[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 110 (Tuesday, June 27, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H5214-H5217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONDEMNING THE VIOLENCE AND PERSECUTION IN CHECHNYA

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 351) condemning the violence and 
persecution in Chechnya, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 351

       Whereas, on April 1, 2017, the Russian newspaper Novaya 
     Gazeta reported that authorities in Chechnya, a republic of 
     the Russian Federation, had abducted, detained, and tortured 
     over 100 men due to their actual or suspected sexual 
     orientation;
       Whereas multiple independent and first-hand accounts have 
     subsequently corroborated the Novaya Gazeta report, and 
     describe a campaign of persecution by Chechen officials 
     against men due to their actual or suspected sexual 
     orientation;
       Whereas, as a result of this persecution, at least three 
     deaths have been reported and many individuals have been 
     forced to flee Chechnya;
       Whereas Chechen officials have denied the existence of such 
     persecution, including through a statement by the spokesman 
     for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov that ``You cannot arrest or 
     repress people who don't exist in the republic.'';
       Whereas the same spokesman for Ramzan Kadyrov has also 
     stated that ``If such people existed in Chechnya, law 
     enforcement would not have to worry about them, as their own 
     relatives would have sent them to where they could never 
     return,'' and credible reports indicate that Chechen 
     authorities have encouraged families to carry out so-called 
     ``honor killings'' of relatives due to their actual or 
     suspected sexual orientation;
       Whereas Chechnya is a constituent republic of the Russian 
     Federation and subject to its laws, and Ramzan Kadyrov was 
     installed as the leader of Chechnya by Russian President 
     Vladimir Putin;
       Whereas Chechen authorities have a long history of 
     violating the fundamental human rights of their citizens, 
     including through extrajudicial executions, forced 
     disappearances, and torture of government critics;
       Whereas Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed reports 
     of persecution in Chechnya and termed them ``phantom 
     complaints'';
       Whereas Russia's Human Rights Ombudsman, Tatyana 
     Moskalkova, has also claimed that such reports should not be 
     believed because formal complaints have not been registered 
     with the appropriate authorities;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is a participating State of 
     the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and a 
     signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and 
     thus has agreed to guarantee the fundamental human rights of 
     all of its citizens;
       Whereas, on April 7, 2017, the United States Department of 
     State issued a statement saying ``We categorically condemn 
     the persecution of individuals based on their sexual 
     orientation'' and urging the Government of the Russian 
     Federation to take steps to ensure the release of all those 
     wrongfully detained in Chechnya, and to conduct a credible 
     investigation of the reports; and
       Whereas, on April 17, 2017, United States Ambassador to the 
     United Nations Nikki Haley issued a statement saying 
     ``Chechen authorities must immediately investigate these 
     allegations, hold anyone involved accountable, and take steps 
     to prevent future abuses. We are against all forms of 
     discrimination, including against people based on sexual 
     orientation. When left unchecked, discrimination and human 
     rights abuses can lead to destabilization and conflict.'': 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns the violence and persecution in Chechnya and 
     calls on Chechen officials to immediately cease the 
     abduction, detention, and torture of individuals on the basis 
     of their actual or suspected sexual orientation, and hold 
     accountable all those involved in perpetrating such abuses;
       (2) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     protect the human rights of all its citizens, condemn the 
     violence and persecution, investigate these crimes in 
     Chechnya, and hold accountable all those involved in 
     perpetrating such abuses;
       (3) calls on the United States Government to continue to 
     condemn the violence and persecution in Chechnya, demand the 
     release of individuals wrongfully detained, and identify 
     those individuals whose involvement in this violence 
     qualifies for the imposition of sanctions under the Sergei 
     Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (Public Law 
     112-208; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) or the Global Magnitsky Human 
     Rights Accountability Act (Public Law 114-328); and
       (4) affirms that the rights to freedom of assembly, 
     association, and expression and freedom from extrajudicial 
     detention and violence are universal human rights that apply 
     to all persons, and that countries that fail to respect these 
     rights jeopardize the security and prosperity of all their 
     citizens.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and

[[Page H5215]]

include extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the ruler of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, rules a 
dictatorship of medieval brutality. Those who challenge or simply 
displease him often disappear in that country, or they are murdered 
outright.
  His latest campaign of persecution is aimed at gay men and women, and 
those perceived to be gay, who have been abducted, tortured, and even 
killed, with many others that are forced to flee the country. When the 
Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, reported these atrocities, his 
spokesmen dismissed the accusations, saying that such people ``don't 
even exist in the republic,'' and then threatened the journalists who 
brought the story to light.
  Caught unaware by the unexpected publicity, Chechen authorities have 
choked off independent sources of information. We do not know the exact 
status of this campaign or its many victims, but there is no doubt that 
the situation there for sexual minorities in general has long been, and 
remains, oppressive.
  Disturbing reports indicate that Kadyrov has now turned his focus 
from abducting and torturing gay men and women to pressuring their 
families to murder them through so-called honor killings of these men 
and women. This is despicable.
  Vladimir Putin deserves some of the blame here. Chechnya is a 
constituent republic of the Russian Federation, of which he is the 
President. As such, he has a sworn responsibility to ensure that the 
Russian Constitution is fully implemented, which, at least on paper, 
professes to guarantee basic rights for all citizens. Russia is also a 
signatory to many international agreements that formally commit it to 
protecting a broad array of human rights.
  Yet the Russian Government's response has been largely dismissive, if 
not two-faced. Kremlin spokesmen have called the reports phantom 
complaints, yet also recommended that victims report grievances to the 
Chechen authorities accused of carrying out the attacks. And, of 
course, there has been no criticism of Kadyrov in the Russian state-
controlled media--barely even a mention of the issue.
  That is why this resolution is of such importance. By shining a light 
on these crimes in this dark corner, we seek to give hope to those who 
otherwise may have none at all. And we say unequivocally, to Kadyrov, 
and to Putin, that these atrocities are in plain view, and that their 
cowardly and evasive responses are not fooling anyone.
  I want to thank Chairman Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen, the author of this 
resolution, and Ranking Member Engel for their leadership on this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1530

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. Let me first thank my 
colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee, particularly Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen from Florida, and Mr. Cicilline from Rhode Island, for their 
work on this measure, and for their leadership supporting LGBT 
communities around the world. I also thank Chairman Royce for support 
of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, day after day, we hear new reports of abuse of LGBT 
individuals in Chechnya. This spring, authorities rounded up hundreds 
of gay men. Some were tortured, some were murdered. Reports from civil 
society and activists tell us that Chechen authorities have rounded up 
LGBT individuals, beaten them, tortured them with electric shocks, and 
outed them to their families in the perverse hope of provoking so-
called ``honor killings.'' This is horrific.
  Let's not forget that Chechnya is part of Russia, as the chairman 
said. These crimes--this disregard for human rights and human dignity 
lie at the feet of Vladimir Putin and his crony in Chechnya, Ramzan 
Kadyrov.
  No one anywhere should face violence, persecution, or death because 
of who they love. ``Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are 
gay rights,'' as Hillary Clinton said when she was Secretary of State. 
But under Putin's rule, those rights are a myth.
  So I was disappointed when Secretary Tillerson testified before the 
Foreign Affairs Committee about whether those atrocities were on the 
agenda with his Russian counterparts. ``These are on the pending 
list,'' he told us.
  The United States should never put basic human rights on the 
``pending list.'' Unless we shed a light on these abuses and demand 
that they be stopped, we are betraying our most fundamental values. So 
today I am glad the House, in a bipartisan way, is speaking out to 
condemn this violence and persecution, to stand up for the freedoms of 
assembly and expression, and to say that we believe that LGBT rights 
are human rights that must be protected around the world.
  I am glad to support this measure. Again, I thank Chairman Ed Royce, 
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and David Cicilline.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), the chairman emeritus of 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and, of course, the author of this 
measure.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank, as always, our esteemed 
chairman, Mr. Royce from California, as well as Mr. Engel from New 
York, who really run our committee in the most fair, bipartisan way 
possible.
  I think that our committee is an example for the rest of the House. 
But I am so grateful to have worked alongside my chairman and ranking 
member, and all of the colleagues in the House Foreign Affairs 
Committee in a bipartisan manner; particularly, Mr. Issa, Mr. 
Cicilline, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Lowenthal, in introducing and bringing to 
the floor this important resolution, H. Res. 351, Condemning the 
Violence and Persecution in Chechnya.
  Since early April, there have been credible reports that gay or 
perceived-to-be-gay men in the Russian republic of Chechnya have been 
rounded up, have been detained, have been put into prison camps by the 
authorities of Chechnya. And according to international human rights 
groups and activists on the ground, the situation has rapidly 
escalated. Despite the international attention and the rage, the 
beatings and torture did not stop. Men continued to be tortured on a 
daily basis, and, allegedly, at least 20 men have been killed.
  The latest reports indicate that lesbians are also being targeted 
now. This government campaign targeting LGBT individuals is also 
inciting ``honor killings.'' Families are being threatened and act out 
of fear of also being persecuted. This is appalling.
  Putin has given free rein to the Chechen leader and has significant 
influence over what goes on in Chechnya. Let's not forget Russia's 
deplorable human rights record of silencing religious minorities, of 
prohibiting freedom of expression, of restricting free association of 
LGBT individuals. This is Russia's record. It is Chechnya's as well.
  Nothing has been done. No perpetrators have been brought to justice. 
This is why it is up to us in the United States to not sit idly by 
while this state-sponsored persecution is ongoing. This bipartisan 
resolution, Mr. Speaker, does not only shed light on this dreadful 
human rights disaster, but it also calls on the officials of Chechnya 
to immediately put an end to the abduction and violence of individuals 
based on their real or perceived sexual orientation.
  It calls on Putin to uphold the international commitments and protect 
the human rights of all people upon which Russia has entered. They have 
signed these commitments, yet they don't fulfill them. It holds 
accountable those individuals in the attacks who will also be 
sanctioned under two existing U.S. sanctions laws that we have passed: 
Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act and the Global 
Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
  Today, this body has the ability to once again be that strong voice 
for human rights of all individuals and to send a clear message to any 
oppressor that the United States will not turn a blind eye against 
violence, harassment,

