House Committee Condemns Human Rights Abuses in Syria

On June 24, the House International Relations Committee approved, by voice vote, a resolution (H. Con. Res. 363) condemning the numerous violations of human rights by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) sponsored the resolution.

The resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• The criminal law of Syria allows for the acquittal of an accused rapist if the suspect marries the victim;
• The criminal law of Syria provides for reduced sentences in cases of “honor” killings against women;
• The family law of Syria is governed by Sharia law and is discriminatory in marriage, divorce, and inheritance matters as applied to Muslim women; and
• In its special report to the 59th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 2003, Freedom House classified Syria as “One of the World’s Most Repressive Regimes” for its severe repression of political and civil liberties and its egregious violations of human dignity.

The resolution calls on the international community to adopt a resolution at the upcoming 60th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, detailing the dismal human rights record of Syria and establishing a task force to further investigate these abuses.