San Francisco Supervisors declare April 24 Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day

PanARMENIAN.Net - A resolution declaring April 24, 2011 Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day was once again adopted by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

“This is something that the board of supervisors has annually done, to unanimously pass this resolution to stand in solidarity with this community,” explained District 7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd.

The purpose of the vote was no different from previous years: to educate and solidify the historical truth of the genocide.

“There is a very heavy, strong, and active Armenian population in District 7 and in San Francisco,” said Elsbernd.

The resolution explains that the Ottoman Turkish government initially targeted Armenian intellectuals, politicians, business leaders, and religious authorities in the genocide. The persecution then became well-planned and included mass executions resembling race extermination.

The resolution states, “The Ottoman authorities planned and executed the unspeakable atrocities committed against the Armenian people from 1915 through 1923, which included the torture, starvation, and murder of 1,500,000 Armenians, death marches into the Syrian desert, the forced exile of more than 500,000 innocent people, and the loss of the traditional Armenian homelands.”

The resolution goes on to explain that the Republic of Turkey suppresses freedom of speech on the topic of the genocide. With the passage of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal code in 2008, citizens can be prosecuted for speaking out about the issue. The law forbids public denigration of the Turkish Nation.

“San Francisco is proud to join the Armenian-American community in its commemoration of the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in an effort to educate others about the tragic loss of life, land, and human rights of the Armenian people and the crime of genocide committed against them,” states the resolution, The Epoch Times reported.