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РусскийUC Davis Student Government passes Turkey divestment resolution
On May 7, the student government at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), with a vote of 2 abstains and 10 yes’, passed “A Resolution to Divest from the Republic of Turkey to End the Perpetuation of the Armenian Genocide”. The resolution ultimately called for UC Davis and the University of California to divest $72.6 million dollars worth of University of California bonds and investments in the Republic of Turkey for its crimes in, and continued denial of the Armenian Genocide, Asbarez reports.
Various students of UC Davis, members of the Armenian Students’ Association (ASA), along with members of the greater Armenian community gathered for the hearing of the resolution and spoke about the university’s investments in the Turkish government, its compliance in genocide denial, and the need for divestment.
Along with the citations of the UC’s investments in Turkey, the resolution cited the massacres of the 1915 Armenian Genocide as well as the current Republic of Turkey’s continuous genocide denial campaigns and efforts to hide its crimes against humanity. The resolution also cited how the California State Assembly Public Employment, Retirement, and Social Security (PERSS) recently voted to adopt Assembly Bill 1410 calling for divestment of the State of California’s investments in the Turkish government.
“The resolution I introduced has had many supporters along the way, including other Senators, community leaders and students. However, Turkish Divestment faced a unique challenge here at Davis,” said Sevan Nahabedian, a first year Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, and also a member of the ASUCD Senate. “When I introduced my resolution people were hesitant and feared it would be as politically divisive. We spent hours debating the language in the resolution making sure it was constitutional. A lot of effort has gone into passing this resolution and I am very proud to see UC Davis take a stand against Armenian Genocide denial.”
The student governments of UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine unanimously passed similar resolutions during January, February and May of this year. Moreover, just last month, ASUCI unanimously passed A resolution “Commemorating the Armenian Genocide and Condemning its Denial,” raising further awareness on campus about the Armenian Genocide and its need for international recognition.
The resolution is an initiative started in part by the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Western United States- a grassroots community organization dedicated to justice for the Armenian cause and the Armenian people.
