. The Syrian genocide has been recognized by a number of countries, including the Republic of Armenia and organizations such as the International Association of Genocide Scholars," added the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. 

Today, approximately 20,000 Assyrians live in Turkey, with the vast majority residing in Istanbul, and about 3,000 people living in the southeast of the country.