Russ Feingold: “I rise today to join my colleagues in commemorating the 79th anniversary of the horrific period of Armenian slaughter…”

“I rise today to join my colleagues in commemorating the 79th anniversary of the horrific period of Armenian slaughter during the years of 1915 to 1923. From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Government systematically murdered 1.5 million Armenians, and drove 500,000 into exile. On April 24, 1915, Armenian leaders were accosted and later executed. Soldiers serving in the Ottoman army were disarmed and placed in labor camps where they were executed or left to die of starvation. Armenians living in Asia Minor and Turkish Armenia were deported, the men and older male youths quickly removed from their families and executed. The remaining women and children were led on death marches into the desert where they were raped, tortured, and mutilated. Disease, starvation, and massacre claimed the lives of most, and survivors were forced into foreign homes and harems. On the eve of the First World War, 2.5 million Armenians were living in the Ottoman empire. Following the Ottoman campaign of terror, less than 100,000 remained. The U.S. Government has rightfully denounced these atrocities and has been generous in its efforts to assist survivors of these horrors. From 1915 to 1930, American relief efforts contributed over $100 million to aid the survivors, and over 130,000 Armenian orphans became foster children of the American people. We must never desist in our reminders of the terrible events of this war.”