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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 241 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 241

 Commending the International Criminal Court for issuing a warrant for 
the arrest of Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, President of the Republic of 
 the Sudan, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and expressing 
the hope that this will be a significant step in the long road towards 
          achieving peace and stability in the Darfur region.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2009

 Mr. Hastings of Florida (for himself, Mr. Pallone, Ms. Jackson-Lee of 
Texas, Mr. Olver, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Honda, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Ms. Lee 
of California, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Capuano, and Mr. 
 Perriello) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Commending the International Criminal Court for issuing a warrant for 
the arrest of Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, President of the Republic of 
 the Sudan, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and expressing 
the hope that this will be a significant step in the long road towards 
          achieving peace and stability in the Darfur region.

Whereas the current conflict stems from a number of ethnic, religious, 
        geographic, environmental, and political factors, and involves numerous 
        factions competing for scarce resources, political power, civil rights, 
        and in some instances, their own survival;
Whereas the terrible and bloody conflict in Darfur has persisted since at least 
        before February 2003, when the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and 
        Equality Movement arose in opposition to the National Congress Party;
Whereas the Sudanese Government responded with a relentless campaign of violence 
        in which over 450,000 men, women, and children have been killed, 
        millions displaced, and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes 
        amidst brutal murder, rape, torture, and unconscionable oppression;
Whereas after many years of activism from activists, grassroots organizers, and 
        religious and political figures from around the world, many observers, 
        including then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as numerous 
        international human rights organizations, referred to the ongoing 
        conflict as genocide, which requires certain specific interventions;
Whereas the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent body whose 
        mission is to try individuals for crimes within its jurisdiction without 
        the need for a special mandate from the United Nations;
Whereas the situation in Darfur was referred to the ICC by the United Nations 
        Security Council;
Whereas Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir has been the President of the Republic of 
        the Sudan since his appointment by the Revolutionary Command Council for 
        National Salvation (RCC-NS) on October 16, 1993, and has been elected as 
        such successively since April 1, 1996;
Whereas President al-Bashir stands accused of war crimes and crimes against 
        humanity;
Whereas this is the first warrant of arrest ever issued for a sitting Head of 
        State by the ICC;
Whereas although the ICC concluded that there was not enough evidence to issue a 
        warrant for President al-Bashir's arrest for the crime of genocide, the 
        warrant can later be amended to include genocide in the event that the 
        prosecution submits sufficient evidence of President al-Bashir's role in 
        the genocide in Darfur; and
Whereas President al-Bashir's immediate response to the arrest warrant was to 
        expel humanitarian aid agencies from the region, further threatening the 
        lives of over 1,100,000 million people who are at grave risk of 
        starvation and disease: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the International Criminal Court for issuing 
        an arrest warrant for President of the Republic of the Sudan 
        Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir on crimes against humanity and war 
        crimes;
            (2) condemns the expulsion of international aid agencies, 
        which further threatens the lives of over 1,100,000 people who 
        depend on these organizations for food, water, health care, and 
        safety;
            (3) condemns the Sudanese Government for continuing an 
        active campaign of repression and needless violence against its 
        own people;
            (4) calls upon the international community to persist in 
        its efforts to bring President al-Bashir to justice and to 
        pressure the Sudanese regime to cease its campaign of violence;
            (5) expresses the hope that the arrest warrant and 
        subsequent efforts, which must be accompanied by other actions 
        and aid from the international community, will play a 
        significant role in achieving and maintaining stability and 
        peace in the region;
            (6) expresses its belief that a multifaceted approach is 
        needed to successfully end genocide and the repression of human 
        rights in Darfur, including positive social, economic, and 
        political developments in the region; and
            (7) applauds the United States Government's commitment to 
        vigorous diplomacy as well as Secretary of State Hillary 
        Clinton's stated commitment to work towards a solution, and 
        encourages President Barack Obama to appoint a full-time envoy 
        to the region to engage in diplomatic efforts.
                                 <all>
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