PRESS RELEASE
Senator Barbara Boxer
Washington D.C.
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3553
90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
April 24, 2005
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
As we commemorate this stain on human history, we must also
question how long it will take until the world acknowledges the
injustice and horror that occurred. We must question how long
it will take for the world to acknowledge that it was genocide.
Ninety years ago, the Ottoman Turks began their systematic
effort to eradicate Armenians. From 1915 until 1923, 1.5
million Armenians lost their lives in this intentional and grim
act of genocide. Men were separated from their families and
murdered. Women and children were forced to march across the
Syrian desert without water, food, or possessions. Many died
of hunger of thirst or were killed when they lagged behind
during the forced marches into the desert.
The Armenian Genocide was the first of the 20th century. As
with later genocides, some question the accuracy of the
historic events, asking whether they actually happened. In
fact, the government of Turkey still has never admitted that
genocide occurred. And, shamefully, our nation has put world
politics over truth and has failed to demand that the truth be
told.
As we know, if we ignore injustice, we are likely to see it
repeated. In his justification for the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler
said, `Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the
Armenians?’
This year, to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, hundreds of
people will walk from Fresno to Sacramento in the `March for
Humanity.’ Although I am unable to join the marchers, please
know that I am with them in spirit.
I join you in commemorating this anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. As we remember the unspeakable acts from 90 years
ago, let us also know the power we have in naming these acts
for what they are and in reminding the world. By acknowledging
this genocide for what it is, I hope that we are able to help
create a more just and humane world.
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