[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 20, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 43199-43200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15590]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 138 / Wednesday, July 20, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 43199]]

                Proclamation 10423 of July 15, 2022

                
Captive Nations Week, 2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America has firmly set its sights on the ideals of 
                freedom, democracy, equality, liberty, and justice for 
                all. We have never fully lived up to that founding 
                promise, but we have never walked away from it either. 
                These core values have also moved us to support people 
                around the world--especially those who live under 
                oppressive regimes--so that they can freely exercise 
                their rights. As a long-standing democracy, the United 
                States carries a responsibility to show the world how 
                representative governance delivers benefits for all 
                people. During Captive Nations Week, we reaffirm our 
                commitment to supporting and amplifying the voices of 
                the courageous individuals around the world who are 
                striving to advance the universal principles of 
                freedom, democracy, justice, and the rule of law while 
                living under oppression.

                Today, defending democracy is more vital and more 
                urgent than ever. Around the world, we bear witness to 
                alarming trends--autocratic nations brutally invading 
                the territory of their neighbors, backsliding of 
                democratic values, intrusive digital surveillance, 
                widespread human rights abuses, and increasing acts of 
                transnational repression. These practices and policies 
                imperil the essential work of activists, journalists, 
                and defenders of human rights, and they oppress average 
                citizens. Increasingly, repressive regimes in Russia, 
                Iran, Belarus, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the 
                Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the People's 
                Republic of China, and elsewhere are seeking to 
                subjugate not only those within their own borders but 
                also those in other countries. They reach across 
                borders to surveil, harass, threaten, and even kill 
                human rights defenders, media workers, and civilians in 
                other sovereign nations. It is an outrage and an 
                affront to the rules-based order that underwrites 
                international peace and security. The world's 
                democracies must stand together and show the strength 
                of our resolve to put an end to these injustices.

                With the first Summit for Democracy in December 2021 
                and the ongoing Year of Action, the United States 
                launched an effort to bring together governments around 
                the world to counter authoritarianism, defend 
                democracy, and safeguard the human rights and 
                fundamental freedoms that foster peace, security, and 
                prosperity. Collectively, we are working to bolster 
                sustainable and independent media, protect and support 
                civil society, and insist on the rule of law and 
                accountability for those who commit abuses.

                As Russia relentlessly wages its brutal and unprovoked 
                war against the people of Ukraine, our Nation has led a 
                global response to hold Russia accountable and denounce 
                its inhumanity and its contempt for international law. 
                We honor the valor and sacrifice of the people of 
                Ukraine, who have reminded the world through their 
                courage of the universal yearning for freedom. We will 
                continue to stand with them as they defend their 
                country, their liberty, and their democracy.

                During Captive Nations Week, we stand in solidarity 
                with the brave human rights and pro-democracy advocates 
                around the world--many of whom risk their lives each 
                day to protect the rights of others. We remain 
                committed

[[Page 43200]]

                to ensuring that all those who are oppressed around the 
                globe are heard, supported, and protected.

                May Captive Nations Week reinvigorate our efforts to 
                live up to our ideals by championing justice, dignity, 
                and freedom for all.

                The Congress, by joint resolution approved July 17, 
                1959 (73 Stat. 212), has authorized and requested the 
                President to issue a proclamation designating the third 
                week of July of each year as ``Captive Nations Week.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 17 
                through July 23, 2022, as Captive Nations Week. I call 
                upon all Americans to reaffirm our commitment to 
                championing those around the world who are working, 
                often at great personal risk, to secure liberty and 
                justice for all.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2022-15590
Filed 7-19-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P