Senator Portantino Urges International Recognition of Armenian Genocide as 109th Commemoration Passes

Senator Anthony J. Portantino, who represents Pasadena, amplified the urgency for international recognition and intervention in response to the ongoing aggression faced by Armenians, marking the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. 

In a statement released from Sacramento, Portantino stressed the need for collective action in the face of what he described as “repeated and regular genocidal rhetoric” from Turkey and Azerbaijan.

“Because the first genocide perpetrated against ethnic Armenians went unpunished a century ago, essentially the same violent people are repeating their illegal and inhuman acts today,” Portantino said in a statement released Tuesday. “We have a moral obligation to not only condemn all genocides and violations of human rights, but to also continue to demand justice – because there will not be peace without justice.”

Drawing parallels between historical atrocities and contemporary conflicts, Portantino urged the United States government to expand assistance to Armenians forcibly displaced from Artsakh, the ancestral homeland of Armenians. It must also “do more to hold accountable those who enact such violence on a peaceful people,” he added. 

The Armenian Genocide, which occurred during World War I, saw a campaign of deportation and mass killing against Armenian subjects of the Ottoman Empire, conducted by the Young Turk government. Armenians have long contended that the campaign constituted a deliberate attempt to destroy their people, constituting an act of genocide. The Turkish government, however, has resisted calls for recognition, asserting that while atrocities took place, there was no official policy of extermination.

The senator’s remarks come amid escalating tensions in Artsakh, where Armenians have faced what he described as “unimaginable terror,” including war, illegal blockade, and ethnic cleansing. 

“Genocide recognition is more important than ever,” Portantino said as he underscored California’s role as home to the largest Armenian American population in the U.S. 

Last Sunday, the Pasadena Armenian Coalition hosted a community-wide event at the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument to commemorate the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The event paid tribute to the enduring strength and resiliency of the survivors of the 1915-1916 Genocide, and honored the memory of the more than 1.5 Million victims who lost their lives.