ATROCITIES CONTINUE IN SYRIA; Congressional Record Vol. 164, No. 109

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ATROCITIES CONTINUE IN SYRIA

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gianforte). Under the Speaker's

announced policy of January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.

Kinzinger) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority

leader.

Mr. KINZINGER. Mr. Speaker, there is really a tragic situation that

has been unfolding for a long time in Syria, and I think it is

important that we have a brief discussion today about what is at stake

and what is happening.

To start that discussion, Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield to the

gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the honorable chairman of the

House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a champion for the people of Free

Syria.

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Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the time

that has been set aside here, and I appreciate the gentleman yielding.

I have got to say at the outset, one of the great tragedies of the

half a million deaths in Syria is that I think it was quite avoidable.

If we think back to 7 years ago and how it started, it began with

people marching in the streets of Damascus saying, \\\`\\\`peaceful,

peaceful.'' Their goal was to try to get some element of human rights

in a country in which people were being abducted and disappeared in

these chambers where they were tortured and killed.

We know a lot more now than we did at the time because of a brave

military photographer by the name of Caesar, and Caesar brought those

pictures out to the West, 55,000 of them.

The way in which the regime conducted itself drove the population in

Syria to react. And now, after 7 years of war, brutal war, the

atrocities continue in Syria; and in many ways, after listening this

morning to Caesar and seeing his photographs again, they are worse than

they were.

I say that because, as we speak, despite a ceasefire agreed to by

Russia, the Assad regime, backed by Russian war planes and backed by

the Iranian militia from neighboring Iran on the ground, is engaged in

a brutal assault on southern Syria. They are engaged there, and more

than 45,000 civilians have fled as Russian and regime forces have

intensified their shelling and their air raids again on civilian

populations.

So yesterday alone, three hospitals were bombed. The United Nations

has said that more Syrians were displaced in the first few months of

this year than at any period in the last 7 years of war--the first few

months of this year. This is happening as we speak.

This is one of the children affected by this brutal campaign. The

numbers are staggering. As I shared with you, there are over half a

million Syrians that have been killed. Think for a minute about the

families of those who are on the move trying to escape. Fourteen

million Syrians have been displaced; tens of thousands remain in the

regime's dungeons.

That, for me, is the most horrifying aspect of this. It is because

the regime will not, despite international pressure, change what it

does within those dungeons, the same torture that was exposed to the

world in the Caesar photos, in the 55,000 photos.

And the horrific part of this--I don't know why totalitarian regimes

do this, but they have a habit of taking the picture of every tortured,

mangled body that they have killed and then numbering it with a number,

and then number after number after number. It is now a process of civil

society in Syria trying to figure out and tie these families together.

And the population that was massacred, whether it is Shia or Sunni or

Alawites or Christian, it is as though the regime knows no bounds in

terms of its suspicions. It is like Joe Stalin's rampage when he

decided, in the 1930s, to begin his process of eliminating anyone who

could potentially be an opponent: take them in and put them to the

torture.

That is what is happening as we speak. And if the regime retakes

southern Syria, thousands more will be detained and meet the same fate

as those who are in those torture chambers today.

So this morning, we had the honor of welcoming Caesar. Adam Kinzinger

and I and other members of our committee had the opportunity once more

to speak to the Syrian military defector who took those photos.

Four years ago, he met with our committee in his first public

appearance following his defection. Those photos gave us an eyewitness

account of the Assad regime's horrific brutality. And today, Caesar

provided new, chilling testimony about the Assad regime's attacks

against the Syrian people.

Industrial-scale torture, as I have told you, is being committed

against thousands of detainees. And I will tell you, one picture that

especially moved me showed a young woman. She was an architect in the

city. She had had her eyes gouged out. She was tortured to death and

her crime was that she had delivered food and humanitarian aid to

individuals targeted by the Assad regime.

As you know, the Blue Helmets in Syria who run into collapsing

buildings in order to pull out victims, pull out civilians, they are

nondenominational. These are people who volunteer, and they are

frequently targeted. It is often those who are doing the rescuing who

are targeted by that regime.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, there can be no real peace in

Syria as long as the Assad regime, as long as Assad, himself, remains

in power. We need a strategy that, in the name of humanity, moves

beyond Assad to achieve a political solution that will secure a lasting

peace among all of the parties there.

