On the recordMarch 17, 2022
Yesterday, the House of Representatives heard from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as he painted a haunting picture of pain inflicted on the Ukrainian people and the war crimes being waged on Ukrainians trying to keep themselves and their families safe. It is clear, Madam Speaker, that Vladimir Putin has committed war crimes by violating international norms, including the Geneva Convention, in his violent and bloody war of conquest on Ukraine. I, along with Congressman David Cicilline, have introduced a war crimes resolution, H. Res. 964, calling on the global community to hold Vladimir Putin and the Russian Government accountable for these war crimes. Russian forces have used explosive weapons with wide-range effects near schools and populated areas, hitting them with missiles, rockets, and heavy artillery. It is clearly a violation of the Geneva Convention to target civilian and cultural sites. On March 1, a Russian airstrike hit Freedom Square in Kharkiv, killing civilians and injuring dozens of innocent people. On March 1, a Russian missile hit the location of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial site, a place where thousands of Jewish people were killed between 1941 and 1943. On March 3, 47 civilians were killed when Russia hit two schools and apartment buildings, injuring countless others. This is clearly a violation of the Geneva Convention. We have also witnessed the attack of medical units.…
