[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S4086]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 
anniversary of a most tragic chapter in history--the genocide of the 
Armenian people. Eighty-one years ago today, the Ottoman Empire began 
the systematic elimination of the people of Armenia. It is of paramount 
importance that we recall this horrible time so that it will never be 
repeated.
  On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire began arresting hundreds of 
political, religious, and intellectual leaders throughout Anatolia. In 
the following 2 years, the Ottoman regime carried out a systematic, 
premeditated, centrally planned genocide, taking the lives of 
approximately 1.5 million people.
  The Armenian genocide remains one of the most horrifying events in 
human history. Armenians perished from execution, starvation, disease, 
physical abuse, and exposure to a harsh environment. More than 500,000 
people were forced from their homes, and within a few years, the entire 
Armenian population had been either killed or exiled.
  On May 28, 1918, the Armenians were able to defeat a Turkish attack, 
with the help of volunteers from abroad. They gained freedom for a 
brief period, but in 1920 the Soviet Union joined the Ottoman Empire 
and subjugated the Armenians once again. It was not until 1991, after 
the breakup of the Soviet Union, that independence was restored and the 
Republic of Armenia was born.
  I salute the Armenian people for their strength and courage. Yet even 
though they have gained independence, their struggle still continues. 
To this day, many people continue to refute the facts of the Armenian 
Genocide. We cannot let the suffering inflicted upon the armenian 
people be forgotten or denied. Only through remembrance can we prevent 
ourselves from repeating the horrors of the past.
  The Armenian tragedy is the world's tragedy, and we must work 
together to discourage prejudice, to end discrimination, and to prevent 
genocide at all costs. In a country where we so often take our liberty 
for granted, we must renew our commitment to preserving the freedom of 
others.

                          ____________________