[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 27, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 27, 2004

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the victims 
of one of history's most terrible tragedies, the Armenian Genocide.
  April 24, 1915 is remembered and solemnly commemorated each year by 
the Armenian community and others throughout the world. On that day, 
Armenian religious, political, and intellectual leaders were arrested 
in Constantinople, taken to the interior of Turkey and murdered. In the 
years that followed, Armenians living under Ottoman rule were 
systematically deprived of their homes, property, freedom, dignity, and 
ultimately their lives. By 1923, 1.5 million Armenians had been 
massacred and 500,000 more had been deported.
  The Armenian Genocide is a historical fact, despite the efforts of 
some to minimize its scope and deny its occurrence. Many of the 
survivors of the genocide came to the United States, where they and 
their descendants have contributed to our society in countless ways. In 
my district, there is a significant population of Armenian survivors 
and their families that showed heroic courage and a will to survive. 
With faith and courage, generations of Armenians have overcome great 
suffering and proudly preserved their culture, traditions, and religion 
and have told the story of the genocide to an often indifferent world. 
As Members of Congress and people of conscience, we must work to 
overcome the indifference and distortions of history, and ensure that 
future generations know what happened.
  Mr. Speaker, genocide is the most potent of all crimes against 
humanity because it is an effort to systematically wipe out a people 
and a culture as well as individual lives. Denying that genocide took 
place when there are recorded accounts of barbarity and ethnic violence 
is an injustice. This was a tragic event in human history, but by 
paying tribute to the Armenian community we ensure the lessons of the 
Armenian genocide are properly understood and acknowledged. I am 
pleased my colleagues and I have this opportunity to ensure this 
tragedy is remembered.

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