[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

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                         HON. MICHELE BACHMANN

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2009

  Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, I believe it is important that we all 
remember the past, whether it relates to people's positive actions or 
their negative. The saying that those who do not know their past are 
doomed to repeat it holds much truth. For that reason, today I rise to 
recognize a tragic event in human history that resulted in the loss of 
the lives of nearly 1.5 million Armenians during World War I.
  On April 24, 1915, the then-Ottoman Empire began the systematic 
execution of Armenians, an event now known as the Armenian Genocide. 
While a large number of Armenians were killed outright, many others 
suffered and died of starvation and diseases which spread through their 
concentration camps. By 1923, the entire Armenian population previously 
inhabiting the landmass of Asia Minor and West Armenia had been 
eliminated.
  As a Member of Congress, I have joined with nearly one hundred of my 
colleagues in support of legislation affirming the United States record 
on the Armenian Genocide and urging the President to ensure U.S. 
foreign policy reflects an understanding of the human suffering 
relating to this genocide. I appreciate the efforts of the 
International Association of Genocide Scholars, which recently appealed 
to President Barack Obama requesting that he remain true to his 
previous statements and, as President, recognize the Armenian Genocide 
as, ``a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of 
historical evidence.''
  Madam Speaker, the United States serves as an example to the world of 
what can be achieved when basic human rights are protected and 
nurtured. It is in this role that we must recognize this methodic 
extermination of over one million Armenians during World War I. 
Moreover, I believe that through appropriate recognition, we can work 
to ensure that atrocities such as the Armenian Genocide are remembered, 
and not relived.

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