Armenian National Committee of America
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Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
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Email anca@anca.org
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PRESS RELEASE
March 29, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA WELCOMES SENATE ADOPTION
OF GENOCIDE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

— Assistant Majority Leader Durbin Leads Effort to
Punish Perpetrators of Genocide

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
welcomed the passage today by the U.S. Senate of legislation,
S.888, closing a legal loophole that prevents the U.S. Justice
Department from prosecuting people in the United States who have
committed genocide in other countries.

The measure, known as the Genocide Accountability Act, was approved
only two weeks after its introduction on March 15th by Assistant
Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), the lead author of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution, along with Tom Coburn (R-OK), Patrick Leahy
(D-VT), and John Cornyn (R-TX).

The ANCA supported the adoption of this legislation, and is working
toward its passage by the House, as part of a coalition that
includes the Save Darfur Coalition, Genocide Intervention Network,
American Jewish World Service, Armenian Assembly of America, Human
Rights First, Human Rights Watch, Alliance for Justice, and
Refugees International. Earlier this month, the coalition, in a
letter addressed to members of the Senate, stressed that, "The
United States must not remain passive when those suspected of
genocide enter or are found in its territory. By eliminating
barriers to prosecution, the Genocide Accountability Act will
ensure that perpetrators of genocide do not evade accountability
when they are found in the United States. We welcome its
introduction and strongly urge its enactment into law."

Commenting on the measure’s adoption, Senator Durbin stressed that,
"There is no safe haven for the hundreds of thousands of Sudanese
facing genocide in Darfur and yet our country is providing a safe
haven for their killers. The current loophole in our genocide laws
has real-life consequences. While genocide rages in Darfur, the
United States must commit to holding those guilty of genocide
accountable."

A press release from Senator Durbin’s office announcing the
measure’s adoption explained that, "under current law, genocide is
only considered a crime if it is committed within the United States
or by a U.S. national outside the United States. The Genocide
Accountability Act would close the current loophole by amending the
Genocide Convention Implementation Act to allow prosecution of non-
U.S. citizens for genocide committed outside the U.S."

"In America we are blessed with the most effective and just legal
system in the world. It is contrary to our system of justice to
allow perpetrators of genocide to go free without fear of
prosecution. Fundamentally, we must decide if genocide is a bad
enough crime, no matter where it happens, that it warrants the same
treatment as terrorism-related crimes," said Senator Tom Coburn,
M.D.

"This bill allows for prosecution of those found in the United
States who have participated in horrific acts against humanity in
places like Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur, and it gives federal
prosecutors the tools they need to bring these people to justice,"
said Senator Leahy. "I have long called for greater U.S.
involvement in resolving the crisis in Darfur and worked for
greater accountability for those who commit war crimes and crimes
against humanity, and it was a pleasure to work with Senator Durbin
to set up a Human Rights Subcommittee in the Senate Judiciary
Committee for the first time. This bill is an indication of the
important scope and work of the new subcommittee."

"The genocide in Darfur has become the world’s most dire human
rights and humanitarian crisis," Sen. Cornyn said. "We must hold
those guilty of atrocities responsible and ensure they are brought
to justice. By closing the current loophole in federal law, this
bill takes important steps to rid the world of genocide."

This bill is the first to be produced by the Subcommittee on Human
Rights and the Law, which was officially established at the Senate
Judiciary Committee’s first business meeting of the 110th Congress.
The subcommittee has jurisdiction over all human rights laws and
policies and will focus on issues such as genocide, human
trafficking, war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, and
arbitrary detention.

The Human Rights Subcommittee’s first hearing was held in February
and focused on the genocide in Darfur and other parts of the world.
To read the ANCA testimony submitted to this hearing, visit:
leases.php?prid=1077

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress