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Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aaainc.org
PRESS RELEASE
June 24, 2008
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA APPLAUDS LEADERSHIP OF CHAIRMAN DICK DURBIN
FOR HOLDING HEARING ON ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
Armenian Assembly Submits Written Testimony
Washington, DC - The Armenian Assembly of America applauded Chairman
Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ranking Member Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) for
holding today's hearing on Capitol Hill entitled, "From Nuremberg to
Darfur: Accountability for Crimes Against Humanity," scheduled by the
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law.
In his opening statement, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said that "The
United States led the first prosecutions for crimes against humanity in
the Nuremberg trials, following the Second World War. These crimes,
however, are still taking place. Our promise to hold accountable those
who commit the most unspeakable crimes will ring hollow unless we lead
the world in punishing those responsible for the gravest human rights
violations."
Durbin stated that "crimes against humanity are acts of murder,
enslavement, torture, rape, extermination, ethnic cleansing or arbitrary
detention committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack
against civilian populations."
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), the Ranking Member of the full Judiciary
Committee expressed the importance of this hearing stating that
"genocide regrettably has become a common practice."
"The Assembly commends Chairman Durbin and this Subcommittee for taking
a leadership role on these critically important issues," said Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny. "Only with constant pressure, vigilance, and
genocide education awareness, will we be able to eradicate the scourge
of genocide and ensure that those responsible for committing such
heinous crimes are held accountable," Ardouny continued.
Despite longstanding U.S. support for the prosecution of crimes against
humanity perpetrated in World War II, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia and
Sierra Leone, among other places, there is no U.S. law prohibiting
crimes against humanity. As a result, the U.S. government is unable to
prosecute perpetrators of these crimes found in our country - in
contrast to other human rights violations including genocide and
torture.
At the hearing, speaking about the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Gayle
Smith Co-Chair, ENOUGH Project, said "To be truly effective, the
international community must fashion an unbreakable chain of
accountability - one that ensures that the perpetrators of genocide and
crimes against humanity can neither seek nor secure safe haven in any
country on earth. To be truly effective, the international community
must also ensure that its stated support for accountability is backed by
meaningful pressure on those who attempt to evade it."
Also testifying at the hearing were Daoud Hari, Author of "The
Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur"; Diane Orentlicher,
Professor, Washington College of Law, American University and Joey
Cheek, Co-founder and President, Team Darfur.
In the Assembly's written testimony, Ardouny noted that "The United
States has, through its filing with the International Court of Justice
in 1951, concerning the United Nations Genocide Convention, squarely
acknowledged the Armenian Genocide" and urged the Subcommittee "to
continue to actively generate and introduce new mechanisms to better
protect potential victims from future genocides and the consequences of
genocide denial." Moreover, Ardouny stressed the importance for the U.S.
to continue to build on the proud legacy of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau,
as well as the late Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), House Foreign Affairs
Chairman and House Congressional Caucus on Human Rights Co-Chair, in
their defense of human rights and action to address man's inhumanity to
man.
Unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, Actress and Activist Mia
Farrow submitted written testimony for the record. The Armenian National
Committee of America, Center for Justice and Accountability, Human
Rights First, Human Rights Watch and Save Darfur Coalition also
submitted testimony.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.
###
NR#2008-056
Editor's Note: Senator's, Assembly's and Witness' Testimonies and Photo
Attached.
Senator Russ Feingold
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/im ages/PR_-_2008/June-July/Senato
r_Feingold_Stateme nt_-_Darfur_hearings.pdf
Bryan Ardouny, Armenian Assembly of America
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/ima ges/PR_-_2008/June-July/Judici
aryCommittee_AAAsta tement.pdf
Witness Testimony -
Mia Farrow
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/imag es/PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_Mia_Fa rrow_-_Darfur_Hearings.pdf
Joey Cheek
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/image s/PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_Joey_Ch eck_-_Darfur_Hearings.pdf
Gayle Smith
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/image s/PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_Gayle_S mith_-_Darfur_hearings.pdf
Diane Orentlicher
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc /images/PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_D iane_Orentlicher_-_Darfur_Hearings.pdf
Daoud Hari
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/images /PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_Daoud_Ha ri_-_Darfur_Hearing.pdf
Photo Caption: Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny and Chairman
Dick Durbin at today's hearing on Capitol Hill
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aaainc.org
PRESS RELEASE
June 24, 2008
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA APPLAUDS LEADERSHIP OF CHAIRMAN DICK DURBIN
FOR HOLDING HEARING ON ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
Armenian Assembly Submits Written Testimony
Washington, DC - The Armenian Assembly of America applauded Chairman
Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ranking Member Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) for
holding today's hearing on Capitol Hill entitled, "From Nuremberg to
Darfur: Accountability for Crimes Against Humanity," scheduled by the
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law.
