Big News in Genocide and Atrocities Prevention

Genocide and atrocities prevention advocates don’t often get good news. But, recently we’ve had a few victories that are worth celebrating. Congress has passed a series of bipartisan measures focused on genocide and mass atrocities. 

The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act

The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act passed in the Senate. Earlier this year, a companion bill in the House of Representatives was passed with an overwhelming majority of 406 – 5. Now that the bill has passed in the Senate we have to hope that the House will adopt the Senate version and send the bill to the President to sign before the year ends. If the bill becomes law it would be a major policy statement that recognizes the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities to be a national security priority for the United States. Read more about the importance of this landmark piece of legislation here. 

Condemning Genocide Against the Rohingya

The House of Representatives passed a resolution (H.Res.1091) which declared that the atrocities committed against the Rohingya people in Myanmar constitutes genocide and crimes against humanity. This is important because earlier this year the US Department of State released a major report documenting crimes committed by the Myanmar government in Rakhine State and failed to label the crimes genocide or crimes against humanity. A possible motivation for carefully choosing their words could because the Trump administration has increasingly been turning up its rhetoric against the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes. The resolution, while non-binding, is a major rebuke of the Trump administration’s handling of the Rohingya situation and an important statement on the international stage. 

Removing US Armed Forces from hostilities in Yemen

In another rebuke of the Trump administration’s foreign policy, the Senate passed S.J. Res. 54 to end US armed forces activities in Yemen, activities which have not been approved by Congress. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), passed with a vote of  56 – 41. The United Nations has said that the crisis in Yemen is the worst humanitarian crisis of 2018 with thousands of civilians killed and over 10 million people at risk of famine. The US has been complicit in some of the atrocities committed in Yemen by providing direct support to Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen in an ongoing proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. While the resolution will not have an immediate impact, since it is unlikely to get a vote in the House of Representatives before the end of the year, it is a major statement to the Trump administration and sets Congress up to reintroduce legislation next year. 

Important side note: While this particular resolution is focused on Yemen, it is about a much bigger issue, when and where can the President of the United States send our military, what is the President’s authority, and where does it end? Many past administrations have deployed military personnel and support without first seeking the consent of Congress to declare war, but since 2001 and the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), things have spiraled out of control. This has led to presidents having the ability to conduct endless and boundless wars. Many in Congress are now trying reign in the power of the executive branch. Hopefully, we will see a new limited AUMF pass before 2020. 

Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act

President Trump signed into law H.R. 390 the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act of 2018. The law provides humanitarian relief to survivors of ISIS perpetrated mass atrocities (genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes) and provides assistance to ensure ISIS génocidaires are held accountable for their crimes.