[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 32 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 32

   Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to human rights in 
                             Central Asia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 2003

 Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself and Mr. Lantos) submitted the following 
     concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to human rights in 
                             Central Asia.

Whereas the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, 
        Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan provided the United States with important 
        assistance in the war in Afghanistan, from military basing and 
        overflight rights to the facilitation of humanitarian relief;
Whereas America's victory over the Taliban in turn provided important benefits 
        to the Central Asian nations, removing a regime that threatened their 
        security, and significantly weakening the Islamic Movement of 
        Uzbekistan, a terrorist organization that had previously staged armed 
        raids from Afghanistan into the region;
Whereas the United States has consistently urged the nations of Central Asia to 
        open their political systems and economies and to respect human rights, 
        both before and since the attacks of September 11, 2001;
Whereas Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are 
        members of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and 
        Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), both of which confer a range of human 
        rights obligations on their members;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Government of Kazakhstan 
        harasses and monitors independent media and human rights activists, 
        restricts freedom of association and opposition political activity, has 
        engaged in selective prosecution of opposition leaders, and allows 
        security forces to commit extrajudicial executions, torture, and 
        arbitrary detention with impunity;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Government of Kyrgyzstan 
        engages in arbitrary arrest and detention, restricts the activities of 
        political opposition figures, religious organizations deemed 
        ``extremist'', human rights activists, and nongovernmental 
        organizations, and discriminates against ethnic minorities, and recently 
        conducted a flawed constitutional referendum that will further 
        concentrate power in the presidency and weaken the role of civil 
        society;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Government of Tajikistan 
        remains authoritarian, curtailing freedoms of speech, assembly, and 
        association, with security forces committing extrajudicial executions, 
        kidnappings, disappearances, and torture;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, Turkmenistan is a Soviet-style 
        one-party state centered around the glorification of its president, 
        which engages in serious human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrest 
        and detention, severe restrictions of personal privacy, repression of 
        political opposition, and restrictions on freedom of speech and 
        nongovernmental activity, and most recently has engaged in sweeping 
        arrests and summary convictions, as well as torturing of suspects, in 
        the aftermath of the attack on the President's motorcade and has refused 
        to cooperate with the OSCE fact-finding mission;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Government of Uzbekistan 
        continues to commit serious human rights abuses, including arbitrary 
        arrest, detention and torture in custody, particularly of Muslims who 
        practice their religion outside state controls, to severely restrict 
        freedom of speech, the press, religion, independent political activity, 
        and nongovernmental organizations, and detains over 7,000 people for 
        political or religious reasons;
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has 
        expressed concern about religious persecution in the region, 
        recommending that Turkmenistan be named a ``Country of Particular 
        Concern'' under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, and 
        that Uzbekistan be placed on a special ``Watch List'';
Whereas, by continuing to suppress human rights and to deny citizens peaceful, 
        democratic means of expressing their convictions, the nations of Central 
        Asia risk fueling popular support for violent and extremist movements, 
        thus undermining the goals of the war on terrorism;
Whereas President Bush has made the defense of ``human dignity, the rule of law, 
        limits on the power of the state, respect for women and private property 
        and free speech and equal justice and religious tolerance'' strategic 
        goals of United States foreign policy in the Islamic world, arguing that 
        ``a truly strong nation will permit legal avenues of dissent for all 
        groups that pursue their aspirations without violence''; and
Whereas Congress has expressed its desire to see deeper reform in Central Asia 
        in resolutions and other legislation, most recently conditioning 
        assistance to Uzbekistan on its progress in meeting human rights and 
        democracy commitments to the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, 
        Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan should accelerate democratic 
        reforms and fulfill their human rights obligations, including, 
        where appropriate, by--
                    (A) releasing from prison all those jailed for 
                peaceful political activism or the nonviolent 
                expression of their political or religious beliefs, 
                including Felix Kulov in Kyrgyzstan;
                    (B) fully investigating any credible allegations of 
                torture and prosecuting those responsible;
                    (C) permitting the free and unfettered functioning 
                of independent media outlets, independent political 
                parties, and nongovernmental organizations, whether 
                officially registered or not;
                    (D) permitting the free exercise of religious 
                beliefs and ceasing the persecution of members of 
                religious groups and denominations not registered with 
                the state;
                    (E) holding free, competitive, and fair elections; 
                and
                    (F) making publicly available documentation of 
                their revenues and punishing those engaged in official 
                corruption;
            (2) the President, the Secretary of State, and the 
        Secretary of Defense should--
                    (A) continue to raise at the highest levels with 
                the governments of the nations of Central Asia specific 
                cases of political and religious persecution, and urge 
                greater respect for human rights and democratic 
                freedoms at every diplomatic opportunity;
                    (B) take progress in meeting the goals outlined in 
                paragraph (1) into account when determining the level 
                and frequency of United States diplomatic engagement 
                with the governments of the Central Asian nations, the 
                allocation of United States assistance, and the nature 
                of United States military engagement with the countries 
                of the region;
                    (C) ensure that the provisions of the annual 
                foreign operations appropriation Act are fully 
                implemented to ensure that no United States assistance 
                benefits security forces in Central Asia implicated in 
                violations of human rights;
                    (D) follow the recommendations of the United States 
                Commission on International Religious Freedom by 
                designating Turkmenistan a ``Country of Particular 
                Concern'' under the International Religious Freedom Act 
                of 1998 and by making clear that Uzbekistan risks 
                designation if conditions in that country do not 
                improve;
                    (E) urge the Government of Turkmenistan to respect 
                the right of imprisoned opposition leader Boris 
                Shikmuradov to due process and a fair trial and to 
                release democratic activists and their family members 
                from prison, and urge the Government of the Russian 
                Federation not to extradite to Turkmenistan members of 
                that country's political opposition;
                    (F) work with the Government of Kazakhstan to 
                create a political climate free of intimidation and 
                harassment, including releasing political prisoners and 
                permitting the return of political exiles, most notably 
                Akezan Kazegeldin, and to reduce official corruption, 
                including by urging the Government of Kazakhstan to 
                cooperate with the ongoing Department of Justice 
                investigation, and if convicted independent journalist 
                Sergey Duvanov decides to appeal his verdict, to ensure 
                that due process will be strictly followed in 
                accordance with Kazakhstani law and international 
                standards of justice;
                    (G) work with the Government of Uzbekistan to 
                address the serious concerns about systemic torture 
                documented in the reports of the United Nations Special 
                Rapporteur on Torture and to implement recommendations 
                made in the report;
                    (H) work with the Government of Kyrgyzstan to 
                introduce changes in the recently adopted constitution 
                that would address concerns about protections for human 
                rights and balance of powers; and
                    (I) support through United States assistance 
                programs those individuals, nongovernmental 
                organizations, and media outlets in Central Asia 
                working to build more open societies, to support the 
                victims of human rights abuses, and to expose official 
                corruption;
            (3) increased levels of United States assistance to the 
        governments of the Central Asian nations made possible by their 
        cooperation in the war in Afghanistan can be sustained only if 
        there is substantial and continuing progress towards meeting 
        the goals outlined in paragraph (1).
                                 <all>