SCHIFF TO READ NAMES OF GENOCIDE VICTIMS ON HOUSE FLOOR
Wednesday, April 1st, 2015 | Posted by Contributor
Rep. Adam Schiff
Requests Submissions from Armenian Community Online
WASHINGTON–Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced on Wednesday
that on April 22nd, for an entire hour on the House Floor, he will read
the names of a small fraction of the 1.5 million people killed during
the Armenian Genocide. Congressman Schiff invites the descendants
of Genocide victims — in his district and around the nation — to
submit the names of family members who were killed for inclusion in
his speech and in the Congressional Record.
“In a single hour, I will only be able to read the names of a mere
fraction of those who were killed in the Armenian Genocide. To read
all of the names of the more than 1.5 million people murdered at the
time, would take many weeks and 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.
“If your family lost loved ones in the Armenian Genocide, please send
me their names and I will read as many as I possibly can on the House
Floor. All names will be entered into the Congressional Record.”
Schiff is encouraging the submission
of names by using this online form.
This past month, Schiff joined 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.
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.