[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              COMMEMORATING ASSYRIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Harder) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HARDER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
August 7, Assyrian Genocide Memorial Day.
  Many Americans are already familiar with the horrors of the Armenian 
genocide. But not nearly as many know about the genocide of innocent 
Assyrian civilians by the Ottoman Empire; which is why I am leading a 
resolution to finally recognize the genocide of Assyrians in the Middle 
East.
  Many of my Assyrian friends and neighbors in California's Central 
Valley still carry the weight of this horrific event.
  Beginning in 1914, the Ottoman Empire is estimated to have 
slaughtered 300,000 innocent Assyrians; but some experts believe the 
true death toll is much higher. On August 7, Shovah b'tabakh, we 
remember those who were lost, and we say never again.
  My resolution would take simple steps to do both. It would assert 
that Turkey, the inheritor of the Ottoman tradition, must recognize the 
genocide; and it would condemn any efforts to associate the U.S. with 
genocide denial.
  My resolution would recognize the resilience of the Assyrian people 
who endured the genocide, the Simele massacre, and are now threatened 
once again by holdouts in ISIS. And they have survived all of this 
without a homeland to call their own.
  Today, we remember the Sadih, the martyrs. We think of their 
families. We recommit ourselves to upholding the rights of all people 
to live freely and in safety.

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