Bill > SCR109

This concurrent resolution acknowledges the genocide committed against Assyrians between 1915 and 1933, also known as the Seyfo genocide, which occurred during the final years of the Ottoman Empire and early years of Iraq. The resolution highlights that approximately two-thirds of the Assyrian population was slaughtered during this period, with a particularly brutal massacre of around six thousand Assyrians in Simele, Iraq, in August 1933 by the Iraqi army and irregular Kurdish and Arab forces. The resolution notes that this genocide has largely gone unrecognized and is denied by the governments of Iraq and Turkey, and that the International Association of Genocide Scholars has found it was part of a larger campaign against Christian minorities. The Hawaii State Legislature is joining the European Parliament in urging Turkey and Iraq to recognize this genocide, provide scholars access to historical archives, and formally acknowledge these historical atrocities. As part of the resolution, certified copies will be transmitted to the U.S. Secretary of State, the Governor, the Presidents of Turkey and Iraq, and the International Association of Genocide Scholars, with the aim of raising awareness and promoting historical accountability.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SCR&billnumber=109&year=2025