Mark Kelly: “on the night of April 23-24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire initiated one of the great human disasters of the modern age when…”

“on the night of April 23-24, 1915, the Ottoman Empire initiated one of the great human disasters of the modern age when it began the systematic arrest, deportation, and execution of Armenian political, religious, educational, and intellectual leaders. During the years that followed, more than 1.5 million Christian Armenian men, women, and children lost their lives and another 500,000 were cruelly uprooted from their ancestral homes. Today we mark the 80th anniversary of this terrible and tragic blight on humanity. It is essential that we honor the memory of those who perished in the Armenian genocide. But as we remember the victims of this vicious event, it is also essential that we renew our determination to preserve basic human rights for all people everywhere. I believe deeply that the Armenian Christians so senselessly murdered 80 years ago deserve nothing less than our utmost efforts to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.”