Washington, DC – Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement welcoming the end of Bashar Al-Assad's regime in Syria and expressing support for the Syrian people’s aspirations for a peaceful and inclusive future: 

“I celebrate with millions of Syrians the end of the Assad regime. For more than 20 years, and with the support of Tehran and Moscow, Bashar Al-Assad perpetrated countless crimes against humanity and engaged in years of barbaric violence against his own people.  

“Though I am concerned by what may come next, it is important that the aspirations of the Syrian people are met. I am mindful of the concerns of many ethnic minority communities—including Syrian Kurds, Yezidis, and Chaldeans—who must be protected, and of the significant humanitarian needs left unmet by Assad. I stand with the Syrian people and support their desire for an inclusive, peaceful transition and new day free of terrorism, state violence, and systematic repression.” 

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