[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6287]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    COMMEMORATING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 24, 2001

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand with the Armenian-
American community to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, one of the 
darkest chapters of world history.
  First of all, I would like to thank the gentleman from Michigan and 
the gentleman from New Jersey for their leadership as co-chairmen of 
the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.
  Today marks the 86th year of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. 
The Armenian people were subjected to deportation, expropriation, 
torture, massacre, starvation, and abduction. April 24, 1915 is 
recognized the world over as the day the Ottoman Turks rounded and 
killed hundreds of Armenian leaders in Constantinople. Thousands more 
were murdered in public. This began an eight year long campaign that 
claimed the lives of over 1.5 million Armenian men, women and 
children--half of the world's Armenian population at the time. 
Moreover, 500,000 Armenians were forcibly driven out of their homeland 
to seek refuge in other nations.
  From 1915 to 1923, in a short eight years, the Ottoman Turks 
systematically and deliberately slaughtered over 1.5 million Armenians 
in their homeland. In a short eight years, in the blink of any eye, a 
2,500 year-old civilization--the first Christian nation in the world--
was almost wiped out.
  Because of modern-day Turkey's attempt to disavow the Armenian 
Genocide and dispute the historical records, we must continue to affirm 
the Armenian Genocide. We must continue to commemorate the victims and 
the survivors as a matter of conscience and as a matter of faith. I 
believe we must have faith that efforts to do so will make a difference 
and will help keep the memories alive despite the Turkish government's 
attempt to rewrite history. I believe we must have faith to work 
together in the hopes of preventing any type genocide from ever 
occurring again.
  As I said two years ago in this chamber and on this floor, we cannot, 
should not and will not forget the Armenian Genocide. As a matter of 
conscience, we should all stand together to speak out to remember the 
victims. While the Armenians have suffered through such tragic horrors, 
it would be an even greater tragedy if we forget. We will remember and 
honor their memories in the hopes for a better tomorrow.

                          ____________________