[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 149 (Tuesday, September 17, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING ASSYRIAN MEMORIAL DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 17, 2019

  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of the Assyrian 
people. On the occasion of Assyrian Memorial Day, we pay our respects 
to and remember those Assyrians who have lost their lives to genocide 
and persecution.
  The Assyrian people have faced systematic persecution from the early 
20th century to the present day. From 1915 to 1918, 750,000 men, women, 
and children of Assyrian descent were killed under the Ottoman Empire, 
while still hundreds of thousands more became homeless and stateless 
refugees. In the Simele Massacre on August 7, 1933, 3,000 Assyrians 
were killed at the hands of the then-government of Iraq. In recent 
years, ISIS committed a brutal genocide against religious and ethnic 
minorities, including Assyrians, killing thousands of people.
  We will ensure these tragedies are never forgotten. I would like to 
recognize New York State Assemblyman Nader Sayegh for his work in 
highlighting the valuable contributions that members of the Assyrian-
American community have made in my state and across the country. We 
must recall the commitment of the United States to promoting freedom 
and human rights for all people regardless of their national, 
religious, or ethnic identity and remain steadfast in our conviction.
  We must continue to speak out against injustice everywhere and 
contribute to a world in which all people can live without fear of 
genocide or persecution.

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