[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 3, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1511-S1514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

 SENATE RESOLUTION 191--RECOGNIZING WIDENING THREATS TO FREEDOM OF THE 
PRESS AND FREE EXPRESSION AROUND THE WORLD, REAFFIRMING THE VITAL ROLE 
   THAT A FREE AND INDEPENDENT PRESS PLAYS IN COMBATING THE GROWING 
 THREATS OF AUTHORITARIANISM, MISINFORMATION, AND DISINFORMATION, AND 
  REAFFIRMING FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AS A PRIORITY OF THE UNITED STATES 
GOVERNMENT IN PROMOTING DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN 
        COMMEMORATION OF WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY ON MAY 3, 2023

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Merkley, and Mr. Van Hollen) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 191

       Whereas the First Amendment to the United States 
     Constitution and various State constitutions protect freedom 
     of the press in the United States;
       Whereas Thomas Jefferson, who championed the necessity of a 
     free press for a thriving democratic society, wisely 
     declared, ``Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, 
     and that cannot be limited without being lost.'';
       Whereas Article 19 of the United Nations Universal 
     Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in Paris on December 10, 
     1948, states, ``Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion 
     and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions 
     without interference and to seek, receive and impart 
     information and ideas through any media and regardless of 
     frontiers.'';
       Whereas, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly 
     proclaimed the third day of May of each year to be ``World 
     Press Freedom Day''--
       (1) to celebrate the fundamental principles of press 
     freedom;
       (2) to evaluate press freedom around the world;
       (3) to defend the media against attacks on its 
     independence; and
       (4) to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives 
     while working in their profession;
       Whereas the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009 
     (Public Law 111-166) expanded the examination of the freedom 
     of the press around the world in the annual Country Reports 
     on Human Rights Practices published by the Department of 
     State;
       Whereas, on December 18, 2013, and December 18, 2019, the 
     United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 68/163 and 
     Resolution 74/157, respectively, on the safety of journalists 
     and the problem of impunity by unequivocally condemning all 
     attacks on, and violence against, journalists and media 
     workers, including torture, extrajudicial killing, enforced 
     disappearance, arbitrary detention, and intimidation and 
     harassment in conflict and non-conflict situations;
       Whereas the United States Government has used the Global 
     Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of 
     title XII of Public Law 114-328) to place targeted visa and 
     economic sanctions on individuals, including for their roles 
     in the targeted killings of journalists;
       Whereas, in an effort to combat attacks against 
     journalists, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in February 
     2021, announced the Khashoggi Ban, a new policy allowing the 
     Department of State to impose visa restrictions on 
     individuals who, acting on behalf of a foreign government, 
     are believed to have been directly engaged in serious, 
     extraterritorial counter-dissident activities, including 
     activities that suppress, harass, surveil, threaten, or harm 
     journalists, activists, or other persons perceived to be 
     dissidents for their work;
       Whereas Reporters Without Borders, in their compiled data 
     from 2022, provide alarming indications about growing 
     divisions resulting from the spread of disinformation with 
     the potential to weaken democratic societies;
       Whereas, according to Reporters Without Borders, a record 
     total of 533 journalists were in prison as of December 1, 
     2022, and the annual number of women journalists in prison 
     has recently risen by nearly 30 percent;


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S1511, May 3, 2023, in the second column, in the third 
``whereas'' clause, the following appears: ``. . . number of women 
journalists in prison rose has recently risen by nearly 30 
percent;''
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: ``. . . number of 
women journalists in prison has recently risen by nearly 30 
percent;''


