Victor Fazio: “I rise today to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the first genocide of the twentieth century, the Armenian genocide…”

“I rise today to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the first genocide of the twentieth century, the Armenian genocide of 1915. As a long-term friend of the Armenian-American community, I am proud to once again have the opportunity to join my distinguished colleague from California, Mr. Lehman, and the other Members of the House of Representatives in pausing to reflect on this atrocity. On April 24, 1915--the date that symbolizes the beginning of the Armenian genocide--Armenian representation in Turkey was eliminated when over 200 religious, political and intellectual leaders of the Armenian community were arrested, exiled and murdered. In a single night, the voice of the Armenian nation in Turkey was silenced. Henry Morgenthau, Sr., the United States ambassador to Turkey at that time, called the Armenian genocide 'the most thoroughly organized and effective massacre this country has ever seen.' From that infamous date until 1923, 1.5 million Armenians died in the Ottoman Empire's attempts to eliminate the Armenian people.”