Historian and researcher Dr Themistocles Kritikakos will launch his groundbreaking new book in Sydney this weekend as part of a series of commemorations marking the Greek Genocide, organised by three Pontian organisations in New South Wales.
The Hellenic Pontian Genocide Commemorative Committee announced that the Greek Pontian Society of Wollongong “Diogenes,” Panagia Soumela Sydney and Pontoxeniteas NSW will jointly host memorial events aimed at honouring the victims of the genocide and educating future generations about one of the darkest chapters in Hellenic history.
Commemorations began on Tuesday, May 19 at 6.30pm with a Memorial Service at St Catherine’s Greek Orthodox Church in Mascot, Sydney. The evening also featured a presentation and photo exhibition by Evangeleah Plakias exploring the history and enduring legacy of the genocide.
A second day of commemorations will take place on Sunday, May 24, beginning with a Divine Liturgy at 9am at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia headquarters on Cleveland Street, Redfern.
Following the service, a wreath laying ceremony will be held at 11.30am at the Anzac War Memorial in Hyde Park.
At 12pm, keynote speaker Dr Kritikakos will officially launch his new book, Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian Genocide Recognition in Twenty-First Century Australia: Memory, Identity, and Cooperation, before delivering a presentation examining the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides and the ongoing struggle for recognition.
Published by Palgrave Macmillan in January 2026, the book is believed to be the first comprehensive comparative analysis of the legacies of the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian genocides during the late Ottoman period between 1914 and 1923, as well as the campaigns for recognition within Australia.
Dr Themistocles Kritikakos will launch his book Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian Genocide Recognition in Twenty-First Century Australia: Memory, Identity, and Cooperation on Sunday, May 24 at 12pm following commemorative events at the Anzac War Memorial, Hyde Park.
