[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 55 (Wednesday, April 21, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H2231-H2238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
84TH COMMEMORATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, today I come to the floor to again
commemorate the anniversary of one of the darkest stains on the history
of modern civilization, the genocide of the Armenian people by the
Ottoman Turkish Empire.
I greatly appreciate the strong support of so many of our colleagues
in this effort, especially the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone),
my fellow cochairman of the Armenian Issues Caucus. I commend him for
arranging this special order and for his continued dedication to these
vitally important issues.
I would also like to recognize the gentleman from California (Mr.
Radanovich) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior) for
introducing a resolution calling for a collection of all U.S. records
relating to the Armenian genocide.
Mr. Speaker, I wish, as every Member does, that this special order
did not have to take place. We would like to believe that such a
tragedy could never have happened in the modern world because it is
painful to accept that man is capable of committing and tolerating such
atrocities.
Unfortunately, we have seen over and over the tragic results of
hatred and ignorance: the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, and today
the ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia. Far too often the so-
called civilized nations of the world have turned a blind eye.
I cannot stand here at this moment and talk about genocide without
mentioning a genocide which is happening right now before our eyes.
Today the United States is not sitting by and simply watching this
happen, unlike its reaction to the Armenian genocide 84 years ago. The
United States is embarking on a new phase of foreign policy.
This is perhaps, Mr. Speaker, the first time in all of human history
that the greatest power in the world is not using its power with the
aim of advancing itself and its own interests, but with the intent of
protecting and defending a group of oppressed people. The American
people can be proud that we are finally using every effort to stop the
ethnic cleansing of innocent people. These efforts were not made in the
past, resulting in the genocides of the Holocaust Rwanda, and Armenia.
They are, thank God, being made today.
Today, I come to the House floor to commemorate a very specific
genocide which began on April 24, 1915. On that date, over 200 Armenian
religious, political, and intellectual leaders were arrested in
Istanbul and killed, marking the beginning of an 8-year campaign which
resulted in the destruction of the ethnic Armenian community which had
previously lived in Anatolia and Western Armenia. Between 1915 and
1923, approximately 1.5 million Armenians were killed and more than
500,000 were exiled.
The U.S. Government was aware of what was happening during these
tragic years. U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau,
Sr. sent back graphic descriptions of death marches and mass killings,
as did other Western diplomats. Although the U.S. and others voiced
concerns about the atrocities and sent humanitarian assistance, little
was actually done to stop the massacres.
The Armenian genocide was the first genocide of the modern age and
has been recognized as a precursor of subsequent attempts to destroy a
race through an official systematic effort. We must call this what it
was, genocide, and we must never forget that it happened. Congress has
consistently demanded recognition of the historic fact of the Armenian
genocide.
The modern German government, although not itself responsible for the
horrors of the Holocaust, has taken responsibility for and apologized
for it. Yet, Mr. Speaker, the Turkish government continues to deny that
the Armenian genocide even happened. This, unfortunately, is consistent
with the Turkish government's position that it, today, has no problem
concerning the rights of its Kurdish population.
Armenia and Armenians will remain vigilant to ensure that this tragic
history is not repeated. The United States should do all that it can in
this regard as well, including a clear message about the historic fact
of the Armenian genocide. We do Turkey no favors by enabling her self-
delusion, and we make ourselves hypocrites when we fail to sound the
alarm on what is happening in Turkey today.
Armenia, Mr. Speaker, has made amazing progress in rebuilding a
society and a nation, a triumph of the human spirit in the face of
dramatic obstacles. Armenia is committed to democracy, market economics
and the rule of law. We must continue to take a strong stand in
Congress in support of these principles and respect for human rights,
and I am proud to stand with Armenia in so doing.
Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I join many of my colleagues today in
remembering and acknowledging the atrocities endured by the people of
Armenia earlier this century.
Eighty-four years ago, on the night of April 24, 1915, the Turkish
government placed hundreds of the most prominent public figures in the
Armenian community under arrest. They were apprehended and sent to
prison. In the end, most of these cultural leaders and scholars were
executed. The most disturbing part is that these deaths were only the
beginning as an attempted extinction of an entire civilization was to
shortly follow. For this reason, April 24 is commemorated as the date
of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.
The atrocities committed against the Armenian people during this time
can be categorized as a genocide because such an organized killing of a
people would require the central planning and resources only a
government is capable of implementing. The Armenian Genocide was
centrally planned and administered by the Ottoman Empire against the
entire Armenian population under its rule. It was carried out during
World War I between the years 1915 and 1918. The Armenian people were
subjected to deportation, torture, massacre, and starvation. Hundreds
of thousands of Armenians were forcibly moved from Armenia and sent to
the desert to die of thirst and starvation. Others were methodically
massacred throughout the region.
Most estimates illustrate that one and a half million Armenians
perished between 1915 and 1923. There were an estimated two million
Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire prior to World War I, and more
than one million Armenians were deported in 1915. Hundreds of thousands
more were either killed or died of hunger or exhaustion.
[[Page H2232]]
Even after the systematic and deliberate actions of the Ottoman
empire and the millions of Armenian lives that were taken, there still
remains a denial on the part of the Turkish government that this
genocide actually occurred. This is a mistake. This is wrong.
Our world today is filled with nations fighting against one another.
The lives of thousands of men, women, and children are taken every day
from these conflicts. If we hope to ever stop these merciless killings
and ensure that lives can be saved, it is imperative that we
acknowledge the perilous acts of our past. We can learn from our
history and make sure that it never repeats itself.
Today, I join my colleagues in condemning the atrocities committed
against the Armenians and continue to emphasize our need to prevent
similar tragedies from developing. We must recognize and openly
acknowledge the atrocities committed against humanity before we are
able to prevent them from happening again in the future.
I am proud to have been able to participate in this special tribute
to the Armenian community.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, once again I rise, along with
my colleagues, in solemn commemoration of the events of April 24th,
1915. On that day, a group of leaders of the Armenian community in
Turkey was murdered. That fateful day marked the beginning. By 1923,
about a million and a half Armenians had been killed and 500,000 more
had been deported. The Armenian community of the Ottoman Empire was
uprooted, as this bloody century witnessed its first genocide.
Many survivors came to the United States to rebuild their lives. As a
community and as individuals, they attained remarkable successes,
contributing greatly to their new homeland and consolidating Armenians'
longstanding reputation for resourcefulness and resilience. But they
never forgot their roots or their ancient homeland or the terrible
wrong done to them. Our remarks today demonstrate our solidarity with
them as they grieve over their losses, even while contemplating how
much Armenia and Armenians have accomplished in this century.
Every commemoration of the Armenian Genocide is somber. But 1999's
ceremonies are especially so. After all these years, after all the
invocations and prayers, after all the memorials, it is horrifying to
realize that the century is ending as it began. Once again, a
government is using all its instruments of war against a civilian
population solely because of its ethnic and religious affiliation. In
Kosovo, marauding soldiers and paramilitary groups are terrorizing and
killing men, women and children, in the implementation of a deliberate
policy devised by truly evil people, led by Slobodan Milosevic. The
twisted drive for ``purity'' is bad enough when reflecting the sincere
convictions of intolerant and unenlightened masses of people; but it is
somehow even more awful when stirred and manipulated by cynical
politicians, determined to hang on to power and willing to employ
literally any means--even the most unconscionably savage--to do so. The
worst instincts of the human heart are claiming new victims, despite
our earnest pledges that such atrocities would never happen again.
In this century, Armenian Christians, European Jews, and Muslims in
the former Yugoslavia--among others--have been singled out as targets.
The fate that has befallen them all demonstrates the universality of
the lesson of their suffering. If the international community ignores
the massacre of minorities, its perpetrators will be emboldened. Though
nothing can compensate the Armenians for the losses of the genocide,
the sacrifice they made earlier this century helped change the world's
consciousness. I pray that we have learned from the hard lesson taught
us by the Armenians and their sufferings. Days of commemoration are
meant to honor those who have gone before us, and hopefully the lessons
learned will provide some solace to the grieving on this sacred day.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 84th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide that took place in Turkey between
1915 and 1923. This antecedent for all subsequent 20th-century
genocides began on April 24, 1915, when the rulers of the Ottoman
Empire began the systematic and ruthless extermination of the Armenian
minority in Turkey. By the end of the Terror, more than 1.5 million
Armenian men, women, and children had been massacred and more than half
a million others had been expelled from the homeland that their
forbearers had inhabited for three millennia.
Last weekend I traveled to the Kosovo war zone with other members of
a bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Delegation. The official
briefings were important and informative; but the visit to a refugee
camp was staggering. I saw whole landscapes of misery, broad vistas of
suffering, vast panoramas of despair and destruction. Yet I heard very
little. The silence was deafening. It was the sound of deep sadness. I
was in Macedonia, but I suspect that the scenes I was witnessing are
reminiscent of the Anatolian plateau circa 1920, when the Armenian
population was experiencing a demographic disaster of Biblical
proportions.
As we enter the Third Millennium of the Christian Era, it behooves us
to remember. If we ignore the lessons of the Armenian Genocide, then we
are destined to continue our stumblings through the long, dark tunnel
of endless ethnic-cleansings, genocides, and holocausts. Let us, then,
remember to remember.
Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and commemorate
the Armenian genocide of 1915 through 1923. Each year, we pause from
our legislative schedule to pay tribute to those killed in the terrible
Armenian Genocide, which began in 1915 under the Ottoman Empire. We
take time to remember those who were forcibly removed from their
homeland and relocated, killed or imprisoned solely for their Armenian
heritage. One reason we do this is to draw importance to the event so
it never happens again. Unfortunately, we are in the midst of another
ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.
One and one half million people perished during the Armenian
genocide. Virtually the entire Armenian population was eliminated from
the Ottoman Empire in the eight years of the Armenian Genocide. This
terrible point in history marked the first genocide of the 20th
Century. It is a sad and shameful period in history. We must remember
it, and work toward preventing such terrible atrocities in the future.
In my district in Southwestern Illinois, there is a significant
population of Armenian-Americans. I would like to pay special tribute
to those survivors who eventually made their way to the 12th District.
These survivors suffered terrible atrocities and upheaval. They have
never forgotten their ordeal, and through them we hear their history.
These survivors are an important link to a past that we cannot ignore.
Many in the Armenian community in my district attend St. Gregory's
Armenian Apostolic Church in Granite City, Illinois. St. Gregory's has
a strong tradition of preserving Armenian heritage and remembering the
atrocities of the Genocide of 1915-1923.
I would like to mention that I am a cosponsor of Rep. Radanovich and
Bonior's resolution which affirms the U.S. record on the Armenian
Genocide. This important resolution calls on the President to collect
and house all relevant U.S. records on the Armenian Genocide and
provide them to the House International Relations Committee, the United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Armenian Genocide Museum in
Yerevan, Armenia. The legacy of the genocide must be remembered.
Each year, my colleagues and I take to this floor to pay tribute to
the victims of a terrible crime against humanity. This is just one way
in which the Congress can continue to pay recognition to those who were
killed during this terrible episode in Armenia's history. It is my
sincere hope that we and future generations will never forget these
atrocities.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my thoughts on one
of the most atrocious events in human history--the genocide of the
Armenian people. I would like to thank Mr. Porter of Illinois and Mr.
Pallone of New Jersey, the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on
Armenian issues, for holding this special order.
It shames and saddens me to say that the human race is no stranger to
genocide--the great purges in Russia, during which Stalin methodically
killed millions of Russians; the holocaust, in which 6 million Jews
were systemically slaughtered by the Nazis; and less well known, but
certainly just as significant, the Armenian genocide in which 1.5
million Armenians were exterminated by the Ottoman Turks.
I feel a special kinship to the Armenian people. As many of you know,
I am a Greek-American, and my ancestors, too, suffered at the hands of
the Ottoman Turks.
In fact, every March, I conduct a special order in this Chamber to
commemorate Greek Independence Day. On that day, one hundred and
seventy-eight years ago, the Greeks mounted a revolution which
eventually freed them from the tyranny of the Ottoman Empire.
Unfortunately, the Armenians were not as fortunate as their Greek
brothers and sisters. This atrocity lasted from 1915 till 1923. In the
end, one and one half million Armenians had been systematically
eliminated and hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes by
the Ottoman Turks. They were people like you and me. People with
families and friends, hopes and dreams, and they were all destroyed by
the Ottoman Turks.
Today, I want to acknowledge this dark moment in history and remember
the Armenian people who tragically lost their lives. We in Congress
must always remember tumultuous moments in history where people
suffered because they were different.
Of course, we all want to forget these horrific tragedies in our
history and bury them in
[[Page H2233]]
the past. However, it is only through the painful process of
acknowledging and remembering that we can keep similar dark moments
from happening in the future.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask that we take a moment to
reflect upon the hardships endured by the Armenians. In the face of
adversity the Armenian people have persevered. The survivors of the
genocide and their descendants have made great contributions to every
country in which they have settled--including the United States, where
Armenians have made their mark in business, the professions and our
cultural life.
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to observe one of the
most tragic events in our history, the Armenian Genocide, which took
place during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. Each year on April
24th, the Armenian community, along with their friends and supporters
around the world gather in remembrance of the 1.5 million Armenians who
lost their lives.
