Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA)

The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) was a militant organization active mainly from the 1970s to the 1980s. Its goal was to protest the Turkish government's refusal to recognize the Armenian Genocide and to achieve the independence or autonomy of Armenia. ASALA engaged in violent acts, including attacks on Turkish diplomatic and commercial targets around the world. While claiming to seek justice for Armenians, its tactics led to many casualties and condemnation. The group was controversial, viewed as a terrorist organization by some, and largely diminished by the early 1990s, with its members either captured or disbanded.