Pub. L. 101-509, tit. VI, sec. 635

Sec. 635. (a) The Congress finds that— (1) President Saddam Hussein of Iraq has attempted to evade the consequences of his illegal invasion of Kuwait by the taking of civilian hostages; (2) Saddam Hussein has violated standards of civilized conduct by willfully seeking to endanger the lives of foreign civilians in Kuwait and Iraq; (3) He has further violated international diplomatic practice by laying siege to Western embassies in Kuwait; (4) Iraq’s conduct both at home and on the battlefield during the recent war with Iran has demonstrated a willingness to use the most barbaric methods of warfare, including the gassing of civilian women and children; (5) The Nuremberg principles, while denying national guilt for acts of war, do also stipulate that individual leaders may be held responsible for violations of the conventions of war and of civilized behavior; (6) The taking of hostages, the use of gas, the terrorizing of civilians and diplomats, and other such acts in both peace and war have long been considered crimes against humanity for which prosecution is justifiable. (b) It is the sense of the Senate that in the event of hostilities between the United States and the government of Iraq it shall be the policy of the United States to pursue Saddam Hussein, other Iraqi leaders, and other such perpetrators as may be determined responsible in order to bring them to justice as war criminals, and to seek their prosecution and punishment under the auspices of an international tribunal with relevant jurisdiction. 104 STAT. 1484 This Act may be cited as the “Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1991”.