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


       Whereas Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2023 report 
     marked the 17th consecutive year of decline in global 
     freedom, with an estimated 39 percent of the global 
     population living in countries deemed ``Not Free'';
       Whereas worsening media freedom has been one of the key 
     drivers of declines in global freedom, including attacks and 
     prosecutions against journalists, pressure on media outlets, 
     repressive regulatory and legal frameworks, internet 
     shutdowns, and blocks on online sources of information;
       Whereas journalists and media staff are being murdered, 
     attacked, harassed and imprisoned around the world and the 
     Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that--
       (1) at least 67 journalists and media workers were killed 
     around the world in 2022, representing a rise compared to the 
     previous year of almost 50 percent;
       (2) the vast majority of murders of journalists occur with 
     impunity, with nearly 80 percent of the perpetrators of 263 
     murders of journalists from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 
     2022 facing no punishment;
       (3) Iran, China, Burma, Turkey, and Belarus were 
     responsible for nearly 60 percent of all imprisoned 
     journalists; and
       (4) journalists and media outlets around the world have 
     been targeted by government actors with sophisticated spyware 
     products that pose a severe risk to their security and the 
     security of their sources and families;
       Whereas, according to PEN America, at least 311 writers and 
     public intellectuals, including columnists and editorial 
     journalists, were imprisoned across 36 different countries 
     during 2022;
       Whereas, since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of 
     Ukraine in February 2022, Reporters Without Borders has 
     documented attacks directly targeting journalists, 
     including--
       (1) the killing of 8 journalists and media workers;
       (2) the torture by electric shock, beatings, and mock 
     executions of journalists working for the international 
     press;
       (3) the targeted kidnappings of journalists and their 
     families in occupied regions of Ukraine to put pressure on 
     their reporting; and
       (4) the deliberate attacks targeting media facilities;
       Whereas, in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, Ukrainian 
     journalists and bloggers have repeatedly been threatened, 
     arbitrarily arrested, and tortured for resisting Russian 
     occupation, such as the detentions of Vladyslav Yesypenko 
     Iryna Danylovych, Amet Suleimanov, Asan Akhmetov, Marlen 
     Asanov, Nariman Celal, Oleksiy Bessarabov, Osman Arifmemetov, 
     Remzi Bekirov, Ruslan Suleimanov, Rustem Sheikhaliev, Server 
     Mustafayev, Seyran Saliev, Timur Ibragimov, and Vilen 
     Temeryanov;
       Whereas media workers face heightened dangers in Russia, 
     such as harassment, repression, censorship, and imprisonment, 
     with 22 journalists imprisoned as of April 17, 2023, of whom 
     10 were arrested after the beginning of the invasion of 
     Ukraine, including--
       (1) Evan Gershkovich, a United States reporter with the 
     Wall Street Journal, who was wrongfully detained on baseless 
     espionage charges in March and faces up to 20 years in jail;
       (2) Ivan Safronov, a correspondent with Russian business 
     dailies Kommersant and Vedomosti, who was sentenced to 22 
     years in jail on treason charges in September 2022;
       (3) Maria Ponomarenko, a correspondent with the RusNews 
     independent news website, who was sentenced to 6 years in 
     prison for spreading false information about the Russian 
     military on February 15, 2023;
       (4) Sergey Mikhaylov, publisher of independent newspaper 
     Listok, who was arrested for spreading false information 
     about the Russian military in April 2022;
       (5) Mikhail Afanasyev, editor-in-chief of the online 
     magazine Novy Fokus, who was arrested and charged with 
     spreading false information about the Russian military in 
     April 2022;
       (6) Novaya Gazeta, a landmark independent newspaper founded 
     in 1993, which--
          (A) suspended operations in Russia in March 2022 after 
     receiving warnings from the authorities citing the country's 
     foreign agents law; and
          (B) was stripped of its print and online media licenses 
     in September 2022; and
       (7) Meduza, a leading independent bilingual news website 
     based outside of Russia, which--
          (A) was designated by Russian authorities in January 
     2023 as an ``undesirable organization'' under the 2015 
     Undesirable Organization Law; and
          (B) was banned from operating in the Russian Federation;
       Whereas according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
     the Government of the People's Republic of China had detained 
     at least 43 journalists, as of December 1, 2022, and has 
     unleashed an onslaught of attacks on press freedom in China 
     and Hong Kong, including through--
       (1) state-sponsored censorship and disinformation campaigns 
     limiting access to information about any dissent, including 
     recent protests against then-imposed COVID-19 restrictions, 
     and by censoring protest-related keywords on social media 
     platforms;
       (2) attacks on press freedom in Hong Kong, including the 
     passage of the National Security Law, which poses an 
     existential threat to the city's tradition of press freedom, 
     and the arrest and subsequent conviction of Jimmy Lai, owner 
     of Hong Kong's largest media outlet, Apple Daily, and an 
     outspoken democracy advocate;
       (3) arrests or other repressive actions against independent 
     journalists and others in mainland China attempting to share 
     uncensored news or opinion about current affairs, including 
     Sophia Huang Xueqin, who has written about women's rights and 
     the protests in Hong Kong, and has been arbitrarily detained 
     for more than 500 days;
       (4) the detention of journalists critical of the Government 
     of China, including Ruan Xiaohuan, who, after blogging about 
     programming and politics, was sentenced to a 7-year term of 
     imprisonment in early 2023, following 21 months of 
     incommunicado detention; and

