Ukraine Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7276) to direct the President to submit to Congress a report on United States Government efforts to collect, analyze, and preserve evidence and information related to war crimes and any other atrocities committed during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine since February 24, 2022, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 7276
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Ukraine Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act''. SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) in its premeditated, unprovoked, unjustified, and unlawful full-scale invasion of Ukraine that commenced on February 24, 2022, the military of the Government of the Russian Federation under the direction of President Vladimir Putin has committed war crimes that include but are not limited to--
(A) the deliberate targeting of civilians and injuring or killing of noncombatants;
(B) the deliberate targeting and attacking of hospitals, schools, and other non-military buildings dedicated to religion, art, science, or charitable purposes, such as the bombing of a theater in Mariupol that served as a shelter for noncombatants and had the word ``children'' written clearly in the Russian language outside;
(C) the indiscriminate bombardment of undefended dwellings and buildings;
(D) the wanton destruction of property not justified by military necessity;
(E) unlawful civilian deportations;
(F) the taking of hostages; and
(G) rape, or sexual assault or abuse;
(2) the use of chemical weapons by the Government of the Russian Federation in Ukraine would constitute a war crime, and engaging in any military preparations to use chemical weapons or to develop, produce, stockpile, or retain chemical weapons is prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which the Russian Federation is a signatory;
(3) Vladimir Putin has a long record of committing acts of aggression, systematic abuses of human rights, and acts that constitute war crimes or other atrocities both at home and abroad, and the brutality and scale of these actions, including in the Russian Federation republic of Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine, demonstrate the extent to which his regime is willing to flout international norms and values in the pursuit of its objectives;
(4) Vladimir Putin has previously sanctioned the use of chemical weapons at home and abroad, including in the poisonings of Russian spy turned double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia and leading Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny, and aided and abetted the use of chemical weapons by President Bashar al-Assad in Syria; and
(5) in 2014, the Government of the Russian Federation initiated its unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine which resulted in its illegal occupation of Crimea, the unrecognized declaration of independence by the so-called ``Donetsk People's Republic'' and ``Luhansk People's Republic'' by Russia-backed proxies, and numerous human rights violations and deaths of civilians in Ukraine. SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to collect, analyze, and preserve evidence and information related to war crimes and other atrocities committed during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022, for use in appropriate domestic, foreign, and international courts and tribunals prosecuting those responsible for such crimes;
(2) to help deter the commission of war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine by publicizing to the maximum possible extent, including among Russian and other foreign military commanders and troops in Ukraine, efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible for the commission of war crimes during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022; and
(3) to continue efforts to identify, deter, and pursue accountability for war crimes and other atrocities committed around the world and by other perpetrators, and to leverage international cooperation and best practices in this regard with respect to the current situation in Ukraine. SEC. 4. REPORT ON UNITED STATES EFFORTS.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and consistent with the protection of intelligence sources and methods, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report, which may include a classified annex, describing in detail the following:
(1) United States Government efforts to collect, analyze, and preserve evidence and information related to war crimes and other atrocities committed during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine since February 24, 2022, including a description of--
(A) the respective roles of various agencies, departments, and offices, and the interagency mechanism established for the coordination of such efforts;
(B) the types of information and evidence that are being collected, analyzed, and preserved to help identify those responsible for the commission of war crimes or other atrocities during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022; and
(C) steps taken to coordinate with, and support the work of, allies, partners, international institutions and organizations, and nongovernmental organizations in such efforts.
(2) Media, public diplomacy, and information operations to make Russian military commanders, troops, political leaders and the Russian people aware of efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible for the commission of war crimes or other atrocities during the full- scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and of the types of acts that may be prosecutable.
(3) The process for a domestic, foreign, or international court or tribunal to request and obtain from the United States Government information related to war crimes or other atrocities committed during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
(2) Atrocities.--The term ``atrocities'' has the meaning given that term in section 6(2) of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-441; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note).
(3) War crime.--The term ``war crime'' has the meaning given that term in section 2441(c) of title 18, United States Code.
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Mr. MEEKS. 7276, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7276, the Ukraine Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act introduced by my good friend and the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. McCaul.
