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




                  ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today to observe the 82d 
anniversary of the Armenian genocide. It is only by keeping the memory 
of this dark time alive will we keep it from occurring again.
  On April 24, 1915, over 200 Armenian religious, political and 
intellectual leaders were arrested in Constantinople--now Istanbul--and 
killed, marking the beginning of an organized campaign to eliminate the 
Armenian presence from the Ottoman Empire.
  Thousands of Armenians were subjected to torture, deportation, 
slavery and ultimately, murder. In the 8 years between 1915 and 1923, 
roughly 1.5 million men, women and children lost their lives to this 
genocide. More than 500,000 were removed from their homeland, many of 
whom perished in forced marches ending in the deserts of Syria.
  The Armenians were able to gain their freedom for a short time in 
1918, but in 1920, when the former Soviet Union joined the Turkish 
attack, they were again overpowered. It was only in 1991, following the 
breakup of the Soviet Union, that the new Republic of Armenia was born. 
Today, we pay tribute to the courage and strength of a people who would 
not know defeat.
  Yet, independence has not meant an end to their struggle. There are 
still those who question the reality of the Armenian slaughter. There 
are those who have failed to recognize its very existence. But we must 
not allow the horror of the Armenian genocide to be either diminished 
or denied.
  The pages of history are replete with stories of the atrocities man 
commits against his fellow man. And upon those pages, this massacre is 
one of the most vile stains. We must learn the lessons of the past 
well, and never tire of the fight to end prejudice and discrimination. 
We must show the world the Armenian people did not suffer in 
vain.

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