By denying Armenian Genocide, the Turkish Government continues to perpetrate
genocide or oppression of its minorities: US Congressman

Arminfo
2007-04-28 13:25:00

Senators and Representatives joined Armenians around the world this
week in commemorating the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
in statements on the floors of their respective chambers of Congress,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) – "Mr. Speaker, if America is going to
live up to the standards we set for ourselves, and continue to lead
the world in affirming human rights everywhere, we need to finally
stand up and recognize the tragic events that began in 1915 for what
they were: the systematic elimination of a people… And the fact
of the matter is that when some of my colleagues say to me, ‘Well,
why do you need to bring up something that occurred 92 years ago,’
I say, ‘Because by denying this, the Turkish Government continues to
perpetrate genocide or oppression of its minorities.’"

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA): "Opponents take issue with the timing of the
[Genocide] resolution and argue that Turkey is making progress with
recognizing the dark chapters of its history. This claim lost all
credibility when Orhan Pamuk, Turkey’s Nobel Prize winning author
was brought up on charges for ‘insulting Turkishness’ for alluding
to the genocide, and Turkish Armenian publisher Hrant Dink was gunned
down outside his office in Istanbul earlier this year.

Yet some opponents go even further, such as a former Ambassador to
Turkey who argued that the time may never be right for America to
comment "on another’s history or morality." Such a ludicrous policy
would condemn Congress to silence on a host of human rights abuses
around the world. After more than ninety years and with only a few
survivors left, if the time is not right now to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, when will it be?"

Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) – "On April 24, 1915, 300 Armenian leaders were
rounded up and deported and killed under the orders from the young
Turk Government.

And so began the genocide that lasted for 7 years, resulting in an
estimated over 1.5 million Armenian deaths. To this day, unfortunately,
the Turkish Government denies that this occurred…Ladies and
gentlemen, Members of the House, I just returned from Darfur with a
group of our colleagues 2 weeks ago.

Over 450,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in Darfur;
yet government officials claim there in Darfur and Sudan that there
is no genocide, that the situation is overblown. Yesterday Rwanda,
today Darfur. And we can remember the Holocaust. Clearly, silence is
genocide’s best ally. It is time that the Congress end this silence
and pass the Armenian genocide resolution."

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) – "As the first genocide of the 21st
century–this time in Darfur–began to take shape, the world again
hesitated, this time to debate for months the definition of genocide,
as thousands died and thousands more were displaced. Today, 200,000
people have been killed in Darfur and 2.5 million driven from their
homes. And so, I rise Mr. Speaker not only to acknowledge and remember
the horrific events that befell the Armenian people at the dawn of the
last century, but also to highlight the horrific events occurring one
hundred years later in Darfur at the dawn of this century… For the
past few years, as the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide approached,
I hoped that year would be the year a solution to the crisis would
come. But, this year, instead of speaking of how the lessons of the
Armenian Genocide helped unite the world around a solution for Darfur,
I can only report of ongoing suffering and continued killings."