WASHINGTON
– A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers today introduced legislation to
broaden the scope of individuals subject to prosecution for war crimes. The Justice
for Victims of War Crimes Act updates the current war crimes statute to
enable prosecution of war criminals in the United States regardless of the
location or targets of their atrocities. The legislation also extends the
statute of limitations for war crimes discovered years after they occur. The
Senate bill is led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) An identical version of the bill was introduced in the
House of Representatives by Reps. David Cicilline (D, R.I.-01) and Victoria
Spartz (R, Ind.-05).
“The
United States must not be a safe haven for war criminals looking to escape
justice in their home country. While laws on the books hold war criminals
accountable for acts against Americans, war criminals who enter the United
States shouldn't get a free pass just because they haven’t targeted Americans.
This bill sends a strong message that people who commit war crimes are not
welcome here and should be punished, regardless of where their offense was
committed or who they victimized,” Grassley
said.
“Perpetrators
committing unspeakable war crimes, such as those unfolding before our very eyes
in Ukraine, must be held to account. We have the power and responsibility to
ensure that the United States will not be used as a safe haven by the
perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Our bill will address an egregious gap in
our laws to ensure that war criminals who come to the United States can be
prosecuted for their crimes,” Durbin
said.
“I’m
very pleased to be working with Senators Grassley, Durbin and Leahy to update
our war crimes statute. Our legislation will help us address the atrocities
committed in Ukraine by Russian forces and leaders. This proposal will give the
United States jurisdiction to hold accountable any suspected war criminal found
in the United States. We must ensure the United States is a war criminal free
zone for those who commit atrocities in Ukraine,” Graham said.
“Our
commitment to protecting human rights around the world begins with human rights
accountability right here at home. War criminals who commit heinous acts
against fellow human beings must not be able to find safe harbor in the United
States because of a loophole in our laws. I am proud to cosponsor this
legislation that would help ensure that those who violate human rights are
brought to justice for their crimes, regardless of where they were committed or
whom they were committed against. This bill sends a clear signal that America
is a refuge for the persecuted -- not for persecutors,” Leahy said.
“The
United States must not be a safe haven for war criminals to avoid
accountability. With this legislation, we will ensure that any person present
in the United States, regardless of nationality, can be brought to justice for
any egregious human rights violation committed under the guise of war. This
bipartisan, bicameral legislation finally negates the ‘get out of jail free
card’ that has existed in our judicial system for far too long,” Cicilline
said.
“This
bipartisan and bicameral legislation puts the world on notice: The United
States will take names when it comes to those committing war crimes and will
leave no rock unturned until those guilty of such atrocities anywhere in the
world are brought to justice. I thank my colleagues in the House and the Senate
for partnering together to stop these atrocities and to hold the guilty
accountable for their actions. Crime knows no borders,” Spartz said.
Current
law allows for the prosecution of people who commit war crimes in the United
States or against Americans abroad, but violators who targeted non-Americans
are not subject to the law even after they enter the United States. The Justice
for Victims of War Crimes Act expands the original war crimes jurisdiction
to include war criminals found in the United States, even if they never
targeted U.S. nationals.
Legislative
text for the
Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act (S.4240) is available
HERE.
This
legislation comes in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to send a clear
message that war criminals from any country are not welcome in the United
States. To see all the measures Grassley has taken to support Ukraine and
punish Russia click
HERE.
-30-