Lynn C. Woolsey: “I rise today, as I have for the past 6 years, to acknowledge the atrocities suffered by the Armenian people at the hands…”

“I rise today, as I have for the past 6 years, to acknowledge the atrocities suffered by the Armenian people at the hands of the Ottoman Turks over 84 years ago. This Saturday, April 24, will mark the 84th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the very first genocide of the 20th century. On that date, more than 200 Armenian religious, political and intellectual leaders were massacred in Turkey. It is important that we take this time to remember one of the greatest tragedies that humankind has ever witnessed. Little did anyone know that April 24, 1915, would signify the beginning of a Turkish campaign to eliminate the Armenian people, eliminate them from the face of the Earth. Over the following 8 years, 1.5 million Armenians perished and more than 500,000 were exiled from their homes. Armenian civilization, one of the oldest civilizations, virtually ceased to exist. Of course, that was the Turkish plan. Unfortunately the Armenian Genocide is not as well-known in history as it deserves to be.”