Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

HR 26
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Date of Hearing: April 13, 2023
                          ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
                                   James Ramos, Chair
                      HR 26 (Friedman) – As Introduced March 28, 2023
SUBJECT: the Armenian Genocide.
SUMMARY: Recognizes April 24, 2023, as “State of California Day of Commemoration of the
108th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923;” and, commends educators who
teach about human rights and genocide and intends for them to continue to enhance their efforts
to educate students at all levels about the experience of the Armenians and other crimes against
humanity. Specifically, this resolution makes the following legislative findings:
1) Armenians have resided in Armenian Highlands for approximately four millennia, and have a
   long and rich history in the region, including the establishment of many kingdoms, and
   despite Armenians’ historic presence, stewardship, and autonomy in the region, Turkish
   rulers of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey subjected Armenians to severe and
   unjust persecution and brutality, including wholesale massacres beginning in the 1890s.
2) The Armenian nation was subjected to a systematic and premeditated genocide officially
   beginning on April 24, 1915, at the hands of the Young Turk Government of the Ottoman
   Empire from 1915 to 1919, inclusive, and continued at the hands of the Kemalist Movement
   of Turkey from 1920 to 1923, inclusive, whereby over 1.5 million Armenian men, women,
   and children were slaughtered or marched to their deaths in an effort to annihilate the
   Armenian nation in the first genocide of modern times, while thousands of surviving
   Armenian women and children were forcibly converted and Islamized, and hundreds of
   thousands more were subjected to ethnic cleansing during the period of the modern Republic
   of Turkey from 1924 to 1937.
3) California is home to the largest Armenian American population in the United States, and
   Armenians living in California have enriched our state through their leadership and
   contribution in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts, many of whom
   have family members who experienced firsthand the horror and evil of the Armenian
   Genocide and its ongoing denial.
4) Every person should be made aware and educated about the Armenian Genocide and other
   crimes against humanity. The State of California has been at the forefront of encouraging
   and promoting a curriculum relating to human rights and genocide in order to empower
   future generations to prevent the recurrence of genocide.
5) April 24, 1915, is globally observed and recognized as the commencement of the Armenian
   Genocide.
6) Armenians in California and throughout the world have not been provided with justice for the
   crimes perpetrated against the Armenian nation despite the fact that over a century has passed
   since the crimes were first committed.
FISCAL EFFECT: This resolution is keyed non-fiscal by Legislative Counsel.
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COMMENTS:
1) Purpose of the resolution: In support of HR 26, the author states:
       “Beginning in April of 1915, the Armenian nation was subjected to a systematic and
       premeditated genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Republic of
       Turkey. Over 8 years, 1.5 million Armenians and hundreds of thousands of Assyrians,
       Greeks, and other Christians perished. Sadly, the horrors of the Armenian Genocide and
       the silence of bystanders were used as a roadmap for future evil. Less than a decade after
       the Armenian Genocide, as Hitler developed his plans for the Holocaust, he reassured his
       commanders that they would not face retribution by specifically citing the genocide and
       absence of accountability. HR 26 recognizes the horrific loss of life, commemorates the
       work done by educators and advocates to raise awareness of the experience of Armenians
       and human rights, and calls upon leaders in the United States and around the world to not
       just acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, but also work to ensure that the atrocities are
       not repeated.”
2) Arguments in Opposition: The California Turkish Alliance opposes this resolution and
   states:
       “The annual introduction of HR 26 and similar resolutions perpetuates a harmful cycle of
       demonization and slander against the Turkish community in California. While it is
       important to have an open and respectful dialogue about sensitive topics like the
       ‘Armenian Genocide’, it is crucial that all parties seek a better understanding of historical
       events based on factual and objective analysis. Instead of perpetuating division and
       hostility, we should strive to unite people by acknowledging the past and working
       towards a better future together. Therefore, we propose that any resolution on this issue
       should be based on an objective examination of historical facts and figures, and promote
       a message of reconciliation and understanding.”
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
California Turkish Alliance
Analysis Prepared by: Michael Erke / RLS. / (916) 319-2800