[[Page S1512]]

       (5) the continued detention of Uyghur journalists, who 
     account for nearly 50 percent of imprisoned journalists in 
     China, including Ilham Tohti, founder of the news website 
     Uighurbiz, who was detained in 2014 and is serving a life 
     sentence;
       Whereas Afghanistan, under the control of the Taliban, 
     remains one of the most repressive countries for journalists, 
     with journalists in Afghanistan being subject to arrest, 
     beatings, and arbitrary restrictions on their work, including 
     journalists Mortaza Behboudi and Khairullah Parhar, who have 
     been detained by the Taliban since January 2023;
       Whereas Belarus has witnessed sweeping attacks against the 
     press since Alexander Lukashenka's fraudulent election in 
     August 2020, with journalists and media workers harassed, 
     assaulted, imprisoned, or otherwise retaliated against for 
     their work, including--
       (1) Katsiaryna Andreyeva, a correspondent with Poland-based 
     independent broadcaster Belsat TV, who, while serving a 2-
     year prison term for filming a live broadcast of the violent 
     dispersal of a protest against Lukashenko in November 2020, 
     was sentenced to 8 additional years in prison on treason 
     charges in July 2022;
       (2) Ksenia Lutskina, a former correspondent for the state 
     broadcaster Belteleradio, who was sentenced to 8 years in 
     prison on charges of conspiring to seize state power in 
     September 2022,and who is not receiving appropriate medical 
     care despite having a preexisting brain tumor that has grown 
     during her detention;
       (3) Maryna Zolatava, chief editor of independent news 
     website Tut.by, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison on 
     charges of incitement to hatred and distributing materials 
     calling for actions aimed at harming national security in 
     March 2023;
       (4) Andrey Kuznechyk, a journalist who, while working for 
     Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained in November 
     2021, and sentenced in June 2022 to 6 years in prison on 
     charges of forming an extremist group; and
       (5) Ihar Losik, another Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 
     journalist who was arrested in June 2020, and sentenced in 
     December 2021 to 15 years in jail on bogus charges of 
     preparation of actions that violate public order, who 
     attempted suicide in March 2023, and whose wife Darya was 
     sentenced in January 2023 to 2 years in prison on a charge of 
     facilitating extremist activity;
       Whereas Reporters Without Borders asserts that due to 
     oppression by the military junta, ``press freedom in [Burma] 
     has been set back ten years in ten days'' after the February 
     1, 2021 military coup, including through--
       (1) media workers forced into hiding and confronting 
     censorship, harassment, internet blocks, beatings, 
     interrogations, threats, and injuries at the hands of the 
     military;
       (2) multiple independent media outlets had forced to cease 
     operations or close altogether or had their licenses revoked 
     by the military; and
       (3) journalists being detained at alarming rates, with 75 
     journalists in prison as of April 17, 2023;
       Whereas Cuba remains a highly restricted environment for 
     independent media, marked by internet restrictions and 
     constant harassment of journalists and news outlets, 
     including journalist Lazaro Yuri Valle Roca who was sentenced 
     to 5 years in prison for ``enemy propaganda and resistance'' 
     in July 2022, a clear sign that the Cuban regime continues 
     using the extreme measure of jailing journalists to maintain 
     its regime of censorship;
       Whereas Egypt's restrictions on the media have accelerated 
     under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi since 2013, with at 
