Colorado Armenian Genocide Recognition

PROCLAMATION ARMENIAN MARTYRS’ DAY
Denver, CO
April 23, 1981

WHEREAS, sixty-six years ago, one and a half million Armenians were massacred and millions more fled in terror from their ancient homeland, and;

WHEREAS, the world was shocked, for the murder and exile of the Armenians was seen as a deliberate attempt to exterminate an entire nation, and;

WHEREAS, on April 24, Armenians throughout the world commemorate “Martyrs’ Day” as a reminder of the day in 1915 when the Ottoman Turks arrested and killed 250 Armenian community leaders and intellectuals–an act which signaled the terrible events that followed, and;

WHEREAS, all Coloradans should join our fellow citizens of Armenian heritage in honoring the memory of those martyrs in the hope that the conscience of the world can bring a halt to senseless slaughter, an end to all human suffering and a reawakening of the sense of justice and human rights, and;

WHEREAS, let us also pay tribute to the survivors of the Armenian tragedy, especially to the hundreds of thousands who have made this Nation their home and have become hard-working, loyal citizens, and;

WHEREAS, in observing April 24, as a reminder of man’s inhumanity to man, Armenians also regard it as a time for renewal and rededication, and for subdued celebrations of their survival;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Richard D. Lamm, Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim April 24, 1981, as ARMENIAN MARTYRS’ DAY in the State of Colorado. GIVEN under my hand and the Executive Seal of the State of Colorado, this twenty-third day of April, A.D., 1981.

(SIGNED)

Richard D. Lamm Governor

Proclamation of Armenian Martyrs’ Day
State of Colorado
April 24, 1986

Whereas, seventy-one years ago, one and one-half million Armenians were massacred and millions more fled in terror from their ancient homeland, and;

Whereas, the world was shocked, for the murder and exile of the Armenians was seen as a deliberate attempt to exterminate an entire nations, and;

Whereas, on April 24, Armenians throughout the world commemorate “Martyrs’ Day” as a reminder of the day in 1915 when Ottoman Turks arrested and killed 250 Armenian community leaders and individuals — an act signaling the terrible events that followed, and;

Whereas, all Coloradans should join our fellow citizens of Armenian heritage in honoring the memory of those martyrs in the hope that the conscience of the world can bring a halt to senseless slaughter, an end to all human suffering and a reawakening of the sense of justice and human rights, and;

Whereas, let us also pay tribute to the survivors of the Armenian tragedy, especially to the hundreds of thousands who have made this nation their home and have become hard-working loyal citizens, and;

Whereas, in observing April 24, as a reminder of man’s inhumanity to man, Armenians also regard it as a time for renewal, and for subdued celebrations for their survival;

Now, therefore, I, Richard D. Lanon, Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim April 24, 1986, as ARMENIAN MARTYRS’ DAY in the State of Colorado.

Given under my hand and Executive Seal of the State of Colorado, this third day of April 1987

HONORARY PROCLAMATION BY THE EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS 
STATE OF COLORADO
April 10, 1987

WHEREAS, on April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Turks arrested and killed 250 Armenian community leaders and intellectuals, an act which signaled the genocide that was to follow, and;

WHEREAS, the Turks then massacred 1.5 million Armenians and drove many millions more into exile from their ancient homeland, and;

WHEREAS, some of those exiles eventually found a new home in the United States, and;

WHEREAS, in honor of the suffering of the ancestors of their compatriots, all Coloradans should take time to recall the memory of the Armenian martyrs and yet another epoch in history when justice and compassion gave way to senseless slaughter and hatred;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Roy Romer, Governor of Colorado, proclaim April 24, 1987, as ARMENIAN MARTYRS DAY

in the State of Colorado.

GIVEN under my hand and the Executive Seal of the State of Colorado, this tenth day of April, A.D. 1987 (SIGNED)

Roy Romer Governor

HONORARY PROCLAMATION BY THE EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS
STATE OF COLORADO 
March 14, 1990

WHEREAS, on April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Turks arrested and killed 250 Armenian community leaders and intellectuals, an act which signaled the genocide that was to follow, and;

WHEREAS, the Turks then massacred 1.5 million Armenians and drove many million more into exile from their ancient homeland, and;

WHEREAS, some of those exiles eventually found a new home in the United States, and;

WHEREAS, in honor of the suffering of the ancestors of their compatriots, all Coloradans should take time to recall the memory of the Armenian martyrs and yet another epoch in history when justice and compassion gave way to senseless slaughter and hatred;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Roy Romer, Governor of Colorado, proclaim April 24, 1990, as ARMENIAN MARTYRS DAY

in the State of Colorado.

GIVEN under my hand and the Executive Seal of the State of Colorado, this fourteenth day of March, 1990

(SIGNED)

Roy Romer, Governor

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY
April 22, 2010

WHEREAS, the Armenian people were subject to severe persecution and brutal injustice at the hands of their oppressors during the “First Genocide of the Twentieth Century,” or the “Forgotten Genocide,” and;

WHEREAS, the Armenian Genocide began with the murder of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and political, religious, and business leaders who were arrested and taken from their homes in Constantinople before dawn on April 24, 1915, and;

WHEREAS, the 1.5 million American Armenians who have made the United States their home have greatly enriched our nation through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, science, and the arts, and;

WHEREAS, April 24 serves as a reminder of the Armenian Genocide and provides Armenians around the world with an opportunity to observe a time of renewal, rededication, and subdued celebration of their survival, and;

WHEREAS, the State of Colorado joins the Armenian-American community in its annual observance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 1923 to raise awareness of this unconscionable tragedy so that we may better understand the importance of eliminating hatred in our own communities;

Therefore, I, Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2010,

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY

in the State of Colorado.

GIVEN under my hand and the Executive Seal of the State of Colorado, this twenty-second day of April, 2010

Bill Ritter, Jr. Governor

A Proclamation by the Governor of Colorado
State of Colorado
April 21, 2011

WHEREAS, the Armenian people were subject to severe persecution and brutal injustice at the hands of their oppressors during the ‘First Genocide of the 20th Century’, or the ‘Forgotten Genocide’, and;

WHEREAS, the Armenian Genocide began with the murder of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and political, religious, and business leaders who were arrested and taken from their homes in Constantinople before dawn on April 24, 1915, and;

WHEREAS, the 1.5 million American Armenians who have made the United States their home have greatly enriched our nation through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, science, and the arts, and;

WHEREAS, April 24 serves as a reminder of the Armenian Genocide and provides Armenians around the world with an opportunity to observe a time of renewal, rededication, and subdued celebration of their survival, and;

WHEREAS, the State of Colorado joins the Armenian-American community in its annual observance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 1923 to raise awareness of this unconscionable tragedy so that we may better understand the importance of eliminating hatred in our own communities; and Therefore, I, John Hickenlooper, Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2011,

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY

in the State of Colorado.

GIVEN under my hand and the Executive Seal of the State of Colorado, this twenty-first day of April, 2011

John Hickenlooper Governor

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 02-022
STATE OF COLORADO
April 11, 2002

CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF APRIL 24 AS “COLORADO DAY OF
REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” IN COMMEMORATION OF THE
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FROM 1915 TO 1923 AND HONORING ARMENIAN
AMERICANS.

WHEREAS, 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and thereafter, and;

WHEREAS, The United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people. I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915. The killing of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years”, and;

WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers, such as the New York Times, carried headlines including “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed” and “Million Armenians killed or in Exile”, and;

WHEREAS, The Armenian genocide has been acknowledged by countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Belgium, Canada, the council of Europe, Cyprus, the European parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, the United Nations, and Uruguay, and;

WHEREAS, Each year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and all the world’s people should commemorate the Armenian genocide because it stands as an ugly testament to man’s inhumanity to man, and;

WHEREAS, We must all do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help people better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from our own communities, and;

WHEREAS, Residents of Colorado are highly sensitive to the need for consistently remembering and openly condemning the crimes committed against any culture or people to prevent similar atrocities in the future, and;

WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans living in Colorado have greatly enriched our State through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-third General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: That the General Assembly of the State of Colorado hereby designates April 24 as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”. That the State of Colorado respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to likewise commemorate the Armenian Genocide. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Bill Owens, Governor of Colorado, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, and the Armenian National Committee in Washington.

SPONSOR: Takis

2005
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 05-022

BY SENATOR(S) Tochtrop, Takis, Anderson, Bacon, Dyer, Entz, Evans, Fitz-Gerald, Gordon, Groff, Grossman, Hagedorn, Hanna, Hillman, Isgar, Johnson, Jones, Keller, Kester, Lamborn, May R., McElhany, Mitchell, Owen, Sandoval, Shaffer, Spence, Tapia, Taylor, Teck, Tupa, Veiga, Wiens, Williams, and Windels;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Romanoff, Benefield, Berens, Borodkin, Boyd, Brophy, Buescher, Butcher, Cadman, Carroll M., Carroll T., Cerbo, Clapp, Cloer, Coleman, Crane, Curry, Decker, Frangas, Gallegos, Garcia, Green, Hall, Hefley, Hodge, Hoppe, Jahn, Kerr, King, Knoedler, Larson, Lindstrom, Liston, Lundberg, Madden, Marshall, Massey, May M., McCluskey, McFadyen, McGihon, McKinley, Merrifield, Paccione, Penry, Plant, Ragsdale, Riesberg, Rose, Schultheis, Solano, Soper, Stafford, Stengel, Sullivan, Todd, Vigil, Weissmann, Welker, and Witwer.

CONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON APRIL 24, 2005, AND EVERY APRIL 24 HEREAFTER, AS “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, 500,000 more were exiled, and 500,000 were able to escape the regime of terror and establish themselves in new foreign lands and, as a result, today there are only 100,000 people of Armenian heritage left residing within the borders of modem Turkey; and

WHEREAS, The United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Herny Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people. I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode  as this . The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915. The killing of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years.”;  and

WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers, such as the New York Times, carried headlines detailing the genocide, including “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed”, “Million Armenians Killed or in Exile”, and “Wholesale Massacre of Armenians by Turks”;  and

WHEREAS, The Armenian genocide has been acknowledged by countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Belgium, Canada, the Council of Europe, Cyprus, the European Parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, the United Nations,  and Uruguay; and

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide and to honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes ; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian people have been denied the right to self-determination on their ancestral lands and have received no form of reparation  for their tragic loss; and

WHEREAS, Each year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and all people of the world should commemorate the Armenian genocide and condemn any attempt to deny its historical truth or mischaracterize the episode as anything less than genocide, a crime against humanity; and

WHEREAS, We must all do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian genocide, not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help people better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred in their own communities. To that end, we support the efforts of Armenians of Colorado, Inc., to encourage the educators in Colorado to include the Armenian genocide in the school curriculum; and

WHEREAS, Residents of Colorado are highly sensitive to the need for consistently remembering and openly condemning the crimes   committed against any culture or people to prevent similar atrocities in the future; and

WHEREAS, For three consecutive years this legislative body unanimously passed a similar joint resolution in which the roll calls were added as co-sponsors designating April 24 as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”;  and

WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans living in Colorado have greatly enriched our state through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives  concurring herein: 

( 1) That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Annenian genocide to be recognized at a memorial service on Sunday, April 24, 2005, at the Armenian genocide memorial plaque located in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds.

