Durbin to Chair New Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights

DURBIN TO CHAIR NEW SENATE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) has been named Chairman of the Senate's first subcommittee on human rights. The new subcommittee was officially established today at the Senate Judiciary Committee's first business meeting of the 110th Congress. Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) asked Durbin to head the new subcommittee, which will be known as the Human Rights and the Law Subcommittee.

"From its founding and its historic Bill of Rights, America has always been committed to human rights," Durbin said. "The Human Rights and the Law Subcommittee will give members of the Senate an opportunity to work together to maintain America's leadership in protecting fundamental human rights."

This is the first time in Senate history that there has been a human rights subcommittee. The subcommittee will have jurisdiction over all human rights laws and policies and will focus on issues such as genocide, human trafficking, war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, and arbitrary detention. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) will serve as Ranking Member of the subcommittee.

The Human Rights Subcommittee's first hearing will be held in February and will focus on the genocide in Darfur and other parts of the world.

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=268029&&