Chile’s Parliament Passes Resolution Condemning Armenian Genocide, Calls for Recognition

Chamber of Deputies, Chile.

A resolution was passed in the Chilean parliament on April 14 expressing “solidarity with the Armenian nation in condemning the genocide of its people that started in 1915.” The resolution passed with 77 votes in favor, one against and three abstentions.

Lawmakers Gustavo Hasbun, Joaquin Tuma, Issa Kort, Aldo Cornejo, Marco Antonio Nuñez, Joaquin Godoy and Jorge Tarud presented the resolution to the Chamber of Deputies. In their statement it said, "April 24 of 1915 marked the beginning of a systematic policy of extermination of Armenians by the Ottoman authorities after detention without trial, disappearance and death of hundreds of intellectuals, writers, composers, artists, community leaders and the entire leadership of the Armenian community in Constantinople, including two Armenian deputies of the Turkish Parliament whose parliamentary immunity was not respected.”

It went on to say that the Genocide, realized between 1915-1923 resulted in the death of over 1.5 million Armenians and that “this despicable action was the first [case] of ethnic cleansing of the 20th century.”

Resolution 324 also records that the Armenian nation has persevered and has worked unrelentingly to secure recognition of the genocide by the international community.  "Such recognition was granted in 1985 by the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the United Nations, which described the case as an Armenian Genocide.”

Chile’s Senate passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide on June 5, 2007.