Pennsylvania General Assembly passes Armenian Genocide centennial reolution

Pennsylvania General Assembly unanimously passes H.R. 265 designating April 24, 2015, as “Pennsylvania’s Day of Remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the ‪Armenian Genocide‬ of 1915-1923.”

The resolution reads:

A RESOLUTION Designating April 24, 2015, as “Pennsylvania’s Day of Remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923.”

WHEREAS, Between 1915 and 1923, the Turkish Ottoman Empire perpetrated genocide on 1.5 million men, women and children of Armenian descent; and

WHEREAS, The massacre of the Armenian people attempted to eliminate all traces of the 3,000-year-old Armenian culture and constituted a crime against humanity; and

WHEREAS, In order to encourage his followers, Adolph Hitler asked, “Who remembers the Armenians?” prior to his initiation of the Holocaust of European Jews; and

WHEREAS, By remembering and openly condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenians, the Commonwealth affirms the need for constant vigilance to prevent similar atrocities in the future; and

WHEREAS, Recognition and public awareness of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide is necessary to ensure that similar acts do not occur in the future; and

WHEREAS, Armenia became a free and democratic republic after nearly 70 years of oppressive Soviet rule; and

WHEREAS, Armenian Americans residing in Pennsylvania have greatly enriched this Commonwealth as leaders in business, agriculture, academia, government and the arts; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate April 24, 2015, as “Pennsylvania’s Day of Remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Armenian National Committee of America.