On April 29, Taner Akçam- a professor at the University of California, historian and leading genocide studies expert, presented his new book, “The Origins of a Genocidal State: A Century of Apartheid”, at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. During his lecture, Akçam introduced new and significant revelations about the structural discrimination embedded in Turkey’s state system.

Akçam, one of the first Turkish scholars to publicly recognize and study the Armenian Genocide, discusses in his new book a document published in the “Agos” weekly in 2013. According to this document, since its founding, the Republic of Turkey implemented a secret citizen coding system: Greeks received code “1” on their birth certificates, Armenians “2,” and Jews “3.” According to Akçam, these codes were intended to systematically exclude Christians from the state apparatus.

“It doesn’t matter what your name is or if you’ve converted to Islam. If you have code '2', the doors to high state positions—such as the Constitutional Court, the Court of Cassation, the military, and security services—are closed to you,” said Akçam, presenting archival documents.

Akçam outlines three main reasons why Turkey continues to deny the Armenian Genocide. First is the fear of reparations: any form of recognition, even without calling it genocide, could lead to legal consequences. The second reason relates to Turkish national identity: some founding figures of the Republic were involved in the genocide or enriched themselves through confiscated Armenian property. Third, the state structure of the Republic of Turkey was built on the same administrative and ideological foundation that carried out the genocide.

The lecture was attended by researchers and academic staff of the Institute. A variety of questions were raised, leading to multifaceted discussions.