The House has twice passed legislation named after Caesar, sponsored

by Ranking Member Eliot Engel and me, to impose sanctions on supporters

of Syria's Assad regime, including sanctions on Iran and Russia,

because that is where the materiel comes from. That is where the bombs

come from. This legislation will help cut off funding that fuels

Assad's war machine, and it gives our diplomats much-needed leverage in

the political process.

Additionally, the Caesar bill will support the prosecution of the

regime's war criminals. This includes U.S. assistance for cases being

tried around the world, many based on evidence in the Caesar file, such

as the one recently filed by prosecutors in Germany.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the Senate still has not acted on this

critical legislation. It is time to sanction Assad. It is time to

sanction his backers. It is time to hold war criminals accountable and

give justice to victims.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the Senate to quickly move

forward. Please move this legislation to help protect Syrian civilians.

Again, I want to thank my colleague not only for his efforts and for

his service to this country, including on the battlefield, but also for

his service here today in the interest of humanity.

Mr. KINZINGER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for his

leadership on this issue and for his very eloquently delivered speech

on the seriousness of what is happening.

The Syrian civil war is now in its eighth year, and it is approaching

a very serious crossroad. While the media focus fades away after some

chemical attack or a picture that steals our hearts for a moment, the

war crimes being committed and the atrocities taking place in Syria are

happening in full force right this very minute.

For the last 9 days, the southern border of Syria has been under

constant bombardment from airstrikes and barrel bomb attacks. Despite a

ceasefire

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pact from Russia in July of 2017, we know Syria's main military ally

has continued to carry out attacks on behalf of the Assad regime.

This critical moment will affect the future of Syria, the security

interests of the United States, and stability within the international

community. So what are we going to do about it?

Since World War I, we have held that chemical weapons have no place

on the battlefield. We have held strong to this principle and its core

to the values of our country.

We know that the President of Syria, the brutal dictator, Bashar al-

Assad, and his ruthless regime have committed countless war crimes, and

they are responsible for murdering more than half a million Syrians.

We know Assad has used chemical weapons countless times to attack and

murder innocent civilians.

We know that Russian and Iranian regimes have supported and helped

Assad in his genocide on the Syrian people, including airstrikes and

attacks that account for more than 50,000 dead Syrian children.

We have seen the Assad regime, along with his Iranian and Russian

backers, starve the people in cities like Madaya, Aleppo, and eastern

Ghouta by using food as a weapon.

We know the Assad regime has often refused U.N. and other

humanitarian organizations from delivering critical humanitarian

assistance to the most ravaged cities in Syria.

Because we know this, we cannot turn a blind eye. We cannot just

sweep this under the rug and ignore the horrific reality in Syria right

now. We cannot isolate ourselves from this crisis.

What happens in Syria and what happens in the Middle East has a very

real impact on our national security and the security of future

generations. If we fail to act in Syria and fail to inflict punishment

over the use of chemical weapons, we will ultimately see the end of the

nonproliferation treaty of chemical weapons and open the world to

ghastly horrors, perpetual insecurity, and extreme danger.

I support the President's enforcement of those red lines, but we must

not be naive enough to think that, if we show weakness elsewhere, it

will not happen again.

To be clear, I am not suggesting that the United States invade Syria,

put 100,000 troops in, and start a regional war, not in the slightest.

What I am suggesting is that we take a stand for what is right, what is

just, and what is in the best interests of the United States and the

freedom-loving people around the world.

We need a long-term strategy in Syria that leads to a solution of

peace and an end to the ongoing, deadly, and horrific conflict. This

strategy should also include the end of the Assad regime and a place at

the table for all people at the table of government.

First, we must maintain a presence in Syria and we must uphold the

deescalation zones that have already been established. By bolstering

these areas and making it known that the United States remains in the

region, we can thwart the strongmen of Russia and Iran from pushing

into these areas and targeting civilians.

Internally, both Russia and Iran are fractured and tired. They both

view Syria as a power-grab opportunity to take on their enemies: the

United States and Israel. It comes as no surprise, as we know the true

intentions of these bad actors anyway.

That being said, we cannot allow Iran to complete its land bridge

through the middle of Syria, and we cannot trust the Russians ever on

anything. Russian strikes have obliterated residential areas in Syria,

displacing thousands. The area's major hospitals and makeshift

hospitals have been targeted and destroyed.

