[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 207 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 207
Recognizing threats to freedom of the press and expression around the
world and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority in efforts of
the United States Government to promote democracy and good governance.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 22, 2015
Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing threats to freedom of the press and expression around the
world and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority in efforts of
the United States Government to promote democracy and good governance.
Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
adopted at Paris December 10, 1948, states that ``everyone has the right
to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to
hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers'';
Whereas, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed May 3 of each
year as ``World Press Freedom Day'' to celebrate the fundamental
principles of freedom of the press, to evaluate freedom of the press
around the world, to defend the media from attacks on its independence,
and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the
exercise of their profession;
Whereas, on December 18, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a
resolution (A/RES/68/163) on the safety of journalists and the issue of
impunity, which unequivocally condemns all attacks and violence against
journalists and media workers, including torture, extrajudicial
killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, and intimidation
and harassment in both conflict and non-conflict situations;
Whereas 2015 is the 22nd anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, which focuses
on the theme ``Let Journalism Thrive! Towards Better Reporting, Gender
Equality, and Media Safety in the Digital Age'';
Whereas the 2015 World Press Freedom prize was awarded to Syrian journalist and
human rights activist Mazen Darwish, who remains imprisoned by the Assad
regime;
Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-166;
22 U.S.C. 2151 note), which was passed by unanimous consent in the
Senate and signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, expanded
the examination of freedom of the press around the world in the annual
human rights report of the Department of State;
Whereas, according to Freedom House, only approximately 14 percent of the
world's inhabitants--or one in seven people--live in countries with a
press ranked as ``Free'' by Freedom House;
Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, 69 journalists and 19 citizen
journalists were killed in 2014 in connection with their collection and
dissemination of news and information;
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the 3 deadliest
countries for journalists on assignment in 2014 were Syria, Ukraine, and
Iraq;
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 40 percent
of the journalists killed in 2014 were targeted for murder and 31
percent of journalists murdered reported receiving threats first;
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 650 journalists have
been killed between 1992 and April 2015 without the perpetrators of such
crimes facing punishment;
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the 5 countries with
the highest number of journalist murders that go unpunished, measured
from 2004 to 2014, are Iraq, Somalia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and
Syria;
Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, 853 journalists and 122 citizen
journalists were arrested in 2014;
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 221 journalists
worldwide were in prison as of December 1, 2014;
Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, the 5 countries with the
highest number of journalists in prison as of December 8, 2014, were
China, Eritrea, Iran, Egypt, and Syria;
Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders' 2015 World Press Freedom Index,
Eritrea, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Syria, and China ranked lowest
according to a range of criteria that include ``media pluralism and
independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists, and the
legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the
media operate'';
Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2014 Syria was
the world's deadliest country for journalists for the third year in a
row;
Whereas, according to the International Federation of Journalists, more than 40
journalists and media staff have been killed since January 2015;
Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, the Government of the Russian
Federation continued to intensify its pressure on the media to bring
independent news outlets under control or be throttled out of existence;
Whereas Freedom House has cited a deteriorating environment for Internet freedom
around the world and ranked Iran, Syria, China, Cuba, and Ethiopia as
``Not Free'' and having the worst obstacles to access, limits on
content, and violations of user rights among the 65 countries and
territories rated by Freedom House in 2014;
Whereas freedom of the press is absolutely essential to the creation and
maintenance of free and open societies and a key component of democratic
governance, the activism of civil society, and socioeconomic
development; and
Whereas freedom of the press enhances public accountability, transparency, and
participation: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commemorates World Press Freedom Day by commending
journalists like Mazen Darwish and others around the world for
the vital role they play in supporting open and democratic
societies, promoting government accountability, and
strengthening civil society;
(2) expresses concern about the threats to freedom of the
press and expression around the world, and pays tribute to
journalists who have lost their lives carrying out their work;
(3) pays tribute to the journalists who have lost their
lives carrying out their work;
(4) calls on governments abroad to implement United Nations
General Assembly Resolution (A/RES/68/163), by thoroughly
investigating and seeking to resolve outstanding cases of
violence against journalists, including murders and
kidnappings, while ensuring the protection of witnesses;
(5) condemns all actions around the world that suppress
freedom of the press, including: the brutal murders of
journalists by the terrorist group ISIS, violent attacks
against media outlets like the French satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo, and kidnappings of journalists and media workers
in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian militant groups;
(6) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the press to
efforts by the United States Government to support democracy,
mitigate conflict, and promote good governance domestically and
around the world; and
(7) calls on the President and the Secretary of State--
(A) to improve the means by which the United States
Government rapidly identifies, publicizes, and responds
to threats against freedom of the press around the
world;
(B) to urge foreign governments to transparently
investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of
attacks against journalists; and
(C) to highlight the issue of threats against
freedom of the press year-round.
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