[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 20, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8182-S8183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 363--EXPRESSING PROFOUND CONCERN ABOUT THE GROWING 
   POLITICAL, HUMANITARIAN, AND ECONOMIC CRISIS IN VENEZUELA AND THE 
    WIDESPREAD HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES PERPETRATED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF 
                               VENEZUELA

  Mr. NELSON (for himself and Mr. Rubio) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 363

       Whereas the crisis in Venezuela continues to ravage the 
     country and the Venezuelan people suffer from shortages of 
     essential medicines, food, and basic supplies;
       Whereas because of the crisis in Venezuela, approximately 
     1,300,000 people are undernourished and roughly 75 percent of 
     the population has lost an average of 19 pounds since the 
     start of the economic crisis;
       Whereas the largest impact of the crisis in Venezuela is 
     felt by children, as 54 percent suffer from nutritional 
     deficiencies, according to the nongovernmental organization 
     Caritas;
       Whereas public health organizations in Venezuela report 
     that only 38 percent of essential drugs are present in the 
     country and more than 60 of the hospitals in Venezuela no 
     longer have potable water, leading to a rise in chronic 
     diseases, as well as in communicable diseases such as malaria 
     and diphtheria;
       Whereas the crisis forces thousands of Venezuelans to leave 
     the country in vulnerable conditions and the number of 
     Venezuelans seeking asylum in 2017 was almost double that in 
     2016, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for 
     Refugees;
       Whereas President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro has 
     repeatedly denied the existence of Venezuela's humanitarian 
     crisis and rejected offers of international humanitarian 
     assistance;
       Whereas, instead of responding to the needs and demands of 
     its people, the Government of Venezuela has prioritized the 
     consolidation of power, undermined Venezuela's democracy, and 
     engaged in a campaign of repression and human rights abuses;
       Whereas the Government of Venezuela curtails freedom of 
     expression, harasses journalists, and limits the ability of 
     the Venezuelan people and the world to learn about the crisis 
     and its effects;
       Whereas, starting in April 2017, Venezuelan citizens staged 
     massive, nationwide protests for more than four months in 
     direct opposition to President Maduro's efforts to 
     consolidate power and undermine Venezuela's democracy;
       Whereas the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner 
     on Human Rights reports that 124 deaths have been 
     investigated by the Venezuelan Attorney General's Office in 
     connection with the 2017 protests, with at least 46 victims 
     allegedly killed by security forces and 27 more by members of 
     armed pro-government civilian groups, bringing the total 
     number of extrajudicial deaths to 357 between July 2015 and 
     March 2017;
       Whereas the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner 
     concluded that there has been widespread and systematic use 
     of excessive force and arbitrary detentions against 
     demonstrators, as well as violent raids of homes, torture, 
     and ill-treatment of those detained in connection with the 
     protests;
       Whereas human rights organizations in Venezuela have 
     identified more than 5,000 arbitrary detentions between April 
     1, 2017, and October 31, 2017, and at least 299 political 
     prisoners currently detained;
       Whereas Amnesty International documented repeated use of 
     various methods of arbitrary detention, including torture and 
     forced disappearances intended to silence dissidents and 
     limit freedom of expression;
       Whereas nongovernmental organizations Human Rights Watch 
     and Foro Penal have documented how Venezuelan security forces 
     have used tactics of torture, involving electric shocks and 
     asphyxiation, against individuals who oppose the Government 
     of Venezuela;
       Whereas the Government of Venezuela continues to use the 
     Bolivarian National Guard and National Police to repress and 
     detain protesters and subsequently try them in military 
     courts with at least 198 documented

[[Page S8183]]

     cases against civilians in military courts; and
       Whereas, on July 25, 2017, the Organization of American 
     States Secretary General Luis Almagro convened public 
     hearings to review whether the Government of Venezuela has 
     committed crimes against humanity and should be referred to 
     the International Criminal Court: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses its profound concern about the humanitarian 
     impacts of the crisis suffered by the people of Venezuela, 
     including widespread shortages of basic food commodities and 
     essential medicines;
       (2) urges President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro to permit 
     the delivery of international humanitarian assistance;
       (3) calls on the Government of Venezuela to immediately 
     release all political prisoners and to respect 
     internationally recognized human rights;
       (4) calls on the Government of Venezuela to ensure the 
     neutrality and professionalism of all security forces and to 
     respect the Venezuelan people's rights to freedom of 
     expression and assembly;
       (5) supports the Secretary General of the Organization of 
     American States in his review of whether the widespread human 
     rights abuses in Venezuela warrant an investigation by the 
     International Criminal Court; and
       (6) urges the President of the United States to provide 
     full support for OAS efforts in examining the human rights 
     situation in Venezuela and to instruct appropriate Federal 
     agencies to hold officials of the Government of Venezuela 
     accountable for violations of United States law and abuses of 
     internationally recognized human rights.

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