[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1013 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 1013

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      January 20, 2010.
Whereas, on December 23, 2008, a military junta calling itself the National 
        Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD) seized power in the 
        Republic of Guinea hours after the death of longtime President Lansana 
        Conte, suspended the national legislature and the constitution, and 
        committed to hold free and fair national elections as part of a 
        ``peaceful transition'' to a civilian-led government;
Whereas delays in electoral preparations and statements by CNDD leader Captain 
        Moussa Dadis Camara that he might run for president, in contravention of 
        earlier commitments that neither he nor any other member of the CNDD 
        would run as a candidate in the elections, provoked increasing public 
        discontent with the junta;
Whereas, on September 28, 2009, tens of thousands of unarmed civilians gathered 
        at a the national soccer stadium in Conakry to protest against the CNDD;
Whereas security forces responded by surrounding the stadium and opening fire 
        with live ammunition on the crowd, reportedly killing over 150 people 
        and injuring over 1,000;
Whereas prominent opposition leaders were then beaten and arrested by soldiers; 
        demonstrators and opposition party members were detained without charge; 
        and at least 60 women were brutally raped, sexually molested, or killed 
        by security forces, many of them in public and in full sight of their 
        commanders;
Whereas an investigation by Human Rights Watch indicates that ``the [stadium] 
        massacre and widespread rape were organized and premeditated'' and that 
        armed forces had attempted to ``hide evidence of the crimes by seizing 
        bodies from the stadium and the city's morgues and burying them in mass 
        graves'';
Whereas the security forces responsible for the violence on September 28, 2009, 
        reportedly included troops from the Presidential Guard and gendarmes 
        working with the State Secretariat for Special Services, both of which 
        answer directly to the presidency;
Whereas, on October 30, 2009, the United Nations Secretary-General announced the 
        appointment of an international commission of inquiry to probe the 
        violence of September 28, 2009;
Whereas the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appointed 
        President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso to mediate between the CNDD, 
        opposition parties, and civil society in an effort to break the current 
        political impasse;
Whereas the African Union, ECOWAS, the European Union, and the United States 
        have imposed targeted sanctions, variously including travel 
        restrictions, financial asset freezes, and an arms embargo, on CNDD 
        members in response to the violent crackdown and perceived CNDD 
        resistance to a democratic transition;
Whereas while others were imposing sanctions against the CNDD, it was announced 
        in October that the China International Fund, a Hong Kong-registered 
        company with ties to Chinese state-owned enterprises and government 
        agencies, has signed a $7 billion deal with the CNDD to develop Guinea's 
        vast mineral resources;
Whereas the CNDD reportedly has imported millions of dollars worth of weapons 
        since the September 28, 2009, crackdown and junta members reportedly are 
        recruiting militias, adding a troubling and potentially explosive ethnic 
        dimension to the crisis;
Whereas targeted political killings reportedly have been carried out in Conakry 
        since September 2009, opposition members continue to face the threat of 
        arrest and violent assault, and the junta has banned all public 
        protests;
Whereas, on December 3, 2009, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara was shot in the head 
        in an apparent assassination attempt by his aide-de-camp Lt. Aboubakar 
        Diakite (Toumba) and flown to Morocco for treatment, prompting analysts 
        to warn of a potential counter coup and a further deterioration of 
        security in Guinea;
Whereas a further deterioration of the political and security situation in 
        Guinea could have catastrophic consequences not only for Guinea, but 
        also for neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone, both of which only 
        recently emerged from deadly, protracted conflicts;
Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has referred to the September 28, 
        2009, crackdown as ``criminality of the greatest degree'', and stated 
        that Guinea's military leaders must recognize ``that they cannot remain 
        in power, that they must turn back to the people the right to choose 
        their own leaders'';
Whereas, on January 6, 2010, interim junta leader General Sekouba Konate invited 
        the opposition in Guinea to select a prime minister in advance of the 
        formation of a transitional government and offered security guarantees 
        to opposition leaders who had fled the country; and
Whereas, on January 15, 2010, the ``Declaration Conjointe de Ouagadougou'' to 
        end the political crisis in Guinea, mediated by Burkina Faso's President 
        Blaise Compaore, was signed by opposition parties and junta leaders, and 
          supported by the International Contact Group on Guinea, provides for 
        the establishment of a government of national unity, led by a consensus 
        Prime Minister, and the holding of presidential elections within six 
        months in order to reestablish the rule of law   and bring peace and 
        stability to the people of Guinea: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the violent suppression of legitimate political dissent 
        and gross human rights abuses, including mass murder and extreme sexual 
        violence, perpetrated by forces under the command of the National 
        Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD) in Guinea and demands that 
        the perpetrators of these crimes be brought to justice;
            (2) expresses grave concern about the further deterioration of 
        security and rule of law in Guinea, particularly with regard to ongoing 
        reports of--
                    (A) harassment of opposition figures, members of civil 
                society, and journalists;
                    (B) rising ethnic tensions;
                    (C) growing cleavages within the CNDD and the military which 
                raise the potential of a violent counter coup;
                    (D) recruitment of militias and other irregular forces from 
                within Guinea and neighboring countries;
                    (E) importation of weapons despite an arms embargo on the 
                region; and
                    (F) uncertainty about the prospects for restoring civilian 
                rule through free, fair, and transparent elections;
            (3) calls on China to cease its material support for the CNDD by 
        publicly announcing the cancellation of the China International Fund's 
        $7 billion minerals and infrastructure deal in Guinea;
            (4) urges all Member States of the United Nations to join the United 
        States, the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU), and the 
        Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to impose sanctions 
        against the regime until constitutional order and rule of law has been 
        restored in Guinea;
            (5) supports the efforts of the ECOWAS and the AU to find a 
        resolution to the current political crisis in Guinea;
            (6) urges the leaders of the CNDD, the Force Vives Coalition, and 
        all parties in Guinea to uphold and abide by the provisions included in 
        the ``Declaration Conjointe de Ouagadougou'' and to facilitate the 
        conduct of free, fair, and transparent elections that meet international 
        standards and reflect the will of the Guinean people; and
            (7) expresses solidarity with the people of Guinea during this time 
        of extreme uncertainty and expresses deep regret for the victims of the 
        September 28, 2009, crackdown.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.