Tankian: Genocide shouldn't be used to sell a despot more helicopters

Tankian: Genocide shouldn't be used to sell a despot more helicopters

PanARMENIAN.Net - System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian has thanked the United States House of Representatives for voting in favor of a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

The bill was approved with a vote of 405 yeas against 11 nays, three abstentions on Tuesday, October 29.

"Thank you to the House of Representatives in the US for properly characterizing US history and the Armenian genocide in the memory of my grandparents and all their relatives who perished," Tankian said in a Facebook post.

"Genocide should never be used for political expediency or to sell a despot more helicopters. This will make more difficult for Turkey to further play the US State Dept on this issue though I’m sure they will try. It is important that there are economic sanctions tied to Turkeys illegal incursion into Syria as well. Senate resolution is next."

Introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff, the resolution states that it is U.S. policy to (1) commemorate the Armenian Genocide, the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; (2) reject efforts to associate the U.S. government with efforts to deny the existence of the Armenian Genocide or any genocide; and (3) encourage education and public understanding about the Armenian Genocide.

Mississippi remains as the last U.S. state to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, the other 49 having already done so.

April 24, 1915 is the day when a group of Armenian intellectuals was rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. On April 24, Armenians worldwide commemorated the 104th anniversary of the Genocide which continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.

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