[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 661 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 661

 Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to promote democracy, 
             human rights, and the rule of law in Cambodia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 12, 2017

 Mr. Lowenthal (for himself, Mr. Chabot, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Sherman, Mr. 
    Engel, Mr. Royce of California, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Yoho, and Mr. 
Rohrabacher) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 
   the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to promote democracy, 
             human rights, and the rule of law in Cambodia.

Whereas Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power in Cambodia since 1985 and is 
        the longest-serving leader of a Southeast Asian country;
Whereas the Paris Peace Accords in 1991 provided a vital framework, supported by 
        the international community, to help Cambodia undertake a transition to 
        democracy, including through elections and multiparty government;
Whereas the United States, for more than 25 years, has provided hundreds of 
        millions of dollars in development aid and other types of foreign 
        assistance to the people of Cambodia, funding work in areas such as 
        capacity building for civil society and nongovernmental organizations, 
        global health, and the Khmer Rouge Tribunal;
Whereas despite decades of international attention and assistance to promote a 
        pluralistic, multi-party, democratic system in Cambodia, the Government 
        of Cambodia continues to be undemocratically dominated by the ruling 
        Cambodia People's Party (CPP);
Whereas the leadership of Cambodia's security forces, including all of its top 
        military and police commanders, is part of the core CPP leadership, with 
        seats on the Central Committee of the Politburo of the CPP;
Whereas the CPP controls Cambodia's National Assembly and can pass legislation 
        without any opposition, and has often passed laws to benefit its 
        continued rule and to weaken the capacity of the opposition to challenge 
        it;
Whereas each of the five elections that have taken place in Cambodia since 1991 
        was conducted in circumstances that were neither free nor fair, and was 
        marked by fraud, intimidation, violence, and the misuse of legal 
        mechanisms by the CPP to weaken opposition candidates and parties;
Whereas in 2015, the CPP-controlled National Assembly passed the ``Law on 
        Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations'' (LANGO), giving the 
        Government sweeping powers to revoke the registration of NGOs believed 
        to be operating with a political bias, in a blatant attempt to restrict 
        the legitimate work of civil society;
Whereas since the passage of that law, the Interior Ministry of Cambodia has 
        announced that it was surveilling several civil society organizations 
        and their employees for allegedly aiding Cambodia's main opposition 
        party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP);
Whereas the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican 
        Institute, and other similar nongovernmental organizations that advance 
        democracy and human rights have a long history in Cambodia and respect 
        its unique cultural, historical, and religious differences when 
        promoting policies, engaging local partners, and building capacity for 
        civil society, democracy, and good governance;
Whereas, on April 28, 2016, the Government of Cambodia arrested four senior 
        staff members of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association, 
        as well as a former staff member and official on the National Election 
        Committee, and held them in pre-trial detention for 427 days until they 
        were released on bail in the wake of sustained international pressure;
Whereas the Government of Cambodia arrested activist and women's rights defender 
        Tep Vanny in August 2016 and has kept her in prison for over a year;
Whereas the prominent Cambodian political commentator Kem Ley was assassinated 
        on July 10, 2016, five days after a senior Cambodian general publicly 
        called on the Cambodian Armed Forces to ``eliminate and dispose of'' 
        anyone ``fomenting social turmoil'' in Cambodia;
Whereas Kem Ley had been a frequent critic of Prime Minister Hun Sen, fueling 
        concerns that his killing was politically motivated and ordered by 
        higher authorities;
Whereas, on August 23, 2017, Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered the 
        closure of the National Democratic Institute and the expulsion of its 
        foreign staff on allegations that it had violated the LANGO and was 
        conspiring against Prime Minister Hun Sen;
Whereas Kem Sokha, the President of CNRP, was arrested on September 3, 2017, on 
        false charges of treason and conspiring with the United States 
        Government to overthrow the Government of Cambodia, and would face up to 
        30 years in prison if convicted;
Whereas the United States Embassy in Cambodia has publicly called for the 
        immediate release of Kem Sokha and the removal of restrictions on civil 
        society;
Whereas, on September 15, 2017, Prime Minister Hun Sen called for the withdrawal 
        of all volunteers from the United States Peace Corps, which has operated 
