[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 351 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 351

Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should condemn 
  the practice of execution by stoning as a gross violation of human 
                    rights, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 14, 2002

 Ms. McCollum submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should condemn 
  the practice of execution by stoning as a gross violation of human 
                    rights, and for other purposes.

Whereas death by stoning is a punishment formerly imposed in Afghanistan under 
        the Taliban regime, and has been documented as a punishment in Nigeria, 
        Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, according to the 
        Department of State Reports on Human Rights Practices;
Whereas the brutal sentence of death by stoning is applied to women who have 
        been accused of adultery, coerced into prostitution, or even raped;
Whereas execution by stoning is an exceptionally cruel form of punishment that 
        violates internationally accepted standards of human rights, including 
        those set forth in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human 
        Rights and the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other 
        Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
Whereas women around the world continue to be targeted for discriminatory, 
        inhuman, and cruel punishments by governments who refuse to protect the 
        rights of all of their citizens equally; and
Whereas Safiya Hussaini stands convicted of adultery and has been sentenced to 
        death by stoning in the State of Sokoto, Nigeria, based solely on the 
        evidence that she was divorced and pregnant, despite her claim that she 
        was a victim of rape, and the fact that she has since given birth to the 
        child: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States should condemn the practice of 
        execution by stoning, and should call upon the international 
        community to recognize this practice as a gross violation of 
        human rights;
            (2) the President should formally communicate this sense of 
        Congress to governments imposing this cruel punishment; and
            (3) the President should urge Nigerian President Olusegun 
        Obasanjo to immediately suspend the sentence of death by 
        stoning imposed on Safiya Hussaini and take steps to ensure 
        that Nigeria acts in accordance with international human rights 
        standards.
                                 <all>