     least 21 journalists imprisoned as of December 1, 2022, 
     according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 
     including--
       (1) Alaa Abd El Fattah, a blogger sentenced to 5 years in 
     prison for ``broadcasting false news'' who embarked on a 
     hunger strike on April 2, 2022, to protest his mistreatment, 
     which he escalated to a near-fatal ``water strike'' that 
     prompted a forced medical intervention by prison officials 
     upon the start of the United Nations COP 27 climate summit in 
     Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on November 6, 2022;
       (2) Hisham Abdel Aziz, an Al Jazeera journalist who is on 
     the verge of losing his eyesight following untreated glaucoma 
     while in prison; and
       (3) Mahmoud Abou Zeid, who was released after 5 years in 
     prison, but remains subject to a 5-year probation term that 
     requires his continuous presence at a police station between 
     6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily;
       Whereas assaults on press freedom in El Salvador imperil 
     its fragile democracy and include both verbal attacks on 
     journalists by political leaders and the use of state power 
     to intimidate independent media, such as--
       (1) the ongoing criminal investigation against outlet El 
     Faro, which was launched after it reported damaging 
     information about the government, and which led the media 
     outlet to relocate most of its operations to Costa Rica 
     following harassment by Salvadorian police;
       (2) the online attacks and threats to journalists from the 
     outlet Revista Factum, which has been banned from press 
     conferences at the presidential residence; and
       (3) the adoption of a new law that imposes prison sentences 
     ranging from 10 to 15 years for certain reporting on criminal 
     groups, such as gangs;
       Whereas, in India, government authorities frequently impose 
     internet and communication blackouts in certain areas, and 
     have recently detained and charged journalists covering 
     political demonstrations, called for the temporary blockage 
     of journalists and media accounts on Twitter, and subjected 
     journalists to searches and arrests, including--
       (1) the February 2023 raid on the British Broadcasting 
     Company offices in Delhi and Mumbai, during which tax 
     authorities seized employees' laptops and mobile phones, 
     following an Income Tax Department order the previous month, 
     widely viewed as an attempt to censor the outlet following 
     the release of a documentary on key political figures in 
     India; and
       (2) the house arrest of Gautam Navlakha, a journalist and 
     activist, who has been awaiting trial since April 2020 on 
     charges of ``instigating caste violence'';
       Whereas Pakistan maintains high levels of media censorship 
     and impunity persists in cases of killings and physical 
     attacks on journalists who criticize the military and state 
     institutions, including--
       (1) the arrest of journalists Imran Riaz Khan, in July 
     2022, under sedition charges for his criticism of the 
     military; and
       (2) the assault of Ayaz Amir, an employee of Dunya News, on 
     July 1, 2022, days after he had made comments criticizing 
     former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the military;
       Whereas Iran was the leading jailer of journalists and the 
     most prolific jailer of female journalists in 2022, 
     subjecting media workers to aggressive intimidation, 
     arbitrary summons, arrests, travel bans, conditional 
     releases, torture, inhumane treatment, and unsubstantiated 
     and unjust sentences, including--
       (1) Niloofar Hamedi, correspondent of the daily newspaper 
     Shargh, who was imprisoned in 2022 for trying to document the 
