April 12, 2000

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2000

HOUSE RESOLUTION

PROCLAIMING APRIL 24, 2000 AS RHODE ISLAND DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Introduced By: Representatives Garabedian, Bramley, Corvese, Quick and Giannini

Date Introduced: April 12, 2000

Referred To: Read and Passed

WHEREAS, One and one-half million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the brutal genocideperpetrated 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 alltraces 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 crimeagainst humanity as national heroes; and

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

WHEREAS, By consistently remembering and openly condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenians, RhodeIslanders 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 educatingpeople about past horrors; and

WHEREAS, Armenia is now a free and independent republic, having embraced democracy following nearly 70 years ofoppressive 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 theArmenian 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 thisresolution to the Governor, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island and theArmenian Assembly in Washington, D.C.