I want to thank Mr. McCaul for working collectively across the aisle as we do on many bills, but on this important bill, for his leadership on it. It is very timely and very important.
Mr. Speaker, each day we see a growing body of horrifying evidence of atrocities that Russian troops have wreaked on Ukrainian citizens. Mr. McCaul and I traveled to Poland, and we saw with our own eyes the refugees fleeing Ukraine because of Putin's war; not knowing whether they would see their husbands or fathers or uncles ever again; not knowing what their tomorrow would be.
This week, the images, the videos, and the firsthand accounts from Bucha were nothing short of chilling, and as it did seeing the refugees cross the border in Poland, it pains my heart to know that this is likely just the tip of the iceberg of what Ukrainians have suffered.
In attempting to justify his war of choice on Ukraine, Putin's relentless dehumanization of Ukrainians has laid the foundation for atrocities so vile it churns one's stomach.
We have seen this before, Mr. Speaker. It is the same dehumanization that has led to every genocide before. I fear what we have seen in Bucha is happening throughout Ukraine right now, and it will only get worse.
Nothing we do on this floor today will erase the generational trauma that Putin's forces have inflicted on Ukrainians, but we can and must ensure that the United States of America is doing everything in its power to collect evidence that can be used to prosecute Russian war crimes and other atrocities. Hopefully, that will deter further systemic human rights abuses in this conflict.
H.R. 7276 would require the administration to detail efforts to collect, analyze, and preserve evidence of war crimes, and to describe the process through which a domestic, foreign, or international court or tribunal could request and obtain information related to war crimes or other atrocities from the United States.
Every day of this illegal and unprovoked war further unites the global community against Russia's aggression in Ukraine. The images that we continue to see day in and day out are shocking to the conscience and also a call to action.
To the leaders of the nations who have yet to condemn this barbaric war of choice, I ask them to please watch these videos of civilians being bombed and, as we did both in Poland and with those who visited us here in the House of Representatives, listen to the survivors who witnessed their neighbors and their friends shot in the streets or in their homes, some bound with their hands behind their backs.
The camera of history is rolling, Mr. Speaker, and it will remember those countries that remain silent.
Russia's aggression in Ukraine must stop. We must unequivocally condemn the atrocities that are being carried out by Putin and his Russian invading forces. Those who are responsible, Mr. Speaker, must be brought to justice, no matter how long it takes or how hard it may be.
The Ukraine Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act will help in collecting the necessary evidence so that we can do just that: Hold those individuals accountable for the atrocities that they have committed.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join and support this crucial legislation.
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Mr. MEEKS. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the leadership of our chairman and the working relationship with the ranking member.
Mr. Speaker, I was in Lithuania as the Russians were coming in, and I spent a couple of days there with the hopes and dreams of many people that, in actuality, there would not be an invasion of Russia into Ukraine, even though we were being briefed on the 30,000 to 40,000 troops in Belarus.
Even on that day, we spoke to Ukraine parliamentarians, who indicated that they were leaving the meeting we were in and taking a 17-hour trip back to Ukraine as their son was standing up to join the Ukrainian military.
Little did we expect--as some people said, ``just a couple of days''--that we would be at a point where--we will not call it World War III, but we will call it the most brutal, vicious, and murderous effort in Europe and the world almost since World War II.
I cannot fathom the bodies found in a pit. I cannot understand moms and babies dying in the street. I cannot understand or accept the numbers of civilians targeted, their bodies strewn throughout the various cities.
The movement to the east, the destruction of Odessa, and the unwillingness of Vladimir Putin to even think of being serious at the peace table--it is important to say pronounced war crimes have been committed, that he must be at The Hague.
I believe Europe should be more pronounced in its annunciation. I frankly believe that there is a heavier penalty that he must pay. I don't believe he should sit at another table of Western civilization.
Most importantly, I rise to support this legislation and believe America is right to insist on Mr. Putin being tried for war crimes.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7276 the Ukraine Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act, to direct the President to submit a report to Congress on the United States efforts to collect and analyze evidence and information related to the war crimes committed by the Russian Federation during their full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This legislation requires the Administration to detail the process our government will undertake to collect, analyze, and preserve evidence of these war crimes, so that perpetrators of these and other atrocities are held accountable.
