SR0193 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0193 LRB102 17832 MST 24260 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The year 2021 marks 104 years since the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, which resulted in the world's first communist regime under Vladimir Lenin; this led to decades of oppression and violence under communist regimes throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, Based on the philosophy of Karl Marx, communism has proven incompatible with the ideals of liberty, prosperity, and dignity of human life and has given rise to such infamous totalitarian dictators as Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Nicolae Ceausescu, the Castro brothers, and the Kim dynasty; and

WHEREAS, A National Day for the Victims of Communism was declared November 7, 2017, condemning communism as a political philosophy "incompatible with liberty, prosperity, and the dignity of human life"; and

WHEREAS, Communist regimes worldwide have killed over 100 million people and subjected countless others to the worst and most widespread human rights abuses known to history, with victims representing many different ethnicities, creeds, and backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, Communist regimes have, as a matter of government policy, robbed their own citizens of the rights of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of association through coercion, brutality, and fear; and

WHEREAS, Many victims of communism were persecuted as political prisoners for speaking out against these regimes, and others were killed in genocidal state-sponsored purges; and

WHEREAS, In addition to violating basic human rights, communist regimes have suppressed freedom of conscience, cultural life, and self-determination movements in over 40 nations; and

WHEREAS, The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C. is a nonprofit organization, authorized by a unanimous Act of the United States Congress that educates people about the ideology, history, and legacy of communism and honors the people who have suffered and died under communist regimes; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare November 7, 2021 as Victims of Communism Memorial Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation as a symbol of our respect and esteem.