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04/26/16 - Remarks offered on the Senate floor - Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 101st anniversary of the Armenian genocide .

Between 1915 and 1923, the Ottoman Empire executed a deliberate massacre of more than 1.5 million Armenians. Over the course of 8 years, Armenians were marched to their deaths in the deserts of the Middle East, murdered in concentration camps, drowned at sea, and forced to endure unimaginable acts of brutality. These barbaric acts were systematic, methodical, and intentional.

More than 100 years have passed since the start of that horrific massacre, which an overwhelming number of academics and institutions have recognized as genocide , and there are countless testimonies from victims who lived to tell of their harrowing experiences.

Pope Francis called the massacre against the Armenians ``the first genocide of the 20th century,'' declaring that ``concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it.''

However, despite an irrefutable body of evidence, the U.S. Government has refused to call the deliberate massacre of the Armenians by its rightful name: genocide .

For years, I have urged both Democratic and Republican administrations to acknowledge the truth of the Armenian genocide . Today I reiterate my call, and I hope that, this year, the United States will finally correct this century-old injustice.

By affirming the Armenian genocide , the United States would join more than 20 countries across the globe--including Russia, France, and Germany--as well as the Vatican and 43 U.S. States standing on the right side of history.

Recognizing the Armenian genocide is much more than a symbolic gesture. It will provide solace and relief to the descendants of the victims, particularly the hundreds of thousands of Armenian American citizens and residents. It will support a more equitable reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian people. And most importantly, it will reaffirm U.S. leadership in preventing and responding to similar atrocities and in advancing the rights of vulnerable populations around the world.

This year, as we take time to remember and honor the victims of the Armenian genocide , I hope the United States will finally stand on the right side of history and affirm the incontestable fact of the Armenian genocide .

04/23/15 - Remarks offered on the Senate floor in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide - Mr. President, I wish to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

Between 1915 and 1923, the Ottoman Empire carried out genocide against the Armenian people. Over the course of 8 years, more than 1.5 million Armenians were marched to their deaths in the deserts of the Middle East, murdered in concentration camps, drowned at sea, and forced to endure unimaginable acts of brutality.

Over the years, this deliberate massacre of the Armenians has been well-documented and confirmed by scholars and experts. And there are countless testimonies from victims who lived to tell of their harrowing experiences.

In his memoirs, Henry Morgenthau, the American Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1913 and 1916, wrote: ``When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this well, and in their conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to conceal the fact.''

Despite an irrefutable body of evidence, the U.S. Government has refused to call the deliberate massacre of the Armenians by its rightful name. Mr. President, 100 years have passed since the beginning of the Armenian genocide. It is long past time for our government to finally acknowledge one of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century for what it was--genocide.

This year, I am proud to be an original cosponsor of a Senate resolution calling on the President to ``ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide.''

But each day that goes by without full acknowledgement by the United States prolongs the pain felt by the descendants of the victims of the Armenian genocide, as well as the entire Armenian community.

By affirming the Armenian genocide, the United States would join countries across the globe--including Argentina, Canada, France, Italy, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, and Venezuela--as well as the Holy See and 43 U.S. States in standing on the right side of history.

For years, I have urged both Democratic and Republican administrations to finally acknowledge the truth of the Armenian genocide. Today, I reiterate my call and I hope that this year the United States will finally correct this century-old injustice.

During a recent mass commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Pope Francis said:

It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honour their memory, for whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester. Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!

On this April 24, as we take time to remember and honor the victims of the Armenian genocide, I hope the United States will heed the eloquent words of Pope Francis by formally and unequivocally affirming the incontestable fact of the Armenian genocide.