Armenian Martyrs' Memorial of Rhode Island

P. O. Box 28549 • Providence, RI 02908

Situated in North Burial Grounds, Providence, RI, is the beautiful Armenian Martyrs' Memorial Monument. This year marks the 91st Anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. On Sunday, April 25, 1999, a ceremony will commemorate this anniversary.

Because of your generosity, the Armenian Martyrs' Memorial Committee was able to complete the new additions to the memorial. We would like to invite you to join with us on this special day. There will be a dedication of the new memorial walls and platform which will include the Armenian alphabet, historical facts, and a place to sit and reflect. This will further enhance the beauty of our beloved monument. Following the dedication, the clergy will perform a requiem service in memory of the 1.5 million martyrs. We look forward to your presence in order to continue our tradition of honoring the memory of our martyrs, and to let our brothers and sisters of Armenia and Karabagh know that we stand in solidarity with them today and tomorrow.

Armenians Know Face of Genocide
(Providence Journal coverage of Armenian Martyrs' Memorial Commemoration Ceremony)

Why do we observe April 24th?

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, General Assembly of the United Nations on 10th December 1948:

Article 1
All human beings, are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Since the Turkic hordes invaded the West, their policy as conquerors has been to terrorize their subjects through abuses and countless act of carnage. In the early part of this century, the ruling "Young Turks" devised plans to resolve forever the "Armenian Question".

In Constantinople on April 24, 1915, Armenian professionals and intellectuals were hanged as common criminals in public parks, thus signaling the arrival of the "Final Solution". By 1923, the Turkish regime had deprived 1,500,000 Armenians of their basic human rights of body, soul and home land.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey during World War I, Henry Morgenthau, said of the Armenian Genocide, "The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915."

World powers brushed aside their moral values for political reasons and stood motionless, allowing the virtual extermination of a whole nationality thus paving the way for future genocides.

History has continued to repeat itself many times over; first in 1988 when Azeri Turks committed atrocities in Sumgait, then in 1989 in Karabagh, and later in 1990 and 1991 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Many deaths have occurred, and as of today, tens of thousands of Armenians have been uprooted from their birthplaces.

Today Turkey prevents Western supplies of food and medicine from reaching Armenia. At the same time, Azerbaijan, with the tacit support and approval of Turkey, is actively seeking the destruction of Karabagh. Using the blockade as a diplomatic tool, Turkey is forcing present day Armenia to set aside the genocide issue. The distortion and denial of historical facts continues to be a prevalent aspect of the Turkish agenda.

Armenians and their friends all over the world observe April 24th as the "Day of Remembrance of Man's Inhumanity to Man." We, today's generation, pay tribute to the memory of the fallen. We gather and speak to remind the people that the ill winds of Genocide persist in different parts of the world.

This Monument symbolizes are demands for Justice and acts as a reminder to all that modern Turkey is as guilty today as their forefathers of the Ottoman empire.

Let our brothers and sisters of Armenia and Karabagh know that we maintain vigilance and stand in solidarity with them.

We Remeniber

Armenian Martyrs' Memorial Committee

Martin Mahdesyan, Co-Chairman
Carlos Taraktzian, Co-Chairman
Ramon Zorabedian , Co-Chairman
Kenneth Baronian
Ruben Chakmakian
Terrance Martiesian
Ara A. Shiragian
John Varadian
Joyce Yeremian