Congressman Schiff: "This is a giant step towards full recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States."
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Representative Adam Schiff announced today that the full House Judiciary Committee will take up H. Res. 193, a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide and reaffirming support for the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide this week. Rep. Schiff and Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA) introduced the resolution on April 9, 2003.
"This is a giant step towards full recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States," Rep. Schiff said today. "It is important that we call genocide, genocide. This bipartisan resolution accomplishes this weighty goal and pays homage to the memory of the millions of innocent victims of genocide and honors the courage of the survivors."
In 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi Germany's methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Convention confirms that genocide is a crime under international law and defines genocide as actions committed with intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
The United States, under President Harry Truman, was the first nation to sign the Convention. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Proxmire Act which implemented the Convention and criminalized genocide under U.S. law - putting the United States on record as being strongly opposed to the heinous crime of genocide. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of that convention.
The Radanovich-Schiff Resolution was introduced to coincide with the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide - the extermination of more than 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Rep. Schiff took former Rep. David Bonior's position as a lead co-sponsor upon Rep. Bonior's retirement from Congress.
Rep. Schiff represents California’s 29th Congressional District, including the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City.