The facts on the Armenian genocide are well documented. By the
direction of the Ottoman Government, thousands of Armenian citizens
were ruthlessly killed in their eastern Anatolian villages. Hundreds of
thousands more were forcibly deported to Syria and then marched into
the desert and abandoned without water, food, or shelter. This tragedy
of history has left deep scars in the hearts and minds of its survivors
and their descendants. In remembrance of one of the twentieth century's
darkest chapters, we must make a commitment to ourselves and to our
children that such atrocities will not be allowed to repeat themselves
ever again.
Following the war, hundreds of displaced Armenians came to the United
States to rebuild their shattered lives. Their contribution, as well as
that of their descendants, has greatly enriched American society. It is
my hope that the memories of the past will serve to remind us of the
importance of tolerance and respect for the diversity of our people.
Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my appreciation to Mr.
Pallone and Mr. Porter for organizing this special order today to
commemorate the Armenian genocide. This year, as NATO fights ethnic
cleansing in Kosovo, it is especially important for us to remember the
Armenian genocide, and to remember our promise of ``never again.''
On April 24, 1915, more than two hundred Armenian religious,
political, and intellectual leaders were arrested and killed. From 1915
to 1923, 1\1/2\ million people lost their lives in the slaughter.
Another half million lost their homes and property, and watched as the
symbols of their religion and culture were destroyed.
Anyone who has studied or discussed these tragic events 84 years
ago--not to mention the preposterous historical revisionism that still
exist to this day--can fully understand how important this tribute is
to the Armenian community in this country, some of whom still live with
the memories of the horror.
Regrettably, the world's inaction in the face of these atrocities
sent a message that human rights violations would be tolerated. The
line from Armenia to Auschwitz is direct. When contemplating the
destruction of the Jewish people, Hitler is reported to have said,
``who remembers the Armenians?''
This day is set aside to remind us that those who forget history are
doomed to repeat it. As we speak, in Yugoslavia, Serbian President
Slobodan Milosevic is engaged in gross violations of the human rights
of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. The images splashed across our
television screens and newspapers of ethnic cleansing, forced
deportations, and random executions there are horrors for which the
Armenian genocide was a tragic precedent.
Today, we honor the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide,
and vow once more that genocide will not go unnoticed and unmourned. We
gather today to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to fight all crimes
against humanity.
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I rise today to join my colleagues in
paying homage to the countless number of Armenians who were deprived of
their freedom and senselessly killed because of their religious or
political beliefs. The Armenian Genocide that occurred between 1915-
1923 represents a disgraceful period in world history that should not
be ignored or distorted.
Armenians have endured many hardships and unwarranted treatment by
foreign countries throughout their history. This was most prevalent
during the late 19th and early 20th century when Armenians were
persecuted by Ottoman and Russian leaders for attempting to reform
their political system. The Ottoman government, in particular, was
responsible for causing the death of more than 1 million Armenians
between 1915 and 1923. As disgraceful as these acts were, the Armenian
people persevered and eventually seceded from the USSR to become an
independent state. In 1992 they became a member of the United Nations
and in 1995 held their first open legislative elections as an
independent country.
Although Armenia has made great strides to become an independent
state, the scars of their past remain. The senseless acts of violence
inflicted upon their ancestors deserve historical recognition. It is
important to ensure that future generations are made aware of the
countless number of Armenians who were killed because of their
religious and political affiliation.
With similar acts of human rights violations occurring in the Balkans
and elsewhere, the world should never forget the atrocities that
occurred in Armenia.
Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I am once again rising to honor the
anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide to remember the 1.5 million
Armenian men, women, and children who were killed, and the additional
500,000 Armenians who were forcibly deported by the Ottoman Empire
during an eight-year reign of brutal repression.
As history reveals, a group of Armenian leaders were forcibly taken
into Turkey on April 15, 1915, and subsequently murdered. Over the next
eight years, Armenians were deprived of their homes, their humanity,
and ultimately their lives. In addition, post-World War I did not see
those who were responsible come to justice. Although the Allied Powers,
England, France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement that for the
first time charged another nation with committing ``a crime against
humanity,'' war criminals were never brought to justice. In years to
come, firsthand sources indicate that Hitler proclaimed, ``Who, after
all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians;'' thus allowing
him to believe that his ``Final Solution'' could not only begin but
also would be forgotten.
It brings me great sadness to remark on these terrible events not
only because of the tragedy itself but also because we are seeing
history repeat itself in Kosovo. Genocides occur when humanity ignores
the cries of those being exterminated and forgets to hold those
responsible accountable. We cannot and should not let that happen
again.
As we in Congress grapple with the problems of today, I ask that we
learn from the terrible events of yesteryear and move to educate
today's generation about the lessons we have learned. The fact that the
United States still hasn't even formally recognized the Armenian
Genocide remains a stain on our heritage and the values we hold dear to
us. It is for this reason that I am proud to be an original co-sponsor
of the ``U.S. Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution'' that will be
introduced this week. This resolution directs the President to provide
a complete collection of all United States records related to the
Armenian Genocide to document and affirm the United States record of
protest and recognition of this crime against humanity. Co-sponsoring
this resolution is a small step but an important one.
In closing, I would like to thank Representatives Pallone and Porter
for their ongoing support of Armenian issues and for organizing this
special order remembering the people and events surrounding the
Armenian Genocide. I am proud of my Armenian heritage and the
contributions of so many Armenians to our great nation. It is my
sincere hope that we not forget this tragedy and that we learn from it
so that we never repeat its course.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on this somber occasion to
pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and to remind our
nation and the world about one of the greatest tragedies and darkest
moments of the 20th Century.
On April 24, 1915, the Armenian Genocide began. Within the next eight
years, 1.5 million Armenians had been massacred and 500,000 more had
been deported during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. They were
denied their freedom, deprived of their possessions, and systematically
massacred.
For those who have spent years attempting to refute the facts or
minimize the extent of this tragedy, the facts are indisputable. The
Armenian Genocide is a fact, a disturbing fact. Those who deny it are
guilty of historical sabotage, and just as guilty as those who continue
to deny that six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust in
Europe. I am certain that years from now some will also deny the human
tragedy and ethnic cleansing taking place in Kosovo today.
Many survivors of the Armenian Genocide came to America in search of
freedom. Their
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stories, passed from one generation to the next, serve as a record of
the horrors faced by millions. Their stories will help in our efforts
to ensure that history is not distorted and that future generations are
fully aware of what truly happened.
On this solemn day, I commend Armenian Americans for their
contributions to our nation and join with them in paying tribute to the
victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand and join with my
colleagues in commemorating the 84th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. I would like to thank the other members of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, and particularly the co-chairmen Mr. Porter
and Mr. Pallone, for their tireless efforts in organizing this fitting
tribute.
84 years ago Saturday, April 24, 1915, the nightmare in Armenia
began. Hundreds of Armenian religious, political, and educational
leaders were arrested, exiled, or murdered. These events marked the
beginning of the systematic persecution of the Armenian people by the
Ottoman Empire, and also launched the first genocide of the 20th
century. Over the next eight years, 1.5 million Armenians were put to
death and 500,000 more were exiled from their homes. These atrocities
are among the most cruel and inhumane acts that have ever been
recorded.
