Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. [email protected]
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
April 20, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
SENATORS CALL ON OBAMA TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
— Boxer Letter Urges President to "Stand on the Right Side of History"
WASHINGTON, DC – California Senator Barbara Boxer (D) was joined
this week by more than a dozen of her Senate colleagues in calling
on President Obama "to stand on the right side of history and
unequivocally affirm the Armenian Genocide," reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
"We would like to thank Senator Boxer and her Senate colleagues for
their effort to end Turkey’s gag rule on U.S. affirmation of the
Armenian Genocide – a morally bankrupt policy that continues to
undermine our nation’s credibility in the fight to end the cycle of
Genocide," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "President
Obama has a clear choice to make on April 24th – to emerge as the
torchbearer of truth regarding the Armenian Genocide or to remain
the Turkish government’s accomplice in the denial of this crime
against humanity."
The letter, circulated by Senator Boxer and sent to the White House
earlier today with the signatures of 14 Senators from 10 different
states, underscored that, "despite an irrefutable body of evidence,
the United States Government has yet to recognize the events of
1915-1923 by their rightful name." The signatories urged the
President, this April 24 "to correct this injustice and finally
acknowledge one of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century for
what it was – genocide."
In comments to the ANCA, Senator John Ensign (R-NV), a co-signer of
the letter, noted that, "This month will mark the 95th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide. The atrocities that occurred 95 years
ago have yet to be recognized by our government as a genocide. In
this letter, my colleagues and I urge President Obama to once and
for all declare that the lives lost during this dark period were a
result of a deliberate and intentional massacre of innocent men,
women, and children."
During his campaign for the White House, President Obama repeatedly
promised to recognize the Armenian Genocide, but, since, taking
office, has broken his pledge, even going so far as pressuring the
U.S. Congress against adopting legislation commemorating this crime
against humanity.
The full list of Senators co-signing the letter is as follows:
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Environment and Public
Works Committee; Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the Banking
Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Policy; John Ensign (D-OH),
Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on
Communications; Russ Feingold (D-WI), Chairman of the Foreign
Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Africa; Dianne Feinstein (D-
CA), Chairwoman of the Select Intelligence Committee; Frank
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Commerce Committee’s
Subcommittee on Surface Transportation; Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman
of the Armed Services Committee; Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman
of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; Jack Reed (D-RI),
Chairman of the Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Emerging
Threats; Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Chairman of the Homeland Security
Committee; Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Chairwoman of the
Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce; Charles
Schumer (D-NY), Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus; Debbie
Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Energy Committee’s Subcommittee
on Water and Power, and; Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the
Environment Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight.
The full text of the Boxer Letter is provided below.
#####
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
As you know, April 24 marks Armenian Remembrance Day 2010, the
ninety-fifth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Despite an
irrefutable body of evidence, the United States Government has yet
to recognize the events of 1915-1923 by their rightful name. We
urge you-on this April 24-to correct this injustice and finally
acknowledge one of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century for
what it was-genocide.
Over the years, this deliberate massacre of the Armenians has been
well-documented through eye-witness accounts and confirmed by
numerous scholars. Simply put-between 1915 and 1923, more than 1.5
million Armenians were marched to their deaths in the deserts of
the Middle East, murdered in concentration camps, drowned at sea,
and forced to endure horrific acts of brutality at the hands of the
Ottoman Empire.
In his memoirs, Henry Morgenthau, the American Ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire between 1913 and 1916, wrote: "When the Turkish
authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were
merely giving the death warrant to a whole race; they understood
this well, and in their conversations with me, they made no
particular attempt to conceal the fact." And even as it was just
beginning, the New York Times reported the mass killing of
Armenians as "systematic," "authorized," and "organized by the
government."
Tragically, Adolf Hitler even used the Ottoman Empire’s action
against the Armenians to justify the extermination of the Jews,
saying in 1939, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation
of the Armenians?"
The fact is that many have affirmed the Armenian Genocide, and it
is long past time that the United States do the same, joining with
Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy,
Lebanon, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia,
Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, Venezuela, the Vatican and over 40
U.S. states.
While we fully acknowledge the importance of the U.S.-Turkey
relationship, we should never, for any reason, fail to call a
tragedy of this magnitude by its rightful name. As such – on this
April 24 – we urge you to stand on the right side of history and
unequivocally affirm the Armenian Genocide.
Thank you for your consideration of this important request.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
cc. The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State