[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6560]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT GARRETT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 8, 2013

  Mr. GARRETT. Mr. Speaker, today, we remember the Armenian people who 
lost their lives almost a century ago in the Armenian Genocide. In the 
first genocide of the 20th century, Ottoman officials arrested more 
than 200 Armenian leaders. Subsequently, 1.5 million Armenians were 
arrested and forced to march hundreds of miles to the present-day 
Syrian Desert. Men, women, and children were starved and tortured 
solely because of their faith and ethnicity.
  Yet, there are some today who still choose not to recognize the 
atrocities that occurred between 1915 and 1923. But we know the truth. 
We know there were men, women, children, and families who were detained 
and ordered to march into the desert. We know there were those who were 
forced to escape their homes in search of safety. And we know there 
were those who never made it out.
  Scripture says before you make comment about the speck in someone 
else's eye, remove the plank from your eye. Well, we certainly have a 
plank in our eye from the Administration and from the State Department, 
who is just refusing to do what is right in this area. So, we must 
first address and remove that plank in our eye and make the admission 
in this country and then we can call even more strongly on other 
countries, specifically Turkey.
  We must continue to remember the injustice and acts of hatred that 
occurred almost a century ago. By doing so, we work to prevent a 
repetition of atrocities. And by continuing to hold events such as the 
annual commemoration, we make our voices heard. I can only hope that 
our acknowledgement and recognition of the crimes against humanity will 
set an example, paving the way for a peaceful resolution between the 
Turkey and Armenia. Thank you.

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