Congressman Krishnamoorthi Calls For US Leadership, UN Security Council Action In Response To the Assad Regime’s Repeated Use Of Chemical Weapons to Massacre Civilians

SCHAUMBURG, IL – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi released the following statement in response to reports that the Assad Regime has once again used internationally banned chemical weapons in an attack which killed dozens of men, women, and children, this time in the Damascus suburb of Douma:

"Based on what we know now, Bashar al-Assad and his regime have once again used banned chemical weapons to slaughter men, women, and children in their homes. As dozens lie dead at the feet of the Assad regime in an atrocity which mirrors its massacre a year ago, these crimes against humanity must not be repeated again. It is not enough for the international community to simply condemn this attack: it must thoroughly investigate and hold to account Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian government, and those who enable these atrocities to continue.

The people of Syria have suffered seven longs years of civil war, and decades of repression by the Assad family. The reported chemical weapon attacks in the city of Douma—occurring despite the Assad regime's promise to dismantle its chemical weapons program—are the latest chapter in this horrific war and the regime's reign of terror.

As the UN Security Council convenes later today, the United States must be a leading force in any effort to punish Assad and protect the people of Syria. The President has already forcefully condemned this new reported war crime, but words are not enough. The Administration must proceed with clear aims in any American-led strategy; it must execute this strategy relentlessly; and it must consult Congress in the process."