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Senator Boxer on the 91st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

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  • Senator Boxer on the 91st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

    PRESS RELEASE
    Senator Barbara Boxer
    Washington D.C.
    112 Hart Senate Office Building
    Washington, D.C. 20510
    (202) 224-3553

    Dear Friend:

    I would like to share with you my recent comments, which were
    printed in the Congressional Record, commemorating the 91st
    anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

    Sincerely,

    Barbara Boxer
    United States Senator


    IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 91ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

    Mrs. Boxer. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to
    commemorate the 91st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on
    April 24th. This anniversary offers an opportunity for us to
    renew our efforts to achieve -- finally -- genocide recognition
    for the Armenian people.

    Ninety-one years ago, the Ottoman Turks began their systematic
    effort to eradicate the Armenian people. From 1915 until 1923,
    1.5 million Armenians were tortured and killed; men were
    separated from their families and murdered; women and children
    were forced to march across the Syrian desert without water,
    food or possessions; many died of hunger or thirst or were
    killed when they lagged behind during the forced marches into
    the desert.

    The brutality of the genocide was atrocious. But the
    inhumanity continues today because the Turkish government
    refuses to acknowledge the massacre as genocide. The wounds
    cannot heal until the Armenian people receive recognition.

    The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th
    Century. But as we have seen, it was not the last. As we
    know, if we ignore injustice, we are likely to see it repeated.
    In his justification for the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler said,
    `Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the
    Armenians?' And today, we see ongoing atrocities in the Darfur
    region of Sudan, with innocent civilians being murdered. In
    the 108th Congress, I cosponsored a resolution declaring that
    the atrocities in Darfur constitute genocide.

    I am currently a co-sponsor of a resolution calling the
    President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United
    States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
    concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing,
    and genocide documented in the United States record relating to
    the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to
    realize a just resolution. And I have signed onto a letter
    urging President Bush to honor the United States' historic
    leadership in defending human rights and to properly
    characterize the atrocities against the Armenian people as
    genocide in his April 24th statement.

    Every year, we move closer to recognition of the Armenian
    Genocide. But every year we wonder how long it will take the
    government of Turkey to acknowledge the genocide.

    We need genocide recognition to honor those 1.5 million
    Armenians who lost their lives and to honor the survivors who
    are still with us today. We need recognition to send a message
    to the 8-10 million Armenians worldwide that they have not been
    forgotten. We need genocide recognition to remind the world
    that crimes against humanity are crimes against us all. We
    need genocide recognition because it is the right thing to do.

    By acknowledging this genocide for what it is, I hope that we
    are able to help create a more just and humane world.

    Thank you. I yield the floor.

    ========================================== =======
    For more information on Senator Boxer's record and other
    information, please go to: http://www.boxer.senate.gov

    To respond to this message, please click on the following link:
    http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/feedba ck.cfm . This link
    will take you to a webpage where you can respond to messages
    that you receive from Senator Boxer's office.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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