REPRESENTATIVES BERMAN AND PENCE INTRODUCE GENOCIDE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

ArmRadio.am
01.06.2007 12:28

Congressmen Howard L. Berman (D-CA) and Mike Pence (R-IN) introduced
the Genocide Accountability Act in the House of Representatives last
week. The bipartisan legislation would make a non-US national who
commits genocide outside of the United States also accountable under
US law, reports the Armenian Assembly of America.

"This bill is urgently needed to ensure that the United States can
bring to justice those who commit this atrocious crime when they are
not prosecuted elsewhere," Berman said in a press statement.

Under current law, genocide is only a crime if it is committed within
the United States or by a US national outside of the country. Although
the Justice Department has identified perpetrators of the Rwandan
and Bosnian genocides who are living in the United States, it does
not have the jurisdictional right to interview or charge any of
these individuals.

"The fact that we know who these people are and where they are, yet
are unable to prosecute them is an injustice to all those who suffered
from genocide," said Berman. "This bill must be enacted as swiftly as
possible to provide the Justice Department with the tools they need."

"We applaud Congressmen Berman and Pence for introducing this
significant piece of legislation, which strengthens the US commitment
to fighting and stopping genocide," said Assembly Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny. "The Assembly has been advocating for the prevention
and prosecution of current and ongoing atrocities around the world for
just as long as it has been calling for affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide. Affirmation and prevention are one and the same principle
for ending the scourge of genocide."

A similar bill introduced in the Senate by Senators Richard Durbin
(D-IL), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), John Cornyn (R-TX)
and Russ Feingold (D-WI), was unanimously passed in March.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress