The centennial of the Armenian genocide

The centennial of the Armenian genocide
The centennial of the Armenian genocide

The centennial of the Armenian genocide

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.
During mass last Sunday Pope Francis called the 1915 slaughter of up to 1.5 million Armenians by the Turks a “genocide.” Turkey, along with a number of political leaders, including many U.S. presidents, has always refused to use the word genocide when referring to the massacres and death marches. Turkey maintains that there was no policy of ethnic-driven genocide at the time. Reality star Kim Kardashian, who is Armenian, just finished a highly publicized trip to Armenia. She’s been actively campaigning for years to have the U.S. officially recognize the deaths as genocide. So far, President Obama has not used the word genocide to describe the killings that took place in 1915. As the U.S. Congress debates the passage of a resolution that would officially recognize the Armenian genocide, next week Armenians will mark the 100th anniversary of the killings. Peter Balakian, author of The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response, joins us to discuss the Pope’s mass, the Kardashians and the congressional resolution. PHOTO: Kim Kardashian, left, and her sister Khloe Kardashian, center, visit the memorial to the victims of genocide in Yerevan, Armenia, Friday, April 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Hrant Khachatryan, PAN Photo)