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 express-
ing 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 re-
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•HRES 241 IH 
sources, political power, civil rights, and in some in-
stances, their own survival; 
Whereas the terrible and bloody conflict in Darfur has per-
sisted 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 relent-
less 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, grass-
roots organizers, and religious and political figures from 
around the world, many observers, including then-Sec-
retary of State Colin Powell, as well as numerous inter-
national human rights organizations, referred to the on-
going conflict as genocide, which requires certain specific 
interventions; 
Whereas the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an inde-
pendent body whose mission is to try individuals for 
crimes within its jurisdiction without the need for a spe-
cial 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 Presi-
dent of the Republic of the Sudan since his appointment 
by the Revolutionary Command Council for National Sal-
vation (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 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 ar-
rest 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 starva-
tion 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; 
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•HRES 241 IH 
(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 com-
munity, will play a significant role in achieving and 
maintaining stability and peace in the region; 
(6) expresses its belief that a multifaceted ap-
proach 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 Sec-
retary of State Hillary Clinton’s stated commitment 
to work towards a solution, and encourages Presi-
dent Barack Obama to appoint a full-time envoy to 
the region to engage in diplomatic efforts. 
Æ 
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