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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING AUGUST 7, 2023 AS ASSYRIAN REMEMBRANCE DAY
WHEREAS, Assyrians, an ethnic minority group, are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia and have lived in the Middle East since ancient time, including in what is today Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria; and
WHEREAS, between 1914 and 1923, the Assyrian Genocide occurred; during this time, the Ottoman Empire murdered over 300,000 Assyrian men, women, and children by methods that included mass executions, death marches, torture, and starvation; and
WHEREAS, during the Assyrian Genocide, also known as the Seyfo Genocide, the Ottoman Turks and their Kurdish allies also systematically raped and enslaved Assyrian women and girls, forced the Assyrians from their ancestral lands, and pillaged and destroyed their communities; and
WHEREAS, the killing of over two million Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Christians, and other religious minority populations represented the culmination of a series of violent persecutions dating back to the late 1800's; and
WHEREAS, the year 2023 marks the 108th anniversary of the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocides of 1915; these genocides were part of the planned eradication of those indigenous communities by the Ottoman Turkish Empire; yet, to this day, Turkey has still not recognized these genocides; and
WHEREAS, August 7, 1933 is recognized by the International Association of Genocide Scholars as the date on which as many as 6,000 Assyrians were killed at the orders of the Iraqi government in an event known as the Simele Massacre; this massacre continued the legacy of persecution exemplified by the 1915 Assyrian Genocide; and
WHEREAS, August 7th, globally observed by Assyrian community as Assyrian Remembrance Day, is in remembrance of the Simele Massacre and of all persecution the Assyrian people have faced as a result of their distinct and ancient ethnic and religious identity; and
WHEREAS, the persecution against Assyrians continues until this day in their ancestral homeland, where they are continually targeted for persecution by state and non-state actors such as the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the so called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL; and
WHEREAS, ISIL has persistently destroyed culturally and historically significant locations and items, including UNESCO world heritage sites such as the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud; and
WHEREAS, the United states House of Representatives and United States Senate concurrently resolved that “the atrocities perpetrated by ISIL against Christians, Yezidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide”; and
WHEREAS, the denial of genocide is widely recognized as the final stage of genocide; this denial maintains impunity for the perpetrators of these atrocities and demonstrably paves the way for future genocides; and
WHEREAS, the resilience and endurance of the Assyrian people, despite being victims of a genocide that the Islamic State continues to perpetuate to this day, is commendable and praiseworthy; and
WHEREAS, Cook County and the 13th District is home to one of the largest Assyrian American communities in the country; and
WHEREAS, the 13th District is home to many Assyrian American community and religious organizations and some of the first Assyrian American elected officials elected in Illinois; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County, on behalf of the 5.2 million residents of Cook County recognize the Simele Massacre of 1933 as a genocide and reprehensible crime against humanity and honors the memory of all those Assyrians who have fallen victim to genocide and mass atrocities and also recognize August 7, 2023 as Assyrian Remembrance Day.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of same be tendered to The Assyrian Policy Institute and The Assyrian National Council of Illinois.
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