Anna Eshoo: “I am once again rising to honor the anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide to remember the 1.5 million Armenian men…”

“I am once again rising to honor the anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide to remember the 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children who were killed, and the additional 500,000 Armenians who were forcibly deported by the Ottoman Empire during an eight-year reign of brutal repression. As history reveals, a group of Armenian leaders were forcibly taken into Turkey on April 15, 1915, and subsequently murdered. Over the next eight years, Armenians were deprived of their homes, their humanity, and ultimately their lives. In addition, post-World War I did not see those who were responsible come to justice. Although the Allied Powers, England, France, and Russia, jointly issued a statement that for the first time charged another nation with committing 'a crime against humanity,' war criminals were never brought to justice. It brings me great sadness to remark on these terrible events not only because of the tragedy itself but also because we are seeing history repeat itself in Kosovo. Genocides occur when humanity ignores the cries of those being exterminated and forgets to hold those responsible accountable. We cannot and should not let that happen again.”