The social media is marking the 99th Anniversary of 'Armenian Genocide', also known as the Armenian Holocaust. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
The social media is marking the 99th Anniversary of 'Armenian Genocide', also known as the Armenian Holocaust. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)Wikimedia Commons

The social media is standing in solidarity to mark the starting day of the 'Armenian Genocide', also known as the Armenian Holocaust, and Armenian massacres when the Ottoman government systematically exterminated its minority Armenian subjects from their historic homeland in the territory which constitutes the present day Turkey.

Historical documentation reveals that the Genocide, traditionally called by Armenians as Medz Yeghern "Great Crime", took place during and after World War I. The massacres were implemented in two phases, one involving the en-masse killing of the able bodied male population, and the other involving deportation of woman, children, the infirm and the elder on death marches to the Syrian Desert.

As a result, the total number of people killed has been estimated at between 1 and 1.5 million. Due to the organized manner in which Armenians were systematically eliminated, the Armenian Genocide is often considered to be one of the first modern genocides in contemporary history. It is, in fact, the second most-studied case of genocide after the Holocaust. It is even said, that the world 'genocide' was in fact, coined in order to describe these events.

The day when the mass killing started is thought to be 24 April 1915 and Thursday marks the 99th Anniversary of the Genocide.

The day, however, faces some contentions as not every country in this world recognizes or formally accepts that the massacre and forced deportation of Armenians by the Ottaman Empire from 1915- 1923 constitutes 'genocide'.

Majority of historians and academic institutions on Holocaust and Genocide Studies recognize the events as 'Armenian Genocide'. As of 2011, the governments of 21 countries, including Russia, France, and 43 states of the United States of America, have recognized the events as 'genocide' while Turkey and Azerbaijan deny that even ever occurred.

Following are some of the strongest messages posted on Twitter regarding the infamous Armenian Genocide:

[ED:VS]