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In rebuke of Erdogan, Armenian genocide resolution could soon pass House

BY ALEXANDER NAZARYAN - 10/24/2019

For years a resolution condemning the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians by Turkish nationalists during World War I has failed to gain traction in either chamber of Congress. Though lawmakers have long promised a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, they have been hampered by Turkey’s role as a critical ally whose significance has only increased with the rise of violent extremism across the Middle East.

As soon as next week, Democrats in the House of Representatives could ratify a measure recognizing the Armenian genocide, moving it out of committee and to the chamber floor, where it is likely to pass. The House Rules Committee is set to announce Thursday that it is going to take up the resolution next week, a final formal process before it can receive a vote.

“I’m proud that the Rules Committee will be considering this resolution next week,” that committee’s chairman, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., told Yahoo News, noting that his Worcester-area district has the oldest Armenian diaspora community in the United States. “Not acknowledging the genocide is a stain on our human rights record and sends the exact wrong message to human rights abusers around the world,” he added.

“It’s time to start holding Turkey accountable for its actions,” said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va. “Both Congress and the White House have remained silent on this issue for far too long, and I look forward to changing that next week.”

Members of the Senate have introduced a genocide-recognition resolution of their own, though its fate is less clear.

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