On the evening of April 24 a crowd of several thousand gathered in the heart of Istanbul to commemorate the centenary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

Turkish police cordoned off an area adjacent to Taksim Square where a solemn vigil was held to remember and reflect on the destruction that befell Ottoman Armenians and to call on the current Turkish state to come to grips with its past.

Carrying photos of Armenian community leaders, who were the first to be rounded up and sent to their death, the crowd then sat in silence on Istiklal Avenue in a moment of silent vigil.

This was a gathering of not only Armenians, some from the local Istanbul community and others who travelled from the diaspora, but also of Turks, Kurds, Assyrians and other national minorities, who not only came to pay their respects but to join with Armenians in their call for recognition and justice.

For many in Turkey, the issue of the Armenian Genocide is seen as a vital part of the overall struggle for democracy in the country.

With the strains of Gomidas taken from an original recording wafting over the street one could hear the shouts emanating from a crowd of Turkish nationalists who were staging a counter-demonstration as few block away. Again, Turkish police kept them cordoned off.

In all, the event was a timely reminder that Armenians have not forgotten what transpired here 100 years ago in the city where Armenian community leaders were rounded up and deported, many to be murdered along the way.

In many respects, the descendants of those who survived the Genocide have come full circle.

But this is the first step on the long road ahead to show the world and especially Turkey that we have survived and will not be silenced.