Istanbul authorities again ban April 24 Armenian Genocide commemoration event

Authorities in Istanbul have again this year banned an Armenian Genocide commemorative event which the local sizeable Armenian community sought to organize on April 24, the remembrance day observed annually around the world.

According to the Istanbul-based Agos newspaper, the organizers – the April 24 Remembrance Platform – had requested permission from the Istanbul governorate to hold a commemorative rally on April 24 at 19:00 in Kadıköy, outside the Süreyya Opera House. The request has been denied, according to Agos.

According to Agos, the organizers said in a statement that similar applications have also been rejected in recent years, whereas before the COVID-19 pandemic, commemoration events were regularly held in various cities, especially in Istanbul.

The organizers stated that holding remembrance events is a democratic right and called for the decision to be reconsidered.

They also emphasized that such gatherings are intended to pay tribute to the memory of those killed in the Armenian Genocide, as well as to contribute to “public remembrance and the process of confronting the past.”