Schwarzenegger proclaims Days of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide

April 15, 2010 - 11:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proclaimed the week of April 19th through April 26th as “Days of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.”

The proclamation says:

“It is important to remember the horrors of the past in order to keep history from repeating itself. The Armenian Genocide was a terrible breach of human rights and an event that has outraged the world. Between 1915 and 1923, 1.5 million innocent Armenians lost their lives at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, and 500,000 more were forced from their homeland.

The atrocities carried out against the Armenian people were grave and unimaginable, as they were subjected to deportation, abduction, torture, starvation and more. And as with any violent conflict, Armenian women and children suffered the worst abuses. The bulk of the Armenian population that was displaced from their homes was forced to escape to neighboring as well as faraway countries. Many fled to the United States.

Today, California is honored to be home to a vibrant Armenian-American population, the largest outside the Republic of Armenia. This thriving community is a proud reminder of survival and determination even in the face of extreme injustice.

As Americans and Californians, it is our duty to raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide and to participate in the remembrance and mourning of the loss of innocent lives.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim April 19-26, 2010, as “Days of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 8th day of April 2010.”

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.