     death of Mahsa Amini on charges that could result in the 
     death penalty;
       (2) Elahe Mohammadi, journalist for the daily Ham Mihan, 
     who was also imprisoned in 2022 for the same action and on 
     the same charges;
       (3) Yalda Moaiery, a prominent female photojournalist who--
          (A) while covering the nationwide protests in Tehran, 
     was arrested by anti-riot police despite having press 
     credentials;
          (B) was later charged with ``spreading propaganda 
     against the system'' and ``acting against national 
     security''; and
          (C) was sentenced to 6 years in prison;
       (4) freelance journalist Fariborz Kalantari, who was 
     sentenced on February 7, 2021, to 7 years in prison and 74 
     lashes for using his telegram channel to circulate articles 
     about corruption charges brought against the ex-Vice 
     President's brother;
       (5) Mahmoud Mahmoudi, the editor of the weekly newspaper 
     Agrin Rozh, who was arrested by agents of the Ministry of 
     Intelligence in Sanandaj after issuing an open letter calling 
     for the release of detained Kurdish activists;
       (6) freelance photojournalist Nooshin Jafari, who was 
     arrested in 2021, and sentenced to a 4-year prison term for 
     ``spreading anti-state propaganda'' and ``insulting 
     sanctities''; and
       (7) Iranian journalist Navid Seyed-Mohammadi, a Kurdish 
     reporter for the state-run Islamic Republic Radio and 
     Television broadcaster, who was arrested in May 2020 and is 
     serving a 7-year prison sentence for ``espionage for hostile 
     states'';
       Whereas Mexico continues to be one of the world's deadliest 
     countries for journalists, where 25 journalists are currently 
     counted as missing, and reporters covering stories on 
     political corruption and organized crime are frequently 
     assaulted and murdered, including--
       (1) Gustavo Sanchez Cabrera, a reporter who covered crime 
     and politics and who was murdered in front of his son;
       (2) Ricardo Dominguez Lopez, the founder and editor of news 
     website InfoGuaymas;
       (3) Lourdes Maldonado Lopez, a broadcast journalist, and 
     Margarito Martinez, a photojournalist, who were both killed 
     in Tijuana in January 2022;
       (4) Juan Carlos Muniz, a reporter who covered crime for the 
     news website Testigo Minero; and
       (5) Fredid Roman, the founder of the newspaper La Realidad 
     and a columnist for the newspaper Vertice Diario de 
     Chilpancingo;
       Whereas Haiti is the second deadliest country in the 
     Western Hemisphere for journalists, with 7 journalists killed 
     during 2022, following a steady uptick of violence against 
     the press over the last several years;
       Whereas the years-long persecution of journalists in 
     Nicaragua continues, including news outlets being forced to 
     close and individual journalists being threatened, harassed, 
     sued, surveilled, jailed, and forced into exile, including--
       (1) Miguel Mendoza, who along with 6 other journalists and 
     media workers, was among the group of 222 political prisoners 
     released by Nicaraguan authorities in February 2023, sent to 
     the United States, and subsequently stripped of their 
     Nicaraguan citizenship; and
       (2) journalist Victor Ticay, who was arrested in April 
     2023, in connection to his April 5 reporting about a Catholic 
     Easter celebration;
       Whereas Honduras remains one of the Western Hemisphere's 
     most dangerous countries for journalists, where those working 
     for opposition media or who are outspoken critics of the 
     government are subjected to harassment, intimidation, and 
     death threats by the country's security forces and its 
     affiliates;
       Whereas criminal defamation lawsuits and legislation have 
     been used in Peru to harass

