Armenian National Committee of America
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PRESS RELEASE
April 29, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS MARK 90TH ANNIVERSARY
OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN FLOOR SPEECHES
WASHINGTON, DC – Over forty Senators and Representatives joined
Armenians around the world this week in commemorating the 90th
Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, during “Special Order”
remarks on the House floor and statements in the Senate made in the
weeks surrounding April 24th, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
organized the April 26th House commemoration, providing
Representatives with an opportunity to offer 5-minute statements in
remembrance of the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Turkish
Government from 1915-1923. Senators and House Members also
submitted additional statements in the days surrounding April 24th.
“We want to extend our appreciation to Congressman Pallone for his
leadership once again this year in hosting the Armenian Genocide
Special Order on the House side,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. “We thank, as well, the many Representatives and
Senators who offered remarks and attended commemorations – here in
Washington and around the nation.”
During their statements, many Senators and Representatives spoke
forcefully about the importance of ending U.S. complicity in
Turkey’s continued campaign of Genocide denial, pledging their
support for legislation that will come before Congress on this
subject. Several called for immediate U.S. and international
action to end the genocide currently taking place in Darfur, noting
that Turkey’s ability to commit genocide with impunity has set a
dangerous precedent for worldwide genocide prevention efforts.
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman noted, “As we speak, the
Sudanese Government is taking a page out of the Turkish
Government’s denial playbook and continuing the vicious cycle of
genocide denial in what is happening in Darfur. If we are ever to
live in a world where crimes do not go unpunished and fundamental
human rights are respected and preserved, we must come to recognize
the Armenian Genocide, thus allowing for proper reparations and
restitutions to be made.”
Excerpts from the Senate and House floor speeches follow.
=====================================
U.S. Senators (in Alphabetical Order)
=====================================
Sen. Lincoln Chafee (D-RI): Mr. President, yesterday marked the
90th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. A date
of great significance for many Rhode Islanders, and growing in
significance for all Americans, this day not only commemorates the
atrocities of the past, but also reminds us that it must not happen
again. Remembering the victims is our duty to the past and to the
future.
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI): As we move forward, we must learn the
lessons of Armenia’s genocide. We cannot be misled by the
rhetorical veils of murderous leaders, thrown up to disguise the
agenda at hand. We cannot respond to evidence of methodical, brutal
violence by wringing our hands and waiting for some definitive
proof that these events qualify as genocide. Enforcing a
collective, international commitment to prevent and stop genocides
from occurring is imperative. We owe the victims of the Armenian
genocide this commitment.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA): I am proud that the Armenian
American community in my home State of California – over 500,000
strong – has taken such a leadership role in ensuring that the U.S.
lives up to its values by acknowledging the crimes of the past and
taking action against the crimes of the present and future. Their
determination and perseverance is a testament to the human spirit
and the ability to overcome injustice and build a better tomorrow.
Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI): Affirming the truth about the Armenian
genocide has become an issue of international significance. The
recurrence of genocide in the twentieth century has made the
recognition of the criminal mistreatment of the Armenians by Turkey
all the more a compelling obligation for the international
community. It is a testament to the perseverance and determination
of the Armenian people that they were able to overcome one of the
most egregious acts in history. I support this important annual
commemoration of a horrible chapter of history so that it is never
repeated again. Congress should continue to show support for
Armenia and their struggle to set the historical record straight on
this tragedy.
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI): I urge my colleagues to honor the memory
of the 1.5 million Armenian genocide victims by recognizing that
there are still those in the world who will stop at nothing to
perpetuate campaigns of hate, intolerance, and unthinkable
violence. We must do all we can to stop atrocities, like those in
the Darfur region of Sudan, from occurring as well as continue to
provide adequate recovery aid to survivors. In doing so, we will
truly honor the memory of genocide victims and fulfill our
responsibilities as a world leader.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI): Today, dozens of Armenian soldiers are
deployed to Iraq, carrying out humanitarian operations in Karbala
and al-Hilla, working as truck drivers, bomb detonators, and
doctors. Armenian soldiers are also serving in Kosovo, performing
peace support operations. I believe their response of helping
others in need is part of the healing process. These Armenians did
not allow others to be left as helpless as they were generations
ago. As a Nation, we must respond to acts of oppression to ensure
that victims of hatred and prejudice did not perish in vain. We
must stand as witnesses to protect people from persecution for the
simple reason they are different. Thus, we must be committed to
properly remembering the Armenian Genocide.
Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV): But we must never forget the painful
lessons learned from the Armenian Genocide. This week, events
around my State and the Nation will recognize this important
anniversary. I am grateful for the strong and active work of the
Armenian-American community in Las Vegas, who will hold their
annual commemoration on April 24. To the Armenian American Cultural
Society of Las Vegas and to the work of Mr. John Dadaian, I say
thank you for all that you have done for the people of Nevada, and
Armenia.
Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-MD): We have a national interest in seeking
that our foreign policy is grounded in the same principles on which
this Nation was founded, a respect for the truth, the rule of law,
and democratic institutions. Clearly, this was in part the
administration’s motivation for its recognition last fall of the
genocide in Darfur. In his testimony before the Foreign Relations
Committee on September 9, Secretary Powell declared that “the
evidence corroborates the specific intent of the perpetrators to
destroy ‘a group in whole or in part.'” This begs the question: if
Darfur, why not Armenia? Did the Ottomans not seek to destroy the
Armenians to this same extent?
==============================================
U.S. Representatives (in alphabetical order)
=========================================== ===
Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ): Only by explicitly defining genocide
and ensuring that all cases of genocide throughout history are
appropriately identified can we effectively deter this crime.
Particularly at this time of heightened vigilance around the world,
it is absolutely imperative that America take a strong stance
against the most troubling of all terrorist acts, mass killings.
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA): Mr. Speaker, woven deeply into the
fabric of our culture, Americans stand for freedom and basic human
rights for all. Let us further demonstrate our deep conviction for
the ideals we hold dear in our resolute opposition to crimes
against humanity and officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA): Sadly, we cannot say humanity has
progressed to the point where genocide has become unthinkable. We
have only to recall the “killing fields” of Cambodia, mass killings
in Rwanda, “ethnic cleansing” in Bosnia and Kosovo, and most
recently, the unspeakable horrors in Darfur, Sudan to see that the
threat of genocide persists. We must renew our commitment never to
remain indifferent in the face of such assaults on innocent human
beings.
Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-NH): While the U.S. record on the Armenian
genocide is the most expansive in the detail of its coverage of the
events of 1915 to 1918, the official records of many other
countries, Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and
Russia corroborate the evidence gathered by U.S. diplomats.
Therefore, it is important for our government to reaffirm its own
record on the Armenian genocide and to assure that the relevant
historical records are preserved. By keeping memories alive through
history, we will prevent other instances of inhumanity from
occurring.
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA): Mr. Speaker, April 24th marks the
anniversary of one of the most horrible tragedies of the 20th
century, the genocide that was committed against the Armenian
people by the Ottoman Empire. Over one million people were forced
into exile and lost their lives during this horrible tragedy that
befell the Armenian people in 1915.
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI): Now more than ever as the world is
gripped by unrest and terrorism, the memory of the Genocide
underscores our responsibility to help convey our cherished
tradition of respect for fundamental human rights and opposition to
mass slaughter. We owe it to the victims of the Genocide to
acknowledge what happened and to teach our students and children
about their suffering, so that we can fulfill our obligation to
ensure that genocide will never happen again. Our future generation
should be able to say, “I learned, I acknowledge, and I will work
to prevent it from happening again.”
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA): As a Nation that values the freedom of
speech and assembly, we must admit that this event occurred, and
force Turkey to do likewise. Additionally, we must ask the EU to
refuse Turkey’s application to join the EU until Turkey accepts
their role in the genocide against the Armenian people.
Rep. Jerry Costello (D-IL): The history of the Armenian Genocide
must never be forgotten. As Members of Congress and people of
conscience, we must work to overcome the indifference and
distortions of history, and ensure that future generations know
what happened.
Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY): In 2003, I had the opportunity to visit
Armenia and to plant a tree at the Genocide memorial. The
independent country of Armenia is a living testament to honor the
memories of the survivors. I believe that by failing to recognize
these barbaric acts, one becomes complicit in them. Let us never
forget the 1.5 million Armenians who perished in 1915 and 1916.
Rep. Elliot Engel (D-NY): On this important anniversary, it is a
lasting lesson to people everywhere that genocide must not only be
opposed by all nations, but that it must be universally recognized
as a crime against humanity–no matter where it occurs or against
whom it is carried out.
Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL): I also urge the government of Turkey to:
decriminalize speech within Turkey, destroy all monuments, museums
and public references to the specious notion that the Armenian
minority committed genocide against the majority Turks, end denial
within Turkey, specifically within textbooks and reference books,
officially condemn any attacks against all Turks that acknowledge
the facts of history, and end the global campaign of threats
against any nation that is in the process of affirming the Armenian
Genocide.