In his opening statement, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said that "The
United States led the first prosecutions for crimes against humanity in
the Nuremberg trials, following the Second World War. These crimes,
however, are still taking place. Our promise to hold accountable those
who commit the most unspeakable crimes will ring hollow unless we lead
the world in punishing those responsible for the gravest human rights
violations."
Durbin stated that "crimes against humanity are acts of murder,
enslavement, torture, rape, extermination, ethnic cleansing or arbitrary
detention committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack
against civilian populations."
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), the Ranking Member of the full Judiciary
Committee expressed the importance of this hearing stating that
"genocide regrettably has become a common practice."
"The Assembly commends Chairman Durbin and this Subcommittee for taking
a leadership role on these critically important issues," said Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny. "Only with constant pressure, vigilance, and
genocide education awareness, will we be able to eradicate the scourge
of genocide and ensure that those responsible for committing such
heinous crimes are held accountable," Ardouny continued.
Despite longstanding U.S. support for the prosecution of crimes against
humanity perpetrated in World War II, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia and
Sierra Leone, among other places, there is no U.S. law prohibiting
crimes against humanity. As a result, the U.S. government is unable to
prosecute perpetrators of these crimes found in our country - in
contrast to other human rights violations including genocide and
torture.
At the hearing, speaking about the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Gayle
Smith Co-Chair, ENOUGH Project, said "To be truly effective, the
international community must fashion an unbreakable chain of
accountability - one that ensures that the perpetrators of genocide and
crimes against humanity can neither seek nor secure safe haven in any
country on earth. To be truly effective, the international community
must also ensure that its stated support for accountability is backed by
meaningful pressure on those who attempt to evade it."
Also testifying at the hearing were Daoud Hari, Author of "The
Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur"; Diane Orentlicher,
Professor, Washington College of Law, American University and Joey
Cheek, Co-founder and President, Team Darfur.
In the Assembly's written testimony, Ardouny noted that "The United
States has, through its filing with the International Court of Justice
in 1951, concerning the United Nations Genocide Convention, squarely
acknowledged the Armenian Genocide" and urged the Subcommittee "to
continue to actively generate and introduce new mechanisms to better
protect potential victims from future genocides and the consequences of
genocide denial." Moreover, Ardouny stressed the importance for the U.S.
to continue to build on the proud legacy of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau,
as well as the late Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), House Foreign Affairs
Chairman and House Congressional Caucus on Human Rights Co-Chair, in
their defense of human rights and action to address man's inhumanity to
man.
Unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, Actress and Activist Mia
Farrow submitted written testimony for the record. The Armenian National
Committee of America, Center for Justice and Accountability, Human
Rights First, Human Rights Watch and Save Darfur Coalition also
submitted testimony.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.
###
NR#2008-056
Editor's Note: Senator's, Assembly's and Witness' Testimonies and Photo
Attached.
Senator Russ Feingold
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/im ages/PR_-_2008/June-July/Senato
r_Feingold_Stateme nt_-_Darfur_hearings.pdf
Bryan Ardouny, Armenian Assembly of America
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/ima ges/PR_-_2008/June-July/Judici
aryCommittee_AAAsta tement.pdf
Witness Testimony -
Mia Farrow
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/imag es/PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_Mia_Fa rrow_-_Darfur_Hearings.pdf
Joey Cheek
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/image s/PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_Joey_Ch eck_-_Darfur_Hearings.pdf
Gayle Smith
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/image s/PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_Gayle_S mith_-_Darfur_hearings.pdf
Diane Orentlicher
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc /images/PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_D iane_Orentlicher_-_Darfur_Hearings.pdf
Daoud Hari
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/images /PR_-_2008/June-July/Witnes
s_Testimony_-_Daoud_Ha ri_-_Darfur_Hearing.pdf
Photo Caption: Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny and Chairman
Dick Durbin at today's hearing on Capitol Hill