[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 26, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S2933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE ARMENIAN VICTIMS OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memory of the 
1.5 million ethnic Armenians that were systematically murdered at the 
hands of the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923. The 85th anniversary of the 
beginning of this brutal annihilation was marked on April 24.
  During this nine year period, a total of 1.75 million ethnic 
Armenians were either slaughtered or forced to flee their homes to 
escape the certain death that awaited them at the hands of a 
government-sanctioned force determined to extinguish their very 
existence. As a result, fewer than 80,000 ethnic Armenians remain in 
what is present-day Turkey.
  I have come to the floor to commemorate this horrific chapter in 
human history each year I have been a member of this body, both to 
honor those who died and to remind the American people of the chilling 
capacity for violence that, unfortunately, still exists in the world. 
It is all too clear from the current ethnically and religiously 
motivated conflicts in such places as the Balkans, Sierra Leone, and 
Sudan that we have not learned the lessons of the past.
  Recently, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, of which I am a 
member, had the honor of hearing the testimony of one of the most well-
known survivors of the Holocaust, Dr. Elie Wiesel. His eloquent words 
remind us that the same capacity for hate that drove the Ottoman Empire 
to murder ethnic Armenians and the Nazis to murder Jews is still 
present in the world. At the hearing, Dr. Wiesel said, ``violence is 
the language of those who can no longer express themselves with 
words.''
  This hate manifests itself in many ways, from extreme nationalism to 
so-called ``ethnic cleansing'' to violations of the basic human rights 
of ethnic and religious minorities. And, in some cases, those filled 
with hate attempt to mimic the horrific events and beliefs of times 
past. For example, I am deeply disturbed by the apparent resurgence of 
right wing and anti-Semitic movements in Europe.
  Dr. Wiesel also said, ``to hate is to deny the other person's 
humanity.'' Today, let us take a moment to remember the Armenians who 
died at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, and all of the other innocent 
people who have lost their lives in the course of human history simply 
for who they were. Our humanity may depend on it.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise to join with Armenians throughout the 
United States, in Armenia, and around the world in commemorating the 
85th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
  On the night of April 24, 1915 in Constantinople, nationalist forces 
of the Ottoman Empire rounded up more than 200 Armenian religious, 
political, and intellectual leaders and murdered them in a remote 
countryside location. This atrocity began an eight year campaign of 
tyranny that would affect the lives of every Armenian in Asia Minor.
  Armenian men, women, and children of all ages fell victim to murder, 
rape, torture, and starvation. By 1923, an estimated 1.5 million 
Armenians had been systematically murdered and another 500,000 were 
exiled. With the world community consumed in the events of World War I 
and the subsequent period of recovery, the plight of the Armenian 
people went unanswered.
  Today, this tragic episode in history serves to unite the Armenian 
people as they struggle to build an independent nation committed to 
democracy and peace in the Caucasus region. Despite the unresolved 
conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ongoing blockade by Turkey and the 
violent attack on the Armenian Parliament last October, Armenians 
continue to build on these principles. It is this indomitable spirit 
that has kept the hope of Armenians alive through centuries of 
persecution.
  The madness and cruelty which led to the tragic events of the 
Armenian genocide are not forgotten. Last year, when hundreds fled 
their homes in Kosovo, fearing for their lives, America and its NATO 
allies reacted quickly and decisively. We, as a nation, must continue 
to respond to such acts of oppression so that the deaths of all victims 
of hatred and prejudice are not in vain.
  Therefore, on the 85th anniversary of the terrible tragedy of the 
Armenian genocide we remember the past and rededicate ourselves to 
supporting Armenia as it looks to the future.

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