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1		SENATE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The State of Illinois stands with the Assyrians,
3		the indigenous people of the Middle East, and vehemently
4		opposes all those who commit or support, now and in the past,
5		any and all acts of genocide; and
6		WHEREAS, Assyrians, the indigenous people of the Middle
7		East Region and the root of Christianity whose Assyrian Empire
8		was the cradle of civilization, have been and continue to be
9		victims of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and
10		ethnic cleansing in violation of the internationally
11		recognized United Nations Convention on the Prevention and
12		Punishment of the Crime of Genocide signed in Paris, France on
13		December 9, 1948, commonly referred to as the UN Genocide
14		Convention; and
15		WHEREAS, Assyrians have experienced violent persecutions
16		at nearly 50-year intervals over the past two millennia; over
17		the past century, they have suffered mass killings,
18		persecutions, and forced deportations from their historical
19		lands, especially in the heart of their homeland in the
20		Assyria Nineveh Plain (ANP) of today's Iraq in 1915, 1918,
21		1922, 1933, 1940 to 1945, 1963 to 1965, 1975, 2010, and as
22		recently as 2014 to 2017 in both ANP as well as the Khabur
23		River Valley in Syria; and

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1		WHEREAS, Thousands of Assyrian men, women, and children
2		alike were ethnically cleansed in Simele, Iraq in August 1933;
3		extensive documentation of this incident, available at the
4		Ashurbanipal Library located in Lincolnwood, depicts the
5		horrific atrocities committed against the Assyrians, including
6		how they were specifically targeted because they were both
7		Assyrian and Christian; for example, Assyrian Priests were
8		tortured and their bodies mutilated, Assyrian girls were
9		raped, Assyrian women were violated and made to march naked
10		before the Iraqi Army commanders, Assyrian Bibles and holy
11		books were used as fuel for burning Assyrian girls, and
12		Assyrian children were run over by military cars; as a result,
13		the 7th of August of each year is officially recognized as
14		Assyrian Martyrs Day; and
15		WHEREAS, Since the establishment of the Kingdom of Iraq in
16		August 1921 through the present, Assyrians have silently
17		suffered cultural genocide committed by the Government of Iraq
18		(GOI); as recently as March 2021, the GOI approved and oversaw
19		the demolition of the city walls of the Assyrian capitol of
20		Nineveh, a UNESCO World Heritage site; only after a Western
21		nation intervened did the GOI halt the demolition several days
22		later; however, the damage was irreparable as the stones from
23		the city walls of the Assyrian capitol of Nineveh remain
24		unaccounted for by the GOI, and the case remains unresolved;

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1		and
2		WHEREAS, The lack of any response or accountability for
3		these atrocities, most notably the genocide committed against
4		the Assyrians for being Assyrian and Christian in Simele, Iraq
5		in August 1933, set a precedent that led to other acts of
6		genocide to occur in the 20th century, such as the Holocaust
7		during World War II; and
8		WHEREAS, The State of Illinois wishes to stand in support
9		with the Assyrian people, especially on Assyrian Martyrs Day,
10		as a continuous reminder that all victims of genocide shall
11		never be forgotten until those responsible are held
12		accountable; therefore, be it
13		RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
14		ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare August 7,
15		2021 as Assyrian Martyrs Day in the State of Illinois; and be
16		it further
17		RESOLVED, That we support the Assyrians of Illinois, which
18		is currently home to the largest Assyrian diaspora community
19		outside of the heart of their historical homeland, the Assyria
20		Nineveh Plain; and be it further
21		RESOLVED, That we commemorate all Assyrian American

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1		military veterans who have served and continue to serve in the
2		U.S. Armed Forces, including the Illinois National Guard.