IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 135 
Affirming the nature and importance of the support of the United States 
for Syria. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 18, 2024 
Mr. MEEKS (for himself, Mr. CROW, Ms. JACOBS, Mr. PALLONE, and Ms. 
TITUS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Affirming the nature and importance of the support of the 
United States for Syria. 
Whereas, in December 2024, following decades of pressure 
and sacrifice by the Syrian people and from international 
condemnation, the al Assad family’s era of heinous war 
crimes and authoritarian rule ended and Bashar Assad 
fled to Moscow, where Putin granted him political asy-
lum; 
Whereas, as a result of the opportunity his departure has 
presented to the Syrian people, the United States reaf-
firms its support to all the Syrian people, and urges an 
inclusive and peaceful transition by Syrians, for Syria. 
Whereas national, ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities 
and indigenous peoples, including Alawites, Armenians, 
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Druze, Yezidis, Kurds, Shabak, Turkmen, and historic 
Christian communities (including Chaldean, Syriac, As-
syrian, and Melkite peoples) among others, have been in-
tegral components of the long cultural lineage of Syria; 
Whereas these same religious and ethnic minorities have 
made, and continue to make, invaluable and significant 
contributions to the social, economic, and political fabric 
of societies across the Middle East and the world, includ-
ing the United States; 
Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (referred to in 
this preamble as ‘‘ISIS’’) is responsible for carrying out 
a brutal campaign of violence against members of all 
faiths in Syria and Iraq; 
Whereas ethnic and religious minorities were subjected to in-
numerable atrocities by ISIS, including forced religious 
conversion, kidnapping, slavery, human trafficking, un-
lawful forced displacement, ethnic cleansing, torture, sex-
ual violence, and sex trafficking, among other crimes; 
Whereas the Secretary of State declared on March 17, 2016, 
and on August 15, 2017, that ISIS is responsible for 
genocide, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities 
against religious and ethnic minority groups in Syria and 
Iraq, including Shia Muslims, Christians, and Yezidis, 
among other religious and ethnic groups; 
Whereas the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Account-
ability Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–300) affirms that 
it is the policy of the United States to ensure that assist-
ance for religious and ethnic minorities is directed to-
wards those who— 
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•HCON 135 IH 
(1) have the greatest need, including minorities who 
the Secretary of State declared were targeted for geno-
cide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes; and 
(2) have been identified as being at risk of persecu-
tion, forced migration, genocide, crimes against human-
ity, or war crimes; 
Whereas members of these religious and ethnic minority com-
munities continue to face daily insecurity, discrimination, 
hardship, and violence from state and non-state actors; 
Whereas Syrian opposition forces have repeatedly signaled 
their intent to respect the rights and dignity of religious 
and ethnic minorities in Syria, but there have been inci-
dents of members of such minorities fleeing their homes 
while there is documented violence and expulsions against 
Kurdish communities by elements of the Syrian National 
Army; 
Whereas the restoration and stabilization of all regions of 
Syria will provide an opportunity for its longstanding di-
verse ethnic and religious communities to flourish; 
Whereas the Syrian Democratic Forces (referred to in this 
preamble as the ‘‘SDF’’) has been a critical partner to 
United States and allied counter-ISIS and broader 
counterterrorism efforts in Syria, and the United States 
should continue to support and partner with the SDF; 
Whereas the SDF has played a critical role in securing and 
maintaining ISIS detention facilities and ensuring that 
ISIS terrorists do not pose a renewed threat to the re-
gion or United States allies or partners; 
Whereas the search continues for Austin Tice, an American 
journalist, was kidnapped in Syria on August 14, 2012; 
and 
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Whereas the Syrian Democratic Council— 
(1) serves as the civil administration for much of 
northeast Syria; and 
(2) has provided critical public services and main-
tained civilian infrastructure in that region throughout 
the Syrian conflict: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) commits to protecting and upholding the 
internationally recognized human rights of members 
of all religious and ethnic minority communities in 
Syria; 
(2) calls for an inclusive and peaceful political 
transition process in Syria that preserves and pro-
tects the rights and livelihoods of all Syria commu-
nities, including its religious and ethnic minority 
communities; 
(3) supports the preservation, documentation, 
and restoration of— 
(A) religious and cultural heritage sites in 
Syria; and 
(B) community buildings of religious and 
ethnic minority communities in the region; 
(4) calls upon all state and non-state actors— 
(A) to cease any and all support for, or 
commission of, all current violence in Syria; and 
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(B) to refrain from future violence and 
acts of reprisal or repression against all Syr-
ians, including religious and ethnic minority 
communities in Syria; 
(5) encourages the Secretary of State and the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development— 
(A) to advocate for the protection of reli-
gious and ethnic minorities in Syria; and 
(B) to engage in appropriate steps, includ-
ing targeted sanctions relief and development 
programming to support humanitarian needs, 
development, and reconstruction in Syria, in-
cluding in religious and ethnic minority commu-
nities; and 
(6) reaffirms the commitment of the United 
States to finding and securing the release of Austin 
Tice. 
Æ 
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