"Architects of Denial" provides a broad overview of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, as well as the current prejudice still felt towards persecuted Armenians.
The film's title is significant in the way that politicians and the power elite have ignored the truth about the Armenian Genocide. In one of the film clips, Hilary Clinton claims that the Armenian Genocide is "a matter of historical debate." But the film makes abundantly clear that there is no controversy or debate in recognizing that nearly half the Armenian population (1.5 million people) in the Ottoman Empire was killed, with hundreds of thousands of orphans, many of whom were forced to convert to Islam.
The program included a number of scholars who have researched the Armenian Genocide for decades, plus human rights advocates. There was a two-pronged approach to examining the 1915 genocide and the present problem faced by Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) within Azerbaijan and the city of Baku. While those placenames and the geography may be difficult for the viewer to follow, the testimony of people in that region offers a powerful plea to prevent future atrocities in the region.
One of the themes of the film is that when there is denial of historical truth, there is always the possibility of repeating the past. The members of the United States Congress have been especially feckless in their unwillingness to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, due to political pressures and lobbying. Thirty members of Congress even refused to speak with the documentary film crew or answer basic questions. That is not a good sign of the integrity of our elected representatives.
Gregory Stanton, a professor of Genocide Studies, appears on the program and makes the point that every genocide ends with denial. He also asserts that "Justice is more powerful than denial." So, a good roadmap for the future is to begin by acknowledging that the Armenian Genocide occurred, and justice should be forthcoming for the multiple generations of the victims' families.
The film's title is significant in the way that politicians and the power elite have ignored the truth about the Armenian Genocide. In one of the film clips, Hilary Clinton claims that the Armenian Genocide is "a matter of historical debate." But the film makes abundantly clear that there is no controversy or debate in recognizing that nearly half the Armenian population (1.5 million people) in the Ottoman Empire was killed, with hundreds of thousands of orphans, many of whom were forced to convert to Islam.
The program included a number of scholars who have researched the Armenian Genocide for decades, plus human rights advocates. There was a two-pronged approach to examining the 1915 genocide and the present problem faced by Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) within Azerbaijan and the city of Baku. While those placenames and the geography may be difficult for the viewer to follow, the testimony of people in that region offers a powerful plea to prevent future atrocities in the region.
One of the themes of the film is that when there is denial of historical truth, there is always the possibility of repeating the past. The members of the United States Congress have been especially feckless in their unwillingness to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, due to political pressures and lobbying. Thirty members of Congress even refused to speak with the documentary film crew or answer basic questions. That is not a good sign of the integrity of our elected representatives.
Gregory Stanton, a professor of Genocide Studies, appears on the program and makes the point that every genocide ends with denial. He also asserts that "Justice is more powerful than denial." So, a good roadmap for the future is to begin by acknowledging that the Armenian Genocide occurred, and justice should be forthcoming for the multiple generations of the victims' families.