| | Fund Humanitarian Aid, Not War Crimes: Congress Introduces Stop UN Support for Assad Act | |  | In areas throughout Syria controlled by Assad, the evidence is clear: a large portion of UN aid isn’t actually getting to the people who need it. Instead, it’s getting diverted to Assad and his cronies. According to the UN, 11.7 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance, mostly as a result of Assad’s war crimes. But instead of helping those civilians in need, the UN’s humanitarian aid is—in many ways—furthering their suffering. We're thrilled to announce we worked with U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) and his bipartisan colleagues to develop and introduce the Stop UN Support for Assad Act of 2019 (H.R. 4868). This important legislation will certify that UN aid actually lives up to its promise of neutrality and reaches the people it’s supposed to help, instead of underwriting Assad’s attacks on civilians. We are pushing hard for the House to move this bill quickly to stop Assad and ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars never fund war crimes. | | | | Knocking on Every Door in Congress | |  | AFS staff and fellows visited all 535 congressional offices—House and Senate—immediately after Turkey's incursion into Syria to ensure every office had our background and policy options in hand as they dealt with the crisis. (Those are business cards in our hands.) Read our 9 Recommendations for Policymakers here. We continue to update key Members of Congress and staff as the situation continues to rapidly change to ensure the United States remains engaged. | | | | Caesar's Path Forward Must Include "Must Pass" Legislation | |  | Impeachment, border crisis, DACA, 2020 fever—the list of "hot button" issues in Washington goes on. Amid the chaos, AFS has been working diligently to ensure the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act (H.R. 31) is passed into law. In order to make that happen before the year is out, and because Congress has only a handful of legislative days left, so-called "must pass" legislation like spending bills and authorizing military programs are the surest way to get Caesar past the finish line. All of the action is stalled in the Senate. Leader Mitch McConnell must either attach the Caesar Act to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), appropriations bills, or make floor time. Tell Leader McConnell: Whatever it takes, you must #PassCaesar now! | | | | | | Top 10 Syria Caucus Reactions to Withdrawal | |  | Here's a roundup of the top statements on U.S. troop withdrawal from members of the Friends of a Free, Stable and Democratic Syria Caucus: - “President Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria is a win for our adversaries and a major loss for our partners and the Syrian people." — Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)
- “Iran is now present in eastern Syria; trust has been broken with Kurds who did most of the fighting; and 7,000 ISIS detainees are at risk of being freed.” — Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE)
- “Withdrawing our troops in Northeastern Syria is proving to be destructive for the region." — Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN)
- "U.S. troop withdrawal should be smart and methodical, not reckless and irresponsible. We must do better." — Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN)
- "Security in the Middle East rests on the shoulders of American credibility, and as we discussed, the best way to ensure peace is to project strength and raise costs for would-be aggressors." — Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI)
- "Ceding territory in Syria to Russia, Iran, Turkey, Assad and ISIS is not the right decision. We must return to the fundamentals of peace through strength. There is simply no substitute for American leadership." — Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)
- “It is critical that United States forces are present to lead our international allies in providing stability in this fragile region. Their removal only strengthens the position of Russia and Iran in propping up Assad. History has shown us that a strategy of ‘America leading from behind’ results in disastrous consequences that threaten the lives of refugees and allows brutal dictators and terrorist groups to thrive.” — Rep. French Hill (R-AR)
- “President Trump’s unilateral decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria is shortsighted and fraught with peril. This action opens up the potential for an ISIS resurgence, endangering our allies in the region as well as U.S. national security." — Rep. Dan Lipinksi (D-IL)
- "I have my concerns on a withdrawal from Syria, particularly as it pertains to protecting the homeland... My number one position was that after we got out of Iraq, ISIS reared its ugly head. I didn’t want to see the same thing happen in Syria." — Ranking Member Mike McCaul (R-TX)
- “It is now clear that the presence of U.S. troops was a stabilizing force in Northern Syria.” — Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH)
| | | | Report: Assad Regime is the Biggest Threat to Syrian Christians | |  | One of the biggest lies Assad has told the United States and Europe throughout the conflict is that he's the "protector of Christians" in Syria. Nothing could be further from the truth. In September, the internationally-recognized Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) released a new report detailing the destruction wrought against Syrian churches, and concluding that the Assad regime is the main perpetrator. Of the 124 churches targeted since 2011, more than 60 percent were at the hands of the regime, far more than ISIS or rebel groups. Said Fadel Abdul Ghany, the founder and chairman of SNHR: “Targeting Christian places of worship is a form of intimidation against and displacement of the Christian minority in Syria." AFS helped in the planning and promotion of the report's launch, including exclusive interviews and press calls with national and religious press that is read by President Trump and his Administration, securing stories in the following outlets: | | | | Endless Brutality: 72 Unique Forms of Torture Now Documented | |  | AFS again worked with the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) to further expose the Assad regime's extreme brutality to Washington and the world. SNHR published an extensive report documenting the now-72 unique torture methods that the Assad regime has used in detention centers and military "hospitals." The 65-page report lays out the details of the regime’s crimes including physical torture, health neglect, sexual violence, psychological torture, forced labor, torture in military hospitals, and separation. The report concludes with a call to pass the Caesar Act (H.R. 31) and hold the regime accountable. | | | | Save the Date: December 3 is Giving Tuesday | |  | Thank you for joining us in standing up for freedom and democracy for the Syrian people! We cannot do this work without your help. As a reminder, please make sure to include Americans for a Free Syria in your plans for #GivingTuesday this month! | | | | | | | |  | AFS is pleased to have an excellent class of fellows this semester who are engaged in the work we do every day. The Fall semester includes a human rights activist from Hong Kong, a graduate student studying rescuers like the White Helmets, a recent college grad passionate about atrocity prevention, and more! | | | | | |  Congress sounds alarm on weaponization of Syrian aid (Al-Monitor) “The very people that are in most need of this aid are in areas that the regime is going to be reclaiming. The regime hasn’t put any money back into helping those areas.” — Erica Hanichak, AFS Government Relations Director  Like Syrians now, my family fled Liberia as refugees. Unlike Syrians, America welcomed us. (USA Today) “President Trump shouldn’t even consider ending the refugee program until he first addresses the core of the problems causing people to flee. In Syria, it is Assad’s violence against civilians. In doing so, Syria can finally heal and once again become a safe and nurturing home for returning Syrians.” — Saliho Touré, AFS Fellow  2020 hopefuls: Outshine your opponents on Syria (Foreign Policy News) “2020 hopefuls wanting to demonstrate their ability to become Commander-in-Chief have an opportunity in Syria. Standing apart from the crowd and helping shape Syria policy are good objectives. Sparing thousands of lives and standing up for human rights is the right thing to do.” — Michele MacMillan, AFS Fellow  Fox News: Syrian civil war has damaged more than 120 churches, report finds “Assad has made Syria unsafe for all Syrians, including Christians, and he must be held accountable for his actions." — Erica Hanichak, AFS Government Relations Director  Breitbart: Monitor Group: Bashar al-Assad ‘Main Threat for Christians’ in Syria "Assad has made Syria unsafe for all Syrians, including Christians, and he must be held accountable for his actions. Further, evidence smuggled out by the defector Caesar and Christian networks on the ground confirm the Assad regime has detained, tortured, and killed Christians in his horrific prisons. We urge [U.S.] Congress and the [Trump] Administration to take meaningful actions to stop atrocities by Assad and his allies, Russia and Iran, against Christians and Syrians of all faiths." — Erica Hanichak, AFS Government Relations Director  Matt Lewis podcast: Explainer on Syria and the Kurds
— Justin Roy, Former AFS fellow | | | | | | Americans for a Free Syria (AFS) is a non-partisan, non-profit that advocates for human rights, the rule of law and U.S. national security interests in Syria.
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