[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 186 (Wednesday, November 20, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H9067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HIGHLIGHTING THE 7-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE DISAPPEARANCE OF KHALIL 
                                MAATOUK

  (Mr. BUDD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the 7-year 
anniversary of Christian human rights lawyer Khalil Maatouk's 
unconscionable disappearance at the hands of Syrian dictator Bashar al-
Assad.
  The regime abducted Maatouk because he had been relentlessly 
defending Syrian democratic activists. He was last seen on October 2 of 
2012.
  Khalil Maatouk's ordeal serves as a stark reminder of the Assad 
regime's barbaric assault on religious and Christian heritage, 
blatantly violating international humanitarian law. According to a 
September report from the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the regime 
is responsible for targeting 61 percent of churches throughout the 
country.
  The United States demands the immediate release of Khalil Maatouk, 
and I urge the administration to prioritize this case. We must stand up 
for those who fight for freedom, especially freedom of religion.

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