RESOLUTION BY THE MISSOURI HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MISSOURI
MARCH 8, 2008
Whereas, on April 24, 1915, three hundred Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers and professionals and five thousand of the poorest Armenians in Constantinople were rounded up and killed in the streets and in their homes by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire; and
Whereas, from 1915 to 1923 nearly one and a half million Armenian men, women, and children out of a total of two and a half million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were systematically sent to concentration camps, tortured and murdered by the Turks; and
Whereas, the United States was the first country to recognize the Armenian Genocide and raise millions of dollars to aid the victims of the Genocide; and
Whereas, most Armenians in the United States are children or grandchildren of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide; and
Whereas, by remembering and forcefully condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenians and honoring the survivors, as well as other victims of similar heinous conduct, we guard against repetition of such acts of genocide; and
Whereas, April 24 is the date on which Armenians around the world commemorate the Genocide in recognition of the day in 1915 when over five thousand Armenians were killed in Constantinople by the Turkish Ottoman Empire:
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-first General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby declare April 24th to be a “Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide”; and
Be it further resolved that all Missourians be encouraged to observe the day in a manner that honors the survivors and brings to mind the meaning and historical significance of the Armenian Genocide
Offered by Representative Bill Boucher
Ted Wedel , Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives, and Terry L. Spieler, Secretary of the Senate, do hereby certify that the aforementioned is a true and correct copy of House Concurrent Resolution No. 4, adopted by the House of Representatives on April 24, 2002, and concurred in the Senate on May 8, 2002.
(Signed)
Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives
Secretary of the Senate
