[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 20, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4773-S4775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING CONCERN FOR THE CONTINUED DETERIORATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN 
                              AFGHANISTAN

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar No. 50, Senate 
Concurrent Resolution 6.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 6) expressing concern 
     for the continued deterioration of human rights in 
     Afghanistan and emphasizing the need for a peaceful political 
     settlement in that country.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the concurrent resolution?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on 
Foreign Relations, with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble:
  (The parts of the resolution intended to be stricken are shown in 
boldface brackets and the parts of the resolution intended to be 
inserted are shown in italic.)

                             S. Con. Res. 6

       [Whereas Congress recognizes that the legacy of civil 
     conflict in Afghanistan during the last 17 years has had a 
     devastating effect on the civilian population in that country 
     and a particularly negative impact on the rights and security 
     of women and girls;
       [Whereas the longstanding civil conflict in Afghanistan 
     among the warring political and military factions has created 
     an environment where the rights of women and girls are 
     routinely violated;
       [Whereas the Afghan forces led by Burhanuddin Rabbani and 
     Abdul Rashid Dostum are responsible for numerous abhorrent 
     human rights abuses, including the rape, sexual abuse, 
     torture, abduction, and persecution of women and girls;
       [Whereas Congress is disturbed by the upsurge of reported 
     human rights abuses, including extreme restrictions placed on

[[Page S4774]]

     women and girls, since the Taliban coalition seized the 
     capital city of Kabul;
       [Whereas Afghanistan is a sovereign nation and must work to 
     solve its internal disputes; and
       [Whereas Afghanistan and the United States recognize 
     international human rights conventions, such as the 
     International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural 
     Rights, which espouse respect for basic human rights of all 
     individuals without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, or 
     gender: Now, therefore, be it]
       Whereas Congress recognizes that the legacy of civil 
     conflict in Afghanistan during the last 17 years has had a 
     devastating effect on the civilian population in that 
     country, killing 2,000,000 people and displacing more than 
     7,000,000, and has had a particularly negative impact on the 
     rights and security of women and girls;
       Whereas the Department of State's Country Reports on Human 
     Practices for 1996 states: ``Serious human rights violations 
     continue to occur[...] political killings, torture, rape, 
     arbitrary detention, looting, abductions and kidnappings for 
     ransom were committed by armed units, local commanders and 
     rogue individuals.'';
       Whereas the Afghan forces affiliated with Burhanuddin 
     Rabbani and Abdul Rashid Dostum are responsible for numerous 
     abhorrent human rights abuses, including the rape, sexual 
     abuse, torture, abduction, and persecution of women and 
     girls;
       Whereas Congress is disturbed by the upsurge of reported 
     human rights abuses in Taliban-controlled territory, 
     including extreme restrictions placed on women and girls;
       Whereas the Taliban have provided safe haven to suspected 
     terrorists and may be allowing terrorist training camps to 
     operate in territory under its control;
       Whereas Afghanistan is a sovereign nation and must work to 
     solve its internal disputes; and
       Whereas Afghanistan and the United States recognize 
     international human rights conventions, such as the Universal 
     Declaration on Human Rights, which espouse respect for basic 
     human rights of all individuals without regard to race, 
     religion, ethnicity, or gender: Now therefore, be it.
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), [That (a) Congress hereby--
       [(1) deplores the violations of international humanitarian 
     law by the Taliban coalition in Afghanistan and raises 
     concern over the reported cases of stoning, public 
     executions, and street beatings;
       [(2) condemns the Taliban's targeted discrimination against 
     women and girls and expresses deep concern regarding the 
     prohibition of employment and education for women and girls;
       [(3) takes note of the recent armed conflict in Kabul, 
     affirms the need for peace negotiations and expresses hope 
     that the Afghan parties will agree to a cease-fire throughout 
     the country.
       [(b) It is the sense of Congress that the President 
     should--
       [(1) continue to monitor the human rights situation in 
     Afghanistan and should call for an end to discrimination 
     against women and girls in Afghanistan and for adherence by 
     all factions in Afghanistan to international humanitarian 
     law;
       [(2) review United States policy with respect to 
     Afghanistan if the Taliban coalition and others do not cease 
     immediately the harassment and other discriminatory practices 
     against women and girls;
       [(3) encourage efforts to procure a durable peace in 
     Afghanistan and should support the United Nations Special 
     Mission to Afghanistan led by Norbert Holl to assist in 
     brokering a peaceful resolution to years of conflict;
       [(4) call upon the Government of Pakistan to use its good 
     offices with the Taliban to reverse the Taliban's restrictive 
     and discriminatory policies against women and girls;
       [(5) call upon other nations to cease providing financial 
     assistance, arms, and other kinds of support to the 
     militaries or political organizations of any of the warring 
     factions in Afghanistan.
       [Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy 
     of this concurrent resolution to the President with the 
     request that he further transmit such copy to the United 
     Nations and relevant parties in Afghanistan.]
       That (a) Congress hereby--
       (1) deplores the violations of international humanitarian 
     law by the Taliban coalition in Afghanistan and raises 
     concern over the reported cases of stoning, public 
     executions, and street beatings;
       (2) condemns the Taliban's targeted discrimination against 
     women and girls and expresses deep concern regarding the 
     prohibition of employment and education for women and girls;
       (3) urges the Taliban and all other parties in Afghanistan 
     to cease providing safe haven to suspected terrorists or 
     permitting Afghan territory to be used for terrorist 
     training; and
       (4) takes note of the continued armed conflict in 
     Afghanistan, affirms the need for peace negotiations and 
     expresses hope that the Afghan parties will agree to a cease-
     fire throughout the country.
       (b) It is the sense of Congress that the President should--
       (1) continue to monitor the human rights situation in 
     Afghanistan and should call for adherence by all factions in 
     Afghanistan to international humanitarian law;
       (2) call for an end to the systematic discrimination and 
     harassment of women and girls in Afghanistan;
       (3) encourage efforts to procure a durable peace in 
     Afghanistan and should support the United Nations Special 
     Mission to Afghanistan led by Norbert Holl to assist in 
     brokering a peaceful resolution to years of conflict;
       (4) call upon the Government of Pakistan to use its good 
     offices with the Taliban to cease human rights violations, 
     end provision of safe haven to terrorists and terrorist 
     training camps, and reverse discriminatory policies against 
     women and girls; and
       (5) call upon other nations to cease providing financial 
     assistance, arms, and other kinds of support to the 
     militaries or political organizations of any of the warring 
     factions in Afghanistan;
       (6) undertake a review of United States policy toward 
     Afghanistan.
       Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy 
     of this concurrent resolution to the President with the 
     request that he further transmit such copy to the United 
     Nations and relevant parties in Afghanistan.

