[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 44 (Wednesday, April 20, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION

                                 ______


                               speech of

                           HON. SAM GEJDENSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 19, 1994

  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
observe the 79th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
  On April 24, 1915, a day etched in the minds of all Armenians, a 
deliberate and systematic campaign of genocide by the Ottoman Turkish 
Government resulted in the deaths of over 1.5 million Armenians and 
exiled a nation of people from its historic homeland.
  The Armenian male population already conscipted into the Ottoman 
army, was disarmed, placed in work battalions, and then executed. The 
surviving women, children, and elderly were sent on death marches 
through the desert.
  One might recall Hitler's infamous response as he rationalized his 
final solution for the Jews: ``Who today speaks of the extermination of 
the Armenians?''
  The ruthless massacre of the Armenians should not be forgotten, but 
there are some individuals who would deny this event in history and 
deny Armenians their memories. As hard as it is to imagine, this past 
year at the dedication of the Holocaust Memorial in Washington, DC, 
groups of demonstrators were protesting that the Jewish Holocaust never 
occurred. My parents were survivors of the Holocaust. Who has the right 
to tell them it did not occur? As we pause to reflect upon this tragic 
event, we must remember that even today ethnic intolerance continues to 
rear its ugly head. In Bosnia, the carnage continues. We must not hide 
our heads in the sand while such atrocities take placed around the 
world. We must continue to be vigilent. As a nation founded on the 
premise that all men are created equal, we must not ignore or tolerate 
acts of hatred. To do so, seals the fate of innocent victims.
  On this day of remembrance, we must make a solemn vow to fight such 
evils which continue to weave themselves throughout the history of 
humanity.
  Let us resolve to strengthen our commitment to fight the persecution 
of all peoples and to intensify our efforts in creating an atmosphere 
where freedom and tolerance prevail.

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