[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S4061]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, today, I join with many of our 
colleagues in commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Armenian 
genocide. Today marks the exact day when 200 of the Armenia's academic, 
political, and religious leaders were taken from the city of Istanbul 
in 1915. The ability of Armenians to free themselves from the Ottoman 
Empire rested heavily on the plans and ideas of those who vanished. It 
was an ominous beginning to one of this century's darkest tragedies. 
This Senate should recognize and all Americans should remember, what 
occurred over there 81 years ago. That is why I stand here with my 
colleagues to urge an accurate remembrance of the past, of those who 
were slain by the Ottoman Turks, and plead that such hateful crimes 
against humanity never happen again. We stand in honor of those who 
were unable to take a stand 81 years ago today. We must try to heal the 
wounds of the past by remembering and recording the historical truths.
  The Ottoman Empire's actions--deliberate, planned, and deceitful 
actions--against the Armenian people should be remembered for what it 
actually was--genocide. The Armenian genocide was a hateful act whose 
objective was focused on the systematic annihilation of a people, their 
heritage, their culture, their identity, and their future. It is 
unfortunate that in recent years historians and politicians alike have 
tried to soften the terms used to describe this heinous crime against 
humanity. What occurred involves deportation, slavery, the loss of 
basic human rights, and wholesale murder--all targeted deliberately and 
methodically against one ethnic group. The record is clear. Genocide is 
genocide. To shy away from recognizing the Armenian genocide is to 
ignore and deny the historic truth, and that would put at risk the 
harsh lessons that must be learned if we are to avoid repeating that 
tragic history. The Armenians remember, but all must recognize and 
embrace the past, painful as it may be. It is said that the bitter 
pills of the past are the better tonics of a brighter future.
  About 600,000 Americans who consider themselves to be Armenians live 
in the United States. Many are survivors of the genocide, or are the 
children of survivors. About 1.5 million Armenians were killed or died 
during the mass deportation which began in 1915 and continued for many 
years. Two-thirds of all Armenians in Turkey were killed. In the region 
of Anatolia and western Armenia, the entire community of Armenians was 
extinguished or deported.
  It has been 81 years since that awful tragedy. Turkey has not 
apologized to the Armenians. That is unfortunate.
  Armenians are a strong, resilient people, struggling to heal the 
wounds of the past. But the wounds cannot be sealed until the story is 
complete. Until the Armenian genocide is officially acknowledged, the 
wounds will remain unhealed and the lessons will not be firmly learned. 
We do not deny the brutal nature of the Holocaust to the Jewish-
American community. We are coming to grips with the severe violence 
against the people of Bosnia. We should not deny the Armenian people a 
similar place in history. To do so would dishonor ourselves, and spoil 
accurate understanding of the past. It is in the best interest of the 
American people and the entire global community to remember the past 
accurately. That is why we commemorate and honor those who were 
affected by the Armenian genocide.

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