Stopping human rights abuse in Syria

Published: December 12, 2016

By U.S. Rep. French Hill
Special to Arkansas Catholic

Our Pope Francis has been vocal about the need to stand with oppressed groups throughout the world, especially those like the Christian, Jewish, Yezidi and minority Muslim communities in Iraq and Syria that are being uprooted, subjugated and murdered by ISIS. As Catholics and Americans, we believe in a set of values that are commitments to religious freedom and human rights, and it is our obligation to do what we can to — like the Holy Father suggests — seek justice for those being persecuted on the grounds of their religious beliefs.

Today, the Iraqi ground forces are jointly working with the Kurds and are taking the ground fight to ISIS in Iraq, destroying ISIS transportation and financial targets like banking and oil production. In that same timeframe, Russia has established itself as Assad’s greatest ally, and despite Turkey shooting down a Russian jet last year, the relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is stronger than ever. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have already fallen victim to atrocities on all sides, and it is possible Russia has the Kurds next on their hit list. Local ground forces like the Kurds have shown the willingness to fight and partner with those that have different religious beliefs than their own, which is essential to defeat ISIS. We cannot let the Kurds face the same fate as the hundreds of thousands of Syrian and Iraqi civilians.

In my role as a congressman, my Catholic faith and our belief that all men should be able to freely practice their religion without fear of oppression greatly influences me. This is why I cosponsored H.R. 5732, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which was introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY). If enacted, this legislation would impose new sanctions on Syrian human rights abusers and those who facilitate the regime's atrocities. I was pleased that this bill successfully passed the House on Nov. 16.

I also was proud to support H.Con.Res.121 and H.Con.Res.75, both of which passed the House on March 14. H.Con.Res.121 expresses the sense of Congress that the atrocities in Syria constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity by the government of Syria, its allies, and other parties in the conflict and asks the president to direct the U.N. ambassador to promote the establishment of a war crimes tribunal to investigate these claims. H.Con.Res.75 expresses the sense of Congress that the atrocities perpetrated by ISIS against religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria include war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

And, as a member of the bipartisan Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus, chaired by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), I am part of a group that is bringing to Washington people who have been oppressed and persecuted by ISIS because of their religious beliefs to share their stories with members of Congress.

Last year, through the caucus, I met a group of Yezidis from Iraq, including a woman who was enslaved by ISIS and escaped captivity. Yezidis have faced unimaginable violence from ISIS, particularly sex slavery. This was a groundbreaking moment for me personally. It is one experience to read about these atrocities in the newspaper, but it is another to hear firsthand from those who have survived them. The only rational takeaway from that meeting is that we (Catholics and Americans) have an obligation to defend freedom of religion not just within our own walls, but throughout the entire world.

So, if the mission of evildoers such as ISIS is to round up women and girls in each village and strip, evaluate and sell them into a slave market for local sheiks and fighters, it should be our mission to defeat them.

I am pleased our Church is being vocal about ending these atrocities, and I am proud that Congress is as well, but now it is time for action, the civilized world must come together and put an end to ISIS and the evil they proliferate.