The American Coalition for Syria Strongly Supports the Introduction of the Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023
The legislation represents categorical refusal by the U.S. to recognize Assad or normalize ties with his regime
Washington, D.C. May 11, 2023 -- The American Coalition for Syria (ACS) supports and applauds the introduction of the Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023, bipartisan legislation that aims to counter the regional trend of normalizing ties with the Assad regime. The Coalition commends Representatives Joe Wilson (R-SC), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), French Hill (R-AR), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), and Amata Radewagen (R-AS) for their leadership in introducing this legislation and recognizes the efforts of their staff and fellow members of Congress who have worked diligently to bring it to this point.
“The introduction of this legislation is timely, given the Arab League’s decision this weekend to readmit Assad, part of an accelerating regional trend of bringing the Assad regime in from the cold. After 12 years of the worst brutality known to man, including the systematic use of chemical weapons, torture, rape, and indiscriminate bombings, on an industrial scale, we do not believe it is appropriate to welcome Syria back to the Arab League. We hope this legislation will be swiftly passed into law and implemented to its fullest extent to hold Assad and his enablers accountable,” said Mohammed Alaa Ghanem, Policy Chief of the American Coalition for Syria.
The proposed legislation will enshrine into law that the Assad regime is illegitimate and must be held accountable for its crimes against humanity. It will also strengthen the bipartisan Caesar Civilian Protection Act (P.L. 116-92). ACS encourages members of Congress to signal their strong support for this critical piece of legislation by co-sponsoring, which will convey to the normalizing countries that Congress is united in never allowing the U.S. to recognize Assad’s rule over a country he destroyed. This legislation is crucial to upholding the American values of justice and accountability, and ACS looks forward to working alongside members of Congress and other stakeholders to ensure that this legislation is passed into law and implemented effectively.
“The introduction of this legislation is timely, given the Arab League’s decision this weekend to readmit Assad, part of an accelerating regional trend of bringing the Assad regime in from the cold. After 12 years of the worst brutality known to man, including the systematic use of chemical weapons, torture, rape, and indiscriminate bombings, on an industrial scale, we do not believe it is appropriate to welcome Syria back to the Arab League. We hope this legislation will be swiftly passed into law and implemented to its fullest extent to hold Assad and his enablers accountable,” said Mohammed Alaa Ghanem, Policy Chief of the American Coalition for Syria.
The proposed legislation will enshrine into law that the Assad regime is illegitimate and must be held accountable for its crimes against humanity. It will also strengthen the bipartisan Caesar Civilian Protection Act (P.L. 116-92). ACS encourages members of Congress to signal their strong support for this critical piece of legislation by co-sponsoring, which will convey to the normalizing countries that Congress is united in never allowing the U.S. to recognize Assad’s rule over a country he destroyed. This legislation is crucial to upholding the American values of justice and accountability, and ACS looks forward to working alongside members of Congress and other stakeholders to ensure that this legislation is passed into law and implemented effectively.
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ACS invites the media to learn more about this legislation and ongoing efforts to support it. Please contact Jenny Lindell at [email protected] or 562-335-4149 to schedule an interview or learn more.
The American Coalition for Syria is a coalition of specialized, multi-faith, US-based organizations that support a principled US policy based on democratic reform, human rights, accountability, and women's empowerment in Syria.For more information about the organization, please visit https://acsyria.org/about-us.