[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 106 (Monday, June 25, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4370-S4371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 556--REAFFIRMING THE COMMITMENT OF THE UNITED STATES 
 TO HOLD THE ORTEGA REGIME ACCOUNTABLE FOR ACTS OF VIOLENCE AND HUMAN 
        RIGHTS ABUSES PERPETRATED AGAINST THE NICARAGUAN PEOPLE

  Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Nelson, Mr. 
Perdue, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Lee) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 556

       Whereas, on April 19, 2018, protests began in Managua, 
     Nicaragua as a result of changes made to the social security 
     system by the Ortega regime that would have raised workers' 
     contributions and cut retirees' pensions;
       Whereas Transparency International's 2017 Corruption 
     Perceptions Index ranks Nicaragua as tied for 151 of 180, the 
     third worst ranking for a country in the Western Hemisphere, 
     after Venezuela and Haiti;
       Whereas numerous media outlets have reported on allegations 
     regarding the involvement of Nicaraguan government officials 
     in corruption, including misappropriating billions of dollars 
     provided to Nicaragua by the Government of Venezuela;
       Whereas, on April 23, 2018, tens of thousands of people--
     workers, students, farmers, and representatives of the 
     private sectors--demonstrated in Managua demanding an end to 
     the repression, with some calling for the departure of the 
     President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega;
       Whereas, on April 24, 2018, the United Nations called on 
     the Government of Nicaragua to carry out ``prompt, thorough, 
     independent and transparent investigations into these 
     deaths,'' saying a number of the killings may have been 
     ``unlawful'';
       Whereas, on May 13, 2018, the Catholic Church organized a 
     national dialogue between the protesters and the Government 
     of Nicaragua;
       Whereas, on May 17, 2018, the Executive Secretary of the 
     Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization 
     of American States, Paulo Abrao, arrived in Nicaragua to 
     investigate the human rights violations that took place 
     during the recent protests;
       Whereas, on May 21, 2018, the Inter-American Commission on 
     Human Rights of the Organization of American States issued a 
     statement that described the excessive use of force by 
     Nicaraguan security forces and armed irregular groups that 
     resulted in ``dozens of persons killed and hundreds wounded; 
     illegal and arbitrary detentions; practices of torture, 
     cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment; censorship and 
     attacks on the press; and other forms of intimidation'';
       Whereas, on May 21, 2018, the Inter-American Commission on 
     Human Rights of the Organization of American States 
     ``emphatically condemn[ed] the deaths, attacks and arbitrary 
     detentions of students, demonstrators, journalists and other 
     citizens that have occurred in Nicaragua since the beginning 
     of the protests'';
       Whereas, on May 23, 2018, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes declared 
     that talks had been suspended between the Ortega regime, the 
     opposition, and civil society;
       Whereas, on May 29, 2018, Amnesty International released a 
     report entitled ``Shoot to Kill: Nicaragua's Strategy to 
     Repress Protest'', which documented the lethal use of 
     weapons, specifically noting that gunshots fired by pro-
     government groups were aimed to kill and targeted specific 
     individuals;
       Whereas, on May 30, 2018, a peaceful ``Mother's Day 
     protest'' turned deadly, with an estimated 16 people killed 
     and 88 injured during clashes;
       Whereas, on June 15, 2018, the National Dialogue resumed, 
     resulting in a ceasefire agreement;
       Whereas, the next day, on June 16, 2018, armed irregular 
     groups killed 6 members of a family in an arson attack 
     against their home and business;
       Whereas, on June 18, 2018, the Department of State released 
     a statement that affirmed, ``The United States condemns the 
     ongoing government-sponsored violence and intimidation 
     campaign in Nicaragua . . . We urge immediate and full 
     implementation of the June 15 National Dialogue agreement on 
     human rights.'';
       Whereas the June 2018 statement released by the Department 
     of State stated, ``We note the widespread call among 
     Nicaraguans for early elections. The United States believes 
     early elections represent a constructive way forward''; and
       Whereas, as of June 18, 2018, there were at least 178 
     deaths and more than 1,000 people injured as a result of the 
     protests, according to data from the Centro Nicaragu4ense de 
     Derechos Humanos (Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights, or 
     Cenidh): Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) condemns the violence perpetrated against the citizens 
     of Nicaragua by the Ortega regime and affiliated armed 
     irregular groups;
       (2) calls on the Government of Nicaragua to end the 
     repressive practices of its security forces and enact 
     constitutional and legal reforms to better protect its 
     citizens;
       (3) supports efforts by the Inter-American Commission on 
     Human Rights of the Organization of American States to 
     conduct a credible, independent investigation into the 
     killing of at least 178 protestors;
       (4) encourages the Government of Nicaragua to commit to 
     negotiations with representatives of the Catholic Church, 
     civil society, student movement, private sector, and 
     political opposition to bring about an end to

[[Page S4371]]

     the current political crisis, which should include a 
     commitment to hold early elections that meet democratic 
     standards and include international observation;
       (5) urges the international community to denounce the human 
     rights abuses and violence perpetrated against the Nicaraguan 
     people by the Ortega regime; and
       (6) calls on the President of the United States to exercise 
     the authorities included in the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
     Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 
     114-328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) to impose sanctions with 
     respect to any person who--
       (A) is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or 
     other gross violations of human rights in Nicaragua; or
       (B) is responsible for or complicit in ordering, 
     controlling, or otherwise directing acts of significant 
     corruption in Nicaragua.

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