Rhode Island Senate Recognizes Pontic Greek Genocide. Australian Greeks hold series of memorial events

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Rhode Island State Senate has unanimously passed a resolution formally recognizing the genocide of Pontic Greeks by the Ottoman Empire, joining a growing international chorus seeking accountability for one of the 20th century’s lesser-known atrocities. 

Introduced by State Senator Leonidas Raptakis, the resolution commemorates the 106th anniversary of the mass killings and forced deportations of Pontic Greeks, an ethnic Greek community native to the Black Sea region. Historians estimate that more than 353,000 civilians were killed between 1913 and 1923 in a campaign of ethnic cleansing carried out during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. 

“The acknowledgment of these crimes is essential—not only to honor those who perished, but to affirm our commitment to historical truth,” Raptakis said following the Senate’s vote. 

Though symbolic, the measure reflects a growing movement within U.S. state legislatures and international bodies to recognize the atrocities committed against Armenians, Syriacs (Assyrians-Arameans-Chaldeans), and Greeks during that era as acts of genocide. The resolution underscores the importance of remembrance, justice, and education in preventing future atrocities. 

Commemorations were held worldwide, including in Melbourne, where the city’s Greek community organized a series of memorial events. Speakers at the gatherings emphasized the urgency of global recognition and renewed calls for governments to officially classify the massacres as genocide. 

“History cannot be ignored or forgotten,” said one organizer. “We carry this memory not out of vengeance, but to ensure that such crimes are never repeated.” 

The issue remains diplomatically sensitive, particularly in relation to Turkey, which disputes the characterization of the events as genocide. Yet advocates maintain that recognition is not a matter of politics but of historical integrity and moral responsibility.