[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 22 (Monday, February 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S673-S674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DEPLORING THE RAPE AND ASSAULT OF WOMEN IN GUINEA AND THE KILLING OF
POLITICAL PROTESTERS
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 213, S.
Res. 345.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
[[Page S674]]
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 345) deploring the rape and assault
of women in Guinea and the killing of political protesters.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Boxer amendment to the resolution be agreed to; the resolution, as
amended, be agreed to; the Boxer amendment to the preamble be agreed
to; the preamble be agreed to; a title amendment which is at the desk
be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with
no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the
resolution be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 3321) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: To amend the resolving clause)
In paragraph (1) of the resolving clause, strike ``Guinea,
and calls for an immediate cessation of violence, including
gender-based violence and targeted killings by security
forces'' and insert ``Guinea''.
Strike paragraphs (2) through (5) of the resolving clause
and insert the following:
(2) urges the prosecution, by the appropriate authorities,
of those responsible for orchestrating or carrying out the
violence in Guinea;
(3) urges the President, in coordination with leaders from
the European Union and the African Union, to continue to
consider punitive measures that could be taken against senior
officials in Guinea found to be complicit in the violence,
and in particular, the atrocities perpetrated against women
and other gross human rights violations;
(4) encourages the President to remain actively engaged in
the political situation in Guinea, and to continue to convey
that the blatant abuse of women will not be tolerated;
(5) calls on President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso to
ensure that Captain Camara does not return to Guinea in order
to allow a peaceful transition to civilian rule;
(6) notes that the first steps set forth in the Joint
Declaration of Ouagadougou have been initiated with the
naming of a prime minister and urges all parties to continue
to adhere to the agreement to see the process through free,
fair, and timely elections; and
(7) recognizes the importance of the multilateral observer
mission to help ensure peace and security in Guinea during
the period of transition.
The resolution (S. Res. 345), as amended, was agreed to.
The amendment (No. 3322) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: To amend the preamble)
Strike the 2nd whereas clause of the preamble and insert
the following:
Whereas, on September 28, 2009, authorities of the
Government of Guinea opened fire on a crowd of thousands of
unarmed opposition protesters who were gathered in and around
an outdoor stadium to protest statements made by Captain
Camara that he may run for president, after he said that he
would not;
Strike the 3rd whereas clause of the preamble and insert
the following:
Whereas, on September 29, 2009, the United States
Department of State condemned the brazen and inappropriate
use of force by the military against civilians in Guinea, and
demanded the immediate release of opposition leaders and a
return to civilian rule as soon as possible;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Security Council
Report of the International Commission of Inquiry Mandated to
Establish the Facts and Circumstances of the Events of 28
September 2009 in Guinea, 156 people were killed or
disappeared and at least 109 women and girls ``were subjected
to rape and other sexual violence, including sexual
mutilation and sexual slavery'';
Strike the 5th whereas clause of the preamble.
Strike the 6th whereas clause of the preamble.
Insert between the 7th and 8th whereas clauses of the
preamble, the following:
Whereas, according to the humanitarian organization CARE,
``What happened in Guinea is an outrage--and a stark reminder
of a larger epidemic of violence against women and girls
around the world.'';
In the 8th whereas clause of the preamble, strike the
``and'' at the end.
Strike the 9th whereas clause of the preamble, and insert
the following:
Whereas the International Commission of Inquiry of the
United Nations concluded that ``the crimes perpetrated on 28
September 2009 and in the immediate aftermath can be
described as crimes against humanity'' and that there is
sufficient evidence that Captain Camara ``incurred individual
criminal liability and command responsibility for the events
that occurred during the attack and related events in their
immediate aftermath'';
Whereas, on January 15, 2010, General Sekouba Konate and
Captain Camara of the Republic of Guinea and President Blaise
Compaore of Burkina Faso signed the Joint Declaration of
Ouagadougou pledging to form a transitional government of
national unity in Guinea, to hold elections within six months
without the participation of candidates from the military
junta, and to permit the entry of an international observer
mission from the Economic Community of West African States;
and
Whereas, in accordance with the Joint Declaration of
Ouagadougou, a prime minister from the coalition of
opposition forces, Forces Vives, has been named to the
transitional government: Now, therefore, be it
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The amendment (No. 3323) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: To amend the title)
Amend the title so as to read: ``A resolution deploring the
rape and assault of women in Guinea and the killing of
political protesters on September 28, 2009.''.
The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as
follows:
(The resolution will be printed in a future edition of the Record.)
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