Rep. Schiff Statement on Armenian Genocide Recognition
Burbank, CA – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) issued the following statement after President Joseph R. Biden officially recognized the Armenian Genocide:
“For Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was - the first genocide of the 20th Century. In so doing, he has cast aside decades of shameful silence and half-truths, and the broken promises of so many of his predecessors, and spoken truth to power.
“This is a momentous day for thousands upon thousands of my Armenian-American constituents who have been working, advocating, and praying for recognition for their entire lives – and I am heartened that this announcement comes at a time when there are still some genocide survivors alive to witness it, though their numbers are very small. It also comes at a time of new dangers to the Armenian people, after Azerbaijan and Turkey made war on the people of Artsakh.
“As we commemorate the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we can now do so now, secure in the knowledge that our nation, both the President and the Congress, speak with one voice:
“We will never again be silenced. And we will never forget.”
Schiff has led Congressional efforts to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide for over twenty years, and this year led a bipartisan group of over 100 members of Congress in urging President Biden to take this historic step.
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