III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 424 

Condemning the mass atrocities committed by the Government of Syria and 

supporting the right of the people of Syria to be safe and to defend 

themselves. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 18, 2012 

Mr. MCCAIN (for himself, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. KYL, Ms. 

AYOTTE, and Mr. HOEVEN) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the mass atrocities committed by the Government of Syria and supporting the right of the people 

of Syria to be safe and to defend themselves. 

Whereas, in March 2011, large-scale peaceful demonstrations 

began to take place in Syria against the authoritarian 

rule of Bashar al-Assad; 

Whereas the Bashar al-Assad regime responded to protests 

by launching a campaign of escalating and indiscriminate 

violence, including gross human rights violations, use of 

force against civilians, torture, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary executions, sexual violence, and interference with 

access to medical treatment; 


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Whereas demonstrators initially demanded political reform, 

but under sustained violent attack by the Government of 

Syria, now demand a change in the Syrian regime; 

Whereas forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad are increasingly and 

indiscriminately employing heavy weapons, including 

tanks and artillery, to attack civilian population centers; 

Whereas, on November 23, 2011, the United Nations-appointed Independent International Commission of Inquiry 

on the Syrian Arab Republic reported that ‘‘crimes 

against humanity of murder, torture, rape or other forms 

of sexual violence of comparable gravity, imprisonment or 

other severe deprivation of liberty, enforced disappearances of persons and other inhumane acts of a similar 

character have occurred in different locations in Syria 

since March 2011’’ and that ‘‘the Syrian Arab Republic 

bears responsibility for these crimes and violations’’; 

Whereas, on February 22, 2012, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic found in a subsequent report that ‘‘commanding 

officers and officials at the highest level of government 

bear responsibility for crimes against humanity and other 

gross human rights violations’’; 

Whereas, on March 15, 2012, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon warned that ‘‘well over 8,000 people’’ 

have been killed because of the ‘‘brutal oppression’’ by 

authorities in Syria and called the status quo in Syria 

‘‘indefensible’’; 

Whereas, on March 27, 2012, the United Nations reported 

that the death toll in Syria had climbed to ‘‘more than 

9,000’’; 


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•SRES 424 IS 

Whereas at least 3,000 people have been killed in Syria in 

2012 alone; 

Whereas, on October 2, 2011, a broad-based coalition of Syrian opposition leaders announced the establishment of the 

Syrian National Council (SNC), calling for the end of the 

Bashar al-Assad regime and the formation of a civil, pluralistic, and democratic state in Syria; 

Whereas, on February 24, 2012, Secretary of State Hillary 

Clinton called the Syrian National Council (SNC) ‘‘a 

leading legitimate representative of Syrians seeking 

peaceful democratic change’’ and an ‘‘effective representative for the Syrian people with governments and international organizations’’; 

Whereas growing numbers of people in Syria, under continued and escalating assault by the Assad regime, have 

taken up arms to defend themselves and organized armed 

resistance under the banner of the Free Syrian Army 

(FSA); 

Whereas the leaders of the Free Syrian Army have rejected 

sectarianism; 

Whereas, on December 6, 2011, the Syrian National Council 

issued a statement affirming that the Free Syrian Army 

‘‘deserve[s] the backing of all supporters of human rights 

in Syria’’ and applauding the decision of FSA officers to 

‘‘risk their lives and those of their families because they 

believe in Syria and have lost faith in the Assad doctrine’’; 

Whereas, on March 12, 2012, the Syrian National Council, 

through its spokesperson, called for ‘‘military intervention 

by Arab and Western countries to protect civilians’’ in 

Syria, and endorsed the arming of the Free Syrian Army; 


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Whereas, on March 16, 2012, opposition activists inside Syria 

staged protests calling for ‘‘immediate military intervention by the Arabs and Muslims, followed by the rest of 

the world’’; 

Whereas, on February 24, 2012, the Foreign Minister of 

Saudi Arabia, Saud bin Feisal, called providing weapons 

to the Syrian opposition ‘‘an excellent idea . . . because 

they have to protect themselves’’; 

Whereas, on February 27, 2012, the Prime Minister of 

Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al Thani, said of the 

Syrian opposition, ‘‘I think we should do whatever is necessary to help them, including giving them weapons to 

defend themselves.’’; 

Whereas, on March 1, 2012, the parliament of Kuwait voted 

overwhelmingly on a resolution calling on the Government 

of Kuwait to support the Syrian opposition, including by 

providing weapons; 

Whereas, on March 16, 2012, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip 

Erdogan of Turkey said that the Government of Turkey 

was considering setting up a ‘‘security’’ or ‘‘buffer zone’’ 

along its border with Syria; 

Whereas, on December 22, 2010, the Senate passed Senate 

Concurrent Resolution 71 (112th Congress), a bipartisan 

resolution recognizing that it is in the national interest 

of the United States to prevent and mitigate acts of 

genocide and other mass atrocities against civilians; 

