WASHINGTON—Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.-3), in protest over the expulsion of humanitarian aid missions from Darfur, was arrested this week at the Embassy of Sudan, reported the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Central Massachusetts.
In 2006, McGovern, following a similar act of civil disobedience, noted that “Words are no longer enough. It is time for action. [The Armenian Genocide] is the first genocide of the 21st century. The world has said, ‘Never again.’ Those words must mean something.”
McGovern, along with at least four other representatives—including John Lewis (D-Ga.), Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), and Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.)—and Darfur activist leaders were arrested.
The ANC-CM fully supports McGovern’s principled actions to draw attention to the continuing genocide in Darfur. “Congressman McGovern consistently and persistently fights for human rights and its place in U.S. foreign policy,” said ANC-CM chair George Aghjayan. “We are proud and thankful to have him represent our district.”
The ANC-CM met with McGovern on Wed., April 22, accompanied by Armenian Genocide survivor Alice Khachadoorian Shnorhokian. And just last week, McGovern sent a personal appeal to President Barack Obama urging the proper recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the White House. In his powerful remarks, he asked, “When is the right time? When the last survivor, the last witness, is no longer with us?”
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