July 20, 2010 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1379 things I work for is clarity.’’ The completed The Helsinki Commission has been at the take effective measures to stop the harass- piece was released during an American bicen- forefront of drawing attention to the human ment, persecution and attacks against human tennial ceremony and captures the very es- rights situation in Chechnya and elsewhere in activists and journalists in the Russian Federa- sence of American pride and patriotism. For the North Caucasus region of Russia, having tion and to end the impunity for those respon- those of you who have seen ‘‘The Prayer at held numerous hearings and briefings. Not- sible for the murder of Natalya Estemirova and Valley Forge’’, the suffering, the pressure, and withstanding the assertions by the powers that others. Only then will there be hope that the General Washington’s faith in America is per- be in Moscow that the situation in Chechnya situation in Chechnya will return to anything fectly understood and visualized. has returned to normal, the reality on the approaching normal. In the 1950’s, Mr. Friberg partnered with ground reveals otherwise. The recently re- f Hollywood producer Cecil B. DeMille to serve leased 2009 Country Reports on Human as chief artist and designer for DeMille’s epic Rights Practices, issued by the Department of IN HONOR OF PENNSYLVANIA motion-picture, ‘‘The Ten Commandments.’’ State, found that the Russian government’s al- STATE REPRESENTATIVE BRYAN Mr. Friberg’s 15 paintings for ‘‘The Ten Com- ready poor human rights record in the North BARBIN AND HIS EFFORTS TO mandments’’ served as the pictorial basis for Caucasus worsened during the reporting pe- RAISE AWARENESS OF TRAU- the scenes, characters, and costumes of the riod, with a marked increase in extrajudicial MATIC BRAIN INJURY legendary film. For his efforts, Mr. Friberg killings by both government and rebel forces earned an Academy Award Nomination in and politically motivated disappearances in HON. MARK S. CRITZ 1956. Chechnya as well as in neighboring Ingushetia OF PENNSYLVANIA Other famous works include Mr. Friberg’s and Dagestan. The Helsinki Commission re- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES work for his church, The Church of Jesus mains deeply concerned over ongoing human Tuesday, July 20, 2010 Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mr. Friberg painted rights abuses, legal impunity, and the perme- and designed covers for the children’s maga- ating climate of fear in the North Caucasus. Mr. CRITZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to zine, The Friend, and has depicted well-known While one cannot discount that terrorist ele- recognize the hundreds-of-thousands of U.S. scenes and moments from The Book of Mor- ments are responsible for some of the rights service members and veterans impacted by mon. These paintings are loved and cele- violations in that region, many of the reported traumatic brain injuries. brated by members of the LDS Church around abuses are perpetrated by federal and local Earlier this morning, Congressman BILL the world. security forces in Chechnya, including the pri- PASCRELL and I welcomed Pennsylvania State Mr. Friberg was born in a Chicago suburb, vate militia of Chechen strongman Ramzan Representative Bryan Barbin to the U.S. Cap- but by the 1950’s, he was an established resi- Kadyrov, the republic’s Kremlin-backed presi- itol. Representative Barbin completed a seven- dent of Utah. Utah Governor Gary Herbert re- dent. While it remains unclear what, if any role day motorcycle ride through seven state cap- cently called Mr. Friberg Utah’s ‘‘adopted Kadyrov had in Estemirova’s killing, his con- itals to raise awareness of the impact of trau- son.’’ His Utah family will miss him, but his tempt for her and other human rights defend- matic brain injuries, and to deliver the fol- memory and his artwork will live on forever. ers is palpable. Earlier this month Kadyrov lowing resolution that was adopted by the f publicly labeled independent journalists and House of Representatives of the Common- rights activists as ‘‘traitors and enemies of the wealth of Pennsylvania on June 23, 2010. It CHECHNYA A YEAR AFTER THE state.’’ Among those targeted by the Chechen reads: KILLING OF NATALYA leader is the respected Russian rights organi- Whereas, More than 1.5 million United ESTEMIROVA zation Memorial. States military personnel have deployed to Madam Speaker, as Co-Chairman of the Iraq or Afghanistan since the start of mili- HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS Helsinki Commission I remain concerned over tary operations in 2001, and military statis- the deterioration of the human rights situation tics show that at least 115,000 troops have OF FLORIDA suffered brain injuries related to IED explo- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES in the North Caucasus generally, and sions since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars Chechnya specifically. I am not alone in this Tuesday, July 20, 2010 began; and regard, as the Council of Europe’s Parliamen- Whereas, Brain injury has been labeled a Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, tary Assembly adopted a resolution late last signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Af- a year ago this month Natalya Estemirova, the month on the North Caucasus. The measure ghanistan and brain injuries occurring leading human rights defender in Chechnya pointed to a series of specific concerns in among soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghani- was abducted near her apartment building in Chechnya against the backdrop of what it stan are strongly associated with post-trau- the capital city of Grozny by unidentified men, characterized as ‘‘a climate of pervading fear’’ matic stress disorder and physical health transported to the neighboring republic of problems after soldiers return home; and nurtured by the current authorities: recurrent Whereas, Concern has been emerging about Ingushetia, and brutally killed. She led a cou- disappearances of government opponents and the possible long-term effects of combat-re- rageous life of denouncing corruption, calling human rights defenders still remain widely lated brain injuries. Significant numbers of for a fair judicial system, and standing up for unpunished; continuing threats and reprisals, undiagnosed injuries and the failure by med- human rights. For that she was cut down. including abductions of relatives of persons ical personnel to include such information in While her killers may have ended her life, they suspected of belonging to illegal armed fac- soldiers’ permanent medical files has been will never silence the voice she brought to tions; and ongoing intimidation of the media identified as serious in studies prepared by medical and army experts; and these issues. Ms. Estemirova’s work was well and civil society, among others. known to the Helsinki Commission, which I co- Whereas, Without diagnosis and official Ramzan Kadyrov’s utter contempt for documentation, soldiers with head wounds chair, and colleagues there recall her 2006 human rights and fundamental freedoms was have struggled to receive appropriate treat- visit to discuss the situation in Chechnya. Like again manifested recently in his reaction to ment, sometimes receiving psychotropic Estemirova, all too many of her fellow human paintball gun attacks against women on the drugs instead of rehabilitative therapy that rights defenders and journalists are targeted streets of Grozny apparently because they could help retrain their brains; and because they have the temerity to speak out were not wearing headscarves. Instead of Whereas, The Defense and Veterans Brain about human rights abuses. condemning the assaults, the Chechen presi- Injury Center, DVBIC, in Johnstown has Today, inspired by Estemirova’s work, I in- dent reportedly praised the perpetrators. While been assisting returning veterans with reha- troduce a measure expressing solidarity with bilitative therapy since 2006; and Kadyrov has largely been given free rein in Whereas, In January 2009, Congress man- human rights defenders in the Russian Fed- Chechnya, that does not absolve his backers dated DVBIC to establish an assisted living eration; urging the Russian authorities to take in Moscow from responsibility for the deterio- pilot program to determine the best prac- appropriate steps to end the harassment, per- rating human rights situation in that part of the tices to rehabilitate soldiers with mild, mod- secution and attacks against activists; and Russian Federation. erate or severe traumatic brain injuries to calling for an end to impunity for those respon- As a participating State of the Organization enable them to return to their own commu- sible for such acts, including through the con- for Security and Cooperation in Europe, it is nities, therefore be it ducting of timely, transparent and thorough incumbent upon the Russian authorities to en- Resolved, That the House of Representa- tives designate July 7, 2010, as ‘‘Combat-Re- criminal investigations into the unresolved sure that fundamental freedoms are respected lated Brain Injury and Post Traumatic murders of human rights defenders, journal- throughout the country, including in the North Stress Disorder Awareness Day’’ in Pennsyl- ists, and political opposition members and the Caucasus. Turning a blind eye to human vania to promote public understanding and prosecution of all of those responsible for rights violations is unacceptable. I urge Presi- encourage all citizens to help bind the these crimes. dent Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin to wounds of our returning soldiers.