As we reflect today on the horrors that were initiated 84 years ago,
I cannot help but be disturbed by those who wish to deny that these
deeds occurred. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary--
eyewitness accounts, official archives, photographic evidence,
diplomatic reports, and testimony of survivors--they reject the claim
that genocide, or any other crime for that matter, was perpetrated
against Armenians. Well, History tells a different story.
Let me read a quote from Henry Morgenthau, Sr., U.S. Ambassador to
the Ottoman Empire at the time: ``When the Turkish authorities gave the
orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death
warrant to a whole race; they understood this well, and, in their
conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to conceal the
fact.* * * ''
The world knows the truth about this tragic episode in human affairs.
We will not allow those who wish to rewrite History to absolve
themselves from responsibility for their actions. This evening's event
here in the House of Representatives is testament to that fact. We can
only hope that the recognition and condemnation of this, and other
instances of genocide, will prevent a similar instance from happening
again as we move into the 21st Century. I would like to once again
thank the organizers of this event and I would like to once again
reaffirm my sincere thanks for being given the opportunity to
participate in this solemn remembrance.
Ms. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, April 24th marks the 84th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide, an act of mass murder that took 1.5 million Armenian
lives and led to the exile of the Armenian nation from its historic
homeland.
It is of vital importance that we never forget what happened to the
Armenian people. Indeed the only thing we can do for the victims is to
remember, and we forget at our own peril.
The Armenian Genocide, which began 15 years after the start of the
twentieth century, was the first act of genocide of this century, but
it was far from the last. The Armenian Genocide was followed by the
Holocaust, Stalin's purges, ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, and other acts
of mass murder around the world.
Adolf Hitler himself said that the world's indifference to the
slaughter in Armenia indicated that there would be no global outcry if
he undertook the mass murder of Jews and other he considered less than
human. And he was right. It was only after the Holocaust that the cry
``never again'' arose throughout the world. But it was too late for
millions of victims. Too late for the six million Jews. Too late for
the 1.5 million Armenians.
Today we recall the Armenian Genocide and we mourn its victims. We
also pledge that we shall do everything we can to protect the Armenian
nation against further aggression; in the Republic of Armenia, in
Nagorno-Karabagh, or anywhere else.
Unfortunately, there are some who still think it is acceptable to
block the delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance around the world.
Despite overwhelming international condemnation. Azerbaijan continues
its blockade of U.S. humanitarian assistance to Armenia.
It is tragic that Azerbaijan's tactics have denied food and medicine
to innocent men, women, and children in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh,
and created thousands of refugees. The U.S. must stand firm against
Azerbaijan's brazen violations of international law until it ends this
immoral blockade. We must make clear that warfare and blockades aimed
at civilians are unacceptable as means for resolving disputes.
Mr. Speaker, after the Genocide, the Armenian people wiped away their
tears and cried out, ``Let us always remember the atrocities that have
taken the lives of our parents and our children and our neighbors.''
As the Armenian-American author William Saroyan wrote, ``Go ahead,
destroy this race.* * * Send them from their homes into the desert.* *
* Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh again,
see if they will not sing and pray again. For, when two of them meet
anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.''
I rise today to remember those cries and to make sure that they were
not uttered in vain. The Armenian nation lives. We must do everything
we can to ensure that it is never imperiled again.
Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise somberly to remember and commemorate
the tragedy of the Armenian Genocide.
During the final years of the Ottoman Empire, from 1915-1923, 1.5
million Armenians had been massacred and 500,000 more were forcibly
removed from their native land. April 24 is the day which is annually
remembered by not only the world's Armenian community, but by people
all over the world who hold basic human rights sacred. On this day in
1915, hundreds of Armenian leaders and intellectuals were arrested in
Constantinople and killed. Additionally, thousands more were murdered
in the streets. The attempt at systematic extermination of the Armenian
people was conducted over the next eight years.
The lack of an international response to this disaster is
frightening. Hitler saw this as proof that he could carry out the
holocaust with no consequences, and, like tyrants afterward, used the
Armenian Genocide as a blueprint for his campaign of terror.
Unfortunately, the Turkish government, despite overwhelming evidence,
refuses even today to acknowledge that the genocide ever occurred. The
disaster we commemorate today has sadly been repeated often throughout
the century. Today we sometimes refer to it as ethnic cleansing, but it
all adds up to the same result--mass murder. We see this terror
continue throughout the world today. In Somalia, Hutus systematically
murdered hundreds of thousands of Tutsis, and afterward received
refugee assistance from the United Nations once the Tutsis gained
control. The massacre of Christians and other peoples in Somalia by
Muslims goes practically unnoticed by the world.
Today we must make sure that we never forget the Armenian Genocide,
and work to ensure that individuals who commit these atrocities are
brought to justice.
Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the Houston on this
very sad day. In Colorado, parents are grieving their murdered sons and
daughters. In the Balkans, Albanian refugees are running for their
lives, having been kicked out of their homes by Serbian thugs who rape,
torture, and kill their former neighbors. In central Africa, civil wars
are rocking the Cargo furthering the horror started there by the
genocidal murders of Hutus and Tutsis. In China, North Korea and Cuba,
communist dictators continue to deny their citizens basic human rights
and imprison anyone who dissents.
That is the world today. But I rise, joining my colleagues, to remind
the world of a genocide that happened 84 years ago in the part of the
world we now call Turkey. On April 24, 1915 more than 200 Armenian
religious, political and intellectual leaders from Constantinople--what
is Istanbul--were arrested and sent into exile. By silencing the
leading representatives of the Armenian people, the government of the
Ottoman Empire was able to proceed with its premeditated and methodical
extermination of the Armenian people. Between 1915 and 1923, more than
1.5 million Armenian men, women and children were deported, forced into
slave labor concentration camps, tortured, and murdered. The goal of
this atrocity was to remove all traces of the Armenian people and their
rich heritage from Anatolia.
At the time, the world had not coined such terms as concentration
camps, genocide, ethnic cleansing or holocaust. It is tragic that in
this century we have had to come up with new words to describe Man's
inhumanity to Man. And it is tragic that as we end this century,
history is repeating itself as Serbs in Yugoslavia unleash their
cruelty upon the Kosovar people.
It is vital that we remember the countless victims of the Turkish
genocide against the Armenians. We honor the memory of those killed and
the bravery of those who, having been forced out of their homes and off
their land, traveled throughout the world and re-established themselves
in distant lands far from home.
