PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Assembly
December 16, 2009
Contact: Press Department
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY SUBMITS TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF GENOCIDE EDUCATION,
AFFIRMATION AND PREVENTION
Applauds Leadership of Chairman Durbin and Bipartisan Support to End
Human Rights Violations in Darfur
Washington, DC – Today, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human
Rights and the Law chaired by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and ranking
Member Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) held a first-ever Congressional hearing
on U.S. implementation of its human rights treaty obligations reported
the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).
"We commend Chairman Durbin’s commitment to human rights and the
Subcommittee’s continued efforts to bring these issues to the forefront,
stated Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.
The timing of the hearing was especially welcomed by the Assembly, as
just last week on the Charlie Rose television program, we witnessed
denial at the highest level of the Turkish government when the Turkish
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that the Armenian Genocide was
"completely a lie."
"The Assembly looks forward to working together with Congress and the
Members of the Judiciary Subcommittee to bring about an end to the
vicious cycle of genocide and give true meaning to the words never
again," added Ardouny.
In the Assembly’s testimony before the distinguished Subcommittee on
Human Rights and the Law, Executive Director Bryan Ardouny applauded the
Committee’s "pioneering work" and noted that the "treaties under review
embody the spirit of America’s values and our ongoing commitment to
human rights." The Assembly pointed to the long journey ahead "to ensure
that the inherent rights and dignity of every individual is achieved."
Highlighting the "groundbreaking [U.S.] humanitarian intervention during
the first genocide of the twentieth century against the Armenian people,
which U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to the Ottoman Empire described
as a ‘campaign of race extermination,’" the Assembly focused in
particular on the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention).
The Assembly recalled the 1951 U.S. filing before the International
Court of Justice (ICJ), pertaining to the Genocide Convention, which
stated that the "Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish
massacres of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and Poles
by the Nazis are all outstanding examples of the crime of genocide."
Despite the incontrovertible facts, the Assembly’s testimony indicated
that "Time and time again, and especially in the case of U.S.
reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, we have seen the effects of
entrenched interests that thwart genocide affirmation and prevention
efforts. In fact, millions upon millions of dollars by foreign entities
have been spent to deny the Armenian Genocide, and in turn the proud
chapter in American history in alerting the world to man’s inhumanity to
man and marshalling resources to help save the survivors."
Given the corrosive nature of genocide denial, the Assembly highlighted
the importance of education and affirmation as an effective
counterweight, and urged Members of the Subcommittee to cosponsor
legislation (S.Res. 316) introduced by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
along with Senator John Ensign (R-NV), which reaffirms the Armenian
Genocide. Ardouny also invoked Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel poignant
words, "Remember: silence helps the killer, never his victims."
The Assembly also called for the enactment of "a strong education
component…to address the ongoing consequences of genocide denial, the
case of the Armenian Genocide being a prime example. The testimony
concluded with President Barack Obama’s 2008 statement that "America
deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and
responds forcefully to all genocides."
Panel witnesses for today’s hearing included: Thomas E. Perez, Assistant
Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of
Justice; Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human
Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department of State; Wade Henderson,
President and Chief Executive Officer, at the Leadership Conference on
Civil Rights; and, Elisa Massimino, President and Chief Executive
Officer at Human Rights First.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
