Recognizing the 11th anniversary of the Syrian revolution against Bashar al-Assad.

Whereas the Ba’ath Party has ruled Syria since March 8, 1963, and the Assad family has ruled Syria since November 13, 1970; Whereas the Syrian people of all ethnicities and sects rose up on March 15, 2011, against the brutal Assad regime, calling for freedom, democracy, and dignity, in the start of the Syrian revolution; Whereas peaceful protesters were met by the Assad regime with bullets and widespread brutality; Whereas the Assad regime’s security forces and shabiha painted on the walls of numerous cities, Assad or we burn the country; Whereas peaceful activists such as Ghiyath Mattar gave water and flowers to Syrian soldiers only to be tortured to death by the Assad regime’s forces; Whereas the brutal Assad regime, with the support of Iran and the Russian Federation, has committed crimes against humanity against the people of Syria, leading to one of the worst humanitarian crises in over 70 years, including the deaths of more than 500,000 people, the destruction of more than 50 percent of Syria’s critical infrastructure, and the forced displacement of more than 14 million people; Whereas the Assad regime, with the support of Iran and the Russian Federation, has conducted violent attacks against humanitarian aid workers, supplies, facilities, transports, and assets, and impeded the access and secure movement of humanitarian personnel, and has used chemical weapons against the Syrian people on numerous occasions; Whereas Iran is estimated to have deployed over 3,000 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and regular Iranian military advisers to Syria and approximately 20,000 militia fighters, including Hezbollah; Whereas Iranian-backed militias have demolished civilian areas, implemented sieges, and evicted civilian residents throughout Syria in a campaign of forced displacement, where Iranian-funded reconstruction plans to sell housing developments to foreign militias risk establishing a permanent Iranian presence and obstacle for return of thousands of Syrian families who fled Syria; Whereas the Assad regime has systematically diverted tens of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid from the United Nations to its own benefit; and Whereas a number of countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have accelerated efforts to normalize relations with the Assad regime in recent years: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) recognizes the 11th anniversary of the Syrian revolution against Bashar al-Assad; (2) affirms that it is the policy of the United States to support the Syrian people’s efforts to bring about a free and democratic Syria which respects the human rights of all Syrians from all ethnic and religious backgrounds, including women; (3) commends the bravery of the Syrian people who initially rose up on March 15, 2011, protesting the brutal Assad regime, as well as the bravery of democratic activists involved in the ongoing struggle against the brutal Assad regime in Syria; (4) opposes the normalization of relations by any country with the Assad regime; (5) recognizes that there is no solution to the crisis in Syria as long as the brutal Assad regime remains in power; (6) calls upon the President to not recognize any Syrian Government led by Bashar al-Assad or the right of Bashar al-Assad to ever run in any future election in Syria; (7) calls upon the President to vigorously enforce the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, especially with regard to entities located within the territories of governments which have normalized with the Assad regime, and by stopping the Arab Gas Pipeline project, and other energy deals, which will provide the Assad regime with gas and electricity; (8) calls upon the President to reject any and all dialogue with the Russian Federation led by Vladimir Putin with regards to political negotiations over Syria; (9) calls upon the President to end all funding to any aid projects by the United Nations in Syria which are providing assistance to the brutal Assad regime, and instead ensure that aid is delivered directly to the people of Syria; and (10) calls on the President to establish a whole-of-government approach to countering the brutal Assad regime’s illicit Captagon trade.

Summary: This resolution recognizes the 11th anniversary of the Syrian revolution against Bashar al Asad and affirms U.S. policy to support the Syrian people's efforts to bring about a free and democratic Syria. Further, the resolution, among other things, calls upon the President to not recognize any Syrian government led by Bashar al Asad or the right of Bashar al Asad to ever run in any future election in Syria, and to reject political negotiations over Syria with Vladimir Putin.