We remember, Mr. Speaker. We remember and we speak here today so that
History will record that 80 years later, the victims of this genocide
are not forgotten. It is important that people like Mr. Slobodan
Milosevic and other tyrants around the world realize that we do not
forget and we will not let the world forget the evils they perpetrate
against their own people.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise along with many of my colleagues,
to commemorate
[[Page H2235]]
the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. Many of us here are already quite
familiar with the details: on April 24, 1915, 84 years ago this week,
over two hundred Armenian religious, political, and intellectual
leaders were executed by the Turkish government. This mass execution
was not an isolated incident, but rather was the beginning of a
systematic campaign perpetrated by the Ottoman Turk government. These
executions had also been preceded by a historic pattern of persecution
officially sanctioned by the Ottoman Sultan. To Armenians around the
world, April 24th marks the start of an organized campaign by the
government of Ottoman Turkey to completely eliminate the Armenian
population from the Ottoman Empire. During the following eight years,
from 1915-1923, 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives, whether
directly or indirectly at the hands of the Ottoman government.
I stand here before my colleagues to also praise the efforts that we
make today to end persecution and genocide around the world. I rise not
as a Democrat or a Republican, but as a human being, honoring the
memory of those massacred, so that this will never happen again. It is
our responsibility and obligation as humans to acknowledge these tragic
events in history and to ensure that the memories of those massacred
are honored and respected for all time. In that light, we must not
allow the Turkish government's denials of the Armenian genocide to go
unanswered. Explaining away the Genocide as a series of internal
conflicts during and after WW I that caused the unfortunate death of
many Armenian people, not only insults the memories of the victims and
survivors, but also offends our own sensibilities. It is therefore our
responsibility to ensure that events such as the Armenian Genocide are
not forgotten and NEVER repeated. As a Congressman, a Jew, and as a
person, I stand here today to honor the memory of those who have been
massacred by totalitarian governments throughout history. In fact,
there are many comparisons between the suffering of the Armenian people
and the Jewish people. Quite simply, just as we pledge to never forget
the tragedy of the Holocaust, we must also not let the Armenian
Genocide go unacknowledged, as that would be the equivalent of
forgetting. The obvious lesson in this is that we must not ever turn
our backs to the suffering of any people. In fact, I think this lesson
resonates loudly in our actions today in Kosovo.
Lastly, I want to thank my colleagues, Congressmen John Porter and
Frank Pallone, for leading this effort in the House of Representatives.
Their combined leadership on the Armenian Issues Caucus makes us all
proud to work together on this issue of concern to all human beings.
Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I join Armenians throughout the United
States and around the world on this solemn day of remembrance
commemorating the genocide of innocent Armenian people perpetrated
during the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. On this day, the 84th
Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide committed in Ottoman Turkey from
1915 to 1923, it is crucial that we recall the horrific events of this
dark chapter in world history and dedicate ourselves to preventing such
atrocities in the future.
History shows that in 1915 the systematic massacre of Armenian
political, religious, and intellectual figures began. This slaughter
continued until 1923, although the memories of this campaign of terror
still haunt us today. From 1915-1923, the Armenian population was
expelled from their homeland. One and a half million Armenians lost
their lives and over 500,000 surviving refugees rebuilt their lives
outside of Armenia, many of them coming to the United States to build
their new homes. The Armenian-American population, many of whom reside
in my district, have prospered in the United States and contributed to
our cultural enrichment, enhanced our diversity and become strong
members of our society.
Despite the calculated effort to banish the Armenian people from
their land and eradicate Armenian culture and tradition, today the
Republic of Armenia is striving to establish a strong and progressive
nation committed to establishing democratic institutions and ideals.
The Armenian government has launched a program of industrial reform,
privatized agricultural land, and made substantial progress in small-
enterprise privatization. Armenia has also made an effort to take steps
to resolve the Karabagh conflict and moved to stabilize its economy
based upon free market principles. I am proud we are here today to
demonstrate American solidarity in our support of Armenian efforts to
achieve a bright future.
As we acknowledge the 84th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, we
join with our Armenian friends in remembering those who lost their
lives as a result of this terrible tragedy. While we reflect upon the
past and commit ourselves to learning from the history of this
humanitarian disaster, we also look forward to a brighter future for
Armenia. We look forward to a time in which Armenia will, we hope, grow
prosperous, achieve economic strength, and, above all, enjoy peace.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, in a dark time in Europe, a nation slowly
collapsed. At this tumultuous time of great societal transformations,
uncertain futures, and with governmental change looming on the horizon,
leaders fell back on the one proven weapon that assured their personal
survival. It is a weapon that feeds upon fear, desperation, and hatred.
It transforms the average citizen into a zealot, no longer willing to
listen to reason. This weapon is, of course, nationalism. It's result
is ethnic strife and senseless genocide, committed in the name of false
believes preached by immoral, irresponsible, reprehensible leaders.
Today I rise not to speak of the present, but in memory of the
victims of the past, who suffered needlessly in the flames of vicious,
destructive nationalism. On April 24, 1915, the leaders of the Ottoman
government tragically chose to systematically exterminate an entire
race of people. We gather in solemn remembrance of the results of that
decision, remembering the loss of one-and-a-half million Armenians.
The story of the Armenian genocide is in itself appalling. it is
against everything our government--and indeed all governments who
strive for justice--stands for; it represents the most wicked side of
humanity. What makes the Armenian story even more unfortunate is
history has repeated itself in all corners of the world, and lessons
that should have been learned long ago have been ignored.
We must not forget the Armenian genocide, the holocaust, Rwanda, or
Bosnia. Today, on this grim anniversary, we must remember why our armed
forces fight in the skies over Yugoslavia.
We must not sit idly by and be spectators to the same kind of
violence that killed so many Armenians; we must not watch as innocent
Kosovars are brutalized not for what they have done, but simply for who
they are. Ethnic cleansing is genocide and cannot be ignored by a just
and compassionate country. We owe it to the victims of past genocides
to stamp out this form of inhumanity.
It is an honor and privilege to represent a large and active Armenian
population, many who have family members who were persecuted by their
Ottoman Turkish rulers. Michigan's Armenian-American community has done
much to further our state's commercial, political, and intellectual
growth, just as it has done in communities across the country. And so I
also rise today to honor the triumph of the Armenian people, who have
endured adversity and bettered our country.
But again, Mr. Speaker, it is also my hoe that in honoring the
victims of the past, we learn one fundamental lesson from their
experience: Never Again!
Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today in
commemorating the 84th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
We observe the Armenian genocide today so as not to forget. We
remember the horrific conflagration that engulfed the lives of 1.5
million innocent Armenian men, women, and children so that governments
around the world will know that they will be held accountable for their
bloody deeds by the consciousness of mankind. In one of the darkest
chapters of the 20th century, the government of the Ottoman Empire
systematically implemented a policy of extermination against its
Armenian population through ruthless marches of forced starvation and
endless waves of bloody massacres.
Over 8 decades have now come and gone since the tragic event unfolded
and, yet, the Turkish Government continues to deny the undeniable. The
Armenian genocide is a historical fact that has been indelibly etched
in the annals of history. If cannot be erased from our collective
memory.
