Frank Pallone: “April 24 will mark the 88th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. On April 24, 1915, 250 Armenian…”

“April 24 will mark the 88th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. On April 24, 1915, 250 Armenian intellectuals and political leaders were arrested and later executed as the rulers of the Ottoman Empire implemented their plan to eradicate their Armenian subjects. This action against the Armenian community's elite marked the beginning of one of the most horrendous events in the history of humankind. Two weeks from now, Armenians will gather worldwide to remember their martyrs and survivors and to seek universal affirmation of this crime against humanity. Because we are out of session this year on April 24, I would like to comment on the Armenian Genocide tonight. I do so to honor the memory of those innocent victims killed for only one reason, because they were Armenian. One and a half million men and women, young and old, able-bodied or not, were driven from their ancestral homeland and brutally massacred. Mr. Speaker, this week over 160 Members of the House of Representatives, including myself, will send a letter to President Bush asking that he fulfill his campaign promise and use the word 'genocide' in his annual April 24th address.”