[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 21 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 21

      Urging the Government of the People's Republic of China to 
unconditionally release Liu Xiaobo, together with his wife Liu Xia, to 
 allow them to freely meet with friends, family, and counsel and seek 
                medical treatment wherever they desire.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 29, 2017

   Mr. Rubio (for himself, Mr. Merkley, and Mr. Cruz) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

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                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
      Urging the Government of the People's Republic of China to 
unconditionally release Liu Xiaobo, together with his wife Liu Xia, to 
 allow them to freely meet with friends, family, and counsel and seek 
                medical treatment wherever they desire.

Whereas Liu Xiaobo has inspired untold numbers of people in the People's 
        Republic of China and globally for his courageous stands for democracy, 
        the protection of human rights, and peaceful change in China;
Whereas, on December 9, 2008, a diverse group of more than 300 Chinese scholars, 
        writers, lawyers, and activists issued Charter 08, a manifesto calling 
        on the Chinese Communist Party to abandon authoritarian rule in favor of 
        democracy, the guarantee of human rights, and the rule of law;
Whereas Liu Xiaobo was one of the original drafters of Charter 08 and was taken 
        into custody one day before the manifesto was released;
Whereas, in December 2009, a Beijing court sentenced Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in 
        prison for ``inciting subversion of state power,'' in part for his role 
        in Charter 08;
Whereas, in recognition of Liu Xiaobo's long and non-violent struggle for 
        fundamental human rights in the People's Republic of China, he was 
        awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2010;
Whereas Liu Xiaobo's wife, Liu Xia, has been held in extralegal home confinement 
        since October 2010, 2 weeks after her husband's Nobel Peace Prize award 
        was announced, and has reportedly suffered severe health problems over 
        the years which required hospitalization;
Whereas, in May 2011, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention 
        issued opinions declaring that the Chinese Government's imprisonment of 
        Liu Xiaobo and the detention of Liu Xia both contravened the Universal 
        Declaration of Human Rights;
Whereas Liu Xiaobo was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in May 2017 and 
        granted permission to access medical treatment outside of prison, and is 
        currently hospitalized in China;
Whereas, according to news and family reports, Liu Xiaobo's cancer has 
        metastasized and the Government of the People's Republic of China has 
        refused requests by his family to transfer him to Beijing for medical 
        treatment; and
Whereas Liu Xiaobo currently cannot freely meet with friends and family or seek 
        medical care outside of China: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes Liu Xiaobo for his decades of peaceful 
        struggle for basic human rights and democracy in the People's 
        Republic of China;
            (2) urges the Government of the People's Republic of China 
        to unconditionally release Liu Xiaobo, together with his wife 
        Liu Xia, to allow them to freely meet with friends, family, and 
        counsel and seek medical treatment wherever they desire; and
            (3) urges the President to seek humanitarian transfer from 
        the People's Republic of China for Liu Xiaobo, together with 
        his wife Liu Xia, so that he can seek medical treatment in the 
        United States or elsewhere overseas.
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