Title: Recognizing the 11th anniversary of the Syrian revolution against Bashar al-Assad.
Policy area: International Affairs

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.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 985 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 985

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 15, 2022

 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina (for himself and Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of 
 Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the 
  Judiciary, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   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
    Resolved, 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.
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