Tuesday, November 04, 2003 Contact: Sean Oblack (202) 225-4176 Schiff Urges Passage Of Armenian Genocide Resolution On 15th Anniversary Of Genocide Convention Act WASHINGTON, D.C. - To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act, U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) urged his House colleagues to quickly adopt H.Res. 193 - a congressional resolution, introduced by Reps. Schiff and George Radanovich, to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. On April 24, 1915, the first genocide of the 20th century began. Between 1915 and 1923, 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children were killed at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, which is now modern-day Turkey. Though Turkey rose from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, the Turkish government refuses to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Instead, government officials have launched a sweeping campaign of denial and revisionism. The United States government has also yet to formally recognize the events of 1915-1923 as "genocide." Since taking office in 2000, Rep. Schiff has actively pursed the full recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States. Schiff has urged his House colleagues each year to recognize the Armenian Genocide and he spearheaded a letter this spring to President Bush requesting that he honor his word to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide. Today, Rep. Schiff memorialized the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act and urged quick passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution: "Mr. Speaker, today marks the 15th anniversary of the United States taking a principled stand toward ensuring that the lessons of past genocides, such as the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, and the genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda, will be used to prevent future genocides. "After the horrors 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 in 1948. 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, and it was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1986. Following the Senate ratification of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Congress passed the Proxmire Act to implement the Convention and criminalize genocide under U.S. law. "Fifteen years ago today, President Ronald Reagan signed the Proxmire Act into law and put the United States on record as being strongly opposed to the heinous crime of genocide. "Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge consideration of H.Res.193, legislation that I introduced with my colleague Mr. Radanovich, reaffirming support of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and commemorating the anniversary of the U.S. becoming a full party to this landmark international human rights legislation. "This important piece of legislation has tremendous bipartisan support among the 110 cosponsors, and the bill was passed unanimously by the House Judiciary Committee earlier this year. "Mr. Speaker, I urge the House Leadership to permit immediate consideration of this legislation on the floor of the House, and I urge my colleagues to reaffirm our national resolve to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, and the genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda, among others, will not be forgotten." Rep. Schiff represents California’s 29th Congressional District, including the communities of Burbank, Alhambra, Altadena, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City.