[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5900-5901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  85TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1915 GENOCIDE OF THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE BY THE 
                           TURKISH GOVERNMENT

  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 85th 
anniversary of the 1915 Genocide of the Armenians by the Turkish 
Government. As so many of you are aware, between 1915 and 1923 more 
than one and a half million Armenians perished from atrocities 
committed against them. Yet the brave Armenian people persevered.
  As the grandson of Lebanese immigrants, I am, of course, very 
familiar with the historic ties that have bound Armenians to the 
Lebanese. We have sheltered and strengthened one another in time of 
need. As peoples we have become close because the experience of being 
forced from one's home and homeland is not new to either of us.
  Through mass deportations, starvation, disease, and outright 
massacres, Armenians have carried their heads high, as they carried on 
their way of life or carried their culture to new lands. The strength 
and pride in Armenian heritage have kept alive the memory of those who 
perished in the genocide. I rise today to pay tribute to that strong, 
proud heritage.
  As a constant symbol of the strength and perseverance through which 
oppressed peoples survive, the Armenian genocide must serve as a 
reminder that we must never forget the atrocities of the past, lest 
they be repeated.
  The Senate Immigration Subcommittee, which I chair, recently held 
hearings on the status of Albanian refugees in Kosovo. I must say that 
I was impressed with the strength and faith of these people in the face 
of the great hardships visited on their people. And I was reminded of 
another people ``cleansed'' from its homeland by brutal invaders.
  But too few Americans are in a position to make that comparison. In 
the 85 years since the massacre of Armenians began, another great crime 
has been committed--the crime of keeping the truth from the world.
  This was a crime against all people, because it denied them the 
lessons to be learned from that tragic tale. But most of all it was a 
crime against all Armenians, alive and dead. For even the dead have at 
least one right--that of having their story told.
  The 1.5 million Armenians who died deserve to have the truth of their 
suffering known. Only when we know the horror that they went through 
can we comprehend the gravity of the crime. Only then will the rights 
of the dead be fulfilled. This is why we must make sure younger 
generations understand what happened and ensure that it never happens 
again.
  Eighty-four years ago the world had the opportunity to prevent the 
Armenian holocaust. But the world did not act. While there was much 
talk, there was no real help for the Armenians. If only we had known 
then that tyranny must be opposed early and steadfastly, perhaps this 
and future acts of genocide could have been prevented.
  But the world does not learn easily. Even today, massacres take place 
around the world, with people murdered not for what they have done but 
for whom they are.
  And we must wonder about the final goals of those who continue the 
blockade of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. We must make known to the 
world our opposition to such policies. We must fight to defend Section 
907, cutting off American aid to those enforcing the embargo. And we 
must not allow the lure of cheap oil from the Caspian, an illusion, 
really--lead us away from the path of truth and justice.
  To do justice to the memory of those who died we must see to it that 
justice is done to the living, to those who survived them. That means 
doing justice to Armenia, as well as to Armenians and other refugees.

[[Page 5901]]

  Today, I would like to join the Armenian-American community in 
remembering the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. We all would profit 
by reflecting on the strength of the Armenian people to persevere 
through this awful period in history.
  But today is not only a day to mourn those lost in this genocide but 
also a day to celebrate the resilience of the people of Armenia as they 
build a new democracy. Finally freed from communist imperialism, 
Armenia has quickly become one of the most democratic of the former 
Soviet Republics and has made great strides to adopt a market economy. 
I am gratified at the many cultural exchanges taking place between our 
two nations.
  As chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee I also am gratified at 
all the wonderful examples of success through hard work that have been 
provided by Armenian immigrants. Such stories make the argument for a 
kind and open policy toward refugees, victims of latter-day massacres, 
much stronger.
  I salute all Armenians today, I salute their predecessors who 
suffered so grievously, and I salute their struggle to let the truth be 
known.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, yesterday, April 24, marked the 85th 
anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian genocide. I rise today to 
acknowledge and commemorate this terrible crime and to help ensure that 
it will never be forgotten.
  On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire launched a brutal and 
unconscionable policy of mass murder. Over an eight year period, 1.5 
million Armenians were killed, and another 500,000 were driven from 
their homes, their property and land confiscated.
  As Americans, we are blessed with freedom and security, but that 
blessing brings with it an important responsibility. We must never 
allow oppression and persecution to pass without condemnation. By 
commemorating the Armenian genocide, we renew our commitment always to 
fight for human dignity and freedom, and we send out a message that the 
world can never allow genocide to be perpetrated again.
  Even as we remember the tragedy and honor the dead, we also honor the 
living. Out of the ashes of their history Armenians all across the 
world have clung to their identity and have prospered in new 
communities. My State of California is fortunate to be home to a 
community of Armenian-Americans a half a million strong. They are a 
strong and vibrant community whose members participate in every aspect 
of civic life, and California is richer for their presence.
  Let us never forget the victims of the Armenian genocide; let their 
deaths not be in vain. We must remember their tragedy to ensure that 
such crimes can never be repeated. And as we remember Armenia's dark 
past, we can take some consolation in the knowledge that its future is 
bright with possibility.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 85th 
Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Each year we need to remember and 
honor the victims, and pay respect to the survivors we are blessed to 
have with us today.
  During the 8-year period from 1915 to 1923, approximately 1.5 million 
Armenians were killed and hundreds of thousands were driven from their 
homes. April 24, 1915 serves as a marking point for the government-
orchestrated carnage that took place under the Turkish Ottoman Empire. 
On this date, over 5,000 Armenians were systematically hunted down and 
killed in Constantinople. This number includes some 600 Armenian 
political and intellectual leaders who were taken to the interior of 
Turkey and systematically murdered.
  A Polish law professor named Raphael Lemkin was the first to call the 
atrocities committed upon the Armenian people during period of 1915 to 
1923 the ``Armenian Genocide.'' Lemkin is also credited with coining 
the word ``genocide'' and making genocide a crime under international 
law. In 1939, Professor Lemkin escaped Poland during the Nazi invasion. 
Lemkin would ultimately lose 49 members of his family during the 
Holocaust. Until his death in 1959, Lemkin worked for the adoption of 
the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the crime of 
Genocide, which was ratified by the United States in 1988. Through this 
individual, these dark periods of Jewish and Armenian history have been 
joined in the important cause of remembrance.
  Each year we vow that the incalculable horrors suffered by the 
Armenian people will not be in vain. That is surely the highest tribute 
we can pay to the Armenian victims and a way in which the horror and 
brutality of their deaths can be given redeeming meaning. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in remembering the Armenian Genocide.

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