An internet petition has been launched in Turkey,apologising for the “great catastrophe of 1915” when hundreds ofthousands of Ottoman Armenians died.
Many international historians say the massacres and deaths ofArmenians during their forced removal from what is now eastern Turkeywere “genocide”.
Turkey firmly denies that, saying those who died were just victims of war.
The petition – the first of its kind – was initiated by prominent Turkish academics and newspaper columnists.
They say they want to challenge the official denial and provoke discussion in Turkish society about what happened.
The petition is entitled “I apologise”.
A short statement at the top reads: “My conscience cannot accept theignorance and denial of the Great Catastrophe that the OttomanArmenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and – onmy own behalf – I share the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers -and I apologise to them.”
It is a bold and original step in a country where writer HrantDink was killed just last year for openly saying that the events of1915 were genocide.
Previously he had been tried for “insulting Turkishness” forhis comments on 1915 – as was Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel prize-winningauthor, who said that a million Armenians were killed “in these lands”and no-one dared talk about it.