• That we, the members· of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2005, and every April 24 hereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”.

• That the State of Colorado respectfully urges the United States Congress to likewise commemorate the Armenian

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to United States President George W. Bush, Colorado Governor Bill Owens, the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation, the Armenian

Assembly of America in Washington, D. C., and the Armenian National Committee in Washington, D.C.

John Fitz-Gerald  PRESIDENT THE SENATE
Andrew  Romanoff  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Keren GOld SECRETARY OF THE SENATE

Marilyn Eddins CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2006
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 06-023

BY SENATOR(S) Tochtrop, Lamborn, Bacon, Boyd, Brophy, Dyer, Entz, Evans, Fitz-Gerald, Gordon, Groff, Grossman, Isgar, Johnson, Jones, Keller, Kester, May R., McElhany, Mitchell, Owen, Sandoval, Shaffer, Spence, Takis, Tapia, Taylor, Teck, Traylor, Tupa, Veiga, Wiens, Williams, and Windels;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Garcia, Balmer, Benefield, Berens, Borodkin, Buescher, Butcher, Cadman, Carroll M., Carroll T., Cerbo, Clapp, Cloer, Coleman, Crane, Curry, Decker, Frangas, Gallegos, Gardner, Green, Hall, Harvey, Hefley, Hodge, Hoppe, Jahn, Judd, Kerr A., Kerr J., King, Knoedler, Larson, Lindstrom, Liston, Lundberg, Madden, Marshall, Massey, May M., McCluskey, McFadyen, McGihon, McKinley, Merrifield, Paccione, Penry, Plant, Pommer, Ragsdale, Riesberg, Romanoff, Rose, Schultheis, Solano, Soper, Stafford, Stengel, Sullivan, Todd, Vigil, Weissmann, Welker, White, and Witwer.

CONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON APRIL 24, 2006, AND EVERY APRIL 24 HEREAFTER, AS “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, during which 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire  from  1915 to  1923; and

WHEREAS, An additional 500,000 Armenians were exiled, and 500,000 were able to escape the regime of terror and establish themselves in new foreign lands, and, as a result, today there are only 100,000 people of Armenian heritage left residing within the borders of modern Turkey; and

WHEREAS, The United States’ Ambassador to the Ottoman  Empire,

Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people. I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915. The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years.”; and

WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers, such as the New York Times, carried headlines that read “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed”, “Million Armenians Killed or in Exile”, and “Wholesale Massacre of Armenians by Turks”; and

WHEREAS, The term “genocide” was coined by international law scholar Raphael Lemkin in 1943, and he referenced the Armenian massacres as a seminal example of such an atrocity, a crime against humanity; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide has been acknowledged by countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Belgium, Canada, the Council of Europe, Cyprus, the European parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon,  Russia,  the United Nations,  and Uruguay;  and

WHEREAS, Modem Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide and to honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian people have been denied the right to self-determination on their ancestral lands and have received no form of reparations for their tragic loss; and

WHEREAS, Each year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and all the world’s people  should join them in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide and condemnation of any attempt to deny its historical truth or mischaracterize the episode as anything  less than  genocide; and

WHEREAS, We must all do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide, not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help people better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred in our own communities, and to that end, we support the efforts of Armenians of Colorado, Inc., to encourage the educators in Colorado to include the Armenian  Genocide in the  school  curriculum; and

WHEREAS, We also commend our local PBS stations KRMA and KBDI for airing the documentary “The Armenian Genocide” by filmmaker Andrew Goldberg, scheduled for April 17th and April 26th, respectively, and we encourage our legislative colleagues to watch the program; and

WHEREAS, For four consecutive years, this legislative body has passed a similar Joint Resolution in which the roll calls were added as co-sponsors designating April 24 as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and

WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans living in Colorado have greatly enriched our state through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

• That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to be recognized at a memorial service on Sunday, April 23, 2006, at the Armenian Genocide memorial plaque located in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds;

• That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2006, and every April 24 of each year hereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and

• That the General Assembly respectfully urges the United States Congress to likewise commemorate the Armenian

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the  Honorable  George  W.  Bush,  President  of  the  United  States; the

members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, which Colorado Congressmen Mark Udall and Bob Beauprez have joined; the Honorable Bill Owens, Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; and the Armenian National Committee in Washington, D.C.

Joan Eralad PRESIDENT  OF THE SENATE
Andrew Romanoff SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
Karen Goldma SECRETARY OF THE SENATE

Marilyn Eddins CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2007
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION  07-030

BY SENATOR(S) Tochtrop, Takis, Bacon, Boyd, Brophy, Fitz-Gerald, Gordon, Groff, Hagedorn, Harvey, Isgar, Johnson, Keller, Kopp, May R., McElhany, Mitchell S., Morse, Penry, Renfroe, Romer, Sandoval, Schultheis, Schwartz, Shaffer, Spence, Tapia, Taylor, Tupa, Ward,  Wiens,  Williams,  and Windels; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Garcia, Balmer, Benefield, Borodkin, Buescher, Butcher, Cadman, Carroll M., Carroll T., Casso, Cerbo, Curry, Fischer, Frangas, Gagliardi, Gallegos, Gardner B., Gardner C., Gibbs, Green, Hicks, Hodge, Jahn, Kefalas, Kerr A, Kerr- I., King, Labuda, Lambert, Levy, Looper, Lundberg, Madden, Marostica, Marshall, Massey, May M., McFadyen, McGihon, McKinley, McNulty, Merrifield, Mitchell V., Peniston, Pommer, Primavera, Rice, Riesberg, Roberts, Romanoff, Rose, Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stafford, Stephens, Summers, Todd, Vaad,  Weissmann,  White, and Witwer.

CONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON APRIL 24, 2007, AND EVERY APRIL 24 HEREAFTER, AS “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 92nd anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Am1enian Genocide, or what has been aptly named “The Forgotten Genocide”, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from  1915 to  1923; and

WHEREAS, 500,000 refugees escaped the regime of terror and established themselves in new foreign lands and, as a result, there are today only 100,000 ethnic Armenians living on Armenia’s ancestral lands, which now lie within the borders of Turkey;  and

WHEREAS, The United States’ Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions  and  injustice  the  most  debased  imagination  can  conceive,

became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people. I am confident that  the whole history of the human race contains no such honible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915.”; and

WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers, such as the New York Times, carried headlines that read “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed”, “Million Armenians Killed”, and “Wholesale Massacre of Armenians by Turks”; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years;    and

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide and to honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity  as national heroes, despite the acknowledgment of the Armenian atrocities as genocide by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, most western governments, and international organizations such as the United Nations ; and

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to persecute its citizens who acknowledge or refer to the Armenian Genocide, such as Nobel Prize winner in Literature Orban Pamuk and Hrant Dink, the editor of the Annenian-Turkish  weekly  newspaper  Agos, who  was  murdered  by  a Turkish nationalist on January 19, 2007; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian people have been denied the right to self-determination on their ancestral lands and have received no form of reparations  for their tragic loss; and

WHEREAS, Each year, Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and all the world’s people should conunernorate the Armenian Genocide and condemn any attempt to deny its historical tmth or mischaracterize the episode as anything less than genocide, the term coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944, who referenced the Armenian massacres as a seminal example of such an atrocity, a crime against humanity; and

WHEREAS, We must do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide , not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help people to better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred in their own c01mnunities; and

WHEREAS, We must fight against new injustices, such as the first genocide of the 2 1st century in Darfur; to that end, we commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc. for sponsoring Amnesty International “prisoner of conscience” Professor Taner Akcam’s lecture A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility, at Denver’s Mizel Museum; and

WHEREAS, We also encourage Coloradans to attend an evocative dual exhibit by the Mizel Museum and the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action (CCGAA), The Dead  Weight of Complacency and I O Glocal Artists Interpret Genocide, being shown through April 27, 2007; and

WHEREAS, We also encourage the people of Colorado to attend the evocative dual exhibition by the Mizel Museum and the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action (CCGAA), The Dead Weight of Complac ency and I O “Glocal” Artists Inte rpret Genocide, being shown through April  27; and

WHEREAS, For five consecutive years, this legislative body has passed a similar Joint Resolution in which the roll calls were added as co-sponsors designating April 24 as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-sixth General Assembly of the State  of  Colorado,  the House of Representatives concurring  herein:

1.  That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, to be recognized at a memorial service to be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, 2007, at the Armenian Genocide memorial plaque located in  the northeast quadrant  of the  State Capitol  grounds;
2. That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2007, and every year hereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and
3. That the General Assembly respectfully urges the United States Congress to likewise commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States; the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Turkish Ambassador to the United States; the Honorable Bill Ritter, Governor of Colorado; Armenians of Colorado, Inc.; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; and the Armenian National  Committee of America in Washington, D.C.

Peter C. Groff PRESIDENT OF SENATE
Andrew Romanoff SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Karen Goldman SECRETARY OF THE SENATE
Marilyn Eddins CHIEF CLERK. OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2008
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION  08-024

BY SENATOR(S) Tochtrop, Bacon, Boyd, Brophy, Gibbs, Gordon, Groff, Hagedorn, Harvey, Isgar, Johnson, Keller, Kester, Kopp, Mitchell S., Morse, Renfroe, Romer, Sandoval, Schultheis, Schwartz, Shaffer, Spence, Takis, Tapia, Taylor, Veiga, Wiens, Williams,  and  Windels;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Peniston, Balmer, Benefield, Borodkin, Buescher, Butcher, Carroll M., Casso, Curry, Ferrandino, Fischer, Frangas, Gagliardi, Gallegos, Gardner B., Gardner C., Garza-Hicks, Green, Hodge, Jahn, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr J., King, Labuda, Lambert, Levy, Liston, Looper, Lundberg, Madden, Massey, May M., McFadyen, McGihon, McNulty, Merrifield, Middleton, Mitchell V., Pommer, Primavera, Rice, Riesberg, Roberts, Romanoff, Rose, Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stafford, Stephens, Summers, Swalm, Todd, Vaad, Weissmann,  White, and Witwer.

CONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON APRIL 24, 2008, AND EVERY YEAR HEREAFTER, AS “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 93rd anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide, or what has been aptly named “The Forgotten Genocide”, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from  1915 to  1923; and

WHEREAS, 500,000 refugees were able to escape the regime of terror and establish themselves in new foreign lands, and, as a result, there are only a few thousand indigenous Armenians living within the borders of modem Turkey; and

WHEREAS, The former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts ofthe human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people. I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this.”; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years;   and

WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers such as the New York Times carried headlines that read “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed”, “Million Armenians Killed”, and “Wholesale Massacre of Armenians by Turks”; and

WHEREAS, Modem Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide and to honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, despite the acknowledgment of the Armenian atrocities as genocide by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, most western governments, and international organizations such as the United Nations; and

WHEREAS, Modem Turkey continues to persecute its citizens who acknowledge or refer to the Armenian Genocide, such as the 2006 Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Orhan Pamuk, and the editor  of  the Armenian- Turkish weekly newspaper Agos, Hrant Dink, who was murdered by a Turkish nationalist  on January  19, 2007; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian people have been denied the right to self-determination on their ancestral lands and have received no form of reparations  for their tragic loss; and

WHEREAS, Each year, Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and all the world’s people should commemorate the Armenian Genocide and condemn any attempt to deny its historical truth or mischaracterize the episode as anything less than genocide, the term coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944, who referenced the Armenian massacres as a seminal example of such an atrocity, a crime against humanity; and

WHEREAS, We must all fight against new injustices, such as the first genocide of the 21st century in Darfur and the Turkish government’s support for the Sudanese regime, an example of how the cycle of genocide continues with impunity; and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., for sponsoring a lecture by Harvard Professor David L.Nersessian, JD, PhD, entitled “The Power of a Word – Recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a Path to Reconciliation”, held at the University of Denver on Saturday, April 19, 2008; now therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-sixth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House  of Representatives  concurring herein:

• That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, to be recognized at a memorial service at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 2008, at the Armenian Genocide memorial plaque in the Armenian Garden, located inthe northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds; and

• That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2008, and April 24 of every year hereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States; the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; Nabi Sensoy, the Turkish Ambassador to the United States; Ross L. Wilson, the United States Ambassador to Turkey; the Honorable Bill Ritter, Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington,  D.C.; the  Armenian National Committee in Washington, D.C.; and the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Peter C. Groff PRESIDENT OF SENATE
Andrew Romanoff SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Karen Goldman SECRETARY OF THE SENATE

Marilyn Eddins CHIEF CLERK. OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2009
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 09-041

BY SENATOR(S) Tochtrop, Bacon, Boyd, Brophy, Cadman, Carroll M., Foster, Gibbs, Harvey, Heath, Hodge, Hudak, Isgar, Keller, Kester, King K., Kopp, Lundberg, Mitchell, Morse, Newell, Penry, Romer, Sandoval, Scheffel, Schultheis, Schwartz, Shaffer B., Spence, Tapia, Veiga, White, Williams;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Ryden, Acree, Apuan, Balmer, Baumgardner, Benefield, Bradford, Casso, Court, Curry, Ferrandino, Fischer, Frangas, Gagliardi, Gardner B., Gardner C., Gerou, Green, Hullinghorst, Judd, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr J., King S., Labuda, Lambert, Levy, Liston, Looper, Marostica, Massey, May, McCann, Mcf adyen, McNulty, Merrifield, Middleton, Miklosi, Murray, Nikkel, Pace, Peniston, Pommer, Primavera, Priola, Rice, Riesberg, Roberts, Scanlan, Schafer S., Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stephens, Summers, Swaim, Todd, Vaad, Vigil, Waller, Carroll T.

CONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON APRIL 24, 2009, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, DESIGNATING EVERY APRIL 24 HEREAFTER AS “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 94th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide, when 1.5million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to  1923; and

WHEREAS, As a result of the genocide, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians living within the borders of modem Turkey;  and

WHEREAS, The former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts ofthe human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes  of this devoted people.”;  and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years;   and

WHEREAS, In March 2009, The New York Times reported that a newly exposed official Ottoman document revealed that 972,000 Armenians disappeared from population records within one year, from 1915 through 1916; and

WHEREAS, Despite overwhelming evidence, modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide, honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and persecute its citizens who acknowledge or even allude to the Armenian  Genocide;  and

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs, and all the world’s people should commemorate the Armenian Genocide and condemn any attempt to deny its historical truth and mischaracterize it as anything less than genocide – a term coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944, referencing the Armenian extermination as a seminal example of genocide;  and

WHEREAS, We must all fight against current injustices, such as the ongoing first genocide  of the 21st century in Darfur;  and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., for organizing April 2009 genocide commemoration events such as a keynote speech by Mr. Artyom Tonoyan about the rise of Turkish nationalism and a panel discussion, “Breaking the Cycle of Genocide”, both at the University of Denver; and

WHEREAS, We commend the growing number of Turkish citizens who challenge their government’s official account of history, such as the 29,000 signatories of a recent online apology addressed to the Armenian people that was launched by some 200 Turkish academics, writers, andjournalists; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-seventh General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

• That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, to be recognized at a memorial service at 12:00 pm. on Sunday, April 26, 2009, at the Armenian Genocide memorial plaque in the Armenian Garden, located in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds; and

• That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2009, and April 24 of every year hereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States; the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable Bill Ritter, Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian National Committee in Washington, D.C.; and the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Peter C. Groff PRESIDENT OF SENATE
Andrew Romanoff SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Karen Goldman SECRETARY OF THE SENATE

Marilyn Eddins CHIEF CLERK. OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2010
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION  10-038

BY SENATOR(S) Tochtrop, Bacon, Boyd , Brophy, Cadman, Carroll M., Foster, Harvey, Heath, Hodge, Hudak, Johnston, Keller, King K., Kopp, Lundberg, Morse, Newell , Penry, Renfroe , Romer, Sandoval, Scheffel, Schwartz, Shaffer B., Spence, Steadman, Tapia, White, Whitehead, Williams;

also REPRESENT ATIVE(S) Ryden, Acree, Apuan, Balmer, Baumgardner, Benefield, Bradford, Casso, Court, Curry, DelGrosso, Ferrandino, Fischer, Frangas, Gagliardi, Gardner B., Gardner C., Gerou, Hullinghorst, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr J., King S., Lambert, Levy, Looper, Massey, May, McCann, Mcf adyen, McNulty, Merrifield, Middleton, Miklosi, Murray, Nikkel, Pace, Peniston, Pommer, Primavera, Priola, Rice, Riesberg, Roberts, Scanlan, Schafer S., Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stephens, Summers, Swaim, Tipton, Todd, Tyler, Vigil, Waller, Weissmann, Carroll  T.

CONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON APRIL 24, 2010, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, DESIGNATING EVERY APRIL 24 HEREAFTER AS “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 95th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide, when 1.5 mi llion men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923 and, as a result, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians living within the borders of modern Turkey; and

WHEREAS , The former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased  imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people.” ; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years; and

WHEREAS, The New York Times recently reported a newly exposed official Ottoman document revealing that 972,000 Armenians disappeared from population  records  within  one year;  and

WHEREAS, Despite overwhelming evidence, modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide, honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and persecute its citizens who acknowledge or even allude to the Armenian Genocide; and

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs, and all the world’s people should commemorate the Armenian Genocide and condemn any attempt to deny its historical truth or mischaracterize it as anything less than genocide, a term coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944 referencing the Armenian extermination as a seminal example of genocide; and

WHEREAS, We must all fight against current injustices, such as the ongoing first genocide of the 21st century in Darfur  that  is being  denied by the Turkish government, an ally of the Sudanese regime, which demonstrates how  the  cycle  of genocide  continues; and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., for  organizing the April 2010 genocide  commemoration  events, which include a keynote speech by attorney Mark Geragos entitled “Reparations : Beyond Recognition”, held April 17th at Arapahoe Community College; and

WHEREAS, We commend the growing number of Turkish citizens, including academics, writers, and journalists, who challenge their government’s official account of history amid threats of prosecution and imprisonment under article 301 of the Turkish penal code, which forbids

denigration of the Turkish nation and the Turkish government; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-seventh General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

• That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, to be recognized at a memorial service at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday,  April  24, 2010, at the Armenian Genocide memorial plaque in  the  Annenian Garden, located in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol  grounds; and

• That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2010, and April 24 of each year hereafter , as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States; the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian  National  Committee  in Washington ,

D.C.; and the Armenian and Turkish Embassies in Washington , D.C.
Brandon C. Shaffer PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Terrance D. Carroll SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Karen Goldman SECRETARY OF SENATE

Marilyn Eddins CHIEF CLERK THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2011
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION  11-035

BY SENATOR(S) Tochtrop, Aguilar, Bacon, Boyd, Brophy, Cadman, Carroll, Foster, Giron, Grantham, Guzman, Harvey, Heath, Hodge, Hudak, Jahn, Johnston, King K., King S., Kopp, Lambert, Lundberg, Mitchell, Morse, Newell, Nicholson, Renfroe, Scheffel, Schwartz, Shaffer B., Spence, Steadman, White, Williams  S.;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Ryden, Acree, Barker, Baumgardner, Beezley, Bradford, Brown, Casso, Conti, DelGrosso, Duran, Ferrandino, Fields, Gardner B., Gardner D., Gerou, Hamner, Hullinghorst, Jones, Joshi, Kagan, Kerr A., Kerr J., Lee, Levy, Looper, Massey, McCann, McKinley, Miklosi, Murray, Nikkel, Pabon, Pace, Priola, Riesberg, Schafer   S., Scott, Solano,  Soper, Stephens, Summers,  Swalm, Swerdfeger, Szabo, Tyler, Vaad, Vigil, Waller, Williams A.,   McNulty.

CONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON APRlL 24, 2011, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, DESIGNATING EVERY APRIL 24 HEREAFTER AS “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 96th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923 and, as a result, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians living within the borders of modem Turkey;  and

WHEREAS, The former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people.”; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues  to this  day in an  attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years; and

WHEREAS, In 2009 , The New York Times reported on a newly exposed official Ottoman document revealing that 972,000 Armenians disappeared from population records within one year; and

WHEREAS, Despite overwhelming evidence, modem Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide, honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and persecute its citizens who acknowledge or even allude to the Armenian genocide; and

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs, and all the world’s people should commemorate the Armenian genocide and condemn any attempt to deny its historical truth or mischaracterize it as anything less than genocide, a term coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944 referencing the Annenian extermination as a seminal example of genocide; and

WHEREAS, We must all fight against current injustices , such as the ongoing first genocide of the 21st century in Darfur that is being denied by the Turkish government, an ally of the Sudanese regime, which demonstrates how the cycle of genocide continues; and

WHEREAS, We remain concerned about the welfare of Christian communities within Turkey, the rights of Christians living in Turkey to freely worship and practice their faith, and the legal status and condition  of Christian churches, monasteries, schools, monuments , relics, holy sites, places of worship, and  other religiou s properties  in Turkey;  and

WHEREAS, Ottoman Turkey’s genocide, between 1915 and 1923, against its ancient Christian populations, including over two million Armenians, Assyrians, Pontian Greeks, and Syriacs, has left only a handful of Christian faithful to care for the vast religious heritage within modern Turkey that, to this day, continues to represent an integral part of these groups’ Christian faith and cultural identity; and

WHEREAS, The Republic of Turkey, through  neglect, theft,  acts of vi olence, intolerance, and other means of d enying ba sic human rights, has destroyed or stolen much of the Christian heritage with in its borders; and

WHEREAS, The Republic of Turkey, through official and unofficial acts of discrimination, i ntolerance, and intimidati on, has prevented the remaining Christians in its territory from freely practicing their faith;  and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., for their ongoing efforts to bring awareness and educate the communi ty at large and the student population of Colorado about the Armenian genocide and the challenges facing the minority population in the Republic of Turkey; and

WHEREAS, We commend the growing number of Turkish citizens, including academics, writers, and journalists, who challenge their government’s official account of history amid threats of prosecution and imprisonment under article 301 of the Turkish penal code, which forbids denigration of the Turkish nation and the Turkish government; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

• That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 96th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, to be recognized at a memorial service at 3 :00 p.m. on Saturday, April 23 , 2011, at the Armenian genocide memorial plaque in the Armenian Garden, located in the northeast quadrant  on the  State Capitol  grounds;
• That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 201 1, and April 24 of each year hereafter, as “Colorado Day  of Remembrance  of the Armenian  Genocide”; and
• That we ask the government of Turkey to honor its obligat ions under international treaties and human rights law to return all that has been confiscated and compensate for all destroyed Christian churches, monasteries, schools, monuments , holy sites, places of worship, and other religious properti es, including movable properties such as artwork, manuscripts,  and  other  artifacts,  to  their  rightful  owners;  to  allow the

rightful Christian church and lay owners of these properties to preserve, reconstruct, and repair all such properties; and to allow them to  freely,  and without hindrance or restriction, organize prayer , worship, education, religious community gatherings , ministry to the needs of the poor and infinn, and other activities in all Christian churches, monasteries, schools, monuments, holy sites, places of worship, and other religious properties within Turkey.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States;  the  members of the Colorado Congressional delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado; the  Annenian  Assembly  of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian National Committee in Washington, D.C.; and the Armenian and Turkish Embassies in Washington,  D.C.

Brandon C. Shaffer PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Frank McNulty SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Cindi Markwell SECRETARY OF SENATE

Marilyn Eddins CHIEF CLERK THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2012 Bill Text CO S.J.R. 33
THE STATE OF COLORADO BILL TEXT
Copyright © 2012 LexisNexis. All rights reserved.. 2012 CO S.J.R. 33
COLORADO 2ND REGULAR SESSION OF THE 68TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 33
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SIXTY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY STATE OF COLORADO
BILL TRACKING REPORT: 2012 Bill Tracking CO S.J.R. 33 2012 Bill Text CO S.J.R. 33
VERSION: Adopted
VERSION-DATE: April 20, 2012
SYNOPSIS:
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 12-033

CONCERNING THE “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” ON APRIL 24, 2012.

TEXT: WHEREAS, This year marks the 97th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; and

WHEREAS, As a result, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians living within the borders of modern Turkey today; and

WHEREAS, The former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated in 1915, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most

debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people.”; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years; and

WHEREAS, Colorado newspapers widely reported the extermination of the Armenian people, and Colorado communities generously raised funds to assist the survivors, known at that time as the “Starving Armenians”; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, the New York Times reported on a newly exposed official Ottoman document revealing that 972,000 Armenians disappeared from population records within one year, between 1915 and 1916; and

WHEREAS, Despite overwhelming evidence, modern Turkey continues to deny the facts of the genocide, honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and persecute its citizens who acknowledge or even allude to the Armenian genocide; and

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs and commemorate the Armenian genocide, a term coined by scholar Raphael Lemkin in 1944, referencing the Armenian extermination as a seminal example of genocide; and

WHEREAS, We must all fight against current injustices, such as the ongoing first genocide of the 21st century in Darfur, which demonstrates how the cycle of genocide continues; and

WHEREAS, Ottoman Turkey’s genocide, between 1915 and 1923, against its ancient Christian populations, including over 2 million Armenians, Assyrians, Pontiac Greeks, and Syrians, has left only a handful of Christian faithful to care for the vast religious heritage within modern Turkey that, to this day, continues to represent an integral part of these groups’ Christian faith and cultural identity; and

WHEREAS, The Republic of Turkey, through neglect, theft, acts of violence, intolerance, and other means of denying basic human rights, has destroyed or stolen much of the Christian heritage within its borders, and has prevented the remaining Christians in its territory from freely practicing their faith; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its annual report released in March of 2012, identified the Republic of Turkey as one of the 16 most egregious and systematic violators of religious freedom in the world; and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., for their ongoing efforts to bring awareness and to educate the community, including our youth, about the Armenian genocide and the challenges facing minority populations in the Republic of Turkey by co- sponsoring, with Facing History and Ourselves, a teachers’ workshop entitled “Why Studying

the Armenian Genocide Matters Today” with genocide scholar Peter Balakian on March 10, 2012; and

WHEREAS, We commend the growing number of Turkish citizens, including academics, writers, and journalists, who challenge their government’s official account of history amid threats of prosecution and imprisonment under article 301 of the Turkish penal code, which forbids denigration of the Turkish nation and the Turkish government; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

• That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 97th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, to be recognized at a memorial service at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, 2012, at the Armenian Garden, located in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds;

• That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2012, and April 24 of each year hereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide“; and

• That we ask the government of Turkey to honor its obligations under international treaties and human rights law to return all that has been confiscated and to compensate for all destroyed Christian properties and sacred sites, allow for the reconstruction and preservation of these properties, and allow the Christian minorities to practice and teach

their religion as requested by Congressional House Resolution 306, overwhelmingly adopted in December 2011.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States; the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian National Committee of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian and Turkish Embassies in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian Genocide Museum- Institute in Yerevan, Armenia; and Armenians of Colorado, Inc.

SPONSOR: Tochtrop
LOAD-DATE: April 25, 2012

First Regular Session Sixty-ninth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO
ENGROSSED
LLS NO. R13-0923.01 Effie Ameen x2044 SJR13-022
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Tochtrop,
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Ryden,
Senate Committees
House Committees

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 13-022

CONCERNING THE “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” ON APRIL 24,

WHEREAS, This year marks the 98th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; and

WHEREAS, As a result, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians living within the borders of modern Turkey today; and

WHEREAS, The former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated in 1915, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted “; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years; and

WHEREAS, Colorado newspapers widely reported the extermination of the Armenian people, and Colorado communities generously raised funds to assist the survivors, known at that time as the “Starving Armenians”; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, the New York Times reported on an official Ottoman document revealing that 972,000 Armenians disappeared from population records within one year, between 1915 and 1916; and

WHEREAS, Despite overwhelming evidence, modern Turkey continues to deny the facts of the genocide, honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and persecute its citizens who acknowledge or even allude to the Armenian genocide; and

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs and commemorate the Armenian genocide, a term coined by scholar Raphael Lemkin in 1944, referencing the Armenian extermination as a seminal example of genocide; and

WHEREAS, Ottoman Turkey’s genocide, between 1915 and 1923, against its ancient Christian populations, including over 2 million Armenians, Assyrians, Pontian Greeks, and Syriacs, has left only a handful of Christian faithful to care for the vast religious heritage withinmodern Turkey that, to this day, continues to represent an integral part of these groups’ Christian faith and cultural identity; and

WHEREAS, The Republic of Turkey, through neglect, theft, acts of violence, intolerance, and other means of denying basic human rights, has destroyed or stolen much of the Christian heritage within its borders, and has prevented the remaining Christians in its territory from freely practicing their faith; and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, , for their ongoing efforts to bring awareness and to educate the community, including our youth, about the Armenian genocide; and

WHEREAS, We commend the growing number of Turkish citizens, including academics, writers, and journalists, who challenge their government’s official account of history amid threats of prosecution and imprisonment; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly

of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

(1) That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 98th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which will also be formally recognized at a memorial service at 2:00 m. on Sunday, April 28, 2013, at the Armenian Garden, located in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds;

(2) That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2013, and April 24 of each year thereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and (3) That we ask the government of Turkey to honor its obligations

under international treaties and human rights law to return all that has been confiscated and to compensate for all destroyed Christian properties and sacred sites, allow for the reconstruction and preservation of these properties, and allow the Christian minorities to practice and teach their religion as requested by Congressional House Resolution 306, overwhelmingly adopted in December

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States; the members of Colorado’s congressional delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable John

Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian National Committee of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian and Turkish Embassies in Washington, C.; the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, Armenia; and Armenians of Colorado.

2014
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 14-034

BY SENATOR(S) Tochtrop, Aguilar, Balmer, Baumgardner, Brophy, Cadman, Crowder, Grantham, Guzman, Harvey, Heath, Herpin, Hill, Hodge, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, King, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Newell, Nicholson, Renfroe, Rivera, Roberts, Scheffel, Schwartz, Steadman, Todd, Ulibarri, Zenzinger, Carroll;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Moreno, Becker, Buck, Conti, Coram, Court, DelGrosso, Dore, Exum, Fields, Fischer, Foote, Garcia, Gardner, Gerou, Ginal, Hamner, Holbert, Humphrey, Joshi, Kagan, Kraft-Tharp, Labuda, Lawrence, Lee, May, McLachlan, McNulty, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Murray, Navarro, Nordberg, Peniston, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rankin, Rosenthal, Ryden, Salazar, Schafer, Singer, Sonnenberg, Swalm, Szabo, Tyler, Vigil, Waller, Williams, Wright, Young.

