[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5061]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               101ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 101st 
anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
  Between 1915 and 1923, the Ottoman Empire executed a deliberate 
massacre of more than 1.5 million Armenians. Over the course of 8 
years, Armenians were marched to their deaths in the deserts of the 
Middle East, murdered in concentration camps, drowned at sea, and 
forced to endure unimaginable acts of brutality. These barbaric acts 
were systematic, methodical, and intentional.
  More than 100 years have passed since the start of that horrific 
massacre, which an overwhelming number of academics and institutions 
have recognized as genocide, and there are countless testimonies from 
victims who lived to tell of their harrowing experiences.
  Pope Francis called the massacre against the Armenians ``the first 
genocide of the 20th century,'' declaring that ``concealing or denying 
evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it.''
  However, despite an irrefutable body of evidence, the U.S. Government 
has refused to call the deliberate massacre of the Armenians by its 
rightful name: genocide.
  For years, I have urged both Democratic and Republican 
administrations to acknowledge the truth of the Armenian genocide. 
Today I reiterate my call, and I hope that, this year, the United 
States will finally correct this century-old injustice.
  By affirming the Armenian genocide, the United States would join more 
than 20 countries across the globe--including Russia, France, and 
Germany--as well as the Vatican and 43 U.S. States standing on the 
right side of history.
  Recognizing the Armenian genocide is much more than a symbolic 
gesture. It will provide solace and relief to the descendants of the 
victims, particularly the hundreds of thousands of Armenian American 
citizens and residents. It will support a more equitable reconciliation 
between the Turkish and Armenian people. And most importantly, it will 
reaffirm U.S. leadership in preventing and responding to similar 
atrocities and in advancing the rights of vulnerable populations around 
the world.
  This year, as we take time to remember and honor the victims of the 
Armenian genocide, I hope the United States will finally stand on the 
right side of history and affirm the incontestable fact of the Armenian 
genocide.

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