Armenian Genocide

Mr. President, on this the 87th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, I would like to take a few moments to pay tribute to the men, women and children who lost their lives in the 20th centuries' first systematic attempt to extinguish an entire people.

The past century was marred by many acts of unthinkable brutality and genocide. Among these events was the Armenian Genocide. April 24th marked the inception of a brutal campaign to eliminate Armenians from the Turkish Ottoman Empire. It was on this day in 1915 that 300 of the leaders in Istanbul's Armenian community were rounded up, deported and murdered along with 5,000 of the poorest Armenians who were executed in the streets and in their homes. During the period from 1915-1923, approximately 1.5 million Armenians perished under the rule of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Countless other Armenians fell victim to deportation, expropriation, torture, starvation and massacre. It is out of necessity that all freedom loving people must remain vigilant in their efforts to rebut and refute those who would deny the events of the Armenian genocide ever occurred.

The Armenian genocide was the result of a consciously orchestrated government plan. Henry Morgenthau Sr., the American ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, sent a cable to the U.S. State Department in 1915 saying that the, "deportation of and excesses against peaceful Armenians is increasing and from harrowing reports of eye witnesses it appears that a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion."

During my tenure in the Senate, I have spoken out about the Armenian Genocide because we must acknowledge the horrors perpetrated against the Armenian people and reaffirm our commitment to ensure that the world cannot and will not forget these crimes against humanity. We must speak out against such a tragedy and dedicate ourselves to ensuring that evils such as the Armenian Genocide are not revisited on our planet. This is the highest tribute we can pay to the victims of any genocide. It is important that we take time to remember and honor the victims, and pay respect to the survivors that are still with us.

In the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building there is an important exhibit displayed by the Genocide Project. The Genocide Project is an organization that seeks to preserve the memory of the Armenian Genocide by creating powerful displays that combine photos and the narrative from survivors of the Genocide. I would urge all my colleagues to view this powerful and moving account of the tragic events which we remember today.

The Armenian people have preserved their culture, faith and identity for over a thousand years. In the last century alone, the Armenian people withstood the horrors of two World Wars and several decades of Soviet dominance in order to establish modern Armenia. I hope all my Senate colleagues will join me in honoring and remembering the victims of the Armenian Genocide.