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ): The United States must never allow
crimes against humanity to pass without remembrance and
condemnation. As U.S. efforts to aid victims of genocide continue,
it is imperative that we pay tribute to the memory of others who
have suffered and to never forget the past.
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY): Many attempts have also been made by
the U.S. Congress to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.
These attempts, however, have been scuttled by successive
administrations for fear of disrupting our strategic relationship
with Turkey. While I certainly value Turkey’s friendship, as a
world leader, the U.S. must officially acknowledge the Armenian
Genocide. Not doing so sets an extremely poor example for the rest
of the world and denies the victims of this horrific tragedy the
proper reverence they deserve.
Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA): It is vital that we remember this dark
period in history. Losing the memory of this tragic event would
only perpetuate the injustice. For too long, the Armenian Genocide,
the first genocide of the 20th Century, has been denied the
recognition that it properly deserves. As human beings, we all have
a responsibility to keep events such as the Armenian Genocide at
the forefront of our collective historical memory. We cannot begin
to overcome the challenges of the future until we acknowledge our
past mistakes.
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL): This anniversary serves as a reminder of
the horrible campaigns of genocide that occurred in the past, from
the Holocaust, to Rwanda, to today’s atrocities in Darfur, Sudan.
We must uphold our duties as global defenders of human rights and
give the Armenian community, as the victims of the 20th Century’s
first genocide, the recognition they deserve.
Rep. James Langevin (D-RI): As Americans, we must guarantee that
our foreign policy reflects our values of justice, equality and
responsibility. These values should apply in all of our
international interactions, including those with Turkey, a NATO
ally. Turkey wishes to increase its global profile through
accession to organizations such as the European Union. However, if
Turkey wishes to gain the world’s respect, it must earn it. It must
demonstrate its commitment to peace and democracy in the region. It
must reopen its borders, end its blockade of Armenia, and encourage
Azerbaijan to end its aggressive rhetoric. And most importantly, it
must accept responsibility for past injustices through an
unconditional recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Only then can
Turkey begin to come to terms with its history. Only then can
Armenians seek justice from the Turkish government for the losses
of so much and so many.
Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI): Mr. Speaker, 90 years is far, far too
long for a people to wait for an acknowledgment of the crimes
committed against them. That is why I am proud to support the
resolution that will be introduced in the coming days remembering
the victims and honoring the survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
This resolution will appropriately recognize these acts for what
they were. Only with a common understanding of this dark period can
we move forward and work to prevent similar tragedies in the
future.
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY): I want to join my colleagues in renewing
our pledge to the Armenian nation to ensure that Armenians around
the world can live free of threats to their existence and
prosperity. Azerbaijan continues to blockade Armenia and Nagorno-
Karabagh, denying the Armenian people the food, medicine, and other
humanitarian assistance they need to lead secure lives. A key
component of this pledge is maintaining high levels of assistance
to Armenia. As Ranking Member of the House Foreign Operations
Appropriations Subcommittee, I will fight to maintain funding for
Armenia, which recently became eligible for special Millennium
Challenge Account funds.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA): It is my firm belief that it is only by
learning from and commemorating the past can we work toward a
future free from racial, ethnic, and religious hate. By
acknowledging the Armenian genocide and speaking out against the
principles by which it was conducted, we can send a clear message:
never again.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY): The parliaments of Canada, France and
Switzerland have all passed resolutions affirming that the Armenian
people were indeed subjected to genocide. The United States must do
the same. I will not stop fighting until long overdue legislation
acknowledging the Armenian Genocide finally passes.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA): The writer Milan Kundera once wrote that
“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory
against forgetting.” There are those that would deny the Armenian
Genocide, just as there are those that deny the reality of the Nazi
Holocaust. In commemorating the Armenian Genocide, as we do this
evening, we all collectively engage in that struggle of memory
against forgetting. But we do this not only to remember the past,
but to animate the future with a commitment to prevent such things
from ever happening again, and to strive towards making a better
future for the Armenian people, a people who have suffered so much.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA): But I feel more privileged to have
worked with the Armenian community in Worcester to educate the
community, and especially young people and college students, about
not only the Armenian Genocide, but about other contemporary and
even current genocides that are taking place around the world. I am
especially grateful that I will be able to collaborate with them in
the future on events that will focus on the genocide in Darfur,
Sudan.
Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY): Mr. Speaker, I join today with many
of my colleagues in remembering the victims of the Armenian
Genocide. April 24th will be the 90th anniversary of this human
tragedy. From 1915 to 1923, the world witnessed the first genocide
of the 20th Century. This was clearly one of the world’s greatest
tragedies–the deliberate and systematic Ottoman annihilation of
1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children.
Rep. Martin Meehan (D-MA): The April 24th remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide is also a reminder of the responsibility of all
nations to stop these human tragedies from reoccurring. Today, a
genocide is taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan. It has
resulted in the murders of at least 70,000 innocent civilians, the
internal displacement of 1.9 million, and the forced exile of
200,000. The international community must act now before Darfur
reaches the scale of the Armenian Genocide.
Rep. Bob Menendez (D-NJ): In my view, all Americans must recognize
that the atrocities committed from 1915 to 1923 constitute
genocide. We do not use that word lightly. But the word, itself,
makes a powerful statement about the horrors suffered by the
Armenian people. As Samantha Powers, the leading expert on genocide
said in a letter to the editor of the New York Times, “The
extermination of Armenians is recognized as genocide by the
consensus of scholars of genocide and Holocaust worldwide. The
failure to acknowledge this trivializes a human rights crime of
enormous magnitude.” Today, the people of Armenia and her diaspora
are proudly seeking to rebuild their country.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ): We know even now, history in the last
100 years has witnessed more horrible episodes since the Armenian
genocide. As we speak, the Sudanese Government is taking a page out
of the Turkish Government’s denial playbook and continuing the
vicious cycle of genocide denial in what is happening in Darfur. If
we are ever to live in a world where crimes do not go unpunished
and fundamental human rights are respected and preserved, we must
come to recognize the Armenian genocide, thus allowing for proper
reparations and restitutions to be made.
Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ): This anniversary also provides us with
an opportunity to pledge that such a slaughter should never take
place again. I am sickened and dismayed by the atrocities that we
continue to see today in the Sudan, as well as others that we have
seen in the 20th century, such as the Holocaust and the ethnic
cleansing campaigns in Cambodia, Kosovo and Rwanda. All of these
events should be recognized for what they are: Genocide.
Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA): As a proud member of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and an ardent supporter of
Fresno’s Armenian -American community, I wish the people of Armenia
success in their efforts to bring about the lasting peace and
prosperity that they deserve. I pledge to continue my ongoing
efforts to sponsor initiatives that would build on our record
towards an inevitable, full and irrevocable U.S. affirmation of the
Armenian Genocide.
Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-MI): Today, I join my colleagues from the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues in calling upon the
administration and the government of Turkey to formally recognize
the Armenian genocide. Its time has come.
Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL): Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and to place in the record a
portion of an opinion article written by Lee Enokian.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ): The record of man’s inhumanity to man is
awful enough to produce a feeling of resignation. But we must fight
that tendency. We must continue to remind the world of what
occurred in 1915 and keep calling on Turkey to own up. We must not
restrain ourselves from speaking of the Armenian Genocide. Along
with many of my colleagues, I urge President Bush to speak the
truth to Ankara, which needs to come to terms with its own past.
Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN): Modern Turkey has made Armenian Genocide
denial into an article of faith. Genocide denial is taught in
schools, and is supported by the government. Anyone who deviates
from the official line is considered a traitor. Indeed, the
government of Turkey works feverishly to prevent any government
from recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Recognition by the
legislative bodies of France, Italy, Switzerland, and Russia has
been met with harsh criticism from the Turkish government.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD): We debated for months, as systematic
killings occurred in Darfur, about whether the actions there
constituted acts of genocide. That is why I rise today to voice my
disappointment at the administration’s continued lack of clarity
when referring to the genocide that occurred during the time of the
Ottoman Empire. Falling well short of a declaration, the President
referred to the tragedy in his April 24 statement as a “great
calamity.” Indeed, what occurred was a calamity of such dimensions
that the Armenian people are still dealing with its consequences
today. But genocide is more than calamity.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA): And, as we speak today, government-
supported Janjaweed militias continue their systematic destruction
of black Sudanese in Darfur. Thousands have been murdered, raped,
and starved to death, and over one million have been displaced from
their homes. The Armenian Genocide stands as a tragic precedent to
the brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing currently ravaging Darfur.
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY): In these early years of the 21st
century, Armenians understand the War on Terror. It is a war they
have now been fighting for ninety years. A war the world community
still refuses to recognize. As we gather today to pay tribute, it
is time for the U.S. Congress to finally designate what we all know
to be a case of genocide. While tragically it may not be last, it
is time to correct the history in the minds of many and finally
declare the Armenian genocide the holocaust that it was.
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