An act to provide relief for victims of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes who are members of religious and ethnic minority groups in Iraq and Syria, for accountability for perpetrators of these crimes, and for other purposes
PL 115-300 (H.R.390), enacted 12/11/2018

132 STAT. 4390 
PUBLIC LAW 115–300—DEC. 11, 2018 
Public Law 115–300 
115th Congress 
An Act 
To provide relief for victims of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes 
who are members of religious and ethnic minority groups in Iraq and Syria, 
for accountability for perpetrators of these crimes, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief 
and Accountability Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Secretary of State of State declared on March 
17, 2016, and on August 15, 2017, that Daesh (also known 
as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS) is responsible 
for genocide, crimes against humanity, and other atrocity 
crimes against religious and ethnic minority groups in Iraq 
and Syria, including Christians, Yezidis, and Shia, among other 
religious and ethnic groups. 
(2) According to the Department of State’s annual reports 
on international religious freedom— 
(A) the number of Christians living in Iraq has dropped 
from an estimated 800,000 to 1,400,000 in 2002 to fewer 
than 250,000 in 2017; and 
(B) the number of Yezidis living in Iraq has fluctuated 
from 500,000 in 2013, to between 350,000 and 400,000 
in 2016, and between 600,000 and 750,000 in 2017. 
(3) The annual reports on international religious freedom 
further suggest that— 
(A) Christian communities living in Syria, which had 
accounted for between 8 and 10 percent of Syria’s total 
population in 2010, are now ‘‘considerably’’ smaller as a 
result of the civil war, and 
(B) there was a population of approximately 80,000 
Yezidis before the commencement of the conflict in Syria. 
(4) Local communities and entities have sought to mitigate 
the impact of violence directed against religious and ethnic 
minorities in Iraq and Syria, including the Chaldean Catholic 
Archdiocese of Erbil (Kurdistan Region of Iraq), which has 
used predominantly private funds to provide assistance to 
internally displaced Christians, Yezidis, and Muslims through-
out the greater Erbil region, while significant needs and dimin-
ishing resources have made it increasingly difficult to continue 
these efforts. 
Iraq and Syria 
Genocide Relief 
and 
Accountability 
Act of 2018. 
22 USC 2656 
note. 
Dec. 11, 2018 
[H.R. 390] 
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132 STAT. 4391 
PUBLIC LAW 115–300—DEC. 11, 2018 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—The term 
‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; 
(B) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; 
(C) the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern-
mental Affairs of the Senate; 
(D) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; 
(E) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; 
(F) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives; 
(G) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
Representatives; 
(H) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
of Representatives; 
(I) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives; and 
(J) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
of the House of Representatives. 
(2) FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘foreign 
terrorist organization’’ mean an organization designated by the 
Secretary of State as a foreign terrorist organization pursuant 
to section 219(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1189(a)). 
(3) HUMANITARIAN, STABILIZATION, AND RECOVERY NEEDS.— 
The term ‘‘humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery needs’’, 
with respect to an individual, includes water, sanitation, 
hygiene, food security and nutrition, shelter and housing, 
reconstruction, medical, education, psychosocial needs, and 
other assistance to address basic human needs, including sta-
bilization assistance (as defined by the Stabilization Assistance 
Review in ‘‘A Framework for Maximizing the Effectiveness of 
U.S. Government Efforts to Stabilize Conflict-Affected Areas, 
2018). 
(4) HYBRID COURT.—The term ‘‘hybrid court’’ means a court 
with a combination of domestic and international lawyers, 
judges, and personnel. 
(5) INTERNATIONALIZED DOMESTIC COURT.—The term ‘‘inter-
nationalized domestic court’’ means a domestic court with the 
support of international advisers. 
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States to ensure that assistance 
for humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery needs of individuals 
who are or were nationals and residents of Iraq or Syria, and 
of communities in and from those countries, is directed toward 
those individuals and communities with the greatest need, including 
those individuals from communities of religious and ethnic minori-
ties, and communities of religious and ethnic minorities, that the 
Secretary of State declared were targeted for genocide, crimes 
against humanity, or war crimes, and have been identified as being 
at risk of persecution, forced migration, genocide, crimes against 
humanity, or war crimes. 
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132 STAT. 4392 
PUBLIC LAW 115–300—DEC. 11, 2018 
SEC. 5. ACTIONS TO PROMOTE ACCOUNTABILITY IN IRAQ FOR GENO-
CIDE, CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, AND WAR CRIMES. 
