WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, issued the following statement commemorating the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:
“This year marks 101 years since the Armenian Genocide, which claimed the lives of 1.5 million innocent men, women, and children at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Last year, the world gathered to commemorate the victims and to call on our leaders to recognize the atrocities for what they are – genocide. Another year on, it is imperative that more world leaders do the same.
“I strongly reiterate this call as we again gather to commemorate this solemn anniversary and the lives that were lost. The international community must recognize the magnitude of the Armenian Genocide to formally account for the atrocities that were committed over a century ago, and properly memorialize this horrific chapter of history.
“As an international community bound by norms and laws, we must also work to ensure that atrocities of this magnitude never happen again and commit to upholding and never wavering from the universal principles of human rights.”
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