Transcripts For CSPAN2 Syrian Dissidents Supporters Talk To

[inaudible conversations] thank you all for being here. I will start by introducing myself quickly. Im the executive director of the task force and the political work and legal work [inaudible] [inaudible] most through the region and ba back. To my left is along side of the foundation an and they visited e border and theyve met with victims, medical workers, former detainees, survivors. The foundation has played a key role in helping to evacuate the Womens Center that we have so theyve been incredible supporters and close friends. The end of course that had testified here today. And works closely with us and that is all the introduction and i think the best way to do this is maybe [inaudible] [speaking in native tongue] i would like to thank all of the organizations in the United States and the community in the diaspora as the Holocaust Memorial museum for making this opportunity possible for us to talk about what is happening and what our practical steps are that can be taken to alleviate the suffering of people there. We run a foundation where we support leaders from around the world. Literally you are seeing it happening remembering what those actions are [inaudible] this kind of never again moments but its happening presently in depth at the moment we cannot do anything about it. Seeing the tenacity of everybody here. Very humbled to be here. Thank you. A lot of people died to give me the opportunity to survive. Hearing the talks and speeches but its our way to go to action to support by just listening to the story and helping your neighbor who may be refugees from syria and iraq and many countries. I want them to care as people, not only senators. I will quickly say first of all sincere gratitude to the museum. Keeping everybody did this testimony i want to remind everyone of some of the facts at least half a Million People have been murdered. The United Nations stopped counting after 400,000. About 14 Million People are displaced in syria between refugees and internally displaced and more than half the population of syria. 215,000 individuals, men, women, children and elderly are being held right now as we stand here today. Being tortured in the most sadistic ways that even some of us in hollywoothose in hollywoot imagine sbc. This lady right here is an amazing young lady. Her crime was providing baby formula and medicine to internally displaced individuals in damascus. She was arrested. She didnt think her crime would mean she would be executed. I spoke to her cellmate who told me while she was in jail she was a Civil Engineering student and was thinking of how to rebuild buildings and neighborhoods destroyed by russia, iran and the regime. Its individuals like this, not just those we must stand for and today almost 4 Million People in an ever shrinking state to close the border that stops them from going anywhere. Its like shooting fish in a bucket that keeps getting smaller. Theres one plan a million of them children. Displacement or detention. Its the right thing to save their lives, but if we are not doing it for our values as americans and if we want to do witis merely for the National Interest and National Security, it is the right thing to save their lives so we can be safer here in our allies in europe dont see another million refugees going over there and extremists dont have propaganda to continue to put out their radical ideology. If so, think of this and finally i want to add one that is forgotten. That the desert is next to an emeritus american garrison. Because of god firs first and american turkish men and women second but the station are alive today. Its the american base and the partner of forces they keep them from coming and eager detaining or encrypting the refugees. So please try to get their voice out as much as possible because that is the right thing to do and it is good for our National Interest here at home. For the United States Holocaust Memorial museum, its been a profound honor and i have to say it is with remarks that we have to stand here today and to train putting a spotlight on the perfect atrocities committed by the regime. We are humbled by the remarkable he rose that we have been privileged to work with and have their voices heard around the world. For their courage and the fact they run into buildings and directly towards harm to try to do the lifesaving action that the committee is not giving. People who at 15 has to have his world shattered and since then its becoming an unbelievable champion for the over 100,000 who remain in detention. He cant even stand here today to speak for himself in front of you with his face shone because his life is at risk and because of the courageous acts that he did in further modernday heroes. We talk talk a lot about the mm and trying to do today what wasnt done during the holocaust tragically we enter the tenth year and we know that it is not a matter of a lack of information. The ambassador that was here is the former justice ambassador did some remarkable work on the pieces into said there is no case out there that has been more documented where we have as much information to point to the veracity of the crimes as we do in syria. The reason we are here today is because of the lack of political will to make a positions that will actually help save lives. So today i would like t to think that he rose that they have a privilege to work with and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the staff for your consistent leadership on this issue and they very much hope that we can see the implementation of the act. Thank you. If anyone has a question for any one of the panelists may bee just introduce yourself and who you are going to ask. With the sanctions assuming the administration implements them, he is unlikely to go anywhere and im particularly interested in getting your take on the path for reconstruction. What is the best balance between reconstructing and holding him accountable for his human rights abuses . On the reconstruction i think first of all it needs to be implemented because the focus when it comes to reconstruction sanctions they are not just arbitrarily there because we dont want to see them reconstructed. The fact is the brutality and the people are not just from england, they are from damascus and all these places the regime controls now. He destroyed their home from the rubble and its been blocked just killing and displacing them but its been a demographic change in syria because they want to get rid of the population at any on had anyonet them anyway. The United States or the International Community to give money to help rebuild the regime and build homes for the 14 million displaced, the millions of them in europe that can never return, it would be a disservice because it means the property is taken away after being destroyed and it will be given to others loyal to the regime and it would allow them to reintegrate into the International Community. So even when it comes to the reconstruction its more about ensuring that there is an ethnic cleansing and people can come back to their homes then it is putting another obstacle in the regime. Let me add one other. We documented two years ago the report called the worst is yet to come into the fact that its incredibly difficult for people whove been displaced to return home without a fear of being