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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This House resolution designates April 7 as the "Day of Remembrance for the Victims
10 of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda."
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This resolution:
13 ▸ recognizes the hundreds of Tutsi refugees that fled from Rwanda to Utah as a result
14 of the 1994 genocide;
15 ▸ designates April 7 as the "Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide
16 Against the Tutsi in Rwanda";
17 ▸ highlights the Day of Remembrance as:
18 • an opportunity to reflect on the moral responsibilities of individuals, societies,
19 and governments to respect all people regardless of their race, color, religion,
20 ethnicity, culture, or nationality;
21 • a day to remember the nearly one million Tutsi and some Hutu who were
22 opposed to the Hutu-led government's genocidal plan that were murdered in
23 Rwanda; and
24 • a day to help build bridges of understanding between different people and fortify
25 commitments to human rights, protection against persecution and violence,
26 individual liberty, and a free society for all people.
27 Special Clauses:
28 None
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30 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the state of Utah:
31 WHEREAS, the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda has been internationally
32 recognized as the massacre of nearly one million Tutsi within a four-month period by the
33 nation's Hutu-led government and Hutu neighbors as part of a systematic program of genocide;
34 WHEREAS, moderate Hutu who were opposed to the Hutu-led government's genocidal
35 plan were also murdered during this time;
36 WHEREAS, this atrocity constituted a grave violation of human rights and the rule of
37 law, causing untold pain and suffering;
38 WHEREAS, hundreds of Tutsi refugees, who have been granted asylum by the United
39 States, have relocated to the state of Utah and are rebuilding their lives and families in our
40 great state as a growing and integral part of the community;
41 WHEREAS, the genocide against the Tutsi has left a solemn reminder that the United
42 States and countries around the world must work together to protect the vulnerable, uphold
43 human rights, and prevent genocide;
44 WHEREAS, since 1994, on April 7 we commemorate the genocide against the Tutsi to
45 honor the memory of the men, women, and children who died and to express solidarity with the
46 survivors;
47 WHEREAS, observing the Day of Remembrance offers an opportunity to reflect on the
48 moral responsibilities of individuals, societies, and governments to respect all people
49 regardless of their race, color, religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality;
50 WHEREAS, our remembrance of the genocide against the Tutsi will serve to honor the
51 dead and inspire the state of Utah to work towards a more tolerant and peaceful society; and
52 WHEREAS, we wish not only to remember the victims of the Tutsi genocide in
53 Rwanda, but also help build bridges of understanding between different people and fortify our
54 commitment to human rights, protection against persecution and violence, individual liberty,
55 and a free society for all people:
56 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
57 state of Utah does hereby declare April 7 of each year as the "Day of Remembrance for the
58 Victims of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda."
59 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the members of
60 the Utah congressional delegation.