UC Irvine Student Government Passes Resolution Calling for Divestment from Turkey

The student government at the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday calling “to Divest from the Republic of Turkey to End the Perpetuation of the Armenian Genocide.”

The resolution calls for UC Irvine, the UC Irvine Foundation, 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, according to Asbarez.

Those who participated in the hearing of the resolution include students of UC Irvine, members of the Armenian Students’ Association (ASA), as well as members of the greater Armenian community. They discussed the university’s investments in the Turkish government, its role in genocide denial and the need for divestment.

This decision by UC Irvine’s student government is not the first of its kind. Earlier this year, the student governments of UCLA and UC Berkeley unanimously passed resolutions  in January and February respectively calling for divestment from Turkey.

Other efforts to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide include the resolution passed unanimously last month during the centennial commemorations by the Associated Students of UC Irvine (ASUCI) “Commemorating the Armenian Genocide and Condemning its Denial.”