Bill Text: NJ SCR71 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Recognizes Armenian Genocide and condemns attacks against civilians in Republic of Artsakh.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-11-08 - Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [SCR71 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-SCR71-Introduced.html
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 71
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 13, 2020
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH A. LAGANA
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Recognizes Armenian Genocide.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
Whereas, On April 24, 1915, Ottoman Empire authorities arrested, and later executed, more than 200 Armenian community leaders and intellectuals in the capital of Constantinople, now known as Istanbul; and
Whereas, This atrocity marked the escalation of systemic persecution and violence against the Armenian people by the government of the Ottoman Empire that continued through 1923; and
Whereas, During this period, Armenians were subject to deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre, and starvation, planned and orchestrated by the government of the Ottoman Empire; and
Whereas, In all, approximately 1.5 million Armenians had perished and hundreds of thousands more had become homeless, stateless refugees at the hands of the Ottoman Empire; and
Whereas, By 1923, the entire landmass of Asia Minor and historic West Armenia had been expunged of its Armenian population; and
Whereas, These horrific events constitute what is widely recognized today by numerous scholars, governments, and international organizations as the Armenian Genocide; and
Whereas, Notwithstanding the historical evidence to the contrary, some, including the government of the Republic of Turkey, deny that the Armenian Genocide ever happened; and
Whereas, The danger of denying these events was manifested when Adolf Hitler ordered his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939 by saying "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?," setting the stage for the Holocaust; and
Whereas, In 2019, the United States Congress expressed that it is the policy of the United States to commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance; and
Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper to remember, with the Armenian communities throughout New Jersey, the United States, and the world, and with Armenia, these tragic events to help ensure that such atrocities are never repeated; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. The New Jersey Legislature recognizes the Armenian Genocide and acknowledges the criminal mistreatment of Armenians by the government of the Ottoman Empire as an issue of international and historic significance.
2. The New Jersey Legislature expresses that it is the sense of the Legislature that it is the policy of New Jersey to:
(1) commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance;
(2) reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the State of New Jersey with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide; and
(3) encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the role of the United States in humanitarian relief efforts, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of the State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Governor of the State of New Jersey and each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution recognizes the Armenian Genocide and the atrocities suffered by the Armenians at the hands of the government of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 through 1923. During this period, Armenians were subject to deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre, and starvation, all of which were planned and orchestrated by the government of the Ottoman Empire. These horrific events are widely recognized today by numerous scholars, governments, and international organizations as the Armenian Genocide. This tragic event in history must be acknowledged and remembered to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated.
The concurrent resolution also expresses the Legislature's sense that it is the policy of New Jersey to:
(1) commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance;
(2) reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the State of New Jersey with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide; and
(3) encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the role of the United States in humanitarian relief efforts, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.
