By Rachna Choudhry, 4/24/15

Today marks the centennial of the Meds Yeghern, the first mass atrocity of the 20th Century. Beginning in 1915, the Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire were deported and massacred. One and a half million Armenians died.

Earlier this month, Pope Francis identified the massacre as “the first genocide of the twentieth century.” (Read the Pope’s full remarks to Armenian pilgrims.) In addition, more than 20 countries and 43 US states have affirmed the Armenian genocide. However, President Obama has not. According to the President: 

This centennial is a solemn moment. It calls on us to reflect on the importance of historical remembrance, and the difficult but necessary work of reckoning with the past. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view has not changed. A full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all our interests. Peoples and nations grow stronger, and build a foundation for a more just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past. We welcome the expression of views by Pope Francis, Turkish and Armenian historians, and the many others who have sought to shed light on this dark chapter of history.”

The United States had previously officially recognized the Armenian Genocide through President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 Proclamation in Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust. The House had adopted similar resolutions in 1975 (HJRes 148) and in 1984 (HJRes 247).

Congress Responds

Last week, the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, held a hearing to examine the “denialism of the Armenian genocide by the Government of Turkey.” As Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ) explained, “the Armenian genocide is the only genocide of the 20th century in which a nation that was decimated by genocide has been subject to the ongoing outrage of a massive campaign of genocide denial, openly sustained by state authority. Sadly, the Turkish government has driven this campaign of denial, and has done so over a course of decades.” 

Some lawmakers in Congress have been calling on President Obama to recognize this atrocity as a “genocide” and have introduced two resolutions:

Senate Resolution regarding the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide (SRes 140)

Sponsor: Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) —Bipartisan— “Calls for the following: To remember and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2015; That the President work toward an equitable, constructive, stable, and durable Armenian-Turkish relationship that includes the full acknowledgment by the Government of the Republic of Turkey of the facts about the Armenian Genocide; That the President 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 relating to the Armenian Genocide,” according to the resolution sponsors. 

Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution (HRes 154)

Sponsor: Rep. Bob Dold (R-IL) —Bipartisan— “Calls upon the Administration to work toward equitable, constructive and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey's full acknowledgement of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution will also establish a fair, just and comprehensive international record of this crime against humanity.” according to the resolution sponsors. 

— Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn't imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we're simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of a complex legislative system. —