        in Cambodia since 2006 with 500 United States volunteers providing 
        English language and healthcare training;
Whereas the CNRP's previous leader, Sam Rainsy, remains in exile due to an 
        outstanding warrant for his arrest in a politically motivated criminal 
        case;
Whereas the Government of Cambodia has taken several measures to restrict the 
        media, especially through politicized tax investigations against 
        independent media outlets that have resulted in the closure of The 
        Cambodian Daily and Radio Free Asia in early September 2017;
Whereas the Government of Cambodia has ordered several radio stations to stop 
        the broadcasting of Radio Free Asia and Voice of America;
Whereas, on October 16, 2017, the Cambodian National Assembly passed two 
        repressive amendments to Cambodia's ``Law on Political Parties'' that 
        allow authorities to dissolve political parties and ban party leaders 
        from political activity, and which contain numerous restrictions 
        tailored to create obstacles for opposition parties in an attempt to 
        maintain the CPP's hold on power;
Whereas, on November 15, 2017, Cambodia's Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP, 
        resulting in the expulsion of more than 100 CNRP party members from 
        politics for 5 years, including the 55 elected CNRP members in the 123-
        seat National Assembly;
Whereas the next general election in Cambodia is scheduled for July 29, 2018, 
        and the CPP continues to use intimidation and misuse legal mechanisms to 
        weaken political opposition and media organizations in order to retain 
        its power;
Whereas Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened more than 5,000 commune councilors and 
        chiefs aligned with the CNRP with the loss of their jobs unless they 
        defected and joined the CPP;
Whereas Human Rights Watch reported that local elections held in Cambodia on 
        June 4, 2017, took place in a ``threatening environment hostile to free 
        speech and genuine political participation, leading to elections that 
        were neither free nor fair'';
Whereas international election-monitoring groups reported fundamental flaws in 
        the electoral process and violations of Cambodia's election campaign 
        rules during June's local election;
Whereas the Interior Ministry of Cambodia demanded that two election-monitoring 
        organizations cease their activities just months after the local 
        elections, for allegedly violating the LANGO, allowing the CPP to 
        continue to increase restrictions on election monitoring as the 2018 
        national elections approach;
Whereas, on November 16, 2017, President Trump determined that next year's 
        national elections in Cambodia will not be free and fair and announced 
        his intention to terminate support for the Cambodian National Election 
        Committee and its administration of the election;
Whereas despite irregularities in the electoral process, the CNRP made 
        significant gains in local elections compared to previous cycles, making 
        clear that the national elections in 2018, if they are conducted freely 
        and fairly, would be competitive; and
Whereas the Cambodian national elections in 2018 should be closely watched to 
        ensure openness and fairness and to monitor whether all political 
        parties and civil society groups are allowed to freely participate: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
        promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in 
        Cambodia;
            (2) condemns all forms of political violence in Cambodia 
        and urges the cessation of ongoing human rights violations;
            (3) supports the decision announced by the Secretary of 
        State on December 6, 2017, to restrict entry to the United 
        States for individuals involved in undermining democracy in 
        Cambodia;
            (4) urges the President, acting through the Secretary of 
        the Treasury and in consultation with the Secretary of State, 
        to consider placing all senior Cambodian government officials 
        implicated in the abuses described in the preamble to this 
        resolution on the List of Specially Designated Nationals 
        maintained by the Office of Foreign Asset Control of the 
        Department of the Treasury under existing sanctions 
        authorities;
            (5) urges Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People's 
        Party to end all harassment and intimidation of Cambodia's 
        opposition and foster a political environment where democracy 
        can thrive and flourish;
            (6) urges the Government of Cambodia to free Kem Sokha 
        immediately and unconditionally;
            (7) urges the Government of Cambodia to recognize the 
        legitimacy of the Cambodia National Rescue Party and the CNRP 
        members, including by reinstating the 55 CNRP officials elected 
        to the National Assembly;
            (8) calls on the Government of Cambodia to respect the 
        freedom of the press and the rights of its citizens to freely 
        assemble, protest, and speak out against the government; and
            (9) supports efforts toward electoral reforms in Cambodia 
        to ensure free and fair elections in 2018 monitored by 
        international observers.
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