[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 118 (Monday, July 15, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H5800-H5802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONDEMNING GOVERNMENT OF SAUDI ARABIA'S CONTINUED DETENTION AND ALLEGED 
                   ABUSE OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 129) condemning the Government of Saudi Arabia's 
continued detention and alleged abuse of women's rights activists, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 129

       Whereas the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been an important 
     strategic partner of the United States, and the United States 
     and Saudi Arabia share broad interests, including defeating 
     the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), regional 
     stability, and countering Iran's malign activities in the 
     Middle East;
       Whereas, in June 2018, the Government of Saudi Arabia 
     reversed the longstanding ban on women driving;
       Whereas Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system requires 
     women to attain the permission of their male guardian for a 
     vast array of decisions, including health care, employment, 
     applying for a passport, international travel, getting 
     married, or even leaving prison;
       Whereas, since May 2018, the Government of Saudi Arabia has 
     arrested prominent human rights advocates and imposed travel 
     bans on numerous others, many of them longtime supporters of 
     ending the ban on women driving and abolishing the male 
     guardianship system;
       Whereas none of the jailed activists has been convicted of 
     any crimes, and many reportedly have been held in solitary 
     confinement for prolonged periods;
       Whereas Aziza al-Yousef, a United States resident who 
     helped lead a campaign against the male guardianship system 
     in Saudi Arabia, was imprisoned in May 2018;
       Whereas at least 10 activists supporting the rights of 
     women have been subjected to psychological and physical 
     abuse, including sexual violence, beatings, electric shocks, 
     and sleep deprivation;
       Whereas one of the detained activists, Loujain al-Hathloul, 
     was reportedly beaten, waterboarded, given electric shocks, 
     sexually harassed, and threatened with rape and murder;
       Whereas the Department of State has undertaken some 
     diplomatic measures to bring concerns about the detention of 
     these activists to the attention of the Government of Saudi 
     Arabia;
       Whereas, on January 14, 2019, Secretary of State Mike 
     Pompeo said he had raised the case of the imprisoned 
     activists with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman;
       Whereas the 2018 Department of State Country Report on 
     Human Rights Practices for Saudi Arabia stated that, ``Women 
     continued to face significant discrimination under law and 
     custom, and many remained uninformed about their rights'', 
     and ``women also faced discrimination in courts, where in 
     most cases the testimony of one man equals that of two 
     women'';
       Whereas in March and in May of 2019, Saudi authorities 
     temporarily released several activists pending trial;
       Whereas, on April 21, 2005, Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi, an 
     associate professor of history at King Saud University and 
     prominent activist who was detained and later temporarily 
     released, pending trial, testified before Congress that a 
     Saudi woman ``is considered legally and socially a minor; she 
     is confined to

[[Page H5801]]

