Washington, D.C.- Congressman Michael McCaul, Republican Leader on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, gave the following remarks at a virtual event entitled “Protecting Syrian Civilians: Implementing the Caesar Act.” This event was hosted by the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Syrian Emergency Task Force.

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“Hi, I’m Congressman Michael McCaul from Texas. I am the Republican Leader of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It’s an honor to speak with you about the Caesar Act, so we can get justice for the people of Syria.

“I want to thank the Holocaust Museum and the Syrian Emergency Task Force. Their work helps to make sure the world knows about the Assad regime’s ongoing crimes against humanity.

“Yesterday, the Administration announced new sanctions under the Caesar Act, further isolating Assad. I strongly supported the Caesar Act, written by my good friend Eliot Engel. Caesar’s photographs are clear evidence of the Assad regime’s atrocities.  Sanctions under the Caesar Act are a long overdue step to hold Assad, Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah accountable for their crimes against the Syrian people.

“The world cannot accept a butcher like Assad as the leader of Syria. We cannot normalize relations with him. And we should do everything we can to urge other countries not to engage with Assad, economically or diplomatically. There can be no justice if relations with Syria return to business as usual.

“You are all part of this effort. You have dedicated yourselves to telling the stories of Syrians – yourselves, your family, your friends and even strangers. We are grateful for your courage to share these stories. And for your courage to relive your own pain so the world cannot forget those who are still subject to the regime’s brutality. Your will to survive and to help others survive gives us all hope. 

“After the Holocaust, the world made a promise of “never again” and “never forget”. We have an obligation to the people of Syria to apply those principles here: “never again”, “never forget”, and most importantly, ‘no more.'”

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