[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 73 (Monday, May 7, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 501--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 GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO PROMOTE 
                     DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

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

                              S. Res. 501

       Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal 
     Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in Paris, France, on 
     December 10, 1948, states that ``[e]veryone 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--
       (1) celebrate the fundamental principles of freedom of the 
     press;
       (2) evaluate freedom of the press around the world;
       (3) defend against attacks on the independence of the 
     media; and
       (4) 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 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 
     163 (2013) on the safety of journalists and the issue of 
     impunity, which unequivocally condemns, in both conflict and 
     nonconflict situations, all attacks on and violence against 
     journalists and media workers, including torture, 
     extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, arbitrary 
     detention, and intimidation and harassment;
       Whereas the theme for World Press Freedom Day 2018 is 
     ``Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and the Rule of 
     Law'';
       Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 
     (22 U.S.C. 2151 note; Public Law 111-166), which was passed 
     by unanimous consent in the Senate and signed into law by 
     President Barack Obama in 2010, expanded the annual Human 
     Rights Reports of the Department of State to include an 
     examination of freedom of the press;
       Whereas the 2017 World Press Freedom Index, published by 
     Reporters Without Borders, warned that ``media freedom has 
     retreated wherever the authoritarian strongman model has 
     triumphed'';
       Whereas Freedom House noted in the report ``Freedom of the 
     Press 2017'' that--
       (1) global press freedom has declined to its lowest point 
     in 13 years; and
       (2) only 13 percent of the global population enjoys a free 
     press, meaning a media environment in which ``coverage of 
     political news is robust, the safety of journalists is 
     guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is minimal, and 
     the press is not subject to onerous legal or economic 
     pressures'';
       Whereas, according to the Committee to Protect 
     Journalists--
       (1) in 2017--
          (A) the 2 deadliest countries for journalists on 
     assignment were Iraq and Syria;
          (B) 46 journalists were killed in cases in which the 
     motive for the killing was confirmed to be related to 
     reporting by those journalists;
          (C) 20 journalists were killed in cases in which the 
     motive for the killing was unconfirmed;
          (D) there were 21 cases in which journalists were jailed 
     for ``false news'', which represented more than double the 
     number of cases in which journalists were jailed for ``false 
     news'' in 2016; and
          (E) the percentage of female journalists who were killed 
     in a year was the highest on record;
       (2) the most dangerous subject for a journalist to report 
     is politics, followed only then by war; and
       (3) as of December 1, 2017, 262 journalists worldwide were 
     imprisoned for their work, marking the second consecutive 
     year that the number of journalists imprisoned for their work 
     hit a historic high;
       Whereas freedom of the press is a key component of 
     democratic governance, activism in civil society, and 
     socioeconomic development; and
       Whereas freedom of the press enhances public 
     accountability, transparency, and participation in civil 
     society and democratic governance: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses concern about the threats to freedom of the 
     press and expression around the world;
       (2) welcomes the celebration of World Press Freedom Day 
     2018 on May 3, 2018;
       (3) commends journalists and media workers around the world 
     for their essential role in promoting government 
     accountability, defending democratic activity, and 
     strengthening civil society, despite threats to the safety of 
     those journalists and media workers;
       (4) pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives 
     carrying out their work;
       (5) calls on governments abroad to implement United Nations 
     General Assembly Resolution 163 (2013) on the safety of 
     journalists and the issue of impunity by thoroughly 
     investigating and seeking to resolve outstanding cases of 
     violence against journalists, including murders and 
     kidnappings, while ensuring the protection of witnesses;
       (6) condemns all actions around the world that suppress 
     freedom of the press;
       (7) reaffirms the centrality of freedom of the press to 
     efforts of the Government of the United States to support 
     democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote good governance 
     domestically and around the world; and
       (8) calls on the President and the Secretary of State to--
       (A) on the basis of the protections afforded under the 
     First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 
     preserve and build upon the leadership of the United States 
     on issues relating to freedom of the press;
       (B) improve the means by which the Government of the United 
     States rapidly identifies, publicizes, and responds to 
     threats against freedom of the press around the world;
       (C) urge foreign governments to conduct transparent 
     investigations and adjudications of the perpetrators of 
     attacks against journalists; and
       (D) highlight the issue of threats against freedom of the 
     press--
       (i) in the annual Human Rights Reports of the Department of 
     State; and
       (ii) throughout the year.

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