One hundred years had passed since the Ottoman Empire had embarked on the campaign to exterminate its Armenian population , which was largely concentrated in its eastern provinces , referred to at the time as Western Armenia . The survivors of the massacres and deprivations commonly seen in the death marches found refuge in other countries in Western Asia , as well as in Western Europe and North America . While the key ringleaders of the genocide were assassinated in the 1920s by Armenians ( '' see Operation Nemesis '' ) , the Ottoman Empire 's successor , the Republic of Turkey , stated that a genocide had not taken place . It actively campaigned against any and all attempts to publicise the events and bring about recognition in the West . It blamed Armenians for instigating the violence and alleged that Armenians had massacred thousands of Turks , prompting the commencement of their deportations . In 1965 , Armenians around the world publicly marked the 50th anniversary and began to campaign for world recognition . As peaceful marches and demonstrations failed to move an intransigent Turkey , the younger generation of Armenians , resentful at the denial by Turkey and the failure by their parents ' generation to effect change , sought new approaches to bringing about recognition and reparations
Operation Nemesis
Operation Nemesis
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia