III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 136 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the 102nd anniversary of 

the Armenian Genocide. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 24, 2017 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. MARKEY, and Mr. UDALL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the 102nd 

anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. 

Whereas the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried 

out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting 

in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of 

whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed 

and 500,000 survivors were expelled from their homes, 

and the elimination of the over 2,500-year presence of 

Armenians in their historic homeland; 

Whereas, on May 24, 1915, the Allied Powers of England, 

France, and Russia jointly issued a statement explicitly 

charging for the first time ever another government of 

committing crimes ‘‘against humanity and civilization’’; 


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•SRES 136 IS 

Whereas Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term ‘‘genocide’’, 

and whose draft resolution for a genocide convention 

treaty became the framework for the United Nations 

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the 

Crime of Genocide, recognized the Armenian Genocide as 

the type of crime the United Nations should prevent and 

punish through the setting of international standards; 

Whereas Senate Concurrent Resolution 12, 64th Congress, 

agreed to February 9, 1916, resolved that ‘‘the President 

of the United States be respectfully asked to designate a 

day on which the citizens of this country may give expression to their sympathy by contributing funds now 

being raised for the relief of the Armenians’’, who at the 

time were enduring ‘‘starvation, disease, and untold suffering’’; 

Whereas Senate Resolution 359, 66th Congress, agreed to 

May 11, 1920, stated that ‘‘the testimony adduced at the 

hearings conducted by the subcommittee of the Senate 

Committee on Foreign Relations have clearly established 

the truth of the reported massacres and other atrocities 

from which the Armenian people have suffered’’; 

Whereas House Joint Resolution 148, 94th Congress, agreed 

to April 8, 1975, resolved, ‘‘That April 24, 1975, is hereby designated as ‘National Day of Remembrance of 

Man’s Inhumanity to Man’, and the President of the 

United States is authorized and requested to issue a 

proclamation calling upon the people of the United States 

to observe such day as a day of remembrance for all the 

victims of genocide, especially those of Armenian ancestry 

. . .’’; 

Whereas House Joint Resolution 247, 98th Congress, agreed 

to September 10, 1984, resolved, ‘‘That April 24, 1985, 


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•SRES 136 IS 

is hereby designated as ‘National Day of Remembrance 

of Man’s Inhumanity to Man’, and the President of the 

United States is authorized and requested to issue a 

proclamation calling upon the people of the United States 

to observe such day as a day of remembrance for all the 

victims of genocide, especially the one and one-half million people of Armenian ancestry . . .’’; 

Whereas, on April 11, 2014, the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate reported favorably Senate Resolution 

410, 113th Congress, expressing the sense of the Senate 

regarding the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and 

calling on the President to ‘‘ensure that the foreign policy 

of the United States reflects appropriate understanding 

and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights 

crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide 

documented in the United States record relating to the 

Armenian Genocide’’; 

Whereas, on April 12, 2015, Pope Francis described the 

atrocities perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks against the 

Armenians as the first genocide of the 20th century; 

Whereas the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an 

independent Federal agency, unanimously resolved on 

April 30, 1981, that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would document the Armenian Genocide in 

the Museum, and has done so through a public examination of the historic record, including lectures and the 

maintenance of books, records, and photographs about 

the Genocide; 

Whereas the Government of the Republic of Turkey has continued its international campaign of Armenian Genocide 

denial, maintained a blockade of Armenia, and continues 


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to pressure the small but growing Turkish civil society 

movement for acknowledging the Armenian Genocide; 

Whereas, in April 2011, the month of remembrance of the 

Armenian Genocide, the Government of the Republic of 

Turkey demolished a 100-foot-high statue in the city of 

Kars which was erected to promote reconciliation with 

Armenia; 

Whereas, on April 22, 2016, on the occasion of Armenian Remembrance Day, President Barack Obama referred to 

the events of April 1915 as ‘‘the first mass atrocity of 

the 20th Century’’ and further called for ‘‘a full, frank, 

and just acknowledgment of the facts’’; 

Whereas the German Bundestag in June 2016, and Danish 

Parliament, in January 2017, passed Armenian Genocide 

resolutions, thereby joining a growing list of legislatures 

from a wide number of countries who recognize the Armenian Genocide as such; 

Whereas the denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Government of the Republic of Turkey has prevented the meaningful advancement of a constructive political, economic, 

and security relationship between Armenia and Turkey; 

and 

Whereas the teaching, recognition, and commemoration of 

acts of genocide and other crimes against humanity is essential to preventing the reoccurrence of similar atrocities: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate— 

2 (1) to remember and commemorate the 102th 

3 anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 

4 2017; 


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1 (2) that the President should work toward an 

2 equitable, constructive, stable, and durable Arme3 nian-Turkish relationship that includes the full ac4 knowledgment by the Government of the Republic of 

5 Turkey of the facts about the Armenian Genocide; 

6 and 

7 (3) that the President should ensure that the 

8 foreign policy of the United States reflects appro9 priate understanding and sensitivity concerning 

10 issues related to human rights, crimes against hu11 manity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented 

12 in the United States record relating to the Armenian 

13 Genocide. 

Æ 


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