Barbara Kennelly: “Tomorrow, we mark the 82d anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. I rise to commemorate the lives of the 1.5 million…”

“Tomorrow, we mark the 82d anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. I rise to commemorate the lives of the 1.5 million Armenians who were enslaved, tortured, and exterminated from 1915 to 1923 by the Ottoman Empire. On April 24, 1915, Armenian intellectuals, clergy, and leaders were rounded up and taken to their deaths. What was to follow was the ethnic cleansing of the native homeland of the Armenian people. Over a period of 8 years, 1.5 million Armenians were murdered and another 500,000 were deported. Before World War I, over 2 million Armenians lived in the Ottoman empire. By 1923, the entire population of Anatolia and Western Armenia had been killed or deported. This was the first genocide of the 20th century, but, tragically, it was not the last. Prior to the invasion of Poland, Adolf Hitler asked, 'Who today remembers the extermination of the Armenians?' In a climate where no one remembered, the death camps became a reality. Today, as nations around the world continue to struggle for peace, it is more important than ever to remember--and to stand up to oppose genocide, systematic extermination, or ethnic cleansing. I have cosponsored House Concurrent Resolution 55, a resolution commemorating the Armenian genocide, because of my belief that we must never forget the victims of this terrible act, and that we must always be prepared to prevent further crimes against humanity.”