11 Facts About the Armenian Genocide

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1. During World War I, the Young Turks political reform movement moved to eliminate the Armenian people from the Ottoman Empire.^[University of Michigan-Dearborn. "FACT SHEET: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
2. Of the 2 million total Armenians, 1.5 million were killed.^[Armenian National Institute. "Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Genocide." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
3. The Armenian people were tortured, massacred, and starved. The majority were sent into the desert to die of thirst and hunger.^[Armenian National Institute. "Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Genocide." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
4. Many were forcibly removed from Armenia and Anatolia to Syria.^[Armenian National Institute. "Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Genocide." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
5. The Armenian Genocide took place from 1915 to 1918, with renewed instances of brutality occurring between 1920 and 1923.^[Armenian National Institute. "Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Genocide." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
6. By 1923, the Armenian population had been completely eliminated from Asia Minor and historic West Armenia.^[Armenian National Institute. "Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Genocide." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
7. April 24 is commemorated as the date of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.^[Armenian National Institute. "Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Genocide." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
8. The genocide started when 300 Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers, and professionals in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) were collected, deported, and killed. 5,000 of the poorest Armenians were also slaughtered in their homes and the streets.^[United Human Rights Council. "Armenian Genocide." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
9. The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted in 1948, 30 years after the Armenian Genocide.^[United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law. "Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
10. Most Armenians in the US are children and grandchildren of survivors.^[University of Michigan-Dearborn. "FACT SHEET: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]
11. The Young Turk government restricted the use of photography and reporting, but many American missionaries and diplomatic representatives witnessed the deportations and broke the news outside of the country.^[Armenian National Institute. "Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Genocide." Web Accessed August 1, 2014. .]