[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 60 (Thursday, April 29, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                84TH COMMEMORATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 1999

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank Mr. Pallone and Mr. 
Porter for organizing a special order on April 21 to commemorate the 
Armenian genocide and their leadership as co-chairmen of the 
Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus. I would also like to salute Mr. 
Bonior and Mr. Radanovich for their vision and initiative in 
introducing a resolution calling for a collection of all U.S. records 
relating to the Armenian genocide.
  On the 84th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. I rise today to 
join my colleagues and the Armenian-American community in honoring the 
memories of those who perished at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. 
April 24, 1915 is recognized the world over as the day hundreds of 
Armenian leaders in Constantinople were rounded up and killed. 
Thousands more were murdered in public. This began an eight year long 
killing spree that claimed the lives of over 1.5 million Armenian men, 
women and children--half of the world's Armenian population at the 
time. Moreover, 500,000 Armenians were forcibly driven out of their 
homeland to seek refuge in other nations. By 1923 the Turks 
successfully eradicated nearly all traces of a 3000 year-old 
civilization. There were 2.1 million Armenians in Turkey before 1915, 
now there are only 100,000, and Armenia itself is nearly empty of 
Armenians. An entire civilization was forced to watch as their world 
disintegrated around them.
  We cannot, should not and will not forget this tragic chapter in 
world history. It is a sad and shameful period. This moment allows us 
to reflect the dark side of human nature, a side we sometimes are 
unwilling to acknowledge, but acknowledge we must. If we do not 
remember, we are condemned to repeat our past mistakes.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand today with the Armenian-American community to 
commemorate the memories of the victims of the Armenian genocide in the 
hopes of such a crime against humanity will never be repeated. The 
Turks ravaged an entire civilization. We must heed the lessons 
contained in this sad and shameful period, we must remember, and we 
must learn never to forget.

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