113 HR 5878 IH: Shahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Act of 2014 U.S. House of Representatives 2014-12-11 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5878 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 11, 2014 Mr. Pitts (for himself and Ms. Eshoo) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to further express United States foreign policy with respect to, and to strengthen United States advocacy on behalf of, freedom of religion or belief abroad and individuals persecuted in foreign countries on account of religion or belief, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title and table of contents

(a)

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Shahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Act of 2014. (b)

Table of contents

The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings; policy. Sec. 3. Definitions. Title I—Department of State activities Sec. 101. Office on International Religious Freedom; Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. Sec. 102. Reports. Sec. 103. Training for Foreign Service officers. Sec. 104. Programs and allocations of funds by United States missions abroad. Sec. 105. Prisoner lists and issue briefs on religious freedom concerns. Sec. 106. Report on foreign assistance to promote religious freedom and religious engagement. Sec. 107. Reports on countries not designated as countries of particular concern for religious freedom. Title II—United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Sec. 201. Report of the Commission. Title III—National Security Council Sec. 301. Special Adviser on International Religious Freedom. Title IV—Presidential actions Sec. 401. Presidential actions in response to violations of religious freedom. Sec. 402. Presidential actions in response to particularly severe violations of religious freedom. Sec. 403. Consultations. Sec. 404. Description of Presidential actions. Sec. 405. Presidential waiver. Sec. 406. Termination of Presidential actions. Title V—Promotion of religious freedom Sec. 501. Assistance for promoting religious freedom. Sec. 502. International broadcasting.

2.

Findings; policy

(a)

