Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Judiciary Committee, today announced that he is working on new war crimes legislation. During a House Foreign Affairs Committee markup, the Congressman explained that this new legislation would allow the United States to hold perpetrators who commit war crimes or crimes against humanity accountable in U.S. courts.
During the markup, the Congressman stated:
“The images that have emerged from areas like Bucha and Irpin in recent days have stirred the conscience and shaken the soul of decent people the world over – men, women, and children with their hands tied behind their backs and shot to death; elder Ukrainians who were executed while they searched for food; civilians confined to frigid hiding places dead from thirst; [and] the partially burned bodies of women and girls who were victims of depraved acts of sexual violence.
“In pursuit of his demented plan for the rebirth of a Russian empire, Vladimir Putin is presiding over a military that is losing on the battlefield and is instead hoping to achieve its goals by unleashing horrors on civilians reminiscent of the darkest days of World War II or the breakup of Yugoslavia.
“We must ensure that Putin and his regime fails in that aim.
“To that end, I have been working on a bicameral piece of legislation with Senator Dick Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that would allow the United States to hold perpetrators who commit war crimes or crimes against humanity accountable in U.S. courts. This will ensure that the United States does not become a safe haven for criminals who commit atrocious human rights violations to live free of accountability.”
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