Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
March 15, 2007
CONTACT: Karoon Panosyan
E-mail: [email protected]
SENATORS DURBIN AND COBURN INTRODUCE GENOCIDE ACCOUNTABLITY ACT
Washington, DC – Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK),
to address a gap in current law that hinders prosecution, introduced
today, the Genocide Accountability Act, a bipartisan legislation that
would make a non-U.S. national who commits genocide outside of the
United States also accountable under U.S. law.
Under current law, genocide is only a crime if it is committed within
the United States or by a U.S. national outside of the country.
Conversely, laws regarding torture, material support for terrorism,
terrorism financing, hostage taking and other federal crimes allow for
extraterritorial jurisdiction for crimes committed outside of the United
States by non-U.S. nationals. This gap in the law was discussed at the
Human Rights Subcommittee’s "Genocide and the Rule of Law" hearing held
early last month, to which the Armenian Assembly of America also
submitted testimony.
The Genocide Accountability Act, which is the first piece of legislation
produced by the Human Rights Subcommittee, would allow non-U.S.
nationals who have entered the United States to be prosecuted for
genocide committed outside the country. This closes a legal loophole
preventing the U.S. Justice Department from punishing perpetrators of
genocide who find safe haven in the United States.
In a letter to Senators Durbin and Coburn, Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny commended their efforts and expressed the Armenian Assembly’s
continuing support of legislation that strengthens the U.S. commitment
to fighting and stopping genocide.
"This extraterritorial jurisdiction upholds the spirit of the
international Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide and positively aligns the United States in defense of the
principle of humanity as invoked in the expression of ‘crimes against
humanity,’ " Ardouny wrote.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
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NR#2007-036
Editor’s Note: Below is the full text of the Genocide Accountability
Act.
A Bill to amend section 1091 of title 18, United States Code, to allow
the prosecution of genocide in appropriate circumstances.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the "Genocide Accountability Act of 2007".
SEC. 2. GENOCIDE.
Section 1091 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking
subsection (d) and inserting the following:
"(d) REQUIRED CIRCUMSTANCE FOR OFFENSES.- The circumstance referred to
in subsections (a) and (c) is that-
"(1) the offense is committed in whole or in part within the United
States;
"(2) the alleged offender is a national of the United States (as that
term is defined in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1101));
"(3) the alleged offender is an alien lawfully admitted for permanent
residence in the United States (as that term is defined in section 101
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101));
"(4) the alleged offender is a stateless person whose habitual residence
is in the United States; or
"(5) after the conduct required for the offense occurs, the alleged
offender is brought into, or found in, the United States, even if that
conduct occurred outside the United States." .