[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 46 (Wednesday, April 12, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H2183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today to remember 
one of the worst atrocities of the twentieth century--the Armenian 
Genocide. April 24 will be the eighty-fifth anniversary of the 
beginning of the Armenian Genocide. Since that date falls during the 
April recess and the House will be out of session, I have chosen to 
make my remarks today.
  From 1915 to 1923, one-and-a-half million Armenians died and 
countless others suffered as a result of the systematic and deliberate 
campaign of genocide by the rulers of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Half 
a million Armenians who escaped death were deported from their 
homelands, in modern-day Turkey, to the harsh deserts of the Middle 
East.
  We cannot let succeeding generations forget these horrible 
atrocities, nor deny that they ever happened. Therefore it is important 
for the U.S. Government to recognize the Armenian Genocide and do what 
it can to ensure that the genocide's historical records are preserved, 
just as the artifacts of the nazi holocaust are preserved. By keeping 
memories alive through preserving history, we and our children can 
learn about the chilling consequences of mass hatred, bigotry and 
intolerance. And hopefully, by teaching and reminding ourselves of past 
atrocities, humanity will not be doomed to repeat them.
  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. In solidarity with the victims 
of the Jewish Holocaust, the Cambodian massacres, the Tutsi Genocide in 
Rwanda, and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, we must continually 
recognize these crimes against humanity and steadfastly oppose the use 
of genocide anywhere in the world.
  In closing, I hope that every American will stand in solidarity with 
our Armenian sisters and brothers to commemorate the eighty-fifth 
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Let us honor all victims of 
torture and genocide by paying tribute to their memory, showing them 
compassion, and never forgetting the suffering they have endured.

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