[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19490-19491]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, on December 10 of this week, we will 
celebrate International Human Rights Day. It is the 69th anniversary of 
the United Nations' adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights. It provided inalienable rights for everyone in this world to be 
entitled to basic human rights, regardless of their religion, 
regardless of their race, their color, their gender, their language, 
their politics, their national origin, their property, wealth, birth, 
whatever. You are entitled to basic human rights.
  The declaration further goes on to say that the ignoring and contempt 
of human rights have been among the principal causes of the suffering 
of humanity. That clearly has been the case throughout the history of 
the world and is still relevant today--very relevant today.
  The interesting thing about the universal declaration is that it 
acknowledges that we all have responsibilities. This is not just a 
country responsibility; we, as citizens of the world, have an 
obligation to challenge when human rights are violated anywhere in the 
world. That is our responsibility. It is interesting that one of the 
responsibilities I have as the ranking Senate Democrat on the Helsinki 
Commission, which is the organization that monitors our participants 
and the Organization for Security and Co-operation In Europe--that 
declaration, the Helsinki accords, which was entered into in 1975, was 
an acknowledgement of basic human rights; it is a responsibility of all 
the participating countries to adhere to basic human rights. The 
Helsinki accords also make it very clear that any member country of the 
OSCE has the right to challenge what is happening in any other country. 
We have a responsibility as global citizens to speak out when basic 
human rights are being violated.
  I also point out that this is one of the basic tenets of America's 
strength. One value embodied in our Constitution, embodied in our 
history, is a respect for human rights, and it makes America the unique 
Nation it is. Yes, we are looked upon as a global power because of our 
military and economy, but I must tell you, the real trademark of 
America, the real value we give to the international debate is the fact 
that we bring a commitment to basic human rights and values as part of 
our DNA. That has been very much demonstrated in so many ways.
  I am proud of many of our accomplishments on behalf of international 
human rights. America's leadership on trafficking in persons--there 
have been Democrats and Republicans who have taken the lead on this to 
make it clear that we will not tolerate modern-day slavery. We took the 
lead on that; Congress took the lead on that. We passed the 
``Trafficking in Persons Report.'' We now monitor activities in every 
country in the world, including the United States, in order to protect 
against modern-day slavery.
  I am proud of the passage of, first, the Magnitsky statute, which 
dealt with Russia, and now the global Magnitsky statute, which says: If 
a country does not hold accountable their gross violators of human 
rights, we will not give them access to our banking system or the 
ability to visit our country. When we passed that law, other countries 
followed suit. Europe has enacted the Magnitsky statute, Canada has 
enacted it, and individual countries have enacted it. We show 
leadership, and the world follows. We have effective tools to say that 
we will stand up and live up to our commitments to enforce human 
rights.
  What we often do is put a spotlight on those human rights defenders 
who are being persecuted around the world. By putting a spotlight on 
it, we give them hope. That is what we did in regard to the human 
rights defenders in China, human rights defenders in so many places 
around the world.
  Quite frankly, one of the principal functions of our missions in 
countries around the world is to be there to speak out for basic human 
rights, to speak out in support of the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights. I am proud of our Foreign Service officers who carry that 
mission every day in every country around the world.
  When potential nominees for Ambassadors come before our committee, 
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, we question them as to their 
commitment to support American values on human rights and what they 
will do in the country they will be representing America in order to 
advance those causes. This is part of our responsibility based upon the 
United Nations declaration, but it is also part of what we need to do 
in order for us to stay safe.
  We know there is a direct correlation between a country's respect for 
human rights and the amount of conflict, the amount of violence, the 
amount of insurgency that takes place within that country. Violent 
extremists will have a place to breathe if a country doesn't respect 
the human rights of its citizens. It is in our national security 
interests, in addition to doing what is right as a nation and as a 
global citizen.
  We have challenges today. We have autocratic leaders around the world 
who are violating every day the human rights of their citizens. We need 
to help lead the international community. We see attacks on journalism 
and the rights of free press, where it is, in many places in the world, 
not safe to comment freely about what is happening in a country.
  The LGBT community has been under constant attack in many parts of 
the world, and we need to defend their rights. Human rights defenders 
are being imprisoned in so many countries around the world. We need to 
stand up for their rights. Yes, in trafficking in persons, Senator 
Corker and I recently put a spotlight on what is happening in Libya, 
where they actually have slave auctions that are taking place, where 
people are being sold. We can't be silent about those types of 
activities or, in our own hemisphere, about what is happening in 
Venezuela, where there is a government that is denying its own people 
the right of access to international humanitarian aid. People are dying 
in hospitals because they can't get medical supplies. We need to speak 
out about that.
  Many of us have come to the floor to talk about the challenges we 
have as global citizens on the number of refugees, the displaced 
persons we have. We have numbers now that we haven't seen since the end 
of World War II of people who do not have a home, who are refugees. We 
need to do something about that. The most recent mass number left Burma 
because of the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims, and they are now in 
Bangladesh in horrible conditions. We all have a responsibility to 
respond. There are a number of refugees from Syria--huge numbers--and 
it requires U.S. leadership.
  This has been a bipartisan commitment in the Senate and a bipartisan 
commitment in the Congress, but I must tell you that I am disappointed 
by President Trump's failure to lead on this issue. He recently visited 
Asia. What an opportunity that would have been to have brought up the 
human rights struggles, whether they are in North Korea, which is the 
worst country in the world on human rights, or China, which has 
significant challenges, particularly with respect to its

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religious minorities, but also as to the right of its people to have 
economic freedom. There are major problems in China and problems in the 
Philippines with its President and what he does in regard to 
extrajudicial killings. The President hardly mentioned human rights at 
all during his trip to East Asia.
  He embraces leaders like Mr. Putin of Russia, who is a gross violator 
of the rights of his own people, and President Duterte of the 
Philippines, whom I already mentioned. President Trump embraces those 
types of leaders. We should be pointing out that Mr. Putin should be 
held accountable for his violations of human rights, and President 
Duterte should be held accountable for the extrajudicial killings that 
take place under his watch. The United States should be in the lead in 
bringing these issues to the public's attention.
  Then there is the President's immigration policies. We have always 
been the leader in the world's effort to welcome those who have been 
persecuted in other countries. We talk about our historical commitment 
of welcoming the huddled masses who are yearning to breathe free. That 
is America. Now we are closing our borders to refugees--to those who 
are being persecuted? We say to the countries in the Middle East: Open 
up your borders to the refugees from Syria or open up your borders to 
the refugees from that region. Yet, in the United States, we cannot 
handle a few numbers?
  We need to have much stronger and enlightened policies as we are now 
talking about people who have been long-term Americans. They only know 
America as their home. We are now telling the Dreamers or those under 
temporary protected status, because they have fled the gang violence in 
El Salvador or Honduras: You are no longer welcome in the only country 
you know, America. President Trump needs to lead on this issue because 
it is our global responsibility, and it is in the interest of our 
country.
  Yes, Human Rights Day is coming up this week. Let's rededicate 
ourselves to fight on behalf of human rights globally. That is our 
responsibility. It is who we are as a nation, and it is who we are as 
global citizens.
  I urge my colleagues to remember the words of John F. Kennedy when he 
said that, here on Earth, God's work must be our own. That is true. Let 
us carry on the work of respecting the human rights of all people in 
the world.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. STRANGE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sullivan). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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