1915 Beginning of the Armenian genocide

One hundred years ago, on April 24, 1915, the Turkish authorities began massacres, arrests and deportation of the Armenian intelligentsia of Constantinople. Subsequently, this date became the day of remembrance for the victims of the Armenian genocide. Only on the night of April 24, 250 people were arrested in the capital, and in just a week - more than 800 people. The reason for the terror was the presence in the Russian army of Armenian volunteer squads from the natives of Turkey and the uprising of the population of Western Armenia against Turkish domination. Most of the Armenians were deported to the desert regions of Mesopotamia, where many of them were killed. In total, according to various estimates, from 600 thousand to 1.5 million Armenians were killed before 1922.