Authorities in Istanbul have once again banned a planned Armenian Genocide commemoration event on April 24, continuing restrictions on public remembrance activities organized by the city’s Armenian community.
According to the Istanbul-based newspaper Agos, the April 24 Remembrance Platform had applied for permission to hold a rally on April 24 at 19:00 in Kad?köy, outside the Süreyya Opera House. The request was denied by the Istanbul governorate.
Organizers said in a statement cited by Agos that similar applications have been repeatedly rejected in recent years. They noted that, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, public commemorations were regularly held in multiple cities across Turkey, particularly in Istanbul.
The group stressed that organizing remembrance events is a fundamental democratic right and called on authorities to reconsider the decision. They added that such gatherings aim not only to honor the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, but also to contribute to public remembrance and efforts to confront the past.
April 24 is observed annually by Armenians worldwide as a day of remembrance for the victims of the genocide, which began in 1915 under the Ottoman Empire. The continued denial of permits for public commemoration events in Turkey has drawn criticism from human rights advocates and community organizations, who argue that restrictions on peaceful assembly undermine freedom of expression and historical acknowledgment.