To heal the open wounds of the past, the Turkish Government has a
moral obligation to acknowledge and recognize the Armenian genocide.
Turkey must come to terms with its past. It must also come to terms
with its present actions against the Republic of Armenia.
The government of Turkey should immediately lift its illegal blockade
of Armenia, which it has had in place since 1993. Turkey must also stop
obstructing the delivery of United States humanitarian assistance to
Armenia. This is not only unconscionable but it also damages American-
Turkish relations. Turkey is indeed an important ally of the United
States. However, until Turkey faces up to its past and stops its silent
but destructive campaign against the Republic of Armenia, American-
Turkish relations will continue to be strained.
Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with my colleagues in
remembering the Armenian people who lost their lives in one of
history's greatest atrocities, the Armenian genocide. Today, the
importance of such a commemoration could not be more timely, as our
brave troops in Yugoslavia struggle to stop another similar atrocity.
As new reports of ethnic cleansing, torture and rape continue to arise
in the Balkans, I believe it is especially important that the United
States officially recognize this horrible episode.
[[Page H2236]]
Mr. Speaker, despite attempts to minimize its effect, the Armenian
Genocide is a historical fact. This was an episode so terrible that our
ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the time, Henry Morgenthau,
commented, ``The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem
almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian
race in 1915.''
On April 24, 1915, Turkish officials arrested and exiled more than
200 Armenian political, intellectual and religious leaders. This
symbolic cleansing of Armenian leaders began a reign of terror against
the Armenian people that lasted for the next 8 years, and resulted in
the death of more than 1.5 million Armenians. In the assault, another
500,000 Armenians were exiled from their homes.
Acts of deportations, torture, enslavement and mass executions
obliterated the Armenian population and changed the world forever.
These mass exterminations and incidents of ethnic cleansing are the
first examples of genocide this century, and have often been referred
to as the precursor to the Nazi Holocaust.
Mr. Speaker, the accounts by survivors of this incident are
chillingly similar to those we are currently hearing from those lucky
enough to escape Milosevic's terror in Yugoslavia. It is amazing how
often history will repeat itself, and how often we don't listen to the
past. The memory of the Armenian Genocide, no matter how cruel and
brutal, must serve as a lesson to us all to never ignore such actions.
We owe that to the Armenian people who showed such bravery in a time of
great pain and tragedy.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, on this occasion each year we remember the
terrible events that took place in Ottoman Turkey 84 years ago.
While the rise of independent Armenia just 8 years ago serves as a
clear symbol of the Armenian nation's will to survive, the tragic
events that occurred over 80 years ago should not be forgotten--and
have not been forgotten.
Beginning in 1915, the decaying Ottoman Empire, in a final struggle
against its own disintegration, engaged in a genocidal campaign of
executions and attacks against many of its ethnic Armenian residents in
a vain effort to turn the tide of the First World War.
Those attacks, while failing to turn the tide of war, resulted in the
loss of tens of thousands of lives of innocent men, women and children.
This special order today honors those victims and commemorates their
untimely deaths.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said on earlier occasions, I am hopeful that,
as we today honor the memory of those who lost their lives long before
the Armenian nation regained its independence, we can nonetheless look
forward to that day when the new, independent Republic of Armenia and
its people will live in peace with their neighbors--a peace that will
never see Armenian men, women and children subjected to the horrors and
atrocities their ancestors experienced over 80 years ago.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce that later this
week I will be joined by my colleagues Mr. Rogan, Mr. Bonior, Mr.
Pallone and a bipartisan group of legislators in introducing
legislation to affirm the U.S. historical record on the Armenian
Genocide.
We take this step to bring together in a collection all the U.S.
records on the Armenian genocide and then to provide this collection to
the House International Relations Committee, the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum, here in Washington, DC, and the Armenian Genocide
Museum in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
In so doing, we reaffirm the principled stand taken by U.S.
diplomats, religious leaders, and government officials during the years
of the Genocide, and in the years since that terrible tragedy.
Our archives contain extensive documentation of the widespread
opposition to Ottoman Turkey's brutal massacres and deportations. They
contain, as well, records of the unprecedented efforts of the American
people to bring relief to the survivors of this, the century's first
genocide. As many in this Chamber know, the United States led the
international humanitarian campaign to aid those who escaped the
Genocide, the countless thousands who found refuge in the camps and
orphanages established through the generosity of the American people.
In introducing this legislation, we also take a stand against those
who would, in a cold political calculation, deny genocide, past or
present. By affirming the U.S. historical record of the Armenian
Genocide, we challenge this denial and reinforce our national resolve
to prevent future genocide.
Please add your name today as a cosponsor of this legislation and
join with me at the Armenian National Committee's Genocide Observance
being held this evening in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, this Saturday, April 24, marks the 84th
anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian genocide. I rise today to
commemorate this terrible chapter in human history, and to help ensure
it will be forgotten.
On April 24, 1915, the Turkish government began to arrest Armenian
community and political leaders. Many were executed without ever being
charged with crimes. Soon thereafter the government deported most
Armenians from Turkish Armenia, ordering that they resettle in what is
now Syria. Many deportees never reached that destination. From 1915 to
1918, more than a million Armenians died of starvation or disease on
long marches, or were massacred outright by Turkish forces. From 1918
to 1923, Armenians continued to suffer at the hands of the Turkish
military, which eventually removed all remaining Armenians from Turkey.
We mark this anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide
because this tragedy for the Armenian people was a tragedy for all
humanity. It is our duty to remember, to speak out and to teach future
generations about the horrors of genocide and the oppression and
terrible suffering endured by the Armenian people.
We should not be alone in commemorating these horrific events. We
will know that humanity has progressed when it is not just the
survivors who honor the dead but also when those whose ancestors
perpetrated the horrors acknowledge their terrible responsibility and
honor as well the memory of genocide's victims.
Sadly, we cannot say that such atrocities are history. We have only
to recall the ``killing fields'' of Cambodia, mass ethnic killings in
Bosnia and Rwanda, and ``ethnic cleansing'' in Kosovo to see that the
threat of genocide persists. We must renew our commitment never to
remain indifferent in the face of such assaults on humanity.
We also remember this day because it is a time for us to celebrate
the contribution of the Armenian community in America--including
hundreds of thousands in California--to the richness of our character
and culture. The strength they have displayed in overcoming tragedy to
flourish in this country is an example for all of us. Their success is
moving testimony to the truth that tyranny and evil cannot extinguish
the vitality of the human spirit.
Surrounded by countries hostile to them, to this day the Armenian
struggle continues. But now with an independent Armenian state, the
United States has the opportunity to contribute to a true memorial to
the past by strengthening Armenia's emerging democracy. We must do all
we can through aid and trade to support Armenia's efforts to construct
an open political and economic system.
