Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ANCA: Pres Obama Home State Becomes 42nd to Recognize The Genocide

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ANCA: Pres Obama Home State Becomes 42nd to Recognize The Genocide

    Armenian National Committee of America
    1711 N Street, NW
    Washington, DC 20036
    Tel. (202) 775-1918
    Fax. (202) 775-5648
    [email protected]
    Internet www.anca.org

    PRESS RELEASE

    April 6, 2009
    Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
    Tel: (202) 775-1918

    PRESIDENT OBAMA'S HOME STATE BECOMES
    42nd TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

    -- Aloha State Officially Marks Atrocity
    During President's Visit to Turkey

    HONOLULU, HI -Hawaii, home to President Barack Obama, became the
    42nd U.S. state to recognize the Armenian Genocide, with the State
    House of Representatives earlier today adopting a formal measure
    (HR192) that both condemned this crime and noted Turkey's ongoing
    denial of this atrocity.

    The measure, which was adopted unanimously on the day of the
    President's trip to Turkey, declares April 24th as a "Day of
    Remembrance in Recognition of and Commemoration of the Armenian
    Genocide of 1915." The "Aloha State" proclamation makes Hawaii the
    42nd state to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

    "Hawaii's recognition today of the Armenian Genocide reflects the
    broad-based and growing tide of civil society support throughout
    the United States for a strong, moral American stand against all
    genocides," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "In this
    spirit, and keeping faith with the citizens of Hawaii and the
    forty-one other states that have officially marked this crime, we
    look forward, in the coming days, to the President honoring his
    pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide."

    The legislation, HR192, states that, "approximately 1.5 million
    Armenian men, women, and children living within the Ottoman
    Empire's borders were killed in a brutal genocide," and that, "the
    Armenian Genocide remains unacknowledged by the Republic of Turkey
    to this day." The measure also notes that, "this body joins with
    Hawaii's Armenian-American community and all Armenians worldwide in
    recognizing and honoring those who were killed and persecuted
    during the Armenian Genocide, and urging people throughout the
    world to never forget these horrific crimes against humanity."

    The full text of the Hawaii proclamation is provided below.

    #####

    HR192 H.D.1
    House of Representatives
    Twenty-fifth Legislature, 2009
    State of Hawaii

    http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2009/ lists/measure_indiv.aspx?
    billtype=HR&billnumb er=192

    House Resolution

    Declaring April 24 as a Day of Remembrance in Recognition and
    Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide of 1915

    WHEREAS, during the chaos of World War I between the years of 1915-
    1923, approximately 1,500,000 Armenian men, women, and children
    living within the Ottoman Empire's borders were killed in a brutal
    genocide; and

    WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forced to flee to
    foreign countries after being stripped of their possessions,
    national identities, and homeland; and

    WHEREAS, documented as the first instance of genocide in the 20th
    century, the Armenian genocide remains unacknowledged by the
    Republic of Turkey to this day; and

    WHEREAS, even though over 90 years have passed since these mass
    killings took place, present-day atrocities continue to resonate
    throughout the world; and

    WHEREAS, it is every person's responsibility to recognize the
    brutal slayings of so many innocents, remember their suffering, and
    vow to help prevent future occurrences of genocide; and

    WHEREAS, Armenia's ties to Hawaii started in the 1920s with the
    gifted painter Arman T. Manookian, a genocide survivor, who lived
    in Hawaii for almost six years before his tragic death in 1931, and
    who became known as Hawaii's Van Gogh; and

    WHEREAS, Hawaii has a growing Armenian-American community that is
    involved in all aspects of public life, including business,
    education, and government; and

    WHEREAS, each year, Armenians throughout the world honor those who
    perished in the first genocide of the 20th century, and all the
    people of the world should join in recognizing and commemorating
    the Armenian genocide to ensure that this ugly testament to man's
    inhumanity to man is never forgotten; now, therefore,

    BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth
    Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that
    this body hereby declares April 24 as a day of remembrance in
    recognition and commemoration of the Armenian genocide; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body joins with Hawaii's Armenian-
    American community and all Armenians worldwide in recognizing and
    honoring those who were killed and persecuted during the Armenian
    genocide, and urging people throughout the world to never forget
    these horrific crimes against humanity; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be
    transmitted to the Governor, who in turn is requested to transmit
    copies to the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee
    of America and Armenian National Committee of Hawaii.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Working...
X