[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1500 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1500

   To support democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2007

Mrs. Clinton (for herself, Mr. Feingold, and Mr. Lugar) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To support democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Support for Democracy and Human 
Rights in Zimbabwe Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) When Zimbabwe achieved independence in 1980, its 
        economic and democratic prospects were bright and President 
        Robert Mugabe was hailed as a liberator. However, 27 years 
        later, the economy of Zimbabwe has collapsed as income per 
        capita has fallen below the 1953 level and President Mugabe's 
        Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) 
        government has increasingly and systematically exercised 
        repression of political opposition and engaged in violations of 
        human rights.
            (2) The Department of State's 2006 Country Report on Human 
        Rights Practices states that Zimbabwe's 2002 presidential 
        election and 2005 parliamentary elections were neither free nor 
        fair, and reports that President Mugabe's government interfered 
        with the campaign activities of the opposition, intimidated 
        voters, and distributed food in a partisan manner.
            (3) The Department of State Report also finds that the 
        Government of Zimbabwe continues to--
                    (A) restrict freedom of assembly, movement, and 
                association;
                    (B) forcibly evict civilians from their land; and
                    (C) harass and abuse members of the opposition, the 
                media, the religious community, civil society, and 
                organized labor.
            (4) According to the Freedom House Freedom in the World 
        2007 report, ``In 2006, Zimbabwe suffered from a further 
        deterioration of political rights and civil liberties amid a 
        near-total collapse of the country's economy.''.
            (5) Zimbabwe is a member of the United Nations, the African 
        Union, the Southern African Development Community, the African 
        Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the 
        World Trade Organization, and a party to the Universal 
        Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and 
        Peoples' Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and 
        Political Rights.
            (6) Section 2 of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic 
        Recovery Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-99; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) 
        states, ``It is the policy of the United States to support the 
        people of Zimbabwe in their struggle to effect peaceful, 
        democratic change, achieve broad-based and equitable economic 
        growth, and restore the rule of law.''.
            (7) In 2002 and 2003, the United States imposed financial 
        and immigration sanctions targeted against selected 
        individuals, a ban on the transfer of defense items and 
        services, and a suspension of nonhumanitarian government-to-
        government assistance, although the United States remains one 
        of the leading providers of humanitarian assistance to the 
        people of Zimbabwe.
            (8) The United Nations, the European Union, the United 
        States, human rights organizations, and many others have 
        condemned the security forces of Zimbabwe for the beating, 
        detention, and arrest of opposition and civil society members 
        attending a prayer meeting on March 11, 2007.
            (9) In March 2007, the heads of state of the Southern 
        African Development Community announced that the President of 
        South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, will mediate between President 
        Mugabe and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in 
        advance of the 2008 presidential election, but failed to 
        condemn the Government of Zimbabwe for its human rights abuses 
        and restriction of democratic space.
            (10) On March 30, 2007, it was announced that the ZANU-PF 
        central committee had chosen President Mugabe as the party's 
        candidate for the 2008 election and that the parliamentary 
        elections will also be held in 2008, instead of 2010.
            (11) A Human Rights Watch report released in May 2007 
        concluded, ``Arbitrary arrests, detentions, and brutal beatings 
        by police and security forces skyrocketed in March and April, 
        and continue unabated. . . . The Zimbabwean government is 
        violating the human rights of its citizens with impunity.''.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to support the people of Zimbabwe in their efforts to 
        promote democracy and respect for human rights in Zimbabwe; and
            (2) to call on President Mugabe to immediately restore 
        democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE CRISIS IN ZIMBABWE.

    The following is the sense of Congress:
            (1) The United States welcomes and commends the 
        announcement by the Southern African Development Community that 
        the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, will lead 
        negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties in 
        Zimbabwe to resolve the political and humanitarian crisis in a 
        way that reflects the will of the people of Zimbabwe and 
        respects international standards.
            (2) The creation of a level playing field for those who 
        want to participate in the political process in Zimbabwe and 
        the encouragement of transparency in the political process 
        should be priority objectives in the negotiations.
            (3) All preparations should be made to hold free, fair, and 
        peaceful elections in accordance with international standards, 
        such as the Southern African Development Community 
        Parliamentary Forum Election Norms and Guidelines.
            (4) Cooperation between the United States, regional players 
        in Africa, and the wider international community is an 
        important component of a proactive strategy to support 
        democratic rule and respect for human rights in Zimbabwe.
            (5) Normalized relations with the Government of Zimbabwe 
        are desirable, but until the Government of Zimbabwe promotes 
        democracy and the rule of law, the United States will continue 
        to isolate the Government of Zimbabwe and expand financial and 
        travel sanctions targeted against those responsible for 
        repressing the people of Zimbabwe.
            (6) The United States Permanent Representative to the 
        United Nations should use the voice and vote of the United 
        States in the United Nations Security Council to emphasize the 
        threat to international peace and security posed by the 
        Government of Zimbabwe.

SEC. 5. BRIEFING.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter, the Secretary of State 
shall provide to Congress a briefing on the strategy of the United 
States for engagement with Zimbabwe.
    (b) Content.--The briefing required by subsection (a) shall include 
the following:
            (1) The details of a comprehensive policy of the United 
        States to support the people of Zimbabwe in their efforts to 
        promote democratic rule and respect for human rights in 
        Zimbabwe, including support for free, fair and peaceful 
        elections.
            (2) An assessment of the resources necessary to most 
        effectively enable Zimbabwe to return peacefully to a state of 
        democratic governance, with respect for human rights and the 
        rule of law.
            (3) A diplomatic strategy for engaging and encouraging 
        regional partners in Africa to help facilitate the transition 
        of Zimbabwe to democracy.
            (4) A review of policy options in the event of further 
        deterioration of the situation in Zimbabwe.
            (5) A review of policy options in the event of an 
        improvement in the situation in Zimbabwe.
            (6) Indicators of progress toward democracy and respect for 
        human rights that would allow for the removal of targeted 
        bilateral sanctions on Zimbabwe and strengthened relations with 
        the Government of Zimbabwe.
    (c) Consultation.--The Secretary of State shall, to the extent 
possible, develop the strategy described in subsection (a) in 
consultation with--
            (1) the United Nations;
            (2) the African Union;
            (3) the Southern African Development Community;
            (4) other multilateral organizations; and
            (5) interested States.
    (d) Sunset.--The requirements of this section shall cease to be 
effective after the date that is 3 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, there 
are authorized to be appropriated up to $10,000,000 for the purpose 
described in subsection (b).
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose described in this subsection is to 
support democracy and governance activities in Zimbabwe consistent with 
the provisions of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 
2001 (Public Law 107-99; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note), including through--
            (1) support for free, fair, and peaceful national elections 
        in accordance with international standards;
            (2) support for the capacity of civil society to create 
        nonviolent political space in Zimbabwe; and
            (3) support for programs to defend and protect the human 
        rights of the people of Zimbabwe.
                                 <all>