Adolf Hitler, the architect of the Nazi Holocaust, once remarked
``Who remembers the Armenians?'' The answer is, we do. And we will
continue to remember the victims of the 1915-23 genocide because, in
the words of the philosopher George Santayana, ``Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.''
Mr. LEVINJ. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join with my colleagues in
Congress, Armenian Americans in my district, and Armenians all over the
world as we commemorate the 84th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Between 1894 and 1923, approximately 2 million Armenians were
massacred, persecuted, or exiled by the Ottoman Empire. Today, fewer
than 80,000 declared Armenians remain in Turkey. The Eastern provinces,
the Armenian heartland, are virtually without Armenians. There are
still Armenian refugees and internally displaced persons in Russia, an
issue not well-known internationally. They face extreme difficulties
and hardship.
The years since the Armenian Genocide have magnified its tragedy, not
diminished it. It is true for the hundreds of thousands who lost their
lives as well as their families for whom the void can never be filled.
It also has been true for all the world. The Holocaust of the 1930's
and 1940's has been followed by a number of genocides in the last three
decades. The failure of the Turkish government to acknowledge the
sinful acts of its predecessors sent the wrong message to the rulers of
Cambodia, Rwanda and Yugoslavia. It is especially poignant at this time
to observe and remember the Genocide against the Armenian people in
1915 as the world watches man's inhumanity to men, women and children
in Kosovo in 1999.
The failure of countries of the world to take prompt notice of these
modern atrocities should remind all of us of the failure of other
nations to promptly acknowledge the massacre of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire.
There is more that the United States can do to ensure that history
does not forget the Armenian genocide. Along with Representatives
Bonior and Radanovich, I will shortly join as an original cosponsor of
the ``United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution.'' This
legislation calls on the President to collect all U.S. records on the
Armenian Genocide and provide them to the House International Relations
Committee, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the
Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan, Armenia.
It is the duty of all of us to join Armenian Americans in remembering
the Armenian
[[Page H2237]]
genocide. We have been fighting this battle for formal acknowledgment
by the Turkish government for many years. We must not give in until the
battle is won.
Mr. DOOLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my
colleagues in commemorating the 84th anniversary of the Armenian
genocide.
Like the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide stands as a historical
example of the human suffering which persecution and intolerance have
brought far too often this century.
One and one-half million Armenian people were massacred by the
Ottoman Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1923. More than 500,000
Armenians were exiled from a homeland that their ancestors had occupied
for more than 3,000 years. A race of people was nearly eliminated.
However great the loss of human life and homeland that occurred
during the genocide, a greater tragedy would be to forget the Armenian
genocide took place. As recent events in the Balkans illustrate, to
ignore the horror of such events almost assures their repetition in the
future. Adolf Hitler, in preparing his genocide plans for the Jews,
predicted that no one would remember the atrocities he was about to
unleash. After all, he asked, ``Who remembers the Armenians?''
Our statements today are intended to preserve the memory of the
Armenian loss, and to remind the world that the Turkish government
still refuses to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. The truth of this
tragedy can never, and should never be denied. The ethnic Albanian
refugees of Kosovo attest to the suffering which accompanies forced
exile.
This 84th anniversary also brings to mind the current suffering of
the Armenian people, who are still immersed in tragedy and violence.
The unrest between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues in Nagorno-
Karabakh. Thousands of innocent people have already perished in this
dispute, and still many more have been displaced and are homeless.
In the face of this difficult situation comes an opportunity for
reconciliation. Now is the time for Armenia and its neighbors,
including Turkey, to come together, to work toward building
relationships that will ensure lasting peace.
Meanwhile, in America, the Armenian-American community continues to
thrive and to provide assistance and solidarity to its countrymen and
women abroad. Now numbering nearly 1 million, the Armenian-American
community is bound together by strong generational and family ties, an
enduring work ethic, and a proud sense of ethnic heritage. Today we
recall the tragedy of their past, not to place blame, but to answer a
fundamental question, ``Who remembers the Armenians?'
Let us take this opportunity today to contemplate the Armenian
genocide, and with the global community standing as witnesses, affirm
that we do remember them.
Mr. WEYGAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in somber recognition of the
beginning of the Armenian genocide. This horrific tragedy claimed the
lives of over one million Armenians in a nine-year campaign of
systematic persecution, expulsion, and violence, and displaced at least
a further 500,000 Armenians from their historic homeland in eastern
Turkey.
Few Americans are aware that the Holocaust of World War II was in
fact the second genocide of this century; for political reasons, the
United States government has long refused to recognize the Armenian
exterminations and expulsions as a genocide. Make no mistake: this
persecution was not the accidental and unfortunate by-product of a
period of upheaval and chaos. From 1915 through 1923, the Young Turk
government of the Ottoman Empire attempted to erase all trace of the
Armenian people and culture from Turkey. In order to achieve this goal,
government forces engaged in direct killing, starvation, torture, and
forced death marches. The term ``genocide'' constitutes the only means
sufficient to describe such an outrage, and the suffering of the
Armenian people dictates that we acknowledge the Armenian genocide as
such.
While paying tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide,
however, we must not forget to celebrate the fortitude and persistence
of the Armenian people who have survived and thrived in spite of this
persecution. The United States has a large Armenian-American population
which has made significant and positive contributions to their
communities and to this nation as a whole. The Republic of Armenia
struggled through the turmoil of the dissolution of the Soviet Union to
emerge as a force for democracy and a strong civil society in that
region. The Armenian people have transformed tragedy into triumph, and
I salute the power of their spirit.
As many of my colleagues may recognize, this anniversary becomes
particularly poignant in light of the ongoing crisis in the Balkans
today. I am reminded of the words of President Theodore Roosevelt, who
observed, ``* * * the Armenian genocide was the greatest crime of the
war, and the failure to act against Turkey is to condone it * * * the
failure to deal radically with the Turkish horror means that all talk
of guaranteeing the future peace of the world is mischievous
nonsense.'' Sadly, these words are all too applicable to the situation
we now face in Kosovo and Serbia.
Hitler, when outlining the strategy that culminated in the ``Final
Solution,'' reportedly remarked: ``Who today remembers the
extermination of the Armenians?'' Today, let us all prove Hitler wrong
by not only remembering and mourning the Armenian genocide, but also by
continuing our efforts on behalf of the Kosovar people to ensure that
such a tragedy can never again be visited upon any people in this
world.
Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I stand with my colleagues today to
remember the Armenian genocide which occurred between 1915 and 1923.
Eighty four years ago the Ottoman Empire began a systematic eight-
year purge of Armenians within its borders. Ultimately, 1.5 million
men, women and children were executed. In addition, 500,000 Armenians
were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in other countries.
Many of those refugees came to the United States. In the decades since,
these immigrants have made innumerable contributions to American
society.
This first genocide of this century of genocides demonstrates the
depths of brutality and evil that humanity can reach. By remembering
it, we remember how important it is to work to prevent such evil from
recurring.
I have a special connection to the fate that befell the Armenians, as
my family has also fallen victim to ruthless genocide. My family was
nearly destroyed by the genocide that Hitler led throughout Europe
against the Jews. Two of my grandparents were killed in the Holocaust.
My father survived the extermination of his village by the Nazis and my
mother spent the war fleeing the Nazis by going deeper and deeper into
Russia. I was born in a displaced-persons camp in Germany after World
War II.
Today, we look across the world and see history repeating itself in
the most horrific terms. We are in the midst of a battle in the Balkans
to confront the genocide being carried out by Yugoslavian President
Slobodan Milosevic.
However, even the most terrible events can have a ray of hope for the
survivors. We can look at Armenia today and see that a people can
indeed be restored after suffering such a devastating blow. After the
genocide, the Armenians were oppressed for decades by the Soviet Union,
but they persevered. Finally, in 1991, the Armenian people voted for,
and achieved, their independence. Their young republic was the first of
the former Soviet republics to achieve economic growth. This is a proud
people, and with good reason. They are survivors--survivors who look to
a brighter future, but who will never forget what happened. As you can
see by the outpouring in Congress today, Mr. Speaker, we won't forget
either.
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with a great sense of honor,
compassion and resolve that I rise to speak on the floor of our United
States House of Representatives on behalf of the 1.5 million Armenian
victims of the 1915 genocide. As a member of the Congressional Armenian
Caucus, I am deeply honored to represent a large Armenian community
located in the city of Montebello in my 34th Congressional District.
Together with my colleagues, I share a heartfelt compassion for the
tremendous suffering visited upon the Armenian populations as a result
of the systematic and deliberate campaign of genocide by the rulers of
the Ottoman Turkish Empire during the period of 1915 to 1923. Let no
succeeding generation forget these unspeakable atrocities, nor seek to
deny the terrible truth of its occurrence.
The United States Archives are replete with material documenting the
Ottoman Turkish government's premeditated exterminations, including the
executions of the Armenian leadership in Istanbul and other Armenian
centers, and the male population conscripted into the Ottoman Army. The
surviving women, children and elderly were sent on horrific death
marches through the Syrian Desert and subjected to rape, torture and
mutilation along the way.
Mr. Speaker, the Armenian-American communities throughout the United
States, as well as all people of goodwill, stand firm in our resolve
not to let the world forget the Armenian genocide of 1915. In
solidarity with the countless victims of the Jewish Holocaust, the
Cambodian genocide and the present massacres being committed in Kosovo,
we must continually recognize these crimes against humanity and
reaffirm the American people's commitment to steadfastly oppose the use
of genocide anywhere in the world.
It is altogether fitting that on this last anniversary of the
Armenian genocide of 1915 in this 20th century, and in recognition of
the atrocities being committed in the Balkans today, to restate from
this same floor of the House, the truly memorable words of our late
[[Page H2238]]
colleague, the Honorable Les Aspin, then chairman of the House Armed
Services Committee on April 28, 1992:
We look back in order to memorialize those who died under
Ottoman rule, to restate that they shall not have died
unmourned and unnoticed, to shout that millions of us,
Armenians and non-Armenians alike, will never forget.
We look forward to declare that this must never happen
again, that the deaths of one and a half million people must
serve as a perpetual warning to the world, alerting us to the
threat of evil and uniting us to combat anyone who might
again think of committing wholesale murder.
Mr. Speaker, in remembrance of those Armenian leaders executed during
the genocide of 1915, I am honored to recognize some of the outstanding
Armenian-American leaders of today, who have contributed so much to the
betterment of our nation, our beloved state of California and our
communities in the 34th Congressional District.
In particular, I wish to honor the Most Reverend Archbishop Lapajian,
and the Reverend Babouchian, Pastor of the Holy Cross Armenian
Apostolic Cathedral in Montebello, California for their faithful
spiritual guidance.
And, it is appropriate to recognize two former Armenian-American
elected officials who made an enormous contribution to the State of
California and the communities of the 34th Congressional District, the
Honorable George Deukmejian, who served as a Member of the State
Assembly, state Senator, Attorney General and Governor of California;
and the Honorable Walter J. Karabian, who served as Majority Leader of
the California State Assembly. Their exemplary service has been a
beacon of hope to all that wish to realize the American dream of
opportunity and success.
In addition, I am pleased to recognize the service of the Honorable
Tom Malkasian, City Treasurer of the city of Montebello, and member of
the board of the Armenian Mesrobian School.
I have also recently had the privilege to visit several worthy
leaders and institutions of the Armenian community in my district
including Raffi Chalian, President of the Armenian National Committee;
David Ghoogasian, Principal of the Armenian Mesrobian School; Anita
Haddad, Co-Chairwoman of the Armenian Relief Society; Manouk
Zeitounian, leader of the Homenetmen Athletics and Boy Scouts; Joseph
Gharibian, Member of the Board of Representatives of the Holy Cross
Armenian Apostolic Cathedral; and most significantly, Lucy Der
Minassian, Co-Chairwoman of the Armenian Relief Society, and herself a
survior of the Armenian genocide of 1915.
Mr. Speaker, in closing let every American stand with our Armenian
brothers and sisters noting this anniversary throughout the world,
together with the victims of torture and genocide whenever and wherever
it occurs, to honor their precious memory, in compassion for their
terrible suffering, and with unflinching resolve to never, never
forget.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, today, we solemnly observe the Armenian
genocide, a tragedy that took place nearly 84 years ago.
The courage and strength of the survivors and the memory of those who
perished are an inspiration to all of us to stand up here today. It is
our task to make sure that the Armenian genocide will never be
forgotten.
Over 6 million people of Armenian descent live in this country. Many
of them can still recount the persecution they faced from the Ottoman
Empire and the stories of the night of April 24, 1915, the night the
genocide began.
In observance of this date, we must remember the hard lessons learned
from this tragedy so that we will never forget our duty to fight
against human rights abuses, ``ethnic cleansing,'' genocide and other
crimes against humanity.
As we support the brave men and women fighting to stop the genocide
of ethnic Albanian's in Kosovo, we see that genocide is not simply a
sad chapter in history. The lessons of the Armenian genocide are ever
salient. In the Kosovo case, our country's message must be clear. When
a leader decides to erase a race of people from the earth, we will
react with all due force and determination to make sure that leader
fails.
The blood of genocide victims stains not only the hands of the
perpetrators, but also those who do nothing to stop it. We can not wash
our hands of this tragedy. We must remember the crimes of the past and
work to end all types of genocide. This includes dedicating ourselves
to ending the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.
Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, we must never forget what happened to the
Armenians 84 years ago, just as we must never overlook the human rights
violations which are happening today in all corners of the world.
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