Comment Of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,
On The President’s Signing Of S. 888,
The Genocide Accountability Act Of 2007
December 21, 2007

“Today, the President signed into law the Genocide Accountability Act, a law that closes a loophole which has until now allowed those who commit or incite genocide to seek refuge in our country without fear of prosecution for their actions.  This bill is the first legislation to become law that is a direct result of a new Senate Judiciary Subcommittee which I established this Congress.  I have worked with the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, Senator Durbin, on this and other important pieces of human rights legislation, and I was glad to work to advance the bill through the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate.  The Genocide Accountability Act is a critical first step in reversing and correcting the ill-advised policies established by this Administration over the last six years which have done so much to damage our standing in the world as a beacon of human rights.   I will continue to work in the Judiciary Committee and as the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations to further advance America’s role in combating genocide worldwide.” 

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