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PRESS RELEASE
Senator Barbara Boxer
Washington D.C.
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3553
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 92nd ANNIVERSARY
OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity today to
solemnly commemorate the 92nd Anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.
The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th
century. From 1915 until 1923, 1.5 million Armenians were
brutally killed by the Ottoman Turks in a systematic effort to
eradicate the Armenian people. There were unbearable acts of
torture; men were separated from their families and murdered;
women and children were put on a forced march across the Syrian
desert without food or water.
Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
from 1913 to 1916, recalled:
When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these
deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a
whole race; they understood this well, and, in their
conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to
conceal the fact...I am confident that the whole history of the
human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great
massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost
insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian
race in 1915.
However, we were to witness other such horrible genocides
later, including the Holocaust and the genocide in Darfur,
which is happening today.
As with later genocides, some have tried to deny that the
Armenian Genocide happened. Shamefully, the government of
Turkey still refuses to admit that genocide occurred.
In order for democracy and human rights to flourish, we must
not support efforts to rewrite and deny history. In the United
States, we strive to make human rights a fundamental component
of our democracy. It is long overdue for our nation to demand
that the truth be told. We must recognize the Armenian Genocide
in the name of democracy, fairness and human rights.
At the beginning of the 21st century, as genocide is waged in
Darfur, it is even more critical to recognize the first
Genocide of the 20th century. We must send a message that
genocide and genocide denial will never be tolerated.
To that end, I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of Senator
Richard Durbin's Senate Resolution 106, calling on the
President to accurately characterize the Armenian Genocide in
his annual message around April 24th and 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.
It is important that we recognize the Armenian Genocide while
its survivors are still with us to tell their stories. We must
recognize the genocide for the survivors. We must recognize the
genocide because it's the right thing to do. We must recognize
the Armenian Genocide to help shed light on the darkness and
move toward a more humane world.
========================================== =====
If this message reached you in error, or if you would like to
cancel your subscription, please reply to this message with
`unsubscribe' in the subject line.
For more information on Senator Boxer's record and other
information, please go to: http://www.boxer.senate.gov
To respond to this message, please click on the following link:
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/feedba ck.cfm . This link
will take you to a webpage where you can respond to messages
that you receive from Senator Boxer's office.
Senator Barbara Boxer
Washington D.C.
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3553
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 92nd ANNIVERSARY
OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity today to
solemnly commemorate the 92nd Anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.
The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th
century. From 1915 until 1923, 1.5 million Armenians were
brutally killed by the Ottoman Turks in a systematic effort to
eradicate the Armenian people. There were unbearable acts of
torture; men were separated from their families and murdered;
women and children were put on a forced march across the Syrian
desert without food or water.
Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
from 1913 to 1916, recalled:
When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these
deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a
whole race; they understood this well, and, in their
conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to
conceal the fact...I am confident that the whole history of the
human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great
massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost
insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian
race in 1915.
However, we were to witness other such horrible genocides
later, including the Holocaust and the genocide in Darfur,
which is happening today.
As with later genocides, some have tried to deny that the
Armenian Genocide happened. Shamefully, the government of
Turkey still refuses to admit that genocide occurred.
In order for democracy and human rights to flourish, we must
not support efforts to rewrite and deny history. In the United
States, we strive to make human rights a fundamental component
of our democracy. It is long overdue for our nation to demand
that the truth be told. We must recognize the Armenian Genocide
in the name of democracy, fairness and human rights.
At the beginning of the 21st century, as genocide is waged in
Darfur, it is even more critical to recognize the first
Genocide of the 20th century. We must send a message that
genocide and genocide denial will never be tolerated.
To that end, I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of Senator
Richard Durbin's Senate Resolution 106, calling on the
President to accurately characterize the Armenian Genocide in
his annual message around April 24th and 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.
It is important that we recognize the Armenian Genocide while
its survivors are still with us to tell their stories. We must
recognize the genocide for the survivors. We must recognize the
genocide because it's the right thing to do. We must recognize
the Armenian Genocide to help shed light on the darkness and
move toward a more humane world.
========================================== =====
If this message reached you in error, or if you would like to
cancel your subscription, please reply to this message with
`unsubscribe' in the subject line.
For more information on Senator Boxer's record and other
information, please go to: http://www.boxer.senate.gov
To respond to this message, please click on the following link:
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/feedba ck.cfm . This link
will take you to a webpage where you can respond to messages
that you receive from Senator Boxer's office.