CONCERNING THE “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” ON APRIL 24, 2014.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 99th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; and

WHEREAS, As a result, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians living within the borders of modern Turkey today; and

WHEREAS, The former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated in 1915, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people.”; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the

systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years; and

WHEREAS, Colorado newspapers widely reported the extermination of the Armenian people, and Colorado communities generously raised funds to assist the survivors, known at that time as the “Starving Armenians”, as illustrated in the January 16, 1919, Denver Post front-page story titled “Campaign for Armenian Relief is Making Splendid Headway” and a July 30, 1922, Denver Post front-page story titled “$60,000,000 from U.S. Keeps Armenians from Extinction”; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, the New York Times reported on an official Ottoman document revealing that 972,000 Armenians disappeared from population records within one year, between 1915 and 1916; and

WHEREAS, Despite overwhelming evidence, modern Turkey continues to deny the facts of the genocide, honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and persecute its citizens who acknowledge or even allude to the Armenian genocide; and

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs and commemorate the Armenian genocide, a term first used by Raphael Lemkin, the legal scholar who coined the word “genocide” and drafted the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, explaining on CBS television in 1949 that he “became interested in genocide because it happened to the Armenians; and . . . their criminals . . . were not punished”; and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action, and other human rights organizations for their ongoing efforts to bring awareness and to educate the community, including our youth, about the Armenian genocide; and

WHEREAS, We commend the growing number of Turkish citizens, including academics, writers, journalists, and municipal officials in Diyarbakir, Turkey, who challenge the national government’s official account of history amid threats of prosecution and imprisonment; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

• That we pause in our deliberations to commemorate the 99th anniversaryof the Armenian genocide, which will be formallyrecognized at a memorial service at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 2014, at the Armenian Garden, located in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds;

• That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2014, and April 24 of each year thereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and

• That we ask the government of Turkey to honor its obligations under international treaties and human rights law to return all that has been confiscated and to compensate for all destroyed Christian properties and sacred sites, allow for the reconstruction and preservation of these properties, and allow the Christian minorities to practice and teach their religion as requested by Congressional House Resolution 306, overwhelmingly adopted in December

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States; the members of Colorado’s congressional delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian National Committee of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian and Turkish Embassies in

Washington, D.C.; the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, Armenia; the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action; and Armenians of Colorado, Inc.

Morgan Carroll PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Mark Ferrandino SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Cindi Markwell SECRETARY OF THE SENATE
Marilyn Eddins CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2015
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION  15-027

BY SENATOR(S) Guzman and Lundberg, Aguilar, Balmer, Baumgardner, Carroll, Cooke, Crowder, Donovan, Garcia, Grantham, Heath, Hill, Hodge, Holbert, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, Lambert, Marble, Martinez Humenik, Merrifield, Neville T., Newell, Roberts, Scheffel, Scott, Sonnenberg, Steadman, Todd, Ulibarri,  Woods, Cadman;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Moreno, Arndt, Becker J., Becker K., Brown, Buck, Carver, Conti, Coram, Court, Danielson, DelGrosso, Dore, Duran, Esgar, Everett, Fields, Foote, Garnett, Ginal, Hamner, Humphrey, Joshi, Kagan, Keyser, Klingenschrnitt, Kraft-Tharp, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee, Lontine, Lundeen, McCann, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Navarro, Neville P., Nordberg, Pabon, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rankin, Ransom, Rosenthal, Roupe, Ryden, Saine, Salazar, Sias, Singer, Tate, Thurlow, Tyler, Van Winkle, Vigil, Willett,  Williams, Wilson,  Windholz,  Winter,  Young, Hullinghorst.

CONCERNING THE “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN  GENOCIDE”  ON APRIL 24, 2015.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; and

WHEREAS, As a result, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians  living within the borders of modem Turkey today;  and

WHEREAS, The former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated in 1915, “whatever crimes the most perverted  instincts  of the human  mind  can  devise,  and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people. 11 ; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years and

WHEREAS, Colorado newspapers widely reported the extermination of the Armenian people, and Colorado communities generously raised funds to assist the survivors, known at that time as the II Starving Armenians 11 as illustrated in the January 16, 1919, Denver Post front-page story titled “Campaign for Armenian Relief is Making Splendid Headway” and a July 30, 1922, Denver Post front-page story titled  “$60,000,000 from U.S. Keeps Armenians  from Extinction 11 ; and

WHEREAS, In response to the genocide and at the behest of President Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. State Department, the Near East Relief organization was founded and became the first Congressionally sanctioned American philanthropic effort created exclusively to provide humanitarian assistance and rescue the Armenian Nation and other Christian minorities from annihilation, and many of those rescued went on to survive, revive, and thrive outside of their ancestral homeland all over the world and specifically in the state of Colorado;   and

WHEREAS, Near East Relief succeeded, with the active participation of many Coloradans, including Governor Oliver Shoup, who concurrently served as Colorado  State Chairman  for Near  East Relief,  in delivering

$117 million of assistance and saving more than one million refugees, including 132,000 orphans, between 1915 and 1930 by delivering food, clothing, and materials for shelter and setting up refugee camps, clinics, hospitals,  and orphanages; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, the New York Times reported on an official Ottoman document revealing that 972,000 Armenians disappeared  from

population records within one year, between  1915 and 1916; and

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs and commemorate the Armenian genocide, a term first used by Raphael Lemkin, the legal scholar who coined the word “genocide” and drafted the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, explaining on CBS television in 1949 that he

• · “became interested in genocide because it happened to the Armenians; and . . . their criminals . . . were not punished”; and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action, and other human rights organizations for their ongoing efforts to bring awareness and to educate the community, including our youth, about the Armenian genocide; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventieth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives  concurring herein:

• That we pause in our deliberations to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which will be formally recognized at a memorial service at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2015, at the newly renovated Armenian Garden, established in 1982 in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds, and which service will include the unveiling of a cultural monument crafted in Armenia that honors the victims of all crimes against humanity;

• . That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2015, and April 24 of each year thereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and

• That we express support for efforts toward constructive and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States; the members of Colorado’s congressional delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado; the ·Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; the Annenian National Committee of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, Armenia; the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action; Rocky Mountain Hye Advocates;  and Armenians  of Colorado, Inc.

B1 L. Cadman PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Dickey Lee Hullinghorst SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Cindi L. Markwell SECRETARY OF THE SENATE
Marilyn Eddins CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 16-037

BY SENATOR(S) Carroll and Baumgardner, Aguilar, Cooke, Crowder, Donovan, Garcia, Grantham, Guzman, Heath, Hill, Hodge, Holbert, J ahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, Lambert, Lundberg, Martinez Humenik, Merrifield, Neville T., Newell, Scheffel, Scott, Sonnenberg, Steadman, Tate, Todd, Ulibarri, Woods, Cadman;
also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Moreno, Arndt, Becker J., Becker K., Brown, Buck, Buckner, Carver, Conti, Coram, Court, Danielson, DelGrosso, Dore, Duran, Esgar, Everett, Fields, Foote, Garnett, Ginal, Hamner, Humphrey, Joshi, Kagan, Klingenschmitt, Kraft-Tharp, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee, Leonard, Lontine, Lundeen, McCann, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Navarro, Neville P ., Nordberg, Pabon, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rankin, Ransom, Rosenthal, Roupe, Ryden, Saine, Salazar, Sias, Singer, Thurlow, Tyler, Van Winkle, Vigil, Willett, Williams, Wilson, Windholz, Winter, Wist, Young.

CONCERNING THE “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”

APRIL 24, 2016.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 101st anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and;

WHEREAS, As a result, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous, Armenians living within the borders of modem Turkey today, and;

WHEREAS, The former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated in 1915, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people.”, and;

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years, and;

WHEREAS, Colorado newspapers widely reported the extermination of the Armenian people, and Colorado communities generously raised funds to assist the survivors, known at that time as the “Starving Armenians”, as illustrated in the January 16, 1919, Denver Post front-page story titled “Campaign for Armenian Relief is Making Splendid Headway” and a July 30, 1922, Denver Post front-page story titled “$60,000,000 from U.S. Keeps Armenians from Extinction”, and;

WHEREAS, In response to the genocide and at the behest of President Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. State Department, the Near East Relief organization was founded and became the first congressionally sanctioned American philanthropic effort created exclusively to provide humanitarian assistance and rescue the Armenian Nation and other Christian minorities from annihilation, and many of those rescued went on to survive, revive, and thrive outside of their ancestral homeland all over the world and specifically in the state of Colorado, and;

WHEREAS, Near East Relief succeeded, with the active participation of many Coloradans, including Governor Oliver Shoup, who concurrently served as Colorado State Chairman for Near East Relief, in delivering $117 million of assistance and saving more than one million refugees, including 132,000 orphans, between 1915 and 1930 by delivering food, clothing, and materials for shelter and setting up refugee camps, clinics, hospitals, and orphanages, and;

WHEREAS, In 2009, the New York Times reported on an official Ottoman document revealing that 972,000 Armenians disappeared from population records within one year, between 1915 and 1916, and;

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs and commemorate the Armenian genocide, a term first used by Raphael Lemkin, the legal scholar who coined the word “genocide” and drafted the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, explaining on CBS television in 1949 that he “became interested in genocide because it happened to the Armenians; and … their criminals … were not punished”, and;

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action, and other human rights organizations for their ongoing efforts to bring awareness and to educate the community, including our youth, about the Armenian genocide;

NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventieth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

( 1) That we pause in our deliberations to commemorate the 101 st anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which will be formally recognized at a memorial service at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 24, 2016, at the Armenian Garden, established in 1982 in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds;

(2) That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2016, and April 24 of each year thereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and

(3) That we express support for efforts toward constructive and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States; the members of Colorado’s congressional delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian National Committee of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, Armenia; the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action; Rocky Mountain Hye Advocates; and Armenians of Colorado, Inc.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 17-042

BY SENATOR(S) Martinez Humenik and Fields, Aguilar, Baumgardner, Cooke, Coram, Court, Crowder, Donovan, Fenberg, Garcia, Gardner, Guzman, Hill, Holbert, Jahn, Jones, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Merrifield, Moreno, Neville T., Priola, Scott, Smallwood, Sonnenberg, Tate, Todd, Williams A., Zenzinger, Grantham;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Rosenthal and Wist, Arndt, Becker J., Becker K., Beckman, Benavidez, Bridges, Buck, Buckner, Carver, Catlin, Coleman, Covarrubias, Danielson, Esgar, Everett, Exum, Foote, Garnett, Ginal, Gray, Hamner, Hansen, Herod, Hooton, Humphrey, Jackson, Kennedy, Kraft-Tharp, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee, Leonard, Lewis, Liston, Lontine, Lundeen, McKean, McLachlan, Melton, Michaelson Jenet, Mitsch Bush, Navarro, Neville P., Nordberg, Pabon, Pettersen, Rankin, Ransom, Saine, Salazar, Sias, Singer, Thurlow, Valdez, Van Winkle, Weissman, Willett, Williams D., Wilson, Winter, Young, Duran.

