Armenians around the world mark 1915 genocide

Armenians demonstrate in front of the Turkish consulate to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian genocide, in Jerusalem, Israel, Friday, April 24, 2015. Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey, however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

By Associated Press April 24, 2015 5 min read

BEIRUT (AP) – Around the world on Friday, tens of thousands of people of Armenian descent commemorated the genocide 100 years ago of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

The annual April 24 commemorations mark the day when the mass killings started. An estimated 1.5 million died in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 as Ottoman officials worried that the Christian Armenians would side with Russia, its enemy in World War I.

The event is widely viewed by historians as genocide. Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

Here is a look at how the killings are being commemorated around the world.

BEIRUT