[[Page S1513]]

     and silence investigative journalists who write about 
     prominent political figures and the violent repression of 
     protestors has also increased the risk to journalists 
     covering ongoing social unrest in Peru;
       Whereas the Office of the Director of National Intelligence 
     has concluded that the 2018 murder of Washington Post 
     journalist and American resident Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul 
     was approved by Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and 
     impunity continues for the Saudi officials involved in this 
     crime;
       Whereas the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia maintains an especially 
     hostile environment towards journalists through systematic 
     and arbitrary arrests, torture and inhumane or degrading 
     treatment, lengthy pre-trial detentions, political 
     persecution, and conditional release restrictions, which 
     inhibit reporters and columnists from traveling or returning 
     to their professional work post-detention, including--
       (1) Maha Al-Rafidi Al-Qahtani, a journalist and writer 
     arrested in September 2019, held in solitary confinement and 
     physically abused while in prison;
       (2) Abdulrahman Farhana, a columnist detained in February 
     2019, charged with membership in a terrorist organization;
       (3) Zuhair Kutbi, a journalist jailed in January 2019, who 
     reportedly suffers from torture, malnourishment, and denial 
     of cancer treatment in prison; and
       (4) blogger Raif Badawi, who recently completed a 10-year 
     prison sentence on blasphemy and apostasy charges, and who 
     remains subjected to a further 10-year travel ban, which 
     prevents him from reuniting with his family who received 
     asylum in Canada;
       Whereas the battle for a free press continues to be fought 
     in South Asia and Southeast Asia, where--
       (1) Bangladeshi journalists are subjected to arbitrary 
     arrests and charges under the Digital Security Act, and 
     suffer killings and physical attacks with near-total impunity
       (2) journalist, Nobel Prize laureate, and United States 
     citizen Maria Ressa, despite rulings in her favor, continues 
     to face lawfare for her reporting on President Duterte's 
     ``war on drugs'', among other topics;
       (3) Vietnamese journalists Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong 
     Thuy, and Le Huu Minh Tuan were each sentenced to more than 
     10 years in prison; and
       (4) Pham Doan Trang, a Vietnamese journalist and writer, 
     following a year in detention, was sentenced to 9 years in 
     prison for ``anti-state propaganda'' in a judicial proceeding 
     and imprisonmentdeclared ``arbitrary'' by the United Nations 
     Working Group on Arbitrary Detention;
       Whereas press freedom continues to face challenges in sub-
     Saharan Africa, including in--
       (1) Ethiopia, where a crackdown on the press has included--
          (A) the arbitrary arrests of journalists, which was 
     exacerbated during the civil war and has continued even after 
     the signing of a peace agreement in November 2022;
          (B) internet disruptions deployed during times of 
     political tension, including as recently as April 2023, 
     making it difficult and dangerous for the press to report the 
     news;
          (C) the January 2023 suspension of 15 media outlets, 
     including the BBC's Somali service, and their representatives 
     from operating in the Somali Regional State; and
          (D) the failure to provide a credible accounting for the 
     2021 killings of journalists Dawit Kebede Araya and Sisay 
     Fida;
       (2) Nigeria, where journalists have been repeatedly 
     detained and charged for their work, including--
          (A) Luke Binniyat, who was arrested in November 2021, 
     released on bail in February 2022, and is facing 3 years in 
     prison if convicted of sending false information under the 
     Cybercrimes Act;
          (B) Agba Jalingo, publisher of the CrossRiverWatch news 
     site, who was arrested on March 27, 2023, charged under the 
     Cybercrimes Act for allegedly publishing false news, and 
     released on bail on April 3, 2023; and
          (C) Haruna Mohammed Salisu, publisher of the WikkiTimes, 
     who was arrested while covering the February 25, 2023, 
     Federal elections, charged under the penal code with inciting 
     the public to disturb the Bauchi state governor, and released 
     on bail on March 1, 2023;
       (3) Eritrea, which is one of the world's most censored 
