Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
ancawr@anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Contact: Maral Habeshian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
Bill Grants Legal Rights to Genocide Survivors and Heirs to Recover
Bank Deposits
California Senate Judiciary Committee Unanimously Passes SB 1524, but
Partners Bill with Controversial Legislation
SACRAMENTO, California – Legislation that would grant Armenian
Genocide victims and their heirs access to California courts to
recover bank deposits wrongfully withheld since the Armenian Genocide,
unanimously passed the California State Senate Judiciary Committee on
May 9.
The same committee, however, chaired by Senator Joe Dunn of Garden
Grove, also voted to accept a hostile amendment that attaches a highly
controversial and unrelated bill to the bi-partisan supported Armenian
Genocide Bill, which endangers its ability to be signed by the
Governor and become law.
The `Armenian Genocide Bank and Looted Assets Recovery Act” SB 1524,
authored by State Senators Jackie `Kanchelian’ Speier and Charles
`Chuck’ Poochigian, and sponsored by the Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA), was presented for consideration in the Senate
Judiciary Committee, on May 9. The bill would allow victims and heirs
recovery – through California Courts – of assets looted from
commercial entities operating in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey during
the Armenian Genocide–which have been wrongfully withheld since the
Genocide.
Speaking in support of the bill, Katia Kermoyan-Khodanian spoke of the
dire need for this legislation and recounted the harrowing experience
of her relative Markar Kermoyan who had lost his bank deposits and
worldly assets during the Armenian Genocide without any recourse.
Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA – WR)
Chairman Steven Dadaian, spoke in support of the Bill, informing the
committee that California has a public policy interest in protecting
the rights of its almost 1,000,000 strong Armenian American community
by granting California courts jurisdiction over banks operating in the
Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide.
Dadaian also reminded the Committee that only five years ago the State
enacted the “Armenian Genocide Era Insurance Act” based on the same
public policy.
Lending the Greek community’s support was Steven Miles, Executive
Director of the American Hellenic Council, who spoke strongly of the
deep bond between Greeks and Armenians forged in the common
persecution and Genocide their communities faced in Turkey from
1915-1923.
Don Engstrom, from the Consumer Attorneys Association of California,
also expressed support for the legislation.
The hostile amendment, binds SB 1765 to SB 1524 that entitles lawsuits
to be filed for wrongfully repatriated Mexican Americans during the
1930s.
Speaking strongly in opposition to the binding of these two separate
and distinct Bills, the ANCA’s Steven Dadaian informed the Committee
that while his organization supports the correcting of all historic
wrongs, he nevertheless views the effort as an attempt to `hi-jack the
Armenian Bill with legislation that has trice been vetoed by
consecutive administrations. We encourage each bill to weighed on
their own merits separately. It is illogical and unfair to do
otherwise.’
Senator Senator Bill Morrow (Vice-Chair) voted against the hostile
amendment, while Senators Joseph Dunn (Chair), Dick Ackerman, Martha
Escutia, and Sheila Kuehl supported the move.