[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 29, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E773-E774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 1997

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the Armenian 
community in my district to mark the 82d anniversary of an unspeakable 
tragedy. I am referring to the genocide which claimed the lives of 1.5 
million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. Because this story has been 
held silent for so long, I am proud to take a few minutes to honor the 
victims of the genocide.
  The Armenian genocide was the culmination of a long effort by the 
Ottoman Turks to destroy the Armenian people. During the decades 
preceding the First World War, the Ottoman Government tried repeatedly 
to achieve this goal. In 1895, 300,000 Armenian lives were claimed. In 
1909, another 30,000 died before the Western powers intervened to stop 
the violence. This tragedy remains unrecorded in Turkish history today.
  World War I provided the means for the Turkish Government to once 
again set out to destroy the Armenian community. With Europe and the 
United States occupied in war, the Ottoman Empire was able to carry out 
their designs without any intervention. Beginning the crusade on April 
24, 1915, the genocide claimed the lives of Armenian leaders and lasted 
until 1923.
  It is estimated that 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of the 
Ottoman Empire--half of the world's Armenian population at that time. 
By 1923 the Turks had successfully erased nearly all the remnants of 
the Armenian culture which had existed on the homeland for 3,000 years.
  As we take a look at the tragedy today, we see the memory of the 
victims insulted by those who say the genocide did not happen. A well-
funded propaganda campaign forces the Armenian community to prove and 
reprove the facts of the genocide. This is itself a tragedy for people 
who would rather devote their energy to commemorating the past and 
rebuilding the future.
  I stand here today to say that the genocide did happen. Nobody can 
erase the painful

[[Page E774]]

memories of the Armenian community. Nobody can deny the graphic photos 
and historical references. And nobody can claim that Armenians live 
where their ancestors thrived 80 years ago.
  It is our responsibility and duty to keep the memories of the 
genocide alive. A world that forgets these tragedies is a world that 
will see them repeated again and again. This story, and others like it, 
must be talked about so all know the truth.
  We must also honor the victims of this brutal massacre. We cannot 
right the terrible injustices that have been inflicted on the Armenian 
community, nor can we ever completely heal the wounds. But by properly 
commemorating this tragedy, Armenians will be reassured that the world 
has not forgotten the misery of those years. Only then will Armenians 
begin to receive the justice they deserve.

                          ____________________