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote 
for Senate Concurrent Resolution 6--a resolution disapproving the 
alarming human rights conditions in Afghanistan and highlighting the 
deleterious effects increased political strife has had on Afghan women 
and girls.
  Intensification of armed hostilities and the proliferation of human 
rights abuses have characterized Afghanistan for too long. In both the 
countryside and in urban areas nearly two decades of civil conflict and 
chaos have wreaked havoc and disaster on innocent Afghan civilians. 
And, unfortunately the likelihood of peace for Afghans seems to grow 
dimmer with each new political development.
  After successfully ousting the Soviet military in 1992, foreign 
threats to peace were almost immediately replaced by civil threats. 
Rivalries among political and military Afghan intensified the civil 
turmoil. Regional conflicts reached a new level of severity in 
September 1996, after the Taliban coalition seized the capital city of 
Kabul.
  Upon seizure of Kabul and approximately two-thirds of Afghanistan, 
the Taliban imposed extreme restrictions on civilians including banning 
music and books, and specifically prohibiting women and girls from 
working or attending school. Penalties for those who do not observe the 
Taliban's strict code of conduct have been extreme ranging from verbal 
abuse, street beatings, amputations, to death. Western journalists were 
quick to report the upsurge of human rights abuses, writing about the 
summary justice used to punish Afghans, and the unusually brutal 
methods by which the Taliban killed Mr. Najibullah the former 
President. Amnesty International and other non-governmental 
organizations reported on the severity of the human rights situation in 
Afghanistan and urged greater international attention. The United 
Nations created a special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan to 
monitor the situation more closely.
  Among all the accounts of human rights abuses in Afghanistan what has 
been particularly disturbing to me is the treatment of women and girls. 
Though under the Taliban women are no longer treated as spoils of war, 
women and girls have been subjected to a series of extreme restrictions 
including the prohibition to work, attend school, or leave one's home 
during the day. Without the ability to work, mothers, many widowed due 
to armed conflict, have no means to support their families. Without the 
ability to leave their homes to buy food, clothing, attain medical 
attention, women are unable to care for themselves and their families. 
Without education, girls are not being taught how to read or write--
basic skills necessary for adulthood. The conditions under which Afghan 
women and girls live is unacceptable, and I can think of no reasonable 
justification for such circumstances.
  Taliban leaders have been quick to point out in their defense that 
other political and military factions have committed numerous other 
human rights abuses. The Taliban is right to point this out. And while 
it is true that, none of the political factions vying for power in 
Afghanistan have thus far demonstrated a commitment to uphold 
international standards of human rights or decency. This does not 
diminish the gravity of those abuses committed by the Taliban, or the 
obligation of the international community to speak out against such 
abuses.
  The need for peace in Afghanistan is clear, but it is equally clear 
that peace

[[Page S4775]]

will not be sustainable in an environment where human rights are 
routinely violated and disregarded. Internationally recognized rights 
such as freedom from torture, freedom of expression, and equality 
before the law regardless of race, gender, religion, or beliefs have 
long been absent in Afghanistan. Any ruling coalition, must know that 
the international community, and the United States in particular, will 
not turn a blind eye to a rights-abusive regime.
  Though, we, in the United States, can not singlehandedly solve the 
crisis in Afghanistan, for that is a process which must take place 
internally, we can and should do something. As a first step I have 
offered this resolution--a sense of the Congress which emphasizes the 
plight of Afghan women and girls, expresses support for the United 
Nations-led peace negotiations, and recommends that the administration 
re-evaluate United States policy toward Afghanistan.
  I believe this resolution will send a strong message to the warring 
factions in Afghanistan that the United States is deeply concerned 
about the deteriorating human rights conditions. Further I hope this 
resolution will provide some hope to Afghan women and girls who 
silently disagree with the Taliban's code of conduct.
  As the United States strongly supports an end to the armed conflict, 
we should emphasize that peace is not only defined by the absence of 
armed conflict but also the absence of human rights abuses. It has long 
been the experience of many other states that only with a rights-
protective regime can there be any lasting prospects for peace.

                          ____________________