Remembering The Armenian Genocide, 100 Years On

09:11

April 24, 2015

One hundred years ago today, thousands of Armenian leaders were deported from Constantinople and executed. Over the next 7 years, an estimated one and a half million Armenians would be killed through the final days of the Ottoman Empire and a brutal civil war.

Armenian communities around the world today commemorate the anniversary of what many historians have called a "genocide." Including Watertown, Massachusetts — the third largest Armenian community in the country. More than 7,000 Armenians account for about a quarter of Watertown's population.

Guest

Bruce Gellerman, reporter for WBUR. He tweets @AudioBruce.

WBUR: Remembering The Armenian Genocide 100 Years Ago Holds Special Significance In Watertown

Armenians originally called it the “Great Crime,” or “Massive Catastrophe.” There wasn’t a word to describe the deliberate destruction of an ethnic group until after World War II.The term “genocide” was created and adopted by the United Nations. It’s a legal definition, and Turkey and most nations, including the U.S., refuse to apply the word “genocide” to what took place 100 years ago in the Ottoman Empire.