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101st Armenian massacre marked around the globe

Sunday, 24 April 2016 1:44 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 24 April 2016 4:01 AM ]

Armenians carry torches during a march in commemoration of the 101th anniversary of Armenian Genocide by Ottoman forces in 1915. (AFP)

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Armenian capital Yerevan to mark 101st anniversary of Armenian massacre during the World War I.

On Saturday, demonstrators began a torchlight march to a hilltop memorial complex dedicated to millions of Armenians massacred a century ago by Ottoman Turks.

Similar protests were held in various locations around the world, including Jerusalem (al-Quds) and outside the Turkish embassy in Beirut.

An ultra Orthodox Jewish man looks at members of the Armenian community in Jerusalem (al-Quds) as they carry their national flag on April 23, 2016, during a march in commemoration of the anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 during the genocide. (AFP)

Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenian Christians were systematically slaughtered in eastern Turkey through mass killing, forced relocations and starvation, a process that began in 1915 and took over several years during World War I and the breakup of the Ottoman Empire.

Lebanese Armenians wave a giant flag during a rally outside the Turkish embassy in the capital Beirut on April 23, 2016, to commemorate the 101th anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire in 1915. (AFP)

Similar events were held in other countries including Iran, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Ankara rejects the term “genocide” and says 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks perished between 1915 and 1917, in what the Turkish government sees as the “casualties” of World War I. Only a few countries officially recognize the events as genocide, including France and Russia.

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