March 9, 2000

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 298
Adopted by the Virginia General Assembly March 9, 2000
Designating April 24, 2000, as Virginia Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923.

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, Virginians 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 Virginia have greatly enriched the Commonwealth through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate April 24, 2000, as Virginia Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit copies of this resolution to the Governor of Virginia, the Virginia congressional delegation, and the Armenian National Committee of Virginia for appropriate distribution.