[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 50 (Thursday, April 24, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3696-S3697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

 Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise to commemorate the 82d 
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
  In the 1930's, someone questioned Adolph Hitler about the possible 
consequences of his plan for the systematic elimination of the Jews. 
Hitler seemed to believe that there would be none. He allegedly 
responded, ``Who, after all, today remembers the Armenians?''
  One of my constituents, Noyemzar Alexanian, remembers. On a spring 
morning in 1915, when she was 6 years old, the Kurdish calvary 
surrounded her village. They rounded up all the men and teen-aged boys, 
tied their hands with rope, took them to a distant field and stabbed 
them to death. Her father escaped to a neighboring village but was soon 
discovered. Noyemzar says she remembers her father being led away while 
her mother cried for help. This little 6-year-old girl then ``watched 
the white shirt of her father as he was led up a mountainside by the 
soldiers. The white shirt became a dot, and then it was gone.'' 
Noyemzar's father was stabbed to death. Over the next few years, as she 
was shuttled from the houses of strangers to orphanages, Noyemzar lost 
her two sisters. But still she did not lose hope. After several years, 
she and the remaining members of her family escaped to Cuba. She later 
settled in Rhode Island with her husband, Krikor, another refugee from 
Armenia. Noyemzar Alenanian is now 88 years old, and every day she 
remembers.
  Mr. President, old and young around the world today remember the 
Armenian holocaust. We remember that on this date in 1915, the Ottoman 
Empire and the successor Turkish nationalist regime began a brutal 
policy of deportation and murder. Over the next 8 years 1.5 million 
Armenians would be massacred at the hands of the Turks and another 
500,000 would have their property confiscated and be driven from their 
homeland. Engrossed in its own problems at the time, the world did 
little as the population was devastated.
  Despite having already undergone such terrible persecution and 
hardship, the people of the Armenian Republic

[[Page S3697]]

still suffer today. The peace talks recently concluded in Moscow 
regrettably made no progress toward the resolution of the Karabagh 
conflict. Turkey continues to blockade humanitarian aid to Armenia.
  However, the Armenian people look hopefully to the future. Their 
quest for peace and democracy continues to inspire people around the 
world. Armenians who have emigrated to other countries, especially 
those in my home State of Rhode Island, bring their traditions with 
them. They enrich the culture and contribute much to the society of 
their new homelands.
  The continuing reports of the recent atrocities committed in Bosnia 
reaffirm the importance of our commitment to always remember the 
Armenian genocide. As long as hate and intolerance are a part of our 
world, we must be vigilant. We must stand as witnesses to protect 
people from persecution for the simple reason that they are different.
  I hope to visit Armenia in the near future. I wish to see the 
treasures of that land firsthand and pay tribute to the indomitable 
spirit of the people of Armenia. Until that time, I want to ensure the 
Armenian community that we remember. Menk panav chenk mornar.

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