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Highlighting the 7-Year Anniversary of the Disappearance of Khalil Maatouk

Floor Speech

By: Ted Budd
By: Ted Budd
Date: Nov. 20, 2019
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the 7-year anniversary of Christian human rights lawyer Khalil Maatouk's unconscionable disappearance at the hands of Syrian dictator Bashar al- Assad.

The regime abducted Maatouk because he had been relentlessly defending Syrian democratic activists. He was last seen on October 2 of 2012.

Khalil Maatouk's ordeal serves as a stark reminder of the Assad regime's barbaric assault on religious and Christian heritage, blatantly violating international humanitarian law. According to a September report from the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the regime is responsible for targeting 61 percent of churches throughout the country.

The United States demands the immediate release of Khalil Maatouk, and I urge the administration to prioritize this case. We must stand up for those who fight for freedom, especially freedom of religion.

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