Bill Text: AZ SM1001 | 2016 | Fifty-second Legislature 2nd Regular | Enrolled
Bill Title: Religious minorities; genocide; urging Congress
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2016-04-05 - Transmitted to Secretary Of State [SM1001 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2016-SM1001-Enrolled.html
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Senate Engrossed |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-second Legislature Second Regular Session 2016
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SENATE MEMORIAL 1001 |
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A memorial
urging the members of the United states Congress from the state of Arizona to officially recognize the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the middle east as genocide.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
To the Members of the United States Congress from the State of Arizona:
Your memorialist respectfully represents:
Whereas, Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities in the Middle East are being subjected to systematic and violent persecution at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other terrorist groups; and
Whereas, these people are being murdered, kidnapped, sexually abused, tortured and victimized in other ways that violate the laws of their own nations, the international community and the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Convention); and
Whereas, the victims of this brutal persecution are being specifically targeted based on their religious or ethnic affiliation with the intent to facilitate the annihilation or forced migration of communities with long‑standing ties to their region; and
Whereas, the Convention defines "genocide" as killing members of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, intentionally enforcing living conditions designed to cause the partial or total physical destruction of the group, preventing births within the group or transferring the children of the group to another group with the intent to destroy the group in total or in part; and
Whereas, the Convention holds that genocide is a crime that governments are obligated to prevent and for which perpetrators are to be held responsible; and
Whereas, the United States Commission on Religious Freedom, the Hudson Institute for Religious Freedom, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Pope Francis, Hillary Clinton and many other organizations and religious and political leaders have called on the United States to recognize the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East as genocide; and
Whereas, the United States Congress has introduced House Concurrent Resolution 75, Senate Resolution 340 and at least five other bills designed to recognize the genocide and facilitate expedited support and aid for Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East; and
Whereas, the designation of the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East as genocide has real, practical policy implications and can help expedite various solutions to the crisis; and
Whereas, the Members of the Senate of the State of Arizona officially recognize the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East as genocide.
Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of Arizona, prays:
1. That each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona cosponsor legislation similar to House Concurrent Resolution 75, support other congressional efforts to aid victims of the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East and encourage the United States government to take greater concrete action to end the genocide.
2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.
UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED BY THE SENATE APRIL 5, 2016.
FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE APRIL 5, 2016.
