[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 56 (Thursday, April 22, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                84TH COMMEMORATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 1999

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 84th 
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. On April 24, 1915, a group of 
Armenian religious, political, and intellectual leaders were summarily 
arrested, taken to Turkey and murdered, commencing a dark and solemn 
period in the history of Armenians. From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman 
Empire launched a systematic campaign to exterminate Armenians. In 
eight short years, more than 1.5 million Armenians suffered through 
atrocities such as deportation, forced slavery, and torture. Most were 
ultimately slaughtered.
  And yet, despite irrefutable evidence, Turkey has refused to admit 
the Armenian Genocide occurred, and continues to harbor hatred towards 
its neighbors. In addition to denying the crimes committed against the 
Armenian people, Turkey continues to block the flow of humanitarian aid 
and commerce to Armenia.
  In the face of this tragedy, children and grandchildren of the 
survivors of the Armenian Genocide have gone on to positively impact 
society, while at the same time preserving their heritage and unique 
identity. Over 60,000 Armenian-Americans live in the greater Boston 
area. Within Massachusetts, many of these Armenians have formed public 
outreach groups seeking to educate society about Armenia's culture. One 
particular group, Project Save, operates out of Watertown, 
Massachusetts. ``Project Save collects photographs of Armenian people 
and places in the homeland and the world-wide diaspora.'' This 
remarkable organization preserves the Armenian culture and history 
through restoration of photographs from all over the world. Some of 
these photographs date back as early as 1893.
  Last year, the world, once again, united to condemn atrocities 
committed towards fellow human beings. Both the United Nations Human 
Rights Commission and the General Assembly adopted a resolution, 
introduced by Armenian Ambassador Rouben Shugarian, to commemorate the 
50th anniversary of the UN Genocide Convention. By adopting the 
resolution, member nations recognized that ``the crime of genocide 
[was] an odious scourge which had inflicted great losses on humanity 
and was convinced that international cooperation was required to 
facilitate the speedy prevention and punishment of the crime of 
genocide.'' Here in the United States Congress, I am a proud cosponsor 
of a resolution honoring the memory of the victims of the Armenian 
genocide and calling for the United States to encourage the Republic of 
Turkey to acknowledge and commemorate the atrocity committed against 
the Armenian population by the Ottoman Empire.
  It is sad and frustrating that at the beginning of this century, 
Armenians were murdered en masse, and now at the end of the 20th 
century the same type of brutal killing of innocent people continues. 
Since 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has costs thousands of lives 
and produced over 1.4 million refugees.
  Let me say, that as a member of the Congressional Armenian caucus, I 
will continue to work with my colleagues and with the Armenian-
Americans in my district. Together we will demand more accountability 
from Azerbaijan and Turkey for their persistent bullying of their 
neighbor and search for a way to end the Armenian people's suffering. 
We must continue to be viligant, we must preserve the cultural history 
of Armenians, and we must work towards ending crimes against all 
humanity.

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