Findings

Section 2(a) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(a)) is amended— (1)by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (7) as paragraphs (4) through (8), respectively; (2)by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new paragraph: (3)International religious freedom means the right of all persons to fully enjoy freedom of religion or belief, as protected by international law, and applies to the holders of all religious beliefs and those who reject religious belief altogether.; (3)in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated)— (A)by striking the second and third sentences and inserting the following: More than 76 percent of the world’s population live in countries in which religion is restricted in significant ways, either by the government or by societal non-state actors. These limitations severely restrict or prohibit the freedom of people to study, believe, observe, and freely practice the religious faith of their choice.; and (B)by adding at the end the following new sentence: Other governmental violations include registration laws, laws limiting or prohibiting religious dress or symbols, anti-conversion laws, blasphemy laws, and apostasy laws.; (4)by further redesignating paragraph (7) and (8) (as so redesignated) as paragraphs (9) and (12), respectively; (5)by inserting after paragraph (6) the following new paragraphs: (7)In addition to governments, non-state actors severely violate freedom of religion or belief. These actors include individuals, mobs, vigilante groups, anti-government insurgents, militant organizations, and recognized terrorist groups. In those cases in which governments’ legal systems promote intolerance, non-state actors often act unilaterally to enforce these biased measures. (8)Over the past 15 years, the global landscape for religious freedom has deteriorated. While authoritarian governments continue to persecute individuals, unchecked majoritarianism against religious minorities and increasing acts of violence by religious extremists against any who challenge their ideologies are troubling new threats to this fundamental freedom. Such violence includes the 2011 assassination of Pakistan’s Minister of Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, an advocate for religious freedom.; (6)by inserting after paragraph (9) (as so redesignated) the following new paragraphs: (10)Freedom of religion or belief also is central to a country’s stability and security. Religious freedom abuses are linked to abuses of other human rights, and to instability and violent extremism. Wherever religious freedom is abused, peace and security may be threatened, affecting societies and in some cases the security of the United States. As such, religious freedom merits consideration with economic, security, and other concerns. (11)The United States must do more to promote freedom of religion or belief overseas. This fundamental freedom is under serious and sustained pressure across much of the globe.; and (7)by striking paragraph (12) (as so redesignated) and inserting the following: (12)Congress has recognized and denounced acts of religious persecution through the passage of the following measures and adoption of the following resolutions: (A)H.R. 2330 of the One Hundred Eighth Congress, which became Public Law 108–61, prohibiting the importation into the United States of any article that is a product of Burma (Myanmar) until the President determines and certifies to Congress that Burma has met certain conditions, including the releasing of all political prisoners and permitting the peaceful exercise of religion. (B)H.R. 4011 of the One Hundred Eighth Congress, which became Public Law 108–333, the North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004, which directs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to report annually on measures taken to facilitate access to the United States refugee program by persons fleeing countries of particular concern for violations of religious freedom. (C)H.R. 6198 of the One Hundred Ninth Congress, which became Public Law 109–293, the Iran Freedom Support Act, which holds the current regime in Iran accountable for its threatening behavior and supports a transition to democracy in Iran and states that assistance may be provided only to an individual, organization, or entity that supports freedom of religion while also expressing the sense of Congress that U.S. officials and representatives should draw international attention to Iran’s violations of human rights and freedom of religion. (D)House Resolution 1370 of the One Hundred Tenth Congress, calling on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to immediately end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uyghur people, and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness. (E)House Resolution 944 of the One Hundred Eleventh Congress, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the protection of members of vulnerable religious and ethnic minority communities in Iraq. (F)House Resolution 134 of the One Hundred Twelfth Congress, condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. (G)House Resolution 306 of the One Hundred Twelfth Congress, urging the Republic of Turkey to safeguard its Christian heritage and to return confiscated church properties. (H)House Resolution 484 of the One Hundred Twelfth Congress, calling on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to respect basic human rights and cease abusing vague national security provisions such as articles 79 and 88 of the Vietnamese penal code which are often the pretext to arrest and detain citizens who peacefully advocate for religious and political freedom. (I)House Resolution 556 of the One Hundred and Twelfth Congress, condemning the Government of Iran for its continued persecution, imprisonment, and sentencing of Youcef Nadarkhani on the charge of apostasy. (J)H.R. 515 of the One Hundred Twelfth Congress, which became Public Law 112–81, to reauthorize the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004, which authorizes the denial of United States entry to members of the security or law enforcement services who have participated in the persecution of religious groups or human rights defenders. (K)House Resolution 418 of the One Hundred and Thirteenth Congress, urging the Government of Burma to end the persecution of the Rohingya people and respect internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and religious minority groups. (L)House Resolution 599 of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, urging the Government of the People’s Republic of China to respect the freedom of assembly, expression, and religion and all fundamental human rights and the rule of law for all its citizens and to stop censoring discussion of the 1989 Ti­an­an­men Square demonstrations and their violent suppression. (M)House Resolution 683 of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the current situation in Iraq and the urgent need to protect religious minorities from the persecution from the Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) as it expands its control over areas in northwestern Iraq. (N)House Resolution 707 of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and rejecting attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval or frustration over political events in the Middle East or elsewhere. (O)H.R. 301 of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, which became Public 113–161, to provide for the establishment of the Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia. (P)House Resolution 754 of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, condemning the Government of Iran for its gross human rights violations.. (b)

Policy

Section 2(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(b)) is amended— (1)by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (5) as paragraphs (3) through (6), respectively; (2)by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new paragraph: (2)To ensure that religious freedom is a central component of United States foreign policy and receives the appropriate prioritization across government agencies, including in bilateral diplomacy, multilateral diplomacy, public diplomacy, and programmatic activities of the United States government.; (3)in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), by inserting and non-state actors after persecuting regimes; and (4)by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: (7)To work in coalition with international partners in support of religious freedom in those countries whose governments violate religious freedom or do not take action against those who violate religious freedom or in those cases in which non-state actors perpetrate violations of religious freedom. (8)To work with foreign governments and in international fora to support rule of law, good governance, and a vigorous civil society and advocate in support of prisoners of conscience abroad whose detentions violate their freedom of religion or belief..

3.

Definitions

Section 3 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6402) is amended— (1)in paragraph (13)(A)— (A)in clause (iv), by striking or at the end; and (B)by adding at the end the following new clause: (vi)having no religious beliefs; or; and (2)by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (14)

Non-state actor

The term non-state actor means any entity outside of government, including an extremist group or terrorist organization. .