Lemkin Institute: Pashinyan`s statement aims to challenge the  Armenian Genocide as an established historical fact

ArmInfo. The Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide has issued a statement on the continued denialist rhetoric of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan regarding the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

"At the risk of being accused of being a "Dashnak" organization,  taking Russian money, and circulating "fake news" by some Armenians,  the Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Human  Security once again calls attention to Prime Minister Pashinyan's  recent statements on the Armenian Genocide, which further echo  Turkish denialist narratives," the Institute said in a statement.  In  this vein, the Organization recalled that last year, the Zorian  Institute demanded that the Lemkin Institute apologize to Pashinyan  after suggesting that he was engaging in cryptic genocide denial.   "His nonsensical statements ignore the decades of historical research  on the Armenian Genocide conducted by Turkish, German, British,  American, and Armenian scholars, among others, stand in the way of  the ongoing struggle for justice for the victims of the Armenian  Genocide, and create a dangerous geopolitical dynamic, especially in  the context of Azerbaijan's recent genocide of Artsakh Armenians  and  its ongoing threats to the Republic of Armenia," the Institute said.

In this vein, the Organization noted that last week, Pashinyan met  with a group of Diaspora Armenians in Switzerland and, using  characteristically enigmatic language, appeared to cast doubt on the  established historical narrative of the 1915Armenian Genocide.  "This  statement comes about ten months after the Prime Minister appeared to  cast doubt on the established historical narrative of the genocide on  the occasion of the genocide commemoration in April 2024  and three  months after Armenia's Foreign Ministry decided to remove the  Armenian Genocide from its list of foreign policy priorities. We view  these statements and decisions as the consequence of Armenia's  diplomatic and military weakness relative to its hostile neighbors in  the South Caucasus. However, we must still point out the errors of  genocide denialism and the threats it poses to the integrity of  Armenian sovereignty, even if it is pursued in response to pressure  from one or more global superpowers and regional hegemons," the  Lemkin Institute said. 

The Institute believes that Pashinyan's statement is aimed at  challenging the Armenian Genocide as an established historical fact.  "But these basic questions have driven historical inquiry into the  Armenian Genocide for over a century. Even Raphael Lemkin, the man  who coined the term 'genocide' during World War II, studied the  Armenian case and used it as a basis for developing his concept of  genocide in the 1920s and 1930s. While there are differences among  scholars about certain  details and interpretations, the basic  narrative, the whys and whats, are not in dispute. Furthermore,  genocide scholars are in consensus about the status of the Ottoman  Empire's crimes against Armenians during World War I as a clear case  of genocide," the organization noted.

In their opinion, Pashinyan' has  apparently believes that there is a  hidden political agenda behind the efforts to gain formal recognition  of the Armenian genocide.  He has on more than one occasion hinted at  this conspiratorial interpretation of the past and present. His  statements appear to echo Turkish denialism not only in substance,  but also in strategy. At the same time, the Institute noted that  Turkey's policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide is driven by many  reasons, including the avoidance of legal liability that could entail  reparations and land claims.

"It is also done to support the nationalist narrative that paints  modern Turkey as a progressive nation-state, to support Turkish  supremacist ideology, to legitimize similar empire-building projects  in the present day that led to the genocide in the early 20th  century, and to further dehumanize Armenians as treacherous and evil.  The latter point is important, because it explains a great deal of  the psychological hold that denialism on the Turkish population, a  state that has never learned to respect national and religious  differences, instead preferring to use hate speech and violence  against minorities," the Institute's statement continued.  The  organization is confident that "as long as Armenians are viewed as  treacherous and evil - responsible for the "tragedies" inflicted upon  them in World War I - the Turkish people do not need to come to terms  with their criminal past and adjust their sense of national identity  accordingly." "Therefore, Turkey and Azerbaijan's official  dehumanization of Armenians by both a continuation of the genocide of  World War I and a key tool in cementing national pride, while  ensuring that Armenians remain silenced, delegitimized, suspect and  weak," the Institute noted. The organization also added that the lack  of widespread political recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 1939  (strange for Pashinyan) can be explained by many factors, the key one  being the fact that the word "genocide" was only coined in 1943! 

"But there are other reasons too: Europe, Russia, and the United  States-the lands where most  Armenian Genocide survivors ended  up-were preoccupied with events that would led to the outbreak of  World War II. At the time, there was no global framework for  understanding atrocities or demanding their recognition; it usually  takes several decades for survivor communities to regroup and find  the collective power to begin the arduous work of memoralization and  recognition; and the scholarly field of Genocide Studies only emerged  in the 1980s. We remind the Prime Minister that the Ottoman Empire  held trials for the perpetrators of the genocide at the end of the  war, in which many were found guilty and hanged. The lack of official  recognition of the genocide in 1939 was not because the event itself  was unclear or unknown, but because the legal, conceptual, and  institutional framework for fully describe and address such  atrocities did not yet exist. Even Hitler himself knew of the  magnitude of the horror of the Armenian Genocide, likening it to his  plans for eastward expansion," the Lemkin Institute noted.

At the same time, the statement emphasizes that the historical  reality of the Armenian Genocide is irrefutable, grounded in  extensive documentation from a variety of sources, including Ottoman  state documents, eyewitness accounts, diplomatic reports, trial  evidence, newspaper articles, and survivor testimonies.  "What   especially struck us in this recent statement is the Prime  Minister's attempt  once again to indirectly justify the genocide and  to attempt to convince Armenians to doubt their intergenerational  memory, life experience, historical studies, and sensitivity to the  topic. By casting Turkey's responsibility for the genocide, as well  as on ts status and importance, Pashinyan is supporting Turkish and  Azerbaijani denialist narratives once again. This is a dangerous  gambit, as it (perhaps ironically) threatens to embolden Armenia's  neighbors against Armenia. It further complicates the rights of  Artsakh Armenians to seek justice for the genocide they have just  experienced. Finally, it could help pave the way for future genocides  against Armenians by Turkey and Azerbaijan by erasing accountability  for past atrocities and offering  pre- emptive justification," the  Institute noted.

 They also stressed that such statements from the Armenian Prime  Minister endanger Armenia's sovereignty, history, and culture,  providing Turkey and Azerbaijan with another tool to undermine  Armenian identity. In conclusion, the Lemkin Institute stressed that  it will remain steadfast in its support for the fight of Armenians,  both in Armenia and in the Diaspora, for the recognition of the  Armenian Genocide by Turkey and the rest of the world, regardless of  the official stance of the Armenian government.

"The Armenian fight for genocide recognition and justice is  inextricably linked to the global effort to prevent genocide and  ensure that all genocides are recognized and addressed. The  recognition of the Armenian Genocide is not only crucial for  Armenians but also for the broader international community's  commitment to preventing future atrocities. By supporting this cause,  we contribute to the ongoing global struggle to hold perpetrators  accountable, uphold human rights and ensure that such crimes are  never repeated anywhere or against anyone," the Institute concluded.