2013 -- S 0873

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LC02254

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2013, AS "ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY"

TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO 1923 AND IN HONOR

OF ARMENIAN-AMERICANS

     Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Goodwin, Ruggerio, Paiva Weed, and Jabour

     Date Introduced: April 24, 2013

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

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     WHEREAS, One and a half million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were

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victims of the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and thereafter; and

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     WHEREAS, The United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau,

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Sr., stated, "Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and

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whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive,

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became the daily misfortunes of these devoted people."; and

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     WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic

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destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments in an attempt

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to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than three thousand years; and

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     WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers, such as the New York Times, carried headlines

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including "Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed" and "Million Armenians Killed or in Exile";

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and

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     WHEREAS, Around the globe the Armenian genocide has been acknowledged by

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countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Belgium, Canada, the Council of Europe,

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Cyprus, the European Parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, the United

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Nations, and Uruguay; and

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     WHEREAS, Each year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from

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1915 to 1923, but truly all the world's people should commemorate the Armenian genocide

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because it stands as an ugly testament to man's inhumanity to man; and

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     WHEREAS, We must all do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian genocide,

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not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more

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about this unconscionable tragedy will better help us understand the necessity of eliminating

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hatred from our own communities; and

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     WHEREAS, Residents of Rhode Island are highly sensitive to the need for consistently

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remembering and openly condemning the crimes committed against any culture or people in

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order to prevent similar atrocities in the future; and

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     WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans living in Rhode Island have greatly enriched our state

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through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now,

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therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

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hereby recognizes April 24, 2013, as "Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day" in the State of

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Rhode Island; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to

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likewise commemorate the Armenian genocide and acknowledge that genocide is relevant to and

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affects all nations; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the

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United States, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Lincoln D. Chafee,

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Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and

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the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

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LC02254

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