House unanimously condemns ISIS for genocide
The House also accuses Syria's dictator of war crimes.
Politico
March 15, 2016
The House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly passed resolutions accusing the Islamic State of genocide and Syrian President Bashar Assad of war crimes, votes that raised pressure on President Barack Obama to mete out justice to both the terrorist network and the Arab dictator.
The measures, both of which are rare statements for a congressional body to make, come just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 250,000 people and fueled the Islamic State's rise. A fragile cease-fire has brought some calm to Syria in the past two weeks.
The genocide resolution, which passed 393-0, lists Christians among the victims of the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL. Republicans and Democrats who pushed it hope the Obama administration will do the same as it ponders whether to issue its own declaration alleging that the Islamic State's is committing genocide. Congress has given the administration until Thursday to make a decision, but it's not clear if that deadline will be met.
"ISIL is murdering and enslaving religious and ethnic minorities everywhere they gain power, and we know it. We know what they are doing, and if we don't say it, we should be ashamed. ISIL is committing genocide," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said after the vote, urging the Obama administration to make the same finding.
The administration has been debating for months whether to accuse the Islamic State of genocide. It is expected to declare that Yazidis, a religious minority whose members have been killed and enslaved by the Islamic State, are victims of genocide at the hands of the group.
But applying the genocide label, which carries some legal and moral obligations, to Christians and other minorities could prove more tricky. Although Secretary of State John Kerry technically has the final say, his legal advisers are sifting through a pile of statutes, treaties and evidence to see what groups fall under the genocide victim label.
And even if the administration does declare that the Islamic State is committing genocide against a range of groups, it is unlikely to step up its military role in Syria and Iraq simply because of that decision.
The war crimes resolution, which passed 392-3, not only denounces Assad's actions in Syria, but also that of his Russian and Iranian allies. The resolution calls on Obama to push for the creation of a international tribunal that will one day try suspects alleged to have committed war crimes in Syria. (The nay votes belonged to GOP Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.)
"The Obama administration must seek accountability for Bashar Assad’s heinous war crimes against his own people," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said in a statement after the vote. "An international tribunal, like those established following the conflicts in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, is critical to ensuring peace and justice.”
The resolution comes as Syrian peace talks, which have been pushed by the U.S., resumed in Geneva on Monday, and in the wake of an announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country will start withdrawing its troops from the blood-soaked Arab state.
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The House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly passed resolutions accusing the Islamic State of genocide and Syrian President Bashar Assad of war crimes, votes that raised pressure on President Barack Obama to mete out justice to both the terrorist network and the Arab dictator.
The measures, both of which are rare statements for a congressional body to make, come just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 250,000 people and fueled the Islamic State's rise. A fragile cease-fire has brought some calm to Syria in the past two weeks.
The genocide resolution, which passed 393-0, lists Christians among the victims of the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL. Republicans and Democrats who pushed it hope the Obama administration will do the same as it ponders whether to issue its own declaration alleging that the Islamic State's is committing genocide. Congress has given the administration until Thursday to make a decision, but it's not clear if that deadline will be met.
"ISIL is murdering and enslaving religious and ethnic minorities everywhere they gain power, and we know it. We know what they are doing, and if we don't say it, we should be ashamed. ISIL is committing genocide," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said after the vote, urging the Obama administration to make the same finding.
The administration has been debating for months whether to accuse the Islamic State of genocide. It is expected to declare that Yazidis, a religious minority whose members have been killed and enslaved by the Islamic State, are victims of genocide at the hands of the group.
But applying the genocide label, which carries some legal and moral obligations, to Christians and other minorities could prove more tricky. Although Secretary of State John Kerry technically has the final say, his legal advisers are sifting through a pile of statutes, treaties and evidence to see what groups fall under the genocide victim label.
And even if the administration does declare that the Islamic State is committing genocide against a range of groups, it is unlikely to step up its military role in Syria and Iraq simply because of that decision.
The war crimes resolution, which passed 392-3, not only denounces Assad's actions in Syria, but also that of his Russian and Iranian allies. The resolution calls on Obama to push for the creation of a international tribunal that will one day try suspects alleged to have committed war crimes in Syria. (The nay votes belonged to GOP Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.)
"The Obama administration must seek accountability for Bashar Assad’s heinous war crimes against his own people," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said in a statement after the vote. "An international tribunal, like those established following the conflicts in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, is critical to ensuring peace and justice.”
The resolution comes as Syrian peace talks, which have been pushed by the U.S., resumed in Geneva on Monday, and in the wake of an announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country will start withdrawing its troops from the blood-soaked Arab state.
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