Time has come to officially recognize Armenian Genocide, Sen. Jack Reed said

30.04.2007

YEREVAN (YERKIR) - Senators and Representatives joined Armenians around the world this week in commemorating the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in statements on the floors of their respective chambers of Congress, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)

A major theme in their remarks was the importance of helping to end U.S. complicity in Turkey’s continued campaign of Genocide denial by passing the Armenian Genocide Resolution (S.Res.106 and H.Res.106). Several called specifically for decisive U.S. and international action to end the genocide currently taking place in Darfur, noting that Turkey’s ability to commit genocide with impunity has set a dangerous precedent that has encouraged other genocides.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said, "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 ...

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 is 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."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said, "California is home to many of the descendants of the genocide’s survivors, who immigrated to the United States and, over the course of a few decades, built strong and vibrant communities. Working closely with the Armenian -
American community over my many years in public service, I know how alive and painful this issue continues to be for many Armenian Americans...

Let there be no mistake. The ongoing genocide in Darfur, carried out by the Government of Sudan and its Janjaweed militias, traces its roots to the silence and quiescence of the international community during previous episodes of genocide and ethnic cleansing, including the Armenian genocide."

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) said, "Today, as a proud supporter of S. Res 106, legislation officially recognizing the Armenian genocide, I urge 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 U.S. record relating to the Armenian genocide.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stated over 50 years after the Armenian genocide that: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere... Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.’ The time has come to officially recognize the Armenian genocide... Menk panav chenk mornar. We will never forget."

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said, "Mr. Speaker, if America is going to live up to the standards we set for ourselves, and continue to lead the world in affirming human rights everywhere, we need to finally stand up and recognize the tragic events that began in 1915 for what they were: the systematic elimination of a people... And the fact of the matter is that when some of my colleagues say to me, ‘Well, why do you need to bring up something that occurred 92 years ago,’ I say, ‘Because by denying this, the Turkish Government continues to perpetrate genocide or oppression of its minorities.’"

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said, "Opponents take issue with the timing of the [Genocide] resolution and argue that Turkey is making progress with recognizing the dark chapters of its history. This claim lost all credibility when Orhan Pamuk, Turkey’s Nobel Prize winning author was brought up on charges for ‘insulting Turkishness’ for alluding to the genocide, and Turkish Armenian publisher Hrant Dink was gunned down outside his office in Istanbul earlier this year.

Yet some opponents go even further, such as a former Ambassador to Turkey who argued that the time may never be right for America to comment “on another’s history or morality. ''Such a ludicrous policy would condemn Congress to silence on a host of human rights abuses around the world. After more than ninety years and with only a few survivors left, if the time is not right now to recognize the Armenian Genocide, when will it be?"

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) said, "I have always supported the Armenian community. In 2003, I had the opportunity to visit Armenia and to plant a tree at the Genocide memorial. We must never forget the horrors that took place 92 years ago. Let us never forget the 1.5 minion Armenians who perished in 1915 and 1916. We know such mass murder is not a tragedy from a distant past, but a continuation of the failing to recognize these barbaric acts before they are executed."

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) said, "The writer Milan Kundera once wrote that ‘The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.’ There are those that would deny the Armenian Genocide... In commemorating the Armenian Genocide we collectively engage in that struggle of memory against forgetting... to reaffirm our commitment to prevent such things from ever happening again, and to strive towards making a better future for the Armenian people."

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.