Fighters in the Martyr Nubar Ozanyan Brigade, which was declared yesterday in a written statement, and their families held a memorial service for the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Turkish state in 1915.

The service was held in the Marziya Church in Heseke’s Til Goran village. Fighters in the brigade, the first Armenian military force in Rojava, and their families as well as Arabs and Kurds from the region attended the service.

“WE WILL DEFEND OUR PEOPLES”

Nubar Ozanyan Brigade Commander Masis Mutanyan spoke in the event and said:

“This genocide caused the loss of the Armenian faith, language and culture. This is a dark day in history, imposed upon the Armenian people. The genocide exiled the Armenian people and devastated many. The murderers aimed to remove all semblance of Armenian existence from this earth.

Despite all the massacres our people have suffered, we say the Armenians are still here. We will be here and we will resist. The Armenian people are a noble people and they have a history. As the Armenian people and soldiers, we are here and we are ready. We as the Armenian military forces will defend our peoples, our freedom, our language and our culture.”

Nubar Ozanyan Brigade fighter Artin Agobiyan said, “The whole world should know that we will not abandon our language, or our essence, and we are ready for anything.”

“THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE WERE DISTANCED FROM THEIR ROOTS”

Armenian language teacher in the brigade Cemil Amed said:

“The Armenian people have been distanced from their roots and their lands. This was not just a physical massacre. This genocide was enacted against the Armenian people, but the Turkish state has continued their massacres to this day. They commit massacres of Kurds, women and revolutionaries. They want to destroy Rojava. On this April 24, we say once again that we are the defense force of Rojava. We are the defense force of the oppressed peoples. However much the Turkish state wants to destroy us, we will uphold our language, history and culture and stand against this massacre.”

Teacher Madlin Gerbidyan recited a poem in Armenian about the longing for Armenia.

Ruhar Arbidyan and Dr. Halit Sheyxe gave speeches afterward.

The Nubar Ozanyan Brigade also recited the Armenian Vanguard Anthem. The event concluded with a concert in the church courtyard.