Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
lerna@anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
March 24, 2010
Contact: Lerna Kayserian Shirinian
SCHIFF AND HACHIKIAN TO HEADLINE LIVE ANCA
TELE-TOWNHALL ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
— Activists Encouraged to Email Questions for Live Interactive Telecast
on Sunday, March 28th 8-9pm PST
HOLLYWOOD, CA – Congressional Armenian Genocide Resolution author Adam
Schiff (D-CA) will join ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian for a nationally
televised Townhall meeting on Sunday March 28th from 8:00 – 9:00 pm
PST to discuss ongoing efforts to secure the adoption of this
genocide-prevention measure by the full U.S. House of Representatives.
"As a grassroots group devoted to empowering our community, we are
truly excited to offer this opportunity for Armenian Americans to take
part in this Sunday’s live, televised townhall meeting on the Armenian
Genocide Resolution," said ANC-WR Chairwoman Aida Dimejian. We
especially look forward to hearing Representatives Schiff and Sherman
discuss their efforts to pass this legislation and to answering the
questions submitted online by viewers across the United States."
The one-hour townhall forum, which will be televised live from Horizon
studios in Hollywood, California, will feature presentations, followed
by a question and answer session organized around written questions
submitted online beforehand via: townhall@anca.org by Friday, March
26th at 5:00pm PST.
The Tele-Townhall can be viewed on Charter Digital Channel 285 in
Glendale, Burbank & La Crescenta. It will be streamed online on the
ANCA website – , Horizon Armenian Television –
and on the Hairenik News site –
.
Introduced in March of 2009 by lead sponsors Adam Schiff and George
Radanovich (R-CA), and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-chairs Frank
Pallone (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), H.Res.252 currently has 141
cosponsors. A parallel Senate measure, spearheaded by Senators Bob
Menendez (D- NJ) and John Ensign (R-NV), has 14 cosponsors. The
Armenian Genocide resolution calls upon the President to ensure that
the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate
understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human
rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States
record relating to the Armenian Genocide.
On March 4th, despite an intense campaign of threats by the Turkish
government and last minute opposition from the Obama Administration,
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) brought
H.Res.252 up for a vote before his Committee. The measure was adopted
with a vote of 23-22, opening the way for full House consideration of
the resolution.
The ANCA is spearheading a national "End Turkey’s Gag Rule" campaign,
urging the American government to reject Turkey’s attempts to silence
international affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. For more
information, visit