25984 - There is no synonym of the word genocide

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Vicky Baklessi

As long as some try to convince us to not use the word genocide, we will persist, because we are, all those who fight for the rights of innocents, the continuers of the work of Lemkin who coined this term to characterize the worst of crimes against Humanity. More specifically, there is no synonym for the word genocide, because it is the only one which is recognized by the United Nations Charter of 1948. So each attempt for the alteration of the word’s use by another which is considered synonymous is condemned. Also, since Lemkin coined this word making use of the examples of the genocide of the Armenians and the Greeks, every reference to the word genocide is also a credit for Pontus. Because the Greeks of Pontus existed before the genocide, because they are an indigenous peoples, a peoples with civilization, a peoples that survived. Therefore, only the word genocide can cover us for our struggle. And wherever we must repeat it, we will do it as much as it is needed, because we are of Humanity and we don’t forget. As much as the societies of oblivion may want to degenerate the issues, we mustn’t step back and we will have the word genocide in our language, because we have the notion of Humanity in our mind. And because we are of Hellenism, the gift of Time to Humanity, we will not kneel. So, if you are of the barbarity which committed genocide, you will find us in front of you, wherever you want to go.