CONCERNING THE “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” ON APRIL 26, 2017.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 102nd anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and;

WHEREAS, As a result, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians living within the borders of modern Turkey today, and;

WHEREAS, The contemporary United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated in 1915, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people.”, and;

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of many of the world’s oldest churches, cathedrals, and cross-stones, as well as schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years, and;

WHEREAS, Colorado newspapers widely reported the extermination of the Armenian people, and Colorado communities generously raised funds to assist the survivors, known at that time as the “Starving Armenians”, as illustrated in the January 16, 1919, Denver Post front-page story titled “Campaign for Armenian Relief is Making Splendid Headway” and a July 30, 1922, Denver Post front-page story titled “$60,000,000 from U.S. Keeps Armenians from Extinction”, and;

WHEREAS, In response to the genocide and at the behest of President Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. State Department, the Near East Relief organization was founded and became the first congressionally sanctioned American philanthropic effort created exclusively to provide humanitarian assistance and rescue the Armenian Nation and other Christian minorities from annihilation, and many of those rescued went on to survive, revive, and thrive outside of their ancestral homeland all over the world and specifically in the state of Colorado, and;

WHEREAS, Near East Relief succeeded, with the active participation of many Coloradans, including Governor Oliver Shoup, who concurrently served as Colorado State Chairman for Near East Relief, in delivering $117 million of assistance and saving more than one million refugees, including 132,000 orphans, between 1915 and 1930 by delivering food, clothing, and materials for shelter and setting up refugee camps, clinics, hospitals, and orphanages, and;

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs and commemorate the Armenian genocide, a term first used by Raphael Lemkin, the legal scholar who coined the word “genocide” and drafted the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, explaining on CBS television in 1949 that he “became interested in genocide because it happened to the Armenians; and . . . their criminals . . . were not punished”, and;

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action, and other human rights organizations for their ongoing efforts to bring awareness and to educate the community, including our youth, about the Armenian genocide, as illustrated in the recent production of Emmy-winning composer Denise Gentilini’s I AM ALIVE musical;

NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-first General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

(1) That we pause in our deliberations to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which was formally recognized at a memorial service at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 23, 2017, at the Armenian Garden, established in 1982 in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds with a memorial plaque, and renovated and renewed in 2015 with the addition of the khachkar memorial, a replica of a destroyed medieval Armenian headstone;

(2) That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 26, 2017, and April 26 of each year thereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and

(3) That we express support for efforts toward constructive and durable relations between the country of Armenia, the homeland for the Armenian people, and its neighbors, based upon acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States; the members of Colorado’s congressional delegation; the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian National Committee of America in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C.; the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, Armenia; the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action; and Armenians of Colorado, Inc.

2019
SENATE RESOLUTION 19-012

CONCERNING THE “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” ON APRIL 24, 2019.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 104th anniversary of the first
genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million
men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal
genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923,
as a result of which there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians
living within the borders of modern Turkey today; and

WHEREAS, The contemporary United States Ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated in 1915, “Whatever
crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and
whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased
imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted
people.”; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the
systematic destruction of many of the world’s oldest churches, cathedrals,
and cross-stones, as well as schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural
monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces
of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years; and

WHEREAS, Colorado newspapers widely reported the extermination
of the Armenian people, and Colorado communities led by Governor
Oliver Shoup generously raised funds in support of national efforts to
assist the survivors, known at that time as the “Starving Armenians”, as
illustrated in the January 16, 1919, Denver Post front-page story titled
“Campaign for Armenian Reliefis Making Splendid Headway” and a July
30, 1922, Denver Post front-page story titled “$60,000,000 from U.S.
Keeps Armenians from Extinction”; and

WHEREAS, In February 1921, the Colorado General Assembly
expressed unanimous support for “Armenia, the oldest Christian nation
and most martyred of the allies in the World War”; and

WHEREAS, In response to the genocide and at the behest of President
Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. State Department, the Near East Relief
organization was founded and became the first congressionally sanctioned
American philanthropic effort created exclusively to provide
humanitarian assistance and rescue the Armenian Nation and other
Christian minorities from annihilation, and many of those rescued went
on to survive, revive, and thrive outside of their ancestral homeland all
over the world and specifically in the state of Colorado; and

WHEREAS, Near East Relief, a national philanthropic organization
supported by the federal government, succeeded, with the active
participation of many Coloradans in delivering $117 million of assistance
and saving more than one million refugees, including 132,000 orphans,
between 1915 and 1930 by delivering food, clothing, and materials for
shelter and setting up refugee camps, clinics, hospitals, and orphanages;
and

WHEREAS, This legislative body has commemorated the Armenian
Genocide through annual resolutions since 2002, as well as authorized the
2015 improvements to the Capitol grounds’ Armenian Genocide
Memorial Garden, established in 1982, including the addition of a
Khachkar monument, and establishing in 2018 the Sardarapat Armenian
Memorial Highway in commemoration of the battle that saved the
Armenian homeland from complete extinction; and

WHEREAS, The ongoing impunity for and state-sponsored denial of
the Armenian Genocide, which inspired Nazi Germany’s explicit
conviction that it would undoubtedly escape accountability for its own
genocidal crimes, as demonstrated in Adolf Hitler’s August 22, 1939,
rhetorical question to his Wehrmacht commanders, “Who today
remembers the extermination of the Armenians?”, poses not only an
existential threat to the Armenian homeland but also to human rights
everywhere; and

WHEREAS, The ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide
and its impunity include the Turkish-Azerbaijani blockade of the
already-landlocked sister states of the Armenian homeland, the Republic
of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh; and

WHEREAS, Turkey’s unpunished denial of the Armenian Genocide
and ongoing desecration of Armenian sacred sites without accountability
has inspired and enabled the recent execution of an unparalleled cultural
genocide of the entire indigenous Christian Armenian heritage in the
Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan, where between the years of 1997
and 2006 the Azerbaijan Government eradicated every trace of the
region’s ancient Armenian past of an estimated 90 churches and 6,000
intricately-carved cross-stones, including the celebrated Djulfa khachkars,
one of which was replicated in 2015 for the Colorado State Capitol
Armenian Genocide Memorial Garden; and

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their
martyrs and commemorate the Armenian genocide, a term first used by
Raphael Lemkin, the legal scholar who coined the word “genocide” and
drafted the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment
of the Crime of Genocide, explaining on CBS television in 1949 that he
“became interested in genocide because it happened to the Armenians;
and … their criminals … were not punished”; and

WHEREAS, The Honorable Governor Jared Polis has designated the
month of April as Genocide Awareness Month by a proclamation, which
designates genocide denial as “genocidal policy” and urges statewide
genocide and Holocaust education; and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., the
Armenian National Committee of America Western Region, the Coalition
Against Global Genocide, and other human rights organizations for their
ongoing efforts to bring awareness and to educate the community,
including our youth, about the Armenian genocide and all genocides and
crimes against humanity; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-second General Assembly
of the State a/Colorado:

(1) That we pause in our deliberations to commemorate the 104th
anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which will be formally recognized
at a memorial service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 28, 2019, at the
Armenian Genocide Memorial Garden, established in 1982 in the
northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds with a memorial plaque,
and renovated and renewed in 2015 with the addition of the khachkar
memorial, a replica of a destroyed medieval Djulfa headstone;

(2) That we, the members of the Senate of the Colorado General
Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2019, and April 24 of each year
thereafter, as the “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian
Genocide”; and

(3) That we express support for efforts toward constructive and
durable relations between the country of Armenia, the homeland for the
Armenian people, and its neighbors, based upon acknowledgment of the
facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian genocide, and a fair,
just, and comprehensive international resolution of this unpunished crime
against humanity.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Resolution be sent to the
Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States; the members
of Colorado’s congressional delegation; the members of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Honorable Jared Polis,
Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in
Washington, D.C.; the Armenian National Committee of America in
Washington, D.C.; the Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C.;

the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, Armenia; the
Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action; and Armenians
of Colorado, Inc.

Cindi L. Markwell
SECRETARY OF
THE SENATE

CONCERNING THE “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” ON APRIL 26, 2021.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 106th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; and

WHEREAS, As a result, there are fewer than 75,000 indigenous Armenians living within the borders of modern Turkey today; and

WHEREAS, The contemporary United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated in 1915, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people.”; and

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people was followed by the systematic destruction of many of the world’s oldest churches, cathedrals, and cross-stones, as well as schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years; and

WHEREAS, Colorado newspapers widely reported the extermination of the Armenian people, and Colorado communities generously raised funds to assist the survivors, lmown at that time as the “Starving Armenians”, as illustrated in the January 16, 1919, Denver Post front-page story titled “Campaign for Armenian Relief is Making Splendid Headway” and a July 30, 1922, Denver Post front-page story titled “$60,000,000 from U.S. Keeps Armenians from Extinction”; and

WHEREAS, In response to the genocide and at the behest of President Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. State Department, the Near East Relief organization was founded and became the first congressionally sanctioned American philanthropic effort created exclusively to provide humanitarian assistance and rescue the Armenian Nation and other Christian minorities from annihilation, and many of those rescued went on to survive, revive, and thrive outside of their ancestral homeland all over the world and specifically in the state of Colorado; and

WHEREAS, Near East Relief succeeded, with the active participation of many Coloradans, including Governor Oliver Shoup, who concurrently served as Colorado State Chairman for Near East Relief, in delivering $117 million of assistance and saving more than one million refugees, including 132,000 orphans, between 1915 and 1930 by delivering food, clothing, and materials for shelter and setting up refugee camps, clinics, hospitals, and orphanages; and

WHEREAS, Turkey’s ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide paved the way for another tragedy in late 2020, when Turkey-aided Azerbaijan invaded the Republic of Artsakh, a region of the Armenian homeland, in an onslaught that, despite a cease-fire announcement, continues to this day through Azerbaijan’s unwillingness to release nearly 200 Armenian Prisoners of War, forbiddance of the return of Armenian refugees to Hadrut and other occupied regions of Artsakh, and refusal of international missions to monitor the nearly 1,500 antique and medieval Armenian cultural sites that have recently come under Azerbaijan’s control; and

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world honor their martyrs and commemorate the Armenian genocide, a term first used by Raphael Lemkin, the legal scholar who coined the word “genocide” and drafted the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, explaining on CBS television in 1949 that he “became interested in genocide because it happened to the Armenians; and … their criminals … were not punished”; and

WHEREAS, We commend Armenians of Colorado, Inc., the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action, and other human rights organizations for their ongoing efforts to bring awareness and to educate the community, including our youth, about the Armenian genocide, as illustrated in the production of Emmy-winning composer Denise Gentilini’s I AM ALIVE musical; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-third General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

(1) That we pause in our deliberations to commemorate the 106th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which will be formally recognized at a memorial service at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at the Armenian Garden, established in 1982 in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds with a memorial plaque, and renovated and renewed in 2015 with the addition of the khachkar memorial, a replica of a destroyed medieval Armenian headstone;

(2) That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, hereby acknowledge April 26, 2021, and April 26 of each year thereafter, as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and

(3) That we express support for efforts toward constructive and durable relations between the country of Armenia, the homeland for the Armenian people, and its neighbors, based upon acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Armenians of Colorado and former State Representative Cole Wist.