VerDate Mar 15 2010 05:31 Jul 21, 2010 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A20JY8.036 E20JYPT1 tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with REMARKS E1380 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks July 20, 2010 Madam Speaker, I would like to commend of those men who, no matter what he put his we got to talking (the usual ‘‘where are you State Representative Barbin for his advocacy mind to he became a star at it, whether it was from, where are your parents from’’ ques- on behalf of this important cause. on the baseball field or on the battlefield. He tions that Armenians are so fond of), Dr. Svazlian removed from her briefcase a small f will truly be missed by his fellow warfighters.’’ book that she had written and opened it to a Assigned to Headquarters and Head- page containing several photographs. After 36TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TURK- quarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Para- ISH INVASION OF THE REPUBLIC searching for a moment, she pointed to one chute Infantry Regiment, part of the Army’s of the photos. It was a picture of my father, OF CYPRUS 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, whose account was one of several hundred Chris was on a combat mission in the that Dr. Svazlian has been collecting over HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ Arghandab Valley when he triggered an IED the years. Dr. Svazlyan transcribed my fa- ther’s story in July 1999 at the Louvre Mu- OF CALIFORNIA device, wounding him severely. Chris suc- cumbed to his injuries at Landstuhl Regional seum in Paris, when they were both attend- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ing the Sixth International Conference of Ar- Medical Center in Germany on July 13, 2010. Tuesday, July 20, 2010 menian Linguistics. My father’s account was We remember Chris and offer our deepest not contained in the small book she showed Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. condolences and sincerest prayers to his fam- me, but it is recorded in Armenian in Dr. Madam Speaker, today marks the 36th anni- ily. My words cannot effectively convey the Svazlyan’s major work, Hayots versary of Turkey’s invasion of the Republic of feeling of great loss nor can they offer ade- Tseghaspanutiun: Aganades Verabroghneri Cyprus. July 20, 1974 began the Turkish oc- quate consolation. However, it is my hope that Vgayutiunneruh (Armenian Genocide: The cupation of the northern part of Cyprus and to in future days, his family may take some com- Testimonies of Eyewitness Survivors), pub- this day 43,000 Turkish troops occupy nearly fort in knowing that Chris made a difference in lished in Yerevan by the Republic of Arme- 37 percent of Cyprus’ territory. nia National Academy of Sciences in 2000. the lives of many others and serves as an ex- After returning to Yerevan, Knarik kindly Since 1974, the people of Cyprus have en- ample of a competent and caring leader and sent me a scan of the relevant pages from dured mass violation of their human rights and friend that will live on in the hearts and minds this book, enabling me to prepare this trans- fundamental freedom along with forcible ethnic of all those he touched. lation. segregation. The people of Cyprus also wit- Specialist Chris Moon leaves behind his The village of Piran is located on the nessed the destruction of their culture and mother Marsha, his father, Brian, and his sis- southern slopes of the Taurus mountain their religious heritage destroyed. ter Sunday. range, approximately midway between the The international community has been ac- This body and this country owe Chris and towns of Palu (to the north) and Diarbekir tively involved in developing a solution for the his family our deepest gratitude, and we will (to the south). Kharpert is to the west, and Sassoun is to the east. Piran was a relatively people of Cyprus. However, Turkey has re- today and forevermore honor and remember small village, with probably less than 1,000 peatedly ignored all international pressure in- him and his service to our country. inhabitants. It does not appear on most cluding 75 resolutions that have been adopted f maps. As we will see, it did not escape the by the United Nations Security Council and fate of other Armenian towns and villages in more than 13 by the United Nations General A GENOCIDE SURVIVOR FROM the region. In 1915, through murder and de- Assembly since 1974. PIRAN: SARKIS SARYAN’S STORY portation, Piran was nearly emptied of its Members of Congress along with the inter- Armenian inhabitants. national community must continue to work dili- I present here an English translation of my HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF father’s account as transcribed by Prof. gently to reach a comprehensive settlement of OF CALIFORNIA Svazlyan. Some additions and clarifications the Cyprus problem We