Internationally acclaimed celebrity activists Dean Cain and Montel Williams – executive producers of the powerful anti-genocide documentary “Architects of Denial” – joined the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) on Capitol Hill last week in calling on U.S. legislators to reject Turkey’s gag-rule and adopt legislation (H.Res.220 and S.Res.136) applying the lessons of the Armenian Genocide to the prevention of future atrocities.
The meetings with over a dozen senior legislators, Republican and Democrat, took place around the September 26th Washington DC premiere of Architects of Denial, held at the U.S. Naval Memorial before a capacity crowd of policymakers, diplomats, and DC influencers.
“We were honored to be joined on Capitol Hill by Dean Cain and Montel Williams, two of America’s most eloquent and effective human rights advocates, in challenging U.S. legislators to – at long last – reject Turkey’s gag-rule against honest U.S. remembrance of the Armenian Genocide,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “As they made so very clear – in their film and across the Hill – no nation – especially as one as hostile as Turkey – deserves a veto over U.S. human rights policy.”
Cain and Williams reminded legislators that genocide denial leads to it perpetuation, connecting the Armenian Genocide with ongoing official Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia and Artsakh. Among the legislators who took the opportunity to discuss the legacy of the Armenian Genocide and Turkey’s denial on the geopolitical realities of today were, House Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-SC), House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), and Representatives from throughout the U.S. including Reps. Kevin Kramer (R-ND), Dan Donovan (R-NY), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Louis Gohmert (R-TX), Jody Hice (R-GA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Juan Vargas (D-CA), among others.
Cain and Williams also discussed efforts to secure passage of the Armenian Genocide legislation with Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Jackie Speier (D-CA), Dave Trott (R-MI) and David Valadao (R-CA) and Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA), several of whom recently returned from a trip to Armenia and Artsakh.
With powerful footage from the Armenian Genocide and ongoing attacks against Armenia and Artsakh by Azerbaijan, the “Architects of Denial” includes testimonials from Wikileak’s Julian Assange, historians Dr. Greg Stanton, Dr. Taner Akcam and Dr. Ugur Ungor, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, publisher Harut Sassounian, and eye-witness accounts by Aregak Bagirian, Movses Anehyan and Yepraksi Gevorgyan.
The film will be premiering on October 6th and playing through October 12th in the following cities and venues.