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With the support of Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge), the U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation condemning as war crimes and genocide the mass murder, rape, and torture of innocent civilians committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent government agency, has already concluded that minority groups, such as the Christians and Yezidis, are facing genocide at the hands of ISIL.

“We have an obligation to condemn these horrific acts committed by ISIL and other Islamic terrorist groups,” said Congressman Posey, a cosponsor of the legislation. “The administration should not only formally recognize that these atrocities are acts of genocide, but also take the next step and submit to Congress a detailed plan to defeat ISIL as required by law.”

Specifically, H. Con. Res. 75 — the ISIL Genocide Resolution — recognizes ISIL’s crimes as genocide and calls on foreign governments, including the United Nations, to do the same. It also urges international cooperation to prevent further atrocities and punish those found to be responsible. The administration faces a legislatively-mandated deadline of March 17th to officially determine whether ISIL’s brutality constitutes genocide. “We should recognize these acts for what they truly are and that is evil,” said Posey. “Failure to do so will allow this evil to spread.”