PALLONE KEEPS HOUSE FOCUSED ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION BY DISCUSSING WAR TRIBUNALS IN SPEECH ON FLOOR
Frank Pallone Jr.

States News Service, US
by the office of New Jersey
July 25, 2007 Wednesday
Washington

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ,) co-chairman of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, made the following statement yesterday
on the floor of the House of Representatives referencing the Turkish
war trials at the end of World War I, in which top Turkish government
officials were found guilty of genocide. This is the third in a series
of speeches the New Jersey congressman plans to give on the House
floor in an effort to continue to build support for the Armenian
Genocide Resolution. Recently, the Resolution gained the support of
a majority of House members.

"Madame Speaker, the denial of the Armenian genocide is an absurdity.

Looking at the history of this catastrophic event from 1915 to 1918,
it is impossible to deny that this was indeed genocide on all accounts.

"One way to bear witness to the truth is to make reference to the war
trials that took place immediately following the end of World War I.

Looking at the substantial evidence and testimony gathered during
these trials proves that this was an indisputable genocide aimed at
destroying a race.

"Following the Ottoman Empire’s defeat in World War I, a new
government formed and accused its predecessor Young Turk regime of
serious crimes. These accusations led to the court-martialing of the
leadership of the Committee on Union and Progress, the party that
had seized and held power since 1908.

"Nearly four hundred of the key government officials implicated in
the atrocities committed against the Armenians were arrested. They
were deported to Malta where they were held while searches were made
of archives in Istanbul, London, Paris and Washington to investigate
their actions. The charges included the unconstitutional seizure of
power, wartime profiteering and the massacres of Armenians.

"At least six regional courts convened in provincial cities where
massacres had occurred. The first recorded trial took place in Yozgat
charging three officials, including the governor, of mass murder of
the Armenians of Ankara.

"Testimony revealed that Major Tevfik Bey, commander of the Yozgat
military police, had almost completely wiped out the Armenian
population of Yozgat. It confirmed that the deportation of the
Armenians was a "policy of extermination" and that the people were
marched off "with arms and hands tied up" and later killed with "axes,
spades, swords, knives, and hatchets." Meanwhile, Governor Kemal
told a captain that he had "made a vow on the honor of the prophet:
I shall not leave a single Armenian alive in the sanjak of Yozgat."

"The most famous trial took place in Istanbul in April 1919. There
twelve defendants, all members of the Committee on Union and Progress
leadership and former ministers, were tried. Seven key figures,
including Talt Pasha, minister of interior; Enver Pasha, minister of
war; and Cemal Pasha, governor of Aleppo, had fled, and therefore,
were tried in absentia. One authenticated secret telegram from July
17, 1915 quoted orders from Pasha that "the salvation of the country
requires the elimination of the Armenians."

"Even more evidence against these top officials was delivered in the
key indictment which included forty-two incriminating documents that
had been gathered by the Mazhar Commission. These documents, such as
telegrams, memos, statements and depositions, all confirmed that the
campaign to exterminate the Armenians was premeditated and deliberate.

"Some of the accused were found guilty of the charges. There were
three hangings and numerous prison convictions. Most significantly,
the ruling triumvirate of Young Turks consisting of Mehmed Talaat,
Ismail Enver and Ahmed Djemal, were condemned to death. They, however,
eluded justice by fleeing abroad.

"Many more of the convicted did not serve out their prison sentences
and a majority of the perpetrators escaped punishment after a prisoner
exchange deal. To this day, there is still no justice for the victims
of the Armenian genocide.

"Madame Speaker, I wish to express my support for swift passage of
H. Res. 106 which reaffirms the Armenian Genocide. It now has 224
cosponsors, a majority of the House. 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.

"We must stand up and recognize the tragic events that began in
1915 for what they were—the systematic elimination of a people. By
recognizing these actions as genocide we can renew our commitment to
prevent such atrocities from occurring again."