[[Page H5216]]

and discrimination, no matter where it happens.
  As a country, we have the responsibility to promote our deeply 
cherished American values and reaffirm our commitment to fundamental 
freedom, especially for those who live under the shadow of oppression 
and tyranny. We stand in solidarity with the persecuted, with the 
religious minorities, with the ethnic groups, with the suppressed 
women, and, in this case, with the LGBT community, because the respect 
of human rights of all people remains a U.S. foreign policy priority.
  I thank my colleagues for their overwhelming support from both sides 
of the aisle who have supported this important resolution, which sends 
a unified message that the United States is committed to promoting 
human rights and that this crisis must end now because this matter is 
not just an LGBT issue--as important as it is--it is a human life 
matter and it deserves support from all of us.

  Everyone deserves dignity. Everyone deserves respect in the place 
they call home, no matter where that is around the world. It is time to 
put an end to Chechnya's barbaric LGBT purge.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time and I thank the 
ranking member as well.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode 
Island (Mr. Cicilline), a coauthor of this resolution and someone who 
is fighting for human rights all the time.
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 351, which condemns the 
violence and persecution against LGBT or perceived-to-be LGBT 
individuals in Chechnya.
  This resolution is an example of the strong bipartisanship of the 
House Foreign Affairs Committee under the leadership of Chairman Ed 
Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel. I thank my good friend, Ileana 
Ros-Lehtinen, who has long been a champion of the dignity of all people 
around the world, for introducing H. Res. 351. I also thank the 
chairman and ranking member for working with us to ensure this 
resolution was passed without delay and with the support of the full 
committee.
  On April 1 of this year, the Novaya Gazeta, one of the few 
independent Russian newspapers, posted a chilling report detailing a 
concerted campaign by Chechen authorities to identify, round up, 
torture, and murder gay or perceived-to-be-gay men and women in the 
Chechen region of Russia.
  Dozens of suspected LGBT men and some women have been rounded up with 
estimates of more than 100 people being detained, and at least three 
murdered, maybe many more. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has denied the 
reports. When confronted with accusations, his spokesman denied there 
were any gay people in Chechnya, and explained that, ``If there were 
such people in Chechnya, law enforcement agencies wouldn't need to have 
anything to do with them because their relatives would send them 
somewhere from which there is no returning.''
  In fact, there have been credible reports that Chechen authorities 
have forced family members of those detained or those suspected of 
being gay to commit ``honor killings'' or face violence and retaliation 
against their entire families.
  Chechnya is a small, conservative region of Russia, and LGBT people 
there face a level of isolation and danger that is unthinkable to those 
of us living in the freedom of the United States. Even those who have 
managed to escape Chechnya continue to face danger from extended family 
members or Chechen authorities within Russia and even parts of Europe.
  That is why it is so important that the United States work with our 
partners in Europe and assist in making sure that those fleeing the 
violence in Chechnya are relocated somewhere they can be safe. H. Res. 
351 condemns the violence and persecution against LGBT individuals in 
Chechnya and calls on Chechen officials to immediately cease the 
abduction, detention, and torture of individuals on the basis of their 
actual or suspected sexual orientation, and hold accountable all those 
involved in perpetrating such abuses.
  Furthermore, this resolution calls on the government of the Russian 
Federation to protect the human rights of all its citizens, condemn the 
violence and persecution, investigate these crimes in Chechnya, and 
hold accountable all of those involved in perpetrating such abuses.
  We must remember that President Kadyrov is a close ally of President 
Putin, and that the Russian Government has essentially sanctioned the 
atrocities that are being carried out on its soil. That is why it is so 
important that representatives of the United States Government, at the 
