[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 25, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          NINETY-SECOND COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 23, 2007

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise to remind the world that the 
24th of April marks the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a 
systematic and deliberate campaign of the Ottoman Empire to exterminate 
an entire people. I also rise to reaffirm my support for the adoption 
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H. Res. 106. This legislation 
contains a long list of U.S. and international involvement against the 
Armenian Genocide of 1915.


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  April 25, 2007--On Page H854 the following appeared: Mr. 
CONYERS. Madam Speaker, tonight
  
  The online version should be corrected to read: Mr. CONYERS. Mr. 
Speaker, tonight


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  Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term `genocide' in 1944, and who was 
the earliest proponent of the United Nations Convention on the 
Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, invoked the Armenian case as a 
definitive example of genocide in the 20th century. The time is now for 
the Administration to describe what occurred as a genocide. There is no 
option for continued denial.
  Atrocities which fell upon a nation almost a century ago are still 
crying out for commemoration. Armenia's people did not get sufficient 
recognition of their devastation and our government has yet to take an 
appropriate position in this matter. Considering how well documented 
the Armenian genocide is in U.S. archives and through an overwhelming 
body of firsthand, governmental, and diplomatic evidence, this is 
nothing less than a disgrace.
  Previous Congresses undertook many efforts to pass legislation 
recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Unfortunately, all those attempts 
failed. Now, however, the movement to recognize the genocide has 
generated enough momentum that passage of this resolution is finally 
possible. Congressman Pallone, Chair of the Congressional Caucus on 
Armenian Issues, has been a stalwart champion of this legislation.
  The grassroots campaign ``End the Cycle of Genocide'' focuses on the 
lessons we can learn from this tragic chapter in history. We understand 
the horror of past genocides and recognize that mass exterminations 
underway today need to be stopped. We cannot remain silent as we 
observe from a distance how perpetrators execute their power over 
minorities. Now more than ever, as the world is gripped by unrest and 
terrorism, the memory of the Armenian Genocide underscores our 
responsibility to help convey our cherished traditions of respect for 
fundamental human rights and opposition to mass slaughter.
  For these reasons, I support H. Res. 106 and call upon the President 
to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects an 
appropriate level of understanding and sensitivity concerning issues 
related to the Armenian Genocide.

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