U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., teamed up with two Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold Syria accountable for war crimes.
After four years of civil war, almost 4 million Syrians have fled the country, while more than 7.5 million have been displaced inside that Middle Eastern nation and there are reports finding that more than 12 million Syrians need humanitarian aid. More than 205,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Rubio joined U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the ranking Democrat on the committee, and U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., to unveil the Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act on Tuesday. The proposal would force the U.S. State Department to report to Congress on war crimes committed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime and other forces in Syria. The bill also requires the State Department to report on any federal efforts in Syria to crack down on human rights abuses.
For four years the Assad regime and violent extremists in Syria have committed horrific human rights violations at the expense of millions of innocent Syrians, Rubio, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2016, said on Tuesday. These brutal crimes against civilians are appalling. The perpetrators deserve to be brought to justice, and this bill is a first step toward ensuring those responsible for human rights abuses are held accountable.
The war tactics employed in Syria by both government and opposition forces fly in the face of the rules of war, Cardin said. We must shine a light on the atrocities that have been committed in Syria and demand accountability.
Ignoring these violations sends a message to the global community that war crimes and crimes against humanity are tolerable, Cardin added. The Syrian people deserve much more. The United States cannot stand idly by and allow the gross violation of human rights in Syria to go unchallenged. We remain firmly committed to bringing all perpetrators of international crimes in Syria to justice.
"As the Assad regime continues to use deadly force and indiscriminate weapons, like barrel bombs, killing and maiming thousands of men, women and children, ISIS and al-Qaidas affiliates in Syria have perpetrated massive human rights violations against innocent people. These brutal and horrific crimes are appalling, Menendez said. We have a moral obligation to the Syrian people to do everything possible to ensure that the heinous crimes committed by the Assad regime and terrorist organizations over the past four years are documented and do not go unpunished."
The proposal would require the U.S. secretary of state to report to Congress within 90 days of the bill being enacted and 180 days after the conflict in Syria ends.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
