Nita Lowey: “Today marks the 79th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, an act of mass murder that took 1.5 million Armenian lives…”

“Today marks the 79th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, an act of mass murder that took 1.5 million Armenian lives and led to the exile of the Armenian nation from its historic homeland. It is of vital importance that we never forget what happened to the Armenian people both because the only thing we can do for the victims is to remember--and also because we forget at our own peril. The Armenian genocide, which began 15 years after the 20th century began, was the first act of genocide of this century but it was far from the last. The Armenian genocide was followed by the Holocaust, Stalin's purges, and other acts of mass murder around the world. Adolph Hitler himself said that the world's indifference to the slaughter in Armenia indicated that there would be no world outcry if he undertook the mass murder of Jews, and others he considered less than human. And he was right. It was only after the Holocaust that the cry 'never again' arose throughout the civilized world. But it was too late for millions of victims. Too late for the 6 million Jews. Too late for the 1.5 million Armenians. Today we recall the Armenian genocide and we mourn its victims. We also pledge that we shall do everything we can to protect the Armenian nation against further aggression, in the Republic of Armenia, in Nagorno-Karabagh or anywhere else. The Armenian nation lives. We must do everything we can to ensure that it is never imperiled again.”