U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Wednesday:
“Not 24 hours after reports of civilians in Aleppo being slaughtered by the Assad regime and their Russian and Iranian backers, and a necessary but weak ceasefire was supposed to allow for evacuations, the aerial bombardment, shelling and killing have started again. The utter disregard for innocent human life in Syria is a stain on all of us. I join the international calls for the violence to cease and for the UN to be allowed access to Eastern Aleppo to deliver humanitarian emergency assistance.
“I want the people of Syria to know that I will continue to use my position as Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to push for accountability for war crimes or crimes against humanity in the Syrian conflict through fair and independent investigations and prosecutions at the domestic or international level.”