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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The year 2021 marks 104 years since the Bolshevik | ||||||
| 3 | Revolution in Russia, which resulted
in the world's first | ||||||
| 4 | communist regime under Vladimir Lenin; this led to decades of | ||||||
| 5 | oppression
and violence under communist regimes throughout the | ||||||
| 6 | world; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Based on the philosophy of Karl Marx, communism | ||||||
| 8 | has proven incompatible with
the ideals of liberty, | ||||||
| 9 | prosperity, and dignity of human life and has given rise to | ||||||
| 10 | such infamous
totalitarian dictators as Joseph Stalin, Mao | ||||||
| 11 | Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Nicolae Ceausescu,
the Castro | ||||||
| 12 | brothers, and the Kim dynasty; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, A National Day for the Victims of Communism was | ||||||
| 14 | declared November 7, 2017,
condemning communism as a political | ||||||
| 15 | philosophy "incompatible with liberty, prosperity, and the
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| 16 | dignity of human life"; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, Communist regimes worldwide have killed over 100 | ||||||
| 18 | million people and
subjected countless others to the worst and | ||||||
| 19 | most widespread human rights abuses known to history,
with | ||||||
| 20 | victims representing many different ethnicities, creeds, and | ||||||
| 21 | backgrounds; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Communist regimes have, as a matter of government | ||||||
| 2 | policy, robbed their own
citizens of the rights of freedom of | ||||||
| 3 | religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of association
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| 4 | through coercion, brutality, and fear; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Many victims of communism were persecuted as | ||||||
| 6 | political prisoners for speaking
out against these regimes, | ||||||
| 7 | and others were killed in genocidal state-sponsored purges; | ||||||
| 8 | and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, In addition to violating basic human rights, | ||||||
| 10 | communist regimes have suppressed
freedom of conscience, | ||||||
| 11 | cultural life, and self-determination movements in over 40 | ||||||
| 12 | nations; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in | ||||||
| 14 | Washington, D.C. is a
nonprofit organization, authorized by a | ||||||
| 15 | unanimous Act of the United States Congress that educates
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| 16 | people about the ideology, history, and legacy of communism | ||||||
| 17 | and honors the people who have
suffered and died under | ||||||
| 18 | communist regimes; therefore, be it
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| 19 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | ||||||
| 20 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare November 7, | ||||||
| 21 | 2021 as Victims of Communism Memorial Day in the State of | ||||||
| 22 | Illinois; and be it further
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 2 | presented to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation as a | ||||||
| 3 | symbol of our respect and esteem.
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