BILL NUMBER: HR 27	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Members Achadjian, Charles Calderon, Gatto,
and Portantino
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Olsen and Williams)

                        APRIL 12, 2012

   Relative to the Armenian genocide and human rights.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
             HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST



   WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 was the first genocide
of the 20th century, in which 1.5 million men, women, and children
lost their lives at the hands of the Turkish Ottoman Empire; and
   WHEREAS, In their 3,000 year historic homeland in Asia Minor,
Armenians were subjected to severe and unjust persecution and
brutality by the Turkish rulers of the Ottoman Empire before and
after the turn of the 20th century, including widespread acts of
destruction and murder during the period from 1894 to 1896,
inclusive, and again in 1909; and
   WHEREAS, The massacre of the Armenians constituted one of the most
atrocious violations of human rights in the history of the world;
and
   WHEREAS, Adolph Hitler, in persuading his army commanders that the
merciless persecution and killing of Jews, Poles, and other people
would bring no retribution, declared, "Who, after all, speaks today
of the annihilation of the Armenians?"; and
   WHEREAS, Unlike other people and governments that have admitted
and denounced the abuses and crimes of predecessor regimes, and
despite the overwhelming proof of genocidal intent, the Republic of
Turkey has inexplicably and adamantly denied the occurrence of the
crimes against humanity committed by the Ottoman and young Turk
rulers, and those denials compound the grief of the few remaining
survivors of the atrocities, desecrate the memory of the victims, and
cause continuing pain to the descendants of the victims; and
   WHEREAS, Leaders of nations with strategic, commercial, and
cultural ties to the Republic of Turkey should be reminded of their
duty to encourage Turkish officials to cease efforts to distort facts
and deny the history of events surrounding the Armenian Genocide;
and
   WHEREAS, The accelerated level and scope of denial and
revisionism, coupled with the passage of time and the fact that very
few survivors remain who can serve as reminders of indescribable
brutality and tormented lives, compel a sense of urgency in efforts
to solidify recognition of historical truth; and
   WHEREAS, By consistently remembering and forcefully condemning the
atrocities committed against the Armenians, and honoring the
survivors as well as other victims of similar heinous conduct, we
guard against repetition of such acts of genocide and provide the
American public with a greater understanding of its heritage; and
   WHEREAS, There is continued concern about the welfare of
Christians in the Republic of Turkey, their right to worship and
practice their faith freely, and the legal status and condition of
churches and other places of worship, monasteries, schools,
hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious
properties in the Republic of Turkey; and
   WHEREAS, This measure would provide that the Legislature deplores
the persistent, ongoing efforts by any person in this country or
abroad to deny the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide; and
   WHEREAS, California is home to the largest Armenian-American
population in the United States, and Armenians living in California
have enriched our state through their leadership in business,
agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; and
   WHEREAS, The State of California has been at the forefront of
encouraging and promoting a curriculum relating to human rights and
genocide in order to empower future generations to prevent recurrence
of the crime of genocide; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the
Assembly commends its conscientious educators who teach about human
rights and genocide; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Assembly hereby designates the week of April 18
to April 24, 2012, inclusive, as "California Week of Remembrance for
the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923"; and be it further.
   Resolved, That the Assembly commemorates California Week of
Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide through the Armenian Genocide
Commemorative Project; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Assembly respectfully calls upon the Congress
and the President of the United States to act likewise and to
formally and consistently recognize and reaffirm the historical truth
that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people
constituted genocide; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Assembly calls upon the Republic of Turkey to
acknowledge the facts of the Armenian Genocide and to work toward a
just resolution; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Assembly calls on the United States President
and Congress to urge the government of the Republic of Turkey to
honor its obligations under international treaties and human rights
law to do both of the following:
   (a) End all forms of religious discrimination.
   (b) Allow the rightful church and lay owners of Christian church
properties, without hindrance or restriction, to organize and
administer prayer services, religious education, clerical training,
appointments, and succession, religious community gatherings, social
services, including ministry to the needs of the poor and infirm, and
other religious activities; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, Members of the United States Congress, the Governor, and the
Turkish Ambassador to the United States.