Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Ranking Democrat on the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, issued this statement on the decision by the State Department to classify as genocide the acts by ISIS against Christians, Yazidis, and Shia Muslims:
“I applaud Secretary Kerry’s decision to designate the shocking and inhumane actions by ISIS against Christians, Yazidis, and Shia Muslims as genocide. Their ruthless tactics, from the massacres of innocent civilians based on their faith to the besiegement and starvation of entire religious communities to the destruction of cultural heritage sites, make clear that ISIS seeks to intentionally and systematically destroy these religious minorities.
“This designation mirrors the resolution we just passed through the House of Representatives, which stated that these atrocities qualify as crimes against humanity and genocide, and calls on other world leaders to do the same.
“Going forward, our mission must be to completely destroy ISIS. Concern for human rights must guide our foreign policy, and I encourage the Administration to respond resolutely and send a message to the world that genocidal acts will not go unpunished.”
