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Senator Boxer`s Statement on the 94th Anniversary of The Genocide

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  • Senator Boxer`s Statement on the 94th Anniversary of The Genocide

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

    If you are having trouble viewing this E-newsletter, please visit
    [http://boxer.enews.senate.gov/mail/util.cfm ?gpiv=2100038113.1910786.339&gen=1]
    for the Web Version.

    U.S. Senator Barbara Boxers Statement on the 94th Anniversary of the
    Armenian Genocide


    Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 94th Anniversary of the
    Armenian Genocide.

    Ninety-four years ago today, the Ottoman Empire -- now modern-day
    Turkey -- began the systematic destruction of the Armenian
    people. Armenians were driven from their homes and villages, marched
    to their deaths in the deserts of the Middle East, and slaughtered in
    cold blood. Before it was over, approximately 1.5 million Armenians
    lost their lives in the first genocide of the 20th century.

    Recently, the Armenian and Turkish governments announced important
    progress toward achieving the full normalization of relations between
    their two countries. I support this effort, and am hopeful that this
    process will lead the Turkish government to finally acknowledge the
    irrefutable truth of the Armenian Genocide, and also to greater peace
    and prosperity for the people of Armenia.

    As President Barack Obama has said, `The Armenian Genocide is not an
    allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a
    widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical
    evidence. The facts are undeniable.' There is no need for further
    study or debate, because we must never legitimize the views of those
    who deny the very worst of crimes against humanity.

    On this solemn anniversary, we remember those who were lost in the
    Armenian Genocide, while honoring the survivors and their descendants
    who have done so much to make America and the world a better place. I
    am personally grateful that so many of those individuals have chosen
    to call California home.  

    We also take pause to acknowledge that such crimes are continuing
    today. There is perhaps no more fitting example than the genocide that
    is raging in the Darfur region of Sudan. 

    Since 2002, the Sudanese government has attempted to exterminate the
    African Muslim population of Darfur with horrific acts of
    brutality. Villages have been burned to the ground, innocent women and
    children slaughtered by helicopter gunships, and rape has been used as
    a tool of genocide. What happened to the Armenians is genocide. What
    is happening today in Darfur is genocide, even though the government
    of Sudan denies this.

    Genocide is only possible when people avert their eyes. Any effort to
    deal with genocide -- in the past, present or future -- must begin
    with the truth. By acknowledging the truth of the Armenian Genocide,
    we can end the phony debates and strengthen our ability to stand up
    against mass killing today.

    ----------------------------------------

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