BILL ANALYSIS Ó
HR 27
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Date of Hearing: April 16, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
Nancy Skinner, Chair
HR 27 (Achadjian, et al.) - As Introduced: April 12, 2012
SUBJECT : Armenian genocide and human rights.
SUMMARY : Designates the week of April 18 to 24, 2012, as
"California Week of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of
1915-1923"; calls upon the Congress and the President of the
United States to observe the California Week of Remembrance for
the Armenian Genocide and urge the Republic of Turkey to honor
its obligations under international treaties and human rights
law to end religious discrimination. Specifically, this
resolution makes the following findings:
1)The Armenian Genocide 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, is
constituted as one of the most atrocious violations of human
rights in the history of the world.
2)Unlike other governments that have admitted and denounced the
abuses and crimes of predecessor regimes, the Republic of
Turkey has denied the occurrence of the crimes against
humanity committed by the Ottoman and Young Turk rulers, which
compounds the grief of the remaining survivors and causes pain
to the decedents of the victims.
3)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
Christian places of worship and other religious properties in
the Republic of Turkey.
4)California is home to the largest Armenian-American population
in the United States and the Armenians living in this state
have enriched the lives of Californians through their
leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and
the arts.
5)By remembering and condemning the atrocities committed against
the Armenians, and honoring the survivors, we guard against
repetition of such acts of genocide and provide the American
HR 27
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public with a greater understanding of its heritage.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS :
1)According to the author, the resolution is intended as a
reminder of the atrocities of genocide and to guard against
the repetition of this crime.
2) The opposition has expressed that a) the term "genocide" is
inaccurate in this resolution as the International Court of
Justice has not ruled it to be genocide; and b) Turkey has
passed a law requiring that properties belonging to all
churches in Turkey be returned to the churches.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file.
Opposition
Turkish Peace and Justice Committee, California
Analysis Prepared by : Anna McCabe / RLS. / (916) 319-2800