[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 837 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 837

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      December 8, 2021.
Whereas, on November 2, 2021, 3-time Olympian Peng Shuai went missing after she 
        said in a since-deleted post on Chinese social media site Weibo that she 
        had been sexually assaulted and forced into a sexual relationship with 
        Zhang Gaoli, who was the senior Vice Premier of the State Council of the 
        People's Republic of China (PRC) from 2013 to 2018;
Whereas PRC authorities have imposed a media and internet blackout of 
        discussions of Peng's case, and the words ``tennis'' and the surname 
        ``Peng'' have been censored online within China;
Whereas, on November 14, 2021, after Peng had not been seen or heard from for 12 
        days, Women's Tennis Association (WTA) CEO Steve Simon requested a 
        ``full and transparent'' investigation into Peng's allegations;
Whereas the hashtag ``#WhereIsPengShuai'' trended across social media worldwide, 
        with the exception of the PRC where it is censored;
Whereas, on November 17, 2021, the WTA received a statement purporting to be 
        from Peng, recanting her abuse claim and saying ``everything is fine'';
Whereas in response, WTA CEO Steve Simon said the response ``released today by 
        Chinese state media concerning Peng Shuai only raises my concerns as to 
        her safety and whereabouts'';
Whereas in response, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a 
        statement that it was ``encouraged by assurance that she is safe'';
Whereas, on November 19 and 20, 2021, photos and videos of Peng appearing in her 
        home, in a restaurant, and at a youth tennis event in Beijing emerged on 
        Twitter accounts affiliated with government-run media, and at the same 
        time, Peng has not spoken directly with the media or the WTA;
Whereas, on November 19, 2021, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the 
        White House is ``deeply concerned'' over Peng's disappearance and seeks 
        ``independent and verifiable proof'' of her location and condition;
Whereas, on November 19, 2021, Liz Throssell, the spokesperson of the United 
        Nations Human Rights office, told reporters ``. . .it would be important 
        to have proof of her whereabouts and wellbeing, and we would urge that 
        there be an investigation with full transparency into her allegations of 
        sexual assault'';
Whereas, on November 21, 2021, the IOC said in a statement that its President, 
        Thomas Bach, had a 30-minute video call with 3-time Olympian Peng Shuai, 
        joined by a Chinese sports official and an IOC official;
Whereas the statement said that, during the call, Peng appeared to be ``doing 
        fine'' and ``relaxed'', and said she ``would like to have her privacy 
        respected'';
Whereas the IOC did not explain how the video call with Peng had been organized, 
        given the difficulties other concerned parties have had reaching her;
Whereas, on November 30, 2021, IOC official Dick Pound in an interview with CNN 
        defended the Chinese Government's handling of the situation and said the 
        ``unanimous conclusion'' by IOC officials on the call is that Peng Shuai 
        is ``fine'';
Whereas the annual report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China for 
        2020 finds that gender-based violence in China remains a serious issue, 
        and highly publicized cases of sexual assault continue to surface;
Whereas, on December 1, 2021, the WTA suspended all WTA tournaments in China and 
        Hong Kong;
Whereas WTA chairman Steve Simon stated, ``In good conscience, I don't see how I 
        can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to 
        communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her 
        allegation of sexual assault. Given the current state of affairs, I am 
        also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff 
        could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022.'';
Whereas the PRC has repeatedly detained ``#MeToo'' activists in China and 
        censored online and public discussion around sexual assault and 
        harassment; and
Whereas athletes from the around the world are headed to Beijing for the Olympic 
        games starting in February 2022: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
            (1) the case of Peng Shuai is directly related to broader 
        international concerns around the freedom of speech and safety of 
        athletes participating in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing;
            (2) the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) role in legitimizing 
        the People's Republic of China's (PRC) claims about Peng's safety raise 
        questions about the organization's ability and willingness to protect 
        the rights of athletes participating in the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic 
        games in Beijing;
            (3) the PRC would help reduce concerns about athlete safety at the 
        Beijing Olympics by assuring Peng's freedom and safety and investigating 
        her allegations in a fair and transparent manner;
            (4) the PRC should immediately take steps to--
                    (A) provide independent and verifiable proof of Peng's 
                whereabouts and that she is safe;
                    (B) allow Peng to engage directly with the WTA and the 
                United Nations to independently verify her safety and explain 
                her absence from public life since making her allegation;
                    (C) open an independent and transparent investigation into 
                Peng's allegations against former senior Vice Premier Zhang 
                Gaoli;
                    (D) publicly commit to hold sexual violence abusers 
                accountable;
                    (E) cease all censorship of reporting and discussions of 
                Peng's case; and
                    (F) allow Peng to leave China if she so desires, and prevent 
                any retaliation against family members remaining there;
            (5) by acquiescing to the Chinese Communist Party's narrative, the 
        IOC failed to adhere to its own human rights commitments and protect the 
        safety and free speech of Olympic athletes;
            (6) the IOC's conduct has undermined the efforts by the United 
        States Government, human rights organizations, the Women's Tennis 
        Association, and other international bodies and individuals to secure 
        Peng's safety; and
            (7) in an effort to regain lost public confidence, the IOC should 
        publicly call on the Government of the PRC to undertake the actions 
        called for in paragraph (4).
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.