Let me say that again. The region's hospitals have been targeted and

destroyed. We must take measures to punish Russia and Iran for their

crimes.

Next, given the dire situation in places like Daraa, we need to

establish no-fly zones and maintain a presence to ensure they are being

enforced by us and our allies. This is vital for the safety of our

coalition units, the humanitarian aid volunteers, and the Syrian

civilians who have been forced to flee their homes and their

communities.

We need to hold Assad, his regime, and the Russian and Iranian

supporters accountable.

In April, I spoke on the House floor in support of a bill I

introduced with my House Foreign Affairs Committee colleagues, \[H.R.

4681\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4681), the No Assistance for Assad Act. This bill, which passed the

House and now sits in the Senate, is a step in the right direction in

taking actions in Syria and punishing the Assad regime for its horrific

war crimes.

\[H.R. 4681\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4681) needs to be implemented, as do the sanctions passed last

year against the supporters of the Assad regime for their role in the

genocide of Syrian civilians.

Most importantly, the United States needs to remind the people of

Syria that we stand with them. We stand for freedom, and we stand

against the inhumane crimes committed against them by this barbaric

regime and their Russian and Iranian backers.

If you are a 10-year-old kid in Syria and your dad was killed by an

airstrike, you might see ISIS as the only opponent to Bashar al-Assad,

the butcher of Damascus who brutalized your family, who destroyed your

home, who bombed your school, and who left you without an education or

opportunity. If you are this 10-year-old kid in Syria right now, you

are likely to be a rich target of ISIS recruitment. Sadly, the next

generation of terrorism will likely stem from these regions that have

no hope or opportunity, that feel completely abandoned and ignored by

the international community.

I spoke to a Syrian regime defector yesterday named Caesar. Caesar

defected from the Assad regime and brought with him thousands of

pictures and documents proving that the regime tortures, starves, and

kills innocent people every day. And, if that isn't enough, they

document these atrocities with cold precision, reminiscent of the

actions of Nazi Germany. It is chilling.

{time} 1315

Caesar risks his life by sharing his experiences. In our meetings, he

selflessly focuses on others. He emphasized how gravely the people of

Syria are suffering every single day. And every single day, the people

of Syria cling to the hope that America will speak up and stand with

them.

I pray for peace, and I urge the administration to position the

United States as the global leader this world needs right now.

I also implore the Senate to pass the Caesar Act, sanctioning regime

officials involved in the torture and opening the path to their capture

and trial as war criminals. They must be held accountable.

We have passed this bill repeatedly, and we will do so again if we

must. But the Senate has an opportunity to make this law and stand with

the values that we hold dear.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Syria need to know that there is hope.

Right now, our lack of a strategy in Syria is leaving many with little

hope or faith in the United States or our allies.

I believe America has a mission in the world, and it is to be an

example of self-governance in a world drowning in strongmen, cruelty,

and chaos. I believe we have an opportunity to show the people of

Syria, and the world, that the American Dream continues. We are still

that shining city on a hill and a beacon of hope for peace and

prosperity.

When that light dims, it doesn't give America an opportunity to look

within and relax, regain ourselves, and look coldly and detached at the

rest of the world. History has shown again and again that a dimming

light in American leadership only guarantees a future fight, a future

calling up of a generation of Americans to, once again, defeat an

enemy.

But if we remember this God-given mission and the light on the hill

continues to beam bright, then we can create a generation within the

camps of our enemies who rejects their ideology and implements change

from within. Behind the Iron Curtain, it wasn't America's military

action that sliced it in half. It was people behind it seeing our

light, peering over that wall, and tearing it down so they, too, could

enjoy those freedoms.

As a great President, John F. Kennedy, said: \\\`\\\`Let every nation know,

whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any

burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure

the survival and the success of liberty.''

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Bashar al-Assad will ultimately pay an awful, eternal price when he

meets his Maker. Let's move that appointment up so that justice here or

in the afterlife is swift and soon. Let's shine our light on the

actions of Iran and Russia. Let's expose with that brightness the

torture and the bombing of aid convoys and hospitals. Let's shine that

light on the plight of people simply trying to live their lives and to

raise their children to be police officers, doctors, farmers, factory

workers, and mothers and fathers.

Let's speak out for the freedom-loving people who so desperately need

our voice. Let's shine our light on the oppressive darkness around the

world.

Mr. Speaker, let's save Syria.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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