Recognizing Russian actions in Ukraine as a genocide.

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 154 Recognizing Russian actions in Ukraine as a genocide. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 24, 2023 Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. HUDSON, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. KEATING, Mr. CARSON, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. CLEAVER, and Ms. JACKSON LEE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Recognizing Russian actions in Ukraine as a genocide. Whereas the Russian Federation’s illegal, premeditated, unprovoked, and brutal war against Ukraine includes ex- tensive, systematic, and flagrant atrocities against the people of Ukraine; Whereas Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (hereinafter the ‘‘Genocide Convention’’), approved and opened for signa- ture in 1948 and entered into force in 1951, defines genocide as ‘‘any of the following acts committed with in- tent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR154.IH HR154 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 154 IH group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group’’; Whereas substantial and significant evidence documenting widespread, systematic actions against the Ukrainian people committed by Russian Forces under the direction of Russian Federation political leadership meets one or more of the criteria under Article II of the Genocide Con- vention, including— (1) killing members of the Ukrainian people in mass atrocities through deliberate and regularized murders of fleeing civilians and civilians in passing as well as pur- poseful targeting of homes, schools, hospitals, shelters, and other residential and civilian areas; (2) causing serious bodily or mental harm to the Ukrainian people by launching indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian areas, conducting willful strikes on humanitarian evacuation corridors, and em- ploying widespread and systematic sexual violence against Ukrainian civilians, including women, children, and men; (3) deliberately inflicting upon the Ukrainian people conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part, including displacement due to annihilated villages, towns, and cities left devoid of food, water, shelter, electricity, and other basic neces- sities, starvation caused by the destruction of farmlands and agricultural equipment, the placing of Russian land- mines across thousands of acres of useable fields, and blocking the delivery of humanitarian food aid; (4) imposing measures intended to prevent births among the Ukrainian people, demonstrated by the Rus- VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR154.IH HR154 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 154 IH sian military’s expansive and direct targeting of mater- nity hospitals and other medical facilities and systematic attacks against residential and civilian areas as well as humanitarian corridors intended to deprive Ukrainians of safe havens within their own country and the material conditions conducive to childrearing; and (5) forcibly mass transferring millions of Ukrainian civilians, hundreds of thousands of whom are children, to Russia or Russian Federation-controlled territories; Whereas the Russian Federation’s State-level intent in favor of these heinous crimes against humanity has been dem- onstrated through frequent pronouncements and other forms of official communication denying Ukrainian na- tionhood and sovereignty, including President Putin’s ahistorical claims that Ukraine is part of a ‘‘single whole’’ Russian nation with ‘‘no historical basis’’ for being an independent country; Whereas some Russian soldiers and brigades accused of com- mitting war crimes in Bucha and elsewhere were re- warded with medals by President Putin; Whereas the Russian State-owned media outlet RIA Novosti’s published the article ‘‘What Should Russia do with Ukraine’’ which outlines ‘‘de-Nazification’’ as meaning ‘‘de-Ukrainianization’’ or the destruction of Ukraine; Whereas Article I of the Genocide Convention confirms ‘‘that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they un- dertake to prevent and to punish’’; and Whereas additional documentation and analysis of atrocities committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine may be needed to punish those responsible, the substantial and VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR154.IH HR154 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 154 IH significant documentation already undertaken and com- bined with statements showing intent, compel urgent ac- tion to prevent further acts of genocide: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) condemns the Russian Federation for com- 2 mitting acts of genocide against the Ukrainian peo- 3 ple; 4 (2) calls on the United States, in cooperation 5 with North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Euro- 6 pean Union allies, to undertake measures to support 7 the Ukrainian Government to prevent further acts of 8 Russian genocide against the Ukrainian people; and 9 (3) supports tribunals and international crimi- 10 nal investigations to hold Russian political leaders 11 and military personnel to account for a war of ag- 12 gression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and 13 genocide. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR154.IH HR154 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS