Armenian, Turkish Intellectuals Remember April 24 Victims

Armenian, Turkish Intellectuals Remember April 24 Victims

A group of Turkish and Armenian intellectuals gathered in front of a former prison on Sunday to mark what they described as the detainment of hundreds of Armenians taken from their homes in Istanbul on April 24, 1915, most of whom they say were sent to their deaths.

The prison where most Armenians were brought to after they were detained now functions as the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art in Taksim.

Lawyer Eren Keskin, the spokesman for the group, said leading figures from the Armenian community were detained on April 24 and that journalists, poets and intellectuals were among the detainees.

Keskin said nearly 220 detainees were sent to Anatolia after they were brought to the prison and that 139 of them were killed.