Exculpation of Armenian terrorism under guise of the ‘Armenian martyr’

Mexican social anthropologist and international relations analyst of Armenian descent, Carlos Antaramian Salas, has long focused on studying inter-ethnic issues, with an emphasis mostly on Armenian issues. This commentary explores the article by Carlos Antaramian Salas “The Armenian martyr: The political construction of an exemplary figure after the Genocide (1915–1918)” (“El mártir armenio: la construcción política de una figura ejemplar después del Genocidio (1915-1918)”) and focuses on the notion of the “Armenian martyr” that the author connects to Armenian history and culture to justify the assassinations and attacks committed by Armenian terrorist groups from the 1970s to the 1990s. The analysis of the history of the Armenian nation and of the activity of the diaspora starting from the beginning of the 20th century presented by the author is at the foundation of this commentary. The commentary argues that the role of the nationalist narrative plays a key role in the activities of Armenian diaspora in order to keep its dispersed community united. This commentary, in turn, posits that the same activities of the diaspora have had a strong influence on the emergence of Armenian radicalized groups.

Authors: Sama Baghirova
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