ААА submits testimony in support of Genocide affirmation and prevention
The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law chaired by Senator Richard Durbin and ranking Member Senator Tom Coburn held a first-ever Congressional hearing on U.S. implementation of its human rights treaty obligations reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).
"We commend Chairman Durbin's commitment to human rights and the Subcommittee's continued efforts to bring these issues to the forefront, stated Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.
"The Assembly looks forward to working together with Congress and the Members of the Judiciary Subcommittee to bring about an end to the vicious cycle of genocide and give true meaning to the words never again," added Ardouny.
In the Assembly's testimony before the distinguished Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, Executive Director Bryan Ardouny applauded the Committee's "pioneering work" and noted that the "treaties under review embody the spirit of America's values and our ongoing commitment to human rights."
Highlighting the "groundbreaking [U.S.] humanitarian intervention during the first genocide of the twentieth century against the Armenian people, which U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to the Ottoman Empire described as a 'campaign of race extermination,'" the Assembly focused in particular on the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention).
The Assembly recalled the 1951 U.S. filing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), pertaining to the Genocide Convention, which stated that the "Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish massacres of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and Poles by the Nazis are all outstanding examples of the crime of genocide."
Despite the incontrovertible facts, the Assembly's testimony indicated that "Time and time again, and especially in the case of U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, we have seen the effects of entrenched interests that thwart genocide affirmation and prevention efforts. In fact, millions upon millions of dollars by foreign entities have been spent to deny the Armenian Genocide, and in turn the proud chapter in American history in alerting the world to man's inhumanity to man and marshalling resources to help save the survivors."
Given the corrosive nature of genocide denial, the Assembly highlighted the importance of education and affirmation as an effective counterweight, and urged Members of the Subcommittee to cosponsor legislation (S.Res. 316) introduced by Senator Robert Menendez along with Senator John Ensign, which reaffirms the Armenian Genocide. Ardouny also invoked Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel poignant words, "Remember: silence helps the killer, never his victims."
The Assembly also called for the enactment of "a strong education component...to address the ongoing consequences of genocide denial, the case of the Armenian Genocide being a prime example. The testimony concluded with President Barack Obama's 2008 statement that "America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides."
"We commend Chairman Durbin's commitment to human rights and the Subcommittee's continued efforts to bring these issues to the forefront, stated Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.
"The Assembly looks forward to working together with Congress and the Members of the Judiciary Subcommittee to bring about an end to the vicious cycle of genocide and give true meaning to the words never again," added Ardouny.
In the Assembly's testimony before the distinguished Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, Executive Director Bryan Ardouny applauded the Committee's "pioneering work" and noted that the "treaties under review embody the spirit of America's values and our ongoing commitment to human rights."
Highlighting the "groundbreaking [U.S.] humanitarian intervention during the first genocide of the twentieth century against the Armenian people, which U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to the Ottoman Empire described as a 'campaign of race extermination,'" the Assembly focused in particular on the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention).
The Assembly recalled the 1951 U.S. filing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), pertaining to the Genocide Convention, which stated that the "Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish massacres of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and Poles by the Nazis are all outstanding examples of the crime of genocide."
Despite the incontrovertible facts, the Assembly's testimony indicated that "Time and time again, and especially in the case of U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, we have seen the effects of entrenched interests that thwart genocide affirmation and prevention efforts. In fact, millions upon millions of dollars by foreign entities have been spent to deny the Armenian Genocide, and in turn the proud chapter in American history in alerting the world to man's inhumanity to man and marshalling resources to help save the survivors."
Given the corrosive nature of genocide denial, the Assembly highlighted the importance of education and affirmation as an effective counterweight, and urged Members of the Subcommittee to cosponsor legislation (S.Res. 316) introduced by Senator Robert Menendez along with Senator John Ensign, which reaffirms the Armenian Genocide. Ardouny also invoked Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel poignant words, "Remember: silence helps the killer, never his victims."
The Assembly also called for the enactment of "a strong education component...to address the ongoing consequences of genocide denial, the case of the Armenian Genocide being a prime example. The testimony concluded with President Barack Obama's 2008 statement that "America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides."
