Istanbul Governor bans Armenian Genocide commemoration in Istanbul

Duvar English

Istanbul Governor’s Office on April 22 banned Armenian Genocide Commemoration meeting planned to be held on 24 April by the 24 April Commemoration Platform in front of Süreyya Opera House in Kadıköy district.

April 24, 1915, is regarded as the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, when Ottoman authorities initiated mass deportations which led to the death of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals, politicians, and writers.

Between 2010 and 2019, the platform organized commemoration meetings in Beyoğlu district for Armenians who lost their lives in 1915 and after. The 2022 and 2023 commemorations were banned by the Istanbul Governor.

The platform made a statement against the ban and said, "The commemoration event, which has been organized for years, is planned not only as a press statement but as a silent act of respect for those we have lost, which lasts for about an hour. We see the banning of our commemoration event without any justification as an insistence on an anti-democratic step."

The platform underscored, "In a context where racists and xenophobes can act as they please, deeming an event addressing 1915—one of the most critical milestones in the path to democratization—as 'inappropriate' indicates a persistent refusal to democratize and a concession to racists."

The Human Rights Association (İHD) Commission Against Racism and Discrimination on April 24 will hold a press statement titled "Recognize, Apologize, Compensate" at its building in Beyoğlu district to commemorate the Armenian Genocide as it does every year.