[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 71 (Tuesday, May 2, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S6004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I rise to pay tribute to the 
Armenian people on the 80th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. April 
24, 1915, marked the beginning of the systematic elimination of the 
Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire by the Turks. It is important to 
recall this horrible chapter in history not only to commemorate the 
courage, strength, and energy of the Armenian people, but also to 
ensure that history does not repeat itself.
  Beginning in 1915, the Ottoman Empire carried out a genocidal plot 
against its Armenian minority. From 1915 to 1923, approximately 1.5 
million Armenian people, including religious, political, and 
intellectual leaders, lost their lives due to starvation, torture, and 
disease. More than 500,000 Armenians were exiled from their homes and 
by the end of 1923, the entire Armenian population of Anatolia and 
Western Armenia had been killed or deported.
  During this bleak period for the Armenian people, hope was 
temporarily restored on May 28, 1918, when Armenian refugees, with the 
help of volunteers from abroad, defeated a Turkish attack and gained 
freedom. Unfortunately, in 1920 the Soviet Union joined with Ottoman 
Empire forces to attack and defeat Armenia, whose people were 
subjugated by these foreign powers for the next 70 years. It was not 
until 1991, after the break up of the Soviet Union, that the 
independence of the Armenian people was restored and the Republic of 
Armenia was born.
  Although independence has been gained, Armenia's struggle still 
continues. There have been many efforts to deny the Armenian genocide 
and to discredit scholarship on this historical event. However, the 
suffering inflicted upon the Armenian people--one of the oldest 
Christian nations in the world--must not be forgotten or denied. The 
horror of these events must not be concealed, because only through 
education and remembrance can the wounds inflicted by this tragic 
incident in history be healed.
  It is our duty to salute the Armenian people, for it reminds us that 
we all must work together to discourage prejudice and discrimination, 
to hold steadfast to the view that genocide will not be tolerated, and 
to make certain that it is never again repeated.


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