(a) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of State and the Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Development are 
authorized to provide assistance, including financial and technical 
assistance, as necessary and appropriate, to support the efforts 
of entities, including nongovernmental organizations with expertise 
in international criminal investigations and law, to address geno-
cide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes, and their constituent 
crimes by ISIS in Iraq by— 
(1) conducting criminal investigations; 
(2) developing indigenous investigative and judicial skills, 
including by partnering, directly mentoring, and providing nec-
essary equipment and infrastructure to effectively adjudicating 
cases consistent with due process and respect for the rule 
of law; and 
(3) collecting and preserving evidence and the chain of 
evidence, including for use in prosecutions in domestic courts, 
hybrid courts, and internationalized domestic courts, consistent 
with the activities described in subsection (b). 
(b) ACTIONS
BY FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS.—The Secretary of 
State, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary 
of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, and 
the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall encourage 
governments of foreign countries— 
(1) to include information in appropriate security databases 
and security screening procedures of such countries to identify 
suspected ISIS members for whom credible evidence exists 
of having committed genocide, crimes against humanity, or 
war crimes, and their constituent crimes, in Iraq; and 
(2) to apprehend and prosecute such ISIS members for 
genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes, as appro-
priate. 
(c) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Sec-
retary of State shall consult with and consider credible information 
from entities described in such subsection. 
SEC. 6. IDENTIFICATION OF AND ASSISTANCE TO ADDRESS HUMANI-
TARIAN, STABILIZATION, AND RECOVERY NEEDS OF CER-
TAIN PERSONS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA. 
(a) IDENTIFICATION.—The Secretary of State, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development, and Director of 
National Intelligence, shall seek to identify— 
(1) threats of persecution and other early-warning indica-
tors of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes 
against individuals who are or were nationals and residents 
of Iraq or Syria, are members of religious or ethnic minority 
groups in such countries, and against whom the Secretary 
of State has determined ISIS has committed genocide, crimes 
against humanity, or war crimes; 
(2) the religious and ethnic minority groups in Iraq or 
Syria identified pursuant to paragraph (1) that are at risk 
of forced migration, within or across the borders of Iraq, Syria, 
or a country of first asylum, and the primary reasons for 
such risk; 
Consultation. 
Consultation. 
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132 STAT. 4393 
PUBLIC LAW 115–300—DEC. 11, 2018 
(3)(A) the humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery needs 
of individuals described in paragraphs (1) and (2), including 
the assistance provided by the United States and by the United 
Nations, respectively— 
(i) to address the humanitarian, stabilization, and 
recovery needs of such individuals; and 
(ii) to mitigate the risks of forced migration of such 
individuals; and 
(B) assistance provided through the Funding Facility for 
Immediate Stabilization and Funding Facility for Expanded 
Stabilization; and 
(4) to the extent practicable and appropriate— 
(A) the entities, including faith-based entities, that 
are providing assistance to address the humanitarian, sta-
bilization, and recovery needs of individuals described in 
paragraphs (1) and (2); and 
(B) the extent to which the United States is providing 
assistance to or through the entities referred to in subpara-
graph (A). 
(b) ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION.—In carrying out subsection (a), 
the Secretary of State shall consult with, and consider credible 
information from— 
(1) individuals described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of such 
subsection; and 
(2) the entities described in paragraph (4)(A) of such sub-
section. 
(c) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of State and the Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Development are 
authorized to provide assistance, including financial and technical 
assistance as necessary and appropriate, to support the entities 
described in subsection (a)(4)(A). 
SEC. 7. REPORT. 
(a) IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that 
includes— 
(1) a detailed description of the efforts taken, and efforts 
proposed to be taken, to implement the provisions of this Act; 
(2) an assessment of— 
(A) the feasibility and advisability of prosecuting ISIS 
members for whom credible evidence exists of having com-
mitted genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes 
in Iraq, including in domestic courts in Iraq, hybrid courts, 
and internationalized domestic courts; and 
(B) the measures needed— 
(i) to ensure effective criminal investigations of 
such individuals; and 
(ii) to effectively collect and preserve evidence, and 
preserve the chain of evidence, for prosecution; and 
(3) recommendations for legislative remedies and adminis-
trative actions to facilitate the implementation of this Act. 
Recommenda- 
tions. 
Assessments. 
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132 STAT. 4394 
PUBLIC LAW 115–300—DEC. 11, 2018 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 390: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 163 (2017): June 6, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 164 (2018): Oct. 11, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
Nov. 27, House concurred in Senate amendments. 
DAILY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS (2018): 
Dec. 11, Presidential remarks and statement. 
(b) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) shall be 
submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified annex, 
if necessary. 
Approved December 11, 2018. 
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