[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 363 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 363

Expressing profound concern about the growing political, humanitarian, 
and economic crisis in Venezuela and the widespread human rights abuses 
              perpetrated by the Government of Venezuela.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 20, 2017

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing profound concern about the growing political, humanitarian, 
and economic crisis in Venezuela and the widespread human rights abuses 
              perpetrated by the Government of Venezuela.

Whereas the crisis in Venezuela continues to ravage the country and the 
        Venezuelan people suffer from shortages of essential medicines, food, 
        and basic supplies;
Whereas because of the crisis in Venezuela, approximately 1,300,000 people are 
        undernourished and roughly 75 percent of the population has lost an 
        average of 19 pounds since the start of the economic crisis;
Whereas the largest impact of the crisis in Venezuela is felt by children, as 54 
        percent suffer from nutritional deficiencies, according to the 
        nongovernmental organization Caritas;
Whereas public health organizations in Venezuela report that only 38 percent of 
        essential drugs are present in the country and more than 60 of the 
        hospitals in Venezuela no longer have potable water, leading to a rise 
        in chronic diseases, as well as in communicable diseases such as malaria 
        and diphtheria;
Whereas the crisis forces thousands of Venezuelans to leave the country in 
        vulnerable conditions and the number of Venezuelans seeking asylum in 
        2017 was almost double that in 2016, according to the United Nations 
        High Commissioner for Refugees;
Whereas President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly denied the 
        existence of Venezuela's humanitarian crisis and rejected offers of 
        international humanitarian assistance;
Whereas, instead of responding to the needs and demands of its people, the 
        Government of Venezuela has prioritized the consolidation of power, 
        undermined Venezuela's democracy, and engaged in a campaign of 
        repression and human rights abuses;
Whereas the Government of Venezuela curtails freedom of expression, harasses 
        journalists, and limits the ability of the Venezuelan people and the 
        world to learn about the crisis and its effects;
Whereas, starting in April 2017, Venezuelan citizens staged massive, nationwide 
        protests for more than four months in direct opposition to President 
        Maduro's efforts to consolidate power and undermine Venezuela's 
        democracy;
Whereas the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights 
        reports that 124 deaths have been investigated by the Venezuelan 
        Attorney General's Office in connection with the 2017 protests, with at 
        least 46 victims allegedly killed by security forces and 27 more by 
        members of armed pro-government civilian groups, bringing the total 
        number of extrajudicial deaths to 357 between July 2015 and March 2017;
Whereas the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner concluded that there 
        has been widespread and systematic use of excessive force and arbitrary 
        detentions against demonstrators, as well as violent raids of homes, 
        torture, and ill-treatment of those detained in connection with the 
        protests;
Whereas human rights organizations in Venezuela have identified more than 5,000 
        arbitrary detentions between April 1, 2017, and October 31, 2017, and at 
        least 299 political prisoners currently detained;
Whereas Amnesty International documented repeated use of various methods of 
        arbitrary detention, including torture and forced disappearances 
        intended to silence dissidents and limit freedom of expression;
Whereas nongovernmental organizations Human Rights Watch and Foro Penal have 
        documented how Venezuelan security forces have used tactics of torture, 
        involving electric shocks and asphyxiation, against individuals who 
        oppose the Government of Venezuela;
Whereas the Government of Venezuela continues to use the Bolivarian National 
        Guard and National Police to repress and detain protesters and 
        subsequently try them in military courts with at least 198 documented 
        cases against civilians in military courts; and
Whereas, on July 25, 2017, the Organization of American States Secretary General 
        Luis Almagro convened public hearings to review whether the Government 
        of Venezuela has committed crimes against humanity and should be 
        referred to the International Criminal Court: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses its profound concern about the humanitarian 
        impacts of the crisis suffered by the people of Venezuela, 
        including widespread shortages of basic food commodities and 
        essential medicines;
            (2) urges President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro to permit 
        the delivery of international humanitarian assistance;
            (3) calls on the Government of Venezuela to immediately 
        release all political prisoners and to respect internationally 
        recognized human rights;
            (4) calls on the Government of Venezuela to ensure the 
        neutrality and professionalism of all security forces and to 
        respect the Venezuelan people's rights to freedom of expression 
        and assembly;
            (5) supports the Secretary General of the Organization of 
        American States in his review of whether the widespread human 
        rights abuses in Venezuela warrant an investigation by the 
        International Criminal Court; and
            (6) urges the President of the United States to provide 
        full support for OAS efforts in examining the human rights 
        situation in Venezuela and to instruct appropriate Federal 
        agencies to hold officials of the Government of Venezuela 
        accountable for violations of United States law and abuses of 
        internationally recognized human rights.
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