Democratic Leader says Genocide recognition a moral responsibility

April 25, 2016 - 13:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released a statement in remembrance of 101 years since the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.

“More than a century ago, starting in 1915 and lasting nearly a decade, more than 1.5 million innocent Armenian children, women, and men were systematically slaughtered during the horrific genocide committed by leaders of the Ottoman Empire. Today, we remember the victims of this brutal, inhumane period of ethnic cleansing. We honor their memories by acknowledging the past,” Pelosi said.

“We must never forget this wretched campaign that destroyed lives, upended communities, and attempted to eradicate an entire culture. Too often the tragic crimes of history have been ignored, minimized, or denied. We owe it to future generations to confront the painful past so we can create a more hopeful future.”

We must embrace the truth, the politician said.

“It is our moral responsibility, every day in every community, to work together to speak out against the bigotry, discrimination and hatred of difference that too often fuel acts of violence,” Pelosi added.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.