     limited areas of educational opportunities; she is restricted 
     in employment opportunities; there are no legal bodies where 
     women could seek support; and finally, she is distanced from 
     any decisionmaking position'';
       Whereas serious impediments to women's freedoms in Saudi 
     Arabia remain, including a high prevalence of forced 
     marriages, inequality in marriage, divorce, child custody and 
     inheritance, laws that prevents women from directly 
     transmitting citizenship to their children, and the male 
     guardianship system; and
       Whereas the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability 
     Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-328) 
     authorizes the President to deny travel visas and freeze the 
     United States-based assets of foreign government officials 
     responsible for ``extrajudicial killings, torture, or other 
     gross violations of internationally recognized human 
     rights'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) reaffirms that promoting human rights and democracy has 
     long been a bedrock of United States foreign policy, 
     including advancing the rights and empowerment of women and 
     girls;
       (2) condemns the Government of Saudi Arabia's continued 
     detention and alleged abuse of women's rights advocates 
     jailed for peacefully exercising their human rights;
       (3) urges Government of Saudi Arabia officials to 
     immediately and unconditionally release the imprisoned 
     women's rights advocates and other political prisoners, and 
     hold accountable those involved in perpetrating abuses;
       (4) urges Government of Saudi Arabia officials to end the 
     male guardianship system that restricts the ability of Saudi 
     women to make decisions about their lives; and
       (5) calls on the United States Government to--
       (A) continue publicly and privately demanding the release 
     of individuals wrongfully detained;
       (B) use the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability 
     Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-328) to 
     identify and impose travel and financial restrictions on all 
     Government of Saudi Arabia officials responsible for gross 
     violations of internationally recognized human rights;
       (C) document relevant details of alleged torture and abuse 
     in future annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices; 
     and
       (D) prioritize human rights, including the rights of women, 
     as a key component of the relationship between the United 
     States and Saudi Arabia.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H. Res. 129.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Frankel and Wagner for their 
leadership in bringing this measure forward.
  The treatment of women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia, their 
unjust imprisonment, is a serious problem.
  Since May 2018, the Government of Saudi Arabia has arrested prominent 
women's rights activists and imposed travel bans on numerous others. 
Many of them are longtime supporters of ending the ban on a woman 
driving and abolishing the male guardianship system.
  At least 10 women's rights activists have been subjected to 
psychological and physical abuse, including sexual violence, beatings, 
electric shocks, and sleep deprivation.
  The State Department reported, in 2018: ``Women continued to face 
significant discrimination under law and custom, and many remain 
uninformed about their rights,'' and ``women also face discrimination 
in courts where, in the most cases, the testimony of one man equals 
that of two women.''
  Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia temporarily released four women 
activists. This is a step in the right direction, but not nearly 
enough.
  Mr. Speaker, American foreign policy is at its best when we put our 
values at the center of everything we do, and when a partner country 
like Saudi Arabia tramples on human rights, it is incumbent on us to 
speak out just as we would do with respect to a nation hostile to the 
United States.
  With this resolution, we are sending a clear message. It condemns the 
Government of Saudi Arabia's continued detention of these activists. It 
also urges an end to the male guardianship system and calls on the 
United States Government to designate the perpetrators of serious human 
rights violations under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
Accountability Act.
  We must continue to call on the Saudi Government to release these 
women immediately. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution, and 
I urge my colleagues to do the same.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 129, Condemning the 
Government of Saudi Arabia's Continued Detention and Alleged Abuse of 
Women's Rights Activists.
  Last year, we were all heartened by the news that Saudi Arabia was 
planning to lift its longstanding ban on women driving. We hoped that 
this would be a sign that the kingdom would finally shed its 
notoriously harsh policies toward women, such as the guardianship 
system under which women cannot make decisions without the permission 
of a male relative.
  Tragically, we were mistaken. The kingdom has detained and reportedly 
tortured several of the activists who had long campaigned for more 
rights for women, including the right to drive. While some of these 
activists have been temporarily released, they continue to face trial 
for their peaceful protests.
  This resolution calls on Saudi Arabia to release these peaceful 
activists and to hold accountable those who tortured them. It also 
calls on Saudi Arabia to end the guardianship system.
  We welcomed reports from the past week that Saudi Arabia may loosen a 
few select restrictions within the guardianship system, but it is far 
past time for women in Saudi Arabia to make their own decisions about 
their lives.
  The United States has a responsibility to advocate for human rights 
all over the world, including the right for peaceful dissent.
  While we value our strategic partnership and alliance with Saudi 
Arabia, our partnership does not let the kingdom off the hook for 
abuses of fundamental human rights.
  Today, the United States House of Representatives calls on Saudi 
Arabia to do better, to treat its women as citizens with full and equal 
rights, and to release and exonerate the peaceful dissidents who have 
long campaigned for human rights, including the rights of women.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank Chairman Engel, 
Representative Frankel, Representative Wagner, and the Foreign Affairs 
Committee members for their bipartisan work to advocate on behalf of 
the women of Saudi Arabia, including human rights activists.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for 
the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, let me again thank my colleagues for their hard work on 
this measure, and let me thank Mr. Wilson for his hard work.
  Mr. Speaker, when we see abuses of human rights around the world, 
when we see women treated as second-class citizens and denied basic 
dignity, we need to speak out. We need to speak out whether it is an 
adversary or friend. That is what is demanded of American leadership. 
It is what sets us apart from other powers on the global stage.
  The treatment of women in Saudi Arabia is abhorrent. The jailing of 
activists is unacceptable. And it is one more roadblock in our 
relationship with a country that has been and should continue to be an 
important partner.
  I hope it changes soon, along with a lot of other things, so that we 
can get back on track.
  Mr. Speaker, I support the measure, I urge all Members to do the 
same, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 129, as amended.

[[Page H5802]]

  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.

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