REP. SCHIFF VOWS TO CONTINUE FIGHT TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
US Fed News
April 24, 2008 Thursday 1:06 AM EST
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. (29th CD), issued the following news
release:
At an event on Capitol Hill last night in honor of the 93rd Anniversary
of the Armenia Genocide, Rep. Adam Schiff vowed to continue to lead
efforts in Congress to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Rep. Schiff
is the sponsor of "The Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the
Armenian Genocide" resolution (H. Res. 106) which calls on the
President to "ensure that the foreign policy of the United States
reflects appropriate understanding" of the "Armenian Genocide" and to
"accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation
of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide." His remarks from last night’s
event are below:
"I’m Congressman Adam Schiff and I’m very proud to represent one of the
largest Armenian communities in the country. Ninety-three years ago,
a million and a half people lost their lives for the simple reason
that they were Armenian. It began with a round-up of intellectuals. It
continued with forced marches in the desert; women and children,
parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles perished. Whole families
were lost. Almost an entire people were lost.
"Ninety-three years later we still fight in the greatest democracy
on earth to recognize the plain facts of what took place. We have
witnesses; some of them are here today. There are fewer and fewer
witnesses left, though, and while there are witnesses among us we have
the strongest moral imperative to recognize what they went through
and what their families went through.
"We have the strongest moral imperative to call that loss exactly what
it was – without equivocation, without mitigation – a genocide. And we
will fight until we succeed. We have a moral imperative and we have
a very practical imperative as well. And the practical imperative
is this, although this genocide took place ninety-three years ago,
there is also a genocide taking place today half-way around the
world. And we cannot have the moral authority we need to stand up
and ask the world to take action against that genocide if we don’t
have the courage and the moral rectitude to recognize this genocide
and indeed every genocide.
"So this must change, this will change, the fight will go on, we will
prevail. I ask your help and God’s help that we prevail in time for
the survivors to see justice done in their name."