[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 24, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMEMORATING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 24, 2013

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 
genocide of Armenians committed by the Ottoman Empire. We have a grave 
obligation, in truth and justice, to acknowledge this genocide against 
Armenians. This House is obligated, as is the government of the United 
States, and all peoples and governments around the world. That 
obligation is all the more grave because the Turkish government--our 
friend and ally--aggressively denies this genocide.
  The facts surrounding the genocide are well known and established 
beyond any doubt whatsoever. Beginning in April 1915, following years 
of pogroms and other repressive measures, Ottoman authorities undertook 
the systematic annihilation of as many as one and a half million 
Armenians through shootings, mass burnings, gassing, poisoning, 
drowning, forced labor, or death marches into the Syrian desert. The 
scale and ferocity of these atrocities were unprecedented in the modern 
era. The Honorable United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire 1913-
1916 Henry Morgenthau characterized the policy of the Ottoman 
government as a ``campaign of race extermination'' and was instructed 
by Secretary of State Robert Lansing to continue his protests along 
with the officials of many other countries, including allies of the 
Ottomans. Most tellingly, the post-World War I Turkish government 
indicted the top leaders involved in the ``organization and execution'' 
of the policy and in the ``massacre and destruction of the Armenians.'' 
The chief organizers were all condemned to death for their crimes, 
though the verdicts of the courts were not enforced.
  As is well known, Raphael Lemkin did not coin the term ``genocide'' 
until 1944, almost 30 years after the Ottoman massacre of Armenians. 
But in his groundbreaking work on the subject, Lemkin cited the case of 
the Armenians as the classic example of genocide. His idea of genocide 
as an offense against international law was widely accepted by the 
international community and was one of the legal bases of the trial of 
Nazi leaders at Nuremburg.
  Despite the overwhelming preponderance of evidence of the Ottoman 
government's policy of annihilation of Armenians and the virtually 
universal acceptance of the Armenian case as a classic example of 
genocide, the government of the modern state of Turkey refuses to 
acknowledge the crimes of the previous regime as the responsibility of 
the Ottoman government or as a case of genocide. Indeed, the Turkish 
government even has undertaken the persecution of those Turks who 
recognize the genocide.
  One day the Turkish government will acknowledge the genocide. That 
will be a great day for Turkey--for the moral air of the country--and a 
truly patriotic gesture, a sign of spiritual strength. The sooner the 
better! The United States does a disservice to Turkey and its people by 
facilitating genocide denial by not pressing Turkey harder to 
acknowledge the truth.

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