Whereas, on August 4, 2011, President Barack Obama 

issued Presidential Study Directive–10 (PSD–10), stating, ‘‘Preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core 

national security interest and a core moral responsibility 

of the United States.’’; 


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Whereas, on May 18, 2011, President Obama signed Executive Order 13573, targeting senior officials of the Government of Syria due to the Government’s continuing escalation of violence against the people of Syria; 

Whereas, on April 29, 2011, President Obama signed Executive Order 13572, imposing sanctions on certain individuals and entities in the annex to the order and providing 

the authority to designate persons responsible for human 

rights abuses in Syria, including those related to repressing the people of Syria; 

Whereas, on February 4, 2012, President Obama stated that 

Bashar al-Assad ‘‘has no right to lead Syria and has lost 

all legitimacy with his people and the international community’’; 

Whereas, on February 17, 2012, the Senate passed Senate 

Resolution 379 (112th Congress), stating that the ‘‘gross 

human rights violations perpetuated by the Government 

of Syria against the people of Syria represent a grave 

risk to regional peace and stability’’; 

Whereas, on February 28, 2012, Secretary of State Clinton, 

in testimony before the Subcommittee on the Department 

of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs of 

the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate concerning Bashar al-Assad, testified that, ‘‘based on the 

definitions of war criminal and crimes against humanity, 

there would be an argument to be made that he would 

fit into that category’’; 

Whereas, on March 1, 2012, Admiral James Stavridis, commander of United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, during testimony before the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, 


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•SRES 424 IS 

agreed with the statement that ‘‘the provision of arms, 

communication equipment, and tactical intelligence’’ 

would ‘‘help the Syrian opposition to better organize 

itself and push Assad from power’’; 

Whereas, on March 6, 2012, General James Mattis, commander of United States Central Command, testified before the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate that 

Bashar al-Assad will ‘‘continue to employ heavier and 

heavier weapons on his people’’; 

Whereas, on March 6, 2012, General Mattis testified before 

the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate that 

there is ‘‘a full throated effort by Iran to keep Assad 

there and oppressing his own people’’ in Syria, including 

‘‘providing the kinds of weapons that are being used 

right now to suppress the opposition,’’ as well as ‘‘listening capability, eavesdropping capability . . . and experts 

who I could only say are experts at oppressing’’; 

Whereas, on March 6, 2012, General Mattis testified before 

the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate that the 

fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime would represent ‘‘the 

biggest strategic setback for Iran in 25 years’’; and 

Whereas the continuing gross human rights violations against 

the people of Syria represent a grave risk to regional 

peace and stability: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns the mass atrocities and severe 

3 human rights abuses being perpetrated against the 

4 people of Syria by Bashar al-Assad and his fol5 lowers; 


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1 (2) recognizes that the people of Syria have an 

2 inherent right to defend themselves against the cam3 paign of violence being conducted by the Assad re4 gime; 

5 (3) supports calls by Arab leaders to provide 

6 the people of Syria with the means to defend them7 selves against Bashar al-Assad and his forces, in8 cluding through the provision of weapons and other 

9 material support, and calls on the President to work 

10 closely with regional partners to implement these ef11 forts effectively; 

12 (4) urges the President to take all necessary 

13 precautions to ensure that any support for the Syr14 ian opposition does not benefit individuals in Syria 

15 who are aligned with al Qaeda or associated move16 ments, or who have committed human rights abuses; 

17 (5) affirms that the establishment of safe ha18 vens for people from Syria, as contemplated by gov19 ernments in the Middle East, would be an important 

20 step to save Syrian lives and to help bring an end 

21 to Mr. Assad’s killing of civilians in Syria, and calls 

22 on the President to consult urgently and thoroughly 

23 with regional allies on whether, how, and where to 

24 create such safe havens; 


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1 (6) urges the President, as part of an inter2 national effort to hold senior officials in Syria ac3 countable for mass atrocities— 

4 (A) to gather information about such mass 

5 atrocities, including gross human rights viola6 tions, use of force against civilians, torture, 

7 extrajudicial killings, arbitrary executions, sex8 ual violence, and interference with access to 

9 medical treatment; and 

10 (B) to continue to take actions to ensure 

11 that senior officials in the Government of Syria 

12 and other individuals responsible for mass 

13 atrocities in Syria are held accountable, includ14 ing by using the authority provided under Exec15 utive Order 13572 and Executive Order 13573 

16 to designate additional individuals; 

17 (7) urges the Atrocities Prevention Board, once 

18 it is formally constituted by the President as called 

19 for in Presidential Study Directive–10, to provide 

20 recommendations concerning measures to prevent 

21 continued mass atrocities in Syria; and 

22 (8) commends the establishment of the 

23 ‘‘Friends of the Syrian People’’ Contact Group and 

24 other international diplomatic efforts to end the vio25 lence and support a peaceful transition to democracy 


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1 in Syria, and reaffirms the necessity of the depar2 ture from power of Bashar al-Assad. 

Æ 


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