Congressman signals upcoming House vote on Armenian Genocide

Congressman signals upcoming House vote on Armenian Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY), Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and other leading legislators are reporting publicly that the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.296) is set to come before the U.S. House for a vote as early as next week, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“I’m sure the government of Turkey is not happy with [these plans], but then again we’re not happy with the government of Turkey,” Chairman Engel told reporters, according to an NPR report on Tuesday, October 22.

“We welcome movement on Capitol Hill to override Ankara’s veto and put America on the right side of the Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It’s clear that Erdogan won’t take U.S. sanctions seriously as long as Washington’s still enforcing his Armenian Genocide gag-rule.”

The ANCA has worked closely with House and Senate leaders to secure votes on H.Res.296 and its Senate counterpart – S.Res.150 – since their introduction in April, 2019. Earlier today, in a Facebook live video message, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian briefed Armenian Americans on the status of the legislation and next steps in the lead up to House consideration. Thousands of letters have already been sent to Congress by ANCA Rapid Responders and Armenian American advocates through the ANCA online portal.

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.

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