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S.Con.Res.33 / 114th Congress

A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that those who commit or support atrocities against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities, including Yezidis, Turkmen, Sabea-Mandeans, Kaka'e, and Kurds, and who target them specifically for ethnic or religious reasons, are committing, and are hereby declared to be committing, "war crimes", "crimes against humanity", and "genocide".

Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1467)

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Mar 14, 2016

Declares that:

the atrocities committed against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities targeted specifically for religious reasons are crimes against humanity and genocide;

each of the Contracting Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and other international agreements forbidding war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly the governments of countries and their nationals who are in any way supporting these crimes, are reminded of their legal obligations under the Convention and these international agreements;

Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.

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the United Nations (U.N.) and the Secretary-General are called upon to assert leadership by calling the atrocities war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide;

the member states of the U.N., with an appeal to the Arab States that wish to uphold religious freedom and justice, should collaborate on measures to prevent further war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and collaborate on the establishment of tribunals to punish those responsible for the ongoing crimes;

the governments of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese Republic, and other countries are commended for having undertaken to shelter and protect those fleeing the violence of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or Da'esh) and other extremists; and

those who force the migration of religious communities from their ancestral homelands, including specifically the Nineveh Plain and Mount Sinjar, should be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the place where their crimes were committed and under applicable international criminal statutes and conventions.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
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Who introduced it

Sen. Sasse, Ben [R-NE] · R–NE

Committees

  • Foreign Relations Committee
0 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

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    1. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1467)

    2. Introduced in Senate

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    Source last updated: Nov 27, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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