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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 269 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 269

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the need 
  for investigation and prosecution of war crimes and crimes against 
humanity, whether committed by officials of the Government of Syria or 
 other parties to the civil war in Syria, and calling on the President 
to direct the United States representative to the United Nations to use 
  the voice and vote of the United States to immediately promote the 
 establishment of a Syrian war crimes tribunal, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2015

   Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Pitts, and Mr. Paulsen) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the need 
  for investigation and prosecution of war crimes and crimes against 
humanity, whether committed by officials of the Government of Syria or 
 other parties to the civil war in Syria, and calling on the President 
to direct the United States representative to the United Nations to use 
  the voice and vote of the United States to immediately promote the 
 establishment of a Syrian war crimes tribunal, and for other purposes.

Whereas the Government of Syria is reported to have engaged in widespread 
        torture, rape, employment of starvation as a weapon of war, and massacre 
        of civilians, including by means of chemical weapons;
Whereas other parties to the civil war in Syria, including the al-Nusra Front 
        and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, are reported to have 
        engaged in torture, rape, summary execution of government soldiers, 
        kidnapping for ransom, and violence against civilians, including 
        Christians and others who are not Sunni Muslims;
Whereas these and other actions perpetrated by the Government of Syria and other 
        parties to the civil war in Syria may constitute war crimes and crimes 
        against humanity;
Whereas Syria is not a state-party to the Rome Statute and is not a member of 
        the International Criminal Court;
Whereas the international community has previously established tribunals through 
        the United Nations to bring justice in specific countries where there 
        have been war crimes and crimes against humanity;
Whereas such tribunals, including the International Criminal Tribunal for the 
        former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and 
        the Special Court for Sierra Leone, have successfully investigated and 
        prosecuted war crimes and crimes against humanity, and there are many 
        positive lessons to be learned from these three tribunals; and
Whereas the United States supports the collection and analysis of documentation 
        related to the ongoing violations of human rights, the coordination of 
        Syrian and international actors working on documentation and 
        transitional justice efforts, and education and outreach on transitional 
        justice concepts and processes, including efforts of the Syria Justice 
        and Accountability Center sponsored by the United States and various 
        other states and multilateral institutions: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the United States should urge the Government of Syria 
        and other parties to the civil war in Syria to implement an 
        immediate cease fire and engage in negotiations to end the 
        bloodshed;
            (2) the United States should publicly declare that it is a 
        requirement of basic justice that war crimes and crimes against 
        humanity, whether committed by officials of the Government of 
        Syria, or other parties to the civil war in Syria, should be 
        investigated and prosecuted;
            (3) the President should direct the United States 
        representative to the United Nations to use the voice and vote 
        of the United States to immediately promote the establishment 
        of a Syrian war crimes tribunal, a special court to prosecute 
        the perpetrators of such serious crimes committed during the 
        civil war in Syria;
            (4) in working with other countries to establish a Syrian 
        war crimes tribunal, the United States should promote judicial 
        procedures that enable the prosecution of the most culpable 
        persons guilty of directing such serious crimes;
            (5) the United States should continue its efforts to 
        collect and analyze documentation related to ongoing violations 
        of human rights and make collection of information that can be 
        supplied to a Syrian war crimes tribunal for use as evidence to 
        support the indictment and trial of any person involved in the 
        civil war in Syria and responsible for war crimes or crimes 
        against humanity in Syria an immediate priority; and
            (6) the United States should urge other interested states 
        to apprehend and deliver into the custody of a Syrian war 
        crimes tribunal persons indicted for war crimes or crimes 
        against humanity in Syria and urge such states to provide 
        information pertaining to such crimes to the tribunal.
                                 <all>
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