Leroy M. Garcia

PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

Cindi L. Markwell

SECRETARY OF THE SENATE

Alec Garnett

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Robin Jones

CHIEF CLERK OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2003 Bill Text CO H.J.R. 1049
THE STATE OF COLORADO BILL TEXT
Copyright © 2003 by State Net(R), All Rights Reserved.
2003 CO H.J.R. 1049
COLORADO 1ST REGULAR SESSION OF THE 64TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1049
FIRST REGULAR SESSION SIXTY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
STATE OF COLORADO 2003 Bill Text CO H.J.R. 1049
VERSION: Adopted
VERSION-DATE: April 24, 2003
SYNOPSIS:
 

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 03-1049

CONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FROM 1915 TO 1923, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, DESIGNATING APRIL 24, 2003, AND EVERY YEAR HEREAFTER AS “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”.

TEXT: WHEREAS, 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of the brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923, 500,000 more were exiled, and 500,000 were able to escape the regime of terror and establish themselves in new foreign lands, and, as a result, today there are only 100,000 people of Armenian heritage left residing within the borders of modern Turkey, and;

WHEREAS, The United States’ Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people. I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915. The killing of the Armenian people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years”, and;

WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers, such as the New York Times, carried

headlines including “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed”, “Million Armenians killed or in Exile”, and “Wholesale Massacre of Armenians by Turks”, and;

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide has been acknowledged by countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Belgium, Canada, the council of Europe, Cyprus, the European parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, the United Nations, and Uruguay, and;

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide and honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and;

WHEREAS, The Armenian people have been denied the right to self-determination on their ancestral lands and have received no form of reparations for their tragic loss, and;

WHEREAS, Each year, Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and all the world’s people should commemorate the Armenian Genocide and condemn any attempt to deny or distort a historical truth as being anything less than genocide, a crime against humanity, and;

WHEREAS, We must all do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help people better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred in our own communities,and;

WHEREAS, Residents of Colorado are highly sensitive to the need for consistently remembering and openly condemning the crimes committed against any culture or people to prevent similar atrocities in the future, and;

WHEREAS, On April 11, 2002, this legislative body unanimously passed a similar joint resolution in which the roll calls were added as cosponsors designating “April 24 as Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”, and;

WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans living in Colorado have greatly enriched our state through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-fourth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

1. That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 88th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to be recognized as a memorial service on Sunday, April 27, 2003, at the Armenian Genocide memorial plaque located in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol

2. That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby designate April 24, 2003, and every year hereafter as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”.

3. That the State of Colorado respectfully urges the United States Congress to likewise act to commemorate the Armenian

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable

George W. Bush, President of the United States, the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation, the Honorable Bill Owens, Governor of Colorado, the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C., and the Armenian National Committee in Washington, D.C.

SPONSOR: Tochtrop

2004
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 04-1050

BY REPRESENTATIVES Tochtrop, Borodkin, Williams S., Berry, Boyd, Briggs, Brophy, Butcher, Cadman, Carroll, Cerbo, Clapp, Cloer, Coleman, Crane, Decker, Fairbank, Frangas, Garcia, Hall, Harvey, Hefley, Hodge, Hoppe, Jahn, Johnson R., Judd, King, Larson, Lee, Lundberg, Madden, Marshall, May M., McCluskey, McFadyen, McGihon, Merrifield, Miller, Mitchell, Paccione, Plant, Pommer, Ragsdale, Rhodes, Rippy, Romanoff, Rose, Salazar, Schultheis, Sinclair, Smith, Spence, Spradley, Stafford, Stengel, Vigil, Weddig, Weissmann, Welker, White, Wiens, Williams T., Witwer, and Young;
also SENATORS Takis, Anderson, Andrews, Arnold, Cairns, Chlouber, Dyer, Entz, Evans, Fitz-Gerald, Gordon, Groff, Grossman, Hagedorn, Hanna, Hillman, Isgar, Johnson S., Jones, Keller, Kester, Lamborn, May R., McElhany, Nichol, Owen, Phillips, Reeves, Sandoval, Tapia, Taylor, Teck, Tupa, Veiga, and Windels.

CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF EACH APRIL 24 AS “COLORADO DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE“.

WHEREAS, From 1915 to 1923, 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent were murdered during the brutal genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire, 500,000 more were exiled, and 500,000 were able to escape the regime of terror and establish themselves in new foreign lands, and, as a result, today there are only 100,000 people of Armenian heritage left residing within the borders of modem Turkey, and;

WHEREAS, The United States’ Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the daily misfortunes of this devoted people. I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915. The killing of the Armenian people was accompanied by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years.”, and;

WHEREAS, Contemporary newspapers, such as the New York Times, carried headlines including “Tales of Armenian Horrors Confirmed”, “Million Armenians killed or in Exile”, and “Wholesale Massacre of Armenians by Turks”, and;

WHEREAS, The Armenian Genocide has been acknowledged by countries and international bodies such as Argentina, Belgium, Canada, the council of Europe, Cyprus, the European parliament, France, Great Britain, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, the United Nations, and Uruguay, and;

WHEREAS, Modern Turkey continues to deny and distort the facts of the genocide and to honor the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and;

PAGE 2-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 04-1050

WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans living in Colorado have greatly enriched our state through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-fourth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

I. That this legislative body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 89th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to be recognized at a memorial service on Sunday, April 25, 2004, at the Armenian Genocide memorial plaque located in the northeast quadrant on the State Capitol grounds;

2. That we, the members of the General Assembly, hereby designate each April 24 as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”;

3. That the State of Colorado respectfully urges the United States Congress to likewise commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

PAGE 4-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 04-1050

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States; the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation; the Honorable Bill Owens, Governor of Colorado; the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, D.C.; and the Armenian National Committee in Washington, D.C.

Lola Spradley
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
John Andrews
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

Judith Rodrigue
CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mona Heustis
SECRETARY OF THE SENATE

PAGE 5-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 04-1050

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 18-1019

CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF A PORTION OF
ARAPAHOE ROAD FROM INTERSTATE 25 TO PARKER ROAD
IN ARAPAHOE COUNTY AS THE “SARDARAPAT ARMENIAN
MEMORIAL HIGHWAY”.

WHEREAS, This year marks the 103rd anniversary of the first
genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 million
men, women, and children of Armenian descent were victims of a brutal
genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923;
and

WHEREAS, Three years after the genocide’s commencement, in May
1918 a group of genocide survivors, alongside Armenian forces, fought
the larger Ottoman Turkish army to a standstill at Sardarapat at the foot
of Mt. Ararat, a heroic sacrifice that paved the way to the Republic of
Armenia; and

WHEREAS, The establishment of the Republic of Armenia through
the Battle of Sardarapat enabled the Congressionally-sanctioned Near
East Relief, which housed a regional headquarters in Denver, to optimize
its nationwide fundraising that ultimately saved 132,000 Armenian
genocide orphans; and

WHEREAS, Sardarapat is considered by many Americans of
Armenian descent as the pivotal event in saving the last remnants of their
ancient homeland and has been depicted in arts and literature alike,
including in the works of American abstractionist Zareh Maranian,
formerly of Colorado Springs; and

WHEREAS, The Armenian victory at Sardarapat is a universal
inspiration to fight for one’s rights, without reliance on others, even when
facing the worst imaginable conditions for survival; and

WHEREAS, In February 1921, the Colorado General Assembly
expressed unanimous support for “Armenia, the oldest Christian nation
and most martyred of the allies in the World War”; and

WHEREAS, This legislative body has recognized April 24 through
numerous joint resolutions such as “Colorado Day of Remembrance of
the Armenian Genocide” and authorized the 2015 improvements to the
Capitol grounds’ Armenian Genocide Memorial Garden, including the
addition of a Khachkar monument; and

WHEREAS, It is the purpose of this Joint Resolution to keep the
memory of Sardarapat alive so that Coloradans, whose predecessors
generously aided the Armenian relief efforts, can be inspired by the
heroic victory against all odds; now, therefore;

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-first
General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

(1) That a portion of Arapahoe Road from Interstate 25 to Parker
Road in Arapahoe County be named the “Sardarapat Armenian Memorial
Highway” in honor of Armenian Genocide survivors’ valiant contributions
in creating the independent Republic of Armenia one hundred years ago;

(2) That the Colorado Department of Transportation may accept and
expend gifts, grants, donations, and federal funds for the purposes of the
initial placement of signs to mark the designated section of Arapahoe
Road in Centennial, Colorado, as the “Sardarapat Armenian Memorial
Highway”; and

(3) That the Colorado Department of Transportation may explore a
cooperative agreement with the appropriate authorities of Arapahoe
County for the maintenance of the markings for the “Sardarapat Armenian
Memorial Highway”.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
the Transportation Commission of Colorado, the Office of Transportation
Safety within the Colorado Department of Transportation, the joint
Sardarapat Memorial Committee of the Armenian National Committee of
America – Western Region’s Colorado Office, and Armenians of
Colorado, Inc.

BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Wist and Bridges, Arndt, Becker J.,
Becker K., Beckman, Benavidez, Buck, Buckner, Carver, Catlin, Coleman,
Covarrubias, Danielson, Esgar, Everett, Exum, Foote, Garnett, Ginal,
Gray, Hamner, Hansen, Herod, Hooton, Humphrey, Jackson, Kennedy,
Kraft-Tharp, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lee, Leonard, Lewis, Liston, Lontine,
Lundeen, McKean, McLachlan, Melton, Michaelson Jenet, Neville P.,
Pabon, Pettersen, Rankin, Ransom, Reyher, Roberts, Rosenthal, Saine,
Salazar, Sandridge, Sias, Singer, Thurlow, Valdez, Van Winkle, Weissman,
Willett, Williams D., Wilson, Winkler, Winter, Young, Duran;
also SENATOR(S) Tate and Moreno, Aguilar, Baumgardner, Cooke,
Coram, Court, Crowder, Donovan, Fenberg, Fields, Garcia, Guzman, Hill,
Holbert, Jahn, Jones, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble,
Martinez Humenik, Merrifield, Neville T., Priola, Scott, Smallwood,
Sonnenberg, Todd, Williams A., Zenzinger, Grantham.

