BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SJR 21|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SJR 21
Author: De León (D), et al.
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SUBJECT : Armenian Genocide
SOURCE : Armenian National Committee
DIGEST : This resolution designates and encourages the people
of California to commemorate the month of April 2014, as
California Month of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of
1915-1923, and calls upon the Congress and the President of the
United States to act likewise.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1. During the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 1.5 million men,
women, and children of Armenian descent lost their lives at
the hands of the Ottoman Turkish Empire in its attempt to
systematically eliminate the Armenian race.
2. Despite Armenians' historic presence, stewardship, and
autonomy in the region, Turkish rulers of the Ottoman Empire
subjected Armenians to severe and unjust persecution and
brutality including, but not limited to, widespread and
wholesale massacres beginning in the 1890's, most notably the
Hamidian Massacres from 1894 to 1896 and the Adana Massacre
of 1909.
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3. 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. 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.
4. The U.S. is on record as having officially recognized the
Armenian Genocide in the U.S. government's May 28, 1951,
written statement to the International Court of Justice
regarding the Reservations to the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, through
President Ronald Reagan's April 22, 1981, Proclamation No.
4838, and by Congressional legislation including House Joint
Resolution 148 adopted on April 8, 1975, and House Joint
Resolution 247 adopted on September 10, 1984.
5. 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 history.
6. California is home to the largest Armenian-American
population in the U.S., and Armenians living in California
have enriched our state through their leadership and
contribution in business, agriculture, academia, government,
and the arts.
7. 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 the recurrence of genocide.
This resolution designates the month of April 2014, as
"California Month of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of
1915-1923"; and commends its conscientious educators who teach
about human rights and genocide. This resolution respectfully
calls upon the Congress and the President of the U.S. to act
likewise and to formally and consistently recognize and reaffirm
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SJR 21
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the historical truth that the atrocities committed against the
Armenian people constituted genocide, and calls on the President
to work toward equitable, constructive, stable, and durable
Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey's
full acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences of the
Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive
international resolution of this crime against humanity. This
resolution also calls upon the Republic of Turkey to acknowledge
the facts of the Armenian Genocide and to work toward a just
resolution.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/1/14)
Armenian National Committee (source)
AL:k 4/3/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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