[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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