[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 616 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 616

   Expressing support for the people of Afghanistan, condemning the 
Taliban's assault on human rights and the specific targeting of women, 
 girls, and members of religious and ethnic minorities, and expressing 
 support for any Afghans who assisted in the United States mission in 
                              Afghanistan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2023

Mr. Crow (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Ms. Wild, and Mr. 
 Waltz) 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


 
   Expressing support for the people of Afghanistan, condemning the 
Taliban's assault on human rights and the specific targeting of women, 
 girls, and members of religious and ethnic minorities, and expressing 
 support for any Afghans who assisted in the United States mission in 
                              Afghanistan.

Whereas, upon returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have become one of 
        the world's most repressive organizations, depriving the Afghans of 
        their enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms and rolling 
        back the rights of women, girls, and members of vulnerable communities;
Whereas the Taliban have placed severe restrictions on women and girls, limiting 
        their travel, access to education, and livelihoods;
Whereas, in March 2022, Emir Hibatullah Akhundzada canceled plans to reopen 
        girls' secondary schools, and in December 2022, the Taliban-run Ministry 
        of Higher Education suspended women from attending public and private 
        universities, and in January 2023, barred them from private universities 
        altogether;
Whereas the Taliban ordered all local and international nongovernmental 
        organizations to dismiss their female employees or risk revocation of 
        their licenses, with some exceptions for women working in health and 
        education;
Whereas the Taliban have used unjust force against Afghans participating in 
        demonstrations in support of women and girls, including through the use 
        of water cannons and beatings, and protesters have faced other serious 
        physical abuses;
Whereas the Taliban continue to engage in gross human rights abuses including 
        unjust detentions, disappearances and abductions, physical abuses, 
        summary killings, collective punishment, and profiling and surveilling 
        members of ethnic, tribal, and religious groups perceived as holding 
        anti-Taliban views;
Whereas the Taliban have placed severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, 
        including for members of the press, peaceful assembly, and association, 
        and have targeted members of the media, human rights defenders, and 
        civil society activists through harassment, interference, surveillance, 
        intimidation, detention, and violence;
Whereas many Hazaras, Sufis, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and 
        members of other religious minority groups face repeated harassment, 
        detention, violence, and other egregious abuses of religious freedom due 
        to their beliefs since the Taliban reimposed their strict interpretation 
        of Sunni Islam on Afghanistan;
Whereas the Taliban and Islamic State in the Khorasan Province have forcibly 
        displaced a large number of Hazara families from their homes and 
        ancestral lands as a form of collective punishment and targeted this 
        community in violent attacks;
Whereas summary killings and disappearances have taken place despite the 
        Taliban's announced amnesty for former government and military 
        officials;
Whereas terrorist groups, including the Islamic State in the Khorasan Province, 
        continue to destabilize Afghanistan, use the country to launch external 
        threats, and present an enduring threat to nations around the globe;
Whereas it is in the global interest to prevent the growth of terrorist 
        organizations operating in Afghanistan by addressing the human rights 
        degradation and internal oppression that have the potential to fuel 
        external aggression;
Whereas the restrictive policies of the Taliban have undermined human rights and 
        exacerbated the ongoing financial and humanitarian crisis, contributing 
        to an unstable operating environment for humanitarian relief with 
        continued interference and violence against aid workers;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that 28,000,000 people, or two-thirds of 
        the Afghan population, need humanitarian assistance in 2023 and an 
        estimated 19,900,000 Afghans are experiencing acute food insecurity;
Whereas the United States supported efforts to build democracy, promote rights 
        for women and girls, and strengthen the rule of law in Afghanistan 
        through diplomatic, military, and humanitarian efforts for over 20 
        years; and
Whereas the United States remains committed to supporting the Afghan people 
        through their struggle for democracy and human rights: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the Taliban's ongoing human rights abuses 
        against women and girls, members of religious and ethnic 
        minorities, civil society leaders and activists, humanitarian 
        workers, and journalists, among members of other vulnerable 
        groups in Afghanistan, and calls for the group to halt any 
        further acts of violence and repression against the Afghan 
        people;
            (2) encourages the Secretary of State, as appropriate, to 
        consider determining whether the Taliban have committed crimes 
        against humanity in connection with their treatment of women 
        and girls in Afghanistan; and
            (3) encourages the United States Government to work with 
        our allies and partners, including the United Nations and 
        multilateral partners, to develop a comprehensive, long-term 
        strategy to--
                    (A) counter a resurgence of increased violence 
                against human rights defenders in Afghanistan, 
                especially against those who defend the rights of women 
                and girls, held political office in the Islamic 
                Republic of Afghanistan, were involved in the peace 
                processes, or are otherwise in the public eye;
                    (B) support human rights defenders, especially 
                those who defend the rights of women and girls and the 
                aspirations of the Afghan people for a democratic 
                future based on the respect for human rights, good 
                governance, and the rule of law;
                    (C) support the Afghan people in their struggle for 
                survival, human rights, and democracy;
                    (D) support the comprehensive documentation of 
                human rights abuses committed by the Taliban since the 
                group's takeover of the country in August 2021;
                    (E) hold the Taliban to account for its human 
                rights abuses;
                    (F) expedite processing and evacuation of Afghan 
                Priority 1 (P-1), Priority 2 (P-2), and Special 
                Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants for refugee 
                resettlement; and
                    (G) counter terrorist organizations in Afghanistan 
                including through the use of over-the-horizon 
                capabilities.
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