[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 234 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 234

    Reiterating the sense of the Senate that religious freedom is a 
 priority of the United States in the bilateral relationship with the 
 Russian Federation, including within the context of the Jackson-Vanik 
                               Amendment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 10, 2002

    Mr. Smith of Oregon (for himself, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Harkin, Ms. 
Mikulski, Mr. Warner, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Hatch, 
 Mr. McConnell, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cleland, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Allen, Mr. 
 Hagel, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Reid, Mr. Nickles, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
Feingold, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Graham, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Reed, 
   Mr. Corzine, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Johnson) submitted the following 
       resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Reiterating the sense of the Senate that religious freedom is a 
 priority of the United States in the bilateral relationship with the 
 Russian Federation, including within the context of the Jackson-Vanik 
                               Amendment.

Whereas religious freedom and minority rights have always been a priority of the 
        United States Congress and the American people;
Whereas the Russian Federation has experienced a miraculous revival of religious 
        life since the collapse ten years ago, especially with respect to the 
        historically persecuted Russian Jewish community;
Whereas the Russian Government has publicly welcomed the participation of faith 
        communities in national life;
Whereas the Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report 
        (October 2001), submitted to Congress in compliance with Section 102(b) 
        of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, details 
        numerous and widespread restrictions upon minority faiths under Russia's 
        1997 Religion Law;
Whereas Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matvienko said on October 23 that the 
        Russian government is working on amendments to the Religion Law still 
        further to restrict the activities of foreign groups on Russian 
        territory;
Whereas the International Religious Freedom Report also details a series of 
        Russian Government actions during the past year that have interfered 
        with the functioning of Jewish community institutions;
Whereas ``Izvestiya'' reported on November 6 that no one in Russia's Federal 
        Security Service (FSB) is assigned to handle extremist and racist 
        movements, while nationalist and anti-Semitic extremists continue to 
        spread propaganda and incite violence in incidents across Russia;
Whereas Russia has accepted international obligations, including those specified 
        in the 1990 Copenhagen Document of the Organization for Security and 
        Cooperation in Europe, to allow ethnic and religious minorities ``to 
        establish and maintain their own educational, cultural and religious 
        institutions, organizations or associations'';
Whereas 98 Senators wrote to President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation 
        on August 3, 2001, recognizing individual instances of progress but 
        expressing concern over the anti-Semitic rhetoric heard at both the 
        national and local levels of Russian society and politics;
Whereas, on October 24, 2001, by unanimous consent, the Senate passed Amendment 
        SA 1948 to the Foreign Operations FY 2002 Appropriations Bill (H.R. 
        2506), instructing that funds for the Government of the Russian 
        Federation be conditioned upon the President's certification to Congress 
        that the Russian Government ``has not implemented any statute, executive 
        order, regulation, or other similar government action that would 
        discriminate, or would have as its principal effect discrimination, 
        against religious groups or religious communities in the Russian 
        Federation in violation of accepted international agreements on human 
        rights and religious freedoms to which the Russian Federation is a 
        party'';
Whereas the Congress passed Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (``the Jackson-
        Vanik Amendment'') ``to assure the continued dedication of the United 
        States to fundamental human rights'';
Whereas the Jackson-Vanik Amendment focuses on free emigration as a condition 
        for granting Normal Trade Relations to non-market economies, including 
        authority for the President to waive this restriction upon certifying 
        that a country was permitting free emigration;
Whereas the President stated on November 13, 2001, that Russia has made 
        important strides on emigration and the protection of religious and 
        ethnic minorities, ``including Russia's Jewish community. On this issue, 
        Russia is in a fundamentally different place than it was during the 
        Soviet era. President Putin told me that these gains for freedom will be 
        protected and expanded'';
Whereas the President further stated: ``Our Foreign Ministers have sealed this 
        understanding in an exchange of letters. Because of this progress, my 
        administration will work with Congress to end the application of 
        Jackson-Vanik Amendment to Russia'';
Whereas the exchange of letters between the Secretary of State and the Minister 
        of Foreign Affairs of Russia underscored Russian and U.S. commitments on 
        human rights and religious freedoms, including restitution of communal 
        properties seized during the Soviet era, the revival of minority 
        communities, and combating xenophobia and anti-Semitism;
Whereas, in meeting with Senate leadership on November 13, 2001, President Putin 
        reiterated his commitment to working with the United States and with the 
        Congress on advancing civil society and human rights in his country;
Whereas the President of the United States issued a ``Religious Freedom Day 
        2002'' Proclamation on January 16, 2002, saying ``I encourage all 
        Americans to renew their commitment to protecting the liberties that 
        make our country a beacon of hope for people around the world who seek 
        the free exercise of religious beliefs and other freedoms''; and
Whereas the Russian Federation has proven to be a critical ally in the war on 
        international terrorism in which the civilized world is currently 
        engaged: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) within the context of productive and constructive 
        relations between the governments and peoples of the United 
        States and the Russian Federation, religious freedom and the 
        protection of minority rights must remain as priority issues on 
        the bilateral agenda of both countries;
            (2) any actions by the United States Government to 
        ``graduate'' or terminate the application of the Jackson-Vanik 
        Amendment to any individual country must take into account the 
        progress already achieved through the application of the 
        amendment as well as appropriate assurances regarding the 
        continued commitment of that government to enforcing and 
        upholding the fundamental human rights envisioned in the 
        amendment; and
            (3) the United States Government must demonstrate how, in 
        ``graduating'' individual countries, the ``continued dedication 
        of the United States'' to these fundamental rights will be 
        assured.
                                 <all>