[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 66 (Monday, April 24, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5591-S5592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      COMMEMORATING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, every year at this time, people of Armenian 
descent throughout the world commemorate the anniversary of the 
genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people between 1915 and 1923. 
This tragedy is one of the most horrible in the history of humankind, 
yet it is often overlooked.
  Eighty years ago today, on April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire 
launched a systematic campaign to eradicate the Armenian people from 
Ottoman territory. In that year, hundreds of Armenian religious, 
political, and intellectual leaders were rounded up, exiled, and 
murdered. During the next 8 years, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians 
were killed through executions, during death marches, or in forced 
labor camps. Many women, children, and elderly people were raped, 
tortured, or enslaved. In addition to those killed, an estimated 
500,000 Armenians were exiled from the Ottoman Empire, many of whom 
found their way to freedom in the United States.
  Recently, the campaigns of ethnic slaughter in the former Yugoslavia 
and Burundi have focused much attention on crimes against humanity. 
Silence in the face of genocide effectively encourages those who would 
commit such atrocities in the future. As the horrors in Bosnia and 
Burundi demonstrate, ethnically based campaigns of murder are still 
possible, even as the world approaches the 21st century.
  Mr. President, despite a long history of persecution and tragedy, the 
Armenian people have demonstrated remarkable moral strength, 
resilience, and pride, as demonstrated by the successes of Armenian-
Americans and the great contributions they have made to our society. 
These qualities are also evident in the effort of the newly independent 
state of Armenia to build a prosperous and democratic country after 
decades of Soviet oppression, and despite the ongoing conflict with 
Azerbaijan--an effort which I personally witnessed when I visited 
Armenia in January 1992.
  During the last year, there have been some hopeful signs with regard 
to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan--most notably the 
implementation of a cease-fire. I hope that the memory of the Armenian 
genocide, as well as the sight of the suffering of the Armenian and 
Azeri peoples, will spur a peaceful resolution to the dispute.
  The legacy of the Armenian genocide has not succeeded in deterring 
subsequent acts of genocide. However, it is 
[[Page S5592]] only by continuing to remember and discuss the horrors 
which befell the Armenian and other peoples that we can hope to achieve 
a world where genocide is finally relegated to the realm of history 
books, rather than newspaper headlines. I hope my colleagues and 
leaders throughout the world will join me in commemorating the 
anniversary today, and thus ensure that the tragedy of the Armenian 
genocide will not be forgotten.


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