Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer among 16 original cosponsors of companion measure to House Armenian Genocide Resolution
WASHINGTON—Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Democrat Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and former presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced Armenian Genocide legislation Tuesday reaffirming proper U.S. recognition and remembrance of this crime and rejecting U.S. complicity in its denial, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.
Senators Menendez and Cruz were joined as sponsors by 14 Senate colleagues, including Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Edward Markey (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tom Udall (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“We want to thank Senators Menendez and Cruz for taking aim directly at U.S. complicity in Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “Their bipartisan resolution would end – once and for all – a foreign gag-order that has, for nearly a century, compromised our nation’s independence and government’s credibility on issues of human rights, religious freedom, and atrocities prevention.”
“As we near the anniversary of Armenian Remembrance Day, one of the darkest events in human history, I am proud to lead this effort to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide on behalf of the U.S. Congress. The Armenian genocide is a historical fact and not up for debate,” said Senator Menendez. “Only by accurately recognizing this genocide of the past can we ever hope to move forward in a legitimate and effective manner to meet the challenge of preventing mass atrocities and genocide in the future. With this resolution, we honor the millions of victims of this genocide, remember how they died and pledge that history accurately remember their deaths.”
“We must never be silent in response to atrocities. Over one hundred years ago, the world was silent as the Armenian people suffered a horrific genocide, and today many are still unaware of it,” said Senator Cruz. “I am proud to join Sen. Menendez and my colleagues today in introducing this resolution. May the terrors of those events awaken in us the courage to always stand for freedom against evil.”
Earlier in the day, His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Eastern U.S. joined ANCA leaders, including Raffi Hamparian, Ani Tchaghlasian, and George Aghjayan, met with Senators Menendez and Cruz during a full day of Capitol Hill meetings and thanked them for their leadership in securing a principled U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide.
The measure, introduced as Congress prepared for the annual Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide Observance, is the companion to the Armenian Genocide Resolution introduced yesterday by House Select Committee on Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), which had over 75 original cosponsors.
The Armenian Genocide Resolution notes that the U.S. has, as early as 1951, officially recognized the Armenian Genocide through a filing with the International Court of Justice, followed by House legislation adopted in 1975, and 1984 and President Ronald Reagan’s Proclamation in 1984.
The resolution resolves that it is the policy of the United States to:
1. Commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance;
2. Reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the U.S. Government with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide; and
3. Encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the U.S. role in the humanitarian relief effort, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.
Reach out to your federal legislators in support of this resolution by visiting www.anca.org/genocide.
I wouldn’t trust Senator Cruz on this. He’s merely toeing the Republican line to gather Armenian votes. He is the countering voice to the Democrats. He’ll get a case of amnesia as soon as the votes are counted.
agreed.. while we should not look at a gift horse in the mouth and use him to facilitate justice, I too agree Cruz would throw the entire Armenian nation under a bus without even a second thought if it served his political purpose.
It is time the UNITED STATES OF ANERICA, THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 PLANNED, ORGANIZED AND EXECUTED BY THE TURKS. THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY IS AND SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAYMENT FOR STOLEN PROPERTIES OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF ARMENIANS WHO WERE THEN NATIONALS OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE/REPUBLIC OF TURKEY.
Please don’t forget to say that Turkey s abrogation of the treaty of Sevres should also be recognized as illegal; that a territorial compensation is not unreasonable; that the present Kurdish problems which also addressed at Sevres also needs to be resolved. That Turkey ,taking advantage of the Nazi occupation of France invaded and annexed Antioch from Syria.
Turkey unlike Germany is an unrepentant criminal that has always used its strategic position vis a vis Russia to get away with murder.
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Its amazing that the supposed ‘beacon of human rights”, the USA, is as corrupt as any 3rd world country when it comes to truth and justice regarding the Armenian Genocide. 49 out of 50 US States recognize the AG yet its not possible Federally? How is that even possible? Imagine if the corrupt US State Department and all it foreign masters that strictly forbid the Armenian Genocide to be acknowledged and condemned, did so regarding the Holocaust? And the reason being is that there were more actors to the planning and destruction and mostly theft of the Armenian nation then just Turks. This is the big secret of the Ag that needs to be concealed at all cost..What happened to the Armenian loot? Where is it? What European banks are they in? Follow the money. Follow which nations that DON’T acknowledge it today: THE USA, GREAT BRITAIN AND ISRAEL, speaks volumes. All by design. WAKE UP MY DEAR ARMENIANS!