Governor of California Jerry Brown issued a proclamationdeclaring April 24, 2014 as “Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide” in the State of California.

The proclamation says  Armenians were subjected to torture, starvation, mass murder and exile from their historic homeland between 1915 and 1923. 

“1.5 million lost their lives. The Armenian Genocide, also known as the “First Genocide of the Twentieth Century,” represented a deliberate attempt by the Ottoman Empire to eliminate all traces of a thriving, noble civilization.

Armenian communities all over the world commemorate this tragedy on April 24. On this day, we honor the victims and survivors of the genocide, and reaffirm our commitment to preventing future atrocities from being committed against any people,” the proclamation reads.