The genocide

On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman government arrested several hundred Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople (Istanbul). Most were subsequently killed. This date is commemorated as the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.

Over the following months, the Ottoman government systematically deported the Armenian population of eastern Anatolia. Men were typically separated and killed first. Women, children, and the elderly were forced on death marches through deserts, often without food or water. Massacres occurred throughout the deportation routes. Many died of exposure, starvation, and disease. Others were killed in concentration camps or in mass executions.

The genocide continued through 1923. Estimates of deaths range from 600,000 to 1.5 million, with most scholars accepting figures around 1 to 1.5 million. Approximately three-quarters of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire died. The survivors were scattered as refugees throughout the region and around the world, creating a global Armenian diaspora that exists today.