Quigley Statement on End of Assad Regime in Syria

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) released the following statement on the capture of Damascus by rebels and Bashar al-Assad’s departure from Syria:

“The people of Syria are celebrating the end of Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year brutal dictatorship and 50 years of autocracy. Propped up by Russia and Iran for decades, Assad jailed, tortured, and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his own people. Assad was enabled by Vladimir Putin - who has wreaked havoc in Ukraine, across Eastern Europe, and in the Middle East. Now, Putin has offered his fellow ruthless autocrat safe harbor in Moscow. Over the course of a 13-year civil war, 14 million Syrians have been displaced from their homes and over 7 million remain refugees. While the road to a united, peaceful Syria is just beginning, I join the Syrian people in celebrating the end of the Assad regime. We must recognize the challenges that lie ahead in Syria and ensure that minorities and vulnerable populations are protected.”