[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 27, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2379-H2380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TIME TO REMEMBER THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, this April marks the 89th anniversary of 
the cataclysmic events that occurred in the Turkish Ottoman Empire 
between 1915 and 1923, where 1.5 million Armenians were killed and over 
a half million survivors were forcibly deported into exile.
  On Sunday, I had the privilege to participate in a service at the 
Armenian Church of Our Savior in Worcester, Massachusetts, where in the 
presence of 19 survivors, the community of Worcester paid homage to the 
martyrs and survivors of the Armenian Genocide and their descendents.
  Mr. Speaker, last May, the House Committee on the Judiciary reported 
out House Resolution 193. We have been waiting for nearly 1 year now 
for the Speaker of the House to schedule this bill for a debate and for 
a vote, and I would urge at this time that the Speaker schedule this 
bill as quickly as possible so that the House of Representatives may 
join those nations and those scholars who affirm the Genocide 
Convention and recognize the Armenian Genocide and Holocaust as 
genocides of the 20th century.
  Mr. Speaker, I am submitting for the Record comments I made at the 
Armenian Church of Our Savior this past Sunday.

       I would very much like to thank Father Terzian and the 
     community of faith of the Armenian Church of Our Savior for 
     inviting me once again to this commemoration. It is one of 
     the great privileges of my office to participate in this 
     annual day of remembrance of the martyrs and survivors of the 
     Armenian Genocide.
       It is a privilege to be in the company of our city's mayor, 
     the Honorable Tim Murray, and in the company of Councilor 
     Petty, Representative Leary, Representative Fresolo, Senator 
     Moore, Senator Glodis, and Selectman Montocalvo. And I am 
     very much looking forward to the pleasure of hearing the 
     Worcester Chorale perform after their five-month break, under 
     the continuing leadership of Maestro Petrossian.
       It is also a pleasure for me to share the podium with 
     Nathaniel Mencow, who is so well known for his work as a 
     historian, and who has worked for so long for the recognition 
     of the heroic service of his brother, First Lieutenant 
     William Martin Mencow, who gave his life in defense of 
     freedom during World War II.
       But I am most privileged and most honored to be here in the 
     presence of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, their 
     descendents, and the descendents of those who perished in the 
     genocide.
       This April marks the 89th anniversary of the cataclysmic 
     events that occurred in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 
     1923, where one-and-a-half million Armenians were killed and 
     over half-a-million survivors were exiled.
       Our city has been especially blessed by the presence and 
     contributions of a large and vital Armenian community. Each 
     year we come to this church to recognize, honor and remember 
     that this rich heritage is, in part, a sad inheritance paid 
     with the blood of millions of innocent men, women and 
     children.
       I know that most of you are aware that legislation has been 
     introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives which 
     reaffirms U.S. support for the Genocide Convention, calls 
     upon the president and the U.S. government to work to prevent 
     future genocides, and recognizes the Armenian Genocide.
       This bill, H. Res. 193, has 110 bipartisan cosponsors and 
     was reported out of the House Judiciary Committee last May. 
     It has been waiting for nearly one year now for the Speaker 
     of the House, Dennis Hastert, to put it on the schedule of 
     the House for debate and vote.
       I am always amazed that there are those in Congress who 
     view this bill as controversial. They are influenced, in 
     part, by those voices who continue to deny that the Armenian 
     Genocide or the Holocaust, which is also cited in this bill, 
     ever happened. The Turkish government, for example, claims 
     that the Armenian Genocide does not meet the definition of 
     genocide, despite the fact that the father of the Genocide 
     Convention, human rights pioneer Rafael Lemkin, specifically 
     cited the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide as the two 
     clear instances of genocidal crimes covered by the 
     Convention.
       Contrary to the Turkish government's claims, legal 
     scholars, historians, human rights organizations, journalists 
     and the majority of political leaders around the world firmly 
     believe and assert that the 1915 mass slaughter of Armenians 
     fits the legal definition of genocide.
       Israel Charney, the noted genocide and Holocaust scholar 
     and the editor of the respected Encyclopedia of Genocide, has 
     written extensively about the psychology of genocide denial. 
     He has stressed that to deny the countless deaths of a known 
     event of genocide is to celebrate those deaths and to send a 
     signal that the power that brought about this destruction is 
     still in force and can be used again when opportunity 
     permits. To seek to erase agonizing memories--to assert that 
     those memories are false--is to

[[Page H2380]]

     openly mock the feelings and sensibilities of the victims and 
     their descendents--to once again victimize the victims.
       This is why it is so important to recognize--openly and 
     freely, officially and informally, every single day--the 
     events of the Armenian Genocide.
       America, along with the rest of the world, is famous for 
     using the words ``never again,'' when speaking about the 
     Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust carried out by Nazi 
     Germany. Unfortunately, ``never again'' happens over and over 
     again--in Cambodia, in Rwanda, in Kosovo, and now in present-
     day Sudan.
       It has been a blessing to me in my work that when genocide 
     threatens any people, anywhere in the world, the Armenian-
     American community has always worked to bring these events to 
     my attention and to the attention of U.S. and international 
     policy-makers. The Armenian-American community has always 
     joined with other organizations to educate the public about 
     present-day horrors and to organize relief and support for 
     victims and survivors.
       In this way, through these works, the tragedy of the 
     Armenian Genocide is transformed into a legacy of life, of 
     hope, of survival and resistance.
       So, I come here today not only to remember and honor the 
     martyrs, survivors and descendants of the Armenian Genocide, 
     but to honor and celebrate this community, which has given 
     back so much to this city and our country.
       Please let me thank you--each and every one of you--for 
     allowing me to share this day with you.

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