     nations, and where at least 16 journalists, including editors 
     Dawit Isaak and Amanuel Asrat, are detained, with most of 
     these detentions commencing during a 2001 crackdown on the 
     independent press, according to the Committee to Protect 
     Journalists;
       (4) Cameroon, where--
          (A) 5 journalists were imprisoned as of December 2022;
          (B) at least 2 journalists have died in government 
     custody under suspicious circumstances since 2010; and
          (C) journalist Martinez Zogo was abducted, tortured, and 
     killed in January 2023;
       (5) Rwanda, where--
          (A) at least 4 journalists were imprisoned as of 
     December 1, 2022, according to the Committee to Protect 
     Journalists; and
          (B) journalist John Williams Ntwali, who, after 
     reporting on cases of torture, disappearances, and forced 
     government evictions, was killed under suspicious 
     circumstances;
       (6) Somalia, where recent violations include the months-
     long legal harassment of the freelance journalist and press 
     freedom advocate Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, who was detained 
     several times and convicted of disobeying government orders 
     in connection to his objection to government plans to censor 
     media coverage of security issues and was released on March 
     26, 2023 after more than 1 month in prison;
       (7) Burundi, where journalist Floriane Irangabiye is 
     serving a 10-year prison sentence, following a January 2023 
     conviction in connection to her critical commentary on 
     governance issues in the country;
       (8) in Mali and Burkina Faso, where foreign journalists 
     have been expelled and French media outlets have been banned; 
     and
       (9) in Zimbabwe, where the country's overly broad 
     cybercrime legislation has been used to detain journalists 
     and silence the press;
       Whereas in Turkey, where the Erdogan government maintains 
     one of the world's most repressive environments for 
     journalists and continues to imprison at least 40 journalists 
     in retaliation for their professional work, including 15 
     Kurdish journalists who were arrested in June 2022, but were 
     never publicly charged;
       Whereas Hatice Duman, the longest imprisoned journalist in 
     Turkey, who has been serving a life sentence on terrorism 
     charges since April 9, 2003, told the Committee to Protect 
     Journalists in November that she had little hope for freedom 
     in her current retrial;
       Whereas, in Georgia, the free press is increasingly 
     threatened, as evidenced by the conviction of former 
     government minister and journalist Nika Gvaramia to a 42 
     month prison sentence on May 16, 2022, on charges widely 
     denounced as politically motivated, and attempts to pass laws 
     modeled after the Russian Federation's infamous ``foreign 
     agents'' law, and insufficient prosecution of frequent 
     physical attacks on members of the press;
       Whereas, in Tajikistan, where the government continues its 
     systematic repression of the free press in 2022 by sentencing 
     6 journalists to lengthy prison terms on spurious charges in 
     secretive, closed-door trials held in detention centers amid 
     allegations of torture and forced confessions, including--
       (1) Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, a 66-year-old ethnic Pamiri 
     journalist and human rights defender, who was sentenced to 20 
     years in prison; and
       (2) journalists Daler Imomali, Abdullo Ghurbati, Zavqibek 
     Saidamini, and Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda, who were sentenced 
     to terms of imprisonment ranging from 7 to 10 years on 
     spurious charges of extremism;
       Whereas, in Kyrgyzstan, where the government has taken 
     worrying steps to undermine the country's relative press 
     freedom since the start of 2022, including by--
       (1) blocking news websites under an arbitrary new ``false 
     information'' law, including that of Radio Free Europe/Radio 
     Liberty; and
       (2) imposing spurious charges of illegal drug manufacture 
     on investigative journalist Bolot Temirov and deporting him 
     to the Russian Federation in retaliation for his reporting on 
     corruption in the government's procurement processes;
       Whereas the Government of Morocco has imposed severe 
     crackdowns on freedom of expression and supporters of a free 
     press and is currently detaining 13 journalists, including--


