UC Santa Cruz student government passes anti-Turkish resolution

June 3, 2015 By administrator

The student government at the University of California, Santa Cruz, on Tuesday unanimously passed “A Resolution to Divest from the Republic of Turkey to End the Perpetuation of the Armenian Genocide”, Asbarez reported.

The resolution ultimately called for UC Santa Cruz, the UC Santa Cruz Foundation, and the University of California to divest $72.6 million dollars worth of University of California bonds and investments in the Republic of Turkey for its crimes in, and continued denial of the Armenian Genocide.

Various students of UC Santa Cruz, members of the Armenian Students’ Association (ASA), along with members of the greater Armenian community gathered for the hearing of the resolution and spoke about the university’s investments in the Turkish government, its compliance in genocide denial, and the need for divestment.

The student governments of UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC RIverside, and UC Berkeley unanimously passed similar resolutions during the first half of this year. Moreover, just a few months ago, ASUCI unanimously passed a resolution “Commemorating the Armenian Genocide and Condemning its Denial,” raising further awareness on campus about the Armenian Genocide and its need for international recognition.

The resolution is an initiative started in part by the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Western United States- a grassroots community organization dedicated to justice for the Armenian cause and the Armenian people.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Czech parliament panel passes Genocide centenary resolution

April 15, 2015 By administrator

Czech parliament

The foreign relations committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic unanimously passed Tuesday, April 14, a resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the press office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

Citing the UN Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as well as the resolutions of the legislative and executive authorities of the states and international organizations that have already recognized the Genocide (European Council, Uruguay, Canada, France, Sweden, Lithuania, Poland, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Russia, Venezuela, Slovakia, Vatican and others), the document condemns the policy of genocide denial.

Urging the international community to prevent crimes against humanity, Czech lawmakers offered condolences to Armenians across the globe and also honored the memory of the mass killings of Assyrians, Pontiac Greeks and Yezidis.

The Armenian Genocide

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

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

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

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, the Italian Chamber of Deputies, majority of U.S. states, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Belgium and Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Chamber of Commons of Canada, Polish Sejm, Vatican, European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.

Genocide Education Act Passes Calif. Senate Committee

June 18, 2014 By administrator

Last genocide survivor passes as Genocide Education is brought to forefront of California curricula

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee unanimously passed AB 1915, The Armenian Genocide Education Act, with a vote of 7-0. The human rights education measure authored by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian (D – Sherman Oaks), will require the inclusion of the Armenian Genocide in the list of studied subject areas for the adopted courses of study in Social Science for 7-12. It will also encourage the incorporation of an oral history component into the teaching of human rights, and genocides, including the Holocaust, Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides.

The introduction of this measure comes at a defining point, in not only working towards a more comprehensive curriculum about the Armenian Genocide, but also in having the international community recognize an atrocity that has for too long been overlooked.

With the centennial of the 1915 Armenian Genocide quickly approaching, a very frail few survivors remain to tell their stories from the horrors they experienced during this dark chapter in world history. The passage of AB 1915 out of this committee follows the passing of Nellie Nazarian, the last Armenian Genocide survivor from Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts, reminding us that increased education on the subject is much needed before there are no survivors left. Nellie escaped the massacre in her native village of Chimisgazag by taking refuge in the mountains with her family before immigrating to America in the early 1920’s. “It is important to remember the stories of those who experienced violations to human rights. I hope that the passage of this legislation brings some closure for the remaining survivors of all genocides. To educate our students on the Armenian Genocide, as well as other atrocities that have taken place, will ensure that the innocent did not die in vain. This bill is for the survivors and those who perished.” said Assemblymember Nazarian.

Nellies story joins the thousands which have been thoroughly detailed in documentaries and memoirs describing the suffering experienced by survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Oral Histories will be a vital tool for educators to utilize in strengthening genocide curricula and further raise consciousness of the Armenian Genocide in California’s educational system.

Currently, California is one of 11 states, including Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Virginia, which have the Armenian Genocide included in their curriculum. The California Model Curriculum developed by the Department of Education, includes the Armenian Genocide as a recommended topic to teach. However, schools aren’t required to follow this Model Curriculum.

AB 1915 will be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee, then head to the Senate floor for vote.