AUGUSTA, ME–On Tuesday, March 23, the Maine State Legislature passed a joint order recognizing the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Eastern Region.

“The Maine Armenian American community thanks the Legislature for commemorating this great crime against humanity,” stated ANC activist Kathy Durgerian. “Over the course of the past couple of years, our great state has been a leading example in honoring the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide. We owe a great deal of gratitude to our elected officials on a local, state, and federal level,” concluded Durgerian.

The order, cosponsored by Portland’s entire legislative delegation, reads “Expressions of Legislative Sentiment recognizing: the 89th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. On April 24, 1915, a campaign was launched by the Turkish regime of the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian people, resulting in the death of more than 1.5 million Armenians. Some of the survivors settled in the State of Maine and their heirs have made significant contributions to the State. We join our citizens of Armenian heritage on April 24th in remembering this event, and we express our deepest sympathy for the families of those who perished.”

In 2000, Maine’s Senate and House of Representatives concurrently adopted an Official Expression of Sentiment recognizing “the 85th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide” noting that “on April 24, 1915, a campaign was launched against the Armenian people that resulted in the death of over 1.5 million Armenians.”

In addition, in June 2001, the Legislature passed a joint resolution “Honoring Armenian Americans and Commemorating the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923.”

On the federal level, Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) as well as US Representative Tom Allen (D-ME 1) are currently cosponsors of the Senate and House Genocide Resolutions, which commemorate the 15th anniversary of the US implementation of the UN Genocide Convention. H.Res.193 and S.Res.164 cite the importance of remembering past crimes against humanity, including the Armenian Genocide, Holocaust, Cambodian and Rwandan genocides, in an effort to stop future atrocities.

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