"Turks Confront WWI Massacre of Armenians
Monday April 18, 2005 6:46 PM
By LOUIS MEIXLER
Associated Press Writer
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - When a leading Turkish novelist said earlier this year that 1 million Armenians were murdered in his country during World War I, he broke a deep taboo.
Three lawsuits were filed against Orhan Pamuk, accusing him of damaging the state. ``He shouldn't be allowed to breathe,'' roared one nationalist group. In Istanbul, a school collected his books from students to return to him. On a news Web site, the vote ran 4-1 against him.
Turkey's mass expulsion of Armenians during World War I - which Armenians say was part of a genocide that claimed 1.5 million lives - is a dark chapter rarely discussed in Turkey or taught in its schools. "
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