detained. There has been ample reports that have shown people that have returned home even under the promise that they would have security have been unfortunately taken arrested and placed in the same detention that omar talked about. That fear that existed even before the crisis ten years ago is a major deterrent for why people would not go home even if you should have reconstruction. So we have to understand that there are multiple layers that face civilian to this day. Its building the new wall for the people because it is still in power. The problem is with the regime or the detention. Its not to rebuild the countries, the problem is the regime and the first step is taking the regime from power then build the country. Ranking member menendez talked about the list of potential targets. Is that something other organizations are working on compiling, does that already exist but hasnt been transmitted . Covid19 the photos are almost 55,000. We have the numbers but only identified a few hundred individuals. What we have relied on is when someone has the nationality with your open to the case and we have a perfect we can also move the case to any country that has universal jurisdiction. In germany a couple have been arrested and higherups have been given but we are constantly here and at the cesar team and beyond we are working on identifying war criminals especially those in europe and those that remain in syria committing these crimes because the deterrent for them and others we can take it apart to catch but i think the ambassador has some important. There is no question that there is a long list that one of the organizations we work with is requiring a million pages of documentation that actually explains what they were doing in this business with 200,000 people and torturing them to death. And in fact we have the ability to search 2 million names. That material and material from other organizations is being consolidated by the mechanism in geneva that provides the polling altogether, verifying it, going to the forensics to figure out everything is accurate. And this is enabling the cases to be made. There is a case now beginning in germany for a person who was in charge of torture i torturing tl intelligence in damascus in june at 251. The trial began on april 23. So, they were individuals that were involved. There are photos that actually show people and that has been possible because they can to germany. There are other people in europe, there is a highlevel individual indiana which we hope to prosecut prosecute soon. There are others that are out there. They can be prosecuted. And then there is the ability that we described if you have a national of th french have relin it. The National Security bureau, the most powerful person under assad, those individuals can what happened in those cases because they have victims that were french nationals that were tortured to death, they have jurisdiction. We have jurisdiction in the United States for instance. An american citizen murdered explicitly found by the u. S. District court in the civil case. That can be a prosecution of the person that ordered the murder of the brother were the president of syria actually rewarded the guy that killed. These are cases that need to be built and can be built here and elsewhere bringing people into custody may be difficult, but as the senators were saying for the rest of their lives, they are going to be afraid of the travel anywhere they will be arrested and that is an important signal to send and the documentation but also others are making it possible to have accountability even when the russians are blocking the council. They will not stop seeking justice. Even this past week we see someone in their 90s being investigated for having committed crimes during the holocaust. Thats an Important Message we are trying to convey. I cant control that. So that was told to me. That was a civil war and that is actually how we join forces to make our tribe. And in reality what i have learned from everyone is the genocide. And to be used for political purposes. And to see very clearly not like kneejerk. And then and then by inspiring some kids to put democracy up on a wall than they were arrested we kind of started it. We help this going along with freedom with individuals matter and we inspire somebody. I just want one example of the story that is being told that we were meeting with a lot of people were whose families were victims of Chemical Attacks and at the same time that there is no chemicals. Any other questions . [speaking native language] sorry. [laughter] this time we are lucky enough to be here and to be here as part of this hearing and to have the voices of inside syria and have the people be heard but we may not be here to convey the voice so we count of one count on you people to be the voice for those who face the daily oppression in syria. [speaking native language] translator. Our struggle now was not against atrocities but the truth and for the voices of the Syrian People to be heard in the Free Movement of people that can speak on their behalf which is also been limited. [speaking native language] translator and so we ask all of you and recall on every american, everyone who believes in human rights to be the voices of those people who are dying underneath the collapsed buildings of the african airstrikes and those people dying under chemical weapons and those who are dying from the most disgusting war crimes committed on earth so the 4 Million People who are crammed into a very small area suffering unimaginable daily struggles. We ask you be the voice and continue to remind the world of the unimaginable horrors that they face. I cannot see the war of people asking for freedom and the regime that is killing them. But the other point is that when isis appeared in syria they just want to spend billions of money to kill everybody there. And i understand you count isys as terrace but not assad but maybe killing 200,000 people you have to count them as a terrorist. And with those international communities. Assad is a terrorist. What makes them different from isys . Nothing. They are killing. There is no different. You have to stop both of them. But we have to cut this as soon as possible otherwise we dont know what will happen. To conclude unless there are any more questions with the state of emergency and omar and our staff all the work from last night thank you for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and naomi for the powerful testimony and also thank you to the foundation because at a time so many people are turned awa away, they never left us and they keep standing by the Syrian People. I want to announce today in the atrium of the Congressional Visitors Center at 2 00 oclock p. M. We will have an event that includes another powerful speech from omar as well as a statement from other members of the house and senate also a holocaust survivor. You are all welcome to attend between two and 3 00 oclock p. M. In the atrium of the auditorium in the Congressional Visitors Center. Thank you all so much for your time and attention. [applause] [inaudible conversations] the committee on Homeland Security will come to order your meeting today with a federal response to the coronavirus to declare the committee at resource one and recess at any point. With the federal government response to the pandemic. And to open by encouraging