Last week, St Hilda’s College Chaplain Meryem was invited to speak in Westminster Hall at an event marking 125 years since the birth of Raphael Lemkin, the Polish-Jewish jurist whose tireless advocacy gave the world both the word genocide and the UN Convention that bears his legacy. Hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Armenia and for Genocide Prevention, and organised by the Aegis Trust, the gathering brought together parliamentarians, diplomats, scholars, practitioners, spiritual elders, and survivors.
It was a deeply moving afternoon. Speakers reflected on the silence that follows mass violence, the courage of survivor testimony, and the continuing challenges of denial and impunity. Meryem spoke about her recent ministry in Aleppo and how accompanying communities living in the aftermath of atrocity has shaped her understanding of care, listening, and moral responsibility. She also reflected on Lemkin’s early insights and on the British government’s 1916 Blue Book documenting the Armenian Genocide.
The event offered a powerful reminder that law, memory, and moral courage belong to all of us — in Parliament, in our neighbourhoods, and within the College community. Meryem left grateful for those who continue this work, often at great personal cost, and mindful of how much we owe to those who keep truth alive.
Each November, she is invited in her capacity as a spiritual elder and as a scholar-practitioner with two decades of experience in conflict, genocide studies, and reconciliation. These roles continue to remind her how closely intertwined scholarship, presence, and moral responsibility can be.
For those who would like to see more from the afternoon, here is a short video capturing the voices and atmosphere of the event:
https://www.aegistrust.org/westminster-reflects-on-lemkins-legacy/