April 24, 2004

STATE OF VERMONT
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, since 1915, April 24th of each year has been imprinted in the memory of the Armenian people worldwide, for it was then that the mass genocide of the Armenian people began in the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the first such genocide in the 20th century, and 2004 marks the 89th anniversary of the historic tragedy; and

WHEREAS, Armenian families were uprooted from their ancestral homeland, brutally exposed to all kinds of indignities with hundreds of thousands slain, resulting in more than half of the Armenian people killed; and

WHEREAS, recognition of the 89th anniversary of this genocide is crucial to guarding against the repetition of future genocide and educating people about the atrocities connected to these horrific events; and

WHEREAS, Armenian-Americans have greatly enriched our society through their leadership in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts; and

WHEREAS, our thoughts, offered in memory of the Armenian martyrs of 1915, will serve to remind governments of the world that persecution, torture, and killing must cease forever.

NOW, THEREFORE, I James H. Douglas, Governor, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2004 as

Armenian Martyrs Day

in Vermont.


Given under my hand the Great Seal of the State of
Vermont this 24th day of April, A.D. 2004,

[signed]
James H. Douglas
Governor

By the Governor:
[signed]
Neale F. Lunderville
Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs