[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 70 (Wednesday, May 16, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ARMENIAN REMEMBRANCE DAY

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                           HON. DOUG LAMBORN

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 16, 2012

  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 97th Commemoration 
of the Armenian Genocide. Today, I remember the one-and-a-half million 
Armenians that endured unspeakable suffering and loss at the hand of 
the Ottoman Empire during the first World War.
  Only with a thorough examination of history and open acknowledgement 
of the past will the plight of the Armenians be fully understood. As my 
colleagues know, last month was Genocide Awareness month. In addition 
to the genocide of Armenians, the 20th century bore witness to the loss 
of 6 million Jews and 400,000 other persons deemed ``non-desirable'' by 
the Nazis, and the modern-day horrors in Cambodia and Rwanda. All too 
often, we have not learned from past genocides.
  As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states ``No one shall be 
subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or 
punishment'' and that ``Everyone has the right to life, liberty and 
security of person.'' Though nothing changes the fact that mass 
killings and unspeakable acts of brutality occurred, today I wish to 
learn from the past to better bring about hope for a brighter, more 
peaceful future and reconciliation of the people of Armenia and Turkey.

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