Rep. Eshoo has been a forceful advocate of humanitarian efforts to assist vulnerable and abused people worldwide, and has consistently spoken out against human rights violations. In addition to her regular committee assignments, Rep. Eshoo Co-Chairs the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus and is an active member of the Armenian Caucus. Her personal history contributes to her depth of understanding about genocide and human rights abuses. As an Assyrian and Armenian American, Rep. Eshoo lost family members during the Armenian Genocide, and she has been active to alleviate the suffering of the Assyrians who are struggling for survival, especially in the Nineveh Plains Region of Iraq. Rep. Eshoo has also been long-time Member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and 500,000 survivors were expelled from their homes. The Ottoman Empire succeeded in the elimination of the over 2,500-year presence of Armenians in their historic homeland. On May 24, 1915, the Allied Powers, England, France, and Russia—but not the United States—jointly issued a statement explicitly charging, for the first time ever, another government of committing “a crime against humanity.”

In the 113th Congress, Rep. Eshoo is a principle cosponsor of House Resolution 227, calling on the President to work toward equitable, constructive, stable, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based on the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgement of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide. Rep. Eshoo worked tirelessly to secure passage of a similar resolution in the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2010, and continues to work to ensure its passage on the Floor of the House, despite the intensive lobbying efforts of the Turkish Government which continues to fight against the recognition of this historical record.