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S1513, May 3, 2023, in the third column, in the third 
``whereas'' clause, the following appears: ``. . . of a free press 
and is currently detain 13 journalists, including--''
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: ``. . . of a free 
press and is currently detaining 13 journalists, including--''


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


       (1) Taoufik Bouachrine, the publisher and editor-in-chief 
     of Akhbar al-Youm, who was arrested in February 2018 on 
     retaliatory charges related to his journalism and is serving 
     a 15-year prison sentence;
       (2) Soulaimane Raissouni, a columnist and editor-in-chief 
     Akhbar al-Youm, who succeeded publisher Taoufik Bouachrine 
     and was arrested on similar retaliatory charges in May 2020, 
     and is serving a 5-year prison sentence;
       (3) Ali Anouzla, a journalist and editor of the news 
     website Lakome, who has been repeatedly arrested on 
     retaliatory charges relating to his journalism including 
     ``apologism for terrorism'', ``material aid for terrorism'', 
     and ``incitement to terrorism'';
       (4) Maati Monjib, a historian and advocate for free press, 
     who was detained in December 2020 for 3 months on specious 
     national security and fraud charges and remains subject to 
     restrictive bail conditions; and
       (5) Omar Radi, a journalist who was arrested on suspicion 
     of espionage in June 2020 shortly after Amnesty International 
     reported that the Moroccan authorities hacked his phone and 
     monitored his activities;
       Whereas in 2022 and 2023, press freedom in Algeria 
     continued to deteriorate at an alarming pace, with the 
     newspaper Liberte closing after 30 years in print following a 
     decision by its owner, as a result of the interminable 
     pressure exerted at the highest level in recent months 
     against its editorial line, with the newspaper El Watan being 
     subjected to strong pressures that led to a radical change in 
     its editorial line, and before the recent adoption of an 
     alarming media law, several journalists were summoned and 
     prosecuted for their work, notably--
       (1) Nadir Kerri, who was placed under judicial supervision;
       (2) Belkacem Haouam, who was detained for 2 months in 
     response to an article he published in late 2022; and
       (3) Ihsane El Kadi, who was prosecuted several times and 
     remains in prison after he was ultimately sentenced to 3 
     years in prison in April 2023;

[[Page S1514]]

       Whereas the Maduro regime of Venezuela continues to target 
     independent media outlets, restrict the exercise of freedom 
     of expression, and severely limit Venezuelan access to 
     accurate information;
       Whereas American journalists have been victimized while 
     reporting abroad, including--
       (1) Christopher Allen, who was killed while covering the 
     conflict in South Sudan on August 26, 2017, and whose killing 
     has yet to be investigated by authorities after nearly 6 
     years;
       (2) Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria and has been 
     held in captivity since August 12, 2012; and
       (3) Brent Renaud, who was killed by Russian forces while 
     covering the war in Ukraine on March 13, 2022; and
       (4) Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Russia on charges 
     of espionage on March 29, 2023;
       Whereas, under the auspices of the United States Agency for 
     Global Media, the United States Government provides financial 
     assistance to several editorially independent media outlets, 
     including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 
     Radio Free Asia, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and the 
     Middle East Broadcasting Networks--
       (1) which report and broadcast news, information, and 
     analysis in critical regions around the world; and
       (2) whose journalists regularly face harassment, fines, and 
     imprisonment for their work; and
       Whereas press freedom--
       (1) is a key component of democratic governance, activism 
     in civil society, and socioeconomic development; and
       (2) enhances public accountability, transparency, and 
     participation in civil society and democratic governance: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) declares that a free press--
       (A) is a central component of free societies and democratic 
     governance;
       (B) contributes to an informed civil society and government 
     accountability;
       (C) helps to expose corruption;
       (D) enhances public accountability and transparency of 
     governments at all levels; and
       (E) disseminates information that is essential to improving 
     public health and safety;
       (2) expresses concerns about threats to the exercise of 
     freedom of expression, including by the press, around the 
     world;
       (3) recognizes and commends journalism's role in providing 
     trusted, accurate, and timely information and in holding 
     governments and leaders accountable to citizens;
       (4) is dismayed that, under cover of the COVID-19 pandemic, 
     many governments have restricted the work of journalists 
     reporting on the public health crisis and on peaceful 
     protests on a variety of issues;
       (5) pays tribute to journalists who made tremendous 
     sacrifices, including the loss of their lives, in the pursuit 
     of truth and justice;
       (6) condemns all actions around the world that suppress 
     press freedom;
       (7) calls for the unconditional and immediate release of 
     all wrongfully detained journalists;
       (8) reaffirms the centrality of press freedom to efforts of 
     the United States Government to support democracy, mitigate 
     conflict, and promote good governance domestically and around 
     the world; and
       (9) calls upon the President and the Secretary of State--
       (A) to preserve and build upon the leadership of the United 
     States on issues relating to press freedom, on the basis of 
     the protections for freedom of the press afforded the 
     American people under the First Amendment to the Constitution 
     of the United States;
       (B) to transparently investigate and bring to justice the 
     perpetrators of attacks against journalists; and
       (C) to promote the respect and protection of press freedom 
     around the world.

                          ____________________