R 165
2000-H 8161
Enacted 4/12/2000


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

PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2000 AS "RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE of 1915-1923"

Introduced By:  Representatives Garabedian, Bramley, Corvese, Quick and Giannini Date Introduced:  April 12, 2000

WHEREAS, One and one-half million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian genocide and massacres of the Armenian people have been recognized as an attempt to eliminate all traces of a thriving and noble civilization more than 3,000 years old; and

WHEREAS, To this day, revisionists still inexplicably deny the existence of these horrific events; and

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide and honors the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes; and

WHEREAS, Before the implementation of the Jewish holocaust, in order to encourage his followers, Adolph Hitler asked, "Who remembers the Armenians?"; and

WHEREAS, By consistently remembering and openly condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenians, Rhode Islanders are highly sensitive to the need for constant vigilance to prevent similar atrocities in the future; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian people have not received reparations for their losses; and

WHEREAS, Recognition of the 85th anniversary of this genocide is crucial to ensuring against future genocide by educating people about past horrors; and

WHEREAS, Armenia is now a free and independent republic, having embraced democracy following nearly 70 years of oppressive Soviet domination; and

WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans living in Rhode Island have greatly enriched the state through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives hereby proclaims April 24, 2000 as "Rhode Island Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Governor, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island and the Armenian Assembly in Washington, D.C.

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