Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts
80 Bigelow Ave
Watertown, MA 02472
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
August 26, 2009
Contact: Dikran Kaligian
[email protected]
ANC Mourns Passing of Armenian Issues Stalwart Sen. Ted Kennedy
WATERTOWN, MA – The Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts
joined with citizens of the Commonwealth and Armenian Americans
across the U.S. in mourning the passing of Senate icon and lifelong
advocate of Armenian issues, Senator Ted Kennedy.
"Since his election in 1962, Senator Kennedy has been a fighter for
Armenian Genocide recognition, supporter of an independent and
prosperous Armenia and a defender of the right to self-
determination of the people of Nagorno Karabagh," said ANC of
Massachusetts Co-Chair Dikran Kaligian. "We join with ANCA leaders
on the national, regional and local levels and our community in
Massachusetts in honoring the life and legacy of Sen. Kennedy and
extend our deepest condolences to the Kennedy family."
———————————– —————–
Congressional Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide
—————————————– ———–
Sen. Kennedy’s support for passage of Armenian Genocide legislation
has been consistent, emphatic and vocal. As a member of the Senate
Judiciary Committee in 1989, Sen. Kennedy joined with then
Committee Chairman, now Vice-President Joe Biden and former
Illinois Senator Paul Simon in leading the fight for Committee
passage of a resolution which would mark April 24, 1990, as
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. Over the pronounced objections
of the U.S. State Department and the Turkish Government, the
Committee adopted S.J. 212 with a vote of 8 to 6.
Subsequently, Senator Kennedy has cosponsored successive Armenian
Genocide resolutions introduced in the Senate and cosigned letters
to President Bush urging him to properly characterize this crime
against humanity. He has spoken on the Senate floor numerous times
commemorating the Armenian Genocide, and in 1999, joined with
Armenian Americans across the U.S. at the annual ANCA Capitol Hill
Observance of the Armenian Genocide. "As my son [Rep. Patrick
Kennedy] and I were talking just a few moments ago, he reminded me
that if people here in the United States had paid attention to the
Genocide in the early part of this century, we would not have had,
perhaps, the tragedies in World War II and, if we had paid
attention to that tragedy, we might not have the tragedies that we
have in Kosovo," remarked Sen. Kennedy at the April 21, 1999 event.
Locally, in April 2000, Sen. Kennedy delivered the keynote address
at the historic Trinity Church in Boston as part of the community’s
commemoration of the 85th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
In June, 2006, following the State Department firing of U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia John Evans for his recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, Sen. Kennedy joined with fellow Commonwealth
Senator John Kerry in calling on Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice to explain the State Department’s actions. "We believe, and
the reports from our diplomats at that time, make clear that
genocide accurately described these events. Henry Morgenthau, then
our Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, described these actions as a
"campaign of race extermination," noted Senators Kennedy and Kerry
in a June 5th letter to Secretary Rice. They went on to ask for
"clarification as soon as possible about Ambassador Evans’
premature dismissal after 35 years of exemplary service to the
United States Government."
——————————- ———————
Staunch Supporter of Armenia and Self-Determination for Nagorno Karabagh
—————————————– ———–
>From the early days of Nagorno Karabagh’s calls for self-
determination, Sen. Kennedy was outspoken in his support for
legislation condemning Azerbaijani violence against the Armenian
communities in Sumgait and Baku, Azerbaijan and Section 907 of the
Freedom Support Act provisions to block U.S. assistance to
Azerbaijan until that country ends its aggression and lifts its
illegal blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.
In a May 17, 1991, statement on the Senate floor, Sen. Kennedy
condemned the latest round of Azerbaijani violence against Armenian
civilians, noting that "Since 1988, the world has witnessed anti-
Armenian pogroms in Azerbaijan during which hundreds of Armenians
have been killed and over 300,000 have been forced to flee that
area and seek refuge in Armenia and Russia. These latest attacks
have brought new tragedy and suffering to the Armenian people." He
continued to note that "America has always stood for human rights
and human dignity–for our citizens and for all peoples throughout
the world. We must not now ignore the plight of the long-suffering
Armenian people." Sen. Kennedy joined with colleagues Carl Levin
(D-MI) and Bob Dole (R-KS) in support of S.Res.128 which condemned
the "indiscriminate use of force, including the shelling of
civilian areas, on Armenia’s eastern and southern borders" and
called for "the end to the blockades and other uses of force and
intimidation directed against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and
calls for the withdrawal of Soviet forces newly deployed for the
purpose of intimidation"
In 1999, Sen. Kennedy spoke passionately in support for maintaining
Section 907 of the Freedom Support act, as opponents attempted to
strike the measure during a day long debate and successful vote led
by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Spencer Abraham (R-MI), Paul
Sarbanes (D-MD), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Jack
Reed (RI) and the Massachusetts Senator.
Sen. Kennedy also joined Senator Dole in spearheading the
Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act in 1994, which would cut aid to
countries which block the passage of humanitarian assistance to
other countries in need. While referencing no country specifically,
the bill was inspired by Turkey’s blockade of Armenia, instituted
in 1993 and continuing to this day.
Senator Kennedy lost a valiant battle to brain cancer on August
26th at the age of 77. He will be buried at Arlington National
Cemetery.