CONCERNING REQUIRING THE SATISFACTORY COMPLETION OF A COURSE THAT INCLUDES HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES AS A CONDITION OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 22-1-104.7 as follows: Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material added to existing law; dashes through words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law and such material is not part of the act. 22-1-104.7. Teaching of Holocaust and genocide studies – definitions.

(1) As USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE REQUIRES:

(a) “GENOCIDE” MEANS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ACTS COMMITTED WITH THE INTENT TO DESTROY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, A NATIONAL, ETHNIC, RACIAL, OR RELIGIOUS GROUP:

(I) KILLING MEMBERS OF A NATIONAL, ETHNIC, RACIAL, OR RELIGIOUS GROUP;

(II) CAUSING SERIOUS BODILY OR MENTAL HARM TO MEMBERS OF A NATIONAL, ETHNIC, RACIAL, OR RELIGIOUS GROUP;

(III) DELIBERATELY INFLICTING ON A NATIONAL, ETHNIC, RACIAL, OR RELIGIOUS GROUP CONDITIONS OF LIFE CALCULATED TO BRING ABOUT ITS PHYSICAL DESTRUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART;

(IV) IMPOSING MEASURES INTENDED TO PREVENT BIRTHS WITHIN A NATIONAL, ETHNIC, RACIAL, OR RELIGIOUS GROUP; OR

(V) FORCIBLY TRANSFERRING CHILDREN OF A NATIONAL, ETHNIC, RACIAL, OR RELIGIOUS GROUP TO ANOTHER GROUP.

(b) “HOLOCAUST” MEANS THE SYSTEMATIC, BUREAUCRATIC, STATE-SPONSORED PERSECUTION AND MURDER OF APPROXIMATELY SIX MILLION JEWS AND FIVE MILLION INDIVIDUALS TARGETED FOR THEIR RELIGION, DISABILITY, OR IDENTITY BY THE NAZI REGIME AND ITS COLLABORATORS.

(c) “HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES” MEANS STUDIES ON THE HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE, AND OTHER ACTS OF MASS VIOLENCE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.

(2)

(a) FOR SCHOOL YEARS BEGINNING ON OR AFTER JULY 1, 2023, EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION AND CHARTER SCHOOL SHALL INCORPORATE THE STANDARDS ON HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES DEVELOPED BY THE STATE BOARD PURSUANT TO SECTION 22-7-1005 (2.7) INTO AN EXISTING COURSE THAT IS CURRENTLY A CONDITION OF HIGH PAGE 2-HOUSE BILL 20-1336 SCHOOL GRADUATION. (b) THE PROVISIONS OF SUBSECTION (2)

(a) OF THIS SECTION APPLIES ONLY IF THE STANDARDS ARE ADOPTED BY THE STATE BOARD ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2023.

(3) A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR CHARTER SCHOOL MAY UTILIZE THE RESOURCE BANK CREATED PURSUANT TO SECTION 22-2-127.3 OR OTHER ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS OR MATERIALS TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION. ANY PROGRAMS OR MATERIALS USED IN TEACHING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES MUST REPRESENT BEST PRACTICES AND BE DEVELOPED USING INPUT FROM EXPERTS IN THE AREA OF HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES.

SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-7-1005, add (2.7) as follows:

22-7-1005. Preschool through elementary and secondary education – aligned standards – adoption – revisions.

(2.7) (a) ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2021, THE STATE BOARD SHALL ADOPT STANDARDS THAT IDENTIFY THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT STUDENTS SHOULD ACQUIRE AS A CONDITION OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RELATED TO HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES, AS DEFINED IN SECTION 22-1-104.7 (1), INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.

(b) IN CREATING THE STANDARDS DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (2.7)(a) OF THIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL UTILIZE A STAKEHOLDER PROCESS THAT IS COST-EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT, INCLUDING THE USE OF EXPERTS IN THE COMMUNITY.

(c) THE ADOPTION OF THE STANDARDS IDENTIFIED IN THIS SUBSECTION (2.7) IS CONDITIONAL ON THE RECEIPT OF GIFTS, GRANTS, OR DONATIONS.

SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 22-2-127.3 as follows: 22-2-127.3. Holocaust and genocide studies – resource bank – technical assistance – definitions.

(1) As USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE REQUIRES: PAGE 3-HOUSE BILL 20-1336

(a) “GENOCIDE” HAS THE SAME MEANING AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 22-1-104.7 (1)(a).

(b) “HOLOCAUST” HAS THE SAME MEANING AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 22-1-104.7 (1)(b).

(c) “HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES” HAS THE SAME MEANING AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 22-1-104.7 (1)(c).

(2) (a) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL CREATE AND MAINTAIN A PUBLICLY AVAILABLE RESOURCE BANK OF MATERIALS PERTAINING TO HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE COURSES AND PROGRAMS. AT A MINIMUM, THE RESOURCE BANK MUST INCLUDE:

(I) SAMPLE ACADEMIC CONTENT STANDARDS FOR HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES;’

(II) SAMPLE PROGRAMS OF INSTRUCTION FOR HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES;

(III) SAMPLES OF HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES LEARNING RESOURCES, INCLUDING FIRST-PERSON TESTIMONY;

(IV) SAMPLE MATERIALS FOR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR DEVELOPMENT IN TEACHING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES; AND

(V) CASE STUDIES ON THE HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.

(b) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ENSURE THAT THE MATERIALS INCLUDED IN THE RESOURCE BANK REPRESENT THE BEST PRACTICES IN TEACHING HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES, AND THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SEEK INPUT FROM EXPERTS IN THE AREA OF HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES IN COMPILING THE MATERIALS.

(c) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ENSURE THAT THE RESOURCE BANK IS AVAILABLE FOR ACCESS BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, CHARTER SCHOOLS, BOARDS OF COOPERATIVE SERVICES, AND THE PUBLIC BY JULY 1, 2021.

(3) To THE EXTENT SUCH RESOURCES AND TOOLS ARE READILY PAGE 4-HOUSE BILL 20-1336 AVAILABLE TO THE DEPARTMENT, THE RESOURCE BANK MAY ALSO:

(a) IDENTIFY EXISTING RESOURCES AND TOOLS THAT PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPERTS IN HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES TO BE PAIRED WITH A TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM TO CO-TEACH COURSES IN HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES; AND

(b) INCLUDE A LISTING OF SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN FINDING EXPERTS WHO WISH TO VOLUNTEER TO CO-TEACH COURSES IN HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES AND A LISTING OF EXPERTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING TO CO-TEACH SUCH COURSES.

(4) THE DEPARTMENT MAY SEEK, ACCEPT, AND EXPEND GIFTS, GRANTS, OR DONATIONS FROM PRIVATE OR PUBLIC SOURCES FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION.

SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds,  determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety.

KC Becker

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Leroy M. Garcia
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

Robin Jones
CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Cindi L. Markwell
SECRETARY OF THE SENATE

Jared S. Polis

GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

BOULDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN  GENOCIDE
April 24, 2015

WHEREAS, this year marks the I 00th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian genocide, when 1.5 m illion men, women, and children -3/4 of the indigenous Armenian population of what is now eastern Turkey – were victims of a premeditated genocide perpetrated  by the Turkish  Ottoman  Empire from  1915 to  1923; and

WHEREAS , the former United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, Sr., stated in 1915, “Whatever crimes the most perverted instincts of the human mind can devise, and whatever refinements of persecutions and injustice the most debased imagination can conceive, became the dai ly misfortunes of this devoted people.”; and

WHEREAS, Colorado newspapers widely reported the exterm ination of the Armenian people, and Colorado communities generously raised funds to assist the survivors, known at that ti me as the “Starving Armenians”, as ill ustrated in the January 16, 1919, Denver Post front-page story titled “Campaign for Armen ian Rel ief is Making Splendid Headway” and a July 30, 1922, Denver Post front-page story titled “$60,000,000 from U.S. Keeps Armenians from Extinction” ; and

WHEREAS, the ki lli ng of the Armenian people has been followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, l ibraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attem pt to elim inate al l traces of a noble civilization with a history of more than 3,000 years; and

WHEREAS , despite overwhelming evidence, modern Turkey continues to deny the facts of the genocide, honors the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and persecutes its citizens who acknowledge or even al lude to the Armen ian genocide; and

WHEREAS, each April, A nnenians tlu·oughout the world honor their martyrs and com memorate the Armenian genocide, a term first used by Raphael Lemki n, the legal scholar who coined the word “genocide” and drafted the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Cri me of Genoci de, explai ning in 1949 that he “became interested in genocide because it happened to the Armenian s and . . . their criminals . . . were not punished.”

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Counci l of the City of Boulder, Colorado, that we pause in our deliberations on April 24 to commemorate the centennial armiversary as

Boulder Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide

and that we encourage the citizens of Boulder to learn  about  the Armenian  Genocide and  other cri mes against humanity.

A PROCLAMATION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF SUPERIOR DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
April 13, 2015 

WHEREAS , This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian  genocide, when 1.5 million men, women, and children

– 3/4 of the indigenous Armenian population of what is now eastern Turkey were victims of  a premeditated genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and;

WHEREAS, The killing of the Armenian people  has  been  followed by the systematic destruction of churches, schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments that continues to this day in an attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization  with a history of more than 3,000 years, and;

WHEREAS, Despite overwhelming evidence, modern  Turkey continues to deny the facts of the genocide, honors the perpetrators of that crime against humanity as national heroes, and persecutes its citizens who acknowledge or even allude to the Armenian genocide, and;

WHEREAS, Each April, Armenians throughout the world  honor their martyrs and commemorate  the  Armenian genocide, a term first used by Raphael Lemkin, the legal scholar who coined the word “genocide” and drafted the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, explaining in 1949 that he “became interested in genocide because it happened to the Armenians;  and their criminals were not punished.”

NOW, THEREFORE, BE  IT  RESOLVED,  that I, Clint Folsom, Mayor of the Town of Superior, Colorado, and the Board of Trustees of Superior, Colorado, pause in our deliberations to commemorate the Centennial anniversary of the Armenian Genocide;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that I, Clint  Folsom, Mayor  of the Town of Superior, Colorado, and the Board of Trustees of Superior, Colorado, hereby acknowledge April 24, 2015, as “Town of Superior Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide“, and that we encourage the citizens of Superior to learn about the Armenian Genocide and other crimes against humanity.

ADOPTED this 13th day of April, 2015.

Clint Folsom, Mayor