[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 24, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H1525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMEMORATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor on this very 
special and important day to join my colleagues and individuals 
throughout the world in commemorating the 86th anniversary of the 
Armenian Genocide. We must never forget the tragedy of the Armenian 
Genocide, and this commemoration makes an important contribution to 
making sure that we never do.
  When most people hear the word ``genocide'' they immediately think of 
Hitler and his persecution of the Jews during World War II. Many 
individuals are unaware that the first genocide of the 20th century 
occurred during World War I and was perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire 
against the Armenian people.
  Concerned that the Armenian people would move to establish their own 
government, the Ottoman Empire embarked on a reign of terror that 
resulted in the massacre of over 1.5 million Armenians, men, women and 
children. This atrocious crime began on April 15, 1915, when the 
Ottoman Empire arrested, exiled, and eventually killed hundreds of 
Armenian religious, political, and intellectual leaders.
  Once they had eliminated the Armenian people's leadership, they 
turned their attention to the Armenians that were serving in the 
Ottoman army. These soldiers were disarmed and placed in labor camps 
where they were either starved or executed. The Armenian people, 
lacking political leadership and deprived of young, able-bodied men who 
could fight against the Ottoman onslaught were then deported from every 
region of Turkish Armenia. The images of human suffering from the 
Armenian Genocide are graphic and as haunting as the pictures of the 
Holocaust.
  Why, then, it must be asked, are so many people unaware of the 
Armenian Genocide? I believe the answer is found in the international 
community's response to this disturbing event or, I should say, lack of 
response. At the end of World War I, those responsible for ordering and 
implementing the Armenian Genocide were never brought to justice, and 
the world casually forgot about the suffering and pain of the Armenian 
people, and that proved to be a grave mistake. In a speech that is now 
recorded, a speech made by Adolf Hitler just prior to the invasion of 
Poland in 1939, he justified his brutal tactics with the infamous 
statement, ``Who remembers the extermination of the Armenians?''
  Tragically, 6 years later, the Nazis had exterminated 6 million Jews. 
Never has the phrase, ``those who forget the past will be destined to 
repeat it'' been more applicable. If the international community had 
spoken out against this merciless slaughtering of the Armenian people 
instead of ignoring it, the horrors of the Holocaust might never have 
taken place.
  Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate the 86th anniversary of the Armenian 
Genocide, I believe it is time to give this event its rightful place in 
history. This afternoon and this evening, let us pay homage to those 
who fell victim to the Ottoman oppressors and tell the story, the story 
of the forgotten genocide. This, for the sake of the Armenian heritage, 
is certainly a story that must be heard.


                                  Armenian Assembly of America

                                                   Washington, DC.
     The Armenian Assembly of America, Commemoration of the 
       Armenian Genocide
       On April 24, we remember and mourn the victims of the 
     Armenian Genocide of 1915. Not a single family went 
     untouched; none were spared the pain of that brutal 
     slaughter. Because its victims and witnesses were ignored and 
     its lessons unlearned, the Genocide set the stage for the 
     Holocaust and the genocides that followed. The 20th century's 
     first genocide continues to cast its dark shadow over the 
     21st century.
       The Turkish people and the Republic of Turkey should 
     recognize that it is in their own best interest to come to 
     terms with the role their Ottoman predecessors played in the 
     Armenian Genocide and reject denial. No other country in the 
     world should support Turkey's indefensible position. There is 
     a growing awareness and understanding of this fact, even 
     within turkey itself. We were encouraged this year by reports 
     from Turkey that public discussion of the topic has increased 
     significantly.
       It is our hope that the Turkish people, confronted with 
     international recognition and spurred by desire to finally 
     join the European family of nations, will reconcile with 
     their past. Such reconciliation will lay the groundwork to 
     build a better future.
     Hirair Hovnanian,
       Chairman, Board of Trustees.
     Van Z. Krikorian,
       Chairman, Board of Directors.

       

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