[Congressional Record: April 24, 2007 (Extensions)]
[Page E850]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr24ap07-50]

NINETY-SECOND COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

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speech of

HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

of maryland

in the house of representatives

Monday, April 23, 2007

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the
anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century. More than 90
years ago, the Ottoman Empire organized a campaign to exterminate 1.5
million Armenians. The world watched as this horror unfolded before
them, and did nothing.
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.
As the world pauses today to remember those who suffered and died
during the Armenian Genocide, we need to ask ourselves if we have
really absorbed the lessons of that tragedy–and, if we are really
doing all that can be done to bring this century’s genocide to an end.

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