[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 177 (Tuesday, December 8, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8500-S8501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THREATS TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND EXPRESSION AROUND THE 
                                 WORLD

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 135, S. Res. 207.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 207) recognizing threats to freedom 
     of the press and expression around the world and reaffirming 
     freedom of the press as a priority in efforts of the United 
     States Government to promote democracy and good governance.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to; the Casey amendment to the preamble, which is 
at the desk, be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and 
that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 207) was agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 2921) was agreed to, as follows:

                    (Purpose: To amend the preamble)

       Strike the fifteenth whereas clause, and insert the 
     following:
       Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, the 5 
     countries with the highest number of journalists in prison as 
     of December 1, 2014, were China, Eritrea, Iran, Ethiopia, and 
     Vietnam;

  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, as amended, is as follows:

                              S. Res. 207

       Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal 
     Declaration of Human Rights, adopted at Paris December 10, 
     1948, states that ``everyone has the right to freedom of 
     opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold 
     opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and 
     impart information and ideas through any media and regardless 
     of frontiers'';
       Whereas, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly 
     proclaimed May 3 of each year as ``World Press Freedom Day'' 
     to celebrate the fundamental principles of freedom of the 
     press, to evaluate freedom of the press around the world, to 
     defend the media from attacks on its independence, and to pay 
     tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the 
     exercise of their profession;
       Whereas, on December 18, 2013, the United Nations General 
     Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/68/163) on the safety of 
     journalists and the issue of impunity, which unequivocally 
     condemns all attacks and violence against journalists and 
     media workers, including torture, extrajudicial killings, 
     enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, and 
     intimidation and harassment in both conflict and non-conflict 
     situations;
       Whereas 2015 is the 22nd anniversary of World Press Freedom 
     Day, which focuses on the theme ``Let Journalism Thrive! 
     Towards Better Reporting, Gender Equality, and Media Safety 
     in the Digital Age'';
       Whereas the 2015 World Press Freedom prize was awarded to 
     Syrian journalist and human rights activist Mazen Darwish, 
     who remains imprisoned by the Assad regime;
       Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 
     (Public Law 111-166; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note), which was passed 
     by unanimous consent in the Senate and signed into law by 
     President Barack Obama in 2010, expanded the examination of 
     freedom of the press around the world in the annual human 
     rights report of the Department of State;
       Whereas, according to Freedom House, only approximately 14 
     percent of the world's inhabitants--or one in seven people--
     live in countries with a press ranked as ``Free'' by Freedom 
     House;
       Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, 69 
     journalists and 19 citizen journalists were killed in 2014 in 
     connection with their collection and dissemination of news 
     and information;
       Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
     the 3 deadliest countries for journalists on assignment in 
     2014 were Syria, Ukraine, and Iraq;
       Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
     more than 40 percent of the journalists killed in 2014 were 
     targeted for murder and 31 percent of journalists murdered 
     reported receiving threats first;
       Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
     650 journalists have been killed between 1992 and April 2015 
     without the perpetrators of such crimes facing punishment;
       Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
     the 5 countries with the highest number of journalist murders 
     that go unpunished, measured from 2004 to 2014, are Iraq, 
     Somalia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Syria;
       Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, 853 
     journalists and 122 citizen journalists were arrested in 
     2014;
       Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
     221 journalists worldwide were in prison as of December 1, 
     2014;
       Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, the 5 
     countries with the highest number of journalists in prison as 
     of December 1, 2014, were China, Eritrea, Iran, Ethiopia, and 
     Vietnam;

[[Page S8501]]

       Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders' 2015 World 
     Press Freedom Index, Eritrea, North Korea, Turkmenistan, 
     Syria, and China ranked lowest according to a range of 
     criteria that include ``media pluralism and independence, 
     respect for the safety and freedom of journalists, and the 
     legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in 
     which the media operate'';
       Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
     in 2014 Syria was the world's deadliest country for 
     journalists for the third year in a row;
       Whereas, according to the International Federation of 
     Journalists, more than 40 journalists and media staff have 
     been killed since January 2015;
       Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, the 
     Government of the Russian Federation continued to intensify 
     its pressure on the media to bring independent news outlets 
     under control or be throttled out of existence;
       Whereas Freedom House has cited a deteriorating environment 
     for Internet freedom around the world and ranked Iran, Syria, 
     China, Cuba, and Ethiopia as ``Not Free'' and having the 
     worst obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations 
     of user rights among the 65 countries and territories rated 
     by Freedom House in 2014;
       Whereas freedom of the press is absolutely essential to the 
     creation and maintenance of free and open societies and a key 
     component of democratic governance, the activism of civil 
     society, and socioeconomic development; and
       Whereas freedom of the press enhances public 
     accountability, transparency, and participation: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates World Press Freedom Day by commending 
     journalists like Mazen Darwish and others around the world 
     for the vital role they play in supporting open and 
     democratic societies, promoting government accountability, 
     and strengthening civil society;
       (2) expresses concern about the threats to freedom of the 
     press and expression around the world, and pays tribute to 
     journalists who have lost their lives carrying out their 
     work;
       (3) pays tribute to the journalists who have lost their 
     lives carrying out their work;
       (4) calls on governments abroad to implement United Nations 
     General Assembly Resolution (A/RES/68/163), by thoroughly 
     investigating and seeking to resolve outstanding cases of 
     violence against journalists, including murders and 
     kidnappings, while ensuring the protection of witnesses;
       (5) condemns all actions around the world that suppress 
     freedom of the press, including: the brutal murders of 
     journalists by the terrorist group ISIS, violent attacks 
     against media outlets like the French satirical magazine 
     Charlie Hebdo, and kidnappings of journalists and media 
     workers in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian militant groups;
       (6) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the press to 
     efforts by the United States Government to support democracy, 
     mitigate conflict, and promote good governance domestically 
     and around the world; and
       (7) calls on the President and the Secretary of State--
       (A) to improve the means by which the United States 
     Government rapidly identifies, publicizes, and responds to 
     threats against freedom of the press around the world;
       (B) to urge foreign governments to transparently 
     investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks 
     against journalists; and
       (C) to highlight the issue of threats against freedom of 
     the press year-round.

                          ____________________