WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in the memory of all those who perished during the Holocaust:

“On this day in 1945, the Nazi Concentration Camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated. The world could no longer deny the enormity of the horrors committed in such a small place. As survivors told their stories, journalists snapped photos, and human rights violators confessed to crimes across Europe, it became clear that we should, and could never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust. More dangerous and deadly than any weapon used during the Second World War was the fanatical extremism that facilitated the deaths of millions people. 70 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, we still must remain vigilant in standing up to the scourge of violent extremism. 

“Today, and every day, we mourn the loss of so many innocents and share in the anguish of the survivors whose lives were forever changed. We also remember those who stood against the Nazi regime to save the lives of others—often at the expensive of their own. We all know too well the horrors of the Holocaust and we cannot stand by as other, modern-day genocides occur.  I am determined to make sure that such a dark history never repeats.  We owe the victims, their families, and future generations our united resolve to prevent future crimes against humanity.”

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