Recently some changes occurred in Capitol Hill that will likely impact Turkey’s ability to block Congressional recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

As Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) director Aram Hamparian reported, Congressman Robert Wexler, the Chairman of the Turkish Caucus and a leading Armenian Genocide denier, has retired from Congress.

Congressman John Murtha, who led attacks against the 2007 Armenian Genocide Resolution, has fallen ill in recent days. The Washington Post’s political blog reports that his political future may be in doubt.

Congressman Dan Burton, the most vocal Armenian Genocide denier in the U.S. House, is facing a powerful primary challenge from Dr. John McGoff. Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, the number #1 recipient of funds from Armenian Genocide deniers, is set to face David Krikorian, a talented public servant and proud Armenian American, in this November’s general election.

Congresswoman Jane Harman, who, while she was a cosponsor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution in 2007 secretly sought to torpedo the adoption of this human rights measure, is facing a solid primary challenge from Marcy Winograd.

Congressmen John Tanner and Marion Berry (both have received F- ratings from the ANCA) are both retiring from Congress.

The Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res. 106) was submitted to the House of Representatives by Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), during the 110th United States Congress. It is a non-binding resolution calling upon the US President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide, and for other purposes. The resolution was introduced on January 30, 2007.

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 date of the onset of the genocide is conventionally held to be April 24, 1915, the day that Ottoman authorities arrested some 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. Thereafter, the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their homes and forced them to march for hundreds of miles, depriving them of food and water, to the desert of what is now Syria.

To date, twenty countries and 44 U.S. states have officially recognized the events of the period as genocide, and most genocide scholars and historians accept this view. The Armenian Genocide has been also recognized by influential media including The New York Times, BBC, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

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