There is no question of whether the Russian Federation, under the direction of Vladimir Putin has been defying the laws of war throughout its unprovoked, unjust, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine.
H.R. 7276 will ensure the U.S. maintains a coordinated effort to collect evidence to be used to prosecute Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
This bill will help to deter future war crimes by ensuring Russian troops and their commanders know the world is watching closely.
In the three decades since gaining its independence, Ukraine has sought its own path to sovereignty and has pursued closer economic, social, and political ties with the free market and democratic nations of the West.
Since 2013, the Russian Federation under the direction of President Vladimir Putin, has imposed a campaign of political, economic, and military aggression against Ukraine.
In February 2014, the Russian military began the invasion of eastern regions in Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula. The military also backed separatist insurgents in the Donbass region, where fighting has killed over 14,000 people.
Today the world is witnessing the unprovoked aggression and invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin.
President Putin and his associates must be held personally liable for the war crimes committed against the people of Ukraine.
Russia claims it is not attacking civilians, yet thousands of people have been killed, mostly from explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes.
Families are being separated by war, adults and children are being ruthlessly killed, and civilian infrastructure has been completely obliterated in parts of eastern Ukraine.
These reckless Russian attacks have leveled homes, preschools, post offices, museums, sports facilities, hospitals, and factories.
Power and gas lines have been severed, bridges and railway stations blown up intentionally to restrict refugee movement within the country.
Civilians have been killed in their cars, while waiting in bread lines, and while seeking treatment in hospitals.
Remnants of a missile were found in a Ukrainian zoo, residential neighborhoods have been shelled to pieces and morgues are overflowing with bodies.
Additionally, a rogue Russia is violently crushing political speech opposing the war from its own citizens.
As Russian ground forces advance in Ukraine, Ukrainians are sheltering from artillery shells and cruise missiles in subways and bomb shelters.
But in addition to the conventional military forces that Russia brings to bear, Russia has been utilizing nonconventional warfare for years.
Russia has been running a long-running campaign to cast Ukrainians as Nazis and the perpetrators of genocide against Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine in order to justify an invasion.
The western world must continue to march in lockstep against this senseless Russian invasion of a sovereign nation.
We will make it clear to President Putin that there is no possibility for him to win this war when our alliances are as united and as fortified as they are now and will continue to be throughout the entire duration of this conflict.
Putin may seize ground, but he will never hold it.
Thank you, and I look forward to discussing recommended measures to hold Russia accountable for this manufactured war.
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Mr. MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.
Madam Speaker, what we are witnessing Russian troops do in Ukraine represents some of the worst of humankind. Right now, the world is watching horrifying war crimes taking place. The world is watching the extent to which Putin is willing to flout international norms and values in the pursuit of its brutality, and the world is also watching what we as a nation are going to do about it.
The Department of State has officially concluded that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine which were made vividly clear by the horrifying images emerging over this past weekend from Bucha. Investigations into these war crimes are already beginning and must continue.
I am saying today, as chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee working along with my friend and partner, the ranking member, Mike McCaul, we will work tirelessly to make sure that justice is delivered and that the administration works strenuously in concert with partners and allies to this end because meaningful justice for these crimes helps prevent such atrocities in the future.
This legislation requires the administration to detail efforts to preserve evidence and hold perpetrators accountable for the atrocities that are committed and to detail the means for domestic, hybrid, or international courts and their tribunals to request access to such information.
This legislation, the Ukrainian Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act, will ensure that victims and perpetrators alike know that the United States of America and the world, we have got to get those off the seat, those who abstain in the U.N., they see the same thing. We need them to stand and have a voice.
The world is watching. The world will hold Putin and the Russian Armed Forces and those who are in their duma and those who keep pushing this war that is caused by one man, Vladimir Putin--these abhorrent war crimes which continue to go on--accountable. It is a war of choice that Putin has decided to place on Ukraine.
That is why, Madam Speaker, I am so proud to partner with Mike McCaul in bringing H.R. 7276 to the floor today so that my children, my grandchildren, my great-great-grandchildren, will know how I stood at this time in history and how the United States Congress stood at this time in history.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. MEEKS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
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