must strongly urge IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES are noted in brackets. I have also made a few Turkey to respect human rights and ultimately Tuesday, July 20, 2010 minor factual adjustments based on our per- withdraw its forces from Cyprus. sonal family knowledge. Cyprus and the U.S. share a deep commit- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to memorialize and record a courageous story * * * * * ment to uphold the ideals of freedom, democ- For the most part, the inhabitants of our racy, justice, human rights, and the inter- of survival of the Armenian Genocide. The Ar- village were Kurds; there were a few Turks, national rule of law. I believe the international menian Genocide, perpetrated by the Ottoman and the rest were Armenians. Our village community has a moral and ethical obligation Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulted in the was not far from the source of the Tigris to stand with the Cypriots to reunify their is- death of 1.5 million Armenian men, women, River. The Tigris begins at Dzovk Lake; land and end the military occupation. and children. As the U.S. Ambassador to the Dzovk is where Nerses Shnorhali was born. Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau docu- Dzovk was one and one-half days away from f mented at the time, it was a campaign of us. In the spring, the Tigris River flowed so HONORING THE SERVICE AND SAC- ‘‘race extermination.’’ swiftly that it would carry trees with their roots in its current. I have seen how, if the RIFICE OF UNITED STATES The campaign to annihilate the Armenian trees became tangled in the river, some ARMY SPECIALIST CHRISTOPHER people failed, as illustrated by the proud Ar- swimmers would enter the water and J. MOON menian nation and prosperous diaspora. It is straighten the trunks so that the water difficult if not impossible to find an Armenian could flow unimpeded. Four or five miles HON. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS family not touched by the genocide, and while from Piran, our village, there was a red rock outcropping, where wild bees made honey OF ARIZONA there are some survivors still with us, it is im- perative that we record their stories. Through which would collect in a hole [in the rock]. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES the Armenian Genocide Congressional Record Our villagers would go [to this place] with Tuesday, July 20, 2010 pans to collect the honey, fill their pans, and Project, I hope to document the harrowing sto- take it home. Ms. GIFFORDS. Madam Speaker, I rise ries of the survivors in an effort to preserve I was born in 1911. My father’s name was today to honor United States Army Specialist their accounts and to help educate the Mem- Krikor, my uncle’s name was Garo, my Christopher J. Moon, who passed away on bers of Congress now and in the future of the grandfather, Sarkis. Three months before July 13, 2010 from wounds sustained during necessity of recognizing the Armenian Geno- the Great Catastrophe, I awoke to find my- an IED attack in Afghanistan. cide. self on my grandmother’s back. My father Originally from Tucson, Chris was a natural This is one of those stories: had been taken in handcuffs to the police house. The last time I saw my father he was athlete and stand-out baseball player. While TRANSLATED BY LEVON A. SARYAN, PH.D. tied with handcuffs. All of the Armenian attending Tucson High Magnet School, he re- In January of 2008, I traveled to Beirut to men in the village were taken from the pris- ceived many accolades including 2006 South- participate in the International Symposium on and driven to the northeast. Later, the ern Arizona Player of the Year and a scholar- on the Culture of Cilician Armenia, which Kurds told us that all of them had been ship to the University of Arizona. was held under the sponsorship of His Holi- killed. Known for his outstanding personality and ness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House It was a hot day in the month of July, 1915. attitude, Chris was always willing to help out of Cilicia. One morning, as I took my seat in The Kurds had come; they were sitting in the the meeting hall, I turned around and intro- shade of a tree watching the proceedings. anyone who needed it. duced myself to two women scholars seated The command for deportation had arrived ‘‘Specialist Moon was the type of person we behind me, Dr. Verjine Svazlyan and her and everywhere there was confusion. The have all heard of but have very seldom ever daughter Knarik Avagyan. Both were among Turkish gendarmes were saying to each met,’’ said First Sergeant Derek Gondek, the contingent of academics from Yerevan other: ‘‘Firman geldi, bir giavourn kafa Moon’s company First Sergeant. ‘‘He was one who were participating in the symposium. As kalmaiachak.’’ (Turkish for ‘‘an official

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