[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 166 (Thursday, September 24, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S5878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 724--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
  PRACTICE OF POLITICALLY MOTIVATED IMPRISONMENT OF WOMEN AROUND THE 
WORLD AND CALLING ON GOVERNMENTS FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF WOMEN WHO 
                        ARE POLITICAL PRISONERS

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Shaheen, and 
Mr. Kaine) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 724

       Whereas Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human 
     Rights guarantees the right to liberty and security of 
     person, Article 9 protects against arbitrary arrest or 
     detention, and Article 18 guarantees the right to freedom of 
     thought, conscience, and religion;
       Whereas women across the world face enormous risks to 
     advance human rights and pursue progress for their 
     communities, including--
       (1) discriminatory policies and attitudes;
       (2) repressive governments;
       (3) abusive authorities; and
       (4) critical threats to their health, especially amid the 
     COVID-19 pandemic;
       Whereas women activists across the world are being unjustly 
     detained in order to silence their voices and end their 
     activism;
       Whereas women journalists are being unjustly detained for 
     speaking truth to power and exposing corruption and abuses by 
     governments and other authorities;
       Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic presents a severe threat to 
     women who are detained unjustly and who are often housed in 
     overcrowded prisons with limited access to medical care, 
     which can convert unjust prison sentences into death 
     sentences for vulnerable detained women;
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has waged a brutal 
     campaign to suppress political dissent and vibrant ethnic 
     minority communities;
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has suppressed and 
     detained human rights legal professionals, including Li 
     Yuhan, who has been severely mistreated in detention and who 
     went on a hunger strike in 2018;
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has subjected 
     Uyghurs in Xinjiang to mass surveillance, forced labor, 
     forced birth control, forced sterilization, and extrajudicial 
     internment, including--
       (1) Rahile Dawut, a professor of traditional Uyghur 
     culture;
       (2) Gulmira Imin, a former website administrator and 
     government employee; and
       (3) Nigare Abdushukur, who was sentenced to 19 years 
     imprisonment after inquiring about her mother's detention;
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has targeted 
     Tibetans for celebrating their heritage, including--
       (1) Bonkho Kyi, who was detained for organizing a picnic 
     celebration for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday; 
     and
       (2) Yeshe Choedron, who was sentenced in 2008 to 15 years 
     imprisonment after participating in protests;
       Whereas in Iran, human rights defenders have been steadfast 
     in their advocacy despite repeated abuse and arrest by 
     authorities, including currently detained human rights 
     activists--
       (1) Nasrin Sotoudeh, who spoke out against the death 
     penalty and laws forcing women to wear hijabs and who is 
     currently on a hunger strike and is in critical condition;
       (2) Atena Daemi, a human rights activist who is serving an 
     additional 2 years in prison and facing 74 lashes for 
     participating in a peaceful sit-in protest in Evin prison; 
     and
       (3) Narges Mohammadi, vice president of the Centre for 
     Human Rights Defenders, who has experienced severe health 
     conditions and lung disease while in prison and has suffered 
     from worsening COVID-19 symptoms since June 29, 2020;
       Whereas Iranian authorities have also recently arrested and 
     imprisoned environmentalists working for the Persian Wildlife 
     Heritage Foundation, including Sepideh Kashami and McGill 
     University graduate Niloufar Bayani, who previously worked 
     for the United Nations Environment Programme;
       Whereas Turkey is the world's second worst jailer of 
     journalists, with 47 journalists imprisoned in 2019, 
     including--
       (1) Hatice Duman, owner and editor at Atilim, which 
     published editorials condemning President Erdogan's policies; 
     and
       (2) Aysenur Parildak and Hanim Busra Erdal, journalists for 
     Zaman, which authorities claim has ties to Fethulaah Gulen;
       Whereas in Egypt, President Sisi has attempted to quash 
     dissent by jailing and abusing human rights defenders, 
     including--
       (1) Mahienour el-Masry, a human rights lawyer accused of 
     spreading ``false news'';
       (2) Esraa Abdel Fattah, a human rights activist and 
     reporter who was reportedly beaten, hung from handcuffs, and 
     choked with her clothes by authorities; and
       (3) Sanaa Seif, who was detained while filing a complaint 
     at the Public Prosecutor's office regarding her assault 
     outside Cairo's Tora prison, which houses her brother, who is 
     a political activist;
       Whereas Burundian authorities arrested and convicted 4 
     journalists at Iwacu, Burundi's last remaining independent 
     newspaper, including Christine Kamikazi and Agnes Ndirubusa, 
     after a flawed trial, for allegedly attempting to undermine 
     state security;
       Whereas Saudi Arabian women's rights and human rights 
     activists Loujain al-Hathloul, Nassima al-Sada, Samar Badawi, 
     Nouf Abdualziz, and Maya'a al-Zahrani all remain wrongfully 
     imprisoned;
       Whereas in the Philippines, Senator Leila de Lima remains 
     unjustly imprisoned for her vocal criticism of extrajudicial 
     killings carried out during President Duterte's ``war on 
     drugs'';
       Whereas in Eritrea, political dissident Aster Fissehatsion 
     has been held incommunicado without charge or trial since 
     2001: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports women who are being unjustly detained around 
     the world;
       (2) affirms that a government should never detain its 
     citizens for exercising the rights of freedom of assembly, 
     association, and speech;
       (3) calls on governments that are unjustly detaining women 
     for exercising their fundamental rights to immediately and 
     unconditionally release these political prisoners; and
       (4) urges the United States Government, in all its 
     interactions with foreign governments--
       (A) to raise individual cases of women political prisoners; 
     and
       (B) press for their immediate release.

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