[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 140 (Wednesday, August 22, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 613--REQUESTING A REPORT ON THE OBSERVANCE OF AND 
    RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOM IN SAUDI ARABIA

  Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Gillibrand, 
Mr. Wyden, Mr. Sanders, and Mr. Leahy) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 613

       Whereas, in July 2018, the Government of Saudi Arabia 
     detained prominent women rights activists Samar Badawi and 
     Nassima al-Sada;
       Whereas the United States Department of State presented Ms. 
     Badawi with the 2012 International Women of Courage Award in 
     recognition of her efforts with regard to the discriminatory 
     male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia;
       Whereas the Department of State has declined to express 
     solidarity with the Government of Canada, which reacted 
     appropriately to news of the detention of Ms. Badawi and Ms. 
     al-Sada in expressing that it was ``gravely concerned about 
     additional arrests of civil society and women's rights 
     activists'' and calling upon ``Saudi authorities to 
     immediately release them and all other peaceful human-rights 
     activists'';
       Whereas the Government of Saudi Arabia reacted 
     disproportionately to criticism by the Government of Canada 
     by taking extreme retaliatory measures, including--
       (1) expelling the Ambassador of Canada to Saudi Arabia and 
     recalling the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Canada;
       (2) ordering the return of citizens of Saudi Arabia living 
     in Canada, including more than 1,000 medical students;
       (3) shutting off new bilateral trade and investment with 
     Canada; and
       (4) terminating direct commercial flights on Saudi Arabian 
     air carriers between Saudi Arabia and Canada;
       Whereas Canada is an indispensable ally in the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization that shares the commitment of 
     the United States to equal rights and the rule of law and, in 
     defense of shared interests and values, Canada has fought and 
     sacrificed alongside the United States in each of the World 
     Wars and has contributed to Missions of the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization in Afghanistan, the Balkans, Libya, and 
     Central and Eastern Europe;
       Whereas the arrest of Ms. Badawi and Ms. al-Sada, as well 
     as the ongoing detention of countless others such as blogger 
     Raif Badawi and human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair, is 
     part of a disturbing pattern of human rights violations 
     committed by the Government of Saudi Arabia, which are 
     documented in more than 50 pages of the 2017 Human Rights 
     Report of the Department of State;
       Whereas, among the human rights violations by the 
     Government of Saudi Arabia documented in that report, are 
     unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, 
     restrictions on freedom of expression, violence and official 
     gender discrimination against women, and criminalization of 
     same-sex sexual activity;
       Whereas the office of the United Nations High Commissioner 
     for Refugees assesses that airstrikes carried out by Saudi 
     Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Yemen accounted for 80 
     percent of all civilian casualties from December 2017 to May 
     2018 in the 5 governorates of Yemen most affected by 
     fighting; and
       Whereas section 502B(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
     1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(a)(2)) states that ``no security 
     assistance may be provided to any country the government of 
     which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of 
     internationally recognized human rights'': Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (A) the President should offer public support to Canada by 
     calling upon the Government of Saudi Arabia to release Samar 
     Badawi, Nassima al-Sada, Raif Badawi, Waleed Abu al-Khair, 
     and all other peaceful human rights activists, journalists, 
     and religious minorities held in detention by that Government 
     on dubious charges; and
       (B) the arrest of women's rights activists and their 
     supporters since May 2018 is contrary to the stated goals of 
     the Government of Saudi Arabia; and
       (2) the Senate requests, pursuant to section 502B(c)(1) of 
     the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1)), 
     that the Secretary of State submit to Congress a statement, 
     as required by that section, setting forth all the available 
     information about observance of and respect for human rights 
     and fundamental freedom in Saudi Arabia.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, an unrelenting government crackdown on the 
women's rights movement is taking place in Saudi Arabia. This is the 
subject of a Senate resolution, of which I am an original cosponsor, 
introduced today by Senator Merkley.
  It is widely known that Saudi Arabia has a long history of 
subjugating and discriminating against women and girls. Today, despite 
talk of reform, Saudi authorities continue to arbitrarily arrest and 
detail women's rights activists and supporters, including Samar Badawi, 
recipient of the 2012 International Women of Courage Award; Nassima al-
Sadah, an Eastern Province activist, and Nouf Abdelaziz, an activist 
and writer, among others.
  The latest crackdown, which began in May, has resulted in the arrest 
of more than a dozen women's rights activists, with many more also 
barred from traveling abroad.
  Many people erroneously equate the recent lifting of the ban on 
female drivers in Saudi Arabia as indicative of increased government 
support for women's rights in the country. To the contrary, the 
government has arrested some of the same women activists who campaigned 
for the right to drive only a short time ago.
  We and others often deplore the arbitrary arrests, denial of 
fundamental rights and liberties, and execution of prisoners in Iran 
for ``crimes'' that would be protected speech under international law; 
yet, we see similar abuses in Saudi Arabia and the systematic 
persecution of women by Saudi authorities without a commensurate level 
of international outcry.
  Arbitrary arrests of peaceful activists, regardless of cause or 
country, is not acceptable. Freedom of speech and peaceful dissent are 
critical underpinnings of human rights activism around the globe and 
must be consistently defended. Women's rights are human rights.
  I urge all Senators to stand up against attacks of fundamental rights 
and liberties, in all countries and for all people, including those 
fighting for the rights of women in Saudi Arabia.

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