[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 724 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 724

     Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the practice of 
   politically motivated imprisonment of women around the world and 
   calling on governments for the immediate release of women who are 
                          political prisoners.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 24, 2020

Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. 
 Kaine) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the practice of 
   politically motivated imprisonment of women around the world and 
   calling on governments for the immediate release of women who are 
                          political prisoners.

Whereas Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees the 
        right to liberty and security of person, Article 9 protects against 
        arbitrary arrest or detention, and Article 18 guarantees the right to 
        freedom of thought, conscience, and religion;
Whereas women across the world face enormous risks to advance human rights and 
        pursue progress for their communities, including--

    (1) discriminatory policies and attitudes;

    (2) repressive governments;

    (3) abusive authorities; and

    (4) critical threats to their health, especially amid the COVID-19 
pandemic;

Whereas women activists across the world are being unjustly detained in order to 
        silence their voices and end their activism;
Whereas women journalists are being unjustly detained for speaking truth to 
        power and exposing corruption and abuses by governments and other 
        authorities;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic presents a severe threat to women who are detained 
        unjustly and who are often housed in overcrowded prisons with limited 
        access to medical care, which can convert unjust prison sentences into 
        death sentences for vulnerable detained women;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has waged a brutal campaign to suppress 
        political dissent and vibrant ethnic minority communities;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has suppressed and detained human rights 
        legal professionals, including Li Yuhan, who has been severely 
        mistreated in detention and who went on a hunger strike in 2018;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has subjected Uyghurs in Xinjiang to mass 
        surveillance, forced labor, forced birth control, forced sterilization, 
        and extrajudicial internment, including--

    (1) Rahile Dawut, a professor of traditional Uyghur culture;

    (2) Gulmira Imin, a former website administrator and government 
employee; and

    (3) Nigare Abdushukur, who was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment after 
inquiring about her mother's detention;

Whereas the People's Republic of China has targeted Tibetans for celebrating 
        their heritage, including--

    (1) Bonkho Kyi, who was detained for organizing a picnic celebration 
for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday; and

    (2) Yeshe Choedron, who was sentenced in 2008 to 15 years imprisonment 
after participating in protests;

Whereas in Iran, human rights defenders have been steadfast in their advocacy 
        despite repeated abuse and arrest by authorities, including currently 
        detained human rights activists--

    (1) Nasrin Sotoudeh, who spoke out against the death penalty and laws 
forcing women to wear hijabs and who is currently on a hunger strike and is 
in critical condition;

    (2) Atena Daemi, a human rights activist who is serving an additional 2 
years in prison and facing 74 lashes for participating in a peaceful sit-in 
protest in Evin prison; and

    (3) Narges Mohammadi, vice president of the Centre for Human Rights 
Defenders, who has experienced severe health conditions and lung disease 
while in prison and has suffered from worsening COVID-19 symptoms since 
June 29, 2020;

Whereas Iranian authorities have also recently arrested and imprisoned 
        environmentalists working for the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, 
        including Sepideh Kashami and McGill University graduate Niloufar 
        Bayani, who previously worked for the United Nations Environment 
        Programme;
Whereas Turkey is the world's second worst jailer of journalists, with 47 
        journalists imprisoned in 2019, including--

    (1) Hatice Duman, owner and editor at Atilim, which published 
editorials condemning President Erdogan's policies; and

    (2) Aysenur Parildak and Hanim Busra Erdal, journalists for Zaman, 
which authorities claim has ties to Fethulaah Gulen;

Whereas in Egypt, President Sisi has attempted to quash dissent by jailing and 
        abusing human rights defenders, including--

    (1) Mahienour el-Masry, a human rights lawyer accused of spreading 
``false news'';

    (2) Esraa Abdel Fattah, a human rights activist and reporter who was 
reportedly beaten, hung from handcuffs, and choked with her clothes by 
authorities; and

    (3) Sanaa Seif, who was detained while filing a complaint at the Public 
Prosecutor's office regarding her assault outside Cairo's Tora prison, 
which houses her brother, who is a political activist;

Whereas Burundian authorities arrested and convicted 4 journalists at Iwacu, 
        Burundi's last remaining independent newspaper, including Christine 
        Kamikazi and Agnes Ndirubusa, after a flawed trial, for allegedly 
        attempting to undermine state security;
Whereas Saudi Arabian women's rights and human rights activists Loujain al-
        Hathloul, Nassima al-Sada, Samar Badawi, Nouf Abdualziz, and Maya'a al-
        Zahrani all remain wrongfully imprisoned;
Whereas in the Philippines, Senator Leila de Lima remains unjustly imprisoned 
        for her vocal criticism of extrajudicial killings carried out during 
        President Duterte's ``war on drugs'';
Whereas in Eritrea, political dissident Aster Fissehatsion has been held 
        incommunicado without charge or trial since 2001:
Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports women who are being unjustly detained around 
        the world;
            (2) affirms that a government should never detain its 
        citizens for exercising the rights of freedom of assembly, 
        association, and speech;
            (3) calls on governments that are unjustly detaining women 
        for exercising their fundamental rights to immediately and 
        unconditionally release these political prisoners; and
            (4) urges the United States Government, in all its 
        interactions with foreign governments--
                    (A) to raise individual cases of women political 
                prisoners; and
                    (B) press for their immediate release.
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