[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 174 (Tuesday, November 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2457-E2458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           INTEREST GROUPS RALLY TO SUPPORT H. CON. RES. 330

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 25, 2003

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, my friend and distinguished colleague from 
Connecticut, Rep. Christopher Shays, and I recently introduced H. Con. 
Res. 330. On the occasion of the introduction of our bill, we were 
joined by several important representatives from the NGO community, who 
eloquently expressed the wide support our legislation has already 
received. I would like to include their outstanding statements at this 
point in the Congressional Record, with my deepest gratitude for their 
support and advice.

   Statement by Michael Heflin, Director, Amnesty International USA 
                            Outfront Program

       On behalf of Amnesty International I would like to commend 
     Congressmen Tom Lantos and Christopher Shays for their strong 
     leadership on this issue as well as the more than forty other 
     members of Congress who have agreed to be original co-
     sponsors of this historic resolution. Amnesty International 
     and other human rights organizations have documented the 
     widespread abuse of the fundamental human rights of lesbian, 
     gay, bisexual and transgender people throughout the world. 
     These abuses include the imprisonment, torture and in some 
     cases killing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 
     people by their own governments. Some 70 countries still 
     criminalize homosexuality. Sentences for conviction under 
     these statutes vary, but often include lengthy jail sentences 
     and in some cases include torture or even imposition of the 
     death penalty as a legally sanctioned punishment. As we sit 
     here this morning, there are many who sit in jail cells and 
     face the prospect of torture simply because of their sexual 
     orientation or gender identity. In Egypt, for example, over 
     the past two years, Amnesty International and other human 
     rights groups have documented the arrest of over 100 men 
     simply on the basis of their alleged sexual orientation. 
     Ironically, Egypt is one the few countries in the Middle East 
     that does not explicitly outlaw homosexuality but has charged 
     the men under a vaguely worded law prohibiting ``habitual 
     debauchery.'' Many of these men report having been brutally 
     tortured while imprisoned. We also believe this number is 
     only the tip of the iceberg and there are probably many cases 
     that we have not yet documented. Of those arrested, some have 
     now been freed but the arrests continue. At this moment, 
     Amnesty considers at least 15 men in Egyptian prisons to be 
     ``prisoners of conscience'' in jail solely on the basis of 
     their alleged sexual orientation. Egypt is not alone and 
     similar arrests have also been made in many other countries 
     in recent years including Malaysia, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and 
     Saudi Arabia, just to name a few. Even when not criminalized, 
     discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
     and transgender people by both governmental authorities and 
     civilians remains widespread throughout much of the world. 
     Too often states fail to hold the perpetrators of such 
     violence accountable, creating a climate of impunity--in 
     violation of international human rights standards that 
     require states to protect the human rights of all of their 
     citizens. In recent years, Amnesty International has 
     documented patterns of violence including murder and physical 
     assault, particularly targeted against transgender people and 
     gay men in a number of countries, including for example, 
     Honduras, Guatemala, and Ecuador. In many of these cases the 
     police were complicit or did nothing to investigate these 
     crimes or hold those responsible accountable. Lesbians often 
     face a double layer of discrimination and abuse resulting 
     from both their gender and their sexual orientation. These 
     violations are often particularly difficult to document 
     because they most often occur in the community and the 
     family, but include forced marriage and sometimes even rape 
     employed as a method to cure lesbians of their deviant 
     sexuality. The United States has not been a leader either at 
     home or abroad in advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and 
     transgender human rights. While this resolution recognizes 
     the need to continue to make progress in this country toward 
     the full recognition of the basic human rights of lesbian, 
     gay, bisexual and transgender people, it also spells out the 
     U.S. government's obligation to combat human rights 
     violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 
     people around the world. Despite the U.S. government's 
     overall lack of leadership on these issues, some progress is 
     being made. Over the last few years the State Department has 
     begun to document some of these abuses in its annual reports. 
     We hope that this resolution will encourage the State 
     Department to continue to make improvements in its 
     documentation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender 
     rights abuses around the world. We also believe much more can 
     and must be done by the U.S. government if it is to play a 
     leadership role in protecting global lesbian, gay, bisexual 
     and transgender human rights. Through this resolution, we are 
     calling for the U.S. government to develop a comprehensive 
     strategy for combating these abuses. This strategy must 
     include the U.S. government's taking a positive and proactive 
     position in favor of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 
     human rights when these issues are discussed and debated in 
     international forums. It is only through adoption of the 
     recommendations of this resolution, including development of 
     such a comprehensive strategy, that the U.S. government can 
     begin to fulfill its obligations under international human 
     rights standards to advance the human rights of all people.
                                  ____


  Statement by Christopher Labonte, Deputy Director for Legislation, 
                         Human Rights Campaign

       Good Morning. It has often been said that with great power 
     comes great responsibility. As one of the most fortunate and 
     powerful countries on the planet, the United States has a 
     tremendous responsibility to speak out and protect those who 
     may not be able to protect themselves. It's sad to say that 
     there are currently 80 countries within our global village 
     that have enforceable laws against GLBT people, many 
     resulting in inhumane punishment including imprisonment, 
     torture and even execution. In many of those countries--Saudi 
     Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania and Iran--GLBT people face possible 
     execution simply because of who they are, and who they love. 
     Today, the Human Rights Campaign is proud to stand shoulder 
     to shoulder with our friends Representative Tom Lantos and 
     Representative Christopher Shays, who have introduced a 
     resolution condemning all violations of internationally 
     recognized human rights norms based on the real or perceived 
     sexual orientation or gender identity of an individual. The 
     resolution also recognizes that the protection of sexual 
     orientation and gender identity is not a special category of 
     human rights, but is fully embedded in the overall human 
     rights norms set forth

[[Page E2458]]

     in international law. Finally, the resolution calls on the 
     Department of State to improve its own documentation of human 
     rights abuses on the basis of sexual orientation and gender 
     identity, to give these violations the same consideration as 
     other human rights abuses and to develop a comprehensive 
     strategy to combat such abuses abroad. This nation was 
     founded on the principle that all people were created equal 
     and had the same right to life, liberty and the pursuit of 
     happiness. When we speak out as a nation against the torture, 
     violence and cruelty that plague so many of the world's GLBT 
     people, we are fulfilling the truest vision of our nation. At 
     the Human Rights Campaign, we look forward to a day when 
     resolutions like this will not be necessary--when the world's 
     GLBT people will be free to live their lives openly and 
     honestly, as any other citizen of the world does. In the 
     meantime, we hope that Congress will act to adopt this 
     important resolution to take a stand against the violent 
     mistreatment that GLBT people face within our global 
     community. Thank you very much.

                          ____________________