IV 

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 alBashir, 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 reVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:38 Mar 12, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR241.IH HR241

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•HRES 241 IH 

sources, 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; 


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•HRES 241 IH 

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 alBashir’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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commends the International Criminal Court 

3 for issuing an arrest warrant for President of the 

4 Republic of the Sudan Omar Hassan Ahmad al5 Bashir on crimes against humanity and war crimes; 

6 (2) condemns the expulsion of international aid 

7 agencies, which further threatens the lives of over 

8 1,100,000 people who depend on these organizations 

9 for food, water, health care, and safety; 

10 (3) condemns the Sudanese Government for 

11 continuing an active campaign of repression and 

12 needless violence against its own people; 


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•HRES 241 IH 

1 (4) calls upon the international community to 

2 persist in its efforts to bring President al-Bashir to 

3 justice and to pressure the Sudanese regime to cease 

4 its campaign of violence; 

5 (5) expresses the hope that the arrest warrant 

6 and subsequent efforts, which must be accompanied 

7 by other actions and aid from the international com8 munity, will play a significant role in achieving and 

9 maintaining stability and peace in the region; 

10 (6) expresses its belief that a multifaceted ap11 proach is needed to successfully end genocide and 

12 the repression of human rights in Darfur, including 

13 positive social, economic, and political developments 

14 in the region; and 

15 (7) applauds the United States Government’s 

16 commitment to vigorous diplomacy as well as Sec17 retary of State Hillary Clinton’s stated commitment 

18 to work towards a solution, and encourages Presi19 dent Barack Obama to appoint a full-time envoy to 

20 the region to engage in diplomatic efforts. 

Æ 


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