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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: www.armenianassembly.org
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2007
CONTACT: Karoon Panosyan
E-mail: [email protected]
U.S. SENATE PASSES GENOCIDE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
Washington DC - The Armenian Assembly commended Senator Richard Durbin
(D-IL), along with Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK), Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)
and John Cornyn (R-TX) as legislation which they introduced, passed the
U.S. Senate last week. The Genocide Accountability Act, S. 888, closes a
legal loophole that prevented the U.S. Justice Department from punishing
perpetrators of genocide who find safe haven in the United States.
"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," said Senator Durbin who chairs the Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. "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."
"The extraterritorial jurisdiction contained within the Genocide
Accountability Act upholds the spirit of the United Nations Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," said
Assembly Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian. "We commend
Senators Durbin, Coburn, Leahy and Cornyn for bringing much needed
attention to this important human rights issue," Hovnanian added.
The legislation allows foreign nationals who enter America to be
prosecuted for committing the crime of genocide outside of the United
States.
"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," said
Senator Coburn, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights
and the Law. "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."
This is the first piece of legislation to be produced by the
Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, which has jurisdiction over
all human rights laws and policies and follows a hearing held in
February entitled "Genocide and the Rule of Law" where the Armenian
Assembly submitted testimony. The Genocide Accountability Act has been
endorsed by the Save Darfur Coalition, Genocide Intervention Network,
American Jewish World Service, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian
National Committee of America, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch,
Alliance for Justice, Refugees International, and ENOUGH.
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.
###
NR#2007-044
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.armenianassembly.org
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2007
CONTACT: Karoon Panosyan
E-mail: [email protected]
U.S. SENATE PASSES GENOCIDE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
Washington DC - The Armenian Assembly commended Senator Richard Durbin
(D-IL), along with Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK), Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)
and John Cornyn (R-TX) as legislation which they introduced, passed the
U.S. Senate last week. The Genocide Accountability Act, S. 888, closes a
legal loophole that prevented the U.S. Justice Department from punishing
perpetrators of genocide who find safe haven in the United States.
"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," said Senator Durbin who chairs the Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. "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."
"The extraterritorial jurisdiction contained within the Genocide
Accountability Act upholds the spirit of the United Nations Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," said
Assembly Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian. "We commend
Senators Durbin, Coburn, Leahy and Cornyn for bringing much needed
attention to this important human rights issue," Hovnanian added.
The legislation allows foreign nationals who enter America to be
prosecuted for committing the crime of genocide outside of the United
States.
"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," said
Senator Coburn, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights
and the Law. "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."
This is the first piece of legislation to be produced by the
Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, which has jurisdiction over
all human rights laws and policies and follows a hearing held in
February entitled "Genocide and the Rule of Law" where the Armenian
Assembly submitted testimony. The Genocide Accountability Act has been
endorsed by the Save Darfur Coalition, Genocide Intervention Network,
American Jewish World Service, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian
National Committee of America, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch,
Alliance for Justice, Refugees International, and ENOUGH.
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.
###
NR#2007-044