[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2209 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2209

To require a report on accountability for war crimes and crimes against 
                           humanity in Syria.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 3, 2014

   Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Kaine, and Mrs. Shaheen) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require a report on accountability for war crimes and crimes against 
                           humanity in Syria.

    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 ``Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act 
of 2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) On February 22, 2014, the United Nations Security 
        Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2139 recognizing the 
        escalating level of violence in Syria.
            (2) Credible sources estimate the death of more than 
        140,000 people in Syria, including 10,000 children.
            (3) On February 27, 2014, the Department of State issued 
        its 2013 Human Rights Report on Syria, which described 
        President Bashar al Assad's use of ``indiscriminate and deadly 
        force'' in the conflict, including the August 21, 2013, use of 
        ``sarin gas and artillery to target East Ghouta and Moadamiya 
        al-Sham, suburbs of Damascus, which killed over 1,000 people.''
            (4) The United Nations Independent International Commission 
        of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic reports that pro-
        government forces have conducted attacks on Syrian civilian 
        populations, and have utilized murder, torture, assault, and 
        rape as war tactics. Anti-government groups have also committed 
        murder and torture, engaged in hostage-taking, attacked 
        protected objects, and shelled civilian neighborhoods.
            (5) Internationally accepted rules of war require actors to 
        distinguish between civilians and combatants and that all 
        parties adhere to the principle of medical neutrality whereby 
        both sides ensure unhindered access to medical care.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    Congress--
            (1) strongly condemns the ongoing violence, use of chemical 
        weapons, targeting of civilian populations with barrel, 
        incendiary and cluster bombs, and SCUD missiles, and systematic 
        gross human rights violations carried out by Government of 
        Syria and pro-government forces under the direction of 
        President Bashar al-Assad, as well as abuses committed by 
        violent extremist groups and other combatants involved in the 
        civil war in Syria;
            (2) expresses its support for the people of Syria seeking 
        democratic change;
            (3) urges all parties to the conflict to immediately halt 
        indiscriminate attacks on civilians;
            (4) calls on the President to support efforts in Syria and 
        on the part of the international community to ensure 
        accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity 
        committed during the conflict; and
            (5) calls for a United Nations Security Council 
        investigation into gross violations of human rights and war 
        crimes committed during the Syrian conflict.

SEC. 4. REPORT ON ACCOUNTABILITY FOR WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST 
              HUMANITY IN SYRIA.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and again not later than 180 days after the 
cessation of violence in Syria, the Secretary of State shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report on war crimes and 
crimes against humanity in Syria.
    (b) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1) shall 
include the following elements:
            (1) A description of violations of internationally 
        recognized human rights and crimes against humanity perpetrated 
        during the civil war in Syria, including--
                    (A) an account of the war crimes and crimes against 
                humanity committed by the regime of President Bashar 
                al-Assad;
                    (B) an account of the war crimes and crimes against 
                humanity committed by violent extremist groups and 
                other combatants in the conflict; and
                    (C) a description of the conventional and 
                unconventional weapons used for such crimes and, where 
                possible, the origins of the weapons.
            (2) A description of efforts by the Department of State and 
        the United States Agency for International Development to 
        ensure accountability for violations of internationally 
        recognized human rights and crimes against humanity perpetrated 
        against the people of Syria by the regime of President Bashar 
        al-Assad, violent extremist groups, and other combatants 
        involved in the conflict, including--
                    (A) a description of initiatives that the United 
                States Government has undertaken to train investigators 
                in Syria on how to document, investigate, and develop 
                findings of war crimes, including the number of United 
                States Government or contract personnel currently 
                designated to work full-time on these issues and an 
                identification of the authorities and appropriations 
                being used to support training efforts;
                    (B) a description of the strategy and 
                implementation efforts to ensure accountability for 
                crimes committed during the Syrian conflict, including 
                efforts to promote the establishment of an ad hoc 
                tribunal to prosecute the perpetrators of war crimes 
                committed during the civil war in Syria; and
                    (C) an assessment of the impact of those 
                initiatives.
    (c) Appropriate Congressional Committee Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives.
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