highest levels, raise this issue with President Putin and other Russian 
officials.
  I was extremely disappointed when Secretary of State Tillerson 
appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this month and 
admitted that neither he nor the President had raised this issue with 
anyone in the Russian Government. The United States must make it clear 
that human rights abuses will not be tolerated.
  The President, the Secretary of State, and other senior officials 
must raise this issue consistently with the Russian Government and make 
it clear that they must protect the lives and safety of all Russian 
citizens.
  Additionally, the Trump administration must take steps to ensure that 
any Russian officials involved in these atrocities are being sanctioned 
under the Sergei Magnitsky Act and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
Accountability Act, which we passed last year. Events like these are 
exactly why these bills were passed, to ensure that government 
officials involved in gross human rights abuses do not have the 
privilege of accessing American markets or traveling to the United 
States.
  Furthermore, the administration should be working in concert with our 
European allies to ensure that Russia is being held to its 
international obligations and treaties. The lives of vulnerable men and 
women are at stake, and every day that we remain silent, we condemn 
more to a dark fate.
  I am pleased that the House is considering this resolution tonight. I 
urge my colleagues to support it. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Connolly), a valued member of the committee.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding.
  I rise to remind us that Martin Luther King once said: ``Injustice 
anywhere threatens justice everywhere.''
  We are all in this together. The idea that we can cherry-pick whose 
rights we will proclaim and defend is a mistaken notion. It is also un-
American. So the future rights of LGBT members in Chechnya are 
important to Americans, and we need to stand up for their security, 
their safety, and their fundamental human rights.

  This resolution is important. I congratulate the chairman and ranking 
member for bringing it before us. I congratulate my good friend, Ileana 
Ros-Lehtinen, and David Cicilline for their leadership. I am proud to 
support this resolution today.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield 
myself the balance of my time.
  Let me, first of all, again thank Representative Ros-Lehtinen, who is 
always working really hard and is on top of issues that are so 
important. We really appreciate her leadership and everything she does 
in the committee; Mr. Cicilline, who has fought for LGBT rights; and, 
of course, my partner on the committee, Chairman Royce. Things like 
this show the bipartisanship of our committee, which I think is really 
important.
  Occasionally we hear talk about Vladimir Putin that implies some sort 
of moral equivalency between the way he runs Russia and American 
policies. If you want to know how false that comparison is, take a look 
at what is happening in Chechnya. Take a look at the violence that 
Putin's thugs are waging against innocent citizens. That is how Putin 
regards the rights of his own people. That is what we are here to 
condemn today.
  The United States should continue to make advancing and protecting 
human rights a foreign policy priority, including the rights of LGBT 
communities.

[[Page H5217]]

  I urge a ``yes'' vote on this measure. I thank Chairman Royce, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as an original cosponsor of this bill, I, again, thank 
Chairman Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen. I thank Ranking Member Engel, as well 
as Representatives Darrell Issa, David Cicilline, Chris Smith, and 
Gerry Connolly for their important work on this resolution.
  The abduction, torture, and targeted killings that we are seeing in 
Chechnya are an affront to the core universal values that all nation-
states must strive to protect. The U.S. has a long history of speaking 
out on behalf of persecuted minorities, and that is what we are doing 
here today.
  We cannot end injustice everywhere, but we can expose it. We can 
bring it to the world's attention and, in so doing, give hope to its 
innocent victims.
  I ask all Members to speak clearly and to speak unanimously in 
condemning this violence.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 351, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________