April 24, 1915: The Arrest of Armenian Intellectuals and Community Leaders

The Beginning of the Symbolic Genocide Commemoration

April 24, 1915, occupies a central place in Armenian historical memory.

On that date, Ottoman authorities began a coordinated roundup of Armenian intellectuals, political figures, religious leaders, journalists, physicians, lawyers, educators, and other prominent community members in Constantinople.

Approximately 240 Armenian leaders were arrested in the initial operation, with additional arrests following. Many were deported to detention locations in the interior of Anatolia.

Among the prominent Armenians arrested or subsequently killed were the poet Daniel Varoujan, the writer and physician Ruben Sevak, and the writer and educator Siamanto.

The arrests targeted individuals who played important roles in Armenian cultural, political, and intellectual life.

The removal of these leaders deprived Armenian society of influential voices at the very moment when widespread persecution was intensifying.

Many detainees were murdered, while some survived imprisonment or deportation.

Why April 24 Became a Day of Remembrance

April 24 is widely commemorated as the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, although killings and persecution had already occurred before that date.

Its symbolic importance lies in the coordinated assault on the Armenian community's leadership.

The arrests demonstrated that the government's policies extended beyond alleged military threats along the Russian frontier.

They reached into the imperial capital, where Armenian intellectuals and professionals had long participated in Ottoman cultural and economic life.

Today, April 24 is observed by Armenian communities around the world as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.