[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1013 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1013
Condemning the violent suppression of legitimate political dissent and
gross human rights abuses in the Republic of Guinea.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 13, 2010
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Berman, Mr. Payne, and Mr. Smith of
New Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the violent suppression of legitimate political dissent and
gross human rights abuses in the Republic of Guinea.
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 $7,000,000,000 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 aid-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''; and
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: 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 publically announcing the cancellation of China
International Fund's $7,000,000,000 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 Africa 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 to uphold their pledges
to form an inclusive transitional government, refrain from
standing as candidates in the upcoming national elections, 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 and subsequent
political impasse.
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