Spanish city of Villena recognized Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire
ArmInfo.The Spanish city of Villena has adopted an institutional statement, which officially recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide. The events that took place in 1915 in the Ottoman Empire are classified in the document as genocide and a crime against humanity. The statement also emphasizes the importance of condemning such crimes that do not have a statute of limitations in the context of excluding their recurrence.
To recall, more than two dozen countries around the world recognized the Armenian Genocide. The first to recognize the Armenian Genocide was Uruguay, further Argentina, Russia, Belgium, the Vatican, Venezuela, Greece, Italy, Canada, Cyprus, Lebanon, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, France, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden, Bolivia, Germany and several other countries. In total, 31 states of the world recognized the fact of the Genocide. It is noteworthy that Switzerland, Slovakia, Greece and Cyprus also passed laws on the criminalization of the denial of the Armenian Genocide. The bill on the criminalization of the Armenian Genocide is also under consideration by the French parliament. The Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, the United Nations Commission on War Crimes, the World Council of Churches, also recognized the fact of the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide was also recognized by New South Wales (Australia), Sicily, Sao Paulo, Ceara and Parana (Brazil), Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (Great Britain), Basque Country, Catalonia, Balearic Islands (Spain), two dozen Spanish cities, Quebec (Canada), Kiev, Uzhhorod, Izyum, Goloseevsky district (Ukraine), Crimea, Karkhajent, Alakuas and Elda. The historical fact of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey was also recognized by 46 US states out of 50.