January 3, 2007

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Sixtieth
Legislative Assembly
of North Dakota

Introduced by
Representatives Hanson, Kroeber
Senator Nething

A concurrent resolution proclaiming April 24 as a day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide.

WHEREAS, 1,500,000 men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and thereafter; and

WHEREAS, the United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, "Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinement of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of these 'devoted people.'"; and

WHEREAS, the killing of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years; and

WHEREAS, the Armenian genocide has been acknowledged by several countries and international bodies; and

WHEREAS, each year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and all the world's people should commemorate the Armenian genocide because it stands as an ugly testament to man's inhumanity to man; and

WHEREAS, it is essential to raise awareness about the Armenian genocide not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from our own communities;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF NORTH DAKOTA, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:

That April 24 is proclaimed as a day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of State forward copies of this resolution to the chairman of the Armenian Community of North Dakota, the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian National Committee, each member of the North Dakota Congressional delegation, and the President of the United States.