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Armenian Church Observes 100th Anniversary of Genocide

This weekend marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide. Lita Boudakian's father - and her husband's mother - were both survivors.

"It's important for us to remember, particularly, as we go on -- as humanity, for us to remember our history. Because we feel that, we don't want to be viewed as victims, we want to be viewed as people who have survived this and have continued to contribute what we feel is a very rich culture to the world."

Boudakian is part of the Armenian Church of Rochester. On Sunday, they will hold a commemorative event featuring a keynote speaker, musical performances by Armenian students of Eastman, and recitations in Armenian.

Boudakian says the event is meant to put this notable anniversary in the broader context of human rights violations across the world, and throughout history, in hopes that we might learn from our mistakes.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I,  but Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated, and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

Veronica Volk is a senior editor and producer for WXXI News.