,,iv #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #caj ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #ab1 #bjae ,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,eddie ,bernice ,johnson of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,sensenbrenner1 ,mr4 ,engel1 ,mr4 ,turner1 ,mr4 ,connolly1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,larson of ,connecticut1 ,mr4 ,emmer of ,minnesota1 ,mr4 ,sean ,patrick ,maloney of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,crenshaw1 ,mr4 ,mc,dermott1 ,mr4 ,rothfus1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mr4 ,zinke1 ,ms4 ,lofgren1 ,mr4 ,kinzinger of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,fortenberry1 ,mr4 ,clay1 ,mr4 ,king of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,cicilline1 ,mr4 ,hultgren1 ,mr4 ,quigley1 ,mr4 ,marino1 ,mr4 ,keating1 ,mr4 ,perry1 ,ms4 ,meng1 and ,mr4 ,cook7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,house of ,representatives regarding ,srebrenica4 ,whereas ,july #bjae will mark #bj years since the genocide at ,srebrenica in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina2 ,whereas beginning in ,april #aiib1 aggression and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by ,bosnian ,serb forces resulted in a massive influx of ,bosniaks seeking protection in ,srebrenica and its environs1 which the ,united ,nations ,security ,council designated a safe area within the ,srebrenica enclave in ,resolution #hai on ,april #af1 #aiic1 under the protection of the ,united ,nations ,protection ,force 7,,unprofor72 ,whereas the ,,unprofor presence in ,srebrenica consisted of a ,dutch peacekeeping battalion1 with representatives of the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,refugees1 the ,international ,committee of the ,red ,cross1 and the humanitarian medical aid agency ,medecins ,sans ,frontieres 7,doctors ,without ,borders7 helping to provide humanitarian relief to the displaced population living in conditions of massive overcrowding1 destitution1 and disease2 ,whereas early in #aiie1 an intensified blockade of the enclave by ,bosnian ,serb forces deprived the entire population of humanitarian aid and outside communication and contact1 and effectively reduced the ability of the ,dutch peacekeeping battalion to deter aggression or otherwise respond effectively to a deteriorating situation2 ,whereas beginning on ,july #f1 #aiie1 ,bosnian ,serb forces attacked ,,unprofor outposts1 seized control of the isolated enclave1 held captured ,dutch soldiers hostage and1 after skirmishes with local defenders1 took control of the town of ,srebrenica on ,july #aa1 #aiie2 ,whereas an estimated one-third of the population of ,srebrenica at the time1 including a relatively small number of soldiers1 attempted to pass through the lines of ,bosnian ,serb forces to the relative safety of ,bosnian-government controlled territory1 but many were killed by patrols and ambushes2 ,whereas the remaining population sought protection with the ,dutch peacekeeping battalion at its headquarters in the village of ,potocari north of ,srebrenica1 but many of these individuals were with seeming randomness seized by ,bosnian ,serb forces to be beaten1 raped1 or executed2 ,whereas ,bosnian ,serb forces deported women1 children1 and the elderly in buses1 but held over #h1jjj primarily ,bosniak men and boys at collection points and sites in northeastern ,bosnia and ,herzegovina under their control1 and then summarily executed these captives and buried them in mass graves2 ,whereas ,bosnian ,serb forces1 hoping to conceal evidence of the massacre at ,srebrenica1 subsequently moved corpses from initial mass grave sites to many secondary sites scattered throughout parts of eastern ,bosnia and ,herzegovina under their control2 ,whereas the ,international ,commission for ,missing ,persons 7,,icmp7 deserves recognition for its assistance to the relevant institutions in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina in accounting for close to #ij percent of those individuals reported missing from ,srebrenica1 despite active attempts to conceal evidence of the massacre1 through the careful excavation of mass graves sites and subsequent ,,dna analysis which confirmed the true extent of the massacre2 ,whereas the massacre at ,srebrenica was among the worst of many atrocities to occur in the conflict in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina from ,april #aiib to ,november #aiie1 during which the policies of aggression and ethnic cleansing pursued by ,bosnian ,serb forces with the direct support of the ,serbian regime of ,slobodan ,milosevic and its followers ultimately led to the displacement of more than #b1jjj1jjj people1 more than #ajj1jjj killed1 tens of thousands raped or otherwise tortured and abused1 including at concentration camps in the ,prijedor area1 with the innocent civilians of ,sarajevo and other urban centers repeatedly subjected to traumatic shelling and sniper attacks2 ,whereas in addition to being the primary victims at ,srebrenica1 individuals with ,bosniak heritage comprise the vast majority of the victims during the conflict in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina as a whole1 especially among the civilian population2 ,whereas ,article #b of the ,convention on the ,prevention and ,punishment of the ,crime of ,genocide defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy1 in whole or in part1 a national1 ethnical1 racial or religious group1 as such3 7a7 killing members of the group2 7b7 causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group2 7c7 deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part2 7d7 imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group2 and 7e7 forcibly transferring children of the group to another group2 ,whereas1 on ,may #be1 #aiic1 the ,united ,nations ,security ,council adopted ,resolution #hbg establishing the ,international ,criminal ,tribunal for the former ,yugoslavia 7,,icty71 based in ,the ,hague1 the ,netherlands1 and charging the ,,icty with responsibility for investigating and prosecuting individuals suspected of committing war crimes1 genocide1 crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the #aidi ,geneva ,conventions on the territory of the former ,yugoslavia since #aiia2 ,whereas the ,,icty1 along with courts in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina as well as in ,serbia1 have indicted and in most cases convicted approximately three dozen individuals at various levels of responsibility for grave breaches of the #aidi ,geneva ,conventions1 violations of the laws or customs of war1 crimes against humanity1 genocide1 and complicity in genocide associated with the massacre at ,srebrenica1 most notably ,radovan ,karadzic and ,ratko ,mladic whose trials are ongoing2 ,whereas both the ,,icty and the ,international ,court of ,justice 7,,icj7 have ruled that the actions of ,bosnian ,serb forces in ,srebrenica in ,july #aiie constitute genocide2 ,whereas ,house ,resolution #aii1 passed on ,june #bg1 #bjje1 expressed the sense of the ,house of ,representatives that the aggression and ethnic cleansing committed by ,serb forces in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina meets the terms defining genocide according to the #aidi ,genocide ,convention2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations has largely acknowledged its failure to fulfill its responsibility to take actions and make decisions that could have deterred the assault on ,srebrenica and prevented the subsequent genocide from occurring2 ,whereas some prominent ,serbian and ,bosnian ,serb officials1 among others1 have denied or at least refused to acknowledge that the massacre at ,srebrenica constituted a genocide1 or have sought otherwise to trivialize the extent and importance of the massacre2 and ,whereas the international community1 including the ,united ,states1 has continued to provide personnel and resources1 including through direct military intervention1 to prevent further aggression and ethnic cleansing1 to negotiate the ,general ,framework ,agreement for ,peace in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina 7initialed in ,dayton1 ,ohio1 on ,november #ba1 #aiie1 and signed in ,paris on ,december #ad1 #aiie71 and to help ensure its fullest implementation1 including cooperation with the ,international ,criminal ,tribunal for the former ,yugoslavia as well as reconciliation among all of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina's citizens3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 affirms that the policies of aggression and ethnic cleansing as implemented by ,serb forces in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina from #aiib to #aiie meet the terms defining the crime of genocide in ,article #b of the ,convention on the ,prevention and ,punishment of the ,crime of ,genocide2 7#b7 condemns statements that deny or question that the massacre at ,srebrenica constituted a genocide2 7#c7 urges the ,atrocities ,prevention ,board1 a ,united ,states interagency committee established by the ,administration in #bjab1 to study the lessons of ,srebrenica and issue informed guidance on how to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future1 paying particular regard to troubled countries including but not limited to ,syria1 the ,central ,african ,republic and ,burundi2 7#d7 encourages the ,united ,states to maintain and reaffirm its policy of supporting the independence and territorial integrity of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 peace and stability in southeastern ,europe as a whole1 and the right of all people living in the region1 regardless of national1 racial1 ethnic or religious background1 to return to their homes and enjoy the benefits of democratic institutions1 the rule of law1 and economic opportunity1 as well as to know the fate of missing relatives and friends2 7#e7 recognizes the achievement of the ,international ,commission for ,missing ,persons 7,,icmp7 in accounting for those missing in conflicts or natural disasters around the world and believes that the ,,icmp deserves justified recognition for its assistance to ,bosnia and ,herzegovina and its relevant institutions in accounting for approximately ninety percent of those reported missing after the ,srebrenica massacre and seventy percent of those reported missing during the whole of the conflict in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina2 7#f7 welcomes the arrest and transfer to the ,international ,criminal ,tribunal for the former ,yugoslavia 7,,icty7 of all persons indicted for war crimes1 crimes against humanity1 genocide and grave breaches of the #aidi ,geneva ,conventions1 particularly those of ,radovan ,karadzic and ,ratko ,mladic1 which has helped strengthen peace and encouraged reconciliation between the countries of the region and their citizens2 7#g7 asserts that it is in the national interest of the ,united ,states that those individuals who are responsible for these crimes and breaches should continue to be held accountable for their actions1 and that the work of the ,,icty therefore warrants continued support until all trials and appeals have been completed2 and 7#h7 honors the thousands of innocent people killed or executed at ,srebrenica in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina in ,july #aiie1 along with all individuals who were victimized during the conflict and genocide in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina from #aiib to #aiie1 as well as foreign nationals1 including ,united ,states citizens1 and those individuals in ,serbia1 ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 and other countries of the region who risked and in some cases lost their lives during their brave defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms1 and advocacy of respect for ethnic identity without discrimination4