[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19092-19093]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ARMENIAN GENOCIDE--PERSONAL ACCOUNT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
discuss the irrefutable fact of the Armenian genocide. Looking at the 
history of this catastrophic event from 1915 to 1918 and the impact it 
had on the Armenian people, it is impossible to deny that this was 
indeed genocide by all accounts. But one way, Mr. Speaker, to bear 
witness to the truth is to make reference to personal accounts when the 
genocide occurred at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.
  Thousands of Armenians have their own account of the horrific events 
their families had to endure, but tonight I would like to tell the 
story of one person, Mrs. Haigoohi Hanessian, from Syracuse, New York.
  Mrs. Hanessian was born in 1906 in Taurus, Turkey. In 1909, her 
family fled from their home after receiving word that the Turks were 
leading a massacre on all Armenians in the area. They took refuge in an 
institution, and I should say they took refuge, Mr. Speaker, in an 
American institution, and finally returned to their home only to find 
it burned to the ground. After traveling and staying with family in 
different areas, they eventually moved back to Taurus, Turkey.
  Yet, again, in 1915, the Armenians were being exiled. Her family was 
forced to board a train with an unknown destination. With thousands of 
others, they were herded into these trains, confined in small boxcars 
for days with no food and no water. Mrs. Hanessian recalls that if 
someone died on the train, they were simply thrown off the train and 
were left on the side of the tracks.
  When they finally arrived at their destination, they were placed in 
barracks. She speaks of the sentiments towards the Armenians at the 
time, stating, ``They wanted all the Armenians to vanish from the 
Earth. Instead of killing them, they suffered and died.''
  The Armenians were then marched through desert towards Syria in 
extreme heat, again with no food and no water. On the way, many died 
and were left to rot. After they reached a small village in Syria, they 
stayed until they were told to move again. She remembers, ``An order 
came from all the General Headquarters that all Armenians either be 
killed or deny their religion and become Muslims.'' Many people 
converted to save their lives, while others died to preserve their 
faith.
  The Armenians were forced to relocate from village to village. They 
were left with no money and no supplies, and had to find ways to 
survive. She said, ``You couldn't get in touch with anybody. You didn't 
know what to do. We were hungry. It was terrible. We were all dying. We 
were just skeletons, no food, no nothing.''
  Unlike much of Mrs. Hanessian's family who died or disappeared in the 
genocide, she survived and was able to relocate to the United States 
and rebuild her life in Syracuse, New York.

[[Page 19093]]

She has since passed away, but not before she left her story behind, 
and I am proud to be able to retell her memories, which must never be 
forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my support this evening for swift 
passage of H. Resolution 106, reaffirming the Armenian Genocide. The 
resolution now has a majority of the Members of the House as cosponsors 
on a bipartisan basis.
  As the first genocide of the 20th century, it is morally imperative 
that we remember this atrocity and collectively demand reaffirmation of 
this crime against humanity. By properly affirming the Armenian 
genocide, we can also help ensure its legacy and rightfully honor its 
victims and survivors like Mrs. Hanessian.

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