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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
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IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012
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____________
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
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RESPECTFULLY URGING THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND TO COMMEMORATE THE
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1992 KHOJALY MASSACRE
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Introduced By: Representative Raymond E. Gallison
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Date Introduced: March 01, 2012
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Referred To: House Judiciary
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1-1
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WHEREAS, In 1985, Soviet President Gorbachev's policy of glasnost or openness
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1-2
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unleashed long-suppressed hostility between Armenia and Azerbaijan, fueling the longest
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1-3
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interethnic dispute in the former Soviet Union between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a conflict that
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1-4
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dated to 1918; and
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1-5
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WHEREAS, Khojaly was the second largest town of Azerbaijanis in the Nagorno
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1-6
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Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, with a population of more than seven thousand people that
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1-7
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included many Turks — Meskhets who had already escaped from Fergana (Uzbekistan), and
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1-8
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Azerbaijan refugees from Armenia; and
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1-9
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WHEREAS, For a two-day period in February, 1992, Khojaly, now under the occupation
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1-10
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of Armenian armed forces, was the site of the largest killing of ethnic Azerbaijani civilians in the
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1-11
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course of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict; and
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1-12
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WHEREAS, Armenian Armed Forces, reportedly aided by the Russian 366th Motor Rifle
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1-13
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Regiment, completely destroyed the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly, killing hundreds of ethnic
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1-14
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Azerbaijani civilians, many of whom were women, children, and the elderly, with many more
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1-15
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taken hostage, missing, or left disabled; and
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1-16
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WHEREAS, According to Human Rights Watch, the massacre in Khojaly constituted a
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1-17
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deliberate violation of customary law regarding the treatment of civilians in war zones, thus
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1-18
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amounting to a crime against humanity committed by the Armenian Forces; and
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1-19
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WHEREAS, The extent of the cruelty of this massacre against the town of Khojaly, its
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1-20
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men, women, children, and the elderly is unfathomable and should not be forgotten; now,
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2-1
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therefore be it
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2-2
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RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and
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2-3
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Providence Plantations hereby offers sincere sympathies to the people of Azerbaijan, stands in
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2-4
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solidarity with the Azerbaijan Society of America and Azerbaijani-American Council in solemn
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2-5
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observance of the 20th anniversary of this terrible event and urges the citizens of our State to
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2-6
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commemorate the tragedy that occurred in the town of Khojaly on February 25 and 26, 1992 and;
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2-7
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and be it further
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2-8
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to
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2-9
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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Rhode Island representative of Azerbaijani-
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2-10
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American Council, Mr. Zikret Hasan.
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=======
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LC02122
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=======
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