An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Now Remembers the Armenians?

The most controversial issue left over from the First World War—was there an Armenian Genocide?—comes to a head on 24 April 2015, when Armenians throughout the world commemorate the centenary of the murder of 1.5 million, over half of their people, at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government.

Turkey continues to deny it ever happened or, if it did, that the killings were justified. This has become a vital international issue. Twenty national parliaments have voted to recognise the genocide, but Britain equivocates and President Obama is torn between Congress, which wants recognition, and the US military, which is afraid of alienating an important NATO ally.

In Australia, three state governments have recognised the genocide (despite threats to ban their MPs from Gallipoli), but the Abbott government has told the Turks that Australia does not. Geoffrey Robertson QC despises this mendacity. His book, An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Now Remembers the Armenians?, proves beyond reasonable doubt that the horrific events of 1915, witnessed by Australian POWs, constituted the crime against humanity that is known today as genocide.

In this book, he explains how democratic countries can combat genocide denial without denying free speech, and makes a compelling argument for international recognition and truth-telling.