[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 641 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 641

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      November 4, 2009.
Whereas Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) was founded in 1949 by the 
        National Committee for a Free Europe with the mission to promote 
        democratic values and institutions by broadcasting unbiased and factual 
        information and ideas to audiences behind the communist ``Iron 
        Curtain'', and transmitted its first program to the former 
        Czechoslovakia on July 4, 1950;
Whereas many Central European and Russian leaders, including Vaclav Havel of the 
        Czech Republic, and the late Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation, 
        have testified to the important role RFE/RL broadcasts played in ending 
        the Cold War;
Whereas the former President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, nominated RFE/RL for the 
        Nobel Peace Prize in 1991;
Whereas Nobel laureate and former President of Poland, Lech Walesa, testified to 
        the role played by RFE/RL in Poland's struggle for freedom when he 
        stated that its influence ``cannot even be described. Would there be 
        earth without the sun?'';
Whereas RFE/RL programs were so comprehensive that communist authorities relied 
        on secret transcripts of the broadcasts for information they could not 
        obtain from the local media they themselves controlled;
Whereas RFE/RL was subjected to efforts to undermine its operations through 
        offensive actions launched by communist regimes and intended to 
        discredit the broadcasts;
Whereas the Soviet KGB and Warsaw Pact intelligence services penetrated the 
        radio stations with their spies, jailed sources, and even resorted to 
        violence in attempts to intimidate RFE/RL staff;
Whereas RFE/RL Bulgarian Service correspondent Georgi Markov was murdered in 
        London in 1978, evidently by the Bulgarian communist intelligence 
        service;
Whereas the Romanian communist security service detonated a bomb at RFE/RL's 
        headquarters in Munich, West Germany, in 1981, critically injuring six 
        employees;
Whereas today, after having played a significant role in the collapse of 
        communism in the former soviet union, RFE/RL continues to provide news, 
        information, and open discussion of domestic and international issues to 
        countries where free and independent media are not permitted, or are not 
        yet fully established;
Whereas RFE/RL is available via FM, AM, shortwave and satellite radio, and 
        employs a range of newer technologies including SMS text messaging, 
        Facebook, Twitter, and other interactive social media;
Whereas RFE/RL broadcasts in 28 languages to 30 million listeners in Eastern and 
        Southeastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Central 
        and Southwest Asia;
Whereas during the June 2009 presidential election in Iran, RFE/RL's ``Radio 
        Farda'' provided 24 hour news coverage of the post-election protests;
Whereas beginning in 2002, RFE/RL began ``Radio Azadi'', reaching nearly 50 
        percent of the Afghan people in the Pashto and Dari languages and making 
        RFE/RL the largest international broadcaster in Afghanistan;
Whereas in August 2009, RFE/RL's Radio Azadi hosted a historic presidential 
        debate featuring President Hamid Karzai and his two top opponents, the 
        first ever in Afghanistan's to feature an incumbent Afghan President;
Whereas in early 2010, RFE/RL will begin Pashto language broadcasting to the 
        Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, including the Swat Valley, promoting 
        democratic values and institutions by providing the people of the region 
        a source of independent and factual media to compete in the battle of 
        ideas with those radical elements that have disrupted the peace in the 
        Afghan-Pakistan border region;
Whereas RFE/RL employees and freelance journalists are subject to intimidation 
        and oppression by the authorities of regimes in many countries to which 
        RFE/RL broadcasts; and
Whereas RFE/RL has a proven history of promoting freedom and liberty in 
        oppressive and autocratic regimes through news broadcasts based upon the 
        principle that the first requirement of democracy is a well-informed 
        citizenry: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 60th anniversary of the founding of Radio Free 
        Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and honors its contribution to promoting 
        freedom and liberty around the world; and
            (2) commends the employees and reporters of RFE/RL for their 
        commitment to provide fair and unbiased news to people living under 
        oppressive regimes.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.