Zoe Lofgren: “I rise in support of H.R. 1348, the Expanded War Crimes Act of 1997. This is a companion bill to legislation passed last…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 1348, the Expanded War Crimes Act of 1997. This is a companion bill to legislation passed last year establishing Federal jurisdiction over war crimes. I think that every Member of this body agrees that we must actively and aggressively support civility, that we must oppose oppression and war crimes and that we need to bring those to justice who commit crimes against humanity. During the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, the civil war in Bosnia and the massacres in Rwanda, many perpetrators acted without fear of retribution, and we must do more to change this attitude. This bill expands the definition of war crimes to include violations of any convention signed by the United States, including the Hague Convention, an important source of international humanitarian law, and I urge support of this legislation. I would like to note that, although there was strong support on both sides of the aisle for this bill, there are those in this House who on principle oppose the death penalty. I am not among those Members but I do respect those whose religious beliefs have led them to the conclusion that they cannot support the death penalty.”