REP. ADAM SCHIFF READS NAMES OF 1,000 ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS ON HOUSE FLOOR – VIDEO

10:45, 23 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), for an entire hour on the
House Floor, read the names of a small fraction of the 1.5 million
people killed during the Armenian Genocide after business concluded
in the House for the day, Asbarez reports.

During the hour, Schiff read 1,000 names of constituents’ relatives
and those of the Armenian-American community that were submitted over
the past two weeks to the office through social media and email.

Schiff’s reading of the names comes the day after the White House
confirmed to Armenian-American community leaders that the President
would not use the word genocide when he issues a statement Friday on
the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“In a single hour, I was only able to read the names of a mere fraction
of those who were killed in the Armenian Genocide,” said Schiff. “To
read all of the names of the more than 1.5 million people murdered
at the time, would take many weeks, and I hope that the recitation of
the victims will help call attention to the magnitude of the crime. A
name, unlike a number, is no abstraction – each was a son or daughter,
a mother or father, a grandparent, an aunt or an uncle; each was a
precious life.”

In past years, Schiff has taken to the House floor in April to
recognize the Genocide. Two years ago, he spoke on the House Floor
in Armenian to recognize and pay tribute to those lost – the first
time that language had been spoken in the well of Congress. And
last year, he delivered an open letter to the Turkish people urging
them to examine their ancestor’s role in the first genocide of the
20th century.

This past month, Schiff joined over 40 congressional colleagues to
introduce the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution. This
bipartisan resolution calls upon the President to work toward
equitable, constructive, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based
upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgement of the facts and
ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution will
also establish a fair, just, and comprehensive international record
of this crime against humanity.

This year, 2015, marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
– a systematic and deliberate annihilation campaign launched by the
government of the Ottoman Empire against its Armenian population which
left 1.5 million Armenians dead and millions more displaced. While
the Armenian Genocide has been recognized by more than twenty nations
including Canada, Italy, Sweden, France, Argentina and Russia, as well
as the European Parliament, it has not been formally recognized by
the U.S. Congress